Li Yichen saw Mu Rou’s narrowed eyes and couldn’t help but smile, “So delicious?”
Mu Rou set down her spoon, nodded, and smiled. “Not just that, it also reminded me of something happy.”
“Oh?”
Mu Rou looked at him. “Just now, when you won the luminous pearl for me, I was very happy.”
“That was a sure thing. If those people hadn’t distracted you, we would’ve secured it long ago.” Thinking of the mocking words those people directed at Mu Rou, accusing her of being a seductress, Li Yichen’s heart ached. “I’m sorry, I didn’t do well enough. You had to suffer because of me.”
Mu Rou shook her head. “Don’t, because I’m very happy. Besides, it’s my fault for wronging my elder sister. They weren’t entirely wrong.”
Li Yichen frowned and interrupted her. “If anyone is to blame, it’s me. You are completely innocent.”
Mu Rou looked at him gently. “But now, you and I are one. If you’ve wronged her, then so have I. If the price of staying by your side until the end is enduring those harsh words, then I’ll gladly accept it.”
Li Yichen caught the hidden meaning in her words. He couldn’t help but grasp her hand tightly. “Rou’er.”
Seeing Mu Rou’s shy expression, his chest swelled with immense determination. “How could I bear to let you suffer? Don’t worry, tonight I will win the glass cup for you, clear the rumors, and make you the most glorious bride in the capital.”
Mu Rou smiled sweetly. “I don’t care about such things. I’m simply very happy with your intentions.” Then she added, “As for the glass cup, whether we win it or not doesn’t matter. I’d be happy just to see it. So many people are competing for it; as long as you give it your best, it’s enough.”
Li Yichen was unconvinced. “What’s this? You don’t have confidence in me?”
Mu Rou replied, “Of course I believe in you, Liulang, but no matter how capable you are, there’s always someone better out there. Not to mention, when you sent the booklet over that day, my elder sister claimed she was determined to win.”
Li Yichen chuckled. “Your elder sister really is competitive. How could she be so confident? The Marquis isn’t even here.”
Mu Rou asked in confusion, “They’re about to get married. Shouldn’t the Marquis at least make an appearance? Maybe she called someone to come on his behalf?”
Li Yichen shook his head. “I asked Qilang about it. He said the Marquis doesn’t even know today is the Qixi Festival and is busy at the Mingjing Bureau. Qilang even reminded him before leaving, but the Marquis didn’t seem to care.” Li Yichen was also keen to gauge his competition; with Xie Heng absent, his confidence grew significantly.
Mu Rou lowered her gaze to hide the smile in her eyes, finally feeling completely at ease.
Right, she shouldn’t have let herself get flustered. In her previous life, Li Yichen had won the glass cup, and his wedding was talked about for years. Every time people mentioned the Senior Grand Secretary’s wife, this event would always be brought up as a point of admiration.
And in this life, she is the Senior Grand Secretary’s wife!
Just as Mu Rou was preparing to watch the situation unfold and see how Mu Wan would humiliate herself, she overheard two passing servant girls’ conversation.
“…I think Third Miss is especially happy today. She seems to have completely forgotten about that Mu Wan.”
“It’s strange. If she’s here, where could she have gone?”
“If you ask me, if she’s scared, she might as well just stay home. She’s only making herself miserable and causing trouble for everyone else.”
“Luckily, there’s Miss A’Wan. Now Third Miss and her friends are all having fun, even if they remember Mu Wan later, they probably won’t bother with her anymore.”
“By the way, which family does this Miss A’Wan belong to?”
“With such elegance and bearing, Miss guessed she must be a di-born daughter from an aristocratic family in the southwest. Maybe she’s even the daughter of a Qinwang…”1
“That would make her a Junzhu? That would make sense.”2
As the servant girls’ voices faded into the distance, Mu Rou snapped back to reality. So Mu Wan had been pretending to be the daughter of an aristocratic family, relying on the fact that no one recognized her!
Of course, it made sense. If it weren’t for her familiarity with Mu Wan’s voice and mannerisms, even she wouldn’t recognize her at first glance. Let alone Wu Zhixuan, who had only seen her portrait…
Those high-born young ladies were always calculating in their interactions, treating others based on their perceived social standing. As long as Mu Wan subtly guided their assumptions, they would naturally fall over themselves to show her favor…
Mu Rou almost laughed out loud at Mu Wan’s audacity. No wonder no one had been able to find her all afternoon—she’d been right under their noses the entire time!
To be honest, Mu Rou admired her elder sister’s cleverness; it was a brilliant move. Even she had almost been fooled. But had Mu Wan not considered the consequences of her lie being exposed?
In Wu Zhixuan’s private room, laughter and chatter filled the air.
“Ah, lost again, lost again! Stick it on!”
“This time A’Wan also lost—stick it on her!”
Mu Wan tossed her leaf cards onto the table, completely unfazed. She turned her head toward Mushuang and said, “Go ahead.”
Mushuang, who had been fanning Mu Wan, plucked a petal from a flower on the table. After moistening it with water, she carefully examined it before sticking it onto Mu Wan’s temple.
The others covered their mouths, giggling, though they themselves had a few petals stuck on their faces as well.
Liu Rui, the daughter of the Minister of Personnel, laughed. “A’Wan, losing doesn’t seem like a punishment for you. It looks more like a reward—you look even prettier!”
Mu Wan lazily shuffled the cards. “You say that as if I’m the only one who looks pretty. Besides, I can’t even see myself. All I can see is you all. I only know that you lost, so my reward is getting to look at a row of beauties.”
Her comment sent the girls into fits of laughter, their shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Even Li Yining couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement and remarked to ‘Lu Shizi’: “This Miss A’Wan has quite the glib tongue.”
Yunling said proudly, “Of course! Our M-… I mean Miss A’Wan is indeed very capable.”
Li Yining looked puzzled. “Lu Shizhi seems very familiar with Miss A’Wan?”
Yunling suddenly realized that, as the supposed fiancé of Nanxi Xiangjun, she was acting far too familiar with Mu Wan. When she was unsure of how to respond, Zhu Nanxi stepped in just in time to rescue her. “Well, I’m good friends with A’Wan, so he’s quite familiar with her, too.”
Li Yining still felt puzzled. From what he had heard, Nanxi Xiangjun and Lu Shizhi weren’t actually that close even though they were engaged, because they lived in opposite regions of the country and Lu Shizhi rarely visited the capital.
Wu Zhixuan chimed in from the side, “I’ve never seen anyone as fun as A’Wan. She even carries leaf cards with her wherever she goes.”
Mu Wan smiled, “You simply lack experience. Today’s lotus glass cup competition is the highlight, and there’s bound to be a long wait. Sitting around doing nothing would be so boring, so of course, I came prepared.”
Zhang Jinru, the granddaughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue, pointed to her cup. “Does that include this milk tea?” She couldn’t resist taking another sip, feeling contented. “What are the pearls in here made of? They’re amazing.”
Mu Wan replied casually, “Just a southern recipe. If you like it, I’ll write it down for you later.”
Zhang Jinru was pleasantly surprised. “Really?”
“Why not?” Mu Wan chuckled. “Oh, and I’ll also share the skincare recipe with Xuanniang, and the whitening formula with Ruiniang. Don’t worry, I’m not one to play favorites.”
The girls burst into laughter again, genuinely delighted. They knew these recipes and formulas were very precious; typically treated as closely guarded family secrets and never shared casually.
As they laughed and chatted, a sudden clang of a bronze gong echoed outside, drawing everyone’s attention to the stage.
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