Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Gossiping Scholars

“Princess, what did you say?” Ting Lan hadn’t heard clearly.

Sheng Zhi Wan withdrew her gaze and shook her head slightly.

At that moment, there was a timely knock at the door.

A scholarly man pushed open the door. When he saw Sheng Zhi Wan, he showed neither surprise nor curiosity. Instead, he offered a polite bow without fully raising his head. “I am Mo Qing. In our teahouse, guests may choose from four kinds of teacups. The white cup signifies those skilled in healing; the green, poison mastery; the gold, adept strategists; and the black, skilled warriors. May I ask, which color teacup would you prefer?”

Sheng Zhi Wan replied, “I’m not here to taste tea. Do you sell your teacups directly?”

The teacups she spoke of were not ordinary cups at all. Each cup represented an expert with extraordinary skills.

Gathering Worthies Teahouse secretly brokered the services of such people.

In her previous life, Sheng Zhi Wan had discovered this by chance, and she now intended to see if she could directly purchase a few skilled fighters.

Hearing this, Mo Qing glanced up briefly, startled, then quickly lowered his eyes again. “My apologies, miss.”

It seemed that meant they didn’t sell outright.

Sheng Zhi Wan had only come here as a test, so the refusal didn’t disappoint her. After dismissing Mo Qing, she was about to leave, when she realized the gentle melody of the qin downstairs had been replaced by storytelling.

“…And there, the young, handsome general skillfully demonstrated on the sand table. With a brilliant flanking maneuver, he disrupted the alliance of the six tribes and cunningly lured them into separate ambushes, turning unfavorable conditions into victories. Gasps of admiration rose continuously within the tent!”

Sheng Zhi Wan paused.

“Princess, aren’t they speaking about His Heirship’s battle?” Ting Lan recognized it as well.

Sheng Zhi Wan didn’t reply, but a cold smile flashed in her eyes as she sat back down.

She listened until the storyteller concluded, and a wave of enthusiastic applause erupted from below.

Shang Xiu Yuan praised aloud first, “Such strategy is unmatched! Commanding from afar yet grasping victory, the Heir Apparent Qi truly deserves his Triple First honors! Even my father, seasoned by many battles, would likely bow before such ingenious tactics!”

“Yes, indeed!” another young master chimed in. “To think this was his first battlefield experience! With such intelligence and foresight, in a few years, our Sheng Kingdom need not fear any enemy!”

“But…” a scholar from another table wondered aloud, “if this young general is so impressive, why was he granted only a Junior Fifth Rank?”

Brother Zhang saw no one else dared answer and theatrically raised a finger, pointing upward mysteriously.

“Have you all forgotten that royal princess who, two years ago, starved herself just to marry Heir Apparent Qi? Well, when His Heirship returned victorious, he brought home a beauty. And that princess, oh, she’s terribly jealous…”

His expression turned strange as he added sarcastically, “Surely, gentlemen, you understand.”

“Is that really the truth?”

“The ancients didn’t lie when they said women and carved figurines are hardest to care for!”

Once they grasped the implication, indignation spread among the scholars. Their conversation grew increasingly reckless.

Though they dared not openly insult the royal family, Sheng Zhi Wan, the jealous, shallow Princess Qing Ning who cared only for romance, quickly became their target of scorn.

They called her arrogant due to royal birth;

Called her a shallow woman with no understanding;

Called her a scheming lady who basked in comfort bought by soldiers’ sacrifices yet plotted secretly against worthy generals…

“Princess!” Ting Lan’s eyes turned red with anger, fiercely biting her lip, wishing desperately to fling open the window and scold the gossiping scholars.

“Princess, they know nothing! His Heirship’s reward has nothing to do with you! You didn’t even visit His Majesty, how can they blame you? Just because you’re a woman, they slander you! Yes, the Heir Apparent deserves praise for defeating the enemy, but the silver, food, and medicine you provided for our border soldiers…”

Sheng Zhi Wan placed a pastry in Ting Lan’s mouth to quiet her.

Oh, she had done far more than that.

If only these scholars knew that the exquisite military strategy they praised so eagerly had actually come from her, what expressions would cross their faces?

“Princess! Are we really just going to sit here?” Ting Lan pulled the pastry out, agitated.

Of course not.

Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyes flickered coldly, about to order Ting Lan to fling open the window.

Suddenly, a clear, carefree voice rang from the next room, arrogant yet pleasing to the ear—

“Tsk tsk… How surprising. I never imagined you learned gentlemen would gossip worse than marketplace shrews. They say women have long tongues, but clearly, scholars’ tongues are far longer.”

Silence filled the room instantly.

Everyone was stunned into shock by this sudden rebuke.

But the brief silence soon exploded into a storm of fury, especially when they saw who had spoken.

“Hang Yu?! Why are you here?” Shang Xiu Yuan’s face turned especially grim. Staring upward at the figure standing boldly on the third floor, he narrowed his eyes and scolded sharply, “Come down at once and apologize to these scholars!”