The Poisonous Consort, the Regent's Beloved

"Sister, this is all money I've saved up over the years. How can you assume such things about me?"

Su Wan'er lowered her eyes weakly, her voice so faint it was almost inaudible, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Su Fuying looked her up and down for a moment. This person was quite tenacious. Her buttocks were bruised and bleeding, but she was able to get out of bed and attend a banquet in just half a month.

No wonder she was so restless earlier, but she stood up right now; it turns out her butt hurt.

Su Fuying shook her head with a hint of regret, "It's a pity that I don't have a mother as good as yours. My monthly allowance is only fifty taels, which is really not enough to buy such expensive things."

"Oh, so the Minister's family is quite biased. The youngest daughter is dressed in gold and silver, while the eldest daughter, who is a princess, doesn't even have a decent piece of jewelry."

Ji Zhiyun's sarcastic voice rang out in the courtyard, and everyone looked in that direction.

Su Fuying sat there quietly, with only two simple hairpins on her head. Compared to Su Wan'er, they were indeed worlds apart.

Su Wan'er bit her lip tightly, her eyes reddening as she lowered her head.

If there were men present today, they would probably be heartbroken, but unfortunately, there are only women here, and not one of them offered any words of comfort.

Finally, Ren Yinxue spoke up, "Alright, today's events are all voluntary, it's just a token of our goodwill."

"Miss Ren, the weather is nice today, why don't we take a stroll in the garden?"

"Yes, I heard that Grand Tutor Ren built a courtyard especially for Miss Ren to grow flowers."

"That's right. I also heard that the Regent personally sent a pot of peonies, a very rare variety."

"Is that so? How come I didn't know?"

The whispers and discussions among the young ladies below were quite pleasing to Ren Yinxue's ears.

A hint of pride crept onto her face. "If you want to see, then I'll take you there."

The tone was like that of someone giving alms, but no one dared to say anything; everyone wore a smile.

Who told her to have such a capable father?

A group of people walked along a small stone path, and the fragrant flowers that wafted over were intoxicating.

Everywhere you look, exotic flowers are in bloom, their fragrance filling the air, attracting bees and butterflies in a dazzling display.

Su Fuying looked around, somewhat surprised. It was already autumn, August or September, yet the flowers were blooming so beautifully. What a strange thing.

The further you go in, the floral fragrance at the tip of your nose is gradually replaced by another strange smell.

It had a pungent smell mixed with the floral fragrance; if she hadn't had a very sensitive nose, she would never have been able to smell it.

The taste was somewhat familiar, and a flash of insight struck her; she knew what it was.

The smell of rotting corpses.

Thinking of this, Su Fuying's gaze couldn't help but fall on the delicate flowers on the ground. The roots looked like they had just been loosened. It was as if the flowers were being grown with corpses.

She said, "How could flowers bloom so well in autumn?"

As if sensing something, Ren Yinxue, who was smiling sweetly ahead, turned her head and met Su Fuying's eyes.

Those deep black eyes stared at her, absorbed and aloof, making her emotions even more unfathomable.

Ren Yinxue's smile froze slightly, and a sense of doubt and unease welled up in her heart.

Why did Su Fuying's gaze seem to penetrate everything, making her feel like she had nowhere to hide?

This feeling made her very uncomfortable, but she tried her best to maintain a calm demeanor.

She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and then smiled slightly at Su Fuying, saying, "Princess Yongle, I heard that your poem has been praised by His Majesty. Why don't you let us see it today?" Her voice was soft and melodious, with a hint of provocation and anticipation.

The others had all attended the palace banquet that day, and their knowledge of Su Fuying's poetic talent was undeniable.

However, some people still have doubts about this wild girl from the countryside, believing that she could not possibly have such outstanding writing skills and that she might have just plagiarized from elsewhere.

They couldn't wait to see Su Fuying make a fool of herself, to prove their suspicions.

Just as everyone was eagerly anticipating a good show, they heard Su Fuying reply indifferently, "Not in the mood."

Her tone was steady, without the slightest hesitation.

These three words struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone stunned.

No one expected her to refuse so decisively, not even giving Ren Yinxue the slightest bit of face.

Normally, they all treated Ren Yinxue like an ancestor, and no one dared to speak to her like that.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the entire garden plummeted to freezing point, and everyone else hung their heads, not daring to look up.

Smoke filled the air between the two. Ren Yinxue gritted her teeth, finally closed her eyes, and said in a gentle voice:

"Does the princess have some grudge against me? Why is she targeting me at every turn?"

Ren Yinxue has a gentle face, and when she pretends to be wronged, she is truly pleasing to the eye, at least much better than Su Wan'er.

"Yes, sister, how could you be so disrespectful to Sister Ren? You're so arrogant."

Seeing the opportunity, Su Wan'er immediately chimed in.

A look of disgust flashed across Ren Yinxue's eyes. She didn't want to respond, because she disdained to befriend such a lowly and stupid person.

But looking around, everyone had their heads down and no one dared to speak.

The people who came today were of varying statuses, and in the past she disdained to associate with officials below the rank of second grade.

This year was just to show off her relationship with the Regent and, incidentally, get rid of this annoying person.

Of those present, only Su Wan'er spoke up. After all, they were all intelligent people. Su Fuying was, after all, a princess. Even if they disliked her, they still had to observe from the sidelines.

“Princess Yongle, it seems you are not as sensible as your younger sister.”

Hearing Ren Yinxue praise her, Su Wan'er was overjoyed and quickly looked up at her, only to find that the woman didn't even glance at her.

Su Wan'er should have been recuperating at home, but unexpectedly she received an invitation from the Ren family, something she would never have dared to dream of in previous years.

In order to curry favor with Ren Yinxue, she had no choice but to endure the pain and attend the banquet.

Suddenly, Su Fuying's cold tone interrupted her thoughts, "I remember that my sister and Miss Ren were once known as the most talented women in the capital."

"Your sister wrote a good poem last time, why don't you write a couple of lines today?"

As soon as she finished speaking, alarm bells went off in Su Wan'er's mind. All her poems were copied; how could she possibly compose them on the spot?

I've been bedridden these past few days recovering from my injury, so I haven't had time to memorize poems. Besides, this kind of banquet doesn't require me to attract anyone's attention, so there's no need to showcase any talents.

"What? Is my sister unwilling to compose a poem for Miss Ren?"

Su Fuying smiled, her tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of sarcasm.

"How can it be!"

Su Wan'er was startled and glanced cautiously at Ren Yinxue. Seeing that the latter's expression had not changed, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She didn't want to offend Ren Yinxue for no reason; wouldn't that be asking for trouble?

"Then you can begin. Everyone's waiting to see what happens."

Su Fu smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.