Chapter 45 Everyone Does Their Best

  In the Water Dream Pavilion, Princess Jinwang borrowed an excuse to leave. The Thousand Golds, who had taken off their brightly colored large cloaks and windbreakers, each relied on their respective relatives and friends, and divided into several small circles. Zhang Hui Xin originally wanted to pull Chen Lan along, but she was not only the niece of the Korean Duke, Princess Jinwang's cousin, but also the eldest daughter of the Yixing County Master, so she was naturally surrounded by a large crowd, including many elders. Some people blamed her for escaping the banquet, while others teased her about still having a childlike temper. An old county master even hugged her in his arms and asked with a smile why the Yixing County Master did not come today. In short, Chen Lan was overwhelmed and had no time to take care of anything else.

  Chen Lan, on the other hand, was much more subdued. Firstly, she had missed the opportunity to showcase her talents at the poetry gathering. Secondly, she didn't have a father or mother to speak of, unlike Chen Yu who had a birth mother who was the younger sister of the Duke of Wei and a father who had rendered meritorious service and would soon be returning to court. Thirdly, she simply wasn't in the mood for clever wordplay at this moment... As a result, even Su Wan'er gained some popularity due to a single poem, while Chen Lan remained seated in the corner, quietly nursing a cup of tea and staring off into space.

  The Princess of Jin has been gone for at least two quarters, and although none of these golden orders have inquired about it, people from such families are not without guesses. Just as she said to Zhang Hui before, since the two of them coincided today, they couldn't just keep it under wraps. However, while Zhang Hui had no problem reporting to her mother, Princess Yixing, whether or not she should tell Zhu Shi and how to say it was a major issue.

  "Third Miss."

  The sudden voice next to her interrupted her thoughts, and she turned around to see Zheng's wife, the lady of Runing, whom she had met before. Not far behind, the two older women who were standing beside Princess Jin also seemed to be looking at her. Chen Lan felt a thud in her heart, but immediately got up and pretended to be completely unaware.

  "Madam of Juning."

  Mrs. Zheng, the wife of Jun Ning Bo, was tall and slender, with phoenix eyes and willow-leaf eyebrows. Although she was already over 40 years old, she still looked extremely well-maintained. Today, she came with Miss Yang Xuan, the fourth daughter of Jun Ning Bo, who seemed to be carved out of the same mold as her. At this moment, she gazed at Chen Lan and, without saying a word, pulled her hand and said: "At your age, you should be enjoying life and having fun. What's the point of just sitting there? Your family elders can't come, but our two families have been friends for generations, so I should take care of you too. If the younger sisters can't keep you company, then come over and chat with us older folks!"

  Accompanying the elderly to speak?

  Chen Lan looked in the direction pointed by Madame Zheng, which was exactly where the two women who were suspected to be palace officials sat. There were no other instructions beside them. He couldn't help but hesitate in his mind. Looking at the expressions of the two female officials, they should still not understand the assassination attempt in Meilin before, it can be seen that Princess Jinwang is deliberately hiding from them. But Madame Zheng just happened to invite those two women on their behalf, this move was thought-provoking.

  It's true that the Ruan Ning Bo family was severely damaged by the prolonged lawsuit over the succession of their title, and it's said that even half of their imperial-granted estate was taken away. If not for the fact that the Fourth Miss Yang Xuan had a connection with an elderly princess, which allowed her to occasionally enter the palace, things might be even worse. It seems that the Ruan Ning Bo family's succession case still has a hint of the Zhu family's involvement, but after so many years, the Dong Chang Hou Fu is avoiding them due to the Yang Ning Hou Fu incident. The Ruan Ning Bo lady probably doesn't want to curry favor with the Zhu family either. Besides, who wouldn't think about that seemingly extravagant wealth and nobility in their own household, given the Jin Wang's advanced age?

  Thinking of these, she decided to grasp the other's subtle psychology with just one step.

  "Madam, this is where I was with Sister Huixin in the plum forest for half a day, and my feet are still a bit weak. I thought I'd take a break. Besides, the other sisters were discussing poetry and songs, which I'm not good at. So it's better to avoid them and avoid embarrassing myself." Chen Lan said this frankly, seeing Zheng's eyebrows raised, she smiled warmly, "If Madam doesn't mind my clumsiness, I'll naturally chat with you ladies."

  Madam Zheng glanced at the female officials beside the two consorts, and saw that her own daughter Yang Xuan was chatting with several other noblewomen, even occasionally mentioning the good treatment she received from the elderly princess in the palace. She suddenly smiled.

  "Look at your modesty, if you're really tongue-tied and clumsy, wouldn't we become rough people? After all, how many people in this world are like Princess Jin's embroidered mouth and elegant heart, perfectly matching that young master's literary talent?"

  She raised her voice a bit, and naturally someone heard it. At that moment, Madame Guangning and Madame Dongchang walked over. Seeing Chen Lan smiling and bowing, the two just nodded slightly and couldn't help but ask what they were talking about. When Zheng's wife repeated it again, Madame Guangning nodded and said: "It's really true, although there were many excellent works at today's poetry meeting, after all, the poem by the princess was the most majestic, not something that ordinary women in the boudoir can compare to. The King of Jin has always been known for his literary talent, and it is said that even the maidservants close to him are fond of poetry and songs. This is also a family tradition, and Princess Shu has always had the reputation of being a talented woman. The previous words of Lu's aunt and Chang's aunt were all excellent phrases."

  As the people around them increased, Lu Chang's two female officials naturally didn't want to sit there anymore, so they got up and came over. The female officials of Da Chu were selected from the palace maids who could read and write, and although their appearance may not have been outstanding, they were all quite talented. At this time, they humbly spoke a few words. They started talking about the excellent phrases from the past few years' plum blossom appreciation gatherings, and saw that several ladies could even join in and add one or two lines, but Chen Lan remained silent throughout, and adding to the fact that she had deliberately avoided this poetry gathering, the two of them couldn't help but exchange a glance.

  It seems that this one is really not talented, the second wife is not comparable to those madams and concubines, people like King Jin who are arrogant and only care about appearance, how can they appreciate someone with no talent?

  It was as if each of their mothers had given them a signal, and the young ladies from each family gradually gathered around. For a moment, this casual conversation became a place for everyone to show off their talents. In an instant, witty remarks were exchanged, and it's unknown how many excellent phrases and poems were created on the spot. Seeing Su Wan'er also squeezing in among them, Chen Yao and Chen Bing were at odds with each other. Chen Lan, who had already been pushed to the back, shook her head and quietly retreated a few steps, only then noticing Zhang Hui Xin waving at her.

  "What's going on? How did they start discussing poetry again? They were just shivering with cold over there and hadn't had enough of reciting yet?"

  Seeing Zhang Hui's strange expression, Chen Lan smiled and stretched out his hand: "Anyway, we are not poets, so why don't we take a break? I saw that you were just surrounded and couldn't get away, now you can finally catch your breath."

  "It's all talk, they haven't even finished asking their questions and another one starts speaking, I almost couldn't keep up...". Zhang Hui nodded repeatedly in relief, then pulled Chen Lan down to sit, smiling and saying "Let them recite their own poems, we'll talk about our own things! Speaking of the two words 'coarse people', my mother once said that among women, there are those like Xie Daoyun who have elegant poetry, or E'an's surprising beauty, or Cai Wenji's 'Eighteen Beats of the Barbarian Flute' written during her turbulent life. But most people only write poems and songs that lament the passing of spring and autumn, with empty and meaningless content. If it's like this, then it's better to be an uneducated coarse person. Our dynasty's founder, Emperor Taizu, didn't think much of these poems and songs when he founded the country, and although he drove out the Tartars and stabilized the world, he never wrote a single poem or song in his life, and what he hated most was poetry gatherings."

  As soon as Zhang Huixin mentioned the Chu Taizu, Chen Lan showed some interest and was even more surprised that this person had never plagiarized others' poetry lines. He couldn't help but ask: "I've also heard that Emperor Taizu seemed to have once revered martial arts over literature."

  "Yes, that's right!" Zhang Hui nodded and pulled Chen Lan closer, whispering, "My mother was a princess, but she grew up in the palace when she was young, and she was almost like siblings with the emperor. She read many historical books hidden in the palace. My mother said that Taizu came from a military background and was very close to his comrades-in-arms. After he established the dynasty, he set up strict rules and even established an academy to teach martial arts to officials. Many officials became civil servants after learning martial arts. Later, he felt that civil officials were just talking behind people's backs, while martial officials were fighting on the front lines. In his later years, he even made a rule that one son of each civil official had to join the army. It is said that there were many other rules like this, but they have all been abolished now."

  Martial ministers turned into civil officials, and the sons of civil officials had to take shelter in the military. This founding emperor has a big temperament, aren't these systems just a replica of that fiery era? But no matter what, all of this has already turned to dust and no longer exists.

  After a few idle words, Chen Lan still remembered the things outside and quietly discussed with Zhang Hui Xin again. After a while, on that side, the voices of the golden girls were getting louder and louder, with overt and covert arrows flying in their words. At this moment, a loud announcement finally came from outside. In an instant, the originally noisy main hall suddenly became quiet.

  The King of Jin was known for his elegant demeanor, and the Queen of Jin was also considered a model among queens, with excellent virtues, appearance, words, and deeds. She rarely lost her temper or changed her expression, but at this moment, her face couldn't be described as good-looking. After nodding to everyone, she forced a smile and said: "Originally, it's rare for everyone to come together, and I had intended to invite you all to stay and gather more. Unfortunately, my father, the Emperor, has allowed Prince Zhou to leave the palace for an outing, and he is currently accompanying him. I couldn't possibly abandon that side, so today's plum blossom appreciation can only be hastily concluded. We can only invite you all again next time to appreciate the blossoms. I had prepared many small gifts, please take them with you as a token of the Lantern Festival."

  It's said that the King of Zhou has arrived, and everyone knows how difficult it is for the Queen of Jin, so naturally they won't say anything out of place. Before long, the maids came up with trays in their hands. Each young lady had a palace fan and a string of fragrant wood beads, while each noblewoman had two pieces of Shu brocade and two pieces of feather satin, all the same without distinction between close and distant relatives. When it was time for everyone to disperse, Chen Lan's three sisters and Yin Shi Zhang Hui Xin were left behind, one side being the Queen of Jin's maternal grandmother's family and the other being her natal family.

  Just as Chen Lan was about to bid farewell, a person rushed in from outside, his face pale, and his features were somewhat familiar to her. Could it be anyone else but Zhen Zhuang? She didn't even bother that there were outsiders present, hastily kneeling down to pay respects: "Your Highness, something's wrong! I just saw at the second gate that the Brocade Guards are going to arrest our Wang Manor's Minister Xu!"

  PS: This is an additional update for the 30 votes of pink powder ^_^