Chapter 33 Advantages: I don't like to meddle in other people's business.
Shen Yan's skills in pitch-pot and archery were breathtaking, and cheers and shouts of approval from the girls could be heard from time to time outside the pavilion.
Li Yaozhi had never been particularly fond of these things, only playing them occasionally, but at this moment, her eyes lit up, and she took the initiative to try a few rounds.
Unfortunately, her aim was really poor, ranking last among all the noble ladies.
Gu Niannian's voice was almost hoarse from shouting, exclaiming how amazing Shen Yan was, saying that even her third brother was convinced of her skill, and that no one in the capital could match her.
While there are those who genuinely admire, there are also those who are sour, jealous, and sarcastic.
"Since Miss Shen possesses such remarkable abilities, why didn't she display them at the Cheng'an Marquis's residence that day, but only revealed them to others during her outing with Prince Ping? Could it be that she was deliberately waiting to make a name for herself in front of the Prince?"
These words make it sound as if Shen Yan had already fallen for Qi Jingxuan and was deliberately holding back a trick specifically to attract him.
If anyone actually believed that, then they would probably start to wonder if Shen Yan from the Cheng'an Marquis's residence had deliberately gone to the front yard to seduce Qi Jingxuan that day.
Gu Niannian glared, wanting to reprimand the person, but when she looked into the crowd, she saw that the person speaking was her second sister, Gu Yue. She became even angrier and opened her mouth to retort.
Shen Yan spoke up before her: "It wasn't that I was intentionally hiding my talents, it's just that I wasn't feeling well that day. When Miss Xu invited everyone to play the pitch-pot game, I went to change my clothes and couldn't make it. It's a pity."
Upon hearing this, everyone instinctively went to find Miss Xu, wanting to see what she had to say.
However, ever since that incident, the Cheng'an Marquis's mansion has kept its doors closed and been in self-examination. No one in the mansion, from the masters to the servants, is allowed to go out unless there is an important matter, and naturally, they cannot attend banquets. Therefore, Miss Xu did not come today.
However, many of the people present had attended the banquet that day, and upon careful recollection, they remembered that Shen Yan had indeed gone to the washroom during the game of pitch-pot. After that, no one had seen her again, and later they heard that something had happened to her...
If what Gu Niannian said earlier is true, and both she and Prince Jin were framed, then she is truly unlucky.
Even if it wasn't true, and it was just that the Prince of Jin got drunk and forcibly abducted her, she was still very unlucky.
Although many girls dared not get too close to Shen Yan, they knew in their hearts that Shen Yan was not at fault. When they saw Gu Yue publicly criticizing her for this, they couldn't help but feel displeased.
It's one thing to avoid getting close to someone in trouble for fear of being implicated, but it's another to knowingly kick someone when they're innocent.
Yang Huiru stood beside Gu Yue with her eyes lowered, gently tugging at her sleeve to signal her to stop talking.
Gu Yue, however, refused to let it go so easily. She broke free and continued, "So what if you're good at pitch-pot and archery? It's just a pastime, nothing refined. If you're so capable, compete with me in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and see who's truly better."
Shen Yan came from a poor family and could not possibly have received the same education as a noblewoman like her, who had studied music, chess, calligraphy, and painting from a young age, using the best tools and being taught by the best teachers. She challenged Shen Yan to these competitions because she knew Shen Yan could never win; frankly, it was bullying and looking down on her background.
Shen Yan was not annoyed, and said, "Of the four arts, I am only somewhat good at calligraphy, and I am only slightly proficient in chess and painting. As for the zither, I have never even touched it, so I dare not compete with you, Miss."
"If this young lady insists on competing, then I'll accept my defeat."
She publicly admitted that she was not good at it and directly conceded defeat, but Gu Yue did not feel proud at all. She only felt that she had punched a cotton ball.
She was already taking advantage of her status to bully others, but the other party didn't care at all and wasn't ashamed of their background, which made her seem even more mean.
Gu Yue clenched her fists and sneered, "Then I find it strange. Miss Shen is mediocre in talent, appearance, and family background. If Prince Ping and you are truly strangers, how come he fell for you at first sight among so many noble ladies at the Cheng'an Marquis's banquet that day?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Li Yaozhi standing next to Shen Yan and said, intentionally or unintentionally, "I don't doubt Miss Shen's anything, it's just that Prince Ping is so arrogant that he didn't even take a liking to Grand Secretary Li's most beloved granddaughter, but he took a liking to you, which is really surprising."
Gu Yue had once been on a date with Qi Jingxuan, but Qi Jingxuan didn't take a liking to her, so the matter was naturally dropped.
If Qi Jingxuan later marries a noblewoman of similar social standing to hers, that would be one thing, but if he takes a liking to Li Yaozhi, she would have nothing to say.
But he didn't even fancy someone like Li Yaozhi, yet he took a fancy to Shen Yan, who came from a poor family and was inferior to her in both looks and talent. In order to marry her, he even moved into the Shen family's doorstep, saying that he was willing to marry into the family. This made Gu Yue, who was not chosen in the first place, feel very embarrassed and more resentful.
She thought that Li Yaozhi, who had also been rejected by Qi Jingxuan and had a bad relationship with him, would be very angry. However, she did not make things difficult for Shen Yan. Instead, she took the initiative to chat with her, as if they were old friends who had met long ago.
Gu Yue had always thought Li Yaozhi was pretentious and aloof. Seeing her like this today, she felt even more that Li Yaozhi was pretending to be magnanimous in front of everyone to show off her demeanor. Gu Yue disliked her even more and brought her into the conversation.
Everyone was surprised that Gu Yue not only spoke harshly to Shen Yan, but also brought up Li Yaozhi, causing their expressions to change slightly.
This isn't a banquet held at someone's private residence; it's in the palace. If things get out of hand, it might not look good.
Li Yaozhi frowned, about to speak, when she heard Shen Yan chuckle softly beside her.
“I really don’t know what Prince Ping sees in me. If you are interested, Miss, you can ask him yourself when you see him another day.”
The phrase "interested" makes it seem as if Gu Yue's rudeness wasn't meant to be sarcastic, but rather as a desire to know what kind of woman the Prince Ping liked.
Gu Yue's expression changed, and she opened her mouth to retort, but then she heard Shen Yan continue, "However, although I don't have many strengths, I do have one commendable advantage..."
"I don't like to meddle in other people's business."
Upon hearing this, there was initial silence, followed by someone covering their mouth and laughing.
One person laughed, and the others couldn't help but join in, and laughter erupted everywhere. Everyone's eyes turned to Gu Yue, feeling that she had really embarrassed herself today.
Her attempt to bully Miss Shen failed, and she was even publicly ridiculed for meddling. Ironically, Miss Shen hadn't even directly insulted her, leaving her no room for criticism.
Gu Yue's face flushed red, and she wanted to slap Shen Yan twice, but she was mindful that this was the palace and dared not be too presumptuous.
Li Yaozhi couldn't help but laugh along with everyone. After laughing, she said meaningfully, "Emperor Gaozu once said that the arts of playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting are meant to cultivate one's character and temperament, not to compete with each other. If one learns them specifically to compete with others, one loses one's true nature and finds them meaningless."
"Some people, relying on their good family background and having been taught by famous teachers since childhood, have a high opinion of themselves and always like to compare their skills with others."
"If you really meet someone with the same interests and want to learn from them, that's fine. But some people like to compare their strengths with others' weaknesses. If you are good at calligraphy, they will compare paintings with you; if you are good at painting, they will compare chess with you; if you are good at chess, they will insist on comparing musical instruments with you. In short, they will never admit the strengths of others."
"If you encounter this kind of person, stay away from him and avoid associating with him. Otherwise, when you're having a good time, he'll have to show up and spoil the fun, which is really unlucky."
After saying that, she took Shen Yan's arm and pulled her to the other side, saying as they walked, "This place is no longer interesting, let's go somewhere else to play."
Seeing this, Gu Niannian quickly followed, and the three of them went away together.
The other noble ladies either followed along or went elsewhere with their companions.
Before long, only Gu Yue and Yang Huiru remained outside the pavilion.
Gu Yue stomped her foot angrily, her eyes red-rimmed, and said, "What are you pretending to be so magnanimous and composed for? You're so hypocritical!"
Yang Huiru stood beside her, her eyes lowered as she twisted the handkerchief in her hands, her expression also unpleasant.
That day at Baoyu Pavilion, she had already embarrassed Shen Yan in public because of Li Yaozhi. Today, at the banquet in the palace, she saw that Gu Yue, who was known for her fiery temper, had also come. So she urged her to come and cause trouble for Shen Yan. However, when she arrived, she saw Shen Yan, Li Yaozhi, and Gu Niannian already fighting.
She immediately regretted it and tried to stop Gu Yue, but this firecracker was easy to light but difficult to extinguish, and she couldn't stop it at all.
Now, as expected, Gu Yue was publicly ridiculed by Li Yaozhi, and she couldn't escape the embarrassment either.
But she really didn't understand. It was one thing for Li Yaozhi to dare to do this, but how could Chen Yan... dare to do it?
Yang Huiru gripped the handkerchief in her hand tighter and tighter. When she looked down, she saw the lustrous jade pendant hanging from Gu Yue's waist, and her eyes flickered.
………………
Although Qi Jingxuan did not go directly to Jianzhang Palace, he kept people watching the situation there, fearing that something might happen to Shen Yan.
The eunuchs kept reporting news from Jianzhang Palace to him, so he could know almost anything that happened there immediately.
When Qi Jingxuan heard that Shen Yan's wooden arrow-throwing skills were amazing, he grinned and looked very proud.
Upon hearing that someone was causing trouble for Shen Yan, he jumped up from his chair and strode out of the palace gate towards Jianzhang Palace.
Seeing this, the eunuch quickly dissuaded him: "Oh, my lord, those are all women over there, it's not appropriate for you to go!"
Qi Jingxuan ignored him completely and ran far away in the blink of an eye, leaving him with only his back view.
Although he arrived quickly, it still took him about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to get there. By the time he arrived, Shen Yan had already left the vicinity of the pavilion and was chatting with several women under a flowering tree. The group was laughing and talking, and the atmosphere was very pleasant, showing no signs of having argued with anyone.
Qi Jingxuan breathed a slight sigh of relief, walked over to greet him, and then asked directly, "I heard Gu Er gave you trouble. Are you alright?"
Everyone was surprised by his arrival, including Shen Yan.
But she quickly calmed down and replied gently, "It's alright, this is the palace, who would dare to break the rules?"
"That's not necessarily true, I dare to."
Qi Jingxuan said.
Shen Yan was speechless, and the other women were also taken aback, then burst into laughter.
It was inappropriate for a young woman to be alone with a man, but since the two were already engaged and the place was open and not a private spot, everyone tactfully stepped aside and secretly observed them from a distance.
Shen Yan was already used to Qi Jingxuan's way of doing things, and spoke to him calmly under everyone's gaze.
The two of them simply talked about the argument they had just had with Gu Yue. Shen Yan didn't take it to heart and didn't go into details. She just said that she hadn't suffered any losses and that he shouldn't worry.
How could Qi Jingxuan be at ease? It was a banquet personally hosted by his mother in the imperial palace. If someone like Gu Er dared to directly cause trouble for Shen Yan, who knew what other monsters and demons would appear later?
He refused to leave, insisting on staying with Chen Yan, looking like he would tear apart anyone who dared to bully her again.
Shen Yan couldn't refuse, so she had to let him accompany her and walk with him towards the crowd.
Li Yaozhi disliked Qi Jingxuan to begin with, and the thought that Shen Yan was caught up in all these conflicts because of him made her even more disgusted. She couldn't help but say, "A beautiful flower stuck in cow dung."
The two were walking in their direction, and since Li Yaozhi didn't deliberately lower her voice, Qi Jingxuan overheard what she said.
He and Li Yaozhi didn't get along to begin with, and upon hearing this, he immediately retorted, "What's wrong with cow dung? Aren't all the fruits and vegetables you eat grown with dung? If you look down on dung so much, then don't eat it!"
Li Yaozhi: "..."
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