Read Novel Full Chapter 35: Deliberately Asking
Yu Lingxin looked over following her gaze, immediately understanding Ming Jinrou’s meaning.
Ming Jincheng was Jin Duke heir’s eldest di son, and in the future, will inherit the noble title. His wife, it was still best to be a bit more capable in order to be able to support the Jin Duke Manor.
This Wen family eldest miss truly appeared too weak. Moreover, it wasn’t just her body that was weak, her personality also wasn’t that strong. The first time she met Wen Ruoqiong was that time at Chang’de Count Manor. That time, Ming Jinrou didn’t go, but Xun Ying had gone.
Wen Ruoqiong was actually able to openly ask in front of everyone about her relationship with Qi-shi, family changes, and so on, even needing Xun Ying to help mediate for her, completely not having the propriety of a upper class eldest di daughter when out socializing.
Moreover, last time, at the Xun Manor poetry gathering, the final result of the poetry judging was letting Yu Duke Manor’s young lady take first place. At the time, Wen Ruoqiong seemingly also had a bitter look, unwilling to accept.
With all these various things added together, Yu Lingxin increasingly felt that the Ji province Yiyang Marquis Manor truly didn’t properly and attentively educate their family’s young lady. They were already able to get summoned into the capital by Empress Wen, and moreover, shoved into Jin Duke Manor, yet still like an unpresentable sickly beauty.
Some family clans perhaps felt that it didn’t matter. In any case, marrying the empress’s niece, this status, was already enough to guarantee their family clan’s benefits. As for what the young lady was like specifically, it actually wasn’t important. Being a bit weak was instead better to deal with than one that was overly aggressive. It was merely just properly feeding and raising.
But for the energetic and straightforward Ming Jinrou, she just disliked from the bottom of her heart this kind of weak and delicate young lady becoming her sister-in-law.
“Jinrou, Yu older sister, you’re back.” Seeing them come back, Xun Ying immediately went over. It was truly very tiring looking after the place while they were gone earlier, “It’s more or less about time. If you two have verses, then write it down. If not, it’s also fine, just go over and assess a few.”
Earlier, in Qinghong Pavilion, Yu Lingxin and Ming Jinrou both respectively received countless information from Xun Che’s one line of ‘Qin Wang is fine’, so where did they still have the mind to write poetry. As such, they just followed Xun Ying’s suggestion, going over to admire everyone’s work.
That time at Wen’an Marquis Manor, because of being overly worried about Xun Che’s safety, Yu Lingxin for the most party didn’t pay attention to everyone’s level, just enduring to the end and hastily leaving. This time, although she also got surprised by Xun Che, after talking it out, she also felt a bit more at ease, finally able to look at these young ladies’ poetry works with a calm mind.
As the winner last time, Yu Duke Manor’s young lady’s writing style was still very grand. Just a simple lake scenery, yet she can write out the spirit of a great river with a few brush strokes. The other influential families’ young ladies that excelled in poetry also had their own charm, either graceful and subdued, or elaborate and clever, very much having moving phrases.
As for the Wen family sisters, they were also different from the mass. Wen Ruoqiong wrote a five phrase long poem imitating yuefu[1], mournful and enchanting, roughly just the beauty pitying oneself in face of the scenery, but to be able to write this much in this short of time, it can also be considered very skillful. Wen Ruoyao was even more extraordinary, writing a very short palindrome poem. The artistic concept and rhetoric both weren’t considered that superior, but this form that can be read forwards and backwards nevertheless was very clever.
Yu Lingxin glanced at Xun Ying’s complexion, inwardly shaking her head and sighing once more.
These years, in the Ji province, how wealthy and idle have the Yiyang Marquis Manor been? Exactly what was the Wen family young ladies thinking in their heads?
As Empress Wen’s niece, as young ladies that will marry into nobility in the future, the most important thing right now, how was it using clever and creative ways to show off and surpass the other young ladies in this kind of poetry gathering. They should use this kind of opportunity to properly befriend those daughters of important nobles and high officials. Winning people over was the true way to pave the path for the future.
But at present, the Wen family sisters weren’t just boasting their own works. When commenting on others’, they truly weren’t that polite. If not saying so and so’s antithesis wasn’t tight enough, it was just pointing at another young lady’s phrasing for being cliche. They even commented on Yu Yunxin’s poem, saying that she still needed to practice her calligraphy.
TN: All translations outside of are stolen and reposted without permission!
The great majority of the other young ladies attended social gatherings relatively frequently, so although unhappy, they still won’t show it on the surface. Yu Yunxin, however, her entire little face just burned red, practically about to cry. But, she also knew that these two were the empress’s niece, not daring to retort and offend them.
At this time, seeing Yu Lingxin again, she really felt close, quickly running to her side, pulling Yu Lingxin’s sleeve, wanting to cry, yet not daring to cry, and could only stand behind her.
Yu Lingxin patted Yu Yunxin’s hand, also not saying anything. Coming out to socialize, it was just like this, especially when one’s own family status wasn’t high enough, yet still need to interact with daughters of influential families. The other party can willfully say whatever they want, while those of lower status will need to repeatedly consider how to respond.
Clinging to a high branch and climbing up, how was it that easy? In the last lifetime, because she wasn’t in the capital, Yu Yunxin successfully obtained the family clan’s recommendation, and indeed studied hard to enter Wenhua Academy. However, in less than half a year, she just suffered collateral damage in a conflict between Ruiyang Junzhu and a few other noble daughters, hastily withdrawing from the academy.
Just, there was one thing that even Yu Lingxin didn’t expect, and that was the extent of these two Wen family young ladies’ ability to cause trouble. Unexpectedly, it wasn’t just limited to the verses and poems.
After everyone assessed the poems, just as they were about to began discussing today’s best piece, Wen Ruoyao unexpectedly raised a question towards Ming Jinrou first, “Eh? How come don’t see Jinrou’s work? Never mind the other unimportant guests, as the host, even if just for the occasion, should still write a few lines.”
This ‘deliberately asking while knowing the answer already’ attitude was practically just trying to openly sweep Ming Jinrou’s face in public.
And this line of ‘unimportant guest’ also had Yu Lingxin, whose family background wasn’t as illustrious as the others present, who also didn’t compose poetry both times, dragged in as well.
The young ladies present practically all froze in astonishment. For a moment, inside the water pavilion, no one said a single word. Even the sound of the wind brushing the leaves by the lakeside could all be heard clearly.
Ming Jinrou was in a complicated mood today to begin with, in addition to being dissatisfied about her older brother’s marriage arrangements with Wen Ruoqiong, as well as Qin Wang’s matter, she was already holding in a stomach full of irritation. Upon hearing these words, her expression immediately went dark.
Because Yu Lingxin was standing right next to Ming Jinrou, and although she also frowned upon hearing Wen Ruoqiong’s words, she still immediately reached out to pull Ming Jinrou back.
Ming Jinrou originally was already about to retort, but sensing Yu Lingxin’s warning, she forcibly pressed down the anger in her heart, indifferently responding, “My thoughts today aren’t very organized, so will write one next time.”
“As the saying goes, reading over ten thousand scrolls, the brush will come to life.” Seeing Ming Jinrou forcibly suppress her anger, Wen Ruoyao instead became increasingly conceited, pursing her lips into a smile, “Jinrou, spending less time playing with swords and spears, instead reading more books, your thoughts will become more fluent.”
[1] Yuefu – A style of lyrical poetry. The name yuefu literally translates to ‘music bureau’, originating from the government office that was originally set up by the court to train musicians, collect folk songs and ballads, and compose music. Poems of this style take after folk songs and ballads.