Qin Muyue’s smile froze slightly, but she quickly recovered. Instead of directly answering Mu Yunjin, she turned to look at Chu Li with a questioning gaze. “Li-ge, what do you think?”
Chu Li had been listening to their entire conversation. Without even looking up, he replied, “Listen to her.”
Hearing Chu Li’s answer, Mu Yunjin, sitting to the side, raised her eyebrows slightly and cast a faint glance at Chu Li, seemingly surprised that he would give her such face today.
Qin Muyue’s lips curved into a slight smile. Suddenly, she reached out and took Mu Yunjin’s hand, her eyes full of enthusiasm. “Then let’s follow Li-ge’s suggestion. From now on, I’ll call you Yunjin Sao Sao. Although you’re younger than me, your position is above mine now, so it’s proper to address you as sister-in-law.”
Mu Yunjin lowered her eyes to glance at the hand Qin Muyue was holding. An icy coldness transmitted from Qin Muyue’s palm, almost penetrating her body. Even though it was early summer, how could Qin Muyue’s hand be so cold, almost devoid of any warmth?
But this Miss Qin matched Chu Li, that perennial block of ice.
For the remainder of the time, Qin Muyue did not engage in further warm conversation with Mu Yunjin. She occasionally leaned toward Chu Li to chat with him about the current song and dance performances.
Mu Yunjin sat on the side, drinking warm tea. Having just had her hand held by Qin Muyue, her entire body still felt chilled.
This woman was so cold, she was like a living air conditioner…
…
…
…
Soon after, when all the palace ladies had finished their performances, it was time for the young ladies from various families to perform.
Yan Lingshang went first, dressed in a bright red dance costume. As the music started, she performed the Red Brocade Silk Dance, her graceful figure moving through the center.
Qin Muyue watched Yan Lingshang, then turned to smile at Mu Yunjin. “Yunjin Sao Sao, this Miss Yan dances so well. Someone like me who’s used to handling swords could never perform such a dance.”
Mu Yunjin’s lips curled slightly. “Everyone has their strengths. It’s better than me, who can’t do anything.”
Qin Muyue was somewhat surprised by Mu Yunjin’s response, not expecting her to belittle herself in this way. Her curiosity about Mu Yunjin’s temperament grew.
Shortly after, Mu Lingzhu from the Marquis’s household came out to perform.
“That’s Fourth Miss Mu, right? The most talented woman in the Western Yuan. I admire her,” Qin Muyue said, smiling gracefully as she watched Mu Lingzhu walk to the center.
“When I was at the border, I heard that Li-ge had married the Third Miss from the Marquis’s mansion. I thought it was this most talented woman, Mu Lingzhu. Only after careful inquiry did I learn it was you, Yunjin Sao Sao.”
Mu Yunjin smiled without speaking, her gaze fixed on Mu Lingzhu, curious to see what talent she would perform today.
After Su Biqing’s death, Mu Lingzhu’s glory had greatly diminished, and her status in the Marquis’s household had plummeted. With today’s opportunity to showcase her talents, she must have prepared meticulously for a long time.
Seeing that Mu Yunjin wasn’t responding again, Qin Muyue wasn’t annoyed and continued, “I heard that Yunjin Sao Sao was previously confined to the Marquis’s mansion for several years due to her timid nature and lack of talents. So outsiders almost forgot about the existence of the Third Miss Mu, including myself.”
“But looking at you today, those rumors were all false. How could someone as beautiful and intelligent as Yunjin Sao Sao be as the rumors described?”
Qin Muyue’s words made Mu Yunjin feel somewhat helpless. She turned and sighed lightly, “Did you eat honey today?”
“I didn’t eat honey, but seeing that Li-ge married such a good Prince Consort as you, I’m happy for him. By the way, you should be careful of your fourth sister. Back then, to get close to Li-ge, she deliberately tried to gain my favor, asking me to bring her to meet Li-ge. Fortunately, I discovered her intentions in time and didn’t let her succeed.” Qin Muyue leaned close to Mu Yunjin’s ear and whispered.
Mu Yunjin nodded slightly, glancing at Qin Muyue, unsure of her feelings toward her.
However, from their casual conversation, she found that this Miss Qin might have a cheerful disposition, hence her talkativeness, but so far she hadn’t detected any malice.
This was quite different from her previous imagination of Qin Muyue.
…
Mu Lingzhu began to prepare for her performance. Walking to the center, she gracefully bowed to those on the dais, then glanced sideways at Chu Li sitting to the side. But Chu Li was looking down at that moment, completely unaware of her attention. Mu Lingzhu couldn’t help feeling somewhat dejected.
“The most talented woman in Western Yuan—I’ve always been curious. Today I can finally witness her abilities,” Emperor Ximing smiled, watching Mu Lingzhu below. Although he knew about her mother’s recent outrageous actions, Western Yuan rarely had such talented women, so his attitude toward Mu Lingzhu was relatively mild.
Next, a eunuch brought out a long table with the four treasures of the study on it. Just as everyone thought Mu Lingzhu was merely going to write, they saw her pull out a silk handkerchief and blindfold herself.
A moment later, the blindfolded Mu Lingzhu extended her hand to pick up a brush from the table, dipped it in ink, and began writing freely on the paper on the long table.
This action amazed everyone.
Everyone knew that the Fourth Miss Mu was exceptionally talented, but they hadn’t expected her to reach the level of writing while blindfolded.
Shortly after, Mu Lingzhu put down her brush, removed the silk covering her eyes, and lifted the paper from the table. The four characters “Auspicious Clouds and Favorable Omens” were written with flowing strokes, smooth and natural, entering everyone’s eyes.
The four characters were written extremely well. Many people couldn’t write such bold yet delicate characters even with their eyes open, yet Mu Lingzhu, a young girl of only sixteen, could write them blindfolded.
“Truly, seeing is believing. The Mu family has indeed produced many talents,” Emperor Ximing immediately praised, casting an admiring glance at Marquis Mu in the Marquis’s seating area.
Seeing this scene, Marquis Mu couldn’t hide his pride. Looking around, he saw that everyone regarded Mu Lingzhu with renewed respect.
He had been worried about Lingzhu’s marriage prospects, but after tonight, he probably wouldn’t need to worry anymore.
At this moment, Qin Muyue, sitting on the side, sneered and spoke with some disdain, “Hmph, she’s certainly using my banquet to show off.”
Qin Muyue’s voice wasn’t loud; only Mu Yunjin sitting beside her heard it.
Hearing this comment, Mu Yunjin was reminded of herself not long ago. She couldn’t help but smile, her eyes revealing her amusement.
After spending more than an hour at the banquet, all the talent performances had ended. Everyone had enjoyed themselves thoroughly, and the venue gradually began to quiet down.
“Today’s celebration banquet was specially held for Munan and Yue’er. Although Munan isn’t present, the rewards I should give won’t be diminished in any way.” As Emperor Ximing finished speaking, he gestured to Eunuch Lu nearby. “Read the decree.”
“Please, Miss Qin, receive the imperial decree.”
Hearing this, Qin Muyue stood up, walked to the center of the hall, and knelt.
Beside her, General Qin also left his seat and knelt next to Qin Muyue.
“By the mandate of heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Qin family’s children, Munan and Muyue, are righteous and valiant warriors who have contributed immense meritorious service in protecting Western Yuan. Today, Qin Munan is specially appointed as Western Yuan’s Chief Cavalry General, Qin Muyue as Deputy General, and Old General Qin as a First-Rank Worthy Minister. They are rewarded with ten thousand acres of good farmland, three mansions, and ten thousand taels of gold. This is the imperial decree!”
“Long live His Majesty, long live His Majesty, long, long live His Majesty.”
…
After the banquet ended, Mu Yunjin stood up. Just as she was about to ask Chu Li if he wanted to leave together, she saw Qin Muyue excitedly grabbing Chu Li’s arm.
“Li-ge, the Emperor has appointed me as Deputy General! I’m the first woman in Western Yuan to go to the battlefield. Aren’t I amazing?”
Qin Muyue spoke with animated excitement. Beside her, Chu Li nodded slightly, then fixed his gaze on Mu Yunjin, who was preparing to leave.
“This Prince will walk with you.”
Mu Yunjin paused her steps, looked back at Chu Li, then glanced at the sky, seemingly understanding something.
“Yue’er, it’s time to go back,” General Qin approached, looking at Qin Muyue, who was still clinging to Chu Li, and spoke with resignation.
Qin Muyue looked at General Qin and obediently nodded. “Yes, Grandfather.”
Having said this, Qin Muyue looked toward Chu Li and Mu Yunjin, her brow filled with a smile. “Yunjin Sao Sao, that’s all for today. I’ll visit you in a couple of days.”
“All right,” Mu Yunjin replied briefly.
Shortly after, on the way out of the palace, only Chu Li and Mu Yunjin were walking side by side. Ding Xian was holding a lantern to light Chu Li’s way. Seeing this, Mu Yunjin couldn’t help but tease.
“How is it that Miss Qin doesn’t know about your night blindness?”
Chu Li shook his head. “She doesn’t know.”
“Oh? Doesn’t know? That’s strange. You two are so close that you wear matching clothes when going out, yet she doesn’t know this secret of yours.” Mu Yunjin remembered how the two had appeared together and sneered.
After hearing Mu Yunjin’s words, Chu Li raised his eyebrows slightly. “You’re jealous?”
Mu Yunjin halted her steps, somewhat annoyed. She glared at Chu Li, raising her chin. “If I were jealous, I would have stripped off both your clothes long ago. Why would I wait until now to say something?”
With that, Mu Yunjin strode forward on her own.
Beside them, Ding Xian, who was holding the lantern for Chu Li, was trying his best to suppress his laughter. He cautiously glanced at Chu Li and found that he was watching Mu Yunjin’s retreating figure with amusement in his eyes.
Sitting in the carriage back to the mansion, Mu Yunjin leaned against the side. Her waist ached from sitting all night. Glancing toward the other side of the carriage, Mu Yunjin reached out to Chu Li. “Li-ge, can you hand me that cushion?”
As she spoke, Mu Yunjin shot Chu Li a mocking smile.
Chu Li’s expression remained calm. He glanced at Mu Yunjin, then with a flick of his sleeve, tossed the cushion beside him into Mu Yunjin’s arms.
“Thank you, Li-ge,” Mu Yunjin said, placing the cushion behind her waist.
Chu Li narrowed his eyes, and his cool, indifferent voice resonated in the carriage. “This Prince would prefer to hear you call me husband or dear husband.”
Mu Yunjin was startled. Chu Li’s words momentarily shocked her, but then she realized his meaning. Could it be that the term “Li-ge” was exclusively for Qin Muyue?
Involuntarily, Mu Yunjin’s fingers lightly tapped against the carriage wall. She smiled faintly. “Your Highness, the Sixth Prince’s joke is not funny.”