"Young Master Jiang, I heard that the Jiang family specially collected many precious flower varieties from all over the country to create this garden, and also invited famous gardeners to take care of it. These flowers are really beautiful."
A woman in a deep red dress praised him, occasionally blushing as she glanced in Jiang Shuyou's direction.
Jiang Shuyou's gaze was entirely fixed on Shen Danru. When he heard someone speaking to him, he looked up at the woman out of politeness, only to find that he did not recognize her.
"You flatter me, young lady. My grandmother loves flowers, so we've always had some planted in the house."
Jiang Shuzhe, fearing that Jiang Shuyou would steal his thunder, immediately stepped forward and said, "If you like it, young lady, I'll give you two pots. I arranged this garden, and I found many of the flowers myself."
Jiang Shuzhe was the son of the Yin family, and was only one year younger than Jiang Shuyou.
Jiang Shuyou's mother died in childbirth, and Jiang Shuyou's father, Jiang Xun, married a woman surnamed Yin. The following year, their son, Jiang Shuzhe, was born.
Instilled with Yin's ideology, he hated Jiang Shuyou from a young age, hating him for taking the position of the eldest son of the Jiang family and possibly even taking his title.
She resented even more that he was better at studying than her.
Why didn't he die with his mother?
Because Jiang Shuyou is delaying marriage, he is also unable to find a wife.
He's already twenty years old, long past the age to get married, but there's a rule in the Jiang family that the eldest son must get married first. If the eldest son doesn't get married, the younger brothers have to wait.
He's so old now, he thinks every girl is beautiful.
The flower-viewing banquet at the Jiang residence was exactly what he wanted. He was so captivated by the fact that the girls were more beautiful than the flowers themselves.
"Young Master Jiang certainly has refined tastes; this garden is truly breathtaking."
Seeing a girl praising him, Jiang Shuzhe felt secretly pleased.
He knew that these women were all from prominent families, and their praise was undoubtedly an affirmation of his taste.
He immediately gave Jiang Shuyou a smug look.
Jiang Shuyou ignored his meaning, and he felt a surge of annoyance.
Following Jiang Shuyou's gaze, he looked up and finally saw Shen Danru.
He cursed inwardly, wondering if the man was crazy to be interested in a woman Qi Jingcheng had broken off his engagement with.
To avoid any mistakes, before Shen Shi returned, the identities of the Shen family members were unknown to everyone except for Old Madam Jiang, Jiang Xun and his wife, Jiang Shuyou, and Jiang Jingxian.
Madam Jiang gave the order, and to avoid any further complications, forbade anyone else to know, and for everyone outside to say that the Shen family were her maternal relatives.
He also specifically instructed Yin not to tell Jiang Shuzhe.
She knew how unreliable her grandson was.
Lady Yin dared not disobey her mother-in-law's wishes, so she agreed.
Jiang Shuzhe was still indignant at this time. They were just poor relatives from Ningzhou. He didn't know why his grandmother valued those people from the Shen family so much.
At that moment, a melodious piano tune drifted from the depths of the garden, attracting everyone's attention.
They all looked in the direction from which the sound came, and saw Shen Yingxue sitting on a huge rock in the garden, playing the piano with great concentration.
Her long hair cascaded down her back, her face was beautiful, and her demeanor was ethereal. The music she played on the piano was melodious and captivating, like the tinkling of a spring or the chorus of birdsong, leaving the audience mesmerized.
Everyone was drawn to her music and listened intently.
After the song ended, Shen Yingxue stood up, bowed to everyone, and smiled, saying, "I'm sorry to have disturbed your enjoyment."
Even if Crown Prince Qi Jingcheng disliked Shen Yingxue, he couldn't deny that the music she played was truly beautiful.
"How could that be? Miss Chen's piece is truly moving and captivating."
With the Crown Prince leading the way in praising her, others were equally generous in their praise of Shen Yingxue, and words of praise poured in like a tide.
Jiang Shuzhe looked at Shen Yingxue with a hint of amazement in his eyes. He smiled and stepped forward, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect, saying, "Miss Shen's musical skills are indeed superb, truly breathtaking."
Shen Yingxue smiled slightly: "Young Master Jiang, you flatter me. It's just a pastime in my spare time."
A glint of greed flashed in Jiang Shuzhe's eyes. He had long heard that Shen Yingxue was both beautiful and talented, and seeing her today, he could confirm that her reputation was well-deserved.
He thought to himself, how wonderful it would be if such a beautiful woman could become his wife.
Furthermore, his marriage to the daughter of the Duke of Shen's family has given him Shen Shi's support, which will increase his chances of inheriting the title.
Shen Yingxue was naturally pleased to receive praise from her admirers.
At that moment, she resembled a peacock displaying its plumage, proudly holding her head high.
Shen Danru, now that you've lost your family background, let's see what you have to offer me.
Jiang Jingxian rolled her eyes and couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "It's not that great."
She thought she was speaking softly, but unfortunately, someone close to Shen Yingxue heard her.
"Jiang Jingxian, what do you mean? Why is Yingxue's playing bad?"
Everyone immediately looked over.
"Can't I even be criticized for playing badly?"
As soon as Jiang Jingxian uttered her words, she was met with reproachful glances from those present.
Jiang Shuzhe gave Jiang Jingxian a look, signaling her not to talk nonsense.
"I'm just stating the facts. What, are you saying I can't speak the truth?"
"Jiang Jingxian, if Yingxue's playing isn't good, then who is?"
The man covered his mouth and chuckled, "Don't tell me you play better than her."
The disdain in their eyes was undeniable.
Shen Yingxue was also unconvinced: "Does Miss Jiang dare to compare?"
"Let's compete, who's afraid of who?"
Jiang Jingxian hadn't disliked Shen Yingxue this much before, but ever since she heard that Shen Yingxue dared to bully her sister Ru on the street, she immediately jumped up and wanted to settle accounts with Shen Yingxue.
If she hadn't been pulled back by the nanny beside her, she would have gone to fight her long ago.
The old woman advised her, "Be careful, or the madam will punish you."
One sentence startled Jiang Jingxian. Shengjing was not like Ningzhou, where she was constantly being punished by her mother to learn manners. She was afraid.
Now, taking this opportunity, I really want to slap Yingxue in the face and avenge Sister Ru.
Jiang Shuzhe pulled her back: "Jingxian, don't be silly."
Jiang Jingxian rolled her eyes at him. This was her own brother, the one who forgot his sister for the sake of a pretty girl.
Seeing her older brother give her an encouraging look, Jiang Jingxian felt a warmth in her heart. Fortunately, her older brother believed in her.
Jiang Jingxian ignored her second brother and directly ordered the servants to bring up her zither.
Her fingers gently plucked the strings, and melodious music flowed from her long, slender, and fair fingers.
As the zither music played, Jiang Jingxian's clear voice rang out: "One is a fairy flower from a celestial garden, the other is a flawless jade..."
It is precisely the interlude "Wang Ning Mei" from Dream of the Red Chamber.
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