Chapter 14: Victory and Defeat - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter
Chapter 14: Victory and Defeat
"Madam, oh madam, resembling a box, with scissors like a unicorn, eight hairpins." Reciting the riddle aloud, the person smirked in self-satisfaction as they revealed the answer, "It's a crab!"
After saying this, they glanced towards Liang Luo nearby, seeing her face turn pale with anger, which pleased them greatly.
"Don't bother looking, just hurry up and finish guessing to avoid embarrassing yourself!"
"Yes."
As the eldest among them and holding superior status, especially in terms of power and influence, when she spoke, Liang Luo had nothing to say in response. She immediately bent down to solve the riddle.
On the other side, Feng Jinyao received the riddle 'A lonely star gazes south as the moon rises.'
This was a bit difficult for her as she didn't have much expertise in solving riddles. She furrowed her brows, pondered for a moment, and then quickly wrote down the word 'Village.'
Xu Mingyue quickly guessed three riddles, and after finishing writing down the answers, she glanced down and saw the riddle and answer in Feng Jinyao's hands.
Her eyes lit up with pleasant surprise as she turned to Feng Jinyao and said, "Younger sister is so knowledgeable, I wouldn't even have thought of this answer myself."
"Miss Xu is too kind. You've guessed four, while I could only think of one. Clearly, you're more talented." Feng Jinyao replied modestly.
"Alright, let's save the compliments for later. Hurry up and guess, the others are almost finished." Bai Siruo urged, then quickly handed them the remaining riddles.
On the other side, the speed at which Wei Lanxuan and Bai Sihan guessed the riddles was neck and neck. When they both reached for the last riddle at the same time, Bai Sihan pretended to stumble as if she couldn't stand steady, and then Wei Lianxuan grabbed the riddle from her hand.
"Short spring day, one person far away, near the heart of the lake, the moon is close."
Wei Lanxuan finished reading the riddle, but couldn't come up with the answer. What could it be?
She looked towards Wen Liang, but they shook their heads together, unable to guess.
Seeing that Xu Mingyue had already finished writing down the final answer, Liang Luo became anxious. Could it be that they were going to lose?
Just then, Bai Sihan whispered in Wei Lianxuan's ear, "It's the erhu."
"Yes! Why didn't I think of that?" Wei Lanxuan's eyes lit up, immediately picking up the pen. However, she was just a bit too late. Xu Mingyue had already put down her pen and everyone present could attest to that fact.
The eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhengguo quickly compared the answers with the riddle master list, and soon the winner was determined.
"White and purple teams both guessed all ten riddles correctly, while the red team guessed nine, and the yellow team guessed seven. However, the white team finished first, so the winner of this riddle competition is the white team."
The results were announced, and no one disputed them. After all, Xu Mingyue's reputation as a talented woman was well known throughout the Great Jin Dynasty, and losing to her was not shameful.
Wei Lanxuan felt a little embarrassed, but quickly adjusted herself and stepped forward to congratulate them.
"I've heard my grandfather praise Elder Xu for her remarkable talent, but I didn't expect Miss Xu to be so capable as well. Wei Lanxuan admires you and I admit defeat with sincerity and respect."
She admitted graciously, which improved Bai Siruo's impression of her somewhat.
Unlike Wen Yuwei and Liang Luo beside her, one staring at her like a crow, the other glaring at Feng Jinyao like a venomous beast, as if they held some deep-seated resentment.
Xu Mingyue didn't decline their praise and nodded with a smile.
As for Bai Siruo, she couldn't help but add a playful comment, handing over a treasure to Xu Mingyue.
"Although I don't like your future sister-in-law, I've heard that Young Master Liang is quite decent. So, I offer this gift to congratulate you on your future marriage and wish you both a lifetime of happiness."
Her eyes were full of teasing, and Xu Mingyue chuckled, instantly dispelling the tension and seriousness that had prevailed just moments before.
"Decent? Indeed."
Indeed, the Liang family had put in a lot of effort into their reputation, as even Siruo, who rarely went out knew that he had a good reputation.
But Feng Jinyao couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
With such a sister and father, how could Liang Gongzi be a good person?
If he was truly a good person, how could he have caused the scandal of breaking off an engagement and remarrying? It had brought great shame to the Xu family.
Xu Mingyue was a genuine friend, so she naturally had to protect her from being harmed by that scoundrel. Breaking off the engagement was one thing, but it had to be the Xu family's decision.
As for that Liang Gongzi, he was surely waiting for his 'good reputation' to catch up with him!
Having devised a plan in her mind, Feng Jinyao didn't show it on her face, instead suggesting, "Why don't we go over there as well? Let's not make it difficult for our aunts if they need more help."
Bai Siruo nodded, as she hadn't forgotten that today was her grandmother's birthday. She would deal with her issues with others later.
Inside the warm pavilion, the banquet was in full swing.
The news of Madam Bai's sixtieth birthday was known even to His Majesty, who had specially sent a eunuch to deliver a congratulatory gift—a white jade ruyi left behind by the late emperor, along with a title of 'Madam Wisdom Ming' for Madam Bai, adding the word 'Wisdom' to her original title.
Thus, everyone congratulated the Bai family, feeling honored by the imperial favor and adding to their joy.
Only Feng Jinyao knew that this was just pouring oil on the fire.
Today was all about grandeur, but tomorrow would bring desolation.
Thinking of what the Emperor had done to the Bai family in her previous life, she couldn't help but feel disgusted as she looked at the white jade ruyi, it was glaringly ostentatious.
Suddenly, a burst of lively cheers caught Feng Jinyao's attention, causing her to furrow her brows.
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