Su Jinyang compared himself to Shen Mingyi and confirmed that he was superior to Shen Mingyi in every aspect, which made him feel much better.

He shifted his cold gaze from Shen Mingyi and said with a forced smile, "I was just passing by and saw that your mansion was so lively, so I thought I'd come in to join in the celebration. I hope you won't mind that I've come uninvited."

Madam Shen certainly wouldn't mind. Although she didn't know much about court affairs, she was well aware that Su Jinyang was now a highly sought-after prize.

Feng'er also mentioned that Prince Li intended to recruit Su Jinyang, and today is a good opportunity to get closer to him.

"General Su is a great hero of our Lintian Dynasty. I am more than happy to welcome you to my birthday banquet. How could I mind? Rushan, what are you waiting for? Quickly lead the young general to his seat."

Madam Shen smiled brightly, her eyes gleaming. She spoke eloquently and subtly elevated Shen Rushan's status.

By bypassing the other legitimate sons and having an adopted son receive Su Jinyang, everyone present was shrewd enough to see how much the Marquis's mansion valued Shen Rushan.

Song Zhiyu couldn't help but glance at Madam Shen a few more times. Her attitude towards Shen Rushan made Song Zhiyu even more certain of her guess.

Indeed, such a shrewd person would not have agreed to the adoption if he hadn't already known Shen Rushan's identity.

"General Su, please." Shen Rushan smiled and took a few steps forward to approach Su Jinyang, maintaining a proper distance from him with perfect manners. Every move he made was impeccable.

In contrast, the Shen brothers' faces visibly darkened. They were impatient and unfit for important tasks, truly incomparable to Shen Rushan.

The guests present couldn't help but shake their heads, suddenly understanding why Shen Feng had adopted Shen Rushan.

Su Jinyang glanced at the Shen brothers with a half-smile, the contempt in his eyes stinging them deeply.

A bunch of good-for-nothings, actually letting a mistress ride roughshod over them.

He was so arrogant when he bullied his sister, but now he can't even utter a single word.

However, this Chen Rushan is indeed quite capable.

Seeing this, Song Zhiyu chuckled helplessly. She knew that her third brother's visit today was definitely not just a simple passing by.

But she quickly forgot about Su Jinyang. The dampness on her wrist and the trembling maid kneeling in front of her made her irritably rub her temples.

"Miss, are you alright?" Lu Bai exclaimed, hurriedly taking out a handkerchief to wipe the tea off Song Zhiyu's hands.

"Second Miss, please spare me! I didn't mean to! I'll wipe it clean for you right away." As she spoke, the maid wiped Song Zhiyu's dress several times with a handkerchief.

Shen Jinshu stepped forward, feigning concern, and gently advised, "Second sister, don't worry about this maid for now. You should go and change into some clean clothes first, so you don't catch a cold."

After saying that, she straightened her expression, her words filled with undisguised guilt, "I happen to have spare clothes in my courtyard. Although they are not as good as the set that my second sister is wearing, they are still finely made."

If my second sister doesn't mind, perhaps Lu Bai could accompany Xiu Yue on the trip; it would be my way of making amends to her. After all, Grandmother entrusted me with the arrangements for today's birthday banquet, but things didn't go as planned."

Song Zhiyu smiled, gently brushed away the maid's hand, and said in a calm voice with a hint of coldness, "I don't need the clothes. My injury is nothing serious, but Grandmother's birthday banquet cannot have any mistakes."

I know that my older sister has been somewhat unsettled lately, but Grandmother entrusted you with the birthday banquet arrangements because she trusts your abilities.

"Sister, you must never employ such a clumsy maid again. It's one thing if scalding tea spills on your own family, but if it spills on a nobleman, wouldn't that be needlessly making an enemy of the Marquis's household?"

The more Song Zhiyu spoke, the paler Shen Jinshu's face became. Her lips pressed into a straight line, and her hands, hanging by her sides, clenched tightly into her palms as she felt intense hatred.

That bitch must have done it on purpose. She deliberately brought up that embarrassing incident in front of all the guests just to make her feel ashamed.

Shen Jinshu could feel the intensely burning gazes upon her, like sharp swords piercing her back, carrying a strong sense of humiliation.

Even with her deepest cunning, she was somewhat overwhelmed at this moment, and almost couldn't suppress the anger in her heart.

She was able to retort to Mingzhu's sarcastic remarks without batting an eye because that fool couldn't outwit her, and the two of them had something on each other, so she was completely unaffected.

But now all the guests’ eyes were on her, some mocking, some disdainful, and some pitying, including some she looked down on.

Ye Rou knew something was wrong. At this moment, she didn't care about the difference in status. She got up and walked to Shen Jinshu's side, gently trying to smooth things over, "What the second young lady said is very true, but the most important thing now is to change your clothes first, so that you don't catch a cold. Otherwise, the eldest young lady will probably feel even worse."

Please don't think I'm being nosy, but right now we're focused on the old lady's birthday banquet. Everything else can wait; celebrating her birthday is the most important thing.

Ye Rou downplayed the seriousness of the matter, turning a major issue into a minor one with just a few words, and subtly ingratiated herself with Old Madam Shen.

Upon hearing this, Shen Jinshu also came to her senses and echoed Ye Rou, "Second sister, don't worry. It was indeed my oversight in this matter, and I will definitely not make the same mistake again next time. But I still hope that you can accept the clothes, so that I can feel better."

Song Zhiyu narrowed her eyes. Regardless of the veracity of those words, Shen Jinshu's desperate attempt to get Lu Bai away must have other schemes in mind.

And this scheme was undoubtedly aimed at her.

Song Zhiyu thought to herself, since they went to such lengths to get rid of Lu Bai, how could this charade continue if she didn't cooperate?

Thinking of this, Song Zhiyu smiled lightly, "Big sister is so kind, then I can't let you down. Lu Bai, why don't you go with Xiu Yue?"

"Yes." Lu Bai gave Song Zhiyu a deep look, then followed Xiu Yue's steps.

A triumphant smile flashed in Shen Jinshu's eyes, but her face remained gentle and her voice was unhurried, "Second sister, you should hurry up and change your clothes. The birthday banquet is about to begin, and you can't be absent."

"Okay." Song Zhiyu nodded slightly, got up and walked towards the inner courtyard. Her steps were light, leaving everyone with only a slender and graceful figure.

In a corner unnoticed by anyone, Song Zhiyu's smiling eyes met Su Jinyang's directly. She glanced at him briefly before calmly looking away.

As Song Zhiyu's figure gradually disappeared from sight, Shen Jinshu could hardly contain her excitement.

After today, let's see how arrogant Song Zhiyu will still be.