Immediately, a woman said enviously, "The prince is so considerate to the princess. Thinking back to when I was pregnant, he even brought three concubines home."
When this topic came up, most of the women present had something in common to say.
The wives and ladies who could attend the banquet were all married to men of high rank. Except for a few wives whose families were powerful, which one of them didn't bring in more women from their wives' families? There were even those who favored their concubines over their wives, and the concubines dared to challenge the mistress of the house in the backyard.
If we were to truly recount the sordid affairs of this inner quarters, it would take days and nights to tell.
Although these people were intentionally trying to curry favor, they were also genuinely envious of Shen Youying, praising her for her good fortune. They never expected that someone like the King of Qin, who seemed unapproachable, would be so thoughtful and considerate.
The compliments from everyone naturally caught the attention of the Wang family mother and daughter.
As the wife and eldest daughter of the Prime Minister, Lady Wang and Wang Yunting naturally held positions closer to the front.
Wang Junting sat at a table with her mother, diagonally opposite Shen Youying's table. Just now, when Xue Shen walked over, he passed right in front of her. She only looked at his profile and her face flushed and her heart pounded, as if it was about to jump out of her throat.
She tried her best to sit up straight, striking the most dignified and beautiful pose, but Xue Shen didn't even glance at her before passing by and walking to Shen Youying.
The distance between the tables wasn't far, and Wang Junting took in every word and smile of the two. When Xue Shen smiled at Shen Youying, her heart ached, and she felt a sense of injustice, as if someone she had liked for a long time had been taken away by someone else.
If the King of Qin hadn't met with this accident... she would have been the Crown Princess.
But she couldn't show any sign of discomfort; she could only bite her lip and watch the two of them being so affectionate. Especially when she learned that the King of Qin had come all this way just to deliver a packet of sour jujube cakes from a street vendor to Shen Youying.
Her heart ached, and she looked up at the smiling Shen Youying, unable to hold back her words of advice: "Your Highness is wise and mighty. He led his troops in a surprise attack on the Northern Rong, defeating them with overwhelming numbers and saving us from dire straits. He is a war god and hero of our Great Wei. Although Your Highness is pregnant, as a wife, you should share Your Highness's burdens and difficulties. How can you let the war god of Great Wei do such trivial things? It's just buying some sour jujube cakes, and the servants bought them too. If the people who admire Your Highness know about this, they will probably criticize Your Highness for being an unvirtuous and incompetent wife, creating unnecessary gossip."
No one expected that the Prime Minister's eldest daughter, who always seemed aloof and ethereal like a fairy untouched by worldly affairs, would suddenly utter such words, causing the joyful atmosphere at the banquet to freeze for a moment.
The crowd looked at each other, none of them understanding what was going on.
Moreover, to be honest, although Wang Junting's words were a bit abrupt, they were not entirely wrong. However, nowadays, everyone with discerning eyes knows that the Princess Consort of Qin is favored, and since the Prince of Qin himself is willing, others naturally won't say anything.
Just as someone was trying to smooth things over, Shen Youying spoke up coldly, "Oh? I wonder what stance Miss Wang is taking in saying this?"
Before Wang Yunting could speak, Madam Wang said with a smile, "Your Highness, please don't take offense. My daughter has studied the Four Books and Five Classics since she was a child, and she greatly admires and reveres those civil and military officials who serve the country. The Prince of Qin turned the tide and saved the capital from crisis, and even the common people regard him as their savior. Yunting was almost sent to the Northern Rong, so naturally her gratitude is even deeper, and her admiration for the God of War is even greater."
Her words were completely flawless, and she absolved Wang Yunting of all guilt. The guests, who had been scanning the room, thinking that Wang Yunting might be planning something with the Princess Qin, began to hesitate, wondering if they had misunderstood.
After all, they knew that the eldest daughter of the Wang family was beautiful and talented, and was said to be good at managing the household. She was always a model of a noble family's eldest daughter, and many families had asked matchmakers to propose marriage. However, the Wang family was picky, and the eldest daughter of the Wang family was even more picky, which was why they had not yet arranged a marriage.
Previously, because she was not engaged, she was chosen as a candidate for a marriage alliance, and many families who did not get along with the Wang family made sarcastic remarks.
Considering that she was saved by the King of Qin, and given her personality, it's not surprising that she said such things for the King of Qin.
Upon hearing this, Shen Youying chuckled briefly. She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and looked at Wang Junting with a half-smile: "Then it seems I misunderstood. If I hadn't known what Miss Wang said, I would have thought that Miss Wang had feelings for Prince Qin and was jealous when Prince Qin bought me jujube cake."
Although she said it as if she were joking, her expression showed no sign of joking.
Earlier, when Madam Wang suddenly brought up the old saying that twins were unlucky, Wang Yunting stepped in to smooth things over, but she found the tone of her words strange. Now, Xue Shen had only sent her a sour jujube cake, and Wang Yunting had launched into a long-winded explanation; it was impossible for her not to have some ulterior motives.
She has a gentle temperament, but she is not a pushover.
The mother and daughter came to the banquet, but they didn't even bother to hide their little schemes, so naturally she wouldn't give them any face.
Wang Junting hadn't expected her to be so perceptive. Her thoughts were suddenly exposed, and she felt somewhat embarrassed. She pursed her lips and remained silent.
Lady Wang would naturally not allow her daughter to gain such a reputation. While secretly plotting was one thing, the Wang family, though betting heavily on the Prince of Qin, did not want to tie their lives to the Prince so quickly, as his grand plan was still unfulfilled. Their only intention was to have Wang Yunting interact with the Prince of Qin more, leaving a good impression. Wang Yuanguang would then use his influence in the court to negotiate with the Prince of Qin, and once the Prince of Qin's plans succeeded, they would send Wang Yunting to the palace in grand style.
If Wang Yunting were to admit to this matter in front of all the guests now, his reputation would be ruined, and Wang Yuanguang would lose the initiative when making deals with the Prince of Qin in the future.
Therefore, Madam Wang immediately smiled and said, "Your Highness has misunderstood. Yunting is just too bookish. If Your Highness had more contact with her, you would know that she is an extremely upright person who says whatever comes to mind and has no ulterior motives."
Shen Youying gave a forced smile: "Since Madam Wang has said so, I naturally believe her."
After saying that, she put down her teacup, picked up a plate of untouched pastries from the table and handed it to Liuyun: "The prince is busy today and probably won't have time to eat. Please take some pastries to the prince."
Liu Yun is Xue Shen's person; if she goes, Xue Shen will definitely find out about this.
Liu Yun took the snacks, glanced at the Wang mother and daughter, and went to the study in the front courtyard.
Shen Youying glanced around the table and saw that everyone's expressions had become cautious. She smiled and said, "Since it's a misunderstanding, let's let it go. But I'll say this first: if anyone has a daughter who admires the Prince, they can go and find him."
She sighed dramatically, then said sarcastically, "I know you all think it was my idea for the Prince to dismiss the harem, but that's not the case. It was all at the Prince's suggestion. I'm pregnant now, so it's inevitable that I can't serve the Prince properly. I've thought about arranging for a few people, but the Prince won't allow it, and I can't force him. If anyone has the ability to get the Prince to bring them in, I'm happy to have a cup of tea as a concubine."
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