Mister Shan gave a slight nod towards Ye Zhen's direction before he set his gaze towards the flaming Princess Liu Hua. He looked at her with indifference which made Princes Liu Hua more frustrated.
She was also a student of the Women's College. So why then hasn't she heard of Mister Shan's name? Even if she felt angry, she was able to resist lashing out, for the sake of reputation she had to look after.
Mister Shan gave a courtesy to the ladies. "Ladies, you are all looking well! After years of absence, you have become even more elegant and young."
Flaming faces of the ladies, young and old, were soon hidden behind their fancy fans.
"When did you come back, Mister Shan?" Madam Wu asked coquettishly.
"I've been back for some days now and I wanted to come meet the ladies. I send you many thanks for your generous hospitality." Mister Shan replied before his eyes fell on Ye Zhen's calm face.
Just now, he saw the scene under the bamboo shed. Somehow, he felt more and more inclined to the fact that Lu Yaoyao was very much like his former student. But another part of him told him that the third miss would not deliberately imitate Ye Zhen in both manner and appearance.
Besides, Lu Yaoyao had never seen Ye Zhen before for she lived her whole life in the Border town.
Is there really such a coincidence in this world, for both people to seem so alike?
"It is said that Mister Shan has a reputation of being very prestigious and never takes in students quite easily. I didn't expect to receive a merchant's daughter today. It seems that the rumors about him are not true." Princess Liu Hua was unwilling to see Lu family being held in regard like this, and her being thrown in pits of defeat!
"Perhaps Mister Shan has lowered his standards or maybe he had decided to come in their favor after their status differed?"
Mister Shan looked at her lightly. "If the Princess Liu Hua knows that the Lu family is different now, why should she make remarks to provoke them?"
Princess Liu Hua pointed to Ye Zhen and asked, "The princess of this country would like to know how a merchant's daughter can be at par with late Wang Fei Ye Zhen and Zhao Yang? And how can she be deemed eligible in Mister Shan's eyes to be his student?"
When Ye Zhen heard her name in the words of Princess Liu Hua, her eyes flashed slightly with gloom and she looked up silently. Mister Shan appeared to be contemplating his next words, but he soon gave a soft smile before speaking.
"I accept students when I see the potential I wanted. It's true, Yaoyao is incomparable to the other two students, she has only read **Thousand Character Classic, but when she enters the college, you will know why she became my student."
**T/N : Thousand Character Classic – is a Chinese poem that has been used as a primer for teaching Chinese characters to children from the sixth century onward.
Princess Liu Hua smiled condescendingly, "Are you telling me that she wants to enter the college after reading only A thousand Character Classic? Mister Shan, are you kidding me? "
The moment he accepted Ye Zhen in answer to his master's whim, Mister Shan decided that he was taking it upon himself to prove that his reputation of having an eye for great students and being sought after by those who aspired to be his students were not for naught.
"She will be training for half a month. After that, we'll know if I am wrong or not."
"That's really something to look forward to." The Princess of Liu Hua looked at Ye Zhen contemptuously and thought, how talented this woman really was to have caught Mister Shan's eye?
It was a ridiculous to think that she had only learned A thousand Character Classic and nothing more! Princess Liu Hua learned it just short after she left the crib! And now, Lu Yaoyao stood unaffected before everyone, thinking that the women's college was a place where she belonged.
Truly, all the Lu girls are too ambitious for their own good, Princess Liu said in her mind with disgust.
By this time, Ye Zhen felt anxious and her heart was in distress. If she doubted before, now she is certain that Mister Shan was not a person who wanted to argue with others who questioned his judgement.
But today, he was uncharacteristically trying to make her famous in the capital.
But why was he doing this? Why did Mister Shan want to make Lu Yaoyao as a thorn in the side of all these reputable people?
To do so in a such a way is unthinkable, didn't he know that if Lu Yao were to fail in entering the women's college, then he will lose face?
Mister Shan would lose his reputation and might even be unable to gain a foothold in the capital!
It seemed to everyone that Mister Shan had gambled with his own reputation.
Ye Zhen looked at Mister Shan but saw that he was just smiling peacefully and seemed to have great confidence in her abilities.
Seeing that the atmosphere was somewhat heavy and tensed, the gracious host Madam Wu smiled and said, "This year's chrysanthemum blossoms has been very lovely. Why don't we go and enjoy the chrysanthemum?"
"That's a good suggestion," Old Madam Lu was aware of the stares of the people who looked down upon them secretly and who kept their distaste in their hearts. In return, she also disdained to deal with these kind of two-faced people.
It was better to enjoy the flowers and be at ease someplace else than here.
However, Second and Fourth Miss Lu didn't have the heart to leave, so they excused themselves and decided to stay behind to talk and socialize with the girls from other families. Ye Zhen held Old Madam Lu's hand, and assisted the later out of the bamboo shed.
The group haven't walk more than just a few steps, when they heard a shrill voice announcing,
"The Wang Fei has arrived!"
Ye Zhen held Madam Lu's hand in surprise, a chill ran down her spine. The anger that she suppressed in her heart was starting to boil, roaring like a wild animal ready to leap out of her chest.
Long-lost memories come to mind like spring water rushing out.
"Thank you eldest brother, you were able to gain Ye Zhen's trust that she even confided her past with the emperor to you. If not for that, will the emperor ever think that I was that little girl who saved him?"
"Fortunately, I got her jade pendant in time. Ye Zhen is dead and everyone believes she committed suicide."
"If she's now in heaven and see how the emperor dotes on me now, she must have been vomiting blood out of envy!"
"All that matters is that you, Shuang'er is the Wang Fei and not her anymore."
Ye Zhen's mind is filled with memories of those two years that passed with her being a roaming ghost. She watched Lu Wushuang own her jade pendant instead of her. She watched her being loved by Mo Rongzhan and how she laughed at Ye Zhen's incompetence and stupidity when no one was around.
The most foolish thing she did in her life was not only trusting Lu Lingzhi, but also marrying Mo Rongzhan!
Aware of the sudden tensing of Ye Zhen beside her, Old Madam Lu thought she maybe was too nervous and smiled to appease her, "The Wang Fei is your cousin's own sister. There's nothing to be afraid of."
"Grandma, I am…I am afraid I may displease the Wang Fei." Ye said in a faint voice.
At first, Ye Zhen doubted whether Lu Wushuang still remembered her appearance. She and Lu Wushuang's status was very different then.
They were only seven years old when they met once in Baihua and since then, they never met again.
Lu Wushuang couldn't possibly recognize her. Ye Zhen found it amusing that Lu Wushuang had gained a place in Mo Rongzhan's heart by using the knowledge of Ye Zhen's rescue of him.
In fact, she did not tell Lu Lingzhi that much and so, it was not difficult to expose Lu Wushuang's true face. But she did not want to have anything to do with Mo Rongzhan anymore.
She didn't even want Mo Rongzhan to know that it was her that had saved him.
Yes, when she was still ill and couldn't meet him, she buried a wooden box with her belongings in the place where she had saved him. She does not know if those things were still buried there, if the box was still there, she must go there, find and destroy it.
Mo Rongzhan no longer deserves her heart.
Old Madam Lu returned to the bamboo shed. Everyone bowed, knelt down and greeted Lu Wushuang. Ye Zhen gritted her teeth and bit back her anger, holding it down her throat. She willed herself to kneel down along with Old Madam Lu.
Once her knees touched the ground, she immediately felt the spreading of a terrible pain, but not from the discomfort of her knees kissing the rough ground but the pain she felt in her heart like needles piercing.
She knelt down in front of the woman who delivered her to her demise.
She felt great hatred but she could only endure. It was only Ye Zhen who knows what it was like, to feel such pain. . .