Chen Siyi continued, "Look at the way she looks at you, as if you owe her something..."
Su Xuerong withdrew her gaze and did not respond to her words.
Chen Siyi's expression stiffened slightly as she saw that she was unmoved.
At this moment, several elderly officials' wives from Hangzhou Prefecture came forward to speak with Cui. Cui then said, "You young ladies should all go out and admire the lotus flowers, so that we old folks can have a chat."
Chen Siyi hurriedly said she dared not, insisting on serving her by her side, and even glanced at Su Xuerong a few times.
Su Xuerong pretended not to see her gaze, got up and walked out of the hall with some young ladies to the deck outside.
Looking out, the distant scenery of lakes and mountains is a feast for the eyes.
Su Xuerong, however, was pondering Chen Siyi's true purpose in inviting her here.
She didn't believe that Chen Siyi was being kind by treating her like a younger sister, and that today she was deliberately using Cui Shi's words to announce to everyone present that she was Ling Qingxue's fiancée.
But if they ultimately fail to achieve their goal, her reputation as Lady Su in Hangzhou will suffer.
But if she can't marry Ling Qingxue, what benefit can Chen Siyi gain from it?
Just as she was lost in thought, a soft, gentle voice suddenly came from behind her: "Lady Su".
Su Xuerong turned around, but froze.
She thought it was Fang Ningzhu, who had a crush on Ling Qingxue, but the woman in front of her was a complete stranger.
Her face was slightly pale, her skin was delicate, and her features were exquisite and beautiful. She wore a dark blue silk robe and a pleated skirt, her waist was so slender that it could be encircled by one hand, and she had the graceful posture of a willow swaying in the breeze.
Su Xuerong smiled and said, "Does my wife know me?"
The young woman gave her a slight curtsy: "Two months ago on the passenger ship, I met Madam Su once. I remember that Mr. Ling was with you at that time."
Su Xuerong remembered.
The woman surnamed Zeng who was sent to Hangzhou to marry was Ge Huai'an, the third son of the Ge family.
Ge Huai'an was Xiao Yuan's capable subordinate, and his wife was naturally invited to join him.
"So it's Madam Zeng!" Su Xuerong said with a smile. "Back then, thanks to your Aunt Hu, my parents and I weren't starving."
Zeng Ling gave a bitter smile: "It's just a pity I couldn't provide them with a place to stay..."
"Wife, what are you doing here?"
Suddenly, a maid rushed over, looking displeased, and said, "Madam is inside talking with Old Madam Cui. Aren't you going in to serve her?"
Su Xuerong glanced at the maid and realized that she was not Zeng Ling's personal maid from the passenger ship, and her accent was that of a local from Hangzhou.
She frowned slightly.
After Zeng Ling married Ge Huai'an, what happened to her in the Ge family that she couldn't even keep the personal maid she brought from her maiden home?
The maidservant in front of them, who spoke with a local accent, exuded an air of arrogance.
Zeng Ling looked quite embarrassed and said to Su Xuerong, "Wife, I'll go first. We can talk again later when we have time."
After saying that, he hurriedly left with the maid.
Su Xuerong looked at her slender and frail back and felt a pang of sadness.
Just then, a woman's long and melodious singing voice suddenly came from the distant lake!
Upon closer listening, it turned out to be a unique fisherman's folk tune from the Jiangnan region.
The woman's voice was incredibly penetrating, giving the fisherman's folk song a magnificent and powerful feel.
The group of female guests standing on the deck were all attracted and looked ahead.
In the lotus pond directly ahead, a small boat slowly glided by. On the boat stood a slender woman dressed in simple fisherwoman attire, with a bamboo hat on her head, which gave her a rather charming appearance.
Su Xuerong was curious about the fisherwoman's singing style when she heard a voice beside her: "That's Cui Yun'er, the prince's cousin."
Su Xuerong turned her head and saw Fang Ningzhu, who had appeared beside her at some point.
She couldn't help but laugh: "Does Madam Fang have something to say to me?"
Fang Ningzhu blushed slightly, lowered her eyes, and as if she had mustered up her courage, turned to look at her: "Madam Su, I know you."
"Um?"
Su Xuerong raised an eyebrow and looked at her.
When Fang Ningzhu saw the woman's alluring expression, she felt a dazzling light emanating from her, and even she couldn't help herself.
“On the way to Nanjing to pick us up and bring us to Hangzhou, Mr. Ling mentioned you to me.”
Su Xuerong looked at Fang Ningzhu in front of her and smiled: "Is that so? Then you should give up?"
Fang Ningzhu looked astonished and couldn't help but bite her lip, unsure of what to say.
"Since you are someone the prince has chosen, how could you possibly harbor any disloyal thoughts? If the prince were to learn of your resentment, what do you think he would think?"
Su Xuerong said slowly.
Since Chen Siyi wanted to put her in a difficult position, she didn't mind giving her a little setback.
She didn't really want to be the principal wife, so let's just have one more competitor in the Prince's mansion.
Fang Ningzhu panicked and glared at her fiercely: "What does this have to do with my wife?"
Seeing her like this, Su Xuerong thought to herself, "It's all over."
How could someone as innocent as a rabbit be a match for Chen Siyi?
"Then do you think you can still marry Ling Qingxue now that you've entered the Prince's mansion?" Su Xuerong sneered. "Even if the Prince agrees, do you think your elder sister, the Princess Consort, will agree?"
Fang Ningzhu was caught off guard by Su Xuerong's direct approach and was immediately at a loss for what to do.
"If you really have the guts to turn against the Prince and the Fang family, would Ling Qingxue be willing to marry you?"
Fang Ningzhu had bitten her red lips so hard they were almost bleeding.
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