Liu Yu’s heart was filled with inexpressible regret and pity.
However, Mian Tang was unaware of his thoughts. Despite the praise she received, she remained grounded. Her memory had weakened during pregnancy, and she had practiced diligently with Cui Xingzhou the night before. She had even cheated a bit, arranging to receive the flower first. Otherwise, after a few more rounds, she might have forgotten most of the words.
After reciting one short poem, Mian Tang gracefully retreated, using the excuse that too much talking might harm the fetus, and sought a quiet corner to rest.
For the remainder of the event, her sister Cui Fu took charge, hosting the poetry society on her behalf.
Originally, today was meant to showcase Cui Fu, as Mian Tang hoped to open new paths for her sister’s marriage prospects. Unfortunately, the poetry society had slightly deviated from its intended purpose. Li Guangcai, whom Mian Tang had considered a potential brother-in-law, had yet to appear.
Apart from a few unmarried talents, most attendees seemed to be there to mock Liu Mian Tang. Adding to this was the Emperor, who had abandoned his rabbit hunt in the western suburbs to join the gathering at Small Western Garden. Mian Tang felt uneasy, fearing Cui Xingzhou’s arrival might lead to misunderstandings.
This poetry society was truly meant for finding a husband for her sister, not for creating a spectacle for her divorce!
Yet Liu Yu refused to leave her alone, instructing his chief eunuch to find opportunities to pass her notes.
Mian Tang couldn’t refuse without drawing attention, but she had no intention of reading them. Even without opening them, she could guess the Emperor’s trite words.
So, while returning to the back garden to change, Mian Tang planned to tear up the note.
Unexpectedly, a large hand reached out and snatched the note away.
Startled by the sudden presence, Mian Tang instinctively moved to elbow the intruder. But turning around, she saw it was the handsome yet scowling prince.
Cui Xingzhou calmly opened the note, reading the flamboyant script:
“Hearing of your suffering, and seeing you force a smile today pains me deeply. I wish to help you escape this misery. Tonight, I will send a carriage to the rear gate of the Wang mansion. You can leave with it.”
Since Cui Xingzhou had read it, Liu Mian Tang stretched her neck to see. But Cui Xingzhou held it high out of her reach, frustrating her. She told the stern-faced Cui Xingzhou, “Whatever he wrote is nonsense! I didn’t encourage him at all…”
Cui Xingzhou snorted coldly, tearing the note to pieces and tossing them into a nearby pond. He then asked Mian Tang, “Are you suffering by my side?”
Mian Tang blinked, inwardly cursing Liu Yu to his eighteenth ancestor, then replied, “How could I be suffering? Every day is unbearably sweet!”
Cui Xingzhou gazed at her intently: “If it’s so sweet, why did you want a divorce before? Did you have a backup plan, someone waiting for you?”
Even without seeing the note, Liu Mian Tang could guess its contents from the prince’s words. Liu Yu must have misunderstood, thinking she couldn’t live with the prince anymore and offering to take her away.
Realizing this, Mian Tang hugged Cui Xingzhou’s arm, shaking it as she said, “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here with you. Besides, if I wanted to leave, why would I need anyone’s help? I could just have my Yangshan brothers arrange everything, climb over the wall at night, and get into a carriage…”
She trailed off, noticing Cui Xingzhou’s face darkening further.
This little minx! She and Liu Yu were thinking along the same lines!
Technically, this Zi Yu fellow was also a Yangshan brother, eagerly waiting with a carriage outside the Wang mansion’s walls!
The Prince of Huaiyang’s handsome face soured even more.
He had important official duties today and had gone to inspect the military camp outside the city. Who knew that in the short time he was away, a raging fire would ignite in the back garden of Small Western Garden?
“We’ll settle this matter in detail tonight,” he said.
As the host couldn’t be absent for long, Cui Xingzhou finally took Liu Mian Tang’s hand and they appeared together before the guests.
Earlier in the back garden, Cui Xingzhou had changed out of his military attire into clothes Mian Tang had prepared for him.
Recently, Mian Tang loved dressing up her husband, having tailors make several fashionable wide-sleeved robes. Although these robes were popular among refined scholars, they only looked elegant on those with tall, imposing figures.
Cui Xingzhou’s naturally good build, maintained by consistent martial arts practice, made him appear even taller and more slender, his broad, sturdy shoulders filling out the robe perfectly.
The embroidered cloud collar just touched his Adam’s apple, accentuating his bright eyes, thick eyebrows, and straight nose. With his hair bound in a jade crown and sideburns sharp as blades, when he walked with large strides, the flowing robe moved like soft clouds, exuding an air of casual elegance.
Such a handsome man, holding the hand of stunning beauty, created a visual impact that could only be fully appreciated in person.
The previously chattering crowd fell silent, watching the Prince of Huaiyang walk unhurriedly, holding his princess’s hand as they went to greet the Emperor.
Liu Yu’s eyes darkened as he watched Cui Xingzhou approach, hand in hand with Mian Tang.
The Prince of Huaiyang had never been one for public displays of affection. Although he often accompanied Mian Tang to various gatherings, his behavior, while friendly, never crossed the boundaries of propriety into excessive intimacy.
But now, the prince seemed to have broken his self-imposed rules of decorum. Not only was he holding the princess’s delicate hand, but he also had his arm around her slender waist, treating her as if she were a fragile porcelain doll he feared might break.
Seeing his doting expression as he looked at the princess, it was hard to imagine he had ever raised a hand against her.
Some of the more perceptive ladies began to realize that this might be the prince’s attempt to cover up the truth.
However, Cui Xingzhou cared little for others’ thoughts. He was telling the one who dared to pass notes to his wife that this was his, Cui Xingzhou’s, princess, and no one’s carriage could take her away!
Seeing Cui Xingzhou’s arrival, Liu Yu didn’t even bother to maintain a polite smile, his attitude turning cold as he said, “Wasn’t Minister Cui supposed to be inspecting the military camp? Why are you here?”
Cui Xingzhou was even less inclined to be polite, replying calmly, “Having completed my official duties, I naturally can return home to rest. But shouldn’t Your Majesty be hunting in the western suburbs? How is it that you’ve come to my humble wife’s garden? We are truly honored and illuminated by your presence!”
Observing their barely concealed hostility, Prince Sui’s heart leaped with joy. He casually added fuel to the fire, saying, “His Majesty heard that the Princess of Huaiyang was holding a poetry society in Small Western Garden. Suddenly inspired, he came here and indeed experienced the princess’s poetic brilliance, truly unforgettable!”
Liu Mian Tang quickly glanced at Prince Sui, then suddenly smiled and said, “Prince Sui has rekindled my poetic spirit. I’d like to humbly offer another poem!”
Prince Sui raised an eyebrow, saying, “I’ve inspired the princess’s poetic mood. I’m all ears.”
Liu Mian Tang picked up the drum beater used for keeping time during poetry recitations and began tapping it. The sound seemed to echo in the empty heads of those present.
As the audience turned to look at her in surprise, she began to recite:
“A snipe arrives, a clam appears,
They grapple fiercely, lost in fear.
An old man stands and watches nearby,
His catch assured, he shows no tear, shows no tear!”
With a final tap, the highly educated Princess of Huaiyang signaled the end of her poem.
Amidst the stunned silence of the audience, she smiled and asked Prince Sui, “May I ask Prince Sui to guess: Are you the long-tongued bird, the soft creature hiding in its shell, or perhaps the old fisherman who refuses to die?”
This kind of blatant, personalized insult was rare in the entire capital! It was a triple insult in one poem! She called him a long-tongued troublemaker, an old good-for-nothing, and a weak creature!
“You…” Prince Sui was so angry he almost flipped the table and struck her!
The onlookers were dumbfounded, unsure if the princess had seriously composed an insulting doggerel in front of all the capital’s talents.
However, Li Guangcai was the first to applaud, saying, “Excellent poem! It uses the allegory of the snipe and the clam fighting, reminding people not to engage in power struggles that allow those with ill intentions to profit. It breaks the mold of regulated verse and quatrains, returning to simplicity, profound yet accessible, with lasting poetic significance!”
Mian Tang looked at Li with admiration, inwardly sighing that if he had possessed such skill in blatant lies and flattery a few years ago, he might not have been ostracized by his colleagues and driven from the capital.
With Li taking the lead, a stream of flattering comments followed.
Liu Yu fell silent after hearing Liu Mian Tang’s nonsensical doggerel.
After Mian Tang’s blunt reminder, he also vaguely regretted letting Prince Sui’s provocation lead him to rashly visit Small Western Garden.
Now, his former Yangshan subordinates, each believing themselves indispensable, had formed their faction and were difficult to control. Although he had dismissed General Sun earlier, the general’s old party members were numerous. Even while idle at home, they still tightly controlled his former subordinates.
While the Shi family had some influence, it was hard to compete with the Empress Dowager’s palace faction. If he lost the support of the Prince of Huaiyang as well, he would be like the snipe and the clam in the poem, at the mercy of others. How could he protect Mian Tang then?
Cui Xingzhou, meanwhile, casually offered a toast to the Emperor, saying, “Since Your Majesty has come, you should enjoy Small Western Garden’s fine wine. Afterward, I will accompany Your Majesty to the western suburbs. We’ll surely return with a full hunt!”
Liu Yu knew Cui Xingzhou was offering him a way out, and forced a smile, saying, “Without the Prince of Huaiyang’s divine bow, hunting in the western suburbs would truly be dull. Have a drink with me, and then we two, ruler and subject, shall hunt together.”
The ladies finally realized that His Majesty had come to Small Western Garden specifically to find the Prince of Huaiyang for a hunt!
The Prince of Huaiyang was truly blessed with imperial favor!
The tense atmosphere between the ruler and his subject dissipated. The two men, now all smiles, drank together before setting off for the hunt.
With the Emperor’s departure, the atmosphere seemed to cool. Cui Fu, her back still damp with cold sweat, quietly asked Mian Tang, “How dare you speak like that? Didn’t you just insult the Emperor along with the others?”
Liu Mian Tang inwardly snorted. If it had been convenient, she would have done more than just insult the inconsiderate Emperor – she would have given him a good thrashing!