Chapter 65: Overbearing and Headstrong

Tang Zhaozhao could not help but twitch the corner of her mouth once again.
She had originally wanted to find a quiet place to properly check the pulse of her godmother, Lin Guanguan.
What a truly restless bunch!
With a sideways movement, she hid behind the rockery.

Murong Bo had seen Tang Zhaozhao walking in this direction.
Yet after searching a circle, he could not find anyone at all.
He had originally intended to engineer a chance encounter to get closer to Tang Zhaozhao.
As Murong Bo walked to within about a meter of the rockery, he heard someone calling his name from behind.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, wait for me."

Murong Bo turned around in puzzlement and saw Tang Yuntao jogging up from behind.
His face instantly darkened.
Strictly speaking, his entanglement with Tang Yuntao was purely a misunderstanding.
Had he known beforehand, how could Murong Bo have deliberately approached her!

Tang Yuntao had finally found an opportunity to see the Crown Prince alone, and her entire heart was exceptionally excited.
Running all the way, she was completely out of breath.
After finally steadying her breathing,
Tang Yuntao tidied her clothes before speaking softly to Murong Bo.
"Why has Your Highness suddenly stopped talking to me?"

Her tone carried a hint of grievance.
Clearly, it was the Crown Prince who had been good to her first.
Yet how could he change his attitude so abruptly?
This was something Tang Yuntao could never figure out.
Therefore, seeing the Crown Prince suddenly leave the banquet, she followed without a second thought.

Tang Zhaozhao leaned against the rockery, eating melons and watching the drama.
She wanted to say that she had not actively sought out this gossip.
It was primarily delivered right to her doorstep.
Then, Tang Yuntao's voice, carrying a faint hint of tears, reached her ears again.
"Your Highness, please tell Yuntao, is there something Yuntao did to make you angry?
If you tell Yuntao, I can change."

Crown Prince Murong Bo felt a surge of impatience upon seeing her like this.
He moved his lips, wanting to say something.
However, admitting that he had mistaken her for someone else was simply too difficult for Murong Bo to say aloud.

Just at that moment, another figure darted out briskly.
Who else could it be but Xie Tingyao.
Xie Tingyao rushed to the side of Crown Prince Murong Bo.
Pointed at Tang Yuntao and scolded her unceremoniously.
"What kind of thing are you! How dare you come and seduce Crown Prince Brother."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yuntao instantly swallowed back the tears welling in her eyes.
She subconsciously defended herself.
"I did no such thing! Don't talk nonsense!"

Xie Tingyao, however, sneered.
"Still dare to say you didn't, then why did you sneakily follow Crown Prince Brother out?"

Tang Yuntao wanted to explain, biting her lip as she looked toward Crown Prince Murong Bo.
She hoped the other would help explain a thing or two for her.
Yet when Xie Tingyao also popped out, Crown Prince Murong Bo's face grew even darker.

Xie Tingyao detested these cheap women who burst into tears at the drop of a hat.
Each and every one of them was accustomed to putting on an act in front of her Crown Prince Brother.
"Tang Yuntao, compared to Tang Zhaozhao's lack of pretense, you are truly utterly disgraceful.
Weeping and wailing like that, making it look as though I bullied you."

This sudden praise caused Tang Zhaozhao, hiding behind the rockery, to twitch her eyes slightly.
Was Xie Tingyao praising her?
Tang Zhaozhao decided that she was indeed praising her; not bad, quite a good eye.

Humiliated, Tang Yuntao let her tears instantly roll down.
This only made Xie Tingyao even more furious.
Just as she wanted to say more,
Crown Prince Murong Bo suddenly let out a stern reprimand.
"Stop arguing!"

He looked at Tang Yuntao and said,
"Lady Tang, what happened before was merely because I showed you some consideration for General Tang's sake. Do not misunderstand in the future."

Hearing Murong Bo reject Tang Yuntao, Xie Tingyao instantly felt happy.
Yet she did not expect Murong Bo to turn his gaze to her as well.
"Yaoyao, regarding the matter between you and this Prince, leave your father aside—even your aunt would not agree. In the future, you had better not grow close to this Prince again."

Murong Bo had just finished these two sentences and was about to leave.
When suddenly he heard a cry of "Ah!"
A woman tumbled to the ground from behind a tree not far away.
Just in time to meet their gazes head-on.

This person was none other than Zhao Mengyue, who had followed last.
She raised her head, met three pairs of eyes, and smiled awkwardly.
Meanwhile, Tang Zhaozhao, hiding in the shadows, tossed two other pebbles in her hand and likewise revealed a smile.

Zhao Mengyue had been hiding nicely behind a tree when something suddenly struck her lower leg.
The pain caused her to involuntarily gasp, and she stumbled awkwardly to the ground.
Upon seeing this, Crown Prince Murong Bo's face turned from dark to livid.
With a resentful flick of his sleeves, he turned and left directly.

Seeing this, Xie Tingyao glared fiercely at Tang Yuntao and Zhao Mengyue before hurrying after him.
Compared to Xie Tingyao's thick-skinned resilience after being rejected, Tang Yuntao's tears were currently falling in torrents.
Only she knew in her heart how aggrieved she felt.
Why the Crown Prince had seemingly become a completely different person was something she could never fathom.

Zhao Mengyue rubbed her lower leg as she stood up, the pain radiating from her leg making her wince.
She raised her head and looked around, but could not spot anyone else nearby.
Hearing Tang Yuntao's sobs, her eyes rolled.
Then she limped her way over to Tang Yuntao's side.

Although heartbroken, Tang Yuntao heard someone approaching and hurriedly wiped her eyes with a sniffle.
"Yuntao sister, don't be sad."

Hearing Zhao Mengyue's voice, Tang Yuntao looked at her with reddened eyes.
Pouting her little mouth, she said,
"I don't need your fake kindness."

Zhao Mengyue put on the expression of someone whose good intentions were unappreciated.
"Why is Yuntao sister venting your anger on me? With Crown Prince Highness's status, how could it ever be something people like you and me can presume to climb up to?"

Hearing this, Tang Yuntao glared at Zhao Mengyue.
"Your status is low so naturally you aren't a match, but my father is an official in the capital. Don't lump me together with you for comparison."

Although Tang Yuntao's words sounded harsh, they were nonetheless the truth.
Zhao Mengyue was so angry she almost failed to maintain her expression.
She cursed inwardly at this fool who actually used her social standing to suppress her.
So what if you have a father who is an official in the capital!
I am the female protagonist; proud noble daughters like you will only have room to look up to me in the future.

Suppressing her dissatisfaction,
Zhao Mengyue chimed in verbally.
"What Yuntao sister says is true. But when it comes to status, none of us can compare to Zhaozhao cousin, can we?
With her status, she is the only undisputed choice for Crown Prince consort."

Hearing this, Tang Zhaozhao's eyes darkened in the shadows.

Tang Yuntao naturally knew that compared to Tang Zhaozhao, she indeed fell short.
However, Tang Zhaozhao was simply a lunatic; how could His Highness the Crown Prince possibly take a fancy to someone so vulgar and unrefined?
Therefore, facing Zhao Mengyue's insinuations, she did not read any deeper into it.

"Zhao Mengyue, don't think that just because you managed to show your face at Xie's palace banquet, the Empress Dowager truly thinks highly of you.
With your background, wishing to become the primary wife is pure wishful thinking.
Even if you become a secondary consort, you are merely basking in the light of our Tang family."

Zhao Mengyue was so infuriated by Tang Yuntao's sudden, unprovoked remark that she felt like vomiting blood.
She had intended to seize the opportunity to win the other over so that this fool Tang Yuntao could be of use to her.
In that way, moving things forward in the General's Estate would become much easier.
Yet she never expected to be inexplicably mocked instead.

Tang Zhaozhao almost laughed out loud.
Tang Yuntao was straightforward to a fault, wearing all her thoughts on her face.
This was largely because the household had always been managed by Madam Zhou.
Even though Tang Wen had concubines, they had all been disciplined into complete submission, and none dared to stir up trouble.
Naturally, Tang Yuntao had also developed an arrogant temperament.

However, what on earth was this Zhao Mengyue trying to do?
Compared to her brainless cousin, this female cousin had never left Tang Zhaozhao with a very good impression since their very first meeting.