However, Ling Mingfeng didn’t retort. His eyes were fixed because he could only see her bright eyes and white teeth. She was young now, but in a few years, how beautiful would she turn into?
He stayed silent, while You Yuecheng snorted. “What’s good with a good look? Noble masters and misses should be talented. I wonder what talent this pretty Third Miss Mo possesses!”
He was deprecating Mo Xuetong. Luo Wenyou darted a displeased look toward him and was about to talk. In the meanwhile, Mo Xuetong had started to play the Qin.
If Ling Fengyan’s piece was as lively as flower’s whisper in spring, then Mo Xuetong’s carried a cold feature, which suited the winter. The audience couldn’t help getting lost in the music. Suddenly, the music sped up like a storm. Between the fierceness are clangs of weapons and horseshoes rang.
Bai Yihao considered himself a Qin master, but now, he involuntarily fixed his eyes on the girl opposite, who was as delicate as a blossom. Such a fierce and aggressive piece was actually played by such a girl. He found it hard to believe that between those delicate fingers rang a splendid military piece not a decadent one. It sounded so beautiful and sad…
Feng Yuran slightly frowned and also fixed his eyes on the pair of nimble fingers on the Qin strings. His eyes somehow darkened. “It sounds so sad and so angry. Is that what she trying to say deep down in her heart? What has she been through to bear such sadness? And for that, she plays such an aggressive piece?”
Though You Yuecheng didn’t like Mo Xuetong, he couldn’t help feeling touched at the moment. He fixed his cold eyes on her and seemed lost in thoughts.
When the piece ended, the silence was everywhere.
Mo Xuetong rose and politely bowed to Princess Royal. Only then did everyone come to their senses and burst into a round of applause.
Mo Xuetong knew that from now on, the reputation she bore in Cloud City that said she was untalented and weak finally faded away. No one here would believe that rumor anymore. A smile registered by her lips. “Father must love the things they say about me now.”
Princess Royal beamed and awarded a pair of jade bracelets to the two respectively. “Third Miss Mo and Second Miss Ling are both talented girls. It’s my pleasure to have heard both of you play.”
Ling Fengyan rolled her beautiful eyes. Glancing at Mo Xuetong, she mildly smiled. “Third Miss Mo’s talent is impressive. I rarely find someone worth appreciating.”
Mo Xuetong lightly smiled and freely admitted her weakness. “Second Miss Ling has overestimated me. I can’t play many pieces, so I played such a piece, though it’s unsuitable for girls to play. I hope Second Miss Ling don’t mind it.”
It was true. Mo Xuetong’s piece was not so famous, and Ling Fengyan really hadn’t heard it before. However, on occasion like this, it was indeed a little inappropriate for a girl to play it. Ling Fengyan couldn’t help smiling a bit. Exchanging a glance with Mo Xuetong, Ling Fengyan didn’t say anything more.
Since Mo Xuetong had revealed her intention to lose, they were on a par. Moreover, the audience couldn’t exactly say who won or who lost, so Ling Fengyan didn’t need to say anything more.
Princess Royal had been listening and secretly nodded. “She’s really broad-minded to have admitted her weakness. And she still played it when she knew it was a losing piece. She apparently had thought about it before. She doesn’t want to win, which is both generous and wise of her. When she competes against the hyped Ling Fengyan, she only needs to tie the game, because if she really wins, the Empress won’t like it.
“Soon, the Empress will select consorts for the crown prince and she’s been hyping Ling Fengyan as a candidate. How can she bear to know someone has surpassed Ling Fengyan? Mo Xuetong has been so wise to hide her talent before Ling Fengyan so as to suppress the latter’s anger down. It’s not something every young miss is capable of doing.”
Fifth Princess was keen on finding fault with Mo Xuetong and wasn’t happy with Mo Xuetong receiving any praise, so she had to remind everyone of her opinion. “I still think Second Miss Ling is better. What Third Miss Mo played sounded so out of place on occasion like this.”
If she said this while Mo Xuetong was admitting her own flaws, the audience would think the Fifth Princess was quick to react. However, now, they would only see this royal princess as a narrow-minded person.
Even if some wanted to suck up to Fifth Princess, they couldn’t come up with any flattering words after hearing Mo Xuetong’s modest statement.
“Since Third Miss Mo has admitted defeat, Xueyu needn’t trash her anymore.” Princess Royal didn’t take it to heart, just turned around, and asked Yunruo by her side. “Have you prepared the lot pots?”
Yunruo courteously answered, “Your Highness, I’ve had them ready.”
“Then let’s get started!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
A line of fancily-dressed royal maidservants presented the lot pot on the desk before Princess Royal. All the misses fixed their nimbly eyes on the lot pot, wishing they could draw the names of the people on their minds. They hoped they could talk to the ones they liked and impress them. After thinking about the possibility, their faces all flushed and their hearts flipped.
King Chu, Feng Yuxuan, presided over the male guests’ tables. He first drew a name from the lot and casually flung it to a eunuch by his side.
When it was Mo Xuetong’s side, she picked one and stepped back without looking at the name.
“Cousin Tong, I actually picked my brother. Yuck! I’ve seen every one of my brother’s talents. Who did you pick? Let me see.” Sullenly carrying a stick, Luo Mingzhu came back. She swung it in her hand and looked downcast. Suddenly, she saw the name stick in Mo Xuetong’s hand. Just after she finished, she snatched the stick from Mo Xuetong.
Mo Xuetong did nothing but smilingly let go of the stick.
The moment Luo Mingzhu saw the fancy handwriting on the stick, she fell speechless. “Wow, Cousin Tong. You actually picked King Xuan. No way. Who dares to… challenge him?”
King Xuan, Feng Yuran, wasn’t someone easy to handle. People said he was so willful and unreasonable that he had even thrown out Ling Fengyan’s portrait. No one wanted to mess up with him, because they knew there would be consequences. No one knew for sure if he would hold his temper to help Princess Royal save face.
Mo Xuetong didn’t expect to pick Feng Yuran’s name either. She nimbly rolled her bright eyes and took over the stick to have a closer look.
In a dilemma, Luo Mingzhu frowned. Suddenly, as if she had made up her mind, she stuffed the stick with Luo Wenyou’s name in Mo Xuetong’s hand. “Cousin Tong, I’ll exchange with you. Take my brother’s name stick.”
Mo Xuetong was dazed and then soon realized her intention. She pushed Luo Wenyou’s stick away with a smile. “Second Cousin, it’s OK. Though King Xuan has been willful, Her Highness set the rules. If he plays the game, he must have agreed on the rules. And, I won’t try to embarrass him or stuff. Judging from his handwriting, he must write excellently well. I’ll ask him to write a few words. I won’t annoy him anyway.”
“That being said,” Mo Xuetong had to complain secretly, “Feng Yuran is known to be willful.”
Luo Mingzhu was still concerned for her, so she again stuck out her hand, while trying to grab Mo Xuetong’s stick with the other hand. “Cousin Tong. You can’t be sure about something like that. You might as well give me that stick. No matter what happens, I have my brother here to protect me. Even if His Highness wants to lash out on me, he’ll keep it down for the sake of Fu General Manor.”
Mo Xuetong stuck out her tongue and cutely smiled. She pushed the stick Luo Mingzhu offered away and pointed aside. “Second Cousin, stop! If you still try to snatch my stick, they’ll think you fancy that King Xuan. Look, misses over there have noticed us.”
Indeed, a few young misses glanced sideways at them. At the same time, royal maidservants were taking down the names on every miss’s stick.
Seeing the maidservants coming over, Luo Mingzhu stopped talking and had to withdraw her stick to wait for them to take down the name she drew.
On the other side, Feng Yuran put on a charming and seductive smile. He nimbly flipped the stick in his hand, and casually flung it to the eunuch beside him to record the name.
He lazily asked with a hint of a smile upon his glossy red lips and his eyes fixed on the stick in Bai Yihao’s hand. “Cousin Bai, whose name is on your stick? Let your younger cousin see what kind of beauty is in your hand. So beautiful that you don’t want to share with us?”
Bai Yihao casually smiled and directly put the stick down on the table. “Third Miss Mo writes so well. I didn’t know she has such excellent handwriting.”
After he finished, Ling Mingfeng and Chen Yanyu turned their heads at him.
On it were several slim characters in Small Seal Script. Though casually written, they revealed the writer’s excellent knowledge of calligraphy.
A young and delicate woman could write in such a style, which completely amazed him.
Ling Mingfeng exclaimed. “It sure is good handwriting. And a woman wrote them.” However, when he tried to snatch it to take a closer look, the eunuch by his side had already took it, so he had to withdraw his hand.
Chen Yanyu sighed. “Bearing so many skills, Third Miss Mo deserves to be called a talented woman.”
You Yuecheng also glanced at the stick. Seeing everyone was praising her, he somewhat felt angry. Thus, he snorted. “Hmph, pretentious. She’s putting on a show again!”
Thinking that he was the only one here who had seen the fierce side of that woman who struck people as a delicate girl, he again considered this woman evil. “At such a young age, she’s fooled so many people.”
Feng Yuran wickedly narrowed his eyes and smilingly asked Bai Yihao, “Third Miss Mo just performed a Qin piece. I wonder what else Cousin will ask her to perform.” Now, he was calling his elder cousin sweetly again and again. It seemed they were close. However, between his behaviors, he didn’t strike people as being affectionate to his cousin at all. Instead, he appeared somewhat indifferent.
Ling Mingfeng and Chen Yanyu exchanged glances with each other and had the sense to stay out of this. “King Xuan is annoyed?”
Bai Yihao mildly smiled, “Don’t worry, my cousin. Third Miss Mo is of talent. How will she run out of them?”
The sentences made King Chu and King Yan tilt their heads.
Feng Yuran cocked an eyebrow and looked concerned. Obvious concern showed on his pretty face. “I sure should be worrying. Last time when I saw this Third Miss Mo, I was impressed. She’s such a virtuous talent. Cousin, don’t try to embarrass her. Well, Cousin, I’m still worried. Why don’t we exchange our sticks?”
Near him, several young masters couldn’t help shaking their head. “King Xuan takes a fancy to the third miss from Mo Manor? How many women has he tried to win this month?” King Xuan was known to be willful.
Several days ago, at the banquet in the palace, he was said to have fallen in love with the fourth miss from Han Family. At the banquet held in Fu General Manor, he became a suitor of second miss from the Yan Family; In Ping General Manor, he again told everyone that he wanted the eighth miss from the Ming Family. Today, he started to care for third miss of Mo Manor.
Unfortunately, all of these misses didn’t have a rank high enough to be King Xuan’s consort. Of course, no one took it seriously now because none of them knew whom this wilful King Xuan would fall for tomorrow!
Anyway, he could claim to love anyone he wanted, and it would fall on deaf ears.
Aside, even King Chu wryly smiled. He shook his head and drank a cup of wine himself.
Bai Yihao forced a smile and answered, “Rest assured. Cousin, I won’t make things difficult for Third Miss Mo.”
Still worried, Feng Yuran reminded him again, as if he feared that Bai Yihao would forget. “Alright. Remember, don’t embarrass her later.”
Others chuckled and diverted attention from them. Instead, they started to ask each other whose name they’d drawn.
No one noticed a strange atmosphere flowing between the two. One pair of glowing eyes was filled with icy coldness, while the other pair of bright eyes was covered in complex emotions.
