TSNCWEM Chapter 43.1

The title of the chapter is a popular internet slang. It describes the attitude of refusing to listen when you disagree with someone’s point of view. The following emoticon is used to describe it:

 

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“Miss Zhao, your kindness towards other people’s family matters is truly unwelcome. You should keep it to yourself”, Song Yunzhao said, disliking Song Qinghan and the kind of people who quickly jumped in to play the righteous role.

To call her naive in such a place would be to harm her. No wonder she didn’t even get mentioned in the book. With such little cunningness, she’s really just cannon fodder and should be more wary.

Zhao Xiaoyu, having never been scolded like this, felt embarrassed and aggrieved, her eyes turning red.

Song Yunzhao: …

Her tolerance is so low; one would think she had committed some grave sin.

“Song Yunzhao, she’s just offering you a piece of kind advice. There’s no need to be so harsh”, Helan Yun chimed in, eager to stir the pot.

Hearing Helan Yun stand up for Zhao Xiaoyu and call her name, Song Yunzhao knew the county princess must have investigated her.

“Every time I’ve seen you before, you have been on the verge of an argument or a fight. Hearing you speak like this is quite surprising,” Song Yunzhao said, knowing Helan Yun’s character. She knew if she retreated now, Helan Yun would only become more aggressive. She had already offended her, so she didn’t care about this confrontation.

Helan Yun felt embarrassed by these words, glaring at Song Yunzhao, trying to think of a retort.

Song Qinghan was surprised. She hadn’t known that Song Yunzhao had any interaction with the Ming’an County Princess. Judging by the current situation, it wasn’t a pleasant past. Thinking quickly, she said to the county princess, “Please don’t blame her, Your Highness. Yunzhao is impulsive by nature. If she has offended you, as her elder sister, I apologize on her behalf.”

Song Yunzhao had seen shamelessness before, but she’d never seen anyone as despicable as Song Qinghan. Stepping on her to curry favor with the powerful was bad enough, but throwing away her self-respect like this—what kind of standards did she have?

“Song Qinghan, if you want to cling to the Ming’an County Princess, go ahead, but don’t step on my face and act like a good person. Besides, even though we’re sisters, our Father entrusted me to Aunt’s care.”

Hearing Song Yunzhao’s words, Song Qinghan’s face darkened. She hadn’t expected Song Yunzhao to dare to reveal their family matters in front of everyone.

Song Yexi was also surprised, but she was annoyed with Song Qinghan’s behavior. Despite some dissatisfaction with Yunzhao’s words, she stepped forward to stand by her side and said to Song Qinghan, “Sister Qinghan, it was my mother who arranged for Yunzhao to enter the palace. You don’t need to worry about her; just take care of yourself.”

Although Song Yexi didn’t say anything harsh, her stance clearly supported Song Yunzhao, confirming the discord between the sisters.

The noble ladies present had varied expressions. It was rare to see someone airing their family’s dirty laundry in public. Most families valued their reputation and would rather cover up any issues.

But…

Everyone’s gaze fell on Song Yunzhao’s strikingly beautiful face. This girl was not only beautiful but also had a sharp tongue, daring to say anything.

Tsk, what’s the use of being beautiful if she’s brainless and not worth worrying about?

Song Yunzhao was actually very thoughtful. Initially, she had hoped that Song Qinghan would have some sense of propriety, but seeing her behavior, it was clear she had no bottom line. To climb up, she would likely use Song Yunzhao as a stepping stone.

Just like the current situation, there would undoubtedly be many more instances of being stepped on. The thought of it was nauseating. Rather than being disgusted by her, it was better to cut ties from the start.

This kind of situation where both sides suffered wasn’t something she wanted to do, but being sisters, this double-edged sword was unavoidable.

She would rather harm herself than let Song Qinghan manipulate her.

If she pretended that they were affectionate sisters, Song Qinghan might very well ruin her.

Song Qinghan looked at Song Yunzhao and Song Yexi, her face very unpleasant, eyes reddened with a look of extreme grievance and helplessness. Just as she was about to speak to salvage some dignity, Song Yunzhao interrupted, “Elder Sister, think carefully before you speak. We’ve been sisters for over a decade, and we know each other’s true nature.”

The words stuck in Song Qinghan’s throat, and her face turned pale. She indeed had many weaknesses that Song Yunzhao knew about and didn’t dare to gamble on this.

Helan Yun looked at Song Yunzhao in surprise. No wonder she was so ungracious with her. She was a tyrant at home, treating even her own sister so harshly.

Remembering the information she had found about the Song family and the Dingnan Count Residence, her eyes flickered, realizing the sisters’ conflict might be related to the Count Residence’s past attempt to send someone to the palace.

Unfortunately, the time was too short to find more information.

Zhao Xiaoyu pulled Song Qinghan aside. “Miss Song, let’s go sit over there. You meant well, but if others don’t appreciate it, just let it be.”

Song Qinghan gave a helpless smile to Zhao Xiaoyu and the people around them, looking aggrieved as she was led away.

Song Yunzhao felt sorry for Zhao Xiaoyu. This girl was not only oblivious but also lacked sense. How her family dared to send her here was a mystery.

The crowd gradually dispersed, returning to their seats. Only Helan Yun remained. She sneered at Song Yunzhao. “You see, even though you helped Qin Xiyue, she didn’t speak up for you from afar.”

Song Yunzhao looked at Helan Yun suspiciously. “Why would she speak up for me? We’ve only met a few times and have no real connection.”

She was eager to distance herself from the protagonist and definitely didn’t want to be associated with her.

“But you saved her,” Helan Yun looked at Song Yunzhao as if she were an idiot.

“That wasn’t saving, it was self-preservation. If you hadn’t been so impulsive, I wouldn’t have had to intervene.” Song Yunzhao got angry just thinking about it. If it weren’t for Helan Yun’s impulsiveness, she wouldn’t have been dragged into trouble repeatedly.

Helan Yun looked at Song Yunzhao’s expression, finding it hard to believe. She hadn’t expected Song Yunzhao genuinely didn’t want to be seen as Qin Xiyue’s savior. This was a good opportunity to connect with the Qin family, but she didn’t want it!

Because of this, Helan Yun found Song Yunzhao more agreeable. But remembering the times she had been unlucky because of her, she rolled her eyes at Song Yunzhao and turned to leave.

Song Yunzhao: …

Each one of them really had issues.

So early in the morning, such bad luck.

Song Yexi pulled Song Yunzhao to sit down and whispered, “You should rest.”

She couldn’t handle more trouble. She never expected Yunzhao to be entangled with the daughters of the top families in the capital. Despite others seeking her out, she refused to acknowledge them. The lifesaving grace—who would’ve thought her Third Sister was so principled?

No wonder Third Master liked her.

Then again, although the Song family had declined, their ancestors had once been glorious. Her Third Sister did the right thing—upholding their ancestors’ honor.

Besides, these girls from top families had noble and proud backgrounds. Trying to cling to them would only result in being looked down upon.

Song Yexi’s thoughts were conflicted. She felt it was a pity, yet she also believed Yunzhao was right. It was like being grilled on both sides.

Song Yunzhao looked at Song Yexi’s complex expression. Although she couldn’t guess everything, she could figure out most of it. Not hearing Song Yexi express any regret, Song Yunzhao felt quite pleased.

Was it that easy to climb high branches?

People say that marriage should be between families of equal status, and the same applies to friendships.

There’s a joke that goes: Out of ten relationships, nine break up, and the remaining one keeps quarreling.

The idea is that if you are in a relationship aiming to form a family, nine out of ten couples won’t make it to marriage, and the one that does will have a tumultuous married life.

Conversely, if the marriage is arranged through introductions, the married life tends to be smoother.

Why?

Is it because the introduction was better?

Not really.

It’s because lovers often have overly high expectations of each other. When love weighs heavily in the balance, conflicts and disagreements amplify the sense of disappointment.

In contrast, arranged marriages are different. Since the families are relatively balanced, there are fewer expectations, and people are less likely to nitpick. They can accommodate each other, and the days pass smoothly.

To put it more realistically, marriage is also a battle between equals.

Which girl wouldn’t want to experience a passionate love affair in their prime, smoothly enter marriage, have a lovely child, and grow old with their beloved?

However, while the desire is beautiful, reality is harsh, and achieving it is rare.

The mundane aspects of life are the whetstone of love.

In modern times, with relatively tolerant environments, this was still the case. It was even more so in the strictly regulated ancient times.

Song Yunzhao had always been very clear-headed. With a mother like Cai Shi, who was muddle-headed, obsessive, and selfish, even her father’s affection for her was something she had worked for from a very young age to protect herself. She constantly sought opportunities to spend time with her father day after day, year after year.

Nothing in this world came without effort.

Song Yunzhao’s momentary distraction didn’t last long. Soon, the teaching matron arrived, and all the candidates stood up to pay their respects.

The teaching matron returned the gesture, said some meaningless pleasantries, and then revealed the day’s purpose: to assess their needlework skills.

Soon, palace maids came up to distribute needles, threads, and embroidery frames to everyone. The spacious Qiushui Pavilion suddenly became much more crowded.

Song Yunzhao silently looked at the needle and thread. Although her needlework was better than in the past, she hadn’t practiced it as a profession, so it was just so-so.

Seeing Song Yunzhao’s expression, Song Yexi laughed and said, “You were lazy at home, and now you know you were wrong.”

Song Yunzhao stubbornly replied, “If I take it seriously, I can still make it look good.”

Song Yexi didn’t expose her. To stand out among the candidates, just being good at embroidery wasn’t enough.

Song Yunzhao took the small round embroidery hoop, carefully stretched the cloth, and started thinking about what to embroider.

Seeing her expression, Song Yexi shook her head, “Do you need my help?”

Song Yunzhao shook her head, “No, I can do it.”

She aimed not for excellence but for adequacy, and she could achieve that.

As long as she wasn’t the last, she could pass through.

The matron gave them three hours. It was impossible to embroider a large piece in that time, so they could only work on smaller pieces. Song Yunzhao quickly had an idea.

She took the needle and thread, and began stitching.

In this competition, the protagonist and Lu Zhixue stood out. The protagonist impressed everyone with her double-sided embroidery, overshadowing everyone, while Lu Zhixue showcased a rare Su embroidery technique[mfn]for example: [/mfn], which was said to be almost extinct. The two of them shone brightly.

In such a situation, it was a dream for Song Yunzhao to stand out. It was better to aim for mediocrity and just pass.

The pavilion was filled with the sound of the wind blowing from the lake and the thread passing through the fabric. There was no other sound.

Song Yunzhao outlined the general shape, then put down her work to stretch her wrist. It was really tiring; it had been a long time since she had done needlework for so long.

She gazed across the lake, barely seeing the shadowy outline of the distant mountains. The mountain wasn’t high, but it had a very auspicious name, Longevity Mountain, with a Fragrant Buddha Pavilion built on top.