The carriage 'thumped' and entered the capital city of Chángzhōu.
The farther they went, the more crowded the streets became. Looking out from the curtains, the usually spacious streets were filled with a dense flow of people, rubbing shoulders and bumping into each other.
Because it was inconvenient to travel further, Yáng Mǔ's orders to stop the carriage and have it arranged properly were carried out, then she instructed the young ladies to get off the carriage.
On the side of the street, there were various vendors selling all kinds of snacks, and shouting to attract customers.
There were also casually dressed artisans showing off their skills on the street. Occasionally, they would toss and catch fire, swallow a sword, or perform various acts, attracting people's attention. The crowd would applaud when it was over. A few children would spin a copper gong around and call out, "For those with money, we ask for money. For those without, we ask for appreciation. Thank you."
Su Mo'er and Li Ling'er stood side by side, taking in the scene. The pupils under Su Mo'er's hat couldn't help but glitter, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "What a bustling scene in the human world." With that, she gave a small amount of silver to the street performer.
Li Ling'er then linked arms with her and said to the maid, laughing, "What you've seen is nothing. Sister Su, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Wait a bit longer, and you'll see. As the night deepens, every household will light up. Especially by the riverbank, the Qin boat and the river lanterns reflecting in the water create an incredibly beautiful sight."
Su Mo'er was astonished, "It can be like this."
Now, with the bustling noise of the night surrounding them, the shops on the street and the lanterns carried by people were as bright as in daytime, creating a spectacular scene of dazzling lights. She couldn't help but sigh softly and thought to herself that even without those plans, this trip was not in vain.
Liú FēiFēi got off the carriage ahead of them and was just about to straighten her wrinkled clothes when she heard their conversation.
She immediately rolled her eyes in disdain and sneered at Bào Yuè, "This is just a bumpkin who has never seen the world and is easily dazzled. It's not presentable at all."
Bào Yuè advised her to say a few less words and to bear with it for now, on the side, she added, "After all, there are hardly any such young ladies in Chángzhōu."
Master and servant were talking privately, but their voices were loud enough for the people around them to look over.
Li Ling'er was furious. Knowing that she was speaking ill in this place, she wanted to say something, but was held back by Su Mo'er's tightened grasp.
Instead, she smiled and said, "What Miss Liú said is correct. If it weren't for our humble backgrounds, who would join us in becoming a lowly dancer in the City Prefect’s mansion?"
When she spoke to Liú FēiFēi, she didn't rush in with a sharp knife, coming out white and bringing in red. Although she hurt people, she herself was left with a body full of marks.
On the contrary, she was like a blunt knife cutting flesh; it didn't seem to be very satisfying, but it was precise, cutting into the pain.
With just this one sentence, it tightened the disdain in Liufei's heart. Nowadays, she was just a dancer serving others, which infuriated her, twisting her face in anger.
Enduring and enduring, unable to bear it anymore, just as she was about to retort, Nanny Yang spoke up: "Have all the young ladies come down? Come over here and gather together, don't stand around in small groups here and there."
Liufei shot a sharp look at Sumo'er, took a deep breath, and walked away with an air of superiority.
Ling'er giggled to Sumo'er, "Look at her, pretending to be so superior, clearly unable to bear it more than anyone else, but still needing to act even more elevated. What a character!"
Sumo'er said, "Well, she has the capital to act that way, forget it, let's go, or Nanny Yang will be displeased."
Because they were many, and all were young ladies, even though they were wearing silk kerchiefs, their graceful figures couldn't help but attract glances.
Nanny Yang was afraid of any mishaps, so she organized everyone to gather together for some entertainment.
Though this reduced a lot of the fun, gathering together under the guard of the mansion's guards made it secure.
The few dissatisfied ones quieted down when she glared at them.
Following Nanny Yang, they arrived at the banks of the Willow River, where a group of young men and women were gathered together.
The young women fanned themselves and blushed, stealthily casting glances at their loved ones, while the young men were all very dashing and elegant, posing riddles in the river pavilion.
Sumo'er and the others were also quite talented, and so they all became interested. Nanny Yang also didn't mind, letting them try to solve the riddles.
Despite Sumo'er's humble family background, she had a father who was a jinshi, so her education began at an early age, quickly causing all the young ladies to lose to her.
Ling'er lamented, "Sumo'er, I never realized how brilliant you are, despite your low profile."
Sumo'er modestly smiled, "It's just luck, nothing extraordinary."
Others listened, but didn't take it seriously, knowing that each one of them was truly talented.
As the young ladies talked and laughed, they didn't notice that not far away, Crown Prince Zhao Jinghuan, accompanied by Li Gonggong and Du Zhong, was observing from the shadows.
Seeing this scene, Zhao Jinghuan's lips curved slightly, as he asked Du Zhong, "What do you think?"
"These young ladies..." Du Zhong didn't know why his master was observing, but he didn't bother asking.
But upon hearing Zhao Jinghuan's inquiry, and knowing it was from His Highness, he prepared to offer some praise. However, after hesitating for a while, he reluctantly said, "Impressive."
As a former military general, he lacked education. If it weren't for the years of being forced to learn under the Crown Prince, he probably wouldn't even know how to write his own name now.
"..." Zhao Jinghuan shook his head and smiled faintly.
Assistant Li Gonggong had long been accustomed to this, so he immediately bowed and said with a smile, "Your Highness, the young ladies have finished guessing the riddles, should I go and invite Miss Su over?"
However, on the other side, Liufei, previously refusing to join, couldn't help but sneer when she saw that Sumo'er had become the center of attention: "Miss Su is so talented, would you care to compete with me?"
Sumo'er turned and saw her slightly raised chin, with an air of contempt, and gave a delicate smile, "If Miss Liu wishes to compete with me, it means you regard me highly, and it will be my pleasure."
Zhao Jinghuan was about to nod, but upon seeing this scene, he paused and raised his hand to stop him, "Let's wait a moment."
After some thinking, he took out a jade ornament and threw it to Li Gonggong, "Take this over and say it's a prize from me."
Li Gonggong caught it in a fluster, feeling a bit awkward. After all, this prize from the Crown Prince wasn't just a simple gift, but was meant for the deserving person to receive it.
But upon hearing Zhao Jinghuan's drink response, he couldn't help but tremble, and despite his reservations, he smiled and agreed.
As he walked away, he couldn't help but criticise internally that the recipient would regret it if someone else ended up with the prize.
Before leaving, he received another command from the Crown Prince to call back and announce the winner of the competition.
Li Gonggong naturally understood who this referred to and obediently agreed.
Watching Li Gonggong's departure, Du Zhong scratched his head and asked, "Your Highness, Xiao Li just now wasn't wrong, are you really not worried if Miss Su loses?"
Zhao Jinghuan smiled slightly, "Are you all so sure that she will lose? I don't think so."
Du Zhong: "..."
He didn't understand where His Highness's confidence came from; he seemed to think that everyone was as outstanding as he was.
Zhao Jinghuan added, "Besides, even if she loses, it's just a piece of jade, but if she wins, it's her skill. If she can't win... it's also okay."
He smirked slightly, "There's me after all."
His words and expression finally made Du Zhong take notice, and he couldn't help but be surprised and uncertain, "Your Highness, you couldn't really be..."
"Don't speak." But Zhao Jinghuan raised his hand to interrupt, pointing ahead, "It's started, let's watch."
Du Zhong: "..."
Li Gonggong's arrival naturally attracted the attention of the crowd, everyone's eyes flashing with excitement. After all, there was another person present who could rival him.
Nanny Yang greeted him with a bow, "Why has Li Gonggong come?"
Li Gonggong smiled, "Well, seeing the lively scene here, our household also came to join in the fun. Then, the other thing is, as Miss Su and Miss Liu are about to compete, His Highness finds it interesting and sent me to deliver a prize."
As he said this, he took out the jade ornament, appearing nonchalant, but it was actually extremely valuable, not to mention that it was a reward from the Crown Prince, with a very special significance.
Everyone listened and couldn't help but sigh, but setting aside that matter, it seemed that even if they were present, they would just be there to serve as a stepping stone for the two of them.
Su Mo'er and Liu Feifei, seeing the situation, couldn't help but breathe rapidly for a moment.
Looking at each other, they both had heavier thoughts. Liu Feifei naturally didn't mention it, never wanting Su Mo'er to take all the credit, and now there was this opportunity, she had to suppress her arrogance.
Su Mo'er also remained silent, knowing that she absolutely could not appear inferior in front of the Crown Prince.
The atmosphere between the two instantly became tense. Yang Mama noticed and quickly intervened, saying, "This is a joyous occasion, so let's establish some rules."
The competition would be based on a stick of incense, where they would be given the same riddles, and once the incense burned out, the number of riddles guessed correctly would be counted.
More guessed correctly, less guessed incorrectly. A simple yet clear rule.
Both had no objections and, after a brief preparation, immediately started the competition at the sound of a gong.
The person providing the riddles immediately sang out, "The wind comes and goes, the geese fly diagonally in front of the peak, guess this pair of riddles."