Chapter 169: Lin Wan’e’s Current Situation
Shangjing has a famous scenic spot in winter.
Plum Garden.
Every snow season, many young masters and young ladies come here to visit.
Although it’s not yet the season for cold plums to bloom, small flower buds have already formed.
Furthermore, the owner of this garden is quite thoughtful; every time it snows, they hold lantern festivals and poetry gatherings, attracting countless people who appreciate elegance to come from afar.
Shang Wuyang walked into the Plum Garden holding Qin Wanwan. As soon as he appeared, many people’s gazes fell upon him, captivated by his stature and temperament. However, when their eyes landed on his ‘rather ordinary’ face, many young girls showed looks of disappointment.
“Daddy, those little lanterns on the trees look so pretty.”
The plum trees in the Plum Garden are adorned with lanterns of various animal shapes and exquisite floral designs.
Beneath the lanterns hang red tassels or small wooden tokens inscribed with poetry, making them look beautiful and poetic.
This prevents visitors to the Plum Garden from feeling disappointed that the plum blossoms haven’t opened yet.
This time, Qin Wanwan only brought Keke with her. Many people in Shangjing know that Rong Zhi has a daughter, but they recognize her by the animals accompanying her.
At this moment, no one recognized Qin Wanwan as Rong Zhi’s daughter.
Shang Wuyang took her to a pavilion near the lake.
The pavilion’s windows face the lake outside, where the waterside pavilions and kiosks are particularly lively at this moment.
Standing in their room, one could clearly hear what the people there were saying.
Those with good eyesight could even see the various expressions on those people’s faces.
And the person Qin Wanwan wanted to see today happened to be in that pavilion.
The last time she saw Lin Wan’e was at Yun Jian Zui, where she was proud and confident.
But the Lin Wan’e now looked somewhat haggard. Even with makeup to conceal it, some scratch marks could still be seen on her face.
“Lin Wan’e, weren’t you kicked out? I thought you’d have the decency to leave Shangjing, but I underestimated your thick skin.”
Princess Zhaohua arrived in a flurry.
She and Lin Wan’e were not on good terms, so she naturally wouldn’t miss an opportunity to kick her while she was down.
“You’re just a lowly concubine’s daughter. Now that you’ve lost the identity of the Minister of Rites’ second daughter, why are you still here? We don’t welcome lowly people here!”
Lin Wan’e clenched her fists.
“Princess Zhaohua, don’t be too excessive. This is a poetry gathering. Although I am untalented, I have composed a few good poems. On the other hand, Princess Zhaohua, I’ve heard you’re not well-versed in literature; it’s inappropriate for you to be here, isn’t it?”
“Slap…”
No one expected Princess Zhaohua to directly slap Lin Wan’e across the face.
“Who do you think you are, daring to speak to me like that!”
Qin Wanwan covered her eyes, but her fingers were spread a bit too wide.
“Wow, she hit someone.”
Shang Wuyang next to her, with his legs crossed, chuckled at her attempt to cover her ears.
Keke: “Good hit, serves her right!”
What was even more unexpected was that Lin Wan’e actually slapped Princess Zhaohua back.
“You dare to hit me!”
Lin Wan’e straightened her back with effort: “What is there that I don’t dare to do? Just because you’re a princess, can you hit people as you please? We are all human, why can you demean and bully me? I’ve tolerated your behavior in the past, but all I got in return was your escalation, so why should I continue to tolerate it!”
Princess Zhaohua was furious: “Guards, bring me my horsewhip, I’m going to whip this bitch to death!”
Faster than Princess Zhaohua’s horsewhip arrived was the Third Prince.
“Zhaohua, what are you doing?”
Everyone bowed to the Third Prince.
The Third Prince was currently a popular prince. The two princes before him had both suffered heavy losses, while the Third Prince, who had been quietly biding his time, had suddenly emerged.
“Cousin…”
Princess Zhaohua was about to complain, but Lin Wan’e reached the Third Prince before her, looking pitiful with tears in her eyes.
“Your Highness, please uphold justice for me. Princess Zhaohua slapped me without reason, and she wants to whip me with her horsewhip.”
Princess Zhaohua gritted her teeth: “You bitch, why aren’t you mentioning that you also slapped me?!”
The Third Prince frowned: “Zhaohua, you are too vulgar.”
Princess Zhaohua looked at him with disbelief: “Cousin, you’re calling me vulgar?!”
The Third Prince’s gentle face showed a helpless expression.
“As a princess, how can you utter such vulgar words.”
“Guards, the princess is tired, escort her back.”
His voice was not loud, but it was undeniable.
Princess Zhaohua still wanted to make a scene, but the maid beside her quickly stepped forward to dissuade her.
Lin Wan’e turned to look at Princess Zhaohua and gave a proud smile.
Zhaohua was so angry that she started cursing.
A flicker of disgust crossed the Third Prince’s eyes.
Qin Wanwan upstairs was confused: “Why does this Third Prince like Lin Wan’e so much? She’s so bad!”
After speaking, she seemed to realize something and added: “This Third Prince is also very bad. I get it, they’re birds of a feather.”
Shang Wuyang couldn’t help but laugh.
“You actually used the idiom correctly this time.”
Keke: “Hmph, like who? That Third Prince is just a fickle scumbag man; he likes Lin Wan’e for the benefits she can bring him.”
“Kid, look at the woman standing next to the Third Prince now. That’s the Third Prince’s fiancée, the one he’s marrying at the end of this month.”
Qin Wanwan blinked: “Isn’t Lin Wan’e supposed to marry the Third Prince?”
“According to previous developments, she was to marry him, but as a concubine. However, due to the Third Prince’s favor, she eventually became the main consort.”
“But now, without the status of the Minister of Rites’ daughter, she’s not even qualified to be a concubine to the Third Prince.”
In the waterside pavilion, the Third Prince’s fiancée was making things difficult for Lin Wan’e, both openly and implicitly.
The Third Prince also pretended not to know, or rather, he intended to comfort Lin Wan’e later when they returned.
Previously, Lin Wan’e had the status of the Minister of Rites’ daughter, and coupled with her own value, the Third Prince had more patience with her.
But now, he probably felt that with Lin Wan’e’s current situation, she had nowhere else to go but to him, so his attitude had become much colder.
Of course, another purpose for his actions was to make Lin Wan’e panic and desperately cling to him as a lifesaver, thus forcing her to reveal more useful things to him.
Keke: “And the woman currently persuading Lin Wan’e to endure is Lin Wan’e’s fake best friend. Lin Wan’e coming here this time was also a setup by her fake best friend and the Third Prince’s fiancée, intending to make the young ladies in their social circle ridicule her.”
In the aristocratic circle, people tend to elevate the favored and trample on the fallen. Lin Wan’e was previously the Minister’s daughter; although she was a concubine’s daughter, her father’s status was significant, and her life had been smooth sailing.
But now, having been driven out of her home, with the Minister of Rites personally stating he would disown her in front of outsiders, those who disliked her before would naturally mock and ridicule her.
Lin Wan’e, a woman who had transmigrated from the future, had no idea what disownment meant in this era.
Qin Wanwan saw someone hurriedly approach the Third Prince and whisper something to him.
Immediately after, the Third Prince’s expression changed, and he left in a hurry after saying, “You all continue to play.”
Seeing him leave, Lin Wan’e immediately panicked and wanted to follow, but was held back by her fake best friend.
“Wan’e, why are you leaving in such a hurry? Everyone is here, and didn’t you say you have good poems for everyone to appreciate?”
She was pulled back again.
Shang Wuyang’s lips curled into a slightly eerie smile.
“If the Third Prince didn’t leave, how could this play unfold?”
It was obvious that the Third Prince’s departure was orchestrated by Shang Wuyang.
