Chapter 1690: Chapter 1690 No Talent
The eldest princess invited quite a few people, both gentlemen and ladies. The reason there were men present was that it’s rare for the eldest princess to leave the palace, and she wanted to meet her future prince consort.
Only Yu Wen came from the Zhou family. Yu Die surprisingly didn’t join in the fun, Yu Yi didn’t want to leave the house, and Yu Jiao, suppressed by her elder sister, could only watch tearfully as her fifth sister went out.
The carriage arrived at the horse racing track, where many carriages were parked outside, with the princess’s carriage being the most conspicuous.
Yu Wen, a bit dazed, got off the carriage. The swaying of the carriage had been hypnotic, so she needed to stand for a while, let the wind blow on her to clear her mind before she walked towards the makeshift stage.
When she approached, a palace maid led her to sit next to the eldest princess, "Princess Jingxuan isn’t here?"
Zhenyue tilted her head and whispered, "Jingxuan is still young, I was afraid she might get hurt, so I didn’t bring her."
Jingxuan is the legitimate daughter; if she were to get hurt, it would be hard to explain, even with a thousand good reasons, especially since her father holds her dear. Yet compared to his legitimate daughter, the youngest daughter, there is still a slight difference.
Fortunately, she grew up understanding her identity and never harbored jealousy.
Yu Wen asked, "Lin Xi hasn’t arrived?"
Zhenyue laughed aloud, "She came early. After being grounded at the Wang estate for so long, she finally got the chance to come out, and she went off on horseback immediately."
Yu Wen also laughed, "Auntie was really angry this time."
Zhenyue noted, "I heard about it from my grandmother."
The two of them got along well and sat chatting. The young ladies who came today frequently looked over, but it was useless. The eldest princess was hard to get close to, and they had no connection with her.
Many came today seeking to please the eldest princess. Before An He arrived, the eldest princess was friendly to everyone. Once An He came, the eldest princess’s tone was noticeably affectionate.
Zhuo Ya sat on one side, clenching her palm. Her mother had not stopped fussing over her sister-in-law lately, and relations between her brother and sister-in-law were not as close as when they first married. Concerning her appearance, she hadn’t gone out in a long time for fear of being ridiculed, but now going out meant facing Magistrate Anhe, which left her frustrated yet helpless, as this one was not to be trifled with.
Lin Xi returned on horseback, "Cousin, when did you arrive?"
Yu Wen was eating some fruit, "I’ve been here for a while. Look at you, all sweaty; you’d better wipe it off quickly."
Lin Xi took the handkerchief offered by her maid to wipe her sweat, "Cousin, want to compete later?"
Yu Wen retrieved the fruit she was about to pass, "If we quietly sit and chat, we are still good sisters!"
Lin Xi was speechless, "You’re just too lazy."
Yu Wen pretended not to hear, while Zhenyue laughed aloud, "I’m just pleased she showed up today; later, I’ll compete with you."
Lin Xi, "Great, it’s so liberating outside."
Yu Wen threatened, "I’ll report every word to Auntie."
"Don’t be so harsh to your sister."
She was terrified of her mother; her father had no principles in front of her mother, which caused her to be grounded for so long!
Yu Wen said she wouldn’t ride, but for courtesy’s sake, she rode for a short while, sitting down soon again, thinking how nice it would be to have a cushion. Then she could lean back and enjoy fruit while watching the horse race—that would be real enjoyment.
Many of the young ladies who came today were new to her; they all looked quite nice.
Soon, the eldest princess was riding with Young Master Wu, and Yu Wen withdrew her gaze, noticing a girl sitting quietly in the corner, calmly sipping tea, seemingly interested only in her tea and not curious about her surroundings at all.
Quite a few unmarried young men were invited today, and the invited ladies more or less observed them. Yu Wen watched for a while and confirmed that this young lady was truly uninterested.
Lin Xi soon returned, "Taking a break?"
"I saw you won quite a few bets."
Lin Xi beamed, "Of course, their riding skills weren’t great."
She had a teacher’s guidance and often competed with her father, so she was not only skilled in riding but also quite capable in archery.
The two sisters chatted, while in the corner, a dispute broke out. Yu Wen looked over and saw that two young ladies were arguing in front of the quiet girl from earlier.
Yu Wen chuckled, and Lin Xi asked, "What’s the matter?"
"Nothing much."
She had misjudged earlier, thinking the girl was indifferent and uninvolved, when in fact, unexpected things happened.
Ji Rong sensed she was being watched and looked up to meet the gaze of Magistrate An He. Her fingers slightly clenched. She didn’t know how much the Magistrate had seen, but she wasn’t at fault; being too nice led to being bullied, and she didn’t want to be bullied.
At the Hou Residence, Zhulan was quite surprised after listening to her son, "You mean to say Ming Hui has been writing stories?"
Chang Xhong was also shocked, "Indeed, I was also surprised."
Ming Hui had been staying at home for too long, and just today he showed him what he wrote. After reading it, he had walked dazed to the main courtyard.
Zhulan pondered, "That kid likes listening to operas."
When you think about it this way, it doesn’t seem too surprising?
Chang Xhong noted, "Ming Hui thought of writing because he felt his story could be published in the paper."
Zhulan thought similarly and then got curious, "What kind of story did he write?"
It wouldn’t be a scholar and beauty romance, right?
Chang Xhong answered, "A martial arts story, without romantic elements."
Zhulan had a sense of realization. Indeed, for his reputation, Ming Hui wouldn’t write about romance, and ghost stories were even more forbidden, so he could only write about martial arts, "How was it?"
Chang Xhong wasn’t much of a fan of such stories, "Not bad?"
Zhulan gestured to Qing Xue to bring the story over. Qing Xue returned quickly, followed by Ming Hui, who glared at his younger uncle, "You promised confidentiality."
Chang Xhong replied with a smile, "I did say I wouldn’t tell your elder aunt and uncle."
If the eldest brother knew, he would surely scold Ming Hui!
Ming Hui gave a furtive glance at his grandmother, noticing she was already intently reviewing his written work.
After reading it, Zhulan questioned her son’s judgment, "This is what you call ’not bad’?"
Chang Xhong said, "Just trying to save Ming Hui a little face."
Zhulan motioned for Ming Hui to come over, and when her grandson approached, she offered him comfort with a gentle hand, "Take your time; there’s no rush."
Ming Hui hesitated, "...is it really bad?"
Zhulan didn’t want to hurt her grandson, but Chang Xhong wasn’t as reserved, "Though I don’t like such stories, I do have discerning taste. You’re not particularly gifted."
It was Ming Hui’s first taste of self-contentment, "The story is quite complete."
Zhulan smiled kindly, "Not only do you look like me, but it seems your ideas and execution resemble mine too."
Chang Xhong couldn’t hold back and laughed heartily, leaving Ming Hui speechless, "..."
Yu Wen returned in the afternoon, and Zhulan asked, "Did you have fun playing?"
Yu Wen replied, "It was okay?"
"That means it wasn’t fun."
Yu Wen chuckled, "Granddaughter sat all morning."
It would be strange if she had fun; surrounded by people, she had to sit upright all morning, exhausting her.
Zhulan inquired, "Did anything interesting happen today?"
Yu Wen recounted how she misjudged someone, "It’s the first time I was wrong about someone."
Zhulan asked, "Whose daughter was it?"
"I heard it’s Ji Rong, the Luo family’s granddaughter."
Zhulan replied, "..."
It turned out she did know who that was.
At the Hanlin Academy, Chang Zhi exited and saw Gu Sheng, "You’re back."
Gu Sheng, who had entered the palace today, asked, "Did you come out to make tea?"
"Yes."
Gu Sheng was also thirsty, "Let me brew a pot for you."
Chang Zhi didn’t hold back and handed the teapot over, "Okay."
Gu Sheng had specially learned the art of tea-making, and receiving instructions from Young Master Wu made it quite pleasing to watch.
Suddenly, Chang Zhi asked, "Haven’t been painting lately?"
Gu Sheng didn’t pause in his movements, "I have been."