Chapter 46: Qushui Liushang
Liu thought that her son had already been engaged, so there was no need for her to join in the fun.
Xiao Jinrong, who was standing next to him, glanced at his fourth brother, and a look of relief appeared on his face.
He is two years older than Jinwen, but the other person is more like an older brother.
Xiao Jinwen is always polite, with a gentle smile and behaves appropriately.
In the Chengguo Mansion, Xiao Mo is the one that no one can reach. He was the undisputed prince since he was born.
Xiao Jinrong never compared himself with that person.
But he still couldn't beat his fourth brother Jinwen.
Jinwen is a person who can't be faulted by anyone, from the maids and boys to the old lady.
He seems to have no flaws and strives for perfection in everything.
When you walk with such a person, others will only notice him.
What's more, there is Cousin Liu. Young ladies like them probably like this type.
Listening to the voices around him, Xiao Jinrong looked towards the center again.
It is said that the orphan girl from the Xu family sprained her ankle that day.
It got better so quickly.
He deliberately chose to block her at night, and also listened to the words of the maid in cousin Liu's courtyard. He wanted to teach her a lesson, or scare her so that she would not only seek to be the best and win favor in the future.
Unexpectedly, instead of blocking the person, she sprained her ankle.
Considering that she was sensible and did not go to Chen to complain, the matter was dropped.
Everyone in the room chatted for a while before going out the second door and getting on the carriage to leave.
Knowing that Xiao Jinwen would not go, the old lady called her second grandson Xiao Jinrong to her side and asked him to take care of the younger sisters in the mansion.
Xiao Jinrong answered honestly, but he felt that these sisters did not include the orphan girl of the Xu family.
She is like that, very smart, so why does she need his care?
After the children left, the old lady asked her eldest daughter-in-law, "Where is Mo'er?"
"He disappeared in the morning, and I don't know where he has gone now." Wang replied truthfully.
The old lady didn't say anything else. Although she wanted her eldest grandson to go and see the young ladies at the banquet, the choice was his after all.
Given Ruan's attitude, it wouldn't be a bad idea to give the Shen family a way out.
It is better to forgive others when you can. Now that the position of the crown prince is undecided, Changsun's visit can also dispel the rumor that the prince is stealing my wife.
They both gave each other enough face so that they could meet again in the future.
For this small banquet, the Chengguo Mansion sent out a total of three carriages, one for each of the three young ladies. Xiao Jinrong rode on a horse, and the palace guards and maids followed beside the carriage.
The Shen Mansion was only two streets away from the Duke's Mansion, so it was still early when they arrived.
Shen Jingshu and Ruan came out to greet everyone.
But to Xu Shuyao's surprise, she actually met the young man she met at her second cousin's wedding banquet.
Seeing him come out to greet Xiao Jinrong to the men's area, Xu Shuyao was a little confused for a moment.
I didn’t expect that the young man was a member of the Shen family!
Seeing Xu Shuyao looking at her brother, Shen Jingshu looked down on this girl from the Xu family.
Even if you like the eldest brother, you don't have to be so obvious. You should at least hide it.
However, considering the status of the Shen family, this young lady surnamed Xu is not someone she can marry.
Shen Jingshu greeted Xiao Jinshan with a smile. She was wearing a crimson dress today, with a dark blue shawl draped over it, and her hair was tied up high in a snake bun.
In addition, she was not short to begin with, and after being dressed like this, she was actually half a head taller than the three young ladies in the Duke's Mansion. She did have a different feeling.
While she was talking to Xiao Jinshan, Xu Shuyao and Liu Qingwan were left aside intentionally or unintentionally.
When Ruan saw this, she felt a little guilty and invited them into the garden.
The Shen family had put a lot of effort into preparing Shen Jingshu's small banquet. Not only did they divert a spring into the garden, they also set up a banquet for the wine-drinking game downstream of the spring.
The so-called Qushui Liushang is to put various fruit wines, dishes, cakes and pastries on a tray and slowly send them to the guests along the upstream water.
The male and female guests sitting on both sides of the flowing water asked the waiters beside them to help them pick up the trays flowing downstream if they wanted to eat something.
Not only that, behind the guests, various flowers were arranged, including seasonal yellow and white chrysanthemums, as well as potted roses and camellias.
This makes the guests feel as if they are in a sea of flowers, with winding water flowing in front of their eyes and subtle fragrance at their noses. What could be more comfortable than this?
Perhaps because Mrs. Ruan personally led the way, Xu Shuyao and Liu Qingwan did not sit too far back, and were even seated in the front middle.
As they sat down, whispers could be heard from time to time.
"Who are you two? You are so beautiful!"
"They are really good-looking! One is as slender as a willow, and the other is as beautiful as a lotus emerging from clear water."
"He came with the third young lady from Duke Cheng's Mansion. It seems that they are not from the capital."
…
Most of the people who were talking were women, while the men opposite them expressed their amazement at the moment by staring at her.
Some of the dandy young men looked at him straight ahead, while others just glanced at him reservedly and then lowered their heads.
There were also some who behaved normally, like Wang Shaowei, the second son of the Qingyuan Marquis's Mansion. He had met the two of them before at the Duke's Mansion, so he just smiled politely at this time.
As the host today, Shen Shaoyu also gave Xu Shuyao a friendly smile when he saw her.
Feeling these intentional or unintentional scrutiny, Xu Shuyao was able to remain calm, but Liu Qingwan blushed, which made her look even more charming, making the men on the other side of the stream even more distracted.
When Xiao Jinrong saw this, he angrily warned him with his eyes, but others didn't take him seriously because he was just a son of a concubine.
Everyone loves beauty. Even if you can control everything in the world, can't you control where other people look?
As the protagonist of the banquet, Shen Jingshu already had a reputation as a talented woman, and she was also tall and beautiful.
Although she is currently a concubine in the Second Prince's residence, the Second Prince is a popular candidate to succeed the throne.
If that person ascends to the throne one day, it won't matter whether it's on the side or not.
So she put a lot of thought into this small banquet today. She wore a crimson dress, as if to make up for the regret of not being able to wear red on the wedding day, and also to secretly compete with the queen.
But now, seeing that everyone's eyes were on Xu Liu and the others, Shen Jingshu already regretted it.
I shouldn't have opened my mouth that day.
She stood up with a smile and gestured to the servants in the distance, asking them to open the spring above. Water with a slight mist began to flow down, hitting the sides, making a gurgling sound, which attracted everyone's attention for a moment.
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