Chapter 171 You Come and I Go (3)
As for Chen Yue, she was still dressed in her usual soft, flirty, long brocade skirt, gently twisting her hair and lightly applying makeup. She looked like a delicate, scholarly beauty. In the past, she would have certainly attracted everyone's attention, but not today. With Shen Miao as her role model, Chen Yue's steps seemed a little awkward, her movements stiff, her expression tense, and even her clasped hands a little too tightly. In short, she couldn't even compare to Shen Miao. Thinking of this, everyone's expressions became a little strange. When had Chen Yue, the most prominent member of the Shen family, been left so far behind by Shen Miao?
While Chen Yue was too young to understand, Chen Ruoqiu could keenly sense the difference in the ladies' gazes. In the past, the gazes fixed on her and her daughter would have been filled with envy, admiration, or praise. But today, they seemed even more critical. Chen Ruoqiu's eyebrows jumped. This aspect of etiquette and form had always been her greatest pride, and she held Chen Yue to extremely high standards. She was confident that no other noblewoman in the capital could excel as her daughter, but judging by the expressions on their faces, who could have done better?
She naturally didn't know that the person who could do better than Shen Yue was right in front of her.
Shen Miao sat next to Luo Xueyan. Although Luo Xueyan was considered the protagonist of this court banquet today, she seemed to be isolated.
Indeed, the noble families of the capital have always had their own circle. Men were fine, as they valued their achievements and careers, and even if they disliked someone, they would always have to make peace with them. Women, however, were different. Most of the noble ladies of the capital were proud and arrogant. For example, legitimate daughters would not play with concubines, and even those born and raised in the capital looked down on outsiders.
Luo Xueyan is the outsider.
It would have been fine if she came from the affluent lands of Jiangnan, but Luo Xueyan hailed from the bitter cold of the northwest. When she first married into Dingjing, she couldn't even speak Mandarin, and her accent was secretly mocked by the ladies for a long time. They mocked the intense wind and sand in the northwest desert, which eroded women's skin to its delicate state. They also mocked the rampant bandits and thieves who threatened to rob them on the street. And the scarcity of goods was so great that good silk was hard to come by year-round. While there was certainly some exaggeration in these remarks, the targeting of Luo Xueyan was genuine.
Moreover, Luo Xueyan was the first military officer in Dingjing to go to the battlefield.
When faced with something they can't accomplish, and if it's a rare occurrence, people tend to shun and oppose it. This applies not only to women, but men as well. Thus, Luo Xueyan was ostracized from the circle of noble ladies in Dingjing City. Furthermore, Shen Miao had previously been a complete idiot, and the mother and daughter became the objects of these ladies' secret ridicule.
Bai Wei's mother, Madam Bai, invited Chen Ruoqiu to sit next to her. She and Chen Ruoqiu were close friends, so naturally, she wanted to sit with Chen Ruoqiu. Bai Wei also pulled Shen Yue over to her side. Ren Wanyun went to sit with Madam Yi. Yi Peilan looked at Shen Qing and complained, "You haven't been seen for a long time. I heard you were sick. Hey, you look thinner, but why is your face a little swollen?"
Shen Qing lowered her head in panic and mumbled, "Maybe I've been lying in bed for too long." Ren Wanyun prepared a lot of medicine for her to maintain her pregnancy. Although Shen Qing hated the child in her belly, she was even more afraid of never being a mother again after a miscarriage, so she gritted her teeth and drank it. Since she was trying to nourish the baby, she had to take various supplements, so naturally she would gain some weight. Although her figure wasn't noticeable yet, she was already a little swollen.
Yi Peilan didn't suspect anything, she just patted Shen Qing's hand and said, "You, you have to take care of yourself. You are about to get engaged, so don't let your health get worse."
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