Yang Chengyou and his wife, Yang Chenghong and his wife, along with Yang Chengbin remained silent, but the radiant smiles on their faces made others itch to give them a beating, especially Nangong Lingfei who felt particularly aggrieved since, after going around in circles, even people from Qing’an Country received gifts. It was only during his own wedding that Jiujiu did not send anything.
"Jiujiu is simply too much. This won’t do. I must make Jiujiu give me a set, no, two sets!"
The Emperor, who was just as displeased as Nangong Lingfei, couldn’t believe that his daughter-in-law Jiujiu, whose calligraphy and painting skills were so remarkable, hadn’t sent him anything. He felt it was unfair!
"Jiujiu is our own daughter-in-law; will she ever forget her own family?" the Empress Dowager glanced indifferently at the Emperor.
The Emperor’s eyes lit up. His mother was indeed wise and intelligent. Anticipating the ease of obtaining Jiujiu’s masterpieces in the future, the Emperor was overjoyed in his heart.
The Empress maintained her dignified and serene composure, yet the smile in her eyes was unstoppable, and her affection for her daughter-in-law grew stronger.
Prince Duan and Prince Jing were extremely frustrated, nearly fainting. Had they known that Yang Mengchen was so talented, they would have done whatever it took to obtain her at any cost. What was she? She was an inexhaustible gold mine!
Qi Zonghao’s brows were deeply furrowed with a dark and gloomy expression, his fists clenched tightly, the joints cracking ominously.
Drunken Immortal Tavern had branches all over Xiliang, while Yu Xi’s calligraphy and paintings were priceless. It was a supreme honor for anyone to acquire them.
Who would have thought that to please his imperial father, he had tried everything and spent ten thousand gold to obtain just one of Yu Xi’s paintings, only to discover that the famous Yu Xi was actually Princess Chen. What kind of luck had Prince Chen stumbled upon to marry such a woman?
"Did you do that on purpose this morning?" Qi Qiuxin’s high-pitched voice rang out, frustrated with her last place in the competition. "This princess refuses to accept this!"
Su Manru’s gaze was dark, her pale hand gripping the handkerchief so tightly she nearly tore it apart.
She and Princess Qiuxin, upon seeing Princess Chen writing with both hands, couldn’t understand why, but suddenly recalled how Princess Chen looked at her with disdain and mockery (she herself felt guilty), thinking Princess Chen had seen through her thoughts (indeed, Yang Mengchen had, but didn’t actually care), she grew more and more self-conscious. In the end, she ranked second to last.
Yang Mengchen couldn’t be bothered with Qi Qiuxin, gracefully sipping the tea brought by Mo Mei, sometimes ignoring her completely, which could sometimes be a greater blow to one’s pride.
As expected, Qi Qiuxin became red-faced with anger, pointing at Yang Mengchen and loudly accusing her of wrongdoing, fully expressing her indignation.
The repeated unreasonable disruptions by Princess Qiuxin left the judges quite dissatisfied.
The judges from Xiliang felt deeply embarrassed. "Princess Qiuxin, there were no specifications on the style of calligraphy in this morning’s competition. Princess Chen was free to write in whatever style she wished, and no one has the right to question it."
"This princess—" Qi Qiuxin wanted to argue but, catching the sharp look from her imperial brother, she lowered her head and dared not speak another word.
Most people looked at Qi Qiuxin with scorn, thinking her a sore loser for causing such a scene, tarnishing the reputation of Xiliang Country.
Xiahou Muyang and Wu Zhenglie had long known Princess Chen was no ordinary person, and now they were even more cautious. They silently rejoiced; thankfully, they had formed an alliance with Princess Chen last year, not only earning a large sum of silver but also solidifying their domestic standing and strengthening their power.
Those who had believed in the rumors regretted them deeply now, saying that Princess Chen was only skilled in arithmetic and archery, and clueless in everything else. It was a complete joke.
"Hai Tang, Mo Mei, take the artworks back. Prepare for the next competition," Yang Mengchen instructed softly.
Hai Tang and Mo Mei immediately stepped forward. Before the judges could react, the two had already returned to Yang Mengchen’s side with six sets of artworks.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Old Hai and Song Bochao approached and said in unison, "Princess Chen, could you give us those works?"
Yang Mengchen raised an eyebrow.
"Princess Chen, considering I am Chengbin’s honored master and have exhausted myself at the Mountain Academy, why not reward me?" Song Bochao shamelessly begged.
Old Hai added, "I too am Chengyou’s honored master. Princess Chen, you can’t favor one and neglect the other, can you?"
"Could Princess Chen spare some for us?" several other judges approached as well.
Yu Xi’s calligraphy and paintings were priceless in their country too. Finding out they came from Dong Chu, they wanted to seize the opportunity to bring a few back home, but not finding any after searching high and low upon arriving in Dong Chu was disappointing.
Just as they thought they would return empty-handed, unexpectedly, the situation took a turn for the better—Yu Xi turned out to be Princess Chen from Dong Chu, and they could not miss this chance.
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