Shen Mingzhuang was already fair-skinned, and the crabapple blossoms made her skin look even whiter than snow. Although her clothes were not as gorgeous as before, they made her look more playful and lively. She was no longer just a painting, but also full of life.

"Third Madam Shen!"

A soft exclamation accompanied by laughter rang out, and everyone in the Shen family looked in the direction of the sound. They saw a noble lady in a green stand-up collar formal dress and a skirt with gold trim walking over with a smile.

Zhao frowned, and the second wife, Gu, leaned closer and whispered, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong with Madam Wen?"

They wanted to see if the Zhao family knew anything.

After all, the news that the Wen family had taken a liking to Shen Mingzhuang had been circulating in the Shen family for quite some time. Today, Madam Wen's arrival and her direct approach to Madam Lin only fueled further speculation.

Zhao frowned slightly, did not answer Gu's question, but instead took a sip of tea.

Madam Gu was rebuffed, gave an awkward smile, took a sip of tea, and pondered the matter in her heart.

The opera performance had already begun on stage. The ladies wouldn't participate in the poetry contests and riddle-solving games for prizes that the young ladies were playing, but the young ladies were all incredibly excited, eagerly anticipating what the prizes would be.

Before the performance began, Madam Pei went to the front of the stage and announced the program and prizes for the upcoming Flower-Wearing Festival.

Surprisingly, the green peony, which was the annual champion in previous years, was replaced this year by a rare Cymbidium ensifolium. Cymbidium ensifolium is rare, but green peony is even rarer. The young ladies couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when they heard this. However, Madam Pei smiled and said, "Don't be discouraged, ladies. Whoever wins the top prize at today's Flower-Wearing Festival will also receive a genuine painting of Autumn Rain and Begonia by Mr. Heshou of the previous dynasty as the biggest prize of the day."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted in chaos.

Mr. He Shou, whose real name was Wei Xuan, was a famous scholar of the previous dynasty. He was invited by the late emperor three times to his thatched cottage before he agreed to serve the emperor. When the world was at peace, he retired to the mountains and forests. His noble character and integrity are admired by the world.

After he retired to the mountains, some people said that they had the good fortune to see Mr. Heshou in Penglai Island, but there have been no more rumors about him since.

Mr. He Shou's painting skills are superb, but very few of his paintings remain in private hands, making each one worth a fortune and highly sought after by the world.

However, precisely because of this, many people take advantage of the situation to produce fakes and sell them at high prices. Fortunately, Mr. He Shou's paintings are difficult to completely imitate, so the fakes are poorly made and easy to identify.

However, the Pei family has a deep foundation. Since Madam Pei said it was a genuine work by Mr. Heshou, it must be genuine. The noble ladies and young women of the capital city immediately became very interested.

"Your daughter is indeed worthy of being born into a scholarly family. Even though she is born out of wedlock, she has won the favor of the Princess. If she enters the palace, the number of families seeking her hand in marriage will probably break down your doorstep!"

Madam Wen, Han, chatted with Lin with a smile, but her gaze casually fell on Shen Mingxi.

She felt that among the girls around Madam Lin today, Shen Mingxi was the most outstanding and had the most dignified and polite manners. Therefore, she assumed that the outstanding Miss Shen mentioned by her son was this seventh daughter of the Shen family.

Lin's smile was forced, and she nodded with a forced smile, pretending to be modest, saying, "Madam Wen is joking. It's just that my daughter was lucky to have won Princess Jiayuan's favor. It's nothing."

With just one sentence, all of Shen Mingxi's good qualities were dismissed.