Upon hearing Madam Shen's immediate rebuttal, the noblewoman's smile froze.
But Mother Shen seemed oblivious, continuing to say to herself, "You must have some misunderstanding about her."
The ladies exchanged glances, suddenly abandoning their intention to remind Mother Shen.
Forget it, she doesn't mind herself, so why should they meddle?
Mother Shen was eager to introduce Ye Rou to them, and said with great interest, "Let me bring her over to talk to you. After you get to know her, you will definitely change your opinion of her."
The group remained expressionless, neither nodding nor shaking their heads. They genuinely felt that Mother Shen was somewhat out of her mind.
Just then, Ye Rou noticed them, and a smile instantly appeared on her beautiful face as she walked very affectionately to Chen's mother's side.
Standing not far away, Song Zhiyu took in the whole scene, then turned her eyes away expressionlessly, turning her gaze to Shen Jinshu on the other side.
At this moment, Shen Jinshu was chatting with the guests who had come to the banquet with a smile on her face, completely forgetting the shameful incident that had occurred a few days ago.
Even when faced with the sarcastic remarks of Mingzhu and the others, she could retort without changing her expression, leaving them speechless.
No wonder the people in the Marquis's mansion were so easily fooled by Shen Jinshu. Such deep shrewdness and strong mental fortitude are beyond the reach of ordinary people.
And her mother was no pushover either.
Ye Rou was already chatting and laughing with several ladies. She clearly knew how to please people and made them all very happy with just a few words.
For a moment, Shen's mother became the outsider.
"Miss, the Princess has arrived." Lu Bai hurriedly walked to Song Zhiyu's side and whispered in her ear.
No sooner had the words been spoken than the princess's majestic voice rang out from outside the gate, "How lively! I'm not late, am I?"
As soon as the princess arrived, everyone's attention was drawn to her. Even the old lady stood up to greet her, her old face beaming with joy. "I am very happy that Your Highness has come."
Madam Shen nodded in satisfaction. Song Zhiyu was actually quite useful; he had managed to invite the Princess over.
The eldest princess twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "Of course I will attend the old lady's birthday banquet."
Otherwise, she wouldn't get to see the good show that Zhiyu told her.
The princess didn't say the last sentence, but just smiled and looked at Song Zhiyu, as if she were the main character today.
Completely ignored, Madam Shen suppressed her displeasure and invited the Princess to take a seat with a kind expression. Now, only the Duke of Ling was missing.
*
backyard.
"Cousin Qin, have you remembered everything I said? This is your only chance. If you don't seize it, there will be no need for the Qin family and the Marquis's mansion to form a marriage alliance." Shen Jinshu's expression was unusually serious, devoid of his usual gentle smile.
If Qin Xu is truly so hopeless, she won't gain anything by helping him further; it will only be a waste of her time and energy.
This sight made Qin Xu realize the seriousness of the problem. He straightened his expression and promised, "I understand. I will not let my cousin down this time."
After he finished speaking, he realized that he was covered in a cold sweat and quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead.
Shen Jinshu glanced at Qin Xu unintentionally, and looked down on his behavior.
But that one glance made her expression freeze instantly.
“This handkerchief…” she asked tentatively, her tone casual.
Qin Xu didn't notice Shen Jinshu's strange expression and casually replied, "It was given to me by a maid. I thought the embroidery on it was quite nice, so I kept it."
"I also like this embroidery. I wonder which maid in the manor has such good skills?" As she said this, a ruthless look appeared in Shen Jinshu's eyes.
She finally found it.
"It's that little maid named Xia Zhu from Songxi Courtyard. She's very arrogant and even wants me to marry her. If I didn't want to use her to find out about Song Zhiyu, she wouldn't even be worthy of my attention with her looks." Qin Xu chuckled twice, his words filled with undisguised contempt.
It was just a game, but that idiot took it seriously.
Shen Jinshu was startled. "So they're from Songxi Courtyard."
No wonder she searched the entire mansion but couldn't find the person who eavesdropped on their conversation that day; she never expected them to be hiding in Songxi Courtyard.
She couldn't reach into Songxi Courtyard, so the only way to get rid of this maid named Xia Zhu was to force her out.
But what worried Shen Jinshu the most was whether Song Zhiyu knew the secret.
It seems she needs to find a time to test the waters.
Both of them had their own ulterior motives, but they were both plotting against the same person.
*
Meanwhile, Song Zhiyu, whom they were eyeing, was looking at Su Jinyang, who had suddenly appeared at the banquet, with surprise.
His appearance caused a stir among the guests, who whispered among themselves and those around them.
"The Marquis's mansion is truly prestigious, having actually invited both the Eldest Princess and General Su."
"The second young lady of the Marquis's mansion is the eldest princess's savior. With such a great favor, it's only a matter of time before the Marquis's mansion regains its former glory."
"Isn't it said that the second young lady has a bad relationship with the Marquis's mansion? They had a really ugly falling out before."
"There's no such thing as a family feud that lasts overnight. They're blood relatives, and the Second Miss will still need to rely on the Marquis's mansion in the future. How can we really let things fall apart?"
"..."
They weren't too surprised that the eldest princess would attend the banquet, since Song Zhiyu would still give her face.
But Su Jinyang's arrival was the most unexpected.
If we were to name the person most admired by the people of Beijing today, it would undoubtedly be Su Jinyang.
The young general was not only a brilliant military strategist, but also incredibly handsome. On the day he returned to the capital in triumph, he captured the hearts of many women with just a fleeting glance.
Many ministers in the court tried to win him over, offering him great rewards and even wanting to marry their daughters to him, but he was unmoved and refused to listen to them.
But they were still unwilling to give up and kept thinking of something that could tempt Su Jinyang.
Now that Su Jinyang has actually come to Madam Shen's birthday banquet uninvited, they can't help but wonder.
Marquis Chengen belongs to the faction of Prince Li. Does Su Jinyang's move mean he intends to support Prince Li?
Thinking of this, some are happy while others are sad.
With Su Jinyang commanding an army of 100,000, the Li Wang faction was greatly strengthened by his addition.
Su Jinyang didn't care what kind of sensation his visit to the Marquis's residence would cause; he simply gave Song Zhiyu a reassuring look.
The man's sharp and cold gaze swept over them, etching the faces of the Shen family members into his mind.
Finally, his gaze fell on Shen Mingyi.
This is Yu'er's bastard third brother. Tch, he's really not good.
Su Jinyang made no attempt to hide his disdain for Shen Mingyi. Then, he looked down at himself and nodded in satisfaction.
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