Quick Transmigration: The Mad Beauty Refuses to Be the Scapegoat!-Chapter 402 - 24: The General Mansion’s Cast-Off Cannon Fodder Wife

Chapter 402: Chapter 24: The General Mansion’s Cast-Off Cannon Fodder Wife

When had Tie Yi ever bowed so low in his life?

After being rejected two or three times, he stopped seeking unnecessary trouble and silently turned his body away from Jiang Lai, avoiding the mysterious fragrance on her that unsettled his heart.

Upon arriving at their lodging, Tie Yi and Jiang Lai naturally had a room together.

Everyone participating in the spring hunt was required to rest in their rooms until the Emperor, Empress, and the concubines arrived to head to the spring hunting ground halfway up the mountain.

This was a bamboo house by the water. Although made entirely of bamboo, the interior was exquisitely decorated. The tables, chairs, and stools were crafted from high-quality bamboo peel using a special method, offering a cool sitting experience without being cold. A layer of soft bedding made lying down extremely comfortable.

Staring at the small bed in the room, Tie Yi put down his things expressionlessly and left the room, going directly to the person responsible for arranging accommodations.

"The bed is too small; my lady can’t get used to it. Please have it replaced with a larger wooden bed."

Seeing that it was Tie Yi, how could his request be denied? The attendant quickly made arrangements to replace the signature bamboo bed with a more commonly seen wooden bed, significantly larger and much sturdier.

Jiang Lai watched as the bamboo bed was replaced with a wooden one, more than double in size, with two additional layers of soft bedding. It was indeed softer than the bamboo bed.

After lunch, the Emperor and Empress were about to arrive, and everyone hurried to gather at the spring hunting ground.

Before them stood a stage made of stones, flanked by towering red drums. The high platform in front of the stage bore the seats for the Emperor, Empress, and concubines, while the sides were filled with tables and chairs for everyone else.

Jiang Lai found a bit of a secluded corner to sit. The table next to her was laden with fruits that ordinary people couldn’t usually enjoy.

Tie Yi, being in charge of escort duties, went early to the foot of the mountain to await the Emperor and Empress’s carriage.

By now, the place was bustling with familiar faces from the capital, mostly young people, either offspring of high-ranking officials or royalty. Although their status was high, there was still an order of precedence among them.

For example, the Emperor’s sons sat in the front row, while the children of ordinary officials occupied the back seats.

Yet everyone had acquaintances and exchanged laughter and chatter among themselves.

In particular, the seats in the center of the second row were occupied by a group of noble ladies from the capital, among whom Jiang Yu sat, accompanied by Xu Ruling. Each was dressed to the nines, evidently having expended considerable effort.

The Eighth Prince sat in the first row, sipping tea with a frown, still replaying the electrifying moment earlier, unable to calm his heart.

"Sixth Brother, that was Jiang Lai just now, did you see?"

The Sixth Prince nodded.

"It is her, I told you before, the article was originally hers, but later I found out she plagiarized her sister Jiang Yu’s work, gaining undeserved fame before us.

I even rewarded her with a chest of gold, taken from my private collection!"

The more the Eighth Prince thought about it, the angrier he became, eventually suppressing the earlier flutter in his heart, leaving only the ugly visage of plagiarism by Jiang Lai in his mind.

The Sixth Prince, however, smiled nonchalantly.

"A person lacking genuine talent will eventually be exposed, no need for irritation, there will be plenty of opportunities to teach her a lesson in life moving forward."

The Eighth Prince nodded.

"Indeed, I’ve already made arrangements; we cannot let this plagiarism trend continue! Wouldn’t it discourage those with real talent?

If it were me in Jiang Yu’s position, I would be furious and demanding an explanation by now, but she is magnanimous, saying she let it pass considering it’s her sister.

Both from the Marquis Mansion, but how different they are; one is stunningly talented, the other can’t even present herself properly."

What good is beauty when the mind is empty and the intentions are malicious?

Later, Little Buding faithfully relayed the conversation between the two to Jiang Lai.

He was now utterly in sync with Jiang Lai, sharing joy and sorrow, and hearing what they said, Little Buding was even angrier than Jiang Lai.

"Jiang Yu is so shameless, daring to claim all the benefits for herself."

"The piece was originally plagiarized, so it’s nothing to be angry about."

In any case, Jiang Lai wasn’t upset; she never allowed trivial matters to bother her, maintaining a steady mindset.

Little Buding admired Jiang Lai’s remarkable capacity to bear things, having never seen her falter or break down, as if she could handle anything with calm and composure.

"Even if it’s copied, in this world, it’s considered original! Besides, I helped you refine it, didn’t just copy it outright."

"Yes, thanks to you, what would I do without you, huh, I’m so fortunate to have such a good partner like you, what luck I have."

"Stop, stop, don’t flatter me! So insincere!"

Little Buding: Eh heh heh heh...

Soon the Emperor and Empress arrived and were seated in the center of attention on the highest observation platform.

The music started playing, and dozens of women in lake-blue dresses took to the stage to dance, with a woman in red in the center singing and dancing, her voice melodious and pleasant, and the tune beautiful and the lyrics even more moving.

After the performance, the Emperor first applauded, seemingly in a very good mood, and asked proactively.

"The song just now was excellent, the lyrics particularly moving, speaking of a young lady’s thoughts on the seasons, yet between the lines, there was a sense of reflection on our country and the world. Good lyrics, good lyrics!"

At this moment, the Eighth Prince stood up voluntarily, glanced back at Jiang Lai, and raised his voice.

"Replying to Father, the lyrics were recently circulated from my Bright Moon Building, and the author is sitting among us right now."

The Emperor’s interest was piqued.

"Oh, who is this talented individual? Stand up and let me see."

The Eighth Prince looked at Jiang Lai.

"Miss Jiang from the Marquis Mansion, please stand up and let everyone see. ’Wind and Moon Poems’ was penned by her and has been widely circulated among the people recently.

Miss Jiang’s talent truly impresses me."

Everyone’s gaze shifted uniformly, without exception, all were shocked, those who knew Jiang Lai even more so with disbelief.

"Why is Jiang Lai standing? Could it be she wrote this poem?" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"How could it be her? There is only one Miss Jiang renowned across the land, and that’s Jiang Yu. How could an unknown Jiang Lai possess such talent?"

Whispers arose from below, and the sisters who grew up playing with Jiang Yu were especially incredulous.

"’Wind and Moon Poem’ was written by Jiang Lai? Is that possible? Did the Eighth Prince make a mistake?"

"If you said Sister Yu wrote it, I would believe it, but Jiang Lai? Come on, that’s impossible."

Jiang Yu silently watched the front, her composed and gracious demeanor drew admiration from the crowd.

"When it comes to talented women, it has to be Jiang Yu from the Jiang Family, no doubt."

"I’ve heard ’Wind and Moon Poems’ too, it indeed requires great skill, could it really have been written by Jiang Lai?"

"Regardless of authenticity, a simple comparison would reveal the truth."