Chapter 078: The Enchantress! (Second Update)

After publicly appearing at the Emperor’s birthday banquet last time, everyone could now recognize him. It was only at this moment that Wu Tan suddenly remembered that the Dowager Madam of the Zhou family was none other than Xiao Yue’s maternal grandmother. So, with the old lady celebrating her birthday today, it was perfectly natural to see him here. Had she known, she would have found a way to excuse herself from coming! But now, caught in a narrow corridor with no way out, regret was futile.

The young matron leading the way hastily moved aside with the group, dropping into a deep curtsey. “Greetings, Your Highness Prince Sheng!” Xiao Yue strode past them with an indifferent expression. He didn’t particularly want to pay attention to Wu Tan, but amidst this group of girls, her attire was so striking that, though a dozen maidens stood together, she was the only one he noticed.

As he was about to walk right past her, Wu Tan could only curse her luck. After that incident in the palace, where he had picked a quarrel with her for no reason, she dared not ignore him again. Even though it was embarrassing under the watchful eyes of so many, she mustered the thickest skin to force a broad smile at him, as if to say—I’m not pretending not to know you!

Lately, Xiao Yue’s mood had been persistently foul, and running into her here unexpectedly only worsened it. For no apparent reason, he felt a blockage in his chest. And this little girl, blind to the situation, openly tried to ingratiate herself with him.

Wu Tan grinned, trying her utmost to be friendly, but Xiao Yue saw right through her forced courtesy and reluctance with a single glance. After Lei Ming’s warning last time, however, he had thoroughly reflected on his conduct, so now he didn’t break his stride, passing by without so much as a sideways glance.

Lei Ming, following behind, pretended not to notice either, yet his scalp tingled. He was certain Xiao Yue had seen Wu Tan, for in that instant, his master’s aura shifted from calm to irritable, palpable to anyone nearby. In the whole world, only Miss Wu had the power to make his master lose control of his emotions in a heartbeat.

Master and servant passed one after the other. The smile that Wu Tan had so forcibly put on her face froze awkwardly, her gaze following as Xiao Yue swept past and the air he disturbed carried the scent of spices from his person, leaving her momentarily flustered.

Had he suddenly gone blind? Last time, when she didn’t greet him, he found all manner of faults; this time, she sought to make amends and greeted him, yet he treated her as if she were air—was he toying with her?

The sting of it made her expression collapse—not out of disappointment or dejection, but from anger! What kind of person… No, what a scoundrel, a lunatic!

Wu Tan experienced a whirlwind of emotions in an instant, but fortunately, the girls beside her all kept their decorum, lowering their gazes in respect before Xiao Yue, not daring to look around, so none witnessed the scene.

Only after Xiao Yue had walked nearly thirty paces away did everyone breathe a collective sigh of relief and straighten up with restored confidence. Wu Tan was still gritting her teeth in anger when Lin Yanyao turned to her with a frown, noticing the odd expression on her face. “Tan’er, what’s the matter? Are you unwell?”

Wu Tan hurriedly collected herself. “No… It’s just that I stepped on a pebble when we stopped so abruptly.” She feigned a little movement of her ankle.

The girls, thrilled at the rare chance encounter with the famed Prince Sheng—even if it was only in passing—chatted excitedly in hushed voices.

The young matron leading them, however, kept a watchful eye on Wu Tan, a flicker of emotion passing through her gaze before she composed herself and smiled again. “We’re almost there, ladies, please follow me.”

She led them on. At the main entrance of Anhe Hall, an elderly housekeeper stood guard. She signaled for the girls to be patient and approached the woman with a few quiet words. On this festive day, the Zhou household was all smiles. The housekeeper glanced at the girls, then nodded with a grin. “Very well, I understand.”

She stepped forward to greet them. “The Dowager Madam is inside, speaking with several titled ladies. Please follow me in.” She ushered them into the courtyard, then relayed a message to another matron at the main doors, who nodded and went inside to announce them to the Dowager, returning promptly to lead the group indoors.

In such prominent households, these rituals were routine. Aside from the brief vexation of encountering Xiao Yue, Wu Tan noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

Everyone went in to offer birthday greetings, bestowing auspicious words upon the Dowager Madam, who, advanced in years, had long since retired from household affairs and was easy to please. After a cheerful conversation, she had the maids bring out fresh fruits sent from the palace for the girls to enjoy in the adjoining flower hall.

Outside in the courtyard, the young matron handed over her charges and waited at the entrance. Moments later, a maid emerged, offering her a tray of seasonal fruits. She thanked her with a smile, but once the maid had turned inside, her own smile vanished. She crossed briskly over to a garden path.

There, Zhou Changyin stood, her gaze dark and fixed on the path Xiao Yue had just taken. Naturally frail and sickly, the gloomy expression on her face now made her appear even more eerie and unsettling.

The matron, Su Ying, had served Zhou Changyin since childhood. Three years ago, she accompanied her mistress in marriage to the distant north and married there herself, but, being indispensable to Zhou Changyin, she remained in service. The reason Wu Tan had found her familiar at a glance was because, on the Emperor’s birthday, she had seen Su Ying attending Zhou Changyin when they happened upon Xiao Yue. Yet, from her angle, Wu Tan hadn’t seen Su Ying’s face clearly, and since she was but a maid, paid her little heed.

“My lady!” Su Ying approached Zhou Changyin, unfazed by her mistress’s frightening expression, and asked obsequiously, “Did you see it all just now? Even if you didn’t believe what Princess Qingyang said before, you can’t possibly doubt it now, having seen it with your own eyes?”

Zhou Changyin’s gaze was inscrutable, the handkerchief in her grip long since crumpled, her nails piercing the fabric and biting into her flesh.

Her infatuation with Xiao Yue was no secret in the Zhou household—indeed, even outsiders had known years before. Yet now, she was married, and Xiao Yue, high in station, had moved on with time; no one would dredge up old affairs.

She had exhausted every means, waiting for him until she was eighteen before hastily accepting another marriage. She knew why Xiao Yue went to the northern army and once believed he would never return, that she would never see him again.

But without warning, he had come back to the capital. Upon hearing the news, she immediately traveled back under the pretext of attending the Emperor’s banquet. She understood that, given their statuses and her marriage, there was no hope. Xiao Yue had never shown interest in her. Her return was an uncontrollable impulse—a wish to see him again, to be near him, even if she did nothing.

To be in the same city was better than being separated by a thousand mountains and rivers.

Meeting him in the palace that day was the first time she’d seen him since she was thirteen. She had no other thoughts—just that seeing him was the most beautiful and anticipated event of her life.

She knew well enough that one day Xiao Yue would marry and have children. She thought she could accept that calmly, but two days after the banquet, she ran into Princess Qingyang, who mentioned Wu Tan, even if only in vague rumor.

She’d felt a thousand claws scratching at her heart. She couldn’t bear it.

She couldn’t accept another woman coveting him—especially since, according to Princess Qingyang, that Wu girl was a cunning little fox, full of tricks even at a young age.

Despite outward calm these past days, Zhou Changyin had been in torment, desperate to see for herself the “little wretch” rumored to have captivated Xiao Yue. Yet she knew Xiao Yue’s temper and dared not openly call at the Wu residence.

Fortunately, her grandmother’s birthday fell just days after the Emperor’s, and the Wu Dowager was friends with her grandmother, so the Wu family would certainly visit. With her grandmother’s birthday, and Xiao Yue in the capital, he would also attend. Zhou Changyin schemed for days, orchestrating an “accidental” encounter so subtle that even Xiao Yue didn’t notice.

Had she summoned Wu Tan to Xiao Yue’s side as hostess, it would have been too deliberate. Instead, she used her knowledge of Wu Tan and Lin Yanyao’s friendship, connecting with Jiang Yuzhi, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, who was about to marry the young crown prince and naturally wished to please the Zhou family. Pretending it was an invitation for the Dowager’s birthday, she casually suggested Jiang Yuzhi bring Lin Yanyao along as company.

Jiang Yuzhi, suspecting nothing, invited Lin Yanyao, and Zhou Changyin herself found a pretext to draw Jiang Yuzhi away, leaving Lin Yanyao to act with Wu Tan. Then, using Jiang Yuzhi’s name, she drew them to the pavilion in the garden, timing it so Su Ying would lead the girls to cross paths with Xiao Yue.

To the girls, she said the Dowager had invited them; to the household, she said it was her request. The Dowager, in her good mood, would not begrudge a little fruit and sweets.

If Wu Tan ever learned that Zhou Changyin had gone to such lengths just to orchestrate a contrived “chance encounter” with Xiao Yue, she would certainly dismiss it as the idle plotting of someone with too much time on her hands.

Yet, Zhou Changyin’s machinations were impressive—Xiao Yue himself had failed to notice any design.

Now, having witnessed Wu Tan’s brazen attempt to charm her cousin, Zhou Changyin’s heart seethed with emotions she could not name. At last, she ground out through clenched teeth, “That girl is just a child…”

Had she not seen it herself, she might have continued to delude herself. But just now, in the presence of so many, that little hussy had shamelessly vied for attention, flaunting herself before her cousin.

Just picturing Wu Tan’s radiant smile made Zhou Changyin burn with rage. She wanted nothing more than to storm into Anhe Hall and scratch that face to bits. Try as she might, she couldn’t fathom, “How did they become acquainted? My cousin has only been back in the capital a few days, and that girl…”

A twelve-year-old girl! The very idea was laughable.

“I don’t know about that,” replied Su Ying, who had long witnessed her mistress’s obsession with Xiao Yue, “but the Wu family’s second young lady is certainly no easy prey. You saw it yourself—while His Highness Prince Sheng was indifferent, that girl shamelessly threw herself at him. And this isn’t the first time. I heard that at the prince’s housewarming last month, he only invited royal relatives, but the Wu girl finagled her way in as the only outsider. It’s clear she’ll stop at nothing to make herself known to him. Who knows what else she’s done behind the scenes? And according to Princess Qingyang, His Highness doesn’t completely disregard her. Why, on the Emperor’s birthday…”

From today’s events, it appeared Wu Tan was scheming to ensnare Xiao Yue, while he seemed uninterested. But according to Princess Qingyang, on the Emperor’s birthday, Xiao Yue had publicly called Wu Tan over for a conversation. To verify, Zhou Changyin had spoken with noblewomen present that day, confirming the incident. Clearly, Xiao Yue was not unaffected.

Zhou Changyin grew increasingly agitated, a vague sense of crisis swelling inside her.

“My lady!” pressed Su Ying. “With such a shameless little fox, even if His Highness remains upright… with enough attempts, who can say he won’t be swayed? After all, the girl’s face is already so striking—imagine how she’ll turn out in a few years.”

Zhou Changyin dared not plot against Xiao Yue, but as Su Ying said, Wu Tan was not a proper sort, and she could not stand by and watch her get her way.

“Enough!” Zhou Changyin snapped, turning on her heel and striding back to her quarters. Jiang Yuzhi and two other sisters were still there. Su Ying, carrying the fruit from the Dowager’s hall, hurried after her.

Wu Tan, oblivious to the intricate schemes spun around her, had a delightful day with Lin Yanyao, aside from her brief fury at the morning’s encounter with Xiao Yue.

After the midday banquet, the celebration dispersed. At the gate, before getting into their carriages, she and Lin Yanyao parted ways.

The old lady boarded her carriage first, leaving the cousins a moment to say goodbye. Lin Yanyao grasped Wu Tan’s hand. “The Lin residence is close to Chang’an Avenue. Tomorrow morning, come to my place first. We’ll have breakfast together before heading out.”

Wu Tan, momentarily blank, couldn’t recall what was happening.

Lin Yanyao frowned and tapped her. “Didn’t you invite me? Tomorrow’s the sixteenth—the final results of the imperial exams are out. We’re going to see the top scholar’s triumphant parade!”

Only then did Wu Tan remember. She’d been so preoccupied with her schemes for Lady Meng that she’d nearly forgotten. Had Lin Yanyao not reminded her, she would likely have missed the appointment.

“I remember, I remember!” she replied hastily, but her mind was already turning. Glancing at Lin Yanyao’s radiant face, inspiration struck and she sidled over with a sly grin. “Wait… If I invited you, why are you more excited than me? Is there… something going on…”

“Nonsense!” Lin Yanyao shot her a look and pushed her away. “I was just reminding you! Enough, I’m off. Come early tomorrow—I’ll have the cook make your favorite hand-pulled noodles.”

With that, she quickly ducked into her sedan, not daring to linger lest Wu Tan press her further.

Wu Tan didn’t pursue, only watched with sparkling eyes as her cousin’s sedan disappeared down the lane, grinning from ear to ear.

Her cousin was always so composed—something must be up tomorrow, she thought gleefully.

“Miss, what are you grinning about? Shall we go? The old lady’s been waiting ages.” Xingzi, her maid, craned her neck and finally came forward to nudge her.

Wu Tan, in fine spirits, flashed her another broad smile. “Let’s go, let’s go, time to head home!”

She climbed into her carriage.

By this time, Xiao Yue was also leaving the Zhou residence. His uncle, Lord Ningguo, Zhou Yuansheng, came out to see him off. As they exchanged parting words at the gate, the crowd and carriages packed the lane outside. Xiao Yue’s gaze happened to fall on a flash of bright red skirts—Wu Tan bending to enter her carriage. He didn’t see her face, but he couldn’t help but feel that he was running into this mad girl far too often. Annoyed, he quickly bid his uncle farewell.

By the time he returned to Prince Sheng’s residence, dusk was falling. No sooner had he settled in his study than Lei Ming returned with a freshly copied list.

“Your Highness, the final rankings of the palace examination are out. I forgot to bring them earlier. Would you like to see them?”

Lei Ming rarely made a special trip unless the contents were of particular interest. Xiao Yue raised an eyebrow.

Lei Ming stepped forward to present the list, spreading it out on the table before him.

Xiao Yue glanced over it carelessly, but as his eyes swept past the third-place candidate, the bronze laureate, his gaze froze. “Him?”

With nothing better to do, why did he take the imperial examination?!

—End of Chapter—

Tan: Snubbing me and dragging me into trouble—truly the most detestable man in history.

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