Chapter 62: A Close Friend’s Past & The Princess’s Reward

Xu Nian’s skillful demonstration successfully piqued everyone’s interest.

“If anyone has any ideas, feel free to share! You can weave whatever you like, or we can all work together to create something.”

Fu Wanru excitedly asked, “Sister Xu, can you weave a rabbit besides flowers?”

“It’s possible, but a rabbit is quite complicated—it might not be finished today.” Not wanting to disappoint the little girl, Xu Nian suggested, “Why don’t you make a rabbit-shaped bracelet instead? That would be much simpler.”

Fu Wanru happily nodded, while Fu Wanling decided she wanted to make a kitten-shaped bracelet.

Since everyone had their own preferences, Xu Nian decided to let them work separately on their own designs.

After settling the three little girls, she turned to Wang Pingting and Shen Yan.

“What about you two, sisters? What would you like?”

Blushing shyly, Shen Yan asked, “Can I learn to weave an orchid with you, Sister Xu?”

“Of course! Actually, crocheted orchid branches are the most beautiful, but unfortunately, I don’t have the right tools. Still, a woven orchid will look nice too. Let me pick out some colored threads for you.”

As Xu Nian enthusiastically explained, she failed to notice that Wang Pingting was rolling her eyes so hard they nearly reached the sky. However, this time, she didn’t lash out at Shen Yan.

In truth, Wang Pingting and Shen Yan were close friends, and their friendship stemmed from a banquet years ago.

Two years ago, the wife of the former magistrate of Wansheng County hosted a grand banquet. Unlike today’s small gathering of noblewomen, that banquet included many scholars and wealthy young ladies. The event was intended to showcase her daughter, Wu Baozhu’s talents. Wang Pingting still remembered how her mother distanced herself from the former magistrate’s wife because of this matter.

At the time, Shen Yan was merely a follower of Wu Baozhu, meekly obeying her every command.

Had Wang Pingting not been trying to avoid the crowd, she wouldn’t have even noticed the bullying scene taking place. Wu Baozhu, surrounded by her maids, had forced Shen Yan against an artificial rockery, rubbing an orchid flower against her face while taunting her:

“I heard that Young Master Huifeng loves orchids the most. I wonder, if he saw your face now, would he pity you or lament the ruined flower? Hahaha~”

In the end, the arrogant Wu Baozhu was chased away by Wang Pingting’s red-tasseled spear. Because of this incident, her mother had locked away that very spear for the past two years.

From that day on, Wang Pingting and Shen Yan grew closer. Not only did Wang Pingting learn about Shen Yan’s allergy to flowers, but she also discovered her secret admiration for Young Master Huifeng.

What Wang Pingting couldn’t understand was why Shen Yan, for the sake of someone she had only met once, chose to hide her flower allergy from everyone and instead pretended to love flowers in public.

Watching Shen Yan engrossed in weaving, Wang Pingting felt a deep sense of frustration.

Unaware of this backstory, Xu Nian thought Wang Pingting was simply bored and in a bad mood.

“Sister Wang, is there anything you like? If you don’t want to weave yourself, I can make something for you.”

Wang Pingting snapped out of her thoughts. “Then weave me a red-tasseled fringe. The old ones have gathered dust.”

“A red-tasseled fringe?”

“The kind that goes on a spear. If you don’t know how, it’s fine—it doesn’t really matter.”

Xu Nian suddenly realized what she meant and excitedly said, “I know how! I just didn’t expect that Sister Wang knows martial arts!”

Xu Nian had been in the Sheng Dynasty for so long, but this was the first time she had met a noble lady who practiced martial arts, so she was especially surprised.

When it came to martial arts, Wang Pingting could talk for days. However, in the end, she only let out a long sigh.

“Unfortunately, I’m about to come of age, and my red-tasseled spear will never return to my hands.”

Shen Yan lowered her head in guilt—this was all her fault.

Wang Pingting couldn’t stand seeing her like this.

“I wasn’t talking about you. Even without that incident, my mother wouldn’t have let me keep practicing martial arts forever. Sigh~ Women are just troublesome. If only I were a man, I could join the army like my brothers and earn military honors on the battlefield.”

Xu Nian found herself liking Wang Pingting more and more. She leaned in and whispered, “Sister Wang, if I can help you get your red-tasseled spear back from Auntie, will you teach me martial arts?”

“Huh?”

Wang Pingting stared at the face that had suddenly appeared so close to hers, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She swallowed nervously and asked, “You really think you can get it back?”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“It’s a deal!”

Shen Yan, who had been watching the transaction unfold in stunned silence, hesitated before speaking. “Is there anything I need to do?”

“Just keep weaving your orchid.”

“Or maybe Sister Shen could also weave the red-tasseled fringe?”

The three of them exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

The twin sisters, watching them, shook their heads.

“Their world is really complicated.”

Xu Ling nodded in agreement.

As the group was chatting and laughing, they saw Xiuer enter with Zhao Lan.

“Young Miss, Madam asks you to come to the main hall. The—The Princess of Zhenbei… has sent people.”

The room fell silent. Xu Nian was the first to recover.

“Sisters, let’s all go together.”

Hearing this, everyone obediently stood up and followed Xu Nian to the hall.

At that moment, the ladies in the main hall were feeling uneasy about the unexpected arrival of the female officials.

Madam Tian poured tea for them and said apologetically, “Please wait for a moment, my daughter will be here soon.”

The three officials nodded slightly. The leading woman, Liu Zhu, picked up her tea, and as she caught a familiar scent, she paused momentarily. When she confirmed it was indeed Mengshan Huangya tea, she lowered her gaze and took a sip.

By the time Xu Nian and the others arrived, a full tea-serving’s time had passed. The ladies in the hall were already feeling anxious, afraid they might have offended the officials.

Xu Nian led the group in a formal bow, but Liu Zhu and her two companions immediately sidestepped to avoid receiving the courtesy. This surprised the noble ladies—after all, these three women were direct attendants of the Princess of Zhenbei, holding the rank of third-class female officials. Normally, they would accept such greetings without changing expression. Why were they showing such respect to the young lady of the Xu family?

“We have come today because the princess has prepared a token of gratitude for Miss Xu. The cherry blossom tea you made suits Her Highness’s taste very well, and it has also had a remarkable effect on her old injuries. Bring it in.”

Several servants carried two wooden chests into the hall.

“These contain items suitable for Miss Xu’s use. Here is the inventory list.”

“Many thanks to Her Highness.” Xu Nian performed a formal bow before accepting the list with both hands.

Liu Zhu then gestured to the two women behind her. “These two are Liu Yun and Liu Qin, attendants of the princess. We heard that Miss Xu arrived in a hurry and that the Xu family has not yet hired a tutor for her. Her Highness has specially assigned these two to instruct Miss Xu in the proper arts and etiquette.”

Xu Nian looked at the two dignified women with their elegant courtly demeanor, her eyes shining with admiration. They reminded her of the noble ladies depicted in the paintings she had once seen.

Despite her inner excitement, Xu Nian maintained proper decorum and respectfully bowed. “Many thanks to Her Highness.”

Meanwhile, Madam Tian’s heart was pounding with excitement. A daughter taught by court officials—there would be no need to worry about her future marriage prospects!

The other noble ladies, except for Madam Zhu, also began to contemplate—could their daughters have the chance to study alongside Miss Xu? Even if they could only audit the lessons, it would still be a great opportunity.