They dared to pick a fight with her in front of the old lady, thinking that the old lady's words still carried weight like before. Whether the old lady can continue to live in Qinghui Courtyard depends on her father's mood. Instead of keeping a low profile, these people are more eager to show off than anyone else.
When Shen Ying couldn't win an argument with Shen Wan, she would complain to the old lady, "Grandmother, look at my eldest sister's self-righteous attitude. If we don't restrain her, she'll cause trouble sooner or later."
This time, however, the old lady did not side with Shen Ying; instead, she looked at Shen Ying with disappointment in her eyes.
Everyone in the court knew about Prince Ling's forgery of the pardon token, but what good was knowing? Even the Empress Dowager couldn't do anything about him, and she almost got the Duke of Mao involved. When Prince Ling intercepted the imperial edict, the Emperor not only didn't punish him, but even praised him for his courage. The Empress Dowager couldn't control him, and the Emperor indulged him. The matter was already over, so bringing it up again was just asking for trouble and walking right into Shen Wan's clutches.
She started the trouble herself, but Shen Wan easily caught her off guard with her words. She couldn't win the argument, so she went to complain to Shen Wan. What good did it do except show that Shen Ying was only good at bullying others and bluffing?
The old lady was utterly disappointed and scolded lightly, "It's one thing for you to make a fuss all the time, but today, with a wedding banquet being held in the manor, you still can't keep quiet."
Who's causing trouble? Who's being disruptive?
They not only scolded Shen Ying, but also dragged her into it.
However, it's rare that the old lady didn't openly favor Shen Ying, which suggests that the tranquil Buddhist temple is indeed conducive to self-cultivation.
After drinking another cup of tea, guests began to arrive one after another, and the main hall became lively. Although the old lady had been stripped of her title, and the ladies despised her for indulging the second master's mistress and illegitimate child and even helping to clean up the mess, no one showed it on their faces, after all, they were not stupid.
But Shen Wan could also clearly feel that everyone was not as enthusiastic about the old lady as before, and there was much less flattery. If Shen Wan could feel it, then the old lady herself must have felt it even more.
After sitting for half an hour, Shen Wan's bottom was getting hard. More and more guests arrived, including the Duchess of Wei, the Princess of Yanping, and the Right Chancellor's wife. Shen Wan asked them to help the Fourth Madam greet everyone before heading to the garden.
The garden was even more crowded. For this joyous occasion, many flowers had been added, creating a vibrant display of colors and fluttering butterflies, filling the air with a festive atmosphere.
The young ladies of noble families flew kites, played pitch-pot, chased butterflies, and even set up a zither platform, where the melodious sound of the zither, like flowing water, would echo through the garden from time to time.
The young ladies from prominent families all came to pay their respects to Shen Wan. These days, a certain young master has been living a truly flamboyant life. He used a fake pardon to save someone at the execution ground and intercepted an imperial edict. Not only was he not punished, but he was also rewarded by the emperor. More importantly, although the eldest prince and the Prince of Jin are currently fighting tooth and nail for the throne in the court, the Prince of Ling has already quietly gained the strength to compete with them for the crown prince position.
Marquis Pingyang holds military power and enjoys the Emperor's deep trust. He is also in charge of building the Iron Cavalry. The Yun family is incredibly wealthy. Marquis Pingyang's heir married Princess Huai'an of the Prince An's Mansion. The Prince Yanping's Mansion owes Prince Ling a debt of gratitude for saving his life. And then there's the Right Prime Minister's Mansion...
Even if Prince Ling is implicated by Consort Chen and cannot participate in the struggle for the crown prince position, he can still do so indirectly, such as by supporting other princes.
Given the powerful forces behind Prince Ling, no one dares to underestimate him. As for Princess Shen Wan, she is more than just favored; Prince Ling even takes his own morning sickness instead of letting her suffer. It's probably more effective to curry favor with Princess Shen Wan than to curry favor with Prince Ling directly.
Shen Wei busied herself taking care of the young ladies from prominent families, doing so with great care and consideration, which truly impressed Shen Wan. Shen Wei even took care of Shen Wan herself, fearing that Shen Wan might get tired, and had Yun Mo and Yun Rui accompany Shen Wan to the pavilion to rest.
Shen Wan was indeed a bit tired. Yun Mo and Yun Rui were not familiar with those young ladies from prominent families and could not chat with them. So they simply accompanied Shen Wan to the pavilion to rest.
After drinking a cup of tea and eating two pastries, Yunrui saw some fish bait and started feeding the fish.
While playing, Yunrui suddenly felt the urge to urinate, so she handed the bait to Yinshuang and headed towards the outhouse with her maid, Daimao.
Shen Wan and Yun Mo were talking, and after a while Yun Rui hadn't returned, Yun Mo looked out of the pavilion and asked, "Why hasn't she come back yet after so long?"
Shen Wan also felt that Yun Rui had been gone for too long, and Yin Shuang said, "Should I go and find Second Cousin?"
Haitang pointed into the distance, "That looks like a hawksbill turtle..."
When the hawksbill turtle returned, Shen Wan asked, "Why is it just you who came back? Where is your master?"
Tortoiseshell was a little confused. "Hasn't the young lady returned?"
Yunmo then said, "Aren't you always by my second sister's side?"
Dai Mao immediately became worried and said urgently, "Just now, when I came here with you, Miss, we saw a young lady and her maid looking for something in the grass. You asked them what they were looking for, and it turned out that the young lady had lost an earring, so you helped her look for it. I was afraid that if you didn't return soon, the Princess and the Eldest Madam would worry, so I sent you back first..."
She had already found the earring for the girl, but the girl still hadn't returned. Dai Mao was extremely anxious. "Is the girl alright?"
Because Yun Mo was repeatedly schemed against, the entire Yun family was on edge.
Not only was Dai Mao worried, but Shen Wan and Yun Mo were also worried. Yun Mo had gotten married, and the Yun family only had Yun Rui as an unmarried daughter. It was hard to guarantee that no one would set their sights on Yun Rui.
Shen Wan quickly told Yin Shuang to take people to look for her, but as soon as Yin Shuang stepped out of the pavilion, she saw Yun Rui coming over. Yin Shuang said, "Your Highness, there's no need to look for her. Second cousin has returned."
Seeing Yunrui approach, Shen Wan's heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled down.
As soon as Yunrui entered the pavilion, Yunmo asked, "Where did you run off to?"
Yun Rui's eyes darted away. "No, I didn't go anywhere. I just got lost by accident."
The tortoise looked at its young lady with suspicion. The outhouse wasn't far away, just a side road. How could she have gotten lost?
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