Chapter 4
"Miss Lin is a very likable person, no wonder His Highness the Crown Prince always graces her with his presence."
"His Highness is very busy with official duties, so the fact that he was able to take the time to come must be because Miss Lin is here."
"I heard that Miss Shen fell ill after Miss Lin returned to the capital. What a coincidence."
"Perhaps he fell ill because he felt ashamed of his own inadequacy..."
......
These young masters and ladies not only fawned over Lin Yue'er, but also brought Shen Qingnian into the spotlight.
The three were already embroiled in rumors, but judging from the current situation, it seems that the selection of the Crown Princess will be finalized soon.
In the capital, only Shen Qingnian or Lin Yue'er are qualified to be the Crown Princess.
Shen Zheng is the current prime minister, holding a very high position in the court. Although Lin Yue'er's family background is not as good as Shen Qingnian's, she has a relationship with the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince is a gentle and humble person who cherishes old friendships. Therefore, everyone thinks that Lin Yue'er will successfully oust Shen Qingnian and ascend to the position of Crown Princess upon her return.
His Highness the Crown Prince didn't seem to stop her; on the contrary, he gave Lin Yue'er plenty of face.
Actually, it wasn't that Song Xuan gave Lin Yue'er too much face; rather, his close relationship with Lin Yue'er was all at the emperor's behest.
Song Xuan was of age to choose a crown princess, and Lin Yue'er's grandfather had been kind to Song Xuan, so the emperor naturally felt that they could be brought together.
Song Xuan knew about this matter, but he was not bothered by it. The Crown Princess had to be chosen, and since his father was willing to match them up, he had to give him face.
People gathered around Song Xuan and Lin Yue'er, showering them with compliments.
Song Xuan looked at these people, but he was somewhat absent-minded, and the incident in the temple that day would occasionally come to mind.
More than Lin Yue'er before him, he wanted to know who the people in the temple were that day...
Just as Lin Yue'er was chatting and laughing with a group of young men, Shen Qingnian walked over.
There was a moment of silence among the crowd; no one had expected Shen Qingnian to come today.
At this moment, Shen Qingnian was dressed in a light pink dress. Her skin was extremely fair, and she was beautiful. Her delicate features made her look like a fairy in a painting.
She seemed to have lost some weight, and her complexion wasn't as rosy as usual.
Lin Yue'er was stunned when she saw Shen Qingnian, and only reacted after the noble lady next to her said Shen Qingnian's name.
During her convalescence, she had heard that Shen Qingnian was beautiful, but she assumed that the Shen family wanted her to enter the Eastern Palace and were creating momentum for her.
But after seeing her today, I can confirm that Shen Qingnian truly deserves to be called the number one beauty; at least, she can't compare to her.
Realizing this, Lin Yue'er stirred the handkerchief in her hand and said with a smile, "Miss Shen, I was just talking about you with my brother, the Crown Prince. I didn't mean to call my brother away last time, so please don't take it to heart, Miss Shen."
It seemed like she was telling Shen Qingnian not to take it to heart, but in reality, she was reminding her that she wasn't as good as herself.
Shen Qingnian's face paled, clearly provoked by Lin Yue'er's words.
She glanced at Song Xuan first, and seeing that his expression remained calm, she forced a smile: "Miss Lin is overthinking it. I don't mind at all. Since you are on good terms with His Highness the Crown Prince, it is only right that His Highness picks you up when you return to the capital."
Shen Qingnian was already beautiful, and her forced smile made her seem somewhat delicate and fragile, which made Lin Yue'er appear arrogant and as if she was deliberately bullying her.
Those who had been flattering Lin Yue'er just moments before were now silent, and some even showed pity on their faces.
No one likes an arrogant person. Although Shen Qingnian is the daughter of the prime minister, she is very gentle. In comparison, Lin Yue'er's behavior seems a bit excessive.
Even Song Xuan looked up at Shen Qingnian.
"The incident happened suddenly that day. Miss Lin suffered a sudden relapse of her old illness, which is why I left in a hurry," Song Xuan nodded to Shen Qingnian and gently explained what happened that day.
Lin Yue'er needed his help to go to the palace to fetch the imperial physician, so he left first without saying goodbye. It was indeed because he hadn't thought things through.
Song Xuan was a true gentleman. All his etiquette was personally taught by the emperor and empress. If the incident had not been sudden, he would not have left without saying goodbye.
The man was tall and slender. He sat upright at the table, his laurel-colored robe making him appear refined and elegant.
Shen Qingnian bowed to Song Xuan, her forced smile turning into a genuine one: "So that's how it is."
After saying that, she looked at Lin Yue'er beside her and asked with concern, "How is Miss Lin feeling? I heard that you haven't been feeling well. You must take good care of yourself."
She had already learned the reason for Song Xuan's sudden departure a few days ago, but now she had to pretend that she had just found out.
Lin Yue'er found Shen Qingnian's friendly and polite demeanor somewhat displeasing, and she nodded impatiently.
When everyone saw Song Xuan personally explain what happened last time, they all suddenly understood.
No wonder His Highness the Crown Prince left the banquet midway; it turns out he needed to go to the palace to fetch the imperial physician. His Highness is benevolent; even other noble ladies would have done the same that day.
The atmosphere immediately lightened, but everyone's gazes toward Lin Yue'er carried a deeper meaning.
Lin Yue'er has been guiding them a lot these past few days, making them mistakenly believe that His Highness the Crown Prince left the banquet midway to pick her up, while not mentioning a word about his sudden relapse of his old illness.
It seemed as if His Highness the Crown Prince couldn't wait to pick her up.
At this moment, a noblewoman spoke up with some curiosity: "Miss Chen, your clothes and jewelry match perfectly today, but it's a pity that you're not wearing earrings."
When noble ladies gather together, they love to talk about cosmetics and jewelry. So, when they saw Shen Qingnian's outfit, they were naturally a little puzzled.
“Yes, the hairpin and bracelet are both scarlet. If you add a pair of earrings, it would be even better,” another noblewoman nodded in agreement.
Song Xuan, who was standing next to her, also looked at Shen Qingnian.
The girl had porcelain-white skin and exquisite features, but her temperament was gentle and graceful. The scarlet hairpin on her head and the bracelet on her wrist complemented each other, but she was missing a pair of scarlet earrings.
Thinking of earrings, Song Xuan couldn't help but recall the red jade earrings he kept in the drawer. The earrings were made of high-quality materials and were clearly not ordinary. If they were worn by Shen Qingnian, they would surely look very beautiful.
Upon hearing the words of these noble ladies, Shen Qingnian's expression stiffened slightly, and she then said, "I don't like wearing earrings."
That's a perfunctory answer. What noble lady wouldn't like earrings?
Even if you really don't like it, you'll still wear it when attending various occasions; it's a matter of etiquette and custom.
Sure enough, as soon as Shen Qingnian uttered these words, a noblewoman immediately spoke up: "How could that be? Didn't you used to adore a pair of red jade earrings? Those earrings were a beautiful crimson, perfectly matching your attire today..."
The red jade earrings were very beautiful, and she took a few extra glances at them, so she paid special attention to them.
As soon as the noblewoman finished speaking, Shen Qingnian's stiff expression turned somewhat flustered, and she subconsciously looked in Song Xuan's direction—
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