Chapter 6

"Qing Nian has always loved Jasmine. She hasn't been in a good mood lately, so I came up with this outfit for her to cheer her up."

Madam Shen's words, which carried a deeper meaning, made Madam Wang understand immediately.

Before Lin Yue'er returned to the capital, Miss Shen had shown goodwill towards the Crown Prince. At that time, the Crown Prince was also close to Miss Shen. However, since Lin Yue'er returned, Miss Shen has never spent time with the Crown Prince again.

Madam Wang glanced at Lin Yue'er, who was beaming beside her, and then at Shen Qingnian, who stood beside Madam Shen, gentle and quiet. She said with some heartache, "Qingnian is gentle and virtuous. She will surely choose a good husband in the future."

To outsiders, Lin Yue'er's position as the Crown Princess seemed almost certain.

Shen Qingnian is gentle and approachable. In terms of both appearance and talent, she is far superior to Lin Yue'er.

The only problem is that the Crown Prince doesn't like it.

Upon hearing Madam Wang's words, Shen Qingnian's bright smile became somewhat forced, and she said in a low voice, "Thank you for your kind words, Madam Wang."

This appearance is rather pitiful.

When Madam Wang saw Shen Qingnian like this, her eyes softened with affection.

In her opinion, Shen Qingnian was not wrong. With her background and abilities, if Lin Yue'er hadn't suddenly appeared out of nowhere, the position of Crown Princess would have been rightfully Shen Qingnian's.

Now that Lin Yue'er is back, Shen Qingnian hasn't lingered on her too much, showing that she's a woman who can let go easily.

The people of this dynasty are open-minded, and when conditions permit, there are quite a few men and women who are mutually attracted to each other.

Lin Yue'er, who was standing not far away, had been paying attention to Shen Qingnian's situation since early morning.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe Shen Qingnian today as 'stunning', and a sense of jealousy inexplicably rose in her heart.

Although the Crown Prince was close to her, and it was widely rumored that she was the only candidate to become the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince always treated her with politeness but kept his distance whenever they were together.

Sometimes she even felt that the Crown Prince had no feelings for her, and that he was gentle and polite to everyone.

The thought of this made Lin Yue'er uneasy. Rumors were swirling outside, yet the Crown Prince remained unmoved, making no mention of the marriage, and the Emperor had never spoken of her either...

If she had Shen Qingnian's looks, would the Crown Prince have already come to propose marriage?

Lin Yue'er bit her lip and walked towards Song Xuan, who was talking to the young masters of noble families. She smiled and said, "Your Highness, let's go and say hello to Miss Chen."

Although Song Xuan was talking to others, his attention was always on Shen Qingnian.

There was no other reason than the other party's unusual attire today.

Now that Lin Yue'er invited him to go together, he nodded gently, and the two walked together toward Shen Qingnian's location.

Today, Song Xuan wore a moon-colored robe, still embroidered with dragon patterns. His face was as handsome as jade, with deep features, truly a gentleman.

Lin Yue'er and Song Xuan stood in front of Shen Qingnian and Madam Shen.

Shen Qingnian looked at Song Xuan with a complicated expression, but she quickly lowered her eyes.

Song Xuan stood opposite Madam Shen, with Shen Qingnian standing to his right. Even so, he could still smell the faint jasmine fragrance.

It was faint, yet deeply unsettling...

"Your Highness," Madam Shen bowed to Song Xuan, and Shen Qingnian beside her also gave a slight bow.

Song Xuan couldn't help but turn his gaze to Shen Qingnian.

She is slender and graceful.

Lin Yue'er noticed Song Xuan's gaze. She pursed her lips and said with a hint of envy, "Lord Shen is truly generous. This banquet is so grand. Miss Shen is truly blessed."

These words, seemingly praising Shen Qingnian, were actually an implication of the Shen family's extravagance. The current emperor praised simplicity and disliked extravagance, a fact known to almost all the court officials.

Today's calligraphy and painting banquet not only showcases the calligraphy and paintings of Shen Qingnian, but also those of many famous scholars and Confucian masters, whose value is so high that it cannot even be measured in silver.

Hearing Lin Yue'er's words, Madam Shen smiled, took Shen Qingnian's hand, and said with a look of tenderness, "My Qingnian has been feeling depressed lately. Master loves her the most. Knowing that Qingnian loves calligraphy and painting, he collected many works by great scholars to help Qingnian relieve her boredom and fatigue."

After the banquet, the Shen family will send these paintings and calligraphy to the palace for His Majesty to handle. Although they are not worth much money, they represent the goodwill of Qingnian and the Shen family.

These words easily deflected the implication in Lin Yue'er's words and even won her some goodwill.

Shen Qingnian glanced at Song Xuan and said softly, "While the calligraphy and paintings by famous artists are indeed precious, they are not as important as the lives of the refugees in the outskirts of the capital. Father, out of love for his daughter, spent a lot of money to find these calligraphy and paintings for me. It is a token of your father's affection."

"Having been taught by my father and mother to be a kind and benevolent person, I have decided to send these paintings and calligraphy to the palace."

The young girl exuded the fragrance of jasmine, and her features were exquisitely beautiful. Although she was a noblewoman, she cared deeply about the world. Ordinary noblewomen grew up in the inner quarters, pampered and spoiled, and would never care about the lives of ordinary people outside.

"It's rare to find someone with such a temperament, Miss Shen," Song Xuan said, inhaling the jasmine fragrance. His already gentle gaze softened even further.

He had no idea that Miss Shen would be so kind-hearted.

Shen Qingnian smiled faintly, her words tinged with sorrow: "My father was born a commoner. When I was young, he would often talk about the hardships he faced before becoming an official. Later, when my younger brother went to war on the frontier, he would talk to me about the frontier."

"Your humble servant is foolish and ignorant of military strategy, yet I have heard of the dire suffering of the people on the border, and this makes me even more eager to do something for them."

These words elicited a sigh from Song Xuan: "It's astonishing that Miss Shen can understand the harshness of the border region."

Most of the noble ladies and gentlemen in the capital only know how to enjoy themselves and have no interest in the people on the border. It is commendable that Shen Qingnian was able to say such things, which naturally earned her Song Xuan's special regard.

Shen Qingnian blushed slightly under Song Xuan's gaze and lowered her head gently, like a budding jasmine, elegant yet exuding an alluring fragrance.

She was already beautiful, and this girlish charm was eye-catching, including Song Xuan's. However, he only glanced at her twice before forcibly looking away and not looking at her any longer.

Lin Yue'er noticed the atmosphere between the two, and she almost tore the handkerchief in her hand to shreds.

She forced a smile and said in a somewhat sharp tone, "Miss Shen is so considerate of the people, she is truly kind-hearted. I've heard that you are being fostered under Madam Shen's name, and it's quite rare that Lord Shen treats you so kindly."

Everyone knows that Shen Qingnian is not Madam Shen's biological daughter, so she doesn't believe that Madam Shen and Lord Shen really treat Shen Qingnian so well.

These words were harsh, and even Song Xuan frowned, while Madam Shen's face fell.

Shen Qingnian swayed, her delicate beauty vanished, replaced by a pale complexion. She looked pitiful, and even the hairpin swaying in her hair seemed to have taken on a somber hue.

A beauty evokes pity—