The much-anticipated lake tour banquet arrived as scheduled.
On the rippling surface of Qianyang Lake, dozens of small boats gently rocked with the waves, heading straight for the lotus pavilion in the center of the lake.
The ornately decorated ship was filled with noble families, their voices reciting poetry and playing the flute creating a lively atmosphere.
When the music ended, the melodious sound of the piano ceased, and the lake returned to its usual calm.
The man in brocade put down the folding fan he was gently waving and raised his wine cup to Shen Yanxi. "Brother Shen, if nothing unexpected happens, the champion of this year's lake tour banquet will surely be Sister Jinshu again. We'd like to congratulate you in advance."
Having such a distinguished younger sister is truly a blessing the Cheng'en Marquis's family has accumulated in their past lives.
Shen Yanxi nodded repeatedly, his face filled with undisguised pride, and he agreed with the man in brocade robes. "Shu'er is talented and beautiful, and her zither playing is superb. I believe she will definitely win first place."
Shen Jinshu's superb zither skills were even praised by the Empress Dowager.
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but echo their agreement, praising Shen Jinshu to the skies, and even Shen Yanxi was praised along with her.
"Having such a promising younger sister as Shu'er is my good fortune." Benefiting from Shen Jinshu's praise, Shen Yanxi was flattered and his affection for her grew even stronger.
"Heh~"
At that moment, a cold rebuke, accompanied by the last sound of Shen Yanxi's voice, rang out, standing out clearly on the silent deck.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man in a dark blue robe shaking his head and laughing, his face full of sarcasm. While laughing, he also took a sip of the wine on the table.
"Bai Xuan, what do you mean by this?" Shen Yanxi asked, her face dark and her tone harsh.
He and Bai Xuan had always been at odds, each forming their own faction, comparing themselves on everything, and neither willing to concede to the other.
Bai Xuan's actions were undoubtedly out of jealousy that he had a sister like Shu'er who made him proud, while he himself did not.
The two had been fighting for many years, so how could Bai Xuan not guess Shen Yanxi's thoughts?
Shen Jinshu is indeed quite talented and gentle, the kind of woman he would like.
Coincidentally, he had no good feelings towards Shen Jinshu.
"Where is your younger sister from the countryside? Why didn't I see her come to the lake banquet? Is she too scared to come?" Bai Xuan poured himself another cup of wine, ignoring Shen Yanxi's already ashen face, and said to himself.
He deliberately mentioned Song Zhiyu to embarrass Shen Yanxi.
After all, everyone in the capital knew about the sordid incident that occurred at the Marquis's family reunion banquet. It was truly unheard of for an elder brother to frame his own sister for a fake sister.
Nowadays, the Marquis's residence has become a topic of conversation among them during their leisure time.
"It's none of your business, you'd better mind your own business." Shen Yanxi twitched the corner of his mouth, his words full of displeasure and embarrassment. His good mood from before had vanished, and the wound on his arm began to ache again.
Song Zhiyu's existence was solely to cause him trouble.
He felt honored when others praised Shen Jinshu.
However, when Song Zhiyu was mentioned, there was always a hint of disdain, which caused him to lose face as well.
Now, he only hopes that Song Zhiyu has some self-awareness and will not show up at the lake tour banquet.
*
Meanwhile, Song Zhiyu, who was at the center of the conversation, was sitting on another boat not far from them.
"Miss, the scenery outside is so beautiful! Come and see!" Lu Bai lifted the curtain and looked at the willows swaying in the wind by the lake and the gorgeous flat boats bobbing on the lake. She excitedly called Song Zhiyu over.
Urged on by Lu Bai, Song Zhiyu smiled helplessly, put down the medical book in her hand, and slowly got up and walked outside.
As soon as Song Zhiyu lifted the curtain, he met Shen Jinshu's gaze, and both of them were taken aback.
Shen Jinshu stood on the deck of the ship, her crescent-white gauze dress accentuating her exquisite figure. She had a face like a lotus flower, willow-leaf eyebrows, and lips that were naturally red without makeup, exuding a gentle yet glamorous charm.
The moment their eyes met, Shen Jinshu was taken aback for a moment, then gave her a faint smile to show her friendliness.
"Isn't that the young lady? Why is her smile so creepy?" Lu Bai rubbed her arms, feeling a chill run down her spine for no apparent reason.
Song Zhiyu did not respond, but just stared thoughtfully at the departing ship.
She also felt that Shen Jinshu's smile had a hidden meaning, and it seemed that today's lake tour banquet was destined to be anything but peaceful.
Who knows what kind of wicked scheme Shen Jinshu will come up with to frame her this time?
The enemy is in the shadows while she is in the open; now she can only react to whatever comes her way.
*
"Wasn't that Song Zhiyu just now? How come she's qualified to attend the lake tour banquet? Has the threshold for the lake tour banquet become so low now? Anyone can come in." The Seventh Princess turned around, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, her face full of impatience.
Those invited to the lake tour banquet were either scions of prominent families or exceptionally talented men and women.
Song Zhiyu was neither talented nor virtuous, and was not favored by her father and brothers. She was just a noblewoman in name only, yet she was able to attend the lake tour banquet.
"The Eldest Princess values the Second Sister highly. If the Second Sister wants to attend the lake tour banquet, it's just a matter of a word." Shen Jinshu curled her lips, her gentle tone quickly drawing the Seventh Princess's anger to its peak.
The Seventh Princess stomped her feet in dissatisfaction, but due to the eldest princess's authority, she only dared to complain a few words: "Aunt is really confused. She doesn't care about her own nephews and nieces, but instead cares about an outsider."
What kind of fool in the world would abandon their own blood relatives to care for a complete stranger? Doesn't my aunt know how much I hate her?
Her unintentional remark was like a sharp blade piercing Shen Jinshu's heart.
In the eyes of others, she was just an adopted daughter of the Marquis's family, an outsider.
Shen Jinshu almost lost her smile, her hands clenched white at her sides.
"My second sister cured the eldest princess's old ailment, and the eldest princess values her highly, almost treating her like her own daughter."
"Your Highness, please don't act impulsively. It would be bad if you offended the Eldest Princess." Shen Jinshu's words seemed like words of comfort, but in reality, they were more like adding fuel to the fire.
The Seventh Princess fell for it as expected, raising her chin arrogantly. "Hmph, so what if I really did something to Song Zhiyu? Do you think they can kill me?"
As a pampered princess of the dynasty, she had absolute self-confidence.
Even if she really did something to Song Zhiyu, it was Song Zhiyu's own fault, and the Chengen Marquis's Mansion would never dare to offend her.
Perhaps she only needs to give a hint, and the Marquis of Chengen will personally deliver the person to her, so she can do whatever she wants with him.
"Your Highness..." Shen Jinshu hesitated, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
"Sister Jinshu, don't try to persuade me. How could I tolerate her bullying you like that? I'm going to teach her a lesson. Just you wait and see." The Seventh Princess smiled mysteriously and raised her hand to stop Shen Jinshu from continuing to try to dissuade her.
She turned her head to look at the sandalwood box held in the maid's hands, a calculating glint in her eyes.
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