Chapter 133 out of 513 – Even if you give a jade crown hat to a pig, the pig will still be a pig (2)
A couple of women by Luo Qianqian’s side harrumphed.
One of them said, “That t.i.tle isn’t important. Everyone still knows that Qianqian is the most talented poetess. For example, even if a n.o.bleman doesn’t wear a jade crown hat, he’s still a n.o.bleman. And, even if you give a jade crown hat to a pig, the pig will still be a pig.”
Qian Yingchen couldn’t resist quietly laughing. But, it was only for a brief moment. He quickly returned to normal and solemnly said, “Anyone that wants to vote for the lesser Madam Ning to stay in Tonghua Poetry a.s.sociation, write down your name. We have fifteen members here today. If more than eight people vote her, then she can stay.”
Of the fifteen people here, more than half of them were by Wen Wan’s side. The results of this vote didn’t even need to be looked at.
Luo Qianqian coldly harrumphed, flung her sleeves, and walked away.
The other people also felt that it was pointless to continue staying here and the crowd dispersed.
Wen Wan’s mood couldn’t be any worse.
—
Ji Man hummed a little ditty the entire walk to old madame’s place.
—
Old madame had already heard about her compet.i.tion with Wen Wan. She happily pulled her over and said, “I’ve been looking forward to seeing you win over that vixen in every aspect. This way, Xuan-er will be able who’s truly the best.”
“Old Madame, you don’t need to worry. Other than not being as delicate as her, Sangyu won’t lose to her in any other area. If she really wants to compete with Sangyu, then Sangyu will outperform her for Old Madame’s amus.e.m.e.nt.” Her words directly led to old madame laughing.
Old madame’s tapped Nie Sangyu’s nose and said, “You clever little imp. All of the care I’ve shown you in the past several years have been worth it.”
Ji Man chatted with old madame for a while. After eating lunch with her, she headed out to make arrangements with Luoyan PaG.o.da.
The current Luoyan Pagaoda had become even more luxurious than before. On the fifth floor, there was the second half of “Inviting you to drink wine” had been personally written by the crown prince, as well as the legendary first half of the poem. It had become a must-see tourist attraction. As a result, the shopkeeper had earned quite a bit of money.
Carrying the wooden token that Luoyan PaG.o.da had originally given her, Ji Man also brought Dengxin along with her. Right after Ji Man got into the sedan chair, she heard a voice shouting from the outside, “Madam Ning.”
Opening the curtain, she saw Luo Qianqian. This young woman wasn’t outstandingly pretty. Although her looks were average, her personality and manners were exceptionally good and people felt comfortable when looking at her.
Ji Man came out of the sedan chair and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Luo Qianqian curtsied and said, “Qianqian admires Madam for being so talented in poetry, but that group of people are planning on going to Luoyan PaG.o.da and spending extravagantly to give Madam a hard time. Qianqian happens to have a friendly relations.h.i.+p with Luoyan PaG.o.da’s shopkeeper. How about I go there with Madam? This way you’ll be more prepared.”
This young woman had a kind heart. Ji Man smiled and said, “Sure, that sounds good. Thank you Miss Luo.”
At the time, the shopkeeper had said that until someone else wrote out the second half of the poem, she would be able to go there with friends for free by using this wooden token. Although the second half of the poem had been written out now, the financial benefits from her poem hadn’t decreased at all, ah. Ji Man thought it would be possible to successfully discuss this matter with the shopkeeper. This was why she had the confidence to let that group of people go to Luoyan PaG.o.da.
She shared the sedan chair with Luo Qianqing. Fortunately, both of them were thin and it wasn’t strenuous for the servants carrying the sedan chair.
Luo Qianqian felt that Nie Sangyu’s face looked familiar, so she started chatting with her.
Ji Man casually asked a few questions related to Wen Wan and Luo Qianqian’s extensive reply was like a cascade of spilling beans.
For example, when Wen Wan was making friends, her behavior was always slightly ambiguous and she never laid bare the actual facts. As a result, a group of men that were fond of lovely and charming women all circled around her. It didn’t even need to be said that Wen Wan was a married woman. Even if she was still unmarried, fooling around like this was enough to reveal her intentions. And yet, those men were very protective of her. They all insisted that they were only friends talking about poems.
Another example was Luo Qianqian had once pointed out to Wen Wan’s face that her behavior was inappropriate for a married woman. As a result, Wen Wan left Tonghua Poetry a.s.sociation in tears, which led to a group of men saying that Luo Qianqian had a poisonous heart. Then, the group of men left together to request for Wen Wan to come back.
Wen Wan was truly treated like a G.o.ddess in Tonghua Poetry a.s.socation.
Luo Qianqian somewhat resentfully said, “I can’t stand seeing her vixen-like appearance.”
Ji Man quietly comforted her, “It’s okay. A fox will always end up revealing her tail. If Wen Wan still wants Marquis Moyu’s heart, she won’t dare to act more impudently.”
Luo Qianqian looked at her for a few moments before saying, “You’re not as narrow-minded as rumors say you are.”
Ji Man was already tried of hearing the rumors about Nie Sangyu. She rather despondently waved her hand and said, “I’ve already learned to let things go…”
—
The crown prince and Ning Yuxuan were both sitting in a side room on Luoyan PaG.o.da’s fifth floor.
Hearing about Nie Sangyu’s recent impressive feat, the crown prince boisterously laughed. He looked at Ning Yuxuan and said, “Don’t let your family’s wealth be bankrupted by her!”
Marquis Moyu helplessly rubbed his nose. “Sangyu wouldn’t do something so impulsively. If she really ends up bankrupting me, then this one will move to the crown prince’s residence.”
“I couldn’t ask for anything better than that.” The crown prince said with a smile, “But your Wen Wan has been bullied. Why aren’t you as distressed as before?”
Ning Yuxuan paused before saying, “I do care about her. But, I’ll still feel angry when she’s acting inappropriately. It’s because I’m concerned about her that I sent Sangyu. If you’re not busy, how about staying here to watch the good show with me this afternoon?”
The crown prince looked at him with a penetrating gaze. He tapped his fingers on the table and smiled. “Yuxuan, do you really still not like Nie Sangyu?”