She stood quietly at the bow of the boat, as if she did not belong to this world. For a moment, everyone was silent, captivated by her beauty.
The young masters on Qing Song Boat had long been mesmerized by her beauty. They murmured, "To think that there is such a beauty in the world. Now that I have seen her today, I can die without regrets."
Jiang Su Su sat upright in the boat, her face ashen. Her face, which always had a beautiful smile on it, was twisted into a sinister look. Jiang Li clenched her fists tightly, gritting her teeth so hard that they were about to break.
The Fifth Prince opened his mouth, and a trace of greed flashed in his eyes, "She is actually on par with Second Jiang Miss …"
Xuan Li's expression was complicated. He did not know why, but he felt that there was something about this young girl that deeply attracted him. He wanted to go forward and take a closer look at her appearance.
Everyone was silent for a full quarter of an hour. The young master on Qing Song Boat was the first to speak loudly, "Beauty and skill are peerless. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she is the first beauty in the capital!"
Jiang Ruan tilted her head and smiled at him gratefully. The young master saw her beauty and blushed. His gaze immediately became infatuated.
Hearing this, Jiang Su Su's expression became very unsightly. She could not understand how Jiang Ruan could whistle and dance so well when she was in the countryside and had never hired a teacher. She had always been conceited about her own talent in that kind of dance and admitted that she could not dance to Jiang Ruan's level. Moreover, the boat was bumpy. How could she jump so steadily and not even fall?
Jiang Su Su would never know that in her previous life, Jiang Ruan was often bullied by the palace concubines because she was not favored by the emperor. She was taught to dance at the palace concubines' birthdays. She would never forget that kind of practice where her feet did not touch the ground, even after a lifetime. She could dance in the palm of a person's hand. Now that the boat was bumpy, what did it count for?
Everyone agreed. Among them, there was much more praise than Jiang Su Su. People always liked new things. Although Jiang Su Su was good, she had dominated the title of the most talented woman in the capital for many years. In addition, she often looked like a fairy who was ignorant of worldly affairs. Now, there was another charming and different Jiang family's eldest daughter. As long as Jiang Ruan was a little more outstanding, people's eyes would be attracted to her.
The male guests were full of praise for her, but the expressions of the female guests were not very good. Originally, the Jiang family already had Jiang Su Su. Now, with the addition of Jiang Ruan, wouldn't all the good men in the capital be charmed by the two of them?
When Jiang Ruan returned to her seat, Lin Zi Xiang said, "So, you also know how to dance. I cannot help but have a whole new level of respect for you."
Zhao Jin and Wen Fei Fei nodded. "We were dazzled. But that whistle was really good. Can you teach us?"
"Originally, when I was in the rural residence, I didn't have any musical instruments. When I was bored, I played them for fun." Jiang Ruan explained. This explanation was reasonable, and it also made people feel a little more pity for her.
Dong Yinger looked at her, "But why did you choose 'Guangling San'? Normally, noble ladies wouldn't choose such a song today."
Jiang Ruan smiled, "I only know how to play this."
Xu Ruoxi's face was pale. She hung her head and didn't say anything. Everyone knew that she was unhappy and pretended not to see it so that she wouldn't be embarrassed.
Following that, a few noble ladies came out to perform, but they were merely going through the motions. It was just that after Jiang Ruan's soul-stirring Guangling Dance, the lack of interest in watching these lackluster performances made them feel dull and uninteresting.
For this year's Lantern Festival, the Jiang family had such a dark horse. Everyone only knew that this time, the rabbit lantern would fall into Jiang Ruan's hands. On the Qing Song Boat, everyone's topic of discussion changed from the past Jiang Su Su to the present Jiang Ruan.
After the performance, everyone walked to the bow of the boat to release the lanterns into the river. The lanterns that were released into the river were all exquisitely made. After the noble ladies wrote on the paper and placed it into the lanterns, they would then personally push the lanterns into the river.
Jiang Ruan also followed the crowd to the bow of the boat. Her smile was exceptionally moving.
In her previous life, she hadn't been able to wait until the lanterns were released before such a scandal occurred. While she was shivering on the boat, it was the Eighth Prince, Xuan Li, who came over with a lantern and asked her, "Do you have any wishes?"
His tall figure blocked everyone's contemptuous gazes. At that moment, she just wanted to hold on to the warmth that the person in front of her gave her. In that lantern, her wish was to be by his side.
The young lady's wish, in the end, turned into a complete conspiracy. Actually, when Jiang Ruan thought about it, the person she hated the most was not Xuan Li. Compared to Xuan Li, Jiang Su Su had deprived her of more. However, Xuan Li's mistake was to give her hope, to let her think that she had grasped a life-saving straw in a hopeless situation, but in the end, it was a fatal stick. After she had warmth and care, she then told her that everything was fake.
Bai Zhi handed her the lantern, and Lian Qiao handed her a pen and paper. Jiang Ruan thought for a while, then took the paper from Lian Qiao. Without writing, she directly rolled it up and placed it into the lantern.
Her actions were seen by Jiang Su Su, who had been paying attention to her. She walked to her side and asked, "Da Jiejie, why aren't you writing on the lantern?"
Jiang Su Su deliberately raised her voice. Now that Jiang Ruan was the center of attention, the people on the two boats immediately looked at her.
"I have no request, so what is there to write?" Jiang Ruan said lightly.
Jiang Su Su smiled, "How can Da Jiejie not have any requests? For example, for Father to be healthy, for Elder Brother to win the championship, for the prosperity of the Jiang fu, or for Mother to give us a little brother. In short, how can I not have any requests?"
Her words were tantamount to accusing Jiang Ruan of being disloyal, unfilial, heartless, and unjust, and not wholeheartedly for the good of the Jiang fu. Lian Qiao and Baizhi furrowed their brows at such a heart-wrenching remark. Jiang Ruan heard this and sneered. Father? How could Jiang Quan be considered a father? He wished he could sell himself to pave the way for Jiang Su Su and her brother. Mother? Her mother's corpse had already decomposed into ashes, and there was no longer such a person in the world. Elder Brother? Now there was no news of her, and it was unknown whether she was alive or dead. Jiang Su Su's words were like pouring salt on a person's wound.
"Second Sister, you don't know," Jiang Ruan's voice was soft and gentle, as if there was no anger, "Father's body is naturally healthy, otherwise, how could he serve the court? Second Brother's matter of being the Zhuangyuan is not something we can help with. Only giving Mother a little brother is the ability of the child-giving Guanyin. What does it have to do with us? "
She slightly raised her lips, "The matters of the world depend on human effort. One's heart is devout, but one's future still has to be pursued by oneself, isn't that so? " There was a trace of melancholy in her voice, "In the past, I used to burn incense and pray to Buddha from time to time, but in the end, Mother passed away, and Elder Brother's whereabouts are unknown. Tell me, can the desires of one's heart really be realized? In the end, it still depends on the person. "
These words drifted into everyone's ears, and Mo Cong burst out laughing. Seeing Xiao Shao looking at him, he hurriedly said, "I just feel that this Eldest Jiang Miss's words are really too clever. Cough, that matter of giving birth, it is indeed not something they can control."
Jiang Ruan's words were humorous and had a special Zen meaning. Hearing that her life experience was pitiful, everyone's impression of her became even more sympathetic. Jiang Su Su was so angry that her face turned pale, but she still pretended to be happy.
Next, it was time for everyone to release the lanterns. Jiang Ruan bent down and placed the lantern in her hand into the river. Just as she was about to stand up, Jiang Su Su's expression did not change. She quietly stretched out her leg, intending to trip her.
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