Just as the two were parting, she noticed a flash of murderous intent in Brother Huo's eyes when his gaze met that of his brother.
This sudden turn of events left her utterly bewildered. She wanted to ask Brother Huo why he had saved her brother, but ultimately she didn't dare. She had a feeling that it was related to her father seeing him before he died.
What shocked her even more was that just one night later, the Emperor issued an edict to bestow a marriage upon Brother Huo and her.
...
Meanwhile, Su Ruanruan had just stepped out of her room and turned the corner when she suddenly bumped into someone.
"Ouch, that hurts so much! Are you blind? Can't you see where you're going?" Before Su Ruanruan could react, the other person was already yelling aggressively. Su Ruanruan rubbed her sore shoulder and felt displeased by the other person's rude tone.
She was indeed somewhat absent-minded, to the point of ignoring the road ahead, but when she heard the other person's words, the apology she was about to utter was swallowed back down.
A cold smile appeared on Su Ruanruan's lips. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and slapped the other person hard across the face. The crisp sound echoed in the air. "You dare to be so arrogant and rude after hitting someone!"
Peony instinctively covered her burning, swollen cheek, staring in astonishment at the person before her. Only now did she truly see that the other person was an absolutely stunning beauty.
She had met many noble ladies in the capital, but she had no recollection of this stranger who claimed to be a county princess. Suddenly, she remembered the name that had been the talk of the town lately—Su Ruanruan.
At the same time, a maidservant hurriedly leaned close to Peony's ear and whispered, "Miss, this person is the county princess whom the current emperor has conferred the title of."
Peony's heart skipped a beat, and she scrutinized Su Ruanruan again. Sure enough, just as she had guessed, the person before her was indeed the legendary Su Ruanruan.
She gave a perfunctory bow, "Peony greets Princess Yongning."
Su Ruanruan raised an eyebrow at the somewhat attractive woman in front of her.
Peony? This name doesn't sound like a young lady's maiden name.
Su Ruanruan blinked and asked curiously, "Who are you?"
Peony tilted her head slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips, her eyes revealing a hint of frivolity and arrogance.
She casually glanced at the maid standing beside her, who immediately understood and raised her head, saying, "My young lady is the most famous courtesan in the capital!"
Su Ruanruan followed the gaze of the crowd and saw many people craning their necks, watching the commotion with great interest. A thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
A barely concealed, contemptuous smile played on her lips as she murmured softly, "The courtesan..."
Then, she actually circled the peony slowly once, and then commented indifferently, "It's nothing special..."
"You!" Peony's upturned lips instantly froze, pressing tightly into a straight line. Her eyes widened as she stared at Su Ruanruan in disbelief, too angry to speak.
Su Ruanruan suddenly raised her chin, stared at the other person with a provocative look, and asked, "What about me?"
"Hmph, you're just a country girl who grew up in the countryside, at most you're just a little pretty. Do you even know how to sing, play a musical instrument, or dance? How dare you look down on me like that?" Peony replied with a disdainful look.
Faced with Mudan's mockery, Su Ruanruan did not back down. "So what if I don't know how? I can learn."
Upon hearing this, Peony couldn't help but snort coldly, "By the time the county princess learns it, she'll probably be old and faded."
Seeing Mudan's arrogant and domineering attitude, Su Ruanruan immediately pretended to be very angry, put her hands on her hips, glared at her and said, "Don't talk nonsense! If you dare to spout any more lies, I'll tear your stinking mouth apart!"
"I will never forget the humiliation I suffered today. I will fight you to the death and show you how I will defeat you!"
Peony was clearly surprised by Su Ruanruan's challenge. Her eyes widened, and she asked incredulously, "You?"
Baiyun struggled to push through the crowd and squeezed to the front, anxiously saying, "Grandma, what are you doing? Others may not know, but do you think I don't know you?"
"You've never learned any music or dance, and you've probably never even seen what a musical instrument looks like! How can you compete with her? She's been exposed to these things since she was a child; it's not something you can master in a short time. You're basically a latecomer to the arts; aren't you incredibly embarrassing?!"
Su Ruanruan: "..."
After hearing Bai Yun's words, everyone knew that she and Su Ruanruan came from the same place—Qingshan County, so they naturally believed what she said.
They increasingly felt that Su Ruanruan spoke without thinking, and that such a blatant challenge was simply asking for trouble; wasn't she just slapping herself in the face?
Su Ruanruan pretended to be angry, stomped her feet and shouted, "I don't care about all that! I'm going to have this match with her! See you in a month and a half!"
Bai Yun was stunned and speechless for a moment. "So all I said just now was for nothing."
After the two women left, the news that Su Ruanruan was going to challenge Mudan to a duel spread like wildfire throughout the capital.
People were talking excitedly about the upcoming match, eagerly anticipating seeing Su Ruanruan make a fool of herself. Some even set up betting pools, wagering that Su Ruanruan would undoubtedly lose.
Her attempt was like an ant trying to shake a tree, or a mantis trying to stop a chariot! It was like an egg hitting a rock; how could she possibly win? The outcome of this contest was already known before the competition even began; it was no wonder she lost!
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