Chapter 1042 - 1044 Just Not Taking the Bait_1
Princess Huilan spoke with a smile plastered across her face, as if she greatly admired Bai Ruozhu, the younger generation. Sighs of amazement were heard from the crowd, yet it was unknown how much of that was genuine and how much was feigned. But when Princess Huilan chose to commend someone, they naturally had to show face.
Bai Ruozhu maintained a polite smile on her face, but her heart was in turmoil. With Princess Huilan making such a grand gesture in waiting for her, it seemed the situation was not going to be resolved easily.
The buffet started soon after, and Princess Huilan kindly patted Bai Ruozhu on the shoulder, "Go grab something, have a look around and enjoy yourself. You’re young, there’s no need to restrain yourself too much."
"Yes, Your Highness," Bai Ruozhu bowed to her and stood up to get a tray.
As she went to get food, some people actively greeted her, and she responded to each with a smile. At that moment, a lovely figure approached and said with a grin, "Isn’t Lady Jiang worried?"
Bai Ruozhu turned to look, recognizing the young girl. It was Xue Xue, whom she had met once at the Empress Dowager’s Birthday Banquet—none other than the biological sister of the little Marquis of Xue.
"Worrying is futile; some things cannot be avoided simply by wishing to," Bai Ruozhu responded indifferently. Due to the little Marquis of Xue’s ulterior motives, Bai Ruozhu did not have a good impression of Xue Xue.
"Don’t be like that. My brother didn’t harm you at all; it’s just that you think you and the Gai Family are not on the same side." Xue Xue was impatient, and upon seeing Bai Ruozhu’s cold attitude, she became anxious in an instant.
"Miss Xue shouldn’t let others hear you plotting against your stepmother. It wouldn’t be good for your reputation," Bai Ruozhu taunted Xue Xue with a smile.
"You..." Xue Xue stamped her foot in anger and turned away to grab something else.
Bai Ruozhu shook her head secretly, thinking Xue Xue and Xue Wenqian probably suffered a lot at the hands of their stepmother Gai Yalai. At the last Empress Dowager’s Birthday Banquet, they didn’t get any advantage in front of Gai Yalai.
Gai Yalai had given birth to a son with Marquis Xue, and though he was only seven years old this year, Marquis Xue was in his prime—there was no telling who would be chosen to inherit the title in the future.
Bai Ruozhu was pondering over Gai Yalai’s situation when she actually saw Gai Yalai. The face that bore some resemblance to Jiang Yichun caused her to feel a bit dazed. Could it be that Gai Yalai didn’t care at all about her own son, always ignoring Jiang Yichun?
Gai Yalai noticed her gaze and returned a look that was extremely cold, even filled with disgust and contempt.
Bai Ruozhu took her tray and turned to leave, no longer casting another glance at her, thinking why she should bother about Gai Yalai, who wasn’t even her mother-in-law in any official capacity.
This scene was observed by a woman not far away, who said to a lady beside her with a laugh, "Did you see that? Lady Xue and Bai Ruozhu. Lady Xue is Lord Jiang’s biological mother. You’d think they might at least greet each other since they’re mother-in-law and daughter-in-law."
The lady beside her covered her mouth to snicker and whispered, "Lady Xue is remarried, and after that incident happened, would it be proper for them to acknowledge each other openly?"
Bai Ruozhu, having not walked far, naturally heard their conversation. She turned back and saw that the one who had started the topic was Wang ZhenRu, who had once shamelessly ingratiated herself with Bai. However, now that Bai had fallen out with the Wang Family, Wang ZhenRu also shed her pretense of civility.
Where women gathered, there was bound to be gossip. If three women could produce a drama, let alone so many present at the event.
She carried her tray back to her seat. Princess Huilan beside her smiled very warmly at her, saying, "I’m not sure if the food suits your taste. This Chrysanthemum Banquet is mostly about incorporating chrysanthemums into the dishes or shaping them into chrysanthemums, just for a pleasant atmosphere."
"The Princess is too kind, the dishes are truly unique, and Ruozhu feels this trip has not been in vain." She emphasized her tone a bit, wanting to make sure Princess Huilan understood her meaning.
Princess Huilan’s smile widened, but she didn’t say much else before suddenly looking up at everyone and saying, "It’s too dull just to dine like this. Let’s stick to the old rules and have a poetry competition—let the theme be chrysanthemums."
Upon hearing this, some of the noble ladies seemed eager to try, with a few already having prepared their poems, hoping to earn some literary fame to take back from the banquet.
"Princess, isn’t that topic a bit too simple? How about we add a bit more difficulty?" Wang ZhenRu suddenly spoke up.
"Oh? ZhenRu, why don’t you share your thoughts?" Princess Huilan seemed intrigued, sitting up a bit.
Wang ZhenRu glanced at Bai Ruozhu with a faint sense of triumph in her eyes, "All the sisters present are extremely talented. Adding some difficulty would better showcase everyone’s literary flair. Chanting about chrysanthemums is indeed a good omen, but if we add the requirement of an acrostic poem, it would be even more interesting."
"Good, good, that does sound interesting. Let’s do as the Wang Family’s young lady suggests. As for how to create the acrostics, that’s up to you," said Princess Huilan with a chuckle.
After suggesting the idea, Wang ZhenRu did not rush to take the spotlight, but instead sat down and continued to sip at her chrysanthemum wine.
Not far away, a wealthy girl was the first to stand and recite a seven-character quatrain, with the acrostic using the characters for "blessings, longevity, peace, and health," and ended with a dedication: "This humble girl wishes the Princess all blessings, longevity, peace, and health."
Princess Huilan’s smile was radiant with delight, and she immediately rewarded the girl for her poem.
Once someone had started, others quickly followed with their poems, mainly using auspicious phrases for their acrostics, aimed at flattering Princess Huilan.
Bai Ruozhu slowly savored her chrysanthemum wine, her gaze continually sweeping over the Princess nearby, sensing that despite her smiling face, the smile never truly reached her eyes; it seemed she was merely going through the motions.
If she didn’t enjoy it, and found it boring, why bother holding a Flower Appreciation Banquet every season? Was it out of boredom, or vanity?
It was then that a lady suddenly stood up, bowed to Princess Huilan, and said, "I’ve heard of Madam Jiang’s extraordinary literary talent, and that she even represented Beiyu’s Study Palace in the Eight Academies Competition, securing first place in one of the subjects. Why doesn’t Madam Jiang compose a poem for us to learn from?"
Bai Ruozhu sneered inwardly, another person being used as a pawn, yet seemingly quite pleased with herself—that woman was the one who had been talking to Wang ZhenRu earlier.
All eyes immediately turned to Bai Ruozhu, and Princess Huilan, too, watched her with a smile, as if waiting to watch a good show.
With a smile, Bai Ruozhu stood and said, "This young lady only knows one side of the story. My first-place subject was arithmetic, which has nothing to do with composing poetry. Who in business doesn’t understand the logic of bookkeeping?"
"It has been said that your brother was the top scorer in the Rural Examination. You possess your esteemed brother’s elegance, so it would be overly modest not to compose at least one poem today," the woman evidently was not willing to let go easily.
The corners of Bai Ruozhu’s mouth slowly curved up. Did they really think she would take the bait?
She remembered Luluo mentioning in passing that it was the young ladies who wrote poems and showcased their talents to gain literary acclaim. If she was provoked into composing a poem, she might regain face in the moment, but later she would likely be ridiculed for competing with young misses for attention despite being married, accused of seeking attention and fishing for compliments. She was not that foolish!