Chapter 77

Chapter 77: County Lady “Thank you for Your Majesty’s gracious favor.” Ling Jiayue gracefully bowed to accept the reward, then returned to her seat with Danyun’s support. As soon as she sat down, the emperor’s gifts arrived as well. Tray after tray of glittering gold jewelry dazzled the eyes, making it impossible to look away. “Oh my, our eldest young lady truly is ‘skilled in both letters and arms,’” Madam Wan remarked sourly when she saw Ling Jiayue return with so many rewards. “As the young lady of the Prime Minister’s residence, she ought to be so. Madam Wan, we are at the peach-blossom banquet in the imperial palace today. I hope you will mind your words and actions and not forget your status. If you damage the reputation of the Prime Minister’s residence, do not blame me for dealing with you when we return.” Hearing Madam Liu’s solemn warning, Madam Wan pursed her lips and fell silent. In truth, Madam Wan was merely narrow-minded and fond of making snide remarks; she was not bad-hearted. Seeing Madam Liu’s children excel one after another naturally left her feeling upset. After returning to her seat, Ling Jiayue could only think, What a close call. Fortunately, she had practiced cursive script in her previous life, which was why no one recognized it. Otherwise, she would have found herself in serious trouble today. Even she had never expected her cursive script to have improved so much. Ling Jiaxuan was equally shocked by Ling Jiayue’s calligraphy. He could not help praising her, thinking that his family truly was blessed. His little sister was actually this outstanding. Fortunately, the men were not required to write today; otherwise, he certainly would not have been able to surpass Yue’er. Even so, he still felt proud and honored by Ling Jiayue. Ling Pingzhang sat beside Ling Jiaxuan and said to him, “Yue’er was raised in a Buddhist temple before this. Who would have thought that her calligraphy would have reached such heights? Our Ling family truly is blessed.” “That’s right. Even the two of us brothers cannot compare with Yue’er’s calligraphy,” Ling Jiaxuan said with a sigh. When Ling Yuwan saw Ling Jiayue receive so many rewards, her eyes practically went straight. She was the daughter of a concubine, and in the Prime Minister’s residence, anything good or rare never reached her. Now that she saw Ling Jiayue return with so many treasures she had never even seen before, envy and jealousy filled her heart. “Elder Sister, you’re really amazing,” Ling Yuwan said softly as she edged over to Ling Jiayue’s side, her eyes brimming with greed. “What makes Elder Sister amazing?” Ling Jiayue had seen too much in life. The moment she noticed the greed in Ling Yuwan’s eyes, she knew exactly what the girl wanted. “You’re amazing in every way. I’ve never seen so much jewelry before. It’s so beautiful.” Ling Yuwan pretended to be innocent. How could Ling Jiayue not see through her little scheme? Yet she deliberately refused to let Ling Yuwan have her way and answered evasively, “Indeed. How could one casually get to see royal gifts? Not to mention you—even today is the first time Elder Sister has seen such things.” Ling Yuwan wanted the jewelry. Seeing that Ling Jiayue showed no sign of yielding, she stated her request outright. “Elder Sister, your jewelry is so beautiful. Could you give some to me? I’m not greedy at all. Just a little would be enough.” As she spoke, Ling Yuwan blinked, appearing both innocent and adorable. Ling Jiayue was inwardly full of mockery, but her expression remained as kindly as ever. “If Little Sister wants some, how could Elder Sister refuse?” “Thank you, Elder Sister!” Ling Yuwan answered at once, her eyes alight with delight as she stared eagerly at the pile of dazzling jewelry, as if it all already belonged to her. “But Elder Sister cannot give you these royal gifts.” Seeing Ling Yuwan’s delight, Ling Jiayue could not help laughing inwardly. To be so incapable of concealing her thoughts and still dream of plotting against her—how ridiculous. “Why not, Elder Sister? Didn’t you say that whatever Little Sister wanted, you would give me? You lied to me.” Ling Yuwan’s eyes immediately filled with tears, as though Ling Jiayue had committed some unforgivable crime. “Yes, Elder Sister did say that whatever you wanted, she would give you. But these are royal gifts bestowed upon Elder Sister alone. His Majesty has spoken with the authority of his imperial word. If Elder Sister were to give them away casually, that would be a crime of deceiving the sovereign. The heads of everyone in our Ling family would not be enough to pay for it.” “All right,” Ling Yuwan replied, sounding slightly disappointed. Ling Jiayue found it deeply ironic. As expected of someone raised by a concubine—she truly lacked all refinement. The true noble ladies of distinguished families did not care about such external possessions. They had been raised and taught within eminent households. Truly prestigious families valued etiquette and upbringing above all else. Only women with narrow horizons would be tempted by such petty wealth and status. At that moment, Chu Chaoci spoke. “The Sovereign of Dayi is being far too stingy. Miss Ling’s calligraphy is so fine, yet he has rewarded her with nothing but a mere pile of valuables. Miss Ling does not seem like someone steeped in vulgar materialism, either.” His words struck Ling Yuwan and Miss Zhang squarely in the face. By praising Ling Jiayue’s calligraphy, he was saying that Miss Zhang’s calligraphy could not compare. And by saying that Ling Yuwan did not seem steeped in vulgar materialism, he was actually calling her shallow and short-sighted. Neither Miss Zhang nor Ling Yuwan looked pleased. Miss Zhang thought furiously, I have devoted myself to practicing for so long, only to be outshone at the peach-blossom banquet. How infuriating! “Then, what does the Sovereign of Ye Kingdom think?” Mu Yuye asked with keen interest. “If I were to speak according to my own thoughts, Miss Ling’s calligraphy could serve as an example to both Dayi and Ye Kingdom,” Chu Chaoci said. When Miss Zhang heard the words “serve as an example,” her expression grew even uglier. Chu Chaoci had only just said that she could serve as an example, and now he was praising Ling Jiayue in the same way. Chu Chaoci continued, “If that is the case, conferring upon her the title of County Lady would not be out of the question.” The moment Chu Chaoci said this, the entire banquet erupted in an uproar. Throughout the history of Dayi, no woman had ever been granted the title of County Lady. The title was generally an honor men won on the battlefield through their blood. A County Lady could attend court and wield both political power and influence. Yet now, merely because Ling Jiayue’s calligraphy was excellent, were they actually going to make an exception? Ling Jiayue was startled as well. She looked toward Madam Liu, who clearly had never encountered such a situation either. Madam Liu’s face was filled with astonishment. She merely patted the back of Ling Jiayue’s hand reassuringly, signaling that she was there and that Ling Jiayue had nothing to fear. Madam Liu’s concern was unnecessary. Although Ling Jiayue was surprised, she was not afraid. Mu Yuheng, however, fell into deep thought. Was this truly a good thing for Ling Jiayue, or was it a bad thing? If Ling Jiayue became a County Lady, she would gain another political force within the court. The political factions there would inevitably have to be reshuffled. Could Ling Jiayue withstand the storms that followed, even with herself and Ling Taian supporting her? At that moment, the Third Prince spoke as well. “Father, I believe the Sovereign of Ye Kingdom makes a valid point. Our nation has always been a land of etiquette and culture. If a woman can advance to such heights, then conferring upon her the title of County Lady would set her up as an example and encourage the women of Dayi to follow her lead.”