Chapter 44
Chapter 44: Luo Ning – An Eye for an Eye
Grand Princess Jia Hong’s curtained pavilion held more than thirty small low tables, all laid with soft cushions.
The curtains only blocked the view from outside so people could not peek in. Inside, the sides were open, and warm sunlight poured over everyone’s faces and heads.
It was almost too hot.
In the Current Dynasty, customs were open, and men and women could share the same banquet. Among nobles, mixed banquets were even called a refined and romantic affair.
Even so, there were not many men among the Princess’s guests.
Most were Madams and Misses. The few men present all sat beside their mothers or sisters.
When the Luo family entered, many people turned to look at them.
Aunt had gone to the Princess’s birthday banquet last time. The first visit had been strange, but now that this was the second, she was no longer nervous. She calmly and gracefully led the girls forward to pay their respects.
Grand Princess Jia Hong was delighted and said: “I love lively gatherings. Now that you are all here, I am happy. Sit down and have some sweet wine first.”
In the distance, they heard the sound of a qin.
Seven or eight other curtained pavilions stood around them, all set up by noblewomen from great houses. Those ladies had already come by to greet the Grand Princess.
“Princess, this humble girl would like to play a song on the flute to entertain you.” A young lady stepped out and said this.
The Princess was naturally pleased and said: “How elegant. Take your time and play.”
The flute sound was soft and lingering.
It was not a tune Luo Ning knew.
The song Pei Ying had played last time had clearly been adapted from a guqin music score, not written for a bamboo flute. There was some difference between the two.
Luo Ning listened quietly.
When the song ended, everyone praised it.
One Madam then asked the Princess: “Which Grand Master did you invite this year?”
The “Grand Masters” in their mouths were famous courtesans known throughout the land for their skill in qin or dance. After these entertainers gained enough fame, they could be invited to banquets held by prestigious clans to add color to the event.
In recent years, this had become a fashionable and elegant thing.
“I originally invited Lady Liu. I like her qin playing the most. It is unmatched under heaven.” Grand Princess Jia Hong said, “But her maid came last night and said she practiced too hard and hurt her wrist.”
Everyone said what a pity it was.
Who did not want to see the woman whose beauty and fame shook the world, Lady Liu?
She was probably truly hurt.
No one would dare fool the Grand Princess.
“Lady Liu is close to Young Lady Yi Yi and recommended her instead.” Grand Princess Jia Hong added.
Yi Yi was a dancing girl.
She could dance lightly on the bottoms of three stacked bowls. Everyone who had seen her was full of praise and amazement. Because of this, she had become a Grand Master whom noble ladies all tried to invite.
But Yi Yi’s dances took bitter hard practice, so she did not go out often.
The nobles flattered her. She accepted or refused invitations with pride, and no one dared blame her.
Now she had volunteered to fill Lady Liu’s place and had taken the initiative to come perform at the Princess’s spring viewing banquet. This was a sign of respect toward the Princess, and the Princess was, of course, very pleased.
“Young Lady Yi Yi’s name is like thunder to the ear. Today we finally get to see her,” someone said.
“Three bowls stacked together might not even be steady, and she can dance on them. I have admired her for a long time and can finally feast my eyes.”
“I heard Master Yi Yi has an even more amazing dance where she stands on the mouth of a vase. At the spring banquet in the Prince’s manor last time, that one skill shocked everyone.”
People chattered about the Grand Master one after another.
The Luo family womenfolk sat toward the middle and slightly to the back, just listening.
With the Luo family’s status, they were still far from being able to invite such famous courtesans, who were treated as Grand Masters by the nobles. None of them had seen Yi Yi before.
They were curious, but did not dare show it, afraid others would laugh at them for being ignorant of the world.
Only Luo Ning knew. She had watched Yi Yi when she was a ghost.
Yi Yi really was incredibly skilled.
As her dance skills improved in later years, the things under her feet got higher and higher, making viewers even more amazed.
Later, she also died because of this.
A certain nobleman loved her to madness and insisted on taking her into his manor as a concubine. She refused, so someone tampered with her props.
When she danced on the rims of twelve stacked bowls, she fell and broke her leg. For a dance girl, a broken leg meant her life was over. She later hanged herself.
She was very talented, and very pitiful.
No matter how good Lady Liu’s qin playing was, it was only excellent, not new.
Yi Yi was different.
Everyone at the banquet carried a bit of expectation.
The guests soon arrived in full.
The maids had just brought in wine and snacks when someone entered and quietly whispered a few words to Grand Princess Jia Hong.
Grand Princess Jia Hong smiled and said: “Great Master Hui Neng? I am not very close to him. But he sometimes sends peace talismans to the Empress Dowager. Invite him in.”
Being able to enter Shoucheng Palace twice a year raised Great Master Hui Neng’s status. The Princess could not refuse to give him this face.
Today was the spring viewing banquet, and the Great Master wished to bring a peace talisman to the Princess. That was a good omen, and she could even less push him out.
A short while later, Great Master Hui Neng came in, and two people followed behind him.
They were Marchioness Bai and Bai Ci Rong.
Several members of the Luo family recognized them and glanced at one another.
Everyone else was curious and whispered to each other: “Who are they?”
“Why did Great Master Hui Neng bring women with him? They are not nuns.”
“They look familiar. That young lady sitting over there, Miss Luo, looks a bit like them. Are they from the Luo family?”
Voices rose in quiet discussion.
The Princess also did not understand, but her face stayed calm.
Great Master Hui Neng bowed. Marchioness Bai and Bai Ci Rong also paid their respects.
“Princess, pardon this sudden visit. I have come to give you a peace talisman and wish you great safety and good fortune.” Great Master Hui Neng pressed his palms together and bowed.
The Princess smiled and said: “Thank you, Great Master.”
Great Master Hui Neng stepped forward and personally handed the peace talisman into the Princess’s hands.
Then he withdrew.
The Princess looked toward Madam Bai and Bai Ci Rong and asked: “Who are these two?”
Great Master Hui Neng smiled and said: “This is the Madam of the Marquis of Zhen Nan, and this is Miss Bai. Miss Bai and this humble monk have a deep karmic bond with the Buddha. When she heard I was coming to pay my respects to Your Highness, she also wished to come kneel and bow.
“This is a good deed, and also adds blessings for the Princess. With such kind intentions, this monk could not refuse her, so I brought her along. Princess, please do not blame us.”
It was a very decent and high-sounding explanation.
For a young lady of the Bai family to be able to ask the head monk of Fahua Temple to do this for her showed she was capable.
Everyone could not help looking at her.
They also glanced at the Luo family womenfolk.
After hearing this, the Princess could not openly show anger, but she was certainly not happy either.
Bai Ci Rong and Marchioness Bai took the chance to kneel and bow. They said they were honored to see the Princess and begged her forgiveness for intruding so abruptly.
“Get up.” The Princess smiled a little and said: “It is a small matter. Since you are here, sit and have a cup of wine.”
She called to the maids: “Someone, bring another table.”
A maid quickly carried in a low table and set it at the very back.
Thus, the plan of Bai Ci Rong and the Marchioness went smoothly.
Some noble Madams were a bit disdainful, but they were also curious about their relationship with Great Master Hui Neng and did not dare openly offend them. Besides, Luo Ning was the Empress Dowager’s benefactor.
In short, the connections here were complicated.
The noble ladies and their precious daughters were all clever people. No one acted rashly. Everyone watched and waited to see what would happen, secretly amused.
This scene promised to be interesting.
Bai Ci Rong and the Marchioness exchanged a look. Both kept their faces calm, but could not hide the joy in their eyes. Bai Ci Rong glanced toward Luo Ning.
Luo Ning quietly met her eyes and nodded slightly. Bai Ci Rong replied with a smile.
[You must be angry out of your mind, but still pretending to be calm.] Bai Ci Rong thought.
For her to enter the Princess’s spring viewing banquet so easily was something Luo Ning would never have expected. Luo Ning must be so furious she could spit blood right now.
Bai Ci Rong felt that in both looks and bearing, she completely surpassed Luo Ning.
[Just wait. When Lady Liu comes in later, you will be even angrier.] Bai Ci Rong lowered her eyes and lifted the tea cup on her little table to take a light sip.
She and the Marchioness both knew that people were probably sizing them up right now, judging them for forcing their way into the Princess’s banquet this way and looking down on them.
But soon no one would care about that. They would be too busy watching Luo Ning’s embarrassment.
Bai Ci Rong did not want to steal the spotlight today. She only needed this one chance.
As long as she appeared once at the Grand Princess’s banquet, she could raise her own standing. If she made no mistakes, she could pass this safely.
There would be many more invitations in the future, and plenty of chances to show off. There was no need to rush.
She had gotten her stepping stone.
“Princess, the Grand Master has arrived,” a maid called from the entrance.
Bai Ci Rong was a little excited.
Since the maid called her “Grand Master,” that had to mean Lady Liu had arrived. No other entertainer deserved such an honor.
Her brother’s information was truly accurate. These years, his money had not been spent for nothing. He had built up connections and could now buy useful news.
Bai Ci Rong and the Marchioness were seated at the very edge. They looked toward the entrance, and so did everyone else.
The curtain was lifted, and a woman entered.
The woman was tall and slender. Her long hair was not pinned up, but hung loose down her back like freshly unfurled black silk, lazy yet dazzling.
She wore a light-ink colored short jacket and a scarlet skirt embroidered with golden begonias. Her black hair and the light-ink jacket flowed together as one. When she danced, it would surely look beautiful.
Only…
Everyone inside the pavilion, even Pei Ying, who usually disliked joining in fun, turned their gaze toward Bai Ci Rong.
This young lady, who had used a monk to force her way into the Princess’s banquet, was wearing the exact same outfit as the famous courtesan Yi Yi.
What was she thinking?
No matter how famous a courtesan was, she still belonged to the humble class. Leaving Miss Bai’s family background aside for now, she was at least a respectable girl from a good family.
Had she gone mad?
Not only the guests saw it, Yi Yi herself did as well.
Yi Yi’s face showed clear displeasure at once. She did not speak, but her brows knit tightly.
“What is going on here?” One Madam spoke up with a smile. “Miss Bai, why are you copying Master Yi Yi’s clothes?”
The faces of Bai Ci Rong and the Marchioness turned almost paper white.
Especially Bai Ci Rong. She could barely sit still and nearly fell over.
Her lips moved. Her head suddenly felt like it had exploded with pain. Fear and panic tangled around her.
She lost control and cried out: “No, I did not. Why would I copy an entertainer’s clothes? Someone is framing me!”
Yi Yi paused in surprise.
She took a few steps forward and bowed gracefully: “Princess, please make the decision for this lowly servant. This lowly servant came to perform out of admiration for Your Highness. I cannot bear such humiliation.”
The guests all wore different expressions.
Luo Ning and her sister-in-law copied Aunt and their cousin and acted as if they had been struck by lightning, their faces full of shame and speechless discomfort. The four of them wished they could dig a hole and crawl into it.
Bai Ci Rong lost her composure and stood up: “I did not insult you. Do not talk nonsense. Who paid you to humiliate me like this?”
Yi Yi looked back at her.
She did not answer.
Her unspoken meaning was clear: Who are you even, and what nonsense are you spouting?
The spring viewing banquet held by Grand Princess Jia Hong was meant for enjoyment and blessings, not to act as a courtroom.
She swept a calm glance at the senior lady official at her side.
A palace lady left at once. Soon, two bodyguards came in and, without a word, dragged Bai Ci Rong out.
Marchioness Bai stared blankly.
She very much wanted to stand up and speak for Bai Ci Rong, but she feared that the more she said, the more wrong it would become.
They were completely unprepared, like someone stepping into empty air while walking in the dark. Their minds went blank. They did not even think of saving themselves. They only thought in confusion: What is happening?
Only after Bai Ci Rong was gagged and dragged out did the Marchioness come back to her senses.
She quickly formed a plan.
Standing up, she went forward, knelt, and kowtowed to the Princess: “My niece from my maiden home does not understand proper behavior. She chases after new fashions. Just now she lost control and offended the Princess.”
The Princess glanced at Luo Ning.
Luo Ning was someone she valued and had invited again and again as an honored guest. In the future, Luo Ning might become the daughter-in-law of Princess Manor. Her reputation mattered.
Right now, though, Luo Ning was so embarrassed that she wished she could bury her head in the ground.
The Princess felt both heartache and anger.
“What kind of young lady of the Marquis of Zhen Nan’s manor is she?” the Princess asked loudly.
The tricks Marchioness Bai used in the inner residence might work there, but out here they fell apart at once.
So her voice trembled as she answered: “She, she is my niece from my maiden home.”
“No wonder. I was thinking that the young ladies of the Marquis of Zhen Nan’s manor are usually brave and clever. How could one of them be so ignorant?” The Princess said, “Go out. Do not spoil the fun. Today, for the Marquis of Zhen Nan’s sake, I will not hold this against you.”
She looked again at the palace lady.
The palace lady reacted quickly and once more called in the bodyguards, who dragged Marchioness Bai out as well.
The little disturbance ended, and Young Lady Yi Yi let out a quiet breath of relief.
After making some preparations, she began to dance.
In this dance, Yi Yi had created something new. She stood on the mouth of a plum vase and danced. Her posture was graceful, and her feet were as steady as if she stood on flat ground. The dance was complex and beautiful.
Everyone gasped in wonder and stared without blinking.
Luo Ning was also completely absorbed.
It seemed no one remembered the trouble Bai Ci Rong and the Marchioness had brought to this pavilion.
When the dance ended, the Princess was overjoyed and called over and over: “Reward her, give her a heavy reward!”
Yi Yi was afraid Grand Princess Jia Hong might still be angry about what had just happened. To win more favor, she performed two more dances.
Each one was more stunning than the last.
Everyone felt that they had truly gotten their money’s worth and cheered silently in their hearts.
No wonder her fame was so loud. Who could see her and not praise her?
After Master Yi Yi’s solo dances ended, there were also songs and dances by the Princess Manor’s own dancing girls, which kept the banquet lively.
“…I am afraid those Enfeoffed Ladies will also talk about you,” Luo Ning’s sister-in-law whispered to her. “Even though they were the ones who made fools of themselves.”
Luo Ning smiled slightly and said: “I wanted them to make fools of themselves.”
As for Luo Ning herself…
Once she was officially betrothed to Prince Yong, there would be countless people trying to curry favor with her. Who would dare pick at her faults to her face?
When Prince Yong ascended the throne and she went south to become a Commandery Princess, every official and great clan in Shaoyang would have to watch her face. She would not bother to socialize with these Enfeoffed Ladies in the capital. Who would care what they thought of her?
The Marchioness and Bai Ci Rong had wanted to scheme against Luo Ning.
They had secretly learned ahead of time that Princess Manor had invited Lady Liu and then spent money to get more information.
Every time Lady Liu went to a powerful noble’s banquet, she would prepare new clothes.
This time, the new outfit was an apricot-white jacket with a Shu brocade skirt the color of clear sky after rain. So Madam Bai spent a great deal of money overnight to rush out an identical set and sent it to Luo Ning.
If Luo Ning wore the same clothes as a famous courtesan, people would surely laugh at her. After that, the Princess might never invite her again. Other Enfeoffed Ladies would also be ashamed to associate with her.
Luo Ning would be forced to hide deep in the inner courtyard. Then Bai Ci Rong’s chance would come.
Bai Ci Rong had also shown her face at the Princess’s spring viewing banquet, which was another way to raise her own value.
Sister-in-law Madam Wen had helped Luo Ning spy out this information, so Luo Ning had asked Prince Yong to step in and return tooth for tooth.
Maybe this trick was not as powerful as the Marchioness and Bai Ci Rong had imagined. But since they chose this method themselves, it meant they believed strongly in its destructive power.
So Luo Ning used the same trick to strike back.
It was an attack on the heart.
It would break Marchioness Bai and Bai Ci Rong’s composure at once and push them to collapse. After all, they thought this was a very vicious method and believed it would cause terrible consequences.
Sure enough, the moment they saw Yi Yi’s clothes, the Marchioness seemed nailed in place, stiff and numb. Bai Ci Rong completely lost control, and her words were harsh, ugly, and careless.
If they had used a different plan, it might not have made them show such ugly sides.
Their loss of control was the worst result of this matter.
“Do not worry about me, Sister-in-law.” Luo Ning smiled quietly.
Luo Wan glanced at Luo Ning in curiosity.
Luo Ning signaled for her to drink her sweet wine and watch the performances, telling her not to let her mind wander.
In the midst of this peaceful and joyful scene, a palace lady quietly entered and whispered to Grand Princess Jia Hong.
The Princess stood up, walked to the entrance, and personally went to welcome the guest.
A moment later, she came back in with a man wearing a dark robe.
Everyone inside the pavilion rose and respectfully greeted him as “Prince.”
Luo Ning and the others also stood and bowed.
Prince Yong nodded slightly.
The Princess led him to the main seat. Another small low stool was brought, and aunt and nephew sat together at the same table.
“Why did you come?” the Princess asked him.
Prince Yong spoke lazily: “The Cui family’s pavilion is next door. Aunt asked Third Brother to come out for a spring outing, so I came along. Third Brother drank a bit too much. He will come pay his respects to you later.”
“Is he feeling any better?” the Princess asked.
She was asking whether Prince Chen had recovered a little since the Princess Consort’s death.
“Nine days out of ten he is drunk,” Prince Yong said.
The Princess sighed and said: “Poor thing.”
As the two of them talked, Prince Yong’s gaze slid over to Luo Ning.
Luo Ning sat straight, drinking wine and eating snacks. At the Shangsi Festival, they did not eat hot dishes, only used sweet wine to warm the stomach.
His gaze was very light, not holding much emotion, and he looked away quickly.
He had not come especially for her, but to return the command token. She had sent a maid to ask him for help and had sent the command token to the Prince’s manor.
He had not handed it back through the maid. He planned to give it to her personally.
And ask her a few questions along the way.
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