Chapter 63 Who doesn’t know the ugly things Shen Shuwei did?
Because of Shen Zhang's instructions, and because Shen Shuwei didn't want to stand out too much at the banquet that day, she went to the banquet three days later wearing only a plain white silk skirt, a sandalwood-colored gold bodice, her eyebrows slightly drawn, her lips painted, a simple and graceful outfit that didn't attract attention.
She was even more careful not to let her clothes get stained with fragrance, lest she accidentally anger the green-faced, fang-toothed, devil-like Prince Jing.
The flower-viewing banquet was held in the Prince's Mansion. The Prince's Mansion, covering an area of dozens of hectares, was elegantly decorated, and every brick and tile was the result of careful carving by craftsmen.
Shen Shuwei chose an inconspicuous corner to sit down. Just as he sat down, he found two sharp eyes staring at him from the opposite side. Looking up, he saw that they were the two young ladies from the Qin family and the Yu family.
She believed that she had no dealings with these two people, let alone any grudges between them, but now these two people were looking at her with hostility, and turned away with disdain when they saw her looking at them.
Chen Shuwei lowered her eyes and gently stroked the cup. Since it was not her fault, someone must have instructed her to do so.
The Qin family and the Yu family are respectively the study companions of the third prince and the second princess.
Chen Shuwei curled his lips in self-mockery, picked up the cup and took a sip of tea. His second brother was right to worry. This flower viewing banquet was really a den of dragons and tigers.
At this time, there was another commotion at the banquet. Chen Shuwei looked up and saw Chu Xinrou and Li Jue coming together. One of them had a gentle appearance and the other had a handsome appearance. They looked like a perfect couple.
Because he presented a thousand taels of silver to the palace of Marquis Jingning a day ago, although it could not solve the urgent problem in Yuzhou, it successfully calmed the emperor down, and the officials of the Ministry of Revenue stopped squeezing him.
The guests at the banquet were all discerning. Although the Third Prince had made some mistakes in flood control at the moment, who could guarantee that he would not make great achievements in the future? Marquis Jingning was also on good terms with the Third Prince, so it was not wrong to try to please them.
So Chu Xinrou raised her head slightly and sat down at the table happily amid the crowd's calls of "golden boy and jade girl" and "talented man and beautiful woman".
Today's flower viewing banquet did not have separate seats for men and women, so Li Jue sat next to Chu Xinrou.
However, compared to Chu Xinrou who was completely absorbed in the praise from others, Li Jue seemed absent-minded, with his eyes wandering around.
He is looking for Shen Shuwei.
Ever since he saw Shen Shuwei and the immortal-looking man beside her at the gate of Shen Mansion that day, he did not let go. Instead, his longing for her grew day by day. The figure of Shen Shuwei appeared in his mind frequently, making him feel anxious and restless.
If he hadn't broken his leg and needed to recuperate, he would have come to Chen Shuwei early to express his feelings.
Chu Xinrou put down the teacup gracefully and finished talking to the woman next to her. She turned her head and saw Li Jue staring at a certain place. She looked over and saw Chen Shuwei sitting there alone, drinking tea and eating pastries.
Chu Xinrou's pretty face suddenly became distorted. Chen Shuwei was not Marquis Jingning's person, so why was Li Jue still staring at her?
And there is Chen Shuwei. Knowing that many children from aristocratic families would be present today, she still dressed so plainly and sat in the corner pretending to be aloof. Wasn't it just to show that she was different from the world and attract men's attention?
Bitch!
Chu Xinrou's fingertips were almost broken, but she tried hard not to reveal any flaws in her expression.
"Brother Li Jue, isn't that my sister? Why is she sitting there alone?" Chu Xinrou feigned surprise and asked, "Should we go over and say hello to my sister?"
Li Jue was worried that he had no chance to talk to Shen Shuwei, but his eyes lit up when he heard Chu Xinrou's suggestion.
Chen Shuwei was drinking tea and casually admiring the lush and flourishing hibiscus in the Prince's Mansion when a shadow suddenly fell in front of his eyes.
"Sister Shuwei, long time no see." Li Jue's voice was slightly excited.
Chu Xinrou, who was standing beside him, bit her lower lip and said tenderly, "Sister, why are you sitting here alone? Why don't you sit with me and Brother Li Jue? I can introduce you to some noble ladies from the sect."
He was showing off his wide network of contacts in every word and action, while Chen Shuwei could only sit here alone with no one paying any attention to him.
Chen Shuwei put down the teacup, looked up at the two of them with a smile, and said, "Go away."
Chu Xinrou's face turned pale, and resentment flashed in her eyes.
Li Jue, however, looked heartbroken by Shen Shuwei. "Sister Shuwei, how could you become so sarcastic? I'm kind-hearted. Seeing you sitting here alone, I was worried you'd be lonely, so I specially invited me to talk to you and cheer you up."
"How dare you slander her? Apologize to her now."
"You are also responsible for my saying 'get out'. The prince is hosting a banquet today, and I don't want to fight. If you two don't want to embarrass yourself, get out of my sight as soon as possible." Shen Shuwei was not polite at all.
"I know that my sister has never forgiven me and feels that I have taken your identity. I am willing to give up my identity as a young lady from the Marquis' Mansion." Chu Xinrou looked at Shen Shuwei with tears in her eyes. "But I really can't bear to leave my elder brother, mother, and grandmother. I just want to recognize my relatives. I have never thought about competing with you for anything."
"Sister, why do you have to take your anger out on Brother Li Jue because of me? Just vent it on me."
Chen Shuwei curled the corners of his lips in a sarcastic tone. She had heard Chu Xinrou's words so many times that her ears were almost callused, but she had never really gotten out of the Marquis of Jingning's Mansion.
Li Jue, however, rubbed Chu Xinrou's back distressedly, looked at Shen Shuwei reproachfully, and his tone became harsh, "Xinrou was so angry that she cried, and you still refuse to apologize to her!"
"Is this what I taught you? I clearly wanted you to be generous and docile, but look at you now. Have you actually lived up to my expectations?"
"Shu Wei, are you really——"
"If you feel disappointed, get away from me." Chen Shuwei interrupted him coldly, "I've said the same thing to you two countless times. Do you two have poor hearing and didn't hear clearly, or are you hysterical and think I'm jealous and dissatisfied?"
"Miss Shen is so arrogant. The eldest lady of the Jingning Marquis's Mansion is willing to lower herself to talk to you, a fake who has usurped the throne, and you are still putting on airs."
Qin Yiyi and Yu Jing, who were sitting not far away watching the show, came over at some point and deliberately raised their voices so that everyone at the table could hear clearly that it was Chen Shuwei who was making trouble and made Chu Xinrou cry.
"Chen Shuwei, do you still think you're the eldest daughter of the Jingning Marquis's Mansion? You've been occupying Miss Chu's identity for sixteen years, and instead of apologizing, you've been telling people to get lost." Yu Jing sneered, "Don't tell me you're just acting like this to attract attention because there are so many young men here today."
"Shameless vixen, don't you think about your Shen family background and the scandal you and Shen Shuwei have done? Which wealthy family would be willing to hire you as their first wife?"
Li Jue couldn't help but frown when he heard the two of them saying words that were more unpleasant than the last. He was about to speak up for Shen Shuwei when Chu Xinrou beside him suddenly moaned, covered her chest with her hands, and her face turned pale.
"Brother Li Jue, my heart hurts so much—"
Li Jue knew that she was frail and had a heart disease, so he didn't care about Shen Shuwei and hurriedly helped Chu Xinrou to rest nearby.
Qin Yiyi glanced at the two people who left, and her tone became more arrogant. "In my opinion, it's okay for Miss Shen to be someone's concubine. I heard that Miss Shen seduced a grain merchant in the capital for money before, and was caught on the spot. If it weren't for her second brother who served in the Imperial Guard, who knows how this matter would be publicized."
"Splash." A cup of tea poured over Qin Yiyi from head to toe.
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