"Sister Xue, I heard that you are about to marry Prince Lu. That's wonderful! You two are a perfect match, both handsome and beautiful."
“Who says otherwise? I heard that Prince Lu has made great contributions in Qingnan this time and will definitely be promoted, at least to the fifth rank or above. That’s a promotion of two ranks.”
"Indeed, Young Master Lu is already a fifth-rank official at such a young age, and his future is limitless. In addition, with his status as a prince, Sister Xue has found a good husband."
Hearing these compliments, Xue Lingyu was overjoyed, but she still pretended to be shy and said, "I am only engaged to Prince Lu. It's still a long way off before we get married. Please don't make fun of me, sisters."
These past few days have been the happiest she's had since returning to Beijing, especially when she sees those who used to mock her behind her back for not being as good as Miss Xue now flattering her; she just feels great.
No matter how good Miss Xue was, she still died, and this marriage is now hers.
She will be the one who marries Prince Lu in the future.
The thought that such a handsome and refined young man was her husband made her heart race, and her smile became even more smug.
Looking at the commotion not far away, Chen Feiyan felt even more dissatisfied. She said irritably, "You said that today's palace banquet was held for the officials who made contributions to the Qingnan incident. What does it have to do with Xue Lingyu?"
Her smug look made it seem as if the palace banquet was specially prepared for her.
She must be overjoyed to hear others mention her marriage to Prince Lu, yet she insists on acting shy. How tedious!
I can't stand her being so smug. I don't know if that Prince Lu has something wrong with his eyes. Why would he choose that guy over so many noble ladies and golden branches and jade leaves in the capital?
"I think you're a hundred times prettier than her, Miss Jiang, but I haven't seen you flaunt it like this."
She had never really liked Xue Lingyu. Although his family background was not bad, he always acted pretentious, which made him hard to like.
Especially lately, relying on her marriage agreement with the Lu family, she always tries to show off at various banquets, acting as if she is superior to others.
She despised this kind of person the most, and consequently disliked the so-called Prince Lu as well.
"I heard that the young master Lu grew up on the estate since he was a child. Originally, the marriage was supposed to fall to Lu Lin, but now it has become his."
Do you think he wanted this marriage more, or was he forced into it?
Jiang Yimian simply smiled, glanced casually at the person surrounded by a large group of women, and quickly looked away, saying nonchalantly, "I don't know."
Chen Feiyan answered on her own, "I think he must have been forced. Even if he wanted to resist, he didn't dare to because of the father-son relationship. In a way, he's a pitiful person."
Jiang Yimian found it amusing, but seeing Chen Feiyan's empathetic expression, she asked curiously, "How can you be so sure that your family has arranged a marriage for you?"
Chen Feiyan only sighed, looking as if she had lost all her energy and spirit, and seemed unwilling to say anything more.
Jiang Yimian then searched the hall for Chen Shuyu's figure.
Sure enough, Chen Shuyu was talking with several ladies not far away. When he saw her, he was obviously stunned, as if he couldn't understand why she was there.
Jiang Yimian didn't care about her thoughts. When she saw that the other party had noticed her, she quickly looked away and silently pondered how to naturally complete her plan later.
Just then, Chen Feiyan nudged her and whispered, "Xue Lingyu is here."
Jiang Yimian glanced at the person walking towards her, then looked away, picked up the tea on the table and took a sip, pretending not to have seen anything.
Xue Lingyu stopped in front of the table, feigning surprise and raising her voice, "Miss Jiang, how did a mere shopkeeper like you get in here? Do you even know where this place is?"
If Jiang Yimian hadn't actually been standing in front of her, she would have thought Zhang Yuyao was joking.
I just can't figure out why Jiang Yimian is here.
Not just anyone can attend this palace banquet today, especially a lowly commoner like him. How did this person even get here?
Could it be that he asked Xie Yu for help?
But Xie Yu was nowhere to be seen in the hall.
The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Ironically, many young men on the men's side had their eyes on Jiang Yimian, and she was the only one who could clearly see the amazement in their eyes.
Enraged, she clenched her fists tightly, wishing she could kick the woman out immediately.
This person must have sneaked in with others; it's truly despicable.
Such an important palace banquet was somehow managed to be sneaked in by a commoner.
But this person was so good-looking that they completely stole her thunder.
If she hadn't just noticed that many young masters and noblemen were looking this way, she wouldn't have believed it at all.
She deliberately wore a light blue outfit today to distinguish herself from those dressed in bright colors, so that people could spot her at a glance.
But this person was different. Dressed in a smoky blue fringed dress with wide sleeves, and with only a white jade hairpin in her hair, she was elegant and clean, easily winning everyone's attention and making the other woman pale in comparison.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She glared at the person in front of her, her eyes filled with fury. She had to get rid of this person.
Zhang Yuyao chimed in with discontent, "Are the guards at the palace gate blind? Why did they let you in?"
Those who didn't understand the reason looked over when they saw that a dispute had broken out.
Chen Shuyu also looked over, and when she saw Jiang Yimian and Xue Lingyu facing off, she simply raised an eyebrow, looking like she was watching a good show.
The maid beside her whispered, "Madam, this is a palace banquet. How did this Miss Jiang get in? And why is she arguing with Miss Xue? Should I go and stop her?"
Chen Shuyu just chuckled, "No need. Although I don't know how this Miss Jiang got in here, she's practically a party to this today. Let her see Lu Cijian get engaged to someone else with her own eyes. It would be best if she could give up on him so she can make a better decision to help me."
It would be best if Xue Lingyu humiliated her again, making her understand that her status was worlds apart from Lu Cijian's.
Only when you've accumulated enough disappointment will it be easier to take action against Lu Cijian.
This will benefit her more than it benefits her.
The maid hesitated for a moment before saying, "Madam, I think Miss Jiang and Miss Xue seem to know each other and have had some kind of conflict. If things escalate, it might be difficult to handle."
Chen Shuyu just smiled and said, "What are you worried about? Today is Xue Lingyu's good day. She's feeling quite pleased with herself and won't do anything too outrageous. She's just teaching a merchant's daughter a lesson. Nobody will care."
Even if they go too far, the worst that can happen is that they'll be kicked out, but no one cares whether a small-time female merchant stays or goes.
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