Chapter 23 Taking a Fancy to the Young Master
In her past life, when Shen Shu was sent to Prince Cheng's bed, a woman named Fang Lanzhi in the Prince's mansion pleaded for her.
She begged Prince Cheng to spare Shen Shu, saying that if he liked daughters of officials, one was enough, and no more innocent people should be added to the list.
But Cheng Wangli ignored her pleas and instead pulled her to bed to enjoy himself with her.
Seeing that she couldn't save Shen Shu, Fang Lanzhi could only work hard on the bed to try to minimize Shen Shu's suffering.
However, he was tormented by King Cheng to the point that he died before the deed was finished.
What Shen Shu wants most right now is to find out where this name is.
Since she said she comes from an official family, she might be on the guest list for tomorrow's banquet.
She helped Shen Shu in her past life, and now that she has been reborn, she naturally wants to save her from this hellhole.
At this point in time, she may not have even entered the Prince's Palace yet.
Perhaps she can lend her a hand and help her escape this calamity.
...
On the eve of the welcoming banquet, Lin Wei had several sets of clothes and jewelry delivered to him.
Shen Shu looked at it and realized that the clothes suited her exceptionally well.
Shen Shu grew up in the countryside, so her skin was not as fair as those young ladies in the capital. She also did hard labor for many years, so although she was slender, her figure was well-proportioned and firm, which was completely different from their soft and boneless figures.
This meant she couldn't wear those gauze and drapery clothes, which only made her look more rustic and had no redeeming qualities.
But Lin Wei's gift was different; it had a simple design without any unnecessary decorations, which made Shen Shu stand out from the crowd.
Her hair was simply tied up with a jade hairpin, which made Shen Shu appear extraordinary and aloof.
Shen Shu could be spotted in a crowd at a glance.
On the day of the welcome banquet, Shen Xiao was so jealous of her that he almost went crazy when he saw her appearing so radiant in the crowd.
They clearly have the same facial features, but Shen Shu looks like a fairy descended from heaven, while she seems no different from other daughters of officials.
Only Shen Shu stood out from the crowd.
How could she possibly resist?!
"Sister, where did you get these clothes? I don't remember receiving any clothes as a reward from the Emperor a few days ago. Did you steal them?"
Mother Fang was displeased with these words. She was now in a fierce mood, like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
"Young Miss, watch your mouth! This was a gift from the Marquis to our Second Miss. What do you mean by stealing? I see our Second Miss is dressed better than you, you're just jealous!"
Shen Xiao was stunned, her expression as ugly as if she had swallowed shit: "When was it sent? How come I didn't know?"
"You think you're someone important, that you have to know everything? Aunt Fang, let's go, don't waste time with her." Shen Shu gave her a cold glance, walked past her and moved on.
Shen Xiao glared hatefully at Shen Shu's slender back, her eyes practically spitting venom.
Let's see how long she can stay arrogant!
Meanwhile, Shen Shu led her mother to the front hall, where they heard the gatekeeper shout that the princess had arrived.
When the princess saw Shen Shu, she couldn't hide the joy in her eyes.
"Congratulations, Second Miss. I see that today's banquet is quite grand. You've finally reaped the rewards of your hard work."
She remembered when she first met Shen Shu, dressed like a country girl, kneeling in front of her and telling her about her background; she still remembered how pitiful she looked.
Who would have thought that just a few days later, she would be betrothed to the Marquis of Dingyuan and even save the Empress Dowager, truly becoming a noblewoman.
She also heard that Shen Shu had restrained Wen Lanting. Although she didn't know what had happened, everyone in the capital knew that she had lost her imperial title.
It also helped her vent her anger, so now she likes Shen Shu very much.
If it weren't for the fact that she had already been betrothed to Lin Wei, she would have really wanted Shen Shu to be her daughter-in-law.
Shen Shu respectfully stepped forward and gave the princess a deep bow.
"If it weren't for the princess's help before, Shen Shu wouldn't have been so fortunate to be able to host this banquet. It's all thanks to the princess."
"If Your Highness is so kind, please call me Shu'er."
If it weren't for the princess's help, Shen Shu would probably have had no place in the patriarch's mansion.
Therefore, Shen Shu was grateful to the princess.
The princess was even more pleased with Shen Shu because of her sensible nature.
Then he turned to look at his only son, Pei Jiming.
"Jiming, come and greet your sister from the Shen family."
Shen Shu looked up and saw a handsome young man walking out from behind the princess.
Pei Jiming was dressed in white, tall and slender, exuding a scholarly air, yet his eyes and brows also carried the noble air of a duke's family.
Pei Jiming was slightly taken aback: "Greetings, Miss Shen Er."
Shen Shu nodded, indicating that she had met him.
Afterwards, the princess took her hand and walked towards the other ladies, introducing Shen Shu to the families she was usually close to.
While dealing with these people, Shen Shu kept an eye on their family names and social standing.
Perhaps Fang Lanzhi, whom she is looking for, is among them.
Shen Xiao, watching this scene from the pavilion nearby, was extremely envious.
Shen Shu is already engaged to Lin Wei, yet she still calls Pei Jiming "brother" and "sister." She's such a vixen!
If Wen Lanting were here, it would definitely be Shen Xiao who would be introduced.
Unlike now, no one even pays attention to her.
Xia Qingqing, the third young lady of the Duke of Qingguo's family, held Shen Xiao's hand. She had also come to the banquet with her mother.
She and Shen Xiao were good friends, and seeing Shen Xiao being neglected, she couldn't help but feel angry for her.
"Your sister has become quite the celebrity. Judging from the Princess's attitude, if it weren't for the Emperor's decree, she would probably want her son to marry your sister."
Xia Qingqing covered her face with her fan and said in a low voice.
“I’ve heard about what happened in your family. What happened? Tell me quickly. How could your mother, such a gentle and kind person, be stripped of her title and confined to her home? There are rumors that she mistreated your younger sister, but I don’t believe it. Aunt Lan always speaks softly to the servants. How could she mistreat her own daughter?”
Hearing Xia Qingqing's concern, Shen Xiao couldn't help but come up with a plan.
Her mother made it sound easy for Shen Shu to "take a fancy to a young master," but it was actually very difficult to do. If she didn't find someone to help her, it would probably be hard to succeed.
So, with tears streaming down his face, he began to set a trap for Xia Qingqing.
"You don't know, those rumors are all false. They say my mother mistreated her, but it was clearly her who tormented us!"
“My mother welcomed her back to the mansion with a grand procession of eight men through the main gate, and this grand banquet today is also held for her. Isn’t that good enough for her?”
Shen Xiao wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and recounted how Shen Shu had beaten her, nearly strangled her to death, pushed her into the pond, caused Shen Lian to break her leg, and even stolen her Zhuxiao Courtyard.
"We put her in the countryside to be raised because we were afraid that she was too weak to survive in the mansion. That's why we did it. But she resented my mother and felt that she was biased towards me, which is why she kept causing trouble."
She's used some seductive tricks to seduce Lord Lin again, spouting nonsense in front of him, which is why my mother was punished.
Xia Qing was incredibly surprised after listening. She knew there might be some unknown inside story, but she never expected it to be like this.
"This is too much! Your mother was clearly doing this for her own good, and she doesn't even know how to be grateful. It's outrageous that she's harming her own mother like this! You are her sister after all, and she's still bullying you like this. I have to go and ask her about this."
"Sister Xia, let's not go. I'm afraid... I'm afraid she'll hit me again..."
Shen Xiao looked terrified.
Seeing how scared she was, Xia Qingqing believed her words a little more.
It must be that Shen Shu beat her too much, scaring her into developing psychological trauma.
"This is outrageous! I must expose her true colors and let everyone see what kind of person the second young lady of the Bo Gong Mansion, the future Lady of Dingyuan Marquis, really is."
Shen Xiao was overjoyed and hurriedly followed.
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