Xia Yan's and Jiang Su Su's expressions changed at the same time. The furens had already started whispering, "What kind of wild village girl is this? From her bearing, she seems to have come from the palace."
"Exactly, she looks about the same as Second Jiang Miss. How could she be so bad?"
"Her appearance is also good. She's even more beautiful than Second Miss."
For the first time, everyone's focus was not on Jiang Su Su. Jiang Ruan continued to stare steadily forward. Her expression did not change and she wore a slight smile on her face, as if this was not her first time in the Shen fu. Such steadiness and calmness caused those who had originally wanted to watch the bustle to look at her in a new light. The round-faced furen's face had long since darkened. On the contrary, the furen with high cheekbones nodded repeatedly.
Shen Ming Zhen, who had followed, had long since exploded in anger. She glared fiercely at Jiang Ruan and walked over to grab Jiang Su Su's hand. Without another glance at Jiang Ruan, she walked to the female side of the banquet.
Xia Yan smiled slightly, as if she had not seen anything. She chatted and laughed with Shen furen as they sat down. Although Jiang Li's temperament was arrogant, she also had good friends among the young ladies. Perhaps to deliberately isolate Jiang Ruan, she even pulled Jiang Dan, who she usually did not pay much attention to, away. Whether it was intentional or not, Jiang Ruan was left standing at the side of the banquet, not knowing where to sit.
Although the furens and young ladies were amazed by Jiang Ruan's appearance and bearing, all the guests present were familiar with Shen furen. Naturally, they had to maintain a friendly relationship with the Jiang fu. The current furen of the Jiang fu was Xia Yan and not Zhao Mei. Those who knew would not take the initiative to help Jiang Ruan out. Moreover, Jiang Ruan's appearance was too splendid. If the young miss sat with her, she was afraid that her limelight would be stolen. For a moment, only one person was left.
Lu Zhu and Lian Qiao stood behind Jiang Ruan, feeling somewhat stifled. They thought that this visit to the Shen fu was like losing face, causing people to feel unreasonably awkward.
However, at this moment, they heard a clear female voice from the banquet, "Eldest Jiang Miss, please sit here."
From the banquet for the female side of the banquet, a budding young lady stood up. This young lady was dressed in a blue cotton coat. Her skin was slightly dark, but her features were very beautiful. Between her brows, there was a faint trace of heroic spirit. In her previous life, Jiang Ruan had also known this young girl. Her name was Lin Zi Xiang, and she was the eldest daughter of the current Lin Taishi. He was an extremely righteous person. In his previous life, Lin Zi Xiang married the Third Prince as his concubine. Although Chief Scholar Lin did not have much power in the court, he still had a very important position. After Lin Zi Xiang married the Third Prince, she was not favored. After Chief Scholar Lin was stripped of his official position by the Emperor, he became even more depressed. The Third Prince had a human face but a beast's heart. He had many concubines in his manor. The child in Lin Zi Xiang's belly was killed by one of the Third Prince's favored concubines. The Third Prince defended his favored concubines.
In her past life, the women in the palace would treat this matter as a joke when they were idle. Jiang Ruan sighed in her heart for Lin Zi Xiang. Such a strong woman had actually met such a tragic end. After her death, she was even used as a topic of discussion. The heavens were really unfair. In her previous life, at the palace banquet, Jiang Ruan had also seen Lin Zi Xiang from afar. Lin Zi Xiang, who was dressed in simple and plain clothing, was surrounded by a crowd of gorgeous orioles and swallows. Her appearance had attracted Jiang Ruan's attention at a glance. They were the type of people who married people who were unwilling to marry and were imprisoned in a small and narrow prison for the rest of their lives.
Jiang Ruan smiled at Lin Zi Xiang and walked over to sit beside her. Lin Zi Xiang nodded at her and Jiang Ruan softly said, "Many thanks."
"I just can't bear to see them act like this." Lin Zi Xiang said, "The rich and noble families are always so self-righteous, yet they keep making things difficult for a little girl."
Jiang Ruan could not help but laugh when she saw Lin Zi Xiang's serious expression. In her heart, her impression of Lin Zi Xiang increased by a few notches.
As Jiang Ruan and Lin Zi Xiang spoke, Jiang Li secretly hated them. Shen Ming Zhen was talking to Jiang Su Su when she saw this scene. She frowned and said, "What kind of ability does that Jiang Ruan have? Lin Zi Xiang usually looks up to the sky, why is she talking to her?"
Jiang Su Su smiled and said, "Da Jiejie is always so likable."
"She's clearly a foxy woman." Shen Ming Zhen said angrily. In a blink of an eye, she saw Jiang Li glaring at Jiang Ruan. She thought for a moment and said, "Su 'er Jiejie, I see that Jiang Li also hates her. Why don't you help Jiang Li?"
Jiang Su Su was startled and immediately smiled. "How can you say that? Don't get any crooked ideas. Da Jiejie has just returned from the rural residence. If anything were to happen to her, her reputation would definitely be tarnished. How would she be able to conduct herself in the capital in the future?"
Shen Ming Zhen also smiled. "Su 'er Jiejie has the heart of a Bodhisattva, but you also have to look at the person. Today, she deliberately wore a red dress, wasn't it to steal your limelight? She clearly knows that you like to be plain, yet she still wears such bright colors. I think it's a provocation. Su 'er Jiejie, you can't always be tolerant. "
"This..." Jiang Su Su was somewhat hesitant. Her hesitation fell into Shen Ming Zhen's eyes and she said, "Su 'er Jiejie, don't be afraid. I will stand up for you." She then waved at Jiang Li who was sitting on the other side and said, "Jiang Li Jiejie!"
Jiang Li was somewhat overwhelmed by the favor and turned her head. She got up and walked to Shen Ming Zhen's side. Among the young ladies of the influential families in the capital, shu daughters and di daughters were actually divided into two circles. Although Jiang Li tried her best to curry favor with Shen Ming Zhen, Shen Ming Zhen only befriended Jiang Su Su. Jiang Li could only feel jealous in her heart. Now that Shen Ming Zhen had taken the initiative to greet her, although she knew that there must be a reason, she still smiled and responded.
A trace of contempt flashed in Shen Ming Zhen's eyes, but her smile was sweet. She crooked her little finger and said, "Jiang Li Jiejie, I have something to tell you."
Jiang Li leaned over and Shen Ming Zhen whispered a few words in her ear. At first, Jiang Li's expression was somewhat flabbergasted. Then, she hesitantly looked at Jiang Su Su who was sitting on the side. However, Jiang Su Su only lowered her head and drank her tea. She still wore the same smile as usual, and no one could tell what she was feeling.
"Jiang Li Jiejie, have you thought it through?" Shen Ming Zhen raised her eyes to look at her, and her tone became even more charming. "I am doing this for you."
Jiang Li Jiejie was silent for a long time. Finally, she clenched her teeth and said, "Alright, many thanks to Ming Zhen meimei for fulfilling my wish."
Shen Ming Zhen giggled and pulled Jiang Li's hand to sit beside her. "Since that's the case, let's talk a little more."
Jiang Li paused and sat down beside her. The two of them huddled together and began to talk in low voices.
While they were doing all this, Jiang Su Su sat upright on the side and drank her tea with her head lowered. She seemed to be completely unaware of what Shen Ming Zhen and Jiang Li were doing. Only when Jiang Li sat down did she raise her eyes to look at Jiang Ruan from afar. There was a trace of ruthlessness in her eyes.
However, she did not expect that when she raised her eyes, Jiang Ruan seemed to feel her gaze and slightly tilted her head. Their eyes met, and Jiang Ruan smiled at her. The corners of her upturned eyes clearly revealed a trace of a smile, but for no reason at all, it made Jiang Su Su feel a chill down her spine. When she looked again, Jiang Ruan had already turned her head away, as if nothing had happened.
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