Ren Yaoting sat in the Su family's seat, and it was her turn to perform after Su Fangfei.
Ren Yaoting had studied various skills, but none were particularly outstanding. She played a piece on the pipa, and perhaps because she had practiced diligently for quite some time recently, it sounded quite impressive—much improved compared to her usual performances.
Unfortunately, she happened to perform right after Su Fangfei. The Su family's eldest daughter had stunned many with her ambidextrous calligraphy, and the crowd was busy passing around Su Fangfei's writing, leaving few to quietly appreciate the pipa music.
Ren Yaoqi noticed Ren Yaoting's look of frustration as she set down the pipa, likely regretting having sat in the Su family's seat and allowing her cousin to steal the spotlight.
Guo Yujiao, the eldest daughter of the Guo family, performed something unconventional—magic tricks. She reached her right hand into the air, blew a breath into her loosely clenched fist, and when she opened her palm, a pristine jasmine flower appeared.
Guo Yujiao smiled brightly, blinked, and slowly closed her hand again. When she opened her right hand this time, it was empty. Some in the audience gasped in surprise. Guo Yujiao then extended her left hand, revealing the jasmine flower resting on her palm.
As the atmosphere grew lively, Guo Yujiao beamed with pride. She rubbed her hands together, and when she opened them again, the flower had vanished. Everyone watched her intently, trying to figure out where she had hidden it. Suddenly, a young lady seated next to her pointed at Jiang Yuan Niang, who was sitting beside Guo Yujiao, and exclaimed, "Ah, it's on Miss Jiang's head!"
Jiang Yuan Niang was taken aback. She reached up and touched her hairpin, indeed finding a jasmine flower there. As everyone turned to look at her, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she smiled shyly.
Though Guo Yujiao's magic tricks were simple, they captivated the young ladies present. The Princess Consort also praised Guo Yujiao, who sat down unable to conceal her satisfaction.
When it was Jiang Yuan Niang's turn, she too performed ambidextrous calligraphy. Since Su Fangfei had already set a high standard, everyone was curious to see what Jiang Yuan Niang could produce. If her writing fell short of Su Fangfei's, she would become a laughingstock.
Before starting, Jiang Yuan Niang offered an apologetic smile to Su Fangfei. Su Fangfei, ever graceful in such situations, nodded and returned the smile with one of her own.
It wasn't until Jiang Yuan Niang began writing that everyone understood why she dared to choose ambidextrous calligraphy after Su Fangfei's performance. Jiang Yuan Niang transcribed Admonitions for Women from memory, writing simultaneously with both hands on the same sheet of paper. After she had written two lines, the audience realized that the characters written with her left hand were indistinguishable from those written with her right.
When she finished the entire piece, the writing on the paper flowed seamlessly, as if completed in a single stroke. Moreover, Jiang Yuan Niang's hairpin-flower regular script was elegant, graceful, and full of charm.
Lady Xu took the paper to examine it, nodded in approval, and passed it to the Princess Consort and the other ladies for their perusal.
Among the seated ladies, someone sighed in admiration, "The Jiang family truly has a profound scholarly heritage."Su Fangfei, whose earlier spotlight had been stolen by Jiang Yuan Niang, was still smiling, but her face had turned somewhat pale. Although Ren Yaoting felt displeased by what had happened earlier, Su Fangfei was, after all, her cousin and had always taken great care of her. So, she quietly comforted Su Fangfei a few words, while simultaneously harboring resentment toward Jiang Yuan Niang, who had silently stolen the show. She thought of Jiang Yuan Niang as a dog that bites without barking.
When Jiang Yuan Niang returned to her seat, her face was flushed, as if she couldn’t quite bear the gazes fixed upon her. Still, she made an effort to smile at those who were looking her way. Guo Yujiao pouted unhappily and said, “Yuan Niang, you’re too sly. I told you yesterday that I was going to perform magic tricks today, but you didn’t tell me what you were planning to do.”
Jiang Yuan Niang quickly replied, “Didn’t I tell you I was going to write?”
Indeed, Jiang Yuan Niang had told Guo Yujiao the day before that she intended to publicly copy a passage from the Admonitions for Women, which Guo Yujiao had secretly laughed at. However, Jiang Yuan Niang hadn’t mentioned that she would write with both hands simultaneously.
Guo Yujiao was still dissatisfied and wanted to say more, but Jiang Yuan Niang interjected, “Oh, it’s Miss Qiu’s turn next. I wonder what Miss Qiu will perform.”
Guo Yujiao’s attention was immediately drawn to Qiu Hong, who was rising to her feet.
Qiu Hong was a somewhat renowned talented young lady in Jizhou. She was also good-looking, with a cool and aloof demeanor that made her seem proud and distant. As a result, she wasn’t particularly popular among the other girls.
Today, Qiu Hong performed a painting. She publicly painted a watercolor lotus pond, impressively completing her work in just half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. She even inscribed a poem she had composed about lotus flowers.
Both her painting and her poem were quite remarkable for someone her age.
Ren Yaohua turned to Ren Yaoqi and asked, “Are you also going to paint today? Are you confident you can surpass Miss Qiu?”
Ren Yaoqi hadn’t actually intended to compete with teenage girls, as winning would feel like an unfair advantage. Still, she replied, “I just won’t paint watercolor.”
Ren Yaohua assumed Ren Yaoqi meant she would paint in the meticulous style instead and nodded without further comment.
After Qiu Hong finished, it was the turn of the Ren Family’s young ladies.
Ren Yaohua took the short flute Xiangqin handed her and prepared to go up. Ren Yaoqi smiled and encouraged her, “Third Sister, don’t overthink it. Just keep your eyes down, ignore everyone, and focus on playing the piece through in one go.”
Ren Yaohua shot her a glance and calmly walked up.
Ren Yaohua wasn’t the shy or hesitant type. She went up and earnestly played a piece titled Three Variations on Plum Blossoms on her flute. Since the previous young ladies had performed calligraphy or painting, Ren Yaohua’s flute music offered a refreshing change.
Ren Yaoqi was sitting there, attentively listening to Ren Yaohua play the flute, when Ren Yaoying, seated at the adjacent table, turned toward her.
“Fifth Sister, I’m a bit nervous. Have a drink with me. Chuner, pour a cup for my fifth sister.” Ren Yaoyu held a small cup filled with fruit wine—though it was called wine, it had no alcoholic taste and was a common beverage among women in Yanbei. She quietly instructed her maid, Chuner, to come over and pour a cup for Ren Yaoqi.Ren Yaoqi raised an eyebrow, glanced at Ren Yaoying, then looked toward Chuner, who was walking over quickly with her head lowered. Before Ren Yaoqi could speak, Chuner suddenly slipped and fell, unable to steady the wine pot in her hand. Half of the fruit wine inside spilled onto Ren Yaoqi’s skirt, immediately soaking a patch of the lake-green hem with the colored wine.
Ren Yaoying gasped softly, “Fifth Sister—”
Chuner immediately knelt down, trembling as she said, “Fifth Miss, please forgive me. This servant did not do it on purpose.”
The small commotion drew the attention of several young ladies nearby. Ren Yaoyin, who shared the same low table with Ren Yaoying, also saw it and immediately whispered to Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaoying, “First, have the maid stand up. Don’t let others laugh at us. Fifth Sister, you should go change your clothes first and then come back.”
Ren Yaoyu glanced at Ren Yaoying, then looked at Ren Yaoqi’s skirt, curling her lips into a smile. “It’ll soon be Fifth Sister’s turn. Ninth Sister, your wine spill was truly well-timed.”
Ren Yaoyin said, “Have someone inform First Madam Yun. Fifth Sister, it’ll be the same if you change your clothes and come back.”
Pingguo crouched down with a worried expression, using a handkerchief to wipe the stain on Ren Yaoqi’s skirt. Xiangqin was on the verge of tears, saying anxiously, “How can this be? Going earlier is better than going later! Fifth Miss, what should we do now?”
Ren Yaoying looked at Ren Yaoqi with a face full of remorse. “Fifth Sister, I really didn’t do it on purpose.”
Ren Yaoqi had remained silent all along. She first looked at her skirt—in this state, it was impossible for her to go up, as it would be too disrespectful.
Raising her head, she saw Ren Yaoying wearing a victimized expression of grievance, which Ren Yaoqi found both amusing and pitiable. She scrutinized Ren Yaoying for a long moment, as if observing something astonishing and lamentable, until Ren Yaoying’s expression grew increasingly stiff.
“You may go,” Ren Yaoqi said, glancing at Chuner kneeling on the ground, her face showing no trace of anger.
Chuner breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a hint of smugness. She thought to herself, just as her mistress had predicted, with Third Miss absent, even if Fifth Miss wanted to lose her temper in such a setting, Fourth Miss would stop her. Once the banquet was over, her mistress would send her back to White Crane Town, where her aunt was waiting. Her aunt had already arranged a good marriage for her. By the time Fifth Miss remembered someone like her, she would have long since married and left.
With just one glance, Ren Yaoqi saw through the calculation on this maid’s face, but she said nothing. Instead, she instructed Xiangqin, “When Third Sister returns, ask her to inform First Madam Yun on my behalf. Tell her I’ve gone to change my clothes and to postpone my turn in the competition.”
Xiangqin gritted her teeth in resentment toward Ren Yaoying and Chuner but could only reluctantly agree.
Ren Yaoqi stood up with Pingguo and left her seat.
Ren Yaoying watched Ren Yaoqi’s departing figure, slowly exhaled a breath, and gradually curved her lips into a smile.
Ren Yaoqi’s departure did not attract much attention, as some young ladies at the banquet had also temporarily left their seats to use the restroom. However, after walking a short distance, Ren Yaoqi stopped and quietly instructed Pingguo, “Go find Miss Hongying by the Commandery Princess’s side and ask her to inform the Commandery Princess that I am waiting for her here.”
Although Pingguo did not understand why her mistress wanted to see the Commandery Princess at this moment, she asked no questions and immediately went to do as told.Xiao Jinglin arrived quickly. She had noticed when Ren Yaoqi left her seat and wondered why she was going off just before her turn to perform. So she got up and followed, meeting Pingguo halfway who had come to find her, and only then learned that Ren Yaoqi's clothes were stained.
"My dress should fit you, though I'm not sure how well. If it doesn’t, I can help you ask Yun Qiuchen for one," Xiao Jinglin said, eyeing Ren Yaoqi’s figure, assuming she had come about the clothing issue.
Ren Yaoqi shook her head. "No need, I brought several outfits with me. They’re enough."
As she spoke, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but smile, blinking as she added, "I was just thinking of how to find an excuse to go on stage later, and unexpectedly someone was so considerate as to come up with the perfect excuse for me."
Seeking pink votes～ Seeking pink votes～ Seeking pink votes～
〒_〒……Wuwuwuwu.
OpenNovel