Chapter Thirty-Five: Never Satisfied with Taking Advantage

"That goes without saying!"

When it came to matters of closeness and distance, no one understood the nuances better than him.

***

Yesterday, the Marquis of Qingyuan’s estate had been in an uproar over the affair involving Lin Wanyue. Rumors—about stolen credit, the conferral of the title of County Princess, and the Imperial Royal Hunt—spread through the capital as quickly as a gale.

The stories had been embellished with plenty of vitriol.

Lin Wanyue had not left her home for some time, yet she was well aware of how outsiders mocked her. She simply chose to turn a deaf ear to the world outside, focusing her heart and mind solely on writing the *Lessons for Women* and *Admonitions for Women*.

Lin Zhaozhao, however, was a different story.

Having finally managed to send away the young prince of Northern Rong, effectively ending his misguided desire to "repay" her by taking her hand in marriage, she had successfully dispatched him back to his homeland. No sooner had he left than Lady Bai seized her, forcing her into rigorous equestrian training.

The excuse given was, "The Imperial Royal Hunt is only half a month away. Aside from the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, most noble ladies in the capital have been studying horsemanship since childhood!"

As for the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, Lady Bai had long since given up on her daughter. After all, those were arts requiring a lifetime of cultivation. Lin Zhaozhao, on the other hand, had a mind filled only with gold and silver; she had absolutely no interest in such refined pursuits.

So, Lady Bai had argued, "Zhaozhao, you are usually the most spirited. Mother thought you would surely enjoy horseback riding and archery, so—"

Lady Bai had a pure white pony led in and said, "You must learn to ride well! When the other noble ladies demonstrate their horsemanship, I don't expect you to place, but if you know at least the basics, you can make friends with them!"

Lady Bai had spoken at great length, but Lin Zhaozhao was so sleepy she could barely lift her head. The sun had only just risen!

"Mother," Lin Zhaozhao groaned in agony, "I am already capable of riding and shooting! There’s really no need for this much practice!"

In her previous life, she had been abandoned by her biological parents and raised in an orphanage. Forget horse riding—in the modern world, she had been considered a cut above the rest just for owning a bicycle as a child! It was only later, after learning medicine from her master and taking on side jobs while working as a corporate drudge, that she had acquired the skills when a wealthy client who owned a horse farm had gifted her a pony.

***

Lady Bai, however, remained unconvinced. "Zhaozhao, Mother knows you want to sleep, but—"

*Snore.*

Looking down, she saw Lin Zhaozhao already fast asleep, leaning against a post.

Lady Bai: "...Very well. Since you are asleep, I shall take back the small golden peace lock I had custom-made for you."

"What? Gold?! Mother, I’m awake! Isn't it just horseback riding and archery? I’ll learn! I’ll start practicing right now!"

***

In short, Lady Bai’s behavior was no different from dangling a carrot in front of a mule, and Lin Zhaozhao practiced with remarkable diligence.

Soon, the day of the Royal Hunt arrived.

Lin Yuanzhi took his whole family along, heading in a grand procession toward the royal hunting grounds, which were situated atop a high mountain north of the capital.

Because the Marquis of Qingyuan had received the Emperor’s personal permission for the whole family to attend, a large number of carriages from the estate made the journey.

However, as soon as Lin Wanyue stepped out of her carriage, many people stood at a distance, watching her.

In the past, those gazes had been filled with admiration, envy, and respect. But now, it was different. Perhaps the affair with Northern Rong had caused too much of a stir; the mocking and schadenfreude in everyone's eyes felt like a blade piercing her heart.

"I wondered who had arrived at the hunting grounds. So, it’s her! Truly worthy of being a daughter of the Marquis of Qingyuan. Her thick skin is not something we ordinary mortals could ever hope to match!"

"Indeed. When I returned to the Duke’s estate that day and told my mother about this, she said that if I had stolen credit for someone else's work, she would have broken my legs—I certainly wouldn't be out showing my face here!"

"Enough. I say we should all keep our distance. She is clearly someone who loves to take advantage of others. Who knows if she'll claim our prey as her own later!"

"..."

The voices of the young ladies, led by the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhen, did not lower despite Lin Wanyue’s presence; if anything, they were openly provocative.

"Wanyue, come here quickly. Pay them no mind—they are just jealous! You don't know this, but everyone is whispering privately that even though you stole... accidentally took that fool’s credit, the Emperor would surely have punished you. Yet, not only did His Majesty not blame you, he even allowed your entire family to come to the Royal Hunt! This is a unique honor. Do you know what this means?"

Lin Wanyue was puzzled. "What does it mean?"

"The Ninth Prince! It was the Ninth Prince and Eunuch Jinbao who returned to the palace together. The Emperor dotes on the Ninth Prince above all others. This clearly means the Ninth Prince has feelings for you and interceded on your behalf, which is why the Emperor let bygones be bygones and granted Lin Zhaozhao the title of County Princess! Come to think of it, Lin Zhaozhao should be thanking you for being able to reap such a huge benefit!"

Lin Wanyue blushed.

Some time ago, her father had mentioned that Eunuch Jinbao had hinted that their estate had encountered a noble benefactor who had spoken well of them before the Emperor. Aside from the Ninth Prince, there was no one else Eunuch Jinbao would call a "noble benefactor."

"Alright, Wanyue, don't be unhappy. I see that Shen Yanmo, the daughter of the Duke of Zhen, is just jealous of you! Who in the capital doesn't know she likes the Ninth Prince? These baseless rumors about you in the capital might even have been started by her. Don't you all agree?"

The other noble ladies: "..."

*Baseless?* What do you mean? Wasn't it Lin Wanyue who stole the credit?

But they were too embarrassed to openly disagree, so they awkwardly replied, "That... is probably the case?" Although it was meant to be an affirmation, they managed to make it sound like a question.

Lin Wanyue: "..."

Lin Wanyue felt utterly wronged.

This stifling distress drove her to stand up and walk over to Lin Zhaozhao, who had just stepped out of her carriage after waking up. "I'm sorry, Zhaozhao. The matter with Northern Rong was my fault. Regardless of what role you played in it, or whether you stoked the flames, I want to apologize to you in front of everyone today. I beg you, do not hold a grudge against me, and please stop letting everyone gossip about me behind my back!"

Lin Zhaozhao had been wondering if she could hunt a wild boar for a roast, but she was left speechless by Lin Wanyue's interruption. "Are their mouths growing on me? If they want to gossip, let them. How could I possibly stop them?"

When Lin Wanyue heard this, tears immediately began to fall. "If you say that, does it mean you, like them, blame me for accidentally taking your credit?"

Seeing this, Xu Jiaojiao immediately rushed forward. "That’s enough, Lin Zhaozhao! Is it so hard to just say that my sister accidentally took the credit and that everyone should stop gossiping about her? If it weren't for the fact that Wanyue knows the Ninth Prince and he spoke well of you before the Emperor, do you think you could have kept your title? Wanyue treats you like a sister, so stop being so ungrateful!"

Lin Zhaozhao: "?"

What kind of logic was this?

Lin Zhaozhao fell silent for a moment, and just as she was about to speak, she heard a cold, low voice cut through the air:

"I was unaware that Lin Zhaozhao's title was not secured by me, after all?"