Miss Truth
Chapter 362 - 228: Righteous Army Staff_2

Chapter 362: Chapter 228: Righteous Army Staff_2

After Li Yuan ascended the throne, he named his daughter Princess Pingyang, a homophonic representation of "Peaceful Poplar," signifying that she was one of the chief meritorious officials in pacifying the Sui Dynasty. As a former military strategist at the rebel camp, Old Lady Li only accepted a first-grade imperial title during the Wude era and then retired behind the scenes.

Ran Yan sighed, grateful that she hadn’t actually presented a birthday gift in public—otherwise, with those penetrating eyes that see through the affairs of the world, her intentions would have been clear as day. In front of such a person, it was difficult to take the initiative; it all came down to luck.

Upon arriving at the banquet hall, they could tell from the outside that the male and female guests were seated on separate sides, men to the left and women to the right, with a sheer curtain dividing the women’s section. They could enter through a side door without having to go through the main entrance.

Just as Ran Yan had imagined, a crowd of court officials surrounded Old Lady Li with birthday congratulations. The two of them entered through the side door, stealthily hugging the wall and slipped into the room. After spotting where Mrs. Luo and Ran Meiyu were, they quickly walked over, heads down.

"Is everything in place?" Mrs. Luo asked in a low voice, turning her head.

Ran Yan softly hummed in affirmation.

Mrs. Luo glanced at Ran Yun, who was smiling and nodding. Only then did her heart, which had been held in suspense, settle down, and her expression became even more natural than before.

The afternoon court officials had to go to their government offices, so after delivering congratulatory phrases and exchanging a few pleasantries, they hustled out one after another. The atmosphere in the banquet hall became noticeably more relaxed than before.

The feast began with music playing and dancers filing in through the doors on either side of the main entrance, twirling to the music in the center of the open floor.

All of this was very new to Ran Yan, so she watched with great interest even though she knew nothing about music or dance.

After a while, Ran Yan found it a bit dull; a song lasted for about half the time it takes to drink a small cup of tea, but there weren’t many different moves. The renowned Nichaoyu Dance would not appear for another few decades.

As the feast neared its end, the gentlemen suggested playing a poetry game with "birthday felicitations" as the theme. Old Lady Li loved poetry, so she was naturally pleased to receive such birthday tributes.

Ran Yan felt bitter inside. If it were her turn, she feared she would embarrass herself in front of all of Chang’an!

She racked her brain but couldn’t recall even half a line of a birthday poem...

Fortunately, it was primarily the gentlemen participating, with the learned ladies occasionally offering a few poems. Everyone was rather cultured and polite, and no one deliberately made things difficult.

However, Mrs. Luo had no intention of stepping forward. Just like Ran Yan, she lowered her eyelids and occasionally sipped the drink in her cup.

On the surface, Ran Yan appeared calm, but inside she was extremely tense. She remembered one time during an on-the-scene investigation when the police discovered a trap set by the culprit: a timed bomb had been planted inside the room. The nervousness she felt now exceeded that of watching the bomb tick away second by second.

It was only when Old Lady Li showed signs of fatigue and everyone paused that Ran Yan finally sighed with relief. By then, more than ten birthday poems had been recited. Though Old Lady Li was tired, her demeanor was quite joyful, and after expressing her thanks, she excused herself and left first.

Ran Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She thought it was time to disperse, but to her surprise, the Zheng family had prepared a space for conversation and rest, inviting those without urgent matters to stay and sit for a while.

Not many people left, and Mrs. Luo naturally wouldn’t miss this good opportunity.

"Mother, why haven’t we seen the Princess?" Ran Yun asked softly.

Mrs. Luo shook her head and signaled for her to be quiet.

"May I ask if you are the Ran family from Suzhou?" Just as they were about to turn a corner, a crisp voice called out.

They all stopped and turned around. Mrs. Luo saw that the one who had spoken was a maid, but she was dressed very decently, not inferior to an ordinary lady. With a dignified smile on her face, she responded, "Indeed we are."

The maid’s gaze shifted, briefly sweeping over Ran Yun, Ran Yan, and Ran Meiyu, and then with a beaming smile, she asked, "Could you tell me which of you is Ran Shiqi?"

Ran Yan hesitated for a moment before asking, "What does the young lady need from me?"

"My name is Qiu Mo. My mistress has requested a word with Ran Shiqi," responded Qiu Mo with a smile and a respectful bow to Ran Yan.

Everyone was a bit surprised, with Ran Yan also slightly puzzled. She hadn’t yet had time to notify the Old Lady about the letter copy—could it be that Yu Shixian let it slip, or had the steward specifically reported the matter?

In an instant, numerous possibilities crossed Ran Yan’s mind. She glanced at Mrs. Luo, who smiled and nodded, and then turned to say, "Please lead the way."

As Ran Yan turned, her gaze inadvertently caught Ran Meiyu and Ran Yun. Ran Yun’s face was full of joy while Ran Meiyu turned her head away with a pout. Ran Yan felt that something was amiss, but there was no time to ponder, and she followed Qiu Mo.

Ran Yun’s voice followed softly, "What happened to your leg?"

"I tripped just now..." Ran Meiyu replied.

As they moved further away, Ran Yan could no longer clearly hear the conversation behind her.

"Miss Qiu Mo, may I ask why the Old Lady has summoned me?" Ran Yan knew a maid might not be privy to the details, but she still asked.

Qiu Mo had an amiable manner, and her slightly chubby face with baby fat framed two shallow dimples when she smiled, "I do not know. The Old Lady is currently speaking with Master Yu, and Sister Ling Dong is attending to her inside—it was she who ordered me to fetch you."

"Thank you," said Ran Yan as she continued toward the back of the western courtyard with Qiu Mo.

Qiu Mo replied with a modest "You’re welcome."

After navigating the winding narrow path, almost reaching the side door to the front courtyard, Qiu Mo finally stopped, "Please wait in the side chamber, madam. I will go ask Sister Ling Dong when the Old Lady is available to see you."

"Thank you for your trouble," said Ran Yan politely. She looked around; numerous maids stood with heads bowed along the corridor, and others were waiting in the cloister, prompt to serve. She stepped into the inner room. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian with a recommendation ticket or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)