Zhao Shu's gaze fell on her slightly trembling hands. She wanted to go over and help her up. Her hands were clearly injured, yet she still wanted to play the piano. Was it fun to torture herself?
However, Sun Yun shook his head slightly at her, his eyes full of pleading.
Sun Yun rarely looked at her with pleading eyes. Once was in Guanzhou when he told her that the Fourth Prince was not a good person, and the other time was this time.
She forced down her anger, slowly lifted the wine cup in the water, took a sip, and paid tribute to the poet Cao Zhi, thanking him for his timeless poems that allowed her to plagiarize and preserve her teacher's reputation.
Everyone was watching Zhao Shu, especially those who knew that most of Zhao Shu's poems had been written by Lin Xiuxue. Although their faces remained extremely dignified, they were already secretly gloating and hoping that she would embarrass herself.
Many people tend to look up to those who are far ahead of them from the start, but envy those who were similar to or worse than them at the beginning, but suddenly became much better than them.
"Boiling beans with beanstalks as fuel." He then took a sip of wine.
"The beans are weeping in the pot." She saw that Sun Yun's hands were trembling violently, yet he endured it, and the flowing melody was so clear that anyone who understood the zither could hear the trembling in the music.
"We are all born of the same root, why are we so eager to harm each other?" She drank the wine in her cup in one gulp. Chu Chun had already ground the ink for her and laid out the paperweight. After she finished reading, she picked up her brush and wrote down the poem, adding her name. A palace maid who was serving her came over and took her poem to the other side for Huo Baichuan and the others to review.
She finished writing the poem, and Sun Yun finished playing the music. As soon as she finished playing, she immediately pulled her hands into her sleeves. Her face was as pale as paper, and large beads of sweat were streaming down her cheeks.
After a long while, a voice from the other side finally came praising, "What a fine poem!"
However, Zhao Shu no longer cared. After hearing this, everyone's expressions were awkward and angry. Poetry is something that anyone can write a line or two with careful polishing and guidance from a famous teacher. However, no one would express the meaning so satirically and bluntly.
Sun Yun seemed unable to hold back any longer and, supported by Ban Shu, went to the pavilion behind, where the servants who had been carrying summer clothes were resting.
Zhao Shu wanted to stand up and go after them, but Qiu Tong stopped her. Qiu Tong shook her head slightly, not wanting her to meddle.
Yan Ruyu also held Zhao Shu's hand tightly, preventing her from interfering in the Sun family's affairs.
However, what is a friend? Zhao Shu didn't know how others defined the word "friend," but in her heart, a friend was someone who shared the same interests, treated her with sincerity, and would go to great lengths for her.
Back then, she chose to believe in Sun Yun and give her a chance, which was also giving herself a chance. This time is no different. If one has no friends, then one is truly sad.
However, it seemed that someone was a little impatient. Seeing that Zhao Shu had not come over for a long time, a maid came out from Bao Xia, walked to Zhao Shu's side, and knelt down, saying, "Princess, the Sixth Miss invites you to come over."
The three exchanged a glance, preparing to go over together, but Qiu Tong and Yan Ruyu were stopped. "Miss Qiu, Sister Yan, the wine cup seems to have stopped in front of you two." The two sat down next to Zhao Shu. Zhao Shu was invited over, but the wine cup was stopped in the middle. According to custom, the two were supposed to compose a poem or play the zither.
"It's alright." Zhao Shu didn't really want to sit here and compose poems. She had a mission today, and it would be inconvenient to have Qiu Tong and the other person with her.
Seeing her determination, and with Yang Mengxian and the others pressing her hard, the two could only watch anxiously as she walked into Baoxia.
As soon as Zhao Shu arrived at Baoxia, she sensed something was wrong. The fragrance she had accidentally smelled when she was with Xie Jinhuan earlier had passed by her nose again.
The maid led her to a room and then left, saying, "Princess, the Sixth Miss is waiting for you inside."
Zhao Shu nodded and watched her leave. After the maid left, she didn't push open the door for a long time, but stared at the door intently.
Just then, a small pebble was thrown at her feet. Turning her head, she saw Sun Yun, whose face was deathly pale. "A-Jun, come here quickly."
Zhao Shu led Xiao Zhuzi and the others quickly toward her. She was hiding in a small corner. Ban Shu was already injured and covered in blood. Ban Shu had also learned martial arts from Ugly Granny in Guanzhou for several years, yet she was injured.
"How did Banshu get injured?" Zhao Shu squatted down to take Banshu's pulse and found that his pulse was extremely weak and blood was flowing all over the ground.
"Miss, hurry up! Madam is waiting for you to save her. Don't worry about me, hurry up, Miss." Banshu said weakly and intermittently.
Zhao Shu was shocked. No wonder Sun Yun acted this way; she was such a proud person.
Sun Yun held Ban Shu's hand. "Ban Shu, I'm sorry. I will avenge you." As she finished speaking, a tear rolled down her cheek, but the dagger in her hand plunged into Ban Shu's chest.
Zhao Shu took two steps back as she watched the blood gushing out. She stared blankly at the scene. Just a moment ago, Sun Yun and Ban Shu were fine, but in the blink of an eye, everything had changed drastically.
"Ah Jun, don't we lack good shops in the capital? Would you like to own the best shop in the entire city?" She stood up, wiped the blood from the dagger with the corner of her half-tied dress, and said coldly, her beautiful eyes seeming to be filled with poison.
This was the first time Zhao Shu had seen Sun Yun like this.
However, Sun Yun's proposal was the same as her original idea.
The most prestigious shop in all of Dayong!
“Su embroidery,” Zhao Shu called out.
As soon as the voice fell, Su Xiu appeared out of nowhere and was in front of Zhao Shu in an instant. "Princess, Consort Hao's people have arrived."
"Let's go." Zhao Shu glanced at Ban Shu, who was lying lifeless on the ground, and followed behind Sun Yun, going around the artificial hill not far away.
After burning down the artificial hill, Zhao Shu discovered that the area was extremely open, and in the distance, she could see young men on the other side of the stream, gathered in twos and threes, drinking, making merry, and composing poems.
"Where is the Fourth Prince?" Zhao Shu suddenly asked.
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