Tang Leyi clearly remembered the first time her concubine sister appeared in public.
It was a plum blossom viewing banquet on a winter day, hosted by the Prince An's manor. All the young ladies from families of officials ranked fourth and above in the capital were present, as were many sons of officials and scholars with outstanding literary talents.
The men composed poems, painted, and sang praises of plum blossoms, and the women were not to be outdone.
However, these ladies from the inner chambers were not as quick-witted as they might have been, especially those from military families.
Everyone's performance was mediocre, but they were all just amusing themselves and paid no mind to it.
But her concubine sister managed to produce several excellent verses, which she still remembered vividly.
"Plums must yield to snow in whiteness, yet snow loses to plums in fragrance."
"Knowing it's not snow from afar, only the subtle fragrance arrives."
"Suddenly, a night of pure fragrance blossoms, spreading as spring across the boundless universe."
Each line was etched into her heart because, from that day forward, her concubine sister gained a reputation for talent among literary circles.
At that plum blossom viewing banquet, she amazed everyone present, and even Prince An came with the Princess Consort to meet her.
Her brilliance only highlighted her own inadequacy, so she studied desperately. If her literary talent was lacking, she practiced calligraphy and learned painting. She might not have mastered the arts of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but she had at least reached an introductory level.
Yet, she still couldn't compare to her concubine sister. She watched as her sister, through Prince An's connections, offered advice to the court, shed her status as a concubine-born daughter, and even saw her mother, a woman of humble origins, receive an imperial reward.
As her concubine sister became more famous, Tang Leyi felt increasingly overshadowed and insignificant!
The flames of jealousy consumed all her reason, causing her to constantly oppose Tang Xinyi, but each time she failed.
This also worsened her reputation, and in the end, she could only marry a husband with a similarly poor reputation. She watched him take concubines one after another and saw him frequent courtesans.
She used to be someone who enjoyed lively occasions, but later she no longer wished to attend any banquets. After all, her husband held no official position, and attending banquets meant bowing to people she once disdained.
Especially to Tang Xinyi, whom she hated to the bone.
Her hands did not yet bear the scars left by practicing the zither, which meant this event had not yet occurred. Therefore, it seemed there was still time.
She softly called out to Chunlan, who was lying on the footstool.
"Miss, why are you awake so early?" Chunlan rubbed her sleepy eyes. Although puzzled, she quickly got up to prepare.
Tang Leyi had forgotten again that she was no longer Madam Li, who had to wake up early to pay respects to her mother-in-law. In her maiden home, her mother's doting meant she slept until the late morning, around the cusp of Chen and Si hours.
There was no need to wake up early for morning greetings, and her studies were all in the afternoon.
While guarding the night was a hardship for others, for her, it was a pleasant duty. It only required her to sleep with one eye open and not wake up early to work. She would get up whenever she pleased, and only then would the maids on duty begin their tasks.
"Perhaps the rain last night made me restless, so I wanted to get up early." She would later fondly recall this time of sleeping in, but now, if she were truly allowed to sleep, she had no inclination to do so.
After all, she had too many worries in her heart to sleep as peacefully as she did in her youth.
After Chunlan went out to call for others, there was a brief commotion outside, but soon they brought the water for washing.
Then she heard Qiuju and the others asking her what she wanted to wear. Tang Leyi casually pointed to an outfit.
After she finished getting ready, she finally felt a sense of reality, as if she had truly returned.
While eating breakfast, Tang Leyi casually asked about the current time and any recent news.
After comparing it to her memories, she determined that this was indeed before her concubine sister became famous. However, it would not be long now. It was already late autumn, and the plum blossom banquet was not far off.
In the afternoon, during their shared classes, Tang Leyi carefully observed her concubine sister, Tang Xinyi. She couldn't see how Tang Xinyi could be so talented in any way.
Moreover, they had studied together for so many years, learning the same things. Tang Xinyi's usual performance was not as good as hers, so why did she suddenly become so talented?
Had she been hiding her true abilities all along? If so, she was truly terrifying, hiding for ten years without showing any trace.
"Eldest Sister, why have you been staring at me?" Tang Xinyi also noticed Tang Leyi's gaze.
"I suddenly realized how beautiful Third Sister is. I never noticed it before. Your eyes, Third Sister, seem to hold a pool of spring water, truly captivating." Tang Leyi said with a playful tone, but she meticulously observed her concubine sister's reaction.
"Eldest Sister is always mocking me," Tang Xinyi said shyly.
Tang Leyi found it very strange. Her words were not false; Tang Xinyi's eyes were indeed beautiful, and at the same time, they held an innocence untainted by the world.
However, in her memory, Tang Xinyi's gaze was not like this. Her eyes held a sense of superiority, as if she looked down on everyone. It was precisely because of this gaze that Tang Leyi disliked her so much.
What did she have to be superior about? Her mother was merely the daughter of a disgraced official, and she was born of a concubine. How could she look at her, the legitimate daughter, with such eyes?
Yet, the Tang Xinyi before her had clear eyes, looking at herself with admiration and a hint of inferiority. She was completely different from the Tang Xinyi who later shone brightly.
"Eldest Sister, don't just talk to Third Sister. I'm also very pretty, look, this is a new piece of jewelry I got, isn't it nice?" Tang Jingyi, standing nearby, vied for Tang Leyi's attention.
She was the daughter of the Tang family's second uncle and was brought to study with them. As part of the legitimate daughters' faction, she also disliked these concubine-born cousins and their own concubine-born siblings.
Seeing that her elder cousin's attention had been captured by Tang Xinyi, she quickly came to talk to Tang Leyi. They were on the same side, and she didn't want her cousin to be friendly with this concubine-born third cousin!
Tang Leyi heard her words and put Tang Xinyi aside. After all, this cousin had always stood by her side. Even when everyone else thought she was inferior to Tang Xinyi, this cousin still supported and encouraged her.
Tang Xinyi watched as her Eldest Sister went to talk to her cousin and felt a bit disappointed. She was only the daughter of a concubine and couldn't afford many novelties like her cousin.
Today, Eldest Sister had finally shown her affection, only to have it snatched away by Second Sister.
Thinking of what her mother had instructed her to do, to maintain a good relationship with Eldest Sister, so that with Eldest Sister's advocacy, the legitimate mother might pay more attention to her out of respect for Eldest Sister.
She was no longer young, and her marriage prospects should be considered. Her mother could not decide on her marriage; she could only rely on Madam.
If Madam was not concerned, then her life might just pass by like this.
Why wasn't she born to the legitimate mother? If she were born to the legitimate mother, she wouldn't have these troubles!