Whom Are You Smiling at?

For a moment, everyone turned their hopeful gazes toward Li Yu.

Li Yu furrowed his brow, slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Kong Yueru, and spoke, “I am not knowledgeable in poetry and literature.”

As soon as these words came out, everyone felt a bit embarrassed. Who didn’t know that Prince Ning excelled in both military strategy and literary talent? He simply didn’t bother to comment on their works.

Kong Yueru stood there, biting her lower lip, feeling extremely embarrassed. It felt as if she had been slapped in the face, and her cheeks burned with pain.

The girl sitting on her other side gently tugged at her sleeve, and only then did she regain her senses and sit back down.

Xie Wan was not surprised by this outcome. Li Yu was Prince Ning, renowned for his knowledge of the literary world and his evaluation of the top scholars in the country. Even the memorials he reviewed on a regular basis were carefully written by officials from various regions. In his eyes, the poems of these young men and women were nothing more than child’s play.

How could the esteemed Prince Ning have the time to indulge in such childish tricks with them?

Xie Wan raised her gaze to the high seat and met Li Yu’s eyes.

Their eyes locked, and they exchanged glances.

Xie Wan forcefully suppressed the urge to lower her head and smiled at him, revealing her teeth.

The movement of the jade beads in her hand paused for a moment before continuing, and Li Yu withdrew his gaze and stood up, saying, "“I have other matters to attend to. Please continue with your activities."”

It was only when Li Yu’s figure disappeared from sight that everyone in the Peach Blossom Forest finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The noble young gentlemen were filled with admiration and fear. “Prince Ning is only a few years older than us, but his aura and presence are so powerful.”

“Isn’t that stating the obvious? Prince Ning started his military campaigns at the age of fourteen. After His Majesty ascended the throne, he assisted in handling state affairs. Not to mention us, even the courtiers don’t have many who aren’t daunted by him.”

“If I had half of Prince Ning’s abilities, my father wouldn’t nag at me every day.”

“What are you thinking? Forget about half, if you had one-third of his abilities, you would have a place in the court!”

“You’re right.”

The noble young gentlemen were concerned about Li Yu’s presence and abilities, while the noble ladies were more interested in his appearance and demeanor.

“Prince Ning is really handsome. Although I’m scared to death every time he appears, I can’t help but look.”

“I also stole a glance. Prince Ning is truly handsome! If he were my future husband, it would be wonderful.”

“Why don’t you just marry Prince Ning directly?”

“I do want to, but I dare not! Besides, Prince Ning wouldn’t be interested in me.”

Xie Wan listened to the discussions of the crowd and raised an eyebrow, a slight curve appearing on her red lips.

Dare not?

Well, she dared.

At this moment, Kong Yueru, who had finally recovered from her embarrassment, caught sight of Xie Wan’s smiling face.

She immediately bit her lip, feeling somewhat ashamed and angry, and whispered in a lowered voice, “Don’t be too smug. I want to see what kind of person your grandmother will arrange for you!”

Xie Wan paused for a moment upon hearing this and then said, “Sister, could it be that you think Prince Ning’s statement of not being knowledgeable in poetry and literature was speaking up for me?”

Indeed, Kong Yueru thought exactly that.

Shortly after Xie Wan said she didn’t know poetry and literature, Prince Ning appeared. With such a close distance, it was impossible for him not to have heard it.

When she invited him to evaluate the poems, he could have rejected them in many ways, but he chose to say, “I am not knowledgeable in poetry and literature.” Wasn’t that speaking up for Xi? Wan.

Xie Wan looked at Kong Yueru’s resentful and unwilling expression and couldn’t help but smile. “If Sister wants to think that way, then go ahead and think that way. But let me tell Sister, that’s not it at all.”

He simply didn’t want to play with a bunch of little brats.

After leaving the Peach Blossom Forest, Li Yu was reminded by Little Quan beside him, “Master, you promised to stay with those young gentlemen and ladies for an hour. The time for a stick of incense hasn’t even passed yet!”

Upon hearing this, Li Yu furrowed his brow. “What I promised my mother was to stay at the Princess Royal Residence for an hour, not to stay with those people as the Princess said.”

Little Quan wasn’t surprised by this answer at all. He just smiled and asked, “So, where does Master plan to go now?”

Li Yu thought for a moment. “Back to the previous courtyard.”

Little Quan acknowledged and the two of them returned to the original courtyard.

Once inside the house, Li Yu sat back in his original position and poured himself a cup of tea casually.

Seeing this, Little Quan quickly said, “This tea has gone cold. Let me bring you a hot pot.”

Li Yu lifted the tea cup and said lightly, “No need. It’s already hot outside.”

The young master preferred cold tea, especially when reviewing memorials. Only cold tea could cool him down.

Little Quan was already used to it and didn’t say anything more.

Li Yu looked outside the window and took a sip of tea. However, as soon as the tea entered his mouth, his hand holding the cup suddenly paused.

He furrowed his brow and looked down at the teacup in his hand, where he saw a faint lip mark.

In his mind, the image of that bright face emerged again, with peach blossoms fluttering and the beauty smiling with a slight curve on her lips. It was clearly an embarrassing moment, yet she was more righteous and unyielding than anyone else, saying, “I can’t.”

The lip mark on the teacup was obviously not made in one go. His slender fingers wiped across the rim of the cup. Li Yu put down the teacup took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped his lips, and then wiped his hands.

He took another teacup, poured himself a cup of tea, and then handed the handkerchief and the original cup to Little Quan, saying lightly, “Dispose of them.”

Little Quan took them dumbfoundedly, bowed and said, “Yes.”

After a brief conversation between Xie Wan and Kong Yueru, they fell silent.

After Li Yu left, the atmosphere among the young men and women became lively again, but this time, no one mentioned poetry or literature.

A beauty was still a beauty. Even though the noble young gentlemen knew that she and Kong Yueru didn’t get along, they couldn’t help but be eager to try and have a conversation with the beauty.

However, before they could make a move, the beauty was called away by someone.

The one who called Xie Wan was none other than Old Madam Zhang.

Looking at the familiar courtyard in front of her, Xie Wan couldn’t help but feel like laughing for no reason.

Old Madam Zhang immediately furrowed her brow. “What are you laughing at? Master Wang hasn’t arrived yet, who are you laughing for?!”

Xie Wan stopped laughing, looked at Old Madam Zhang, and said, “Grandmother, there are thousands of men in the world. Do you really have to betroth me to a man who could be my father?”

“What do you mean by ‘could be my father’?!” Old Madam Zhang glared at her. “You were born late! Your father is five years older than Master Wang!”

“Does it make a difference?”

Xie Wan snorted coldly, “Master Wang’s eldest son is only two years younger than me. Do you want him to call me mother or sister?! If you insist on marrying me off to a man who could be my father, how will others see you and the Marquis Residence? Even if you really want to sell me to those two men for a better future, at least consider your reputation, right?”

“This is the Princess Royal Residence, but you dragged your own granddaughter to this secluded place to meet privately with other men. If this matter gets out, not to mention how others will see you and me, even Princess Royal will never allow you to tarnish her residence like this!”