Chapter 19 Is she the fool herself?
Half an hour later, the gate of the Grand Tutor Wang's residence in the capital was packed with people, three layers deep, making it impossible to move.
A simple, unadorned horse-drawn carriage was parked at the entrance of an alley not far away.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and three heads peeked out.
All three of them changed into ordinary people's clothes.
Yuan Hua wore an elegant blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with only a jade hairpin in her hair, making her look like a dignified and wealthy lady.
Lin Xiang changed out of his official robes and put on a moon-white long gown, his dark hair tied up with a matching ribbon.
He has lost some of the majesty of the imperial court, but gained more of the dashing elegance of a refined gentleman in a turbulent world.
The little bundle he was holding was so adorable that you just wanted to pinch it.
Yu Zhaoning was wearing a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her hair was combed into two round buns tied with red ropes, making her look like a lucky doll that had stepped out of a New Year's painting.
"Grandmother, Prime Minister Lin, let's go down quickly!"
Yu Zhaoning clung to the car window, her short legs kicking anxiously.
[If we wait any longer, the melon will get cold! My mission is about to begin!]
Yuan Hua and Lin Xiang exchanged a glance, both seeing the same helplessness in each other's eyes.
Prime Minister Lin got out of the car first and held the little empress firmly in his arms.
Yuan Hua followed closely behind, while Cui'er and several other palace maids, disguised as servants, followed behind with their heads bowed.
After a difficult struggle, the group finally squeezed into the crowd. The sight before them made even Yuan Hua, who was used to seeing big scenes, twitch at the corner of his eye.
Above the vermilion gate of the Prince's mansion, a thick hemp rope was hanging, tied in a tight knot.
Below the rope was a young woman wearing a pink dress.
She was standing on a rickety stool, holding a dark memorial tablet in one hand and a noose around her neck with the other, weeping with tears streaming down her face.
"Don't come any closer! If anyone dares to come closer, I'll kill myself!"
Wang Taifu's legitimate daughter, Wang Jiaoniang, spoke in a mournful voice.
What she was holding in her arms was the ancestral tablet of the Wang family.
The servants surrounded her, pacing anxiously, but none of them dared to take a step forward.
Just then, an angry voice came from outside the crowd.
"Get out of my way! All of you, get out of my way!"
Everyone turned around and saw that Grand Tutor Wang, supported by several servants, pushed through the crowd and stumbled in.
When he saw the scene on the gate, he swayed and almost fainted on the spot.
"Jiaoniang! You, you're so foolish!"
Old Master Wang pointed at his daughter, his hand trembling as if he had Parkinson's disease.
"My son! How could you threaten to hang yourself here for the sake of a poor, pedantic scholar!"
He beat his chest and stamped his feet, tears streaming down his face.
"Listen to your father, quick! Lower the rope immediately! Also, be careful with our ancestral tablets, don't let them fall!"
"I'll find you someone better in the future! That poor, pedantic scholar is definitely not a good match!"
The surrounding people also started discussing it.
"Oh dear, what's going on now?"
"I think this is the eighteenth time Miss Wang is going to attempt suicide!" a middle-aged woman carrying a bag of pork shouted.
A young man selling steamed buns nearby immediately chimed in: "Auntie, your information is outdated! This isn't the eighteenth time, it's the eighteenth man causing trouble!"
"My goodness!" The pork butcher's eyes widened like saucers.
"This girl is too amazing! She changes her every time she causes trouble? I slaughter pigs every day and I don't have her energy!"
Another onlooker, always eager for drama, asked, "So, which handsome young man is it for this time?"
"Hey! A handsome young man indeed!" The pancake vendor said with a disdainful look.
"I heard this is all because of a poor, pedantic scholar living in a dilapidated temple in the south of the city! I don't know where those people get their power; each one of them can make our Grand Tutor's daughter want to die!"
In the crowd, fearing that the little emperor would be jostled, Prime Minister Lin simply used a little force to lift the little bundle in his arms, letting her sit steadily on his shoulders.
The view suddenly opened up!
Yu Zhaoning happily wiggled her little feet.
[Wow! I didn't expect Lin Xiangxiang, who looks so slender, to have such broad shoulders! It's just the right size for me to sit in!!]
This childish, innocent voice made Lin Xiang feel somewhat uneasy.
He kept a straight face, his eyes fixed straight ahead, as if he were just an emotionless observation pillar.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Old Master Wang, who had just finished speaking with great grief, suddenly froze.
This familiar sentiment...
Oh no! Why did His Majesty follow us here?!
He turned around abruptly and frantically searched through the crowd.
Old Master Wang was still frantically trying to comfort himself.
It's alright, it's alright. His Majesty is young, it's normal for him to be a little playful.
As long as His Majesty comes alone, the other officials certainly won't come. As long as those people can't hear His Majesty's thoughts, this matter won't escalate much today!
He turned his head as he thought about it.
Then, he met a gaze that looked at him with a serious expression.
Lin Xiang?
Old Master Wang's heart skipped a beat.
Before he could recover, he saw the wealthy lady next to Prime Minister Lin, who was looking at him with a half-smile.
He would recognize that face even if it were reduced to ashes!
The Empress Dowager?!
Old Master Wang's vision went black, and he almost fainted.
What made him even more desperate was that, out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to catch a glimpse of several familiar figures in a corner of the crowd.
Isn't that the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel? Isn't that the Minister of Revenue? And that one...
My goodness! Even the Imperial Censor was hiding there with his hands in his pockets, watching the spectacle!
This time it's completely over!
From now on, the Wang family's affairs will probably become the laughing stock of the entire capital!
Sure enough, the next second, that deadly thought resounded loudly in his mind again.
[Here it comes! The main event is about to begin!]
[Tsk tsk tsk, hanging herself while holding her ancestral tablet, this Sister Wang is truly ruthless! Isn't she the very Wang Baochuan that the Empress Dowager spoke of!]
[My grandmother once said that the ultimate consequence of being love-struck is digging for wild vegetables! I wonder if this lady will also go digging for wild vegetables in the future?]
Old Master Wang broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.
Who was Wang Baochuan? And what's the story behind her digging for wild vegetables?
He couldn't understand it, but he was deeply moved!
Just then, Wang Jiaoniang, who was crying and agitated in front of the gate, suddenly stopped.
Holding the memorial tablet, she stood on a stool and looked around warily.
strangeness.
She thought she just heard a soft, babyish voice, which immediately echoed in her mind.
What did that voice just say?
Are people with love-struck minds going to dig for wild vegetables?
Love-struck...
What is it again?
As Wang Jiaoniang was pondering this, that childlike yet bewitching voice echoed directly in her mind...
They started singing!
[Alas, poor Wang Baochuan, defying her father's wishes to marry a poor man, enduring eighteen years of hardship in a cold cave! Every day she dug for and ate wild vegetables, oh dear!]
That little voice sang off-key, the tune going in all directions, yet every single word pierced her ears with crystal clarity.
[As a result, her husband returned with a new concubine, and Baochuan passed away, watching helplessly as her husband ascended to a high position!]
Wang Jiaoniang: "..."
A crack appeared in her expression.
What kind of nonsense is this?
Why does it sound so much like an insult?
Before she could react, the voice turned around and continued singing, this time the lyrics left her completely dumbfounded.
[Oh dear, just as there was Wang Baochuan in ancient times, there is now Wang Jiaoniang! Let's all be love-struck and dig for wild vegetables together! Dig, dig, oh~]
In the crowd, Yuan Hua couldn't help but burst out laughing.
She quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief, but her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably.
Lin Xiang remained expressionless, but the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his true feelings.
As for Grand Tutor Wang, he has completely given up on managing his facial expressions.
His old face turned a deep purplish-red, his lips trembled, and he tried to say something but couldn't utter a single word.
His family's affairs not only became a laughing stock, but were also set to music!
Now the whole capital will know that Wang An's daughter is a love-struck fool who's going to go dig for wild vegetables with some random guy!
In front of the Prince's Mansion, Wang Jiaoniang, who was holding a memorial tablet, standing on a stool, and preparing to sacrifice herself for love, suddenly calmed down.
She stopped crying.
They stopped making a fuss.
Even the expression of wanting to die had completely disappeared.
She seems to be...
I'm starting to understand what that voice in my head meant by "love-struck brain."
Wang Baochuan, who defied her father's orders for a man, endured eighteen years of hardship in a cold cave, and ultimately met a tragic end...
Isn't this the future she envisioned?
She was willing to break with her father for the sake of that talented scholar, Zhang.
She even planned to use her dowry to support her father's education after his death, to eat meager meals with him, and to wait for him to pass the imperial examination with flying colors...
so...
Is she the fool?