Chapter 587: The Crown Prince’s Handwriting

Chapter 587: The Crown Prince's Calligraphy

The hall's atmosphere had already grown tense with the arrival of Crown Prince Wei Shiqing. Now, his familiarity and open fondness for Xingxing made it even more uncomfortably charged.

One of the girls bit her lip and exchanged a glance with her mother before rising from her seat, proposing to perform a dance in honor of the Crown Princess’s birthday.

Mu Rujun gave a gracious nod in approval.

The girl, with a waist as supple as a willow, danced beautifully.

When the dance ended, she was left slightly breathless, her cheeks flushed with anticipation as she looked toward Crown Prince Wei Shiqing.

Yet Wei Shiqing didn’t so much as glance her way, speaking instead to Mu Rujun.

The girl’s face paled instantly, her eyes welling with tears as she reluctantly returned to her seat.

However, her performance had set a precedent, and soon, many other girls stepped forward to present their birthday tributes to the Crown Princess.

Of course, everyone knew the true intentions behind these gestures—the ladies and girls seated below knew, the Crown Princess on the dais knew, and Crown Prince Wei Shiqing certainly knew as well.

The girls pulled out all the stops—some danced, others played the zither, some painted, and some recited poetry—each striving to outshine the others in a spectacular show of talents.

Xingxing watched, completely mesmerized, thinking how impressive the young ladies of the capital were!

At this moment, Pang Xinyue also rose gracefully and stepped forward, smiling as she said, "For this joyous occasion of your birthday, Your Highness, I have specially written a 'Hundred Longevity Characters' scroll in His Highness’s style to celebrate."

The hall went deathly quiet.

On the surface, Pang Xinyue’s gesture was flawless, but given that Prime Minister Pang was currently vigorously advocating for the Crown Prince to take a concubine, her use of the Crown Prince’s calligraphic style to congratulate the Crown Princess reeked of deliberate provocation.

The guests exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes darting toward the Crown Princess.

Yet Mu Rujun showed no anger. Instead, she disarmed the tension with a light smile. "Let's see it, then."

Pang Xinyue smiled and unfolded the scroll with both hands, presenting it to the Crown Princess.

A hundred artfully varied characters for "longevity" formed a grand, overarching "longevity" character on the scroll.

To be fair, it was an exquisitely crafted tribute.

When Mu Rujun saw it, her faint smile deepened, and she even shot a playful glance at the Crown Prince beside her.

Wei Shiqing responded with a faint smirk.

Their exchanged looks were brief and measured, but to Pang Xinyue, who was keenly observing the Crown Princess’s reaction, it felt like a deliberate provocation.

Pang Xinyue, with flower-outshining beauty, shared Nie Yuke’s bitter thoughts—had she not been too young when the Crown Prince married, how could some orphan like Mu Rujun have become the Crown Princess?

Unable to resist, Pang Xinyue spoke up in a honeyed, coy tone, "Your Highness, do you think my imitation resembles His Highness’s calligraphy?"

A hush fell over the hall again.

The Crown Prince's smile disappeared.

Everyone snuck glances at Mu Rujun’s expression.

Yet, to their surprise, Mu Rujun kept her composure, even replying cheerfully, "To be honest, it's not much like His Highness’s handwriting at all."

Pang Xinyue didn’t wait for the Crown Princess to react—her own expression changed first.

She forced a smile and said, "Your Highness must be joking. This calligraphy is clearly the same as the one my father requested from His Highness for me."

After a pause, Pang Xinyue then added in a teasing tone, "Would Your Highness please judge how well I’ve copied it?"

Mu Rujun motioned for a maid to hand the calligraphy to the Crown Prince.

Pang Xinyue stared intently at the Crown Prince's expression.

To her surprise, the Crown Prince let out a light chuckle.

That one laugh made every girl in the hall hold her breath.

Truth be told, though the girls had been showing off brilliantly, the Crown Prince hadn’t reacted—until now. With Pang Xinyue’s "Hundred Longevity Characters," at least he laughed!

Even if it was a strange laugh, at least he laughed!

The ladies and girls in the hall could barely hide their excitement!

Pang Xinyue, giddy with triumph, opened her mouth to speak when the Crown Prince suddenly spoke in a serious tone: "There’s been a misunderstanding."

Pang Xinyue froze.

The Crown Prince's gaze was calm as he said coolly, "That day, Prime Minister Pang visited my study and saw a copied travelogue I had written as practice. He praised my calligraphy profusely, saying that while his daughter excelled in all things, her handwriting was lacking, which troubled him greatly. Thus, he requested that I bestow that practice piece upon him so his daughter could use it for imitation. Prime Minister Pang has served two emperors, and I couldn’t refuse without being rude, so I granted him the travelogue."

Pang Xinyue cut in eagerly, "Your Highness speaks truly. After my father brought the travelogue home, I practiced copying it daily, striving to replicate it perfectly. My father himself said I copied it perfectly... yet the Crown Princess claims otherwise."

Her voice was tinged with resentment.

In truth, Pang Xinyue's interruption was somewhat presumptuous—after all, the Crown Prince had not yet finished speaking, and her abrupt interjection was a breach of etiquette.

Prime Minister Pang’s wife’s smile tightened.

Pang Xinyue had gone too far!

Had she not noticed the Crown Prince's brief, indifferent glance in their direction earlier?

That look accused her of raising a disrespectful daughter—

Yet Prime Minister Pang’s wife also felt wronged.

She was just the stepmother. Pang Xinyue was the beloved late-born daughter of the Prime Minister's first wife, who had passed away from exhaustion just two years after giving birth. The Prime Minister spoiled this youngest daughter rotten!

What else could she, as a stepmother, do?

Prime Minister Pang’s wife clenched her handkerchief so hard it nearly ripped.

Wei Shiqing’s face turned icy. "How dare you!"

That single rebuke sent a shiver through Prime Minister Pang’s wife.

The entire hall fell deathly silent, leaving the ladies and girls too afraid to make a sound.

Pang Xinyue shook, her face white as a sheet.

"Your Highness..."

Wei Shiqing’s voice was like frost, "Has the Crown Princess’s kindness made you forget your station? How dare you slight the Crown Princess before me?"

Pang Xinyue's face turned deathly pale as she knelt down. "Your Highness, I... I wouldn't dare!"

Prime Minister Pang's wife quickly rose and approached to kneel as well. "Your Highness, please calm your anger."

The Crown Prince's voice remained icy. "That journal in neat handwriting which Prime Minister Pang requested that day was indeed written by me—but it was my imitation of the Crown Princess’s handwriting. Seeing how much Prime Minister Pang praised it, I assumed he wouldn’t mind whose calligraphy it actually was."

At this point, the matter became abundantly clear.

The handwriting Pang Xinyue had been so proudly imitating all along was actually from their private marital bond—the Crown Prince copying the Crown Princess’s script!

No wonder the Crown Princess had said it didn’t resemble!

Recalling Mu Rujun's faintly mocking expression when examining her Longevity Scroll earlier, Pang Xinyue now felt as if she'd received a stinging slap to the face!