Chapter 47

The next day, Cheng Ruyi suddenly received an invitation delivered by a servant from the Prince Wei Estate, inviting her to attend the coming-of-age ceremony for County Princess Wuyang.

Cheng Ruyi was incredibly surprised.

She heard that Cheng Qingyao would also be attending. This plot point didn’t seem to exist in the original book, but on second thought, it made sense—as a little butterfly, Cheng Ruyi had already flapped the original storyline into a chaotic mess.

Holding the invitation, she went to ask her mother, Rong Susu, for her opinion.

Rong Susu glanced at the invitation and asked with a smile, “Daughter, do you want to attend County Princess Wuyang’s ceremony?”

Cheng Ruyi shook her head and curled her lip. “I don’t want to go. It’s boring.”

Regarding the coming-of-age ceremony, she had the original host’s memories in her mind. However, her own ceremony back then had been quite simple, with only her family members celebrating for her.

Prince Wei was an “idle prince,” and his heir, Chu Yuan’en, had his heart set on Cheng Qingyao. The fact that Ruyi received an invitation this time was likely due to Cheng Qingyao playing tricks behind the scenes. It was probably because she had heard Ruyi was learning the zither and wanted to see her make a fool of herself.

“Then don’t go,” Rong Susu said very open-mindedly.

In the past, almost all government officials kept the Marquis of Changle at arm’s length. Now, after the appearance of the “divine medicine,” they had become quite warm. Although Prince Wei was an idle prince, he was still royalty. However, Rong Susu didn’t care in the slightest about letting her daughter decline the invitation.

With Rong Susu’s word, Cheng Ruyi felt perfectly justified in having the servants send a refusal.

Upon receiving the news, Cheng Qingyao couldn’t help but fly into a rage in her room. Every time she made a move, Cheng Ruyi refused to play along. Unfortunately, since the other girl had the capital to be willful, Cheng Qingyao was helpless.

Until the ceremony ended, Cheng Ruyi remained busy supervising the servants as they built large sheds for chickens and ducks and dug ponds. She was working with such fiery enthusiasm that she had no idea rumors were flying outside, claiming she was so arrogant that she didn’t even respect the Imperial Family and was flouting imperial authority.

Cheng Ruyi, who had inexplicably become a target while “lying down,” was once again mocked by the local scholars.

These scholars didn’t dare criticize the Marquis of Changle, who was a great hero for donating a million taels of silver. Therefore, they could only pick on Cheng Ruyi, the “celebrity” of the capital—after all, she was always a hot topic. There were plenty of scholars looking for a unique way to catch the eye of the Chief Examiner.

The Marquis and Rong Susu let these rumors take their course. Even when a censor impeached the Marquis over the matter, the Emperor ignored it. To claim someone was flouting imperial authority just for declining a ceremony invitation was truly absurd.

“Miss, I heard that Miss Qingyao next door is about to get engaged!” Moxiang rushed in excitedly, bursting with a huge piece of gossip.

Cheng Ruyi looked up in surprise and asked with great interest, “Which prince does she have her eye on?”

With Cheng Qingyao’s standards, she was surely aiming for one of the current Emperor’s sons. According to A-Mo, Cheng Qingyao had been secretly in contact with both the Second and Seventh Princes, wavering between them. Ruyi hadn’t expected her to make a choice so quickly.

Moxiang shook her head, her face full of schadenfreude. “It’s not a prince. It’s the Heir of Prince Wei. I heard it was settled by the Marchioness of Jian’an. When Miss Qingyao found out, she was so ‘excited’ she fainted.”

“Haha! Moxiang, are you kidding me? What do you mean ‘excited’? I bet she fainted from pure rage.” Cheng Ruyi was delighted. For the Marchioness of Jian’an to suddenly pull a move like this, Cheng Qingyao probably hated her to death.

After all that effort to hook two princes, only to end up with nothing. Tsk tsk.

“Exactly! I think Miss Qingyao doesn’t seem to like the Heir of Prince Wei very much,” Moxiang said giggling.

Cheng Ruyi sneered. “Cousin Qingyao’s heart is higher than the sky; it’s normal for her to look down on the Heir of Prince Wei. Though, strictly speaking, this match is actually quite good.”

“True. If it weren’t for the Heir being so devoted to Miss Qingyao, the Consort of Prince Wei wouldn’t have come to propose. I just wonder if this marriage will actually go through in the end,” Moxiang agreed.

“As long as Cousin Qingyao stops tossing and turning, the marriage will definitely happen. If she keeps struggling, it’ll probably be a long shot.” Cheng Ruyi didn’t have high hopes for the union. Given Cheng Qingyao’s personality, she would surely find a way to break the engagement.

But none of that had anything to do with her. She was busy right now.

The southeast corner of the Marquis of Changle’s estate was only separated from the Marquis of Jian’an’s estate by a small alley. After Cheng Ruyi inspected it, she found that the southeast corner was very far from the main courtyard and the Bamboo Garden where she, Cheng Yu, and Rong Mo lived.

It was a perfect place to raise chickens and ducks.

Cheng Ruyi looked at the neatly arranged sheds and the large, as-yet-unfilled pond, nodding with satisfaction.

“Steward, have the people from the manor send a hundred chickens and ducks over tomorrow.”

The steward nodded beside her. “Yes, Miss. Any other instructions?”

“No more,” Cheng Ruyi shook her head.

The next day, the manor sent a hundred chickens and ducks to the Marquis’s estate. There were both males and females, though females made up the majority. The entire courtyard became extremely noisy, with the endless sounds of clucking and quacking.

Uncle Li and two servants responsible for feeding them stood to the side, scattering vegetable leaves on the ground.

Sitting in a small octagonal pavilion, Cheng Ruyi looked down at the energetic poultry with a bit of excitement.

“Moxiang, have someone bring my zither. I want to play for these chickens and ducks.”

Uncle Li was dumbstruck. “…”

He hadn’t misheard, had he? The Eldest Miss wanted to play the zither here?

Moxiang paled in shock, her lips trembling. “Miss, you… you want to play here?”

“Yeah. I learned the zither specifically to play for these chickens and ducks,” Cheng Ruyi said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Uncle Li was startled, standing there like a wooden chicken. He really hadn’t misheard. The Eldest Miss’s purpose for learning the zither was to play for poultry? It was simply too preposterous.

Moxiang almost fainted; she felt like crying. “Miss, please stop joking. How can you play for these animals?” If Master Gongsun found out…

“I’m not joking. Moxiang, hurry to my room and get the antique zither A-Mo gave me. Don’t dawdle,” Cheng Ruyi glared at Moxiang and urged.

Moxiang left looking dejected. She sent someone to inform the Madam while also having the zither brought over and set up in the octagonal pavilion.

Cheng Ruyi sat before the zither, feeling a bit hyper. She calmed her mind, her slender fingers plucked the strings, and she began to play for the birds below. This time, the spiritual power infused into the music was targeted specifically at the poultry, not a broad attack. It wouldn’t affect the humans at all.

The music was melodious and cheerful, carrying infinite vitality.

Uncle Li watched with wide eyes as the chickens and ducks below began to flap their wings frantically and “dance” upon hearing the music. Clucking and quacking sounds blended into a chaotic symphony.

“This… this is unbelievable…” Uncle Li and the two servants were gobsmacked.

Moxiang was also stunned. Could these birds really understand the music?

Some well-informed servants secretly rushed over to watch the strange spectacle.

On the other side, an old maidservant ran to the main courtyard, panting and covered in sweat.

“Ma… Madam, it’s bad! Please go see the Miss! She… she seems to have gone mad!”

“Nonsense!” Molan, Rong Susu’s personal maid, barked. The Eldest Miss’s behavior was occasionally eccentric, but how could she be mad? This old woman really didn’t know how to speak.

“What happened?” Rong Susu set down her teacup, her brows furrowing in displeasure.

The maid caught her breath and quickly replied, “Miss Moxiang told me to inform the Madam that… the Eldest Miss wants to play the zither for the estate’s chickens and ducks.”

By the end, the maid’s voice grew lower and lower. Thinking of something, she shuddered. What kind of young lady plays for livestock? Others played in their rooms or in beautiful gardens, yet the Eldest Miss was so… unique.

If word got out, she would be mocked again. They just didn’t know what kind of provocation the Miss had suffered to make her mind so unstable, as if she had fallen into a “lost heart” frenzy.

Rong Susu was stunned. Playing for chickens and ducks? That was truly strange. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed slightly. Could it be because of the incident where the kitchen poultry laid eggs the other day…?

“Molan, have someone notify the Young Master and the Master. I’ll go take a look first,” Rong Susu said, somewhat impatiently. She decided to go watch the fun. Perhaps her daughter’s music really could make them lay eggs.

“Madam… Madam… shouldn’t you call a doctor first to prepare some bitter herbal soup to calm her spirit…?” the old maid stammered fearfully. This behavior was so abnormal; she really might have lost her mind. And thinking of the Eldest Miss’s monstrous strength, the maid trembled.

“Shut up!” Molan snapped upon hearing the mention of bitter medicine. This old woman was getting muddled with age.

Rong Susu also gave the maid a displeased look. Realizing what she had said, the maid’s face turned pale. She plopped to her knees and slapped herself. “Madam, forgive me! This servant was possessed for a moment and spoke wrongly!”

“Enough, get up. Don’t speak nonsense again,” Rong Susu wasn’t a harsh person, so she let it go.

After Molan sent people to notify the Master and the Young Master, they headed to the southeast courtyard. Before they even arrived, they heard a cheerful, melodious zither tune from afar.

Rong Susu listened for a moment and felt her mood improve. Her daughter’s skill was quite good. When she entered the courtyard with Molan, she saw about a hundred chickens and ducks flapping their wings and stretching their necks, clucking and quacking incessantly. Feathers were flying everywhere, and there was droppings all over the ground.

It was total mayhem.

In the pavilion, her daughter was dressed in a bright red gown, sitting elegantly at the zither. She looked intoxicated by her own playing, her beautiful eyes sparkling as if she could already see mountains of eggs.

“Madam, this…” Molan was dumbfounded by the scene.

Rong Susu, however, watched with great interest. “My daughter’s playing is lovely. Molan, don’t you notice these birds are dancing to the music?”

Molan stumbled and gave a dry smile. “…I see it, I see it!”

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a large portion of the “dancing” birds suddenly crouched down on the ground. The remaining ones continued to hop around aggressively and excitedly.

Seeing this, Rong Susu’s eyes lit up. “Are they going to lay eggs?”

Molan’s mouth twitched. The Madam’s reaction was so strange.

At that moment, the Marquis of Changle and Rong Mo both rushed back, arriving just in time to see the spectacular scene of a massive flock of poultry crouching to lay eggs. They then looked at Cheng Ruyi playing in the pavilion and were stunned.

A moment later, the birds began laying eggs one after another. It was a grand sight.

The Marquis and Rong Susu were ecstatic. “Our daughter is amazing! They’re really laying eggs, they’re laying!”

The corners of Rong Mo’s mouth curled up; he was in a great mood. His little fiancée had actually done it.

The spectating servants were frozen in shock. “…” The Eldest Miss is incredible!

The music stopped abruptly.

Having finished her piece with lingering excitement, Cheng Ruyi urged Uncle Li to collect the eggs. “Uncle Li, hurry and have people pick them up! Don’t let the birds trample them!”

Just as she finished speaking, she saw her own father rushing over excitedly.

Then, disaster struck for the Marquis of Changle.

A swarm of chickens and ducks charged at him with murderous intent…

Sansukini: So chaotic. ( ˘ ɜ˘) ♬ ♪ ♫.

When I was young, my cousin’s wife’s family owned a chicken farm and we often go there in the summer. The chickens will peck at your hands when you snatch their eggs, but it’s a really fun experience.

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