There was more than one princess present today, but Princess Xian'an was not one to make a fuss. Moreover, because her birth mother, Consort Jin, was in an awkward position, she did not make a big show of having everyone pay their respects and went directly to her seat.
The news that Miss Shen had won Princess Jiayuan's favor and would soon be entering the palace to serve the Empress Dowager spread like wildfire, and in no time, all the ladies who had come to the hairpin banquet knew about it.
The maids, dressed in blue robes with their hair styled in double buns and adorned with bright forsythia blossoms, moved about the banquet, a delightful sight to behold. They carried painted and gilded trays laden with peonies, peonies, crabapples, hibiscus, and other precious flowers.
There were still glistening dewdrops on the petals, and the buds were delicate and beautiful, ready to bloom.
Shen Mingshu was displeased. To her, it was a disgrace to be overshadowed by a concubine's daughter, the legitimate daughter.
She sat beside her mother, listening obediently to the ladies who had come to inquire about Shen Mingxi, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
"It is said that serving a king is like serving a tiger. The Empress Dowager is the mother of the king. Even if you enter the palace, you may not be able to get along well."
Hearing Shen Ming'e's whispers in his ear, Shen Mingzhuang couldn't help but gasp and quickly stopped her, saying, "How dare you say such things outside? Be careful, walls have ears. You should be more careful with your words."
Shen Ming'e didn't take it to heart, but she didn't say anything more, and Shen Mingzhuang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Madam Pei sent a message to the women of the Shen family. On a painted and gilded tray were several kinds of flowers, which the ladies could choose freely. There were also more precious and beautiful flowers, which were to be given as a lucky charm and were the most worthwhile to see today.
Zhao chose a pale yellow peony, elegant and graceful; Gu chose a hibiscus, simple and natural; and she also chose an elegant and noble orchid for her daughter Shen Mingrong.
When they arrived at Lin's place, Lin looked at the flowers that had been chosen and a hint of displeasure flashed across her face. She picked and chose a red peony for herself, then pointed to the light pink peony and said to Shen Mingshu, "This peony looks nice and suits your dress very well."
Shen Mingshu's gaze was fixed on the red crabapple blossom. Just as she was about to reach out, she noticed that Shen Mingxi's eyes were fixed on the peony. With a quick thought, she reached for the peony instead, and smiled, saying, "Mother's choice is always right."
Then, Lin helped her tuck the flower into her temple. Lin smiled and nodded in satisfaction. Shen Mingxi's chest heaved slightly. She lowered her head and twisted the handkerchief in her hand, her expression unreadable.
The tray was handed to Shen Mingxi, and she was about to choose when Madam Lin casually said, "Seventh Miss's outfit today is already very formal, and that forsythia flower is simple and elegant."
Shen Mingxi's hands clenched involuntarily, her nails digging painfully into them. Only then did she smile, nod, and say "okay." Her fingertips trembled slightly as she picked up the forsythia flowers that were used as decorations on the tray. The maid carrying the flowers also looked slightly surprised. Seeing this, Madam Lin smiled and said to Shen Mingshu, "Today, Madam Pei also invited dancers from the Western Regions to perform. Have you ever seen dances from foreign lands?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the bright forsythia on Shen Mingxi's head that clashed terribly with her outfit, and he couldn't help but sneer silently as he looked at Princess Jiayuan, who was surrounded by admirers in the distance.
Shen Mingzhuang wasn't keen on wearing flowers in her hair, so she let Shen Ming'e choose first. Shen Ming'e smiled and put a pink hibiscus flower in her hair, then glanced at Ninth Sister, who was staring into the distance in a daze, and chose a crabapple blossom to put in her hair.
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