Chapter 295 Who's Envious?
This plum blossom viewing banquet was for noble ladies, unlike before when ladies from various households were invited.
When Gu Shuyan arrived, the Minister's residence was already full of people. Upon seeing Gu Shuyan enter, all the young ladies looked at her in unison.
"Miss Gu doesn't look particularly beautiful, so I don't know what made Her Majesty so fond of her that he rewarded her with a jade ruyi."
"The Gu family is currently enjoying imperial favor, so it's likely that they're being rewarded out of consideration for others!"
"But I heard that it was because the Crown Princess's birthday had offended the Gu family that day, and His Majesty bestowed the gift to appease them."
The crowd murmured amongst themselves, but no one dared to say it aloud in front of Gu Shuyan.
"In my opinion, it's Miss Gu who knows how to seduce people. A girl who grew up in the countryside is really not presentable."
The speaker was He Ruyan, the daughter of the Left Censor-in-Chief. These days, she had watched Gu Shuyan's reputation grow better and better, and she had long disliked her.
Gu Shuyan did hear the whispers, but they were all trivial matters, and she didn't pay them any attention.
But He Ruyan's voice was as if she was afraid no one would hear her. If Gu Shuyan endured this, she was afraid that these rich young ladies would think she was easy to bully in the future.
“Miss He, just say you envy me. Why be so sour? If I remember correctly, the He family moved from the countryside to the capital less than fifty years ago!”
He Ruyan was merely the daughter of a third-rank official, not even in the middle ranks of the capital. What she was most proud of was that the He family had a more profound history than other families.
Of course, this only applies when compared to the newly rich. Compared to families like the Marquis of Yi'an's mansion, which have a background from the previous dynasty, the He family is simply not good enough.
"Who envies you? You're just being delusional."
When He Ruyan saw someone covering their mouth and chuckling, her face immediately turned bright red, and she looked at Gu Shuyan with a hint of resentment.
"Whoever envies me knows! Although I grew up in the countryside, so what? If you say I'm not presentable, then you're implying that the Minister's Mansion, which invited me here, is also not presentable. Some people think that just because they have a slight disadvantage, they can go around criticizing others, but little do they know that they are the real joke."
As Gu Shuyan spoke, her gaze swept across He Ruyan's face, her eyes filled with contempt and disdain.
This woman had caused her trouble once before, and she ignored her, yet she still came looking for trouble.
"You...you..."
He Ruyan had never been treated like this before, and her gaze towards Gu Shuyan was filled with resentment.
"What do you mean, 'you'? If you can't speak properly, go home and let your mother teach you. I don't know what the Censor is thinking, daring to release just anyone."
Gu Shuyan is usually very kind to people, so no one has ever seen her act so aggressively like this before.
"Miss Gu, Miss He was just joking with you."
The speaker was Kang Qingying, the daughter of the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief. Kang Qingying had always been He Ruyan's follower, always doing whatever she asked.
Seeing He Ruyan suffer a setback, Kang Qingying naturally couldn't stand idly by. Of course, she wouldn't be foolish enough to offend Gu Shuyan, so she had no choice but to act as a peacemaker without offending Gu Shuyan.
Upon hearing this, Gu Shuyan glanced at the other person and noticed that her attire was not particularly glamorous. As she made up her mind, she glanced at her again.
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