Four days passed in the blink of an eye, and the day arrived for the peony banquet held at the Changshan Prince's Mansion.
The weather was pleasant that day, with a gentle breeze and neither too hot nor too cold.
After breakfast, Shen Wan took Yin Shuang to Qinghui Courtyard. Today, she wore a lake-blue brocade dress embroidered with orchids. Her eyebrows were lightly drawn, and she was elegant and refined, naturally beautiful. As soon as she appeared, she attracted everyone's attention.
Shen Ying and Shen Rong were also there. Shen Ying wore a Xiangfei-colored brocade dress embroidered with butterflies and clouds, with a teardrop-shaped gemstone necklace around her neck, which made her collarbone look even more delicate and charming.
Shen Rong wore a light purple floor-length dress, her slender waist was so delicate that it could be encircled by one hand, and she had a sweet smile on her face, making her look quite charming.
Everyone dressed up carefully, and even Shen Wei, who usually dressed simply, wore a smoky green dress for the first time. Her eyebrows were as dark as emerald, her lips were like pearls, and her eyes were almond-shaped and her cheeks were like peach blossoms. She was very approachable.
The old lady never worried about the daughters of the Marquis's family's attire. Young ladies from noble families rarely left their homes and spent their days studying such matters; how could they be anything but good? But these days, the old lady noticed that Shen Wan was no longer close to Shen Ying and Shen Rong. When she came to pay her respects, she no longer stayed for half a day as before, and often left in less than a quarter of an hour.
The old lady put down her teacup, her eyes suddenly turning serious. "In the manor, I may turn a blind eye to your sisters' disagreements, but once you leave, you must remember that as sisters of the same manor, we share the same fate. If any rumors of discord among the sisters spread, I will punish you severely upon your return."
This means that no matter how much dissatisfaction they harbor, they must pretend to be harmonious sisters.
It was precisely because of his skill in disguising himself that he deceived her, his older brother, and even his father.
On the surface, they were friendly and respectful brothers, but behind their backs, they stabbed their father in the back!
Shen Wan disliked being two-faced and hypocritical, but the old lady was still the old lady, and she could only obediently listen and agree to her admonitions.
After the old lady finished her admonition, it was almost time, so Shen Wan and the others curtsied and took their leave.
When they arrived at the main gate of the Marquis's residence, the carriages were already waiting there. Shen Wan and Shen Wei rode in one carriage, while Shen Ying and Shen Rong rode together.
The Prince of Changshan's residence was quite far away, and with so many people attending the banquet there today, it took almost half an hour to get there.
When the carriage stopped, Shen Wan lifted the curtain and saw the gilded plaque of the Changshan Prince's Mansion shining brightly in the sunlight.
A maidservant came over and said, "The young ladies from the Pingyang Marquis's residence have arrived. Please come in quickly."
Shen Wei got off the carriage first, and then helped Shen Wan down.
The maid led Shen Wan and Shen Ying into the mansion and headed towards the garden.
The garden is a riot of colors, with a hundred flowers vying for attention, especially peonies, which are so numerous that there are probably thousands of them. There are all sorts of rare varieties, and you can find almost any one of them that you can name here.
Young ladies from respectable families were admiring the flowers in twos and threes, their silvery laughter carrying far and wide; they were truly more beautiful than the flowers themselves.
Shen Wan and the others followed the maid to see Princess Danyang. Princess Danyang was inviting the young ladies of noble families to play games such as pitch-pot, kite flying, shuttlecock kicking, and blindfolded tag...
Upon seeing Shen Wan and the others, Princess Danyang greeted them with a beaming smile, "You've finally arrived! Come on, let's throw one."
She handed over the arrow, and just as Shen Wan was about to take it, Shen Ying took it first and was eager to throw it into the pot.
Shen Wan wasn't interested in any of this. She stood aside and whispered to Yin Shuang, "Go and see if the eldest daughter of the Chen family, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, has come."
Yinshuang found it strange that her own daughter was attending a banquet at the Prince of Changshan's residence, so why was she looking for the daughter of the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy? But since Shen Wan had given the order, Yinshuang could only comply.
After watching Princess Danyang and the others play for a while, Yinshuang returned and whispered to Shen Wan, "Miss Chen has arrived and is admiring the koi in the pavilion over there."
Just like in her previous life, it's good that she's here. Shen Wan glanced towards the pavilion, a hint of anticipation flashing in her eyes.
Shen Wei was having a lot of fun and came over to ask, "Big sister, won't you play with me?"
Shen Wan said, "No, you guys have fun, I'm going to wander around over there."
Shen Wan walked towards the direction where the peonies were in full bloom, and Yin Shuang followed closely behind, exclaiming in amazement, "There are so many peonies in the Changshan Prince's Mansion."
The mistress and servant were immersed in the sea of crabapple blossoms, walking forward without realizing it. When they came to their senses, the laughter of the young ladies could only be faintly heard.
As Shen Wan strolled leisurely, Yin Shuang heard footsteps approaching, turned around, glanced at her, and then quickly tugged at Shen Wan's sleeve, saying, "Miss, someone is coming."
People coming is just people coming, what's the big deal?
Before Shen Wan could turn around, a somewhat familiar voice came from behind her, "Why is Miss Shen here alone admiring the flowers?"
Shen Wan turned around upon hearing the voice and saw who it was.
King of Qin.
Xie Jingqi, the eldest son of the current emperor.
Shen Wan felt both sympathy and contempt for the King of Qin, or more accurately, the King of Qin in his previous life.
The Prince of Qin is the Emperor's eldest son and has a group of followers in the court. Unfortunately, the late Empress passed away a few years ago, and the Emperor established a new Empress, who is the birth mother of the Prince of Jin, Xie Jingyin. Now, in the court, the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin are equally matched.
This is why Prince Jin, despite disliking her, was willing to marry her for the sake of her father's military power and the wealth of the Yun family behind her. No matter which of these two princes she married, the other would almost be eliminated. If she married another prince, it would mean that multiple princes would compete with them.
In her previous life, after Shen Wan married Xie Jingyin, with the help of her father and the Yun family, the King of Qin was defeated very quickly, and was completely defeated in less than half a year.
After his defeat, the King of Qin became depressed and indulged in wine and women all day long. In the end, he died on a woman's belly. The King of Qin's death was too disgraceful for the royal family, which angered the emperor so much that he fell ill and became seriously ill. After a few months, he passed away.
Compared to Xie Jingyin's ruthlessness, the Prince of Qin's methods were much gentler. Of course, a prince who was determined to seize the throne was not much gentler.
In this life, she chose Xie Jingyan. Right now, he is still young and inexperienced. Before he grows up, Shen Wan hopes that the eldest prince can hold on for a while longer and not be defeated as quickly as he was in her previous life.
Perhaps... she could help the eldest prince. Right now, there's a perfect opportunity to deliver a heavy blow to Xie Jingyin.
Shen Wan smiled and said, "The King of Qin must have been more than just passing through here, right?"
The King of Qin smiled and said, "I just have a question that I would like to ask Miss Shen to clarify."
Shen Wan then asked, "What does the King of Qin want to ask?"
The King of Qin was very puzzled. "I can understand why you chose the King of Jin, but why did you skip me and choose the King of Ling?"
...You guys are underestimating Prince Ling. He's just temporarily unable to stand up. He's much more capable of fighting than your Prince Qin.
Just as Shen Wan was about to answer, a cold, deep voice came through the sound of rolling wheels, "What? Is the King of Qin trying to poach my man?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
