Chapter 7: Willing To Yield The Position Of Primary Consort

The road to the manor was a bit far. Along the way, Tang Wanlan was very nervous, her back pulled straight, the handkerchief in her hand clenched into wrinkles, like a bird still trembling from fright.

“Don’t be afraid,” Zhao Yan said gently, “Ning’er has a gentle disposition. She won’t be harsh with you.”

Only this time, he did not act particularly intimately. He didn’t touch her face or stroke her hair, there was none of the bedroom’s lingering intimacy. Even his posture was elegantly distant.

Tang Wanlan bit her lip. She was not sure if it was because of the plain dress she wore, or if it was because of something else. Just last night, the man had… While she reminded herself to watch her thoughts, she also felt that this was the side of the Second Prince that she liked. A gentleman like jade, courteous and proper, gentle in treating others yet with principles, not one to casually entice a woman, but once someone became one of his… he would not neglect them.

“I will properly apologize to my sister… I mustn’t cause Your Highness any more trouble.”

Her eyes reddened slightly and she looked somewhat pitiable, but whether it was the look conveyed in her eyes or the small, weak yet resolute voice, there was no longer any sense of frailty, it was moving.

Zhao Yan once again recalled the girl from his memories.

It was just a long-ago episode, and even he hadn’t expected to remember it so long, so deeply. At the time he didn’t know Tang Wanyan’s name. It had been a dangerous encounter. Tang Wanyan diverted the enemy’s attention, which gave him the chance to escape. Time was pressing, she had her face veiled in white, had not given her name, and sought no reward. Though she knew the road ahead was life-threatening, she still risked everything to help him.

He admired her courage, appreciated her resilience, fell for the perfect profile and slender back. From then on that figure haunted his dreams and never left his mind.

After returning to the capital he searched for a long time, kept looking, but to no avail. Only this year did he learn that she was the eldest daughter of the Tang family, Tang Wanyan, a beauty with a short life who had already passed away, so there was no chance of meeting again.

He had originally thought Tang Wanning most resembled Tang Wanyan, but looking now, Tang Wanlan’s expression seemed similar as well.

Tang Wanlan felt a bit shy to be noticed by him and slowly blushed. “Your Highness… what are you looking at?”

Zhao Yan turned back at once. “Nothing,” he said, pointing to the window, “we’ve arrived.”

“Th-then let’s get down.”

Tang Wanlan got out first. A low stool had been placed by the carriage, yet she still stumbled, not because the attendants were careless or the stool unstable, but because she had her first night of intimacy last night, and her body was somewhat strained, so larger movements inevitably…

Zhao Yan noticed her awkwardness, reached out to steady her waist, and whispered with a light smile in her ear, “Be careful.”

Making a little beauty so physically drained — any man would feel a bit pleased.

Tang Wanlan’s face flushed fiercely. “Th-thank you, Your Highness…”

Once escorted into the manor, Tang Wanlan casually beckoned an attendant and asked, “Where is my sister? The young lady who was here last night. Where is she?”

“Oh, Miss Tang,” the person actually knew, “she should still be eating, I suppose? I saw her head toward the dining hall earlier.”

Tang Wanlan and the Second Prince immediately went to the dining hall but did not see her. She called a maid who was cleaning, “Where is my sister? Wasn’t Miss Tang eating here?”

The maid replied, “She’s finished eating already. She said her shoes weren’t suitable today and went to the embroidery room to find new ones.”

Tang Wanlan took the Second Prince to the embroidery room, but she still wasn’t there.

“Where…is…Miss…Tang?!” Gosh, Tang Wanlan was sweating from walking so much!

The embroideress, intimidated by her sudden anger, stammered, “S-she changed her shoes and then… left… said she was going out to the river to fish and play…”

Tang Wanlan could barely believe her ears.

Why was this woman just wandering about the estate like this for no reason! She was already having trouble walking!

Zhao Yan felt nothing of it. Such a short distance wouldn’t even count as a road inside the palace. “Let’s go.”

Not far off, Xu Sanniang carried a small bucket and asked Tang Wanning, “Why don’t you wait for her?”

“What’s the rush?” Tang Wanning smiled. “Let’s go, let’s go to the river.”

They both headed to the river, but at different speeds: Tang Wanning was led by Xu Sanniang taking a shortcut, while Tang Wanlan could not. She walked out of the manor, taking a wide detour, and by the time she reached the river her legs felt filled with lead. If earlier there had been any pretense to garner pity, now she truly could not take another step.

She was inwardly furious but dared not show it to the Second Prince, wanting to keep up appearances before others. Yet her emotions had reached a peak. Now that she could finally see Tang Wanning ahead, how could she not be agitated?

But Tang Wanning had clearly turned toward her and then pretended not to see her, choosing instead to keep walking? She wanted to go fishing?! What? Tang Wanlan was actually less important than a fish? This woman didn’t get to marry the man she wanted, was inexplicably dumped at the manor, yet she didn’t cry, didn’t feel upset, and wasn’t afraid at all?!

This behavior felt so off. Normally Tang Wanlan would have grown suspicious, but anger clouded her judgment. Besides, the other Miss Tang had always been that meek, helpless sister who couldn’t be relied on.

“Sister…” she restrained herself and called in a slightly raised voice, but the other still pretended not to hear. In anger she screamed, “Tang Wanning, stop! Can’t you see who’s here?!”

Upon hearing that, Xu Sanniang understood what was going on. Miss Tang was a truly clever woman with quick wits. She had deliberately made Tang Wanlan walk for so long, it came to the point where she became too tired and too impatient to think straight. Tang Wanning didn’t even have to do much to immediately make Tang Wanlan reveal her true colors!

She didn’t know the reason, but her intuition told her that these two sisters definitely didn’t get along at home.

Tang Wanning turned around with composure, lifting her willow brows slightly. “I wondered who in this manor was so bold as to call my full name aloud. So it’s you, my little sister.”

Tang Wanlan’s face flushed instantly. This woman was scolding her for being ill-mannered! How dare she? Yet it was indeed Tang Wanlan’s fault… how could she make such a crude mistake in front of the Second Prince!

“I was just anxious too…” Tang Wanlan quickly thought up an excuse. “You probably didn’t know that the Second Prince and I had come, you didn’t see us and thought it was the maids in the manor just fooling around. I had no choice but to call your name like that… You’re not angry, are you?”

The emphasis in her words implied that Tang Wanning had no regard for the Second Prince, but the Second Prince showed no reaction, as if he hadn’t heard anything.

Tang Wanlan shifted slightly closer to the Second Prince, appearing to whisper an explanation but actually embellishing, “Sister might be very angry, thinking that she had been harmed. She isn’t intentionally ignoring Your Highness or showing you disrespect.”

Her maid Shuangxing made a face and murmured quietly, “If you think you’ve been deceived or framed, wouldn’t you be more eager to clear it up? Since Miss Ning has woken, why not go home at once and ask what happened, or even demand justice for herself? Instead she makes others go round and round in circles. Isn’t she venting, showing dissatisfaction everywhere, expecting everyone to come beg her? If you ask me—”

“Shut up!” Tang Wanlan scolded her maid. “His Highness is here, you have no place to speak!”

Shuangxing’s eyes reddened as she withdrew.

Tang Wanlan turned to apologize to the Second Prince. “This maid has been spoiled by me and doesn’t know her place, showing poor manners. I beg Your Highness’s pardon.”

What she meant was simple: it’s not that a maid had no right to speak because His Highness was present, but that His Highness being here meant Tang Wanning had no right to put on airs! How could Tang Wanning be rude to His Highness and disrespect the royal family!

But the Second Prince still had no response. He merely stared at Tang Wanning, his thoughts elsewhere.

Zhao Yan followed a civil-official path rather than a martial one, so his thoughts were delicate, and in dealing with court ministers he prized tacit understanding. He could not have failed to notice such subtle hints. No reaction meant he hadn’t heard them at all.

It was because Tang Wanning was too beautiful! She wore a pomegranate-red skirt, the hem dancing in the wind like thousands of butterflies or a rising tide, with her black hair, red lips, bright and clever brows and eyes like dazzling pearls — utterly impossible to look away from!

Tang Wanlan reacted half a second too late and her face went pale with anger. She hadn’t expected to be defeated in this aspect! Today, to appear pitiable and play the tragic part, she had worn a very plain dress. Her waist was indeed slender and her expression pitiable indeed, but nowhere near as eye-catching as the other.

Moreover she had been walking half the day, exhausted, unable to hold her waist straight, with sweat at her temples. Tang Wanning, however, was fresh and composed, lithe and graceful, stunningly beautiful! But Tang Wanlan still had some quick wits: seeing Tang Wanning approach, she deliberately tugged at her skirt to reveal a kiss mark on her neck.

“About last night, I know Sister blames me, but I didn’t mean it…” She pulled out the same lines she’d used to coax the Second Prince and repeated them to Tang Wanning. “…In short, it’s all my fault. I’ll accept punishment. If Sister is angry, blame only me… No one else knew.”

Tang Wanning was well prepared for this and was not surprised at all. But Xu Sanniang behind her was quite startled. What on earth? So Miss Tang wasn’t suffering from lovesickness or sisterly jealousy, but had her husband forcibly taken from her because the younger sister had stood in for her? Xu Sanniang’s gaze at Tang Wanning was filled with pity. She just knew something was amiss. After all, how could a young lady arrive in the middle of the night and sleep an entire day, unless someone else had drugged her?

Tang Wanning of course saw the ‘accidental’ kiss mark the other revealed. “It seems not only did you stand in for my wedding, but you stood in for the bridal chamber part as well.”

“I… I…” Tang Wanlan seemed mortified and couldn’t find words, timidly glancing at the Second Prince.

Zhao Yan sighed softly. “I drank too much last night, Ning’er. I have let you down in this matter.”

Tang Wanlan’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s not Your Highness’s fault, this is my fault. I didn’t mean it… I didn’t want things to be like this…”

Tang Wanning stared at her. “Then my younger sister is truly pitiable.”

Tang Wanlan’s gaze hardened. “As long as it’s for the good of the family, for Sister’s sake, for His Highness, I… it doesn’t matter, I’ll do anything!”

Tang Wanning snorted.

“I… have already told His Highness all the facts, I’m sincerely here this time to bring back my sister, to yield the position of Primary Consort to her!” Tang Wanlan said, her face pale, stepping back. “If Sister’s leftover anger hasn’t subsided, she may punish me as she pleases later, but His Highness is still here…”

Tang Wanning sneered coldly. “Yield the position of Primary Consort to me, huh. So it was originally yours?”

Tang Wanlan’s eyes widened. “I, I didn’t say that…”

Zhao Yan felt Tang Wanning was especially beautiful and dazzling today. “Ning’er seems… different from before.”

“Your Highness, you flatter me. If I were still as before, wouldn’t I be bullied to death?” Tang Wanning said, neither warm nor cold. “Since Your Highness came in person, you must have something to say. Please speak plainly.”

Zhao Yan nodded. “All of yesterday was a misunderstanding. You and I have pledged our hearts and a proper ceremony was also arranged, so the title of Consort Ping should be yours. Make any request you wish. Even if it requires a new wedding, I can cover it.”

Tang Wanning laughed. “Though Your Highness is a prince, don’t be so sure of yourself.”

Silence fell instantly around them.

What on earth? What was Tang Wanning saying? How dare she speak to His Highness like that!

…

“Miss Tang has such a sharp tongue!” Not far off, Eunuch Tian pushed Zhao Cong past and quietly suggested, “Prince Ping has come with his procession and is taking up the road, so it’s a bit blocked ahead. Shall we come a little later…?”

The senior eunuch signaled wildly: we should just watch for a while, just watch for a while! The little beauty is superb!

However Zhao Cong’s face was expressionless as he coldly ordered, “Keep moving.”

Eunuch Tian was quite disappointed, but after a few steps the path was still blocked. He peered closely and his eyes lit up. “It’s the carriage of the Earl Xuanning’s household. The woman getting out is Madam Zhou, the mistress of the house, the real mother of that Miss Lan!”

Feigning calm, he pushed the wheelchair forward. “But what does this have to do with us? Even if Madam Zhou helps her daughter bully Miss Tang, outsiders cannot interfere. Let’s be on our way.”

But Zhao Cong’s brows drew together and his gaze grew cold. His long fingers tapped the chair’s armrest. “Prince Ping’s entourage is too extravagant and may disturb the people… go and remind him to be considerate.”

Eunuch Tian’s eyes darted with understanding. “Yes!”