Wen Yu patted her chest and said, "If you scare people, you can scare them to death, do you know that?"
Lin Yuzhi frowned slightly: "So what is the princess doing here?"
"Shh——" Wen Yu put her index finger to her lips and ignored him.
Lin Yuzhi curled the corners of his mouth, took two steps forward to Wen Yu's side, and looked towards the plum blossom forest.
At this moment in the forest, Li Qingyi could no longer contain her anger. This was simply going too far.
She quickly walked into the snow, squatted down and tried to pick up the hairpin that Chen Xiuling had thrown away, but as soon as her fingers touched it, a foot in pink embroidered shoes stepped directly on it.
He even stepped on her hand without any hesitation and crushed it hard.
Li Qingyi felt a sharp pain in her fingers. She closed her eyes, then suddenly looked up and met Chen Xiuling's provocative smile.
"I said, I'm just throwing this thing to the beggar, it's none of your business."
The young ladies from various families gathered in a circle and looked at Li Qingyi squatting on the ground. Some of them showed a trace of pity in their eyes, but no one chose to stand up for her.
Not only that, there were also a lot of gloating looks in their eyes, as if they were very happy to see such a scene.
Li Qingyi withdrew her red hand and slowly stood up.
She looked around with a wooden face and felt extremely cold.
The winter snow was already very cold, but at this moment, she felt as if naked, surrounded by gazes that were even colder than the winter snow.
There was no pity, no sympathy, no indignation, as if she deserved to be treated like this.
As a concubine's daughter, she should not stand among the legitimate daughters.
At this moment, she suddenly understood why her eldest sister had suggested that she attend the New Year's banquet this year. This was her purpose. She wanted the other eldest daughters to trample on her pride and dignity.
Chen Xiuling took back her foot from the hairpin as if she was merciful, with a smile on her face: "Recognize your own identity, the concubine's daughter of a fifth-rank official. Don't think that just because you came to the New Year's banquet, you are on the same level as our legitimate daughter, you filthy thing born of an aunt."
As he said this, he kicked the hairpin out of the snow, and the splashed snow fell on the hem of Li Qingyi's skirt.
"You are only fit to wear something as cheap as this."
Chen Xiuling sneered and waved his hand, and a group of people left in a crowd.
Li Qingyi stood in place, but was bumped by their shoulders that were deliberately approaching her, causing her to stagger and fall to the ground.
She sat in the snow, watching the backs of everyone leaving, slowly lowered her head, clenched her fingers with trembling hands, and a handful of snow slowly melted in her palms.
She came to the wrong place. An occasion like the New Year's banquet was not something a concubine's daughter like her could attend.
At this moment, a slightly lazy voice came from above her head.
"Still sitting? Aren't you going to get up?"
Li Qingyi was a little dazed for a moment. It was the girl's voice. Was there any other girl in Xinsui Garden who was willing to talk to her actively?
She raised her head, then her eyelashes trembled and she was a little dazed.
Wen Yu's lazy voice sounded again, this time with a hint of teasing in her tone: "I know I'm good-looking, but there's no need to look at me silly, right?"
Li Qingyi came back to her senses after hearing this, pursed her lips and said, "Young lady is extremely beautiful, it's normal for you to be stunned."
Wen Yu nodded with great satisfaction and said, "Wouldn't it be cold for you to sit in the snow?"
Li Qingyi slowly stood up, patted the snow off her body, and said in a gentle tone: "I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Miss."
Wen Yu picked up the hairpin that was kicked away not far away, and handed it to Li Qingyi: "Here."
Li Qingyi was stunned, then quickly lowered her eyes, pursed her lips, and said softly, "No more."
"Why not? I saw you were reluctant to part with this hairpin."
Upon hearing this, Li Qingyi knew that this young lady had seen what happened just now, but she didn't know why she came up to talk to her. Was she trying to add insult to injury?
But she didn't sense any vague disdain or malice from this young lady.
Li Qingyi did not take the hairpin, but said: "No, if Miss Chen finds out..."
"Just take it if I tell you to." Wen Yu didn't say anything and reached her hand into her hair.
Li Qingyi was startled, but did not dodge.
She reached out and touched the silver hairpin that she had lost and found and put on her head again, and the corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously.
Wen Yu asked, "Whose family is the Miss Chen you are talking about?"
Li Qingyi was a little surprised. There was actually someone who didn’t know the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Lin’an’s Mansion?
"She is the daughter of Marquis Lin'an, Chen Xiuling."
"What about you? Whose family are you from?"
"I am the second daughter of the Shengjing Prefecture Yin family, Li Qingyi."
Wen Yu nodded and said, "Can a young lady from the Marquis' Mansion humiliate others so casually? This is really abominable."
Li Qingyi was stunned, and said in a somewhat lonely tone: "They are legitimate daughters, and I am just a concubine's daughter."
"In the final analysis, it is not the concubine's daughter's place to attend this New Year's banquet. She probably feels that her dignity as a legitimate daughter has been offended, just like a chicken that suddenly appears among a group of proud white cranes."
At this point, she laughed at herself and said, "A chicken standing out among a group of cranes is nothing more than this."
Wen Yu was surprised: "You don't think they bully you just because you are a concubine's daughter?"
Li Qingyi was stunned for a moment: "What else?"
Wen Yu chuckled: "Of course it's because you have a useless father. Your father is just a fifth-rank official. It seems that the lowest official rank at the New Year's banquet is the fifth rank, right?"
"If your father was a first-rank official, or in other words, if your father was Lin Yuzhi and you were Lin Yuzhi's daughter, even if you were a concubine's daughter, do you think they would still dare to fart?"
Li Qingyi: …
Wen Yu took off a jade hairpin from her head and handed it to her: "Do you know what one of the most beautiful virtues of mankind is?"
Li Qingyi didn't understand why she suddenly asked this, and replied: "Respect the old and love the young?"
"...No." Wen Yu coughed, "I learned to pass the buck."
Li Qingyi was puzzled: "Passing the buck?"
Wen Yu nodded: "Yes, pass the buck."
As she spoke, she covered her chest and sighed pretentiously: "Why am I just a concubine's daughter? Why should concubines be bullied? Do concubines have no human rights? Is this what you think?"
Li Qingyi really wanted to say no, but she knew that this was what she was thinking in her heart.
"You are still thinking, it would be better if I were a legitimate daughter, right?"
“…”
Wen Yu raised her eyebrows: "Instead of wasting time on why I am a concubine's daughter, why not scold your father for being a lowly fifth-rank official? He is such a waste."
Li Qingyi: …
Wen Yu's words left Li Qingyi stunned.
What the lady said seemed to make sense, but there seemed to be something strange about it, but she couldn't tell what it was.
When she came to her senses, Wen Yu had disappeared.
She looked around, feeling a little lost, as she hadn't yet asked the name of the lady just now.
But since she came to the New Year's banquet, she must be the legitimate daughter of some minister.
Thinking of this, Li Qingyi clenched the jade hairpin in her hand and began to walk towards the banquet.
At this time, Wen Yu returned to the rockery again and looked at Lin Yuzhi speechlessly.
"Prime Minister Lin, how long are you going to stay here? The banquet is about to begin, and you, the head of all officials, have not arrived yet."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
