This daze didn't last long; the Yao family arrived.
After the deaths of his wife and daughter, the head of the Yao family did not remarry, and the banquet arrangements were left to his second wife.
In this sense, the two cousins' fates were somewhat similar; both had to obediently follow their aunt.
Compared to the respectful and obedient Jiang Sheng, Yao Siqing was more generous and composed. When she exchanged pleasantries, she vaguely had the air of a matriarch, which made Madam Yao purse her lips several times.
"The two Yao brothers are clearly from the same mother, but they don't get along as well as my father and uncle," Jiang Chengyu muttered from the side, his tone a mix of pride and disdain.
Jiang Sheng didn't respond, but just stared intently at Yao Siqing as they exchanged pleasantries until they stood before the Jiang family's table.
"Greetings, Auntie, and my two younger cousins." The Yao family girl was poised and generous, but she got straight to the point. "This banquet will last for another half an hour. If you sisters are feeling bored, why don't you come out for a walk with me?"
Jiang Chengyu and Jiang Sheng's eyes lit up at the same time.
Before they could agree, Madam Yao said unhappily, "This is a palace banquet. With so many people coming and going, what if we cause a disturbance? Let's just sit here and wait for half an hour."
Yao Siqing smiled without saying a word, gave Jiang Sheng a reassuring look, and then winked at Jiang Chengyu.
As expected, Jiang Si made a fuss, "Mother, my stomach is a little uncomfortable, and I would like to ask my two elder sisters to accompany me to the toilet."
Who needs someone to accompany them when they need to relieve themselves? They clearly just want to go out and have fun.
Madam Yao frowned again.
But before she could say anything, Madam Jiang smiled and said, "Then you may go, just remember to come back early and don't be late for the banquet."
"Thank you, Mother."
"Thank you, Auntie."
The three girls bowed gracefully and left, their different heights, weights, and figures quite charming.
Aside from Jiang Chengyu's genuine restlessness, both Jiang Sheng and Yao Siqing knew the purpose of today's event—to find the Fifth Prince.
These five words are simple to say, but extremely difficult to do.
First of all, if Jiang Sheng wants to give money, she can't wait until after the banquet to approach the Fifth Prince, because by then it will be too late.
There was plenty of time before the banquet, but as female relatives of officials, they had no way to get close to the princes discreetly.
After much deliberation, the only option was to intercept them on the way, just before the banquet began.
Now the group is familiarizing themselves with the terrain, wandering around, observing the directions given by Xu Mo, and predicting the possible routes the Fifth Prince might take.
Jiang Chengyu, unaware of the truth, happily spread the word, "Attending this kind of banquet only brings good reputation; the rest is pure suffering. The food is cold and unpalatable, and the waiting time is unbearable."
Yao Siqing covered her mouth and laughed, "Then why are you still coming?"
"I didn't want to come, but my mother insisted that I come, saying that meeting more people is the best way to arrange a marriage." Jiang Chengyu muttered softly, "I'm only twelve years old, do I really want to be engaged? I don't want to at all."
Only those who have mothers can enjoy this kind of preparation and arrangement.
Yao Siqing and Jiang Sheng's eyes both dimmed; one could only make arrangements for herself, while the other had never even considered making arrangements.
Jiang Chengyu realized he had spoken out of turn and covered his mouth, not daring to say anything more.
A brief silence fell over the surroundings.
Just then, footsteps sounded, and several girls walked over together. The girl in the middle, wearing a black dress, glanced at Jiang Chengyu and sneered, "Isn't this just some trash? What did you say that you shouldn't have said? Be careful you don't die and go to the tongue-pulling hell."
Jiang Sheng and Yao Siqing were both taken aback.
Jiang Chengyu reacted quickly, releasing his grip and angrily saying, "You're the rotten fish, you stinking pig, you dead pig."
"Who are you calling a stinky pig?" the girl retorted angrily. "My surname is Zhu, but my name isn't 'pig'."
So she's a girl from the Zhu family. No wonder she doesn't get along with the girl from the Jiang family.
It's quite... childish that the two of them could come up with nicknames like that.
"You're a pig, a pig from head to toe, pig's head and pig's tail." When it comes to sharp tongues, Jiang Chengyu has never been afraid of anyone. "Look at that black outfit you're wearing, which of your kind did you rip off?"
Pigskin is black, after all.
Jiang Sheng almost couldn't help but laugh out loud, but her good manners prevented her from doing so.
“You…” Miss Zhu almost fainted. “You, Jiang Chengyu, you still won’t forgive me after all this time. Your mouth is so venomous. Why don’t you reflect on your actions? You’ve killed people. You’ll die a horrible death.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chengyu, who had been smug, turned pale and retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? Zhu Wanwan, are you trying to stir up trouble?"
In terms of social status, the Zhu family's daughter was indeed inferior to the Jiang family's daughter.
Faced with Jiang Chengyu's threat, Zhu Wanwan shrank back two steps. Just as she was about to turn around, she retorted defiantly, "You killed your own sister. If I were you, I wouldn't have the face to show anyone. I'd rather go home and smother myself with a blanket. How dare you come to this banquet?"
Jiang Chengyu's hands trembled as he spoke words that could kill people.
She desperately wanted to forcefully drive away these noisy people, but her inner turmoil prevented her from speaking; she couldn't even put on a brave front.
"You're feeling guilty, Jiang Chengyu." Zhu Wanwan noticed something was wrong and immediately turned around. "That's right. After all, you killed your own sister. You grew up together, and she died right in front of you. Are you scared? If you knew this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? If I were you, I would sew my mouth shut and never dare to open my mouth again."
"That's right, that's right, where's the murderer?"
"He killed a person and can still get away with it so easily."
"I'm afraid I'll have nightmares every night."
The followers around him were gossiping, each comment more offensive than the last.
Jiang Chengyu's face grew increasingly pale.
This was indeed her weakness, the thing she feared and regretted the most, and the key to her daydreaming.
The loss of life before her eyes, the words spoken without restraint, and the countless comforts from her parents and brothers could not bring her peace of mind.
She realized she was wrong.
One should not speak carelessly, should not be sarcastic or unreasonable, should not ignore other people's feelings, and should not be aggressive.
With the Jiang family in charge, even if the prominent families of Fengjing heard various rumors, they could only speculate in private.
Now, encountering the unruly Zhu Wanwan and having her humiliated in front of everyone is perhaps her retribution, a punishment she deserves.
Jiang Chengyu lowered her eyelashes, her hands falling limply to her sides.
The opposing girl group, having won an overwhelming victory, were gleefully staring at each other, ready to utterly crush the pride of the Jiang family girl.
Having witnessed the whole thing, Jiang Sheng sighed, but ultimately stood in front of her sister.
"Shut up." She pursed her lips, her small body bursting with extraordinary strength. "You keep talking about dying and harming people. If something really happens to Chengyu, wouldn't you be a murderer too?"
Zhu Wanwan was taken aback.
"Plotting to murder a Jiang family girl, what crime is that? And are you even capable of bearing the consequences?" Jiang Sheng glared coldly at them. "Even if you are, I'd like to ask Madam Zhu if she is."
Or perhaps, is the Zhu family capable of shouldering this responsibility?
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