Chapter 17: Pretending

Zhuang Xiaoyu didn’t like the people who were reveling in misfortune. She knew the Long Princess was deliberately trying to make things difficult for her. Most of the people threw her sympathetic looks, even the Fourth Princess, who sat next to the Long Princess, seemed hesitant, wanting to intervene but not daring to. Was Zhuang Xiaoyu truly foolish, or was she pretending?

The matter was settled just like that. Madam Zhuang was filled with worry, while Zhuang Xiaowan lowered her head, her lips pouting.

Since the Long Princess had made it clear, there was no need to fear food poisoning anymore. It was time to eat and drink; with so much food, one shouldn’t let it go to waste.

Finally, it was time for everyone to compose poems. Sun Yulan, as expected, recited a poem written by Master Xu for her and received praise from everyone. Although she had become Murong Xiao’s woman, it didn’t stop her die-hard fans from liking her.

“How about I compose a poem to entertain everyone?”

“Sister, are you drunk?”

Zhuang Xiaoyu wanted to compose a poem, but Zhuang Xiaowan couldn’t stop her.

“Whatever, no matter what kind of poem Zhuang Miss recites, this princess will reward her.”

Since she wanted to embarrass herself, of course, I must support her.

“I’ll compose a riddle, everyone try to guess what it is.”

Tch, she even knows riddles. Truly pretending, no wonder she’s from the Zhuang family.

All the guests quieted down, listening as Zhuang Xiaoyu began her poem. She cleared her throat seriously.

“One piece, two pieces, three or four pieces, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten pieces. Thousands of pieces, countless pieces, flying into the plum blossoms, all unseen.”

At the beginning, some people started laughing. What kind of poem was this? Counting for fun?

When she finished the last two lines, some people started clapping, and the applause grew louder. Soon, someone commented…

“This poem is brilliant; it vividly describes the scene of snowfall.”

“The words are so simple, yet they bring the scene to life. Truly amazing.”

“Sister, this poem is about snowflakes. You’re amazing.”

“Mm-hmm, you’re pretty smart.”

This was Zheng Xie’s famous line, so it was no surprise.

The Long Princess didn’t see her embarrass herself and had to admit that her poem was decent. She had to keep her word and rewarded her with a jade bracelet.

Zhuang Xiaoyu graciously accepted it. Long Princess’s gift was not cheap, so it was a good thing she came today.

A poem made everyone recognize Zhuang Xiaoyu. She wasn’t a rustic fool who didn’t understand literature. Could it be she studied in the countryside?

“Miss Zhuang, what have you been doing in the countryside all these years? It must have been quite interesting,” asked Sun Yulan.

“Well, of course, washing clothes, cooking, chopping wood. I’ve been doing all these tasks since I was ten. Not to brag, but a tree as thick as your waist, I can chop it down with one axe.”

While saying this, she mimicked chopping wood, pointing at Sun Yulan’s waist, making Sun Yulan uncomfortable.

“Did you have time to read or write?”

“No, no, I was busy all day. At night, my master would force me to practice martial arts.”

“Practice martial arts at night?” Madam Zhuang was also surprised. Didn’t she say she studied at night?

“I didn’t have time during the day, so I practiced at night.”

Everyone was shocked by the fact that this girl could practice martial arts. But Sun Yulan threw out a shocking question.

“Since Miss Zhuang is so busy, do you still have time to read and write?”

This question stirred up a storm. Right, if she didn’t have time to study, how could she write poetry? She had only returned to the capital less than three months ago and could already compose poetry? This was too unbelievable.

“I didn’t have time to study. I’ve never read books.”

She finally understood what Sun Yulan meant. She had secretly memorized someone else’s poem, and now she suspected that Zhuang Xiaoyu had also memorized someone else’s poem. Whatever kind of person you are, that’s what your heart is like. No one else had doubted her, but she took the initiative to provoke.

“Miss Zhuang has never studied, yet she can write such vivid and interesting poetry. Truly a genius.”

“Sister, did you write this poem yourself?”

Zhuang Xiaowan wasn’t sure anymore. She only knew her sister could read, but she had never written poetry before.

“I never said this poem was mine. It’s a famous line written by Senior Zheng Xie. I memorized it.”

“Turns out it wasn’t her own work. How shameless!”

“Ah, this is too much, using someone else’s poem to fake sophistication.”

“Yeah, I thought it was her own work, she really knows how to pretend, acting like she wrote it.”

“I told you, she’s just a bumpkin. How could she write poetry?”

“If she couldn’t write, she shouldn’t have tried to pretend. What a disgrace to the family.”

…

Madam Zhuang and Zhuang Xiaowan were also baffled. What was going on here? Why hadn’t they discussed this in advance?

“Miss Zhuang, you’ve really disappointed the princess.”

The Long Princess put on a look of being deeply disappointed, angry that the girl had tricked her into giving her a jade bracelet. Now she couldn’t take it back, but she would make sure to get it back one day.

Zhuang Xiaoyu placed her hands on her hips. “Why are you all saying these things about me? Is there a rule that says you can’t recite someone else’s poem? Besides, are you sure all of your poems were written by you?”

“Of course, we wrote them ourselves. Do you think we’d pass off someone else’s work?”

“Well, that’s not always the case. Some people are so vain that they cheat for the title of a talented lady, deceiving the world. Looks like you’ve all been fooled.”

If Sun Yulan hadn’t provoked her, she would’ve let it slide. Truly, if you don’t ask for trouble, you won’t find it.

Sun Yulan’s heart had already risen to her throat. This was the feeling of being guilty of theft. She couldn’t even deny it—her heart was racing.

“Zhuang Xiaoyu, only someone as crude as you would do something so embarrassing. You need to present evidence when making accusations. Don’t slander us.”

“Ah, now you care about evidence? You all keep calling me a country bumpkin, but how do you know I grew up in the countryside? I lived on a mountain, okay? And what’s with calling me a bumpkin? Do I look like a dumpling to you? Do I look like the kind of dumpling that’s long and slender?”

She even deliberately swayed her hips and shook her waist. This figure of hers wasn’t something to boast about, as no one in the room could compare to her.

The crowd felt she was making a scene and tried to steer the conversation back. “We were talking about the poem earlier, why are we drifting away?”

“Oh, right, it’s this older sister who has some reasoning. I almost forgot about that.”

After Sun Yulan had just managed to calm her racing heart, it started pounding again.

“Let’s start with the city’s number one talented lady, Miss Sun. Miss Sun, tell us, is the poem really your own?”

“Of course, I wrote it myself.”

She forced herself to remain calm, adamant that she would never admit that the poem wasn’t hers. If she did, her carefully maintained reputation would be ruined.

“Zhuang Xiaoyu, have you gone mad? How could you doubt Miss Sun? Who doesn’t know she’s the number one talented lady in the capital?”

A handsome young man was the first to protest. He firmly wouldn’t allow anyone to slander Sun Yulan.

“Oh, this young master, do you like Miss Sun?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Young Master is admiring Miss Sun for her talent. You’re not allowed to slander her.”

“Once the truth comes out, you won’t be admiring her anymore.”

“Miss Zhuang, I know that last time in the palace, I didn’t see things clearly and wrongfully accused you of damaging the flowers in the imperial garden. I don’t blame you for holding a grudge, but you can’t slander my reputation.”

Sun Yulan interrupted Zhuang Xiaoyu’s words, tearfully claiming how pitiful she was.

This immediately incited the anger of the crowd. More than one young man stood up to criticize her. They spoke with righteous indignation, accusing her of creating trouble out of nothing, stirring things up, and making ugly scenes…

Clearly, Zhuang Xiaoyu had become the target of everyone’s scorn. Even if someone wanted to defend her, they couldn’t speak up.

“Shut up…”

Zhuang Xiaoyu let out a powerful shout, and the crowd instantly quieted. She had underestimated the impact of the “white moonlight” figure.

“I dare say this because I have evidence. Look at you all, you’re all well-read scholars, but why are you all licking up to Sun Yulan like dogs? She’s a fake gentleman. The poem was written by a young Master Xu, who’s kept in her backyard. If you don’t believe me, you can go check Sun Yulan’s backyard. But be careful, you might be silenced if you go too late. After she silences you, her true nature will be revealed. Also, you all said that Murong Xiao deceived Sun Yulan, but from what I know, they are in a mutual and consensual relationship, there’s no deception, and there’s certainly no violation. In fact, it was Sun Yulan who actively seduced Murong Xiao. That’s the true face of Sun Yulan.”

Who seduced whom, she wasn’t sure, but none of them were good people. Today, she was going to pull Sun Yulan from the clouds and crush her down into the dirt.