"Wonderful! Brilliant! This—this is the best response ever written!"
At that moment, a burst of admiration erupted from the main hall. Inside their private room, both Nalan Xiao and Su Wanwan fell silent.
Could they be referring to the second line of the poem she had written?
"Wanwan, your talent is truly unmatched."
Nalan Xiao smiled proudly. She was indeed worthy of being the woman he admired.
"No, Wanwan is unworthy of such praise," she said modestly, though her heart swelled with pride. She hadn't expected her poem to receive such enthusiastic acclaim. Was it possible that no one had been able to craft a better response? Even though she said otherwise, the sense of superiority was unmistakable in her eyes. "Wanwan still lacks skill and knowledge. Surely someone else outdid me."
With such high praise in the air, a murmur of curiosity spread across the crowd.
"Could I ask what the second line says? I'm dying to see it!"
"Hahaha, no rush, no rush! And the handwriting—it's utterly domineering!"
At those words, Su Wanwan straightened her back and beamed, eagerly awaiting more flattery. But the moment the word domineering hit her ears, her smile froze.
Domineering? Did someone just say the handwriting was domineering…? That didn't sound right.
The white-haired old man had kept everyone in suspense long enough. He finally spoke with deep satisfaction, "The guest in Room 32 said it well:
'The four-gilled grouper is unique to Songjiang,
While eight-legged crabs wander across all nine provinces.'"
What?!
Su Wanwan's face turned rigid. Room 32? Wasn't that—
"So it was Cousin Jiang who wrote the second line."
She had assumed the spotlight was hers yet again, but the disappointment in her voice was barely concealed.
"Wanwan, don't be so hard on yourself. I personally think your line was better," Nalan Xiao reassured her gently. "A lady should be soft, like a spring breeze—not... domineering."
Eight-legged crabs crawling across the world. If a man wrote that, it would sound ambitious and grand. But coming from a woman… it felt too wild, too unrestrained.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yunting frowned slightly, anxious. What a misunderstanding! That couplet had clearly been written by his cousin!
"Why didn't Third Cousin sign her name?" he muttered.
Though his voice was soft, it reached Nalan Xiao's ears. What did that mean? Could the couplet truly have been written by Su Yiyi?
Hah—what a ridiculous joke!
Su Wanwan sneered. She couldn't hold back her sarcasm as she raised her voice.
"Your Highness, I once heard of something outrageous. A certain playboy stole someone else's exam paper and claimed it as his own. He acted as though he were a great scholar, while his brain was full of hay. Such behavior is disgraceful!"
The implication was clear—Su Yiyi had cheated and stolen Jiang Yunting's work.
However, just as Su Wanwan was brimming with righteous indignation, her belly gave an ominous churn—
Pffffft—!
"Cousin, was that… thunder?"
Su Yiyi's sweet, amused voice came from the next room.
Su Wanwan's face turned ghastly. She cursed herself silently for being so useless! But then came another wave of cramps… followed by more sounds—
Pffff…PFFFT…
"Oh my, a whole storm of thunder!"
Su Yiyi's voice again, this time barely hiding her gleeful laughter. The extra ingredients she'd added to that pastry had really done the trick. For a brief moment, she even felt a little bad for Nalan Xiao.
Should she send someone in with incense?
At that moment, Su Wanwan could no longer meet Nalan Xiao's eyes. Embarrassed beyond belief, she slowly stood, stiff and trembling.
"Your Highness, I… I shall excuse myself…"
Her voice faded into a whisper. She wished a hole would open in the ground so she could crawl into it. Clutching her stomach, she ran out of the room with her head bowed, eyes misty with shame.
Nalan Xiao remained seated in stunned silence, unsure whether to leave or pretend none of it had happened.
A few moments later, footsteps echoed from the private room next door. Even the famous Prince of War could not withstand the onslaught… and made a tactical retreat!
Jiang Yunting blinked, realizing what had happened.
Oh heavens… my cousin actually does this kind of thing…?
"You really can't judge a book by its cover…"
Seeing Jiang Yunting's utterly serious face, Su Yiyi could barely hold back her laughter.
Just imagining Su Wanwan crying in the bathroom made her heart feel light and triumphant.
You dare offend me? One little trick, and I'll make sure you cry for your parents!
"But Yunting still doesn't get it. Today would've been the perfect chance for you to clear your name. Why…"
The young woman before him had a rare softness in her eyes, but they gleamed with a sharp clarity.
"Silly. Most people in this world only 'know' others through gossip. Even when they see the truth, they still can't escape the pull of rumors."
"…"
Jiang Yunting suddenly understood.
Just now, his elder cousin had heard him say it was Su Yiyi's poem, but still chose not to believe it. If anyone else tried to defend her, people would simply think she was playing tricks again—just like they always assumed.
That would only stir up more drama and reinforce the negative rumors.
After all, most people wanted to see Su Yiyi humiliate herself. It made for good gossip over dinner.
Jiang Yunting flushed with shame. All he wanted was to help her—but he hadn't considered how deeply entrenched the smear against her really was.
Seeing the guilt on his face, Su Yiyi gently patted his shoulder.
"Cousin?"
"True talent and knowledge aren't meant to be flaunted for applause. If someone looks down on me today…
I'll make sure they can't even reach me tomorrow."
Jiang Yunting couldn't quite put his emotions into words. But in that moment, Su Yiyi shone with a brilliance that seemed to surround her.
Her image in his mind grew larger and larger, until it filled his entire heart.
Only now did he realize…
His feelings for his third cousin had already run far, far too deep.
"Cousin, I…"
The admiration nearly spilled from his lips.
But in the very next second, he caught a mischievous glint in Su Yiyi's eyes.
That look—she was plotting something again!
Oh no… A brilliant scheme! A terrifying scheme!
"Didn't they say there's a prize for first place?" she said, eyes gleaming.
"I don't care about being first place—I just want the prize!"
What… what did she mean by that?
Gurgle… gurgle…
A fragile-looking woman staggered down the swaying deck, clinging to the wall.
After venting her fury, her stomach had finally settled.
Su Wanwan walked slowly, no longer able to face the man she once adored.
But how could she give up this rare opportunity?
She mustn't let the prince misunderstand her because of one little accident!
Taking a deep breath at the door of his room, she tried to look weak and pitiful. Surely the prince would pity her. After all, she had beauty and talent—wasn't she a top socialite in the capital?
He wouldn't abandon her just because of a minor mishap… right?
Even so, her hand trembled as she reached for the door.
"Your Highness…" she called softly, with a tearful, delicate expression.
"Wanwan was so rude just now. But with your concern, I feel much better…"
She lifted her eyes—and froze.
Only a servant stood inside.
Nalan Xiao… was gone.
Su Wanwan's face went pale. She asked anxiously, "Where is the prince? Where did he go?"
Did he really… leave her?