She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Ruan Zhenzhen turned her head and looked over, meeting a bright and beautiful face without any makeup. The hair ribbon was sticking out behind her head, making that already bright face even more radiant and beautiful. Everyone around her became her foil.

Even the refined and elegant Chu Jin could not surpass her in the slightest.

It's a bit sour, to be honest.

Then the topic turned to his deceased mother, and his face immediately turned cold: "What's wrong with you? It's the truth! A brain-dead, lousy person like you dares to attend a poetry gathering? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

Jiang Ruining shrugged, saying nonchalantly, "At least I could make gestures when I was six. What could you do at six?"

Before Ruan Zhenzhen could speak.

She then gave a vivid, sudden realization.

"When you were six, you cried and begged your father to believe you hadn't impregnated your stepmother! Unfortunately, your father didn't believe you. You spent your entire six years crying. You probably didn't even know how to read, let alone write poetry, right?"

In this era, even the most prestigious and established families only allowed their women to know a few characters and be able to manage accounts and keep the household.

Those who can be nurtured into talented women are extremely rare.

Duke Lu was a military general who disliked literary matters. Ruan Zhenzhen lost her mother at a young age and was also burdened with a scheming stepmother who only knew how to put on an act to glorify herself. The famous teacher she hired "for her stepdaughter" was only allowed to call her own children behind her back.

Whenever Ruan Zhenzhen entered the classroom, she was either targeted or splashed with water and ink, preventing her from attending class. She would then go to Duke Lu and others to complain that Ruan Zhenzhen deliberately prevented her younger siblings from studying, that she was disobedient and unfilial, and that she was impossible to teach.

For a long time, Ruan Zhenzhen's reputation in Beijing was extremely bad.

Later, with the help of the female lead, her stepmother's hypocrisy and scheming were gradually exposed in public, giving her the opportunity to study properly.

But he's only been working on it for a short time, and he's still a long way from writing poetry.

Ruan Zhenzhen's face flushed: "You!"

Jiang Ruining retorted, "Miss Ruan is so sharp-tongued; it seems you're absolutely confident you can crush everyone at the poetry competition with your stunning poems and easily win first place, huh?"

"We're all waiting to see your masterpiece; don't let your sharp and sarcastic remarks go to waste!"

Ruan Zhenzhen was dumbfounded.

When did this good-for-nothing become so sharp-tongued?

Jiang Ruining really dislikes her!

He moved closer, lowered his voice, and chuckled softly in her ear: "Fine, I might be arrogant, but I have a legitimate reason. Have I ever offended you? What right do you have to be sarcastic towards me? Do you really think others will think you're mean to me?"

"Don't be silly, all they'll say is, 'You, Ruan Zhenzhen, were born of a mother but raised without one, you're such an ill-mannered person...'"

The final sigh was both lighthearted and sarcastic.

Step back three steps.

He gave her a fake smile.

Surrounded by a group of teenagers, he turned and left!

Stung by the insult, Ruan Zhenzhen's face flushed red and then turned pale, her eyes welling up with tears: "How can you be so foul-mouthed! You have no manners yourself, yet you dare to mock me! You spend all day trying to dress up so extravagantly, just to impress ghosts!"

Chu Jin's expression stiffened slightly: "She is ill-mannered because her aunt never taught her or cared for her. She dresses so flamboyantly because her aunt doesn't allow her to wear the elegant colors I like."

"She has no one to care for her and can't wear the clothes she likes; it's my fault."

Ruan Zhenzhen's anger paused: "An'an, don't say that, it was her own fault..."

"Zhenzhen!" Chu Jin interrupted her, saying seriously, "She's not arguing with me anymore, and I've thought a lot these past few days. I really am the one who has wronged her more. If it weren't for me, she should be living a smooth and happy life."

"Even if she really hurt me, I have no right to complain. Besides, I haven't been harmed at all over the years, and she saved me when I was almost in trouble that day."

Ruan Zhenzhen sneered with disgust: "Don't be fooled by her! She must have conspired with someone to pretend to save you, just to lower your guard so she can catch you off guard and harm you again!"

Chu Jin shook her head and said firmly, "No, the investigation is very thorough, and she has absolutely nothing to do with the drugging incident."

Ruan Zhenzhen was surprised.

The person who had been targeting and scheming against Chu Jin actually saved her at a crucial moment?

"That idiot isn't completely evil yet. But that's no excuse for her foul mouth!"

Chu Jin helplessly advised, "I know you're doing this for me, but Zhenzhen, please don't talk about her like that anymore, okay? Since she's willing to get along with me peacefully, I don't want to cause any more trouble."

"My uncle and cousin are coming back soon. They'll be furious if they find out that Ningning was being ridiculed and insulted."

Ruan Zhenzhen understood that once the Jiang family father and son concluded that Chu Jin had instigated outsiders to bully Jiang Ruining, they would definitely hold Chu Jin accountable, and Chu Jin's life in the Jiang family would not be easy.

"Alright! For your sake, I won't call her that anymore."

The poetry gathering was held in a garden filled with rare and exotic plants.

A thousand-pound pearl gauze was draped over her head, very thin and dense, hanging high like waves, softening the light and blocking out some of the heat.

Furthermore, beneath the tent were more than a dozen enormous ice chambers, slowly radiating coolness, and dozens of pots of rare flowers of various colors, their fragrance delicate and elegant. Sitting inside was as if one were sitting in a pool of soft moonlight encased in ice, where even breathing was cool and refreshing, showcasing the wealth and extravagance of the royal family everywhere.

Jiang Ruining couldn't help but sigh softly, "As expected of the Empress Dowager's favorite daughter, even the air in her residence is more precious than in other people's homes!"

The seating arrangement for the poetry gathering was also pre-arranged.

Based on family background and social status, the positions are ascended sequentially from the position of the eldest princess.

Thanks to his father's influence and status in officialdom, Jiang Ruining was positioned very close to the front, with an ice mirror beside him and a large tree providing shade behind him—a superb location.

"Ningning!"

As soon as I sat down, I heard a light and innocent voice in my ear, and my arm felt warm as someone hugged me.

There's no need to look at it.

Jiang Ruining already knew who she was.

She was one of the original owner's few friends, Zheng Lingyi, a soft and lovely little peach.

Having witnessed Madam Jiang's indignant denigration and humiliation of the original owner while protecting Chu Jin, I have always sympathized with the original owner's plight and even criticized the female lead on her behalf.

She wasn't scheming. The original owner was jealous that she was pampered by her whole family, but she also knew that she was on her side. Even though she had a bad temper, she never said a harsh word to her. She valued her as a friend and protected her very much!

Unfortunately, Zheng Lingyi was later framed by the palace and forced to go to the Northern Liao for a marriage alliance. Not long after, news of her death came back, resulting in the deaths of both her and her unborn child.

Seeing her brought back memories of the original owner and her.

Only then did she realize that the original owner's final, frenzied revenge was ultimately aimed at helping Zheng Lingyi get revenge, and framing the male and female protagonists was just a side effect!

However, the author portrays the protagonist as going mad because of unrequited love, so readers have no idea that deep down, the original protagonist's madness was rooted in "affection"!

"Lingyi!" Jiang Ruining looked at her, her whole being radiating a purity that was different from Yun Mi's naive innocence. It was a warm and comfortable feeling, as if she didn't need to worry about Lingyi making a fool of herself. "I've been waiting for you for quite a while!"

Zheng Lingyi said, "I wasn't planning to come today. My poems aren't anything special, and I'd just be there to make others look good. I only came because I knew you were coming!"

"I went to see you the other day, but the people at your residence said you were ill and not receiving guests. Have you recovered completely?"

Jiang Ruining was ill at the time, and there was a ticking time bomb in the house named Xiao Che. She dared not leave the house lightly, let alone let anyone into the courtyard, so she simply told the gatekeeper not to see any guests.

"Thank you for thinking of me! I'm all better now."

"Don't be so polite! We're friends!" Zheng Lingyi said mysteriously and excitedly, pulling her to her feet and leading her to a less crowded area. "I have something to ask you!"

Leaving the cool space created by the pearl gauze and ice jars, a wave of heat hits you.

My pores opened instantly, and fine sweat began to seep out.