With the wedding fast approaching and Yuelan not feeling like going out because of her period, she informed all of the princes she would be spending her time preparing to attend the wedding of the first princess, Xiong Liling. The cloth pads used in Longuo made her uncomfortable, so she headed back to Kilin and stayed in the library there until her monthly torment from mother nature had ended before returning to her residence and preparing for the wedding in earnest.
With Granny Bing Mei and all three of her personal maids in tow, Yuelan spent several days going through nearly every shop in the capital, including all the shops she owned, to find a suitable wedding gift for the bride and groom.
Inside an antique store, Yuelan studied a matching set of paintings and a porcelain vase, all three of which had been created as a set by the same artist. She wasn’t sure if the artist was famous or valuable, but the paintings and vase were beautiful and Yuelan felt they would be a suitable gift for Liling and her general. After spending a few more minutes deciding, Yuelan gestured to the set and looked over to the shopkeeper. “I’d like to take these,” she informed him.
Before the shopkeeper could speak up a young woman dressed in bright yellow interrupted. “I saw this set first and have already decided to purchase it,” she insisted. “It’s mine.”
Yuelan felt the other girl looked familiar and she frowned a little as she tried to place where she had seen her and what her name was. After a couple of seconds she managed to remember. “Oh, it’s Miss Wang,” she said, her tone pleasant. “I’m sorry, but I made the request of the shopkeeper first.”
Wang Chunming frowned and her eyes narrowed at Yuelan. “Oh, so you do know who I am. Who do you think you are, trying to take something that belongs to me, a daughter of the first wife of a prime minister and the eldest young miss of the right prime minister’s manor?”
“It seems Miss Wang has forgotten our meeting at the cherry blossom viewing,” Yuelan answered calmly. “Even though it was Miss Wang who challenged me to compete with our guzhengs.” She gave the other girl a polite smile.
Wang Chunming snorted. “A nobody from nowhere who claims to be the daughter of a prime minister in some country nobody has ever heard of before. Who are you to challenge me? You’re probably just an orphan Lord Long picked up on the streets and made up a story for to give you some presentability.” Her tone was scathing and she flicked a lock of dark brown hair over her shoulder as she lifted her chin.
“The country is called Kilin,” Yuelan politely reminded Wang Chunming. “And this has nothing to do with purchasing the paintings and vase.” She turned to look at the shopkeeper. “My maid, Camphor, will supply the taels. Please have it delivered to my Crystal Moon Residence in the next two hours.”
The shopkeeper started to open his mouth, but he was again cut off by Wang Chunming. “How dare you? I told you, I am purchasing these paintings and that vase! What do you even know about the artist? Probably nothing at all! How could you appreciate the value of what you’re purchasing?”
Yuelan smiled and ignored the irate prime minister’s daughter, instead keeping her attention on the shopkeeper. “Please. I still have a few more stops to make before I return home, but I’d like these delivered as soon as possible.”
The shopkeeper didn’t bother trying to speak this time. He saluted politely and went to start moving the items.
Wang Chungming let out an enraged shriek. “What are you doing?! I said I was purchasing these items! How could you sell them to this floozy?!”
“Perhaps Miss Wang should be mindful of her face,” Yuelan suggested in a kind tone. “There are other customers and more outside. Such words and actions would not benefit your prime minister’s estate at all.”
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The other girl’s dark eyes flashed and she lifted a hand, bringing it down to slap Yuelan.
Yuelan could have resisted, but she happened to see a certain someone entering the shop and let the blow land on her cheek instead. The slap was harder than she’d anticipated and the stinging pain on her fair-skinned cheek caused a few tears to well in her eyes.
The noise attracted the attention of the person who had just entered and he looked over, his eyes darkening when he saw Yuelan’s fair cheek had a red mark in the shape of a handprint on it. “What happened?” Guangfeng demanded, arriving in front of the two girls in just a few steps.
Wang Chunming looked startled, then quickly tried to cover up the issue with a story. “This horrible miss was making inappropriate comments about Your Highness and the other princes,” she lied. “I slapped her to teach her that what she was saying should not be said!”
Guangfeng’s eyes went from Yuelan’s red cheek to Wang Chunming. “I was not asking you, Miss Wang,” he said bluntly. “Be silent.” His eyes moved on to the shopkeeper as Wang Chunming frowned in confusion. The third prince had an aura about him that he had never seemed to have before. “Speak.”
The shopkeeper dropped to his knees to salute Guangfeng. “Your Highness the third prince, this young miss here offered to purchase this set of two paintings and a vase made by the artist Bolang. She is prepared to pay and has already made arrangements, but Miss Wang came over and insisted that the vase and paintings belong to her and started making accusations against this miss,” he explained.
The third prince turned his hard, hazel eyes to Yuelan and they softened as he reached out to gently brush her red cheek with the tips of his fingers. “Are you alright, Miss Long?” he asked gently. “Is what the shopkeeper said true?”
“I’m fine,” Yuelan answered, lifting her hand to brush his away. “It was only one slap. And yes, that is what happened. I am trying to purchase these items for Liling’s wedding gift, but Miss Wang came over and started shouting for no reason.” She tilted her head to the side and gave him an innocent looking smile. “But Your Highness, I don’t understand a word that Miss Wang used. What is a floozy?”
Guangfeng’s expression immediately darkened and he turned his eyes to Miss Wang. “You would insult the young woman chosen by the emperor himself to become the next crown princess by calling her a prostitute?” he demanded furiously. “You would accuse the ward of Lord Long He of being a flashy woman with loose morals? You would insult the imperial family by making such allegations against someone chosen to become the wife of a prince?”
Wang Chunming’s expression paled and she quickly dropped to her knees in a deep salute. “Your Highness the third prince, I said no such thing!” she protested. “M-miss Long is lying to you!”
The third prince turned to look at Granny Bing Mei. “Granny Bing. You have served in the palace and are known for your loyalty to the imperial family. Who is telling the truth?”
The old woman smiled. “Miss Long is, of course. Could she ask Your Highness to define a word she had never heard before?”
Xiong Guangfeng raised his hands and clapped twice. Two guards immediately came forward and saluted. “Take Miss Wang back to the right prime minister’s manor and inform her father of what has happened. Tell him that if he does not properly discipline his daughter and teach her the rules then this prince will send a granny from the palace to do it.”
The guards nodded then each grabbed one of Wang Chunming’s arms and dragged her out of the store. The girl seemed too stunned and frightened to try to resist them and her face was chalk white.
Guangfeng turned to Yuelan. “I believe you have medicine in your residence to ease the pain in your cheek and bring down the swelling?” he asked, his green-flecked, brown eyes softening again.
“I do,” Yuelan assured him. The corners of her small mouth turned down in a frown and she pouted a little. “I was going to do some more shopping while I was out, but if the swelling is really that bad I suppose I’ll have to go home and take care of my face first…”
The third prince gave her a helpless smile. “I’m glad to see you’re recovered from the last time we met,” he tells her. “What were you shopping for? Perhaps I can help?”
Yuelan waved her hand. “Nothing really. I just wanted to keep looking around.”
“Would you like me to send you home?” Guangfeng offered.
“No, I have my carriage nearby,” Yuelan answered. She turned to Camphor. “Settle things with the shopkeeper and I’ll wait for you in the carriage,” she instructed.
Camphor stepped toward the shopkeeper, gave him a charming smile, and started discussing the price and the delivery of the paintings and vase as Yuelan headed out of the antique shop and toward her nearby carriage.
Guangfeng watched Yuelan go with a helpless look on his face.