Chapter 26: She Sat On His Lap

A sudden gain, then a baffling loss. Most people would be a bit broken by it, but Tang Wanning was not sad.

She couldn’t call call it joy or expectation, so how could there be disappointment or desolation?

She only felt a headache. Since this morning her temples had been throbbing faintly, and now it was worse, almost unbearable… Can’t the royal family do anything reliably?! That damn Crown Prince! If you don’t want to marry, I don’t want to either! Do they really think I’m a prized cake that everyone has to fight over?

Madam Wu left with her nose in the air. The ladies in the hall smiled awkwardly and took their leave. But that wasn’t the most awkward part. The Wang family had good ties to the palace and they got news from the palace very quickly. That couldn’t be said for everyone else, so the Earl’s residence continued to receive more guests, and every new visitor offered congratulations as soon as they arrived.

Madam Zhou’s expression darkened.

Tang Wanlan said, “Mother, let Sister see me off.”

Her own daughter was still considerate. The title of Princess Consort was a noble one, and having her present would both ease the current awkwardness and give them something to say when questioned… Madam Zhou immediately turned to Tang Wanning. “You go see off the Princess Consort of Ping, and bring back two pounds of Huang’s crispy candy.”

“Alright.”

Tang Wanning knew this was meant to get her out of her sight. With guests at the Earl’s house, Madam Zhou as matriarch couldn’t stop them from coming. Today’s focus was the match given by the emperor. As long as Tang Wanning was around, it would be an unavoidable topic which everyone now knew would eventually result in the Earl’s house getting mocked. Who could stand the repeated humiliation?

But could she at least put on a more pleasant expression? When she heard about this marriage granted by the emperor, she smiled as beautifully as a flower, as though great riches had fallen into her lap. Then when she heard that Prince Xiangyang had defied the edict, she looked more like she had stepped on poop. Her expression was nasty and she threw glares at Tang Wanning that were so accusatory, as though this was all Tang Wanning’s fault, as if she’d done something terrible to bring disaster on them.

Before they had exposed their true colors to each other, this aunt and niece showed false tenderness to each other. But after they stopped pretending to care for one another, they didn’t even bother to pretend to be nice to each other. All that was left was this blatant calculation of interests.

The two sisters climbed into the carriage. This sending off would take them far away, and of course they wouldn’t go to the Prince Ping’s residence. What if they ended up running into the Second Prince? Tang Wanlan had her schemes in mind.

“Our lives as women are hard to live well. Often happiness is something you seize yourself. Sister surely wouldn’t want to be like those people…”

Tang Wanlan pointed at a woman selling vegetables outside the carriage curtain. The woman had a decent face and fair skin but life had bent her, so her eyes were dull and ordinary. “She clearly had potential. With effort she could’ve blossomed, drawn pity and care, yet she drifted with the current and had no ambition. Like petals dirtied and crushed to mud, not even a chance to shine.”

Tang Wanning curled her lips into a smile. “Are you suggesting I learn from you, little sister?”

Tang Wanlan’s smile froze and she couldn’t maintain the act. “Who can say how a match will turn out? Some pairings start as accidents and become good unions, some come from hard striving. As long as one ends up happy, no one is nobler than another! I just think it’s such a pity. If you could marry Prince Xiangyang, we would be sisters-in-law and could look after each other!”

She looked at the road ahead. If they went further they’d really reach the Wang family residence. Tang Wanlan knocked on the carriage wall to stop it. “I’ve said all I have to say. Sister, think it over.”

Tang Wanning got out of the carriage.

The weather was a bit cold, so the street shops were slow and there was no bustle. Her head was splitting, so she didn’t get back into her own carriage. Though it was cold outside, the air wasn’t stifling.

After walking for an unknown length of time, she saw a paper-and-ink shop. No, this shop was not purely that. It resembled a teahouse, with a tea master and also selling paper and ink. Inside, many young men in scholar robes were gathered, refined in bearing. They were probably scholars.

The scholars were young, holding pens and writing or comparing poetry, bathed in sunlight, eyes bright and full of life and endless vigor.

Suddenly Tang Wanning thought that marriage was an issue to be resolved sooner or later. Why not take the chance to look for someone herself? Prince Xiangyang defied the edict and refused marriage, which would certainly stir up a lot of attention afterward. So for as long as she stayed unmarried, others would use it against her.

With that thought, she subconsciously watched the scholars, catching some youthful radiance. None were particularly ugly. One stood out strikingly with fine eyes and thin lips and a flirtatious brightness in his gaze, especially charming when he looked down with a little smile. Another sat in a wheelchair. You couldn’t see his face from behind, but his posture alone made her instinctively think he must be handsome.

Another person in a wheelchair…

Tang Wanning couldn’t help but sigh. Both were disabled, so why such a difference? The one in the palace was arrogant and left others no face, while this one, from just his silhouette, seemed gentle and kind. At worst he might have a sharp tongue, but would never harm someone.

“…Miss? Miss, are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Tang Wanning shook her head and pointed at a cloth sign not far off. “Up ahead is Huang’s shop, go buy the crispy candy.”

Xiaoman nodded. “Then wait a moment here, this maid will be right back.”

“Oh, isn’t this the daughter of the Tang family who climbed to a higher branch?” A girl in a pale crimson dress stepped out of the teahouse and mocked Tang Wanning. “What’s going on now? The man didn’t want you, so you came out looking for men yourself?”

Tang Wanning thought she was unlucky. Why was she clashing with the Wang family today? This girl was someone she had seen at the Wang family’s banquet. She was Mrs. Wang’s legitimate granddaughter, Wang Lizhu, who was also the biological daughter of the woman she had seen not too long ago, Madam Wu!

Were the Wang family all this arrogant? Did they speak with no propriety or restraint?

She swept her gaze quickly through the teahouse and realized it wasn’t just scholars inside: in quiet, hidden corners were several young women, and elders in scholar seats. It looked like a poetry gathering but in fact had the air of a matchmaking event.

Tang Wanning raised an eyebrow. “So Miss Wang is here to look for a man.” She never retreated from others’ malice. She’d give it right back in full.

“Stop slandering!” Wang Lizhu’s face flushed. “I did not!”

Tang Wanning passed by her shoulder, meaningfully. “Is that so?”

Wang Lizhu stamped her foot in anger. “You wouldn’t still be clinging to hope, would you? The Second Prince didn’t want you, he married your sister. Your aunt started saying that she needed a match for you, but after so many days there still wasn’t a single suitable match, only poor ruffians came by. Then by some damn luck the Emperor assigned you to a worthless man, and even that worthless man won’t have you! If I were you I’d be mortified to death. I’d have found a rope and hanged myself long ago!”

Tang Wanning responded coolly, “Miss Wang is young but seems to worry a lot. The man in the blue robe at the third table on the north side of the hall. He’s your lover, right?”

Wang Lizhu froze.

“You don’t seem to be treated very well by him either. I tease you like this and he doesn’t stand up for you,” Tang Wanning smiled. “If I were you, I’d be mortified.”

“You—”

“Lizhu, what’s wrong?” As if realizing the impasse, the man in the blue robe came over and stood by Wang Lizhu in a protective pose.

Wang Lizhu immediately felt vindicated, as if she’d won a battle. “Brother Yu, she bullied me!” She glanced toward a nearby dark alley with clear intent. “Help me deal with her!”

A chill ran through Tang Wanning’s heart.

“We don’t care for people who dislike the Wang family,” Wang Lizhu lifted her chin with a wicked smile. “If we help the royal household handle some trouble, we’ll even get credit for it.”

Tang Wanning’s nerves tightened further. She didn’t know whether Madam Wu and Wang Lizhu were aware of each other’s histories, nor whether the situation before her was coincidence or design. If this imperial-granted marriage went smoothly, there’d be nothing to say. But now even though the Emperor wanted it, Prince Xiangyang defied the edict. Neither side could gracefully back down, and she had become a problem. Because of her, this royal father and son glared at each other and the court mood soured. If something happened to her, she’d lose standing to speak of marriage, and this father and son would have a reason to take a step back and avoid a confrontation.

Wang Lizhu had really found a good opening to exploit!

The man in the blue robe began to move. With a wave of his hand, several strong guards came forward…

Tang Wanning closed her eyes, for the first time feeling passive and unwilling to move. This world was so tiresome, the same tricks over and over, couldn’t they come up with something else? Her head hurt unbearably and she was too lazy to bother with them!

Swoosh! Pata pata pata!

Suddenly, a row of willow-shaped blades landed at the guards’ feet, extremely close to their toes. If they hadn’t stopped so quickly, the blades would have struck their feet!

Tang Wanning turned and saw a wheelchair. A man sat in it with sword-like brows and dark eyes, long fingers, a straight back, not leaning back an inch.

Zhao Cong’s face was unpleasant. His sharp tongue was worse than before, and he was not gentle even in front of a woman. “So you disdain the man by your side that much?”

Wang Lizhu looked a little stunned, as if she hadn’t processed it.

Zhao Cong’s tone was mocking, “Full of deluded fantasies, looking at the pot while longing for the basin, so jealous and cruel. Miss Wang’s ugliness utterly overturns my understanding.”

Tang Wanning reflected and realized he was insulting Wang Lizhu! He meant Wang Lizhu was jealous of her because she had the chance to marry Prince Xiangyang while Wang Lizhu had no hope of doing that. Wang Lizhu was secretly in love with the Prince but dared not confess or fight for him, so she longed in vain, comforting herself with the illusion of a lover and secretly stirring trouble to vent her ugly and humiliating feelings!

Wang Lizhu’s face flushed red. “I do not!”

Zhao Cong drawled, “Do— you— not?”

Wang Lizhu stamped her foot anxiously. “Noble one…how could you say that about me!”

Tang Wanning raised an eyebrow.

This wasn’t so much anger as mortified fury. Did this man hit the nail on the head? If she had any charm or fancy moves, she could go ahead and try them on Prince Xiangyang directly. Why vent her frustration on others?

Zhao Cong turned his head away and looked at Tang Wanning as if something filthy had disgusted him and he needed to cleanse his eyes.

The blue-robed lover on the side turned livid and felt rather embarrassed. He raised his hand and ordered, “All of you, attack! Take care of that crippled pretty boy as well!”

Wang Lizhu was alarmed. “Brother Yu, no!”

The lover’s face grew even angrier and more stubborn. “Get him!”

The crowd surged. Tang Wanning’s wrist was seized and she involuntarily tilted with the force, landing in the lap of the man in the wheelchair… Somehow he pressed something and the wheelchair spun back, braked and skidded aside, and in an instant they were far away.

Guards in dark garments arrived, separating Wang Lizhu and her lover, even surrounding the whole teahouse.

Everything happened at breathtaking speed.

Zhao Cong looked at the girl in his arms with an expressionless face. “Not getting up?”

“Sorry!”

Tang Wanning stood up, feeling the atmosphere was odd. The wheelchair man’s utterly dominant bearing, his sharp contempt regardless of gender, Wang Lizhu’s blushing and shyness before him, her unquestioning acceptance of his words, and how she had called him ‘noble one’…

A young man past the age of twenty, with crippled legs, sitting in a wheelchair, proud and haughty, restrained and aloof. That peculiar loneliness was not merely personality but forged by war. His powerful soul was unique, unmatched by anyone!

Setting aside notions of fastidiousness, this man’s identity was blatantly obvious.

Besides the deposed Crown Prince Zhao Cong, who else could it be!