Zhu Jiayu and Lin Yulou went to the garden together.
Today's banquet was hosted by Yu Qinglan, but when Zhu Jiayu received the invitation, no one could figure out what Yu Qinglan was trying to do—was she trying to elevate Zhu Jiayu, or was she trying to humiliate her?
Yu Qinglan did not express her opinion, which made those who were on good terms with her, or those who wanted to curry favor with her, even more hesitant to make any rash moves.
After all, Fang Yun'er's example was still there, and they didn't want to upset Yu Qinglan because of a careless remark.
Zhu Jiayu chose a seat by the railing, and Lin Yulou sat down next to her.
No one greeted Zhu Jiayu—although Zhu Jiayu was also invited to today's Cold Dew Banquet, it was clear that the noble ladies did not regard Zhu Jiayu as someone they could talk to on equal terms. In their eyes, Zhu Jiayu should be like a puppy or a kitten. They would talk to her if they felt like it, but if they didn't want to give her a second glance, she had better stay far away and not get in their way.
That's perfect, Zhu Jiayu didn't want to talk either.
She's never been a talkative person, only speaking when absolutely necessary. But now, she naturally prefers to enjoy this rare moment of peace and quiet.
The noble ladies standing nearby hadn't expected that they would shift their conversation from the fashionable clothes, jewelry, hair ornaments, and rouge of the capital to the handsome and refined young men from noble families in the capital. They were practically talking themselves hoarse, but Zhu Jiayu remained so composed that he didn't utter a single word.
Yu Qinglan saw their cold and ostracizing behavior towards Zhu Jiayu, but she didn't react. This only served to reinforce the impression that she didn't care about Zhu Jiayu.
Perhaps her rebuttal to Fang Yun'er and her defense of Zhu Jiayu last time was just a coincidence? Or was it simply that she disliked Fang Yun'er's targeting of Zhu Jiayu, yet dragged her into it?
With this thought in mind, one person finally couldn't contain himself any longer and took a sip of tea, looked at Zhu Jiayu, and asked with a soft laugh, "We've been talking for so long, Miss Zhu, aren't you interested at all?"
Lin Yulou pursed her lips; this was the third time.
This is the third time they've used this trick.
Clearly, if Zhu Jiayu had spoken while they were talking, they would have accused her of being ill-mannered and eager to curry favor. But now that she hadn't spoken, they were already planning to label her as disrespectful. No matter what Zhu Jiayu did, they would always find something wrong to embarrass her.
Lin Yulou found this somewhat annoying.
She looked in the direction of the voice, her clear eyes filled with anger: "Miss Chen..."
Before she could finish speaking, another person called out to her, "Sister Yulou, I think you should consider your own status before speaking, don't you think?"
This is a blatant warning.
This person's father is Lin Yulou's father's superior. If Lin Yulou were to speak rashly today and offend her, one can imagine how unfairly her father would be treated in the yamen.
But are we just going to stand by and watch them bully Zhu Jiayu like this?
She was never a soft-hearted person, otherwise she wouldn't have stood by and watched the first two times, but Zhu Jiayu... she felt that she was different.
Just as she hesitated, Zhu Jiayu squeezed her hand, turned his head slightly to look at the woman who had spoken first, and said with a gentle smile:
"No, I was just thinking about how beautiful the voices of all the ladies are, like rolling pearls and shattering jade. I got lost in thought about it without even realizing it."
Ladies: "..."
Although I suspect she's just fooling them, I inexplicably can't get angry anymore. Let alone use this as an excuse to teach her a lesson!
I'm so annoyed.
Lin Yulou stared at Zhu Jiayu with wide eyes, as if he were seeing her for the first time, seemingly never expecting her to have such a profound ability to lie through her teeth.
The crowd remained silent for a long while. For a moment, it was as if time had stopped, and all the flowing sounds and images became clear and distinct.
The wind rustled the bamboo leaves, the stream babbled beneath the bamboo grove, the chrysanthemums along the bank swayed gently, and the hairpins dangling from the young girls' temples...
The person being stared at by her was stunned for a while before coming to their senses and blushing: "Is...is that so?"
The composure and indifference that had been present just moments before, when she spoke softly yet subtly harbored sharp wit, were completely gone.
Zhu Jiayu's smile deepened; her delicate eyebrows and slightly upturned eyes exuded a natural charm.
Furthermore, the bitterness and power she had cultivated over two lifetimes had shaped her character, preventing her charm from appearing frivolous or vulgar. Instead, it possessed an indescribable elegance.
Everyone stared at her for a long time before awkwardly looking away.
After a moment of silence, some people couldn't contain themselves and decided to test the depths of this Suiping merchant girl on this occasion, hoping to make her reveal her true colors and teach her that not every circle is within her reach.
“Miss Zhu is quite eloquent, but you should at least offer your own opinion, shouldn’t you? It can’t be that we’re all talking and discussing enthusiastically while you sit there like a statue. If others saw this, they might say you’re antisocial, or that we’re petty and don’t want to include you…”
The young lady who spoke reached out, twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers, turned her head, and said with a charming smile, "I suppose Miss Zhu wouldn't want to see such a misunderstanding happen, would she?"
Someone else chimed in, "Perfect timing! We were just saying we wanted to see Miss Yu's new calligraphy and paintings. Miss Zhu, why don't you come along?"
Zhu Jiayu remained silent. After a while, a girl who couldn't wait to see her make a fool of herself came up and affectionately took her hand.
"Come on, come on, it's okay to just take a look. We'll have many more gatherings like this in the future. Don't be shy, sister, you'll get used to it eventually!"
"Don't you like playing with us?" Seeing that Zhu Jiayu's expression was still not very enthusiastic, the girl's face changed and she asked aggrievedly.
Zhu Jiayu then forced a smile, looking somewhat uncomfortable: "How could that be?"
The girl chuckled inwardly, convinced that the woman was uncomfortable because she was afraid of appearing timid in front of them.
It's easy to understand, after all, not everyone can be like them, with a privileged background and noble family history, which can support them to receive a good education and have enough opportunities to broaden their horizons and cultivate a vision and knowledge that is difficult for ordinary people to reach.
At this moment, in the girl's eyes, Zhu Jiayu already looked like a pitiful little thing. She could even foresee how helpless she would feel in a moment.
Yu Qinglan remained indifferent. She glanced at everyone and, seeing that no one objected, said with a slight smile, "Then please follow me."
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