A breeze stirs the shadows, and amidst the rustling of bamboo leaves, the sounds of conversation drift down from beneath the pavilion.

"This servant greets the young master. I wonder if you have seen any of the young ladies pass by here?"

The speaker was a nanny from the Pei family. Her tone was gentle and her attitude respectful, which showed how important this eldest young master of the Pei family was to the household.

Looking at Pei Jingzhou, Shen Mingzhuang felt much more at ease. He couldn't help but wonder how much of a chance Pei Jingzhou would have against Jiang Wang if he believed in him.

After exchanging a few more words downstairs, the footsteps faded into the distance before Qingluan went up to the pavilion.

"Young Master, the person has already gone far away."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhuang thanked Pei Jingzhou repeatedly, which was truly sincere, since he would be in real trouble if he were discovered.

"You're welcome."

Pei Jingzhou smiled with refined elegance, and Shen Mingzhuang, seeing the opportunity, took his leave and returned to the front.

This time, Pei Jingzhou didn't stop her again. Now that he knew where she was, he wasn't in a hurry. He would find out the whole story and then meet her again.

Going back to the beginning, the melodious tune was being sung. Princess Jiayuan had already left her seat at some point, and Princess Xian'an was nowhere to be seen either, presumably having already left the Pei residence.

Since Princess Huirong drowned in a well just three days after winning the title of the most beautiful woman in the capital, the competition for the title of the most beautiful woman at the Flower-Piercing Banquet has never been held again.

In addition, this year's flower-adorning banquet no longer features green peonies as auspicious symbols. Although Mr. He Shou's paintings are rare, the two princesses would not stoop to compete with these officials' daughters for a painting.

Without these royal relatives, the ladies and young women felt much more at ease, chatting and listening to music in a harmonious atmosphere.

Seeing the long-lost Ninth Miss return, Qiuyue was startled and her face was full of anxiety. "Ninth Miss! Where is Eighth Miss? Madam and Granny Jiang went to look for you, and they haven't returned yet!"

Shen Mingzhuang glanced in surprise at the spot where Madam Lin had just been sitting. "Mother went looking for me?"

Qiu Yue nodded. "Madam Pei said that you and the Eighth Miss are missing, and the First Madam even yelled at the Third Madam. You should go and tell the First Madam!"

I was so anxious that tears were about to come out.

Shen Mingzhuang was truly taken aback. Even the First Madam was alarmed. He wondered what Madam Pei had said to Zhao.

She turned around and went to find the First Madam, who was sitting next to Madam Pei listening to the opera, and didn't seem to be in a hurry.

When she saw Shen Mingzhuang return, she simply nodded and told her to sit over there and listen to the opera. That was all she said. This made Qiuyue blush and not know what to say.

This is the difference between the Zhao family and the Lin family.

No matter what happened, Zhao would never act recklessly in other people's homes. If something happened, she would go back to the mansion and talk about it with her family behind closed doors. She would never make a big fuss in public, as if she were afraid that others would laugh at her.

Shen Ming'e had already finished crying and was hiding in the bamboo grove, asking her personal maid Lan'er, "Am I someone who can't be seen by people anymore?"

Lan'er looked at her smudged makeup and smiled somewhat reluctantly, but still comforted her, "It's nothing, Miss. Even if your makeup is smudged, you are still Aunt Liu's daughter. Even if your makeup is smudged, you are still as beautiful as an angel."

After saying this, Shen Ming'e burst into laughter through her tears and glared at Lan'er. She was about to pack up and go back when she realized that if she ran off like this, Madam Pei would definitely tell Madam Lin. They were worried that something had happened to her and would definitely come back to look for her, which would inevitably lead to another scolding.