The Eldest Daughter is Delicate and Pretty, How Can She Be a Malicious Supporting Character - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Twin Jade Plaques

Pei Lingyi had already thought it through. She needed to choose someone with literary talent comparable to hers from among the participants.
She didn’t even consider Changle, who was just there to have fun. Even if Changle wanted to help her compete for the top prize, Pei Lingyi couldn’t use her.
That would be digging her own grave.

Sitang wasn’t an option either. She was a concubine-born daughter brought by Pei Lingyi herself. Even if Sitang won the top prize, others would criticize Pei Lingyi for being unfair and lacking integrity, saying she colluded with her sister.

To be honest, if Pei Lingyi had to choose, she would rather choose Zhang Zhishu. However, he was a bit muddle-headed, and if she chose him, she would owe him a favor.
Pei Lingyi didn’t want to trouble herself with that.

After much consideration, she couldn’t find a suitable partner among the participants. She wanted the best, but among the noble ladies in the capital, she was already one of the top. It was hard to find someone with equivalent strength.

She thought of the talented women in the capital who had a good reputation, such as Liu Yue from the Minister Liu family, Lin Wanyan from National Duke Lin family, and Tao Nanxu from Zhongyi Count family.
These women were worth considering.

However, she didn’t know what kind of jade plaques these women would get in her dream. Even though Pei Lingyi was confident, she knew that after the rules were announced, many people would come to find her. But she couldn’t be sure about these women’s decisions.

So even though she knew the new rule, she felt helpless. She couldn’t just go up to someone and tell them. The retreat was huge, and it was hard to say whether they would really meet.

Xue Yiran in her dream didn’t have such concerns. She was confident that her poetry would shake the literary world. She didn’t need a good partner; she could dominate the field on her own. This led to all the other noble ladies who wanted to compete for the top prize becoming Xue Yiran’s foil.

But now, the outcome was different. She had prepared everything, and this Gathering would be extremely fair.

However, she had planned carefully and wanted everything to go smoothly.
In her dream, she had formed an alliance with Liu Yue.
But would the same thing happen in reality? After all, she had changed the outcome of her dream.
She didn’t dare to gamble on whether her ally would really be Liu Yue.

Pei Lingyi took a deep breath, and her hands clenched unconsciously. She had done everything she could. If fate didn’t want her to win the top prize, she could only accept it.
Lost in thought, she walked to the front of the Zhaixing Pavilion, looking up at the long staircase and the surrounding courtyard filled with people.

Pei Lingyi made a swift decision, lifted her skirt, and walked towards the Zhaixing Pavilion. Perhaps it was because the pavilion was too high, and most people preferred to stay below, unwilling to climb up to search.

After all, no one could guarantee that there would be something on the pavilion. If there was no jade plaque hidden upstairs, wouldn’t it be a waste of time and energy?

On the staircase, there was only one figure in a light blue dress climbing up step by step, looking elegant and refined.
Rather than spending time gambling on unknown possibilities, it was better to take a bigger risk. All the jade plaques were sealed in wooden boxes, with only one jade plaque in each box.

But she suddenly remembered that in her dream, after Xue Yiran had made a big splash at the gathering, Changle had come to console her once and mentioned something about twin jade plaques.

At that time, Pei Lingyi was too consumed by grief and anger to pay much attention to what was said.
Now, she realized that those words might be the key. If there was indeed a pair of jade plaques hidden in the retreat, and she solved the riddle, both jade plaques would be hers.

She could then find someone to cooperate with, holding the jade plaques in hand would be much better than just talking. She wouldn’t need to match the patterns on the jade plaques one by one.
In her dream, no one had found this pair of jade plaques.

After all, no one expected Xue Yiran to steal the show and attract the attention of the entire capital.
Since no one had found this special pair of jade plaques, Princess Zhaoren didn’t announce it. It wasn’t surprising that Changle, being close to her, would hear some hints.

The reason why no one had found this pair of jade plaques might be that it was hidden in a place that no one had ever explored.
Looking at the entire Lanhua Courtyard, the only place that fit this description was the Zhaixing Pavilion, with its numerous stairs. People wouldn’t take the risk of climbing up without a guarantee of finding something.

Pei Lingyi looked at the endless staircase in front of her, and her hand holding the skirt couldn’t help but sweat slightly. If she was wrong, she might not even have time to find another jade plaque.
But… she didn’t regret taking the risk for something more valuable.

When she reached the top of the Zhaixing Pavilion, she realized that it was much larger than she had imagined. The furnishings inside were simple and elegant, and there was another staircase leading up.

She walked up the stairs, expecting to see a riddle, but instead, she saw a figure. Someone had already arrived at the Zhaixing Pavilion before her?
The person turned around, and their eyes met.
Xiao Yan keenly captured the fleeting look of disgust in the girl’s eyes, but by the time he looked again, she had returned to her usual demeanor.

Pei Lingyi walked forward slowly, her movements flawless. “I didn’t expect to run into Heir Xiao here. What a coincidence.”

Since she was inexplicably involved in the case of the Imperial Guard, she didn’t feel like pretending in front of him anymore. They had developed a mutual dislike for each other, so it was better to be straightforward.

Xiao Yan had tied his black hair high with a hairband today, and his long robe in a shade of blue accentuated his tall and slender figure. His eyebrows and eyes were handsome, and without the sternness he had when handling official duties, he looked like a young man enjoying a leisurely stroll.

Hearing her words, he smiled slightly, “I was here first, so you’re the unexpected guest, Miss Pei.”
In fact, the two of them had barely met in private. Their first encounter was four years ago when he warned her, and they had only crossed paths a few times at banquets.
So, this was only the second time they were alone together like this.

However, Pei Lingyi had more important things to attend to and couldn’t be bothered with her emotions. She walked past the man and began searching the pavilion.
“Are you looking for this?”

Pei Lingyi was lost in her thoughts when she suddenly realized that the thing she wanted was in the hands of the person she least wanted to see.
The box was already open, and two jade plaques with orchid patterns lay in the man’s hands.