Chapter 511: Victory over the Sun (5)
"I want to learn archery."
"Yeah." Shen Zhuo nodded slightly.
Shengxia went to another archery target. Linzhi picked the lightest bow to teach her, and Shengxia learned seriously.
To be honest, she has martial arts skills in Jiuzhou, but her martial arts skills rely more on spiritual power. She doesn't want to be a powerless person after coming here.
Every day when she went to the martial arts field, she would run into Chen Zhuo. After he finished practicing archery, he would stand there and watch her practice for a while before leaving.
The brother and sister had nothing to say.
In order to gain Chen Zhuo's trust, Shengxia didn't know to what extent that trust needed to be achieved, but seeing that she arrived at the martial arts field on time every day, Chen Zhuo's attitude towards her was not as cold as before.
Except for necessary banquets, and except when the old lady and Li Wan took her out, Shengxia seldom left the house. She didn't like the looks that fell on her, the contemptuous looks, which made her feel unhappy instinctively.
The princess once hosted a banquet and invited children from all families to attend. Chen Zhuo brought Shengxia with him.
Shen Zhuo was called away by his friends, and some noble ladies gathered around him.
"Are you the stepsister of Master Shen? I heard your surname is Sheng, and you were once engaged to Master Zhao. You ruined the marriage between Master Zhao and the Princess of Changning. Now the Princess of Changning hates you to death."
The malice is obvious.
Shengxia didn't know how to respond for a moment. It seemed like she had stopped being able to refute for a long time. She subconsciously wanted to run, but her feet were fixed in place.
A noblewoman whispered, "She looks so weak and delicate, just like her mother, acting like a concubine. I don't know how her mother seduced the Duke, making him, who hadn't married for many years, bring her back from Jiangnan and marry her as his wife. Even her status has risen."
"The Duke's Mansion wouldn't let her change her surname, and Prince Shen didn't take her with him. I guess they didn't take her seriously either."
"Why change her surname? She has nothing to do with the Duke's Mansion. Isn't this forgetting one's ancestors?"
"So what if she's the daughter of a Duke's mansion? She's not related to me. She's a petty person, not presentable."
"The Princess of Changning seems to be over there. Why doesn't she come over?"
"The county lady would never lower herself to speak to her."
“…”
Shengxia froze in place, her eyes red and her mind unable to think.
No, she was too deeply affected by her own memories, and retreat, timidity, and fear of refuting seemed to be engraved in her bones.
[System! System!] Shengxia shouted anxiously.
【exist. 】
"Please make way." A familiar voice came through the crowd.
Shengxia subconsciously looked over and saw that it was Chen Zhuo.
Chen Zhuo walked over to Sheng Xia and looked down at her. "Why are you crying? Crying will only make them talk about you more proudly. You have a valid point, why can't you say it?"
Chen Zhuo's gaze swept across the crowd. The young general, who had followed his father into battle since childhood, was imposing without even getting angry. "Since they are such a perfect match, how could the marriage fall through so easily? It seems that Young Master Zhao is not a good match."
"The marriage was arranged since childhood. Every word in the marriage certificate is clear. The Zhao family holds an official position as a minister and knows where Sister Shengxia and my stepmother live. How could they not be able to find her or even think she was dead? Anyone with a keen eye will know there is a mystery here."
"The Zhao family regretted their engagement first, without even notifying us. How did you make it seem like my sister was a latecomer?"
"You are so bold to fabricate stories about the Duke and his wife. Whether she changes her surname or not, my sister is still the daughter of the Duke's Mansion. There is no need to be jealous and speak nonsense."
"How can you just randomly make up stories about people? It makes me question the upbringing of the various prefectures."
"Let's go, the princess invites you." Ignoring them, Chen Zhuo looked at Sheng Xia.
As her body gradually warmed up, Shengxia subconsciously followed Chen Zhuo away.
"No matter what you've been through in the past, the Duke's Mansion is your support now, so there's no need to be afraid." Shen Zhuo said calmly.
Shengxia looked at his cold profile and said after a long moment, "Thank you, brother."
He is a very nice person.
"Um."
[Host, do you need system services? ]
[No, I'll think about it.] If she can't let go of the past, she won't grow. It's better not to clear her past, as this will only make the hatred deeper.
On the second day after returning home, Shen Ling again mentioned whether she should change her surname.
Shengxia shook her head and smiled, "I know my father, grandmother, and brother treat me well. I'll feel at ease if you treat me well, whether you change it or not is the same. After all, I'm my biological father's only child, so I'll keep this surname."
If you change, people will say you're impatient to cling to them. If you don't change, people will say you're not tamed. No matter what you do, you'll be criticized.
Shen Ling followed her lead.
As autumn deepened, Shengxia's archery skills improved a lot.
Chen Zhuo said, "There will be an autumn hunt in seven days. Polo, if you want to go, I'll take you. You can't ride a horse, so you can't compete in horseback archery, but you might as well try polo."
Shengxia looked at him, then looked away, "I want to go."
Shen Zhuo placed the bow on the weapon rack and said, "When you look at someone, don't dodge. It makes you look unconfident."
"Don't look at me. Do you want to go because you really want to go, or do you agree because you don't want to contradict me?"
Shengxia pursed her lips and looked directly into his calm eyes, "I want to go."
"Yeah." Chen Zhuo stared at her for a moment and nodded.
"Brother Prince, I want to learn how to ride a horse."
"What are you learning for?"
"I don't like needlework and want to learn something else. I heard that our Duke's Mansion has been famous for martial arts for generations. My brother, father and grandmother are very kind to me. I don't want to lose the grace of the Duke's Mansion."
Seeing her sincere face, Shen Zhuo nodded and said, "Tomorrow someone will take you to the farm outside Beijing. There is a racecourse there."
"Thank you, Prince Brother."
Shen Zhuo strode away.
Shengxia looked at his back for a few months and felt that he was just a little cold and seemed difficult to get along with.
The next day, Shengxia went to learn horse riding. She couldn't walk naturally. When she came back, the maid said Li Wan was looking for her, so she went to Li Wan's yard.
I think she is pregnant. In the original owner's memory, Li Wan was pregnant during this period.
As soon as I entered the yard, the old lady and Shen Ling were there, with joy on their faces.
Sheng Xia greeted him, and Shen Ling said, "Xiao Xia, you're going to have a brother or sister."
Shengxia was genuinely happy for Li Wan and said some flattering words to the three of them.
The old lady asked her to come closer and asked, "Just now I saw you walking uncomfortably, did you fall?"
"Thank you, grandma, for your worry. I left home early this morning to learn horse riding. I feel a little uncomfortable after riding for a long time, but it's no big deal." Shengxia sat beside her and held her hand.
Seeing her eyes shining and full of dependence, the old lady felt relieved and stroked her hair, "Since you came to this mansion, you have become more and more like our child."
Unlike at the beginning, she was so weak that she would fall down at the slightest breeze, and her eyes were timid.
"I heard that my grandmother, when she was young, wielded a red-tasseled spear with great vigor and courage, and she fought on the battlefield alongside my grandfather. I was raised with such loving care by my grandmother that I must emulate a bit of your demeanor to live up to the heroic spirit of the Duke of Wu's mansion."
"Now you, girl, have also learned the skill of flattery." The old lady said with a smile.
"Do you like to listen to it?" Shengxia tugged at her sleeve.
The old lady smiled heartily, "This granddaughter is different from her grandson. She speaks so considerately."
"My brother saw me shooting arrows every day and said he'd take me to the autumn hunting grounds someday. Grandma, do you want to go and see it too?"
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