On the day of the Lin Pavilion Banquet, Wen Heyu sent Lao Bo to pick up Shen Linyi from the Jingxin Nunnery.
Lao Bo, sitting in the carriage, still looked down upon the mistress and her maid as before. Especially when he saw that Shen Linyi had actually put on the tacky clothes Wen Heyu had sent, he wore a look of disdain.
"Hey, Miss Liuyun. By my master's order, I'm only here to pick up Miss Shen to the Qin'an Tower. As for you, Miss Liuyun, you don't need to go."
Seeing that Liuyun was about to get into the carriage, Lao Bo immediately stopped her.
Liuyun looked displeased and said angrily, "I can't rest assured leaving my young lady alone. Besides, the Lin Pavilion Banquet doesn't prohibit bringing maids. Why won't you let me go, Lao Bo?"
Lao Bo frowned impatiently and recalled Wen Heyu's instructions.
This time, when Wen Heyu took Shen Linyi out, besides wanting her to see the prosperity of the capital, he also wanted her to know how humble her condition and background were.
Moreover, after the Lin Pavilion Banquet, his young master had prepared something special for Shen Linyi. If a maid was brought along, how could Shen Linyi's humility be highlighted? It would only get in the way.
"If you go, then Miss Shen won't go either," Lao Bo's tone suddenly turned cold, leaving no room for negotiation.
After a moment of stalemate, Lao Bo saw Shen Linyi, wearing a veil, wave her hand. Only then did Liuyun reluctantly step back.
Seeing Shen Linyi obediently get into the carriage alone, Lao Bo curled his lips, looking like a petty man who had achieved success.
Although Shen Linyi had previously shown herself as loyal and steadfast, refusing to enter the mansion as a concubine, in Lao Bo's mind, all this was just her throwing a tantrum and being coy. Now that he had just threatened her a little, she was scared.
She was so easy to manipulate that even if she entered the mansion in the future, she would never amount to anything.
"Giddy-up!"
Lao Bo shouted, and the carriage galloped away.
Fortunately, Liuyun had stepped back several steps, so the flying sand didn't get into her eyes.
After the carriage had gone far away, Shen Linyi emerged from the nearby woods. She was wearing a simple and proper dress, with a beaded flower tassel on her head and a fluttering butterfly hairpin on one side.
This whole set was sent by Liu Jingxian. Although her dress was simple with not many embroideries, it had jacquard patterns, which were the most popular style in the capital. Under the sunlight, the silver threads reflected the light as she swayed.
Although there were only two simple hairpins on her forehead, they were made of fine materials and exquisitely crafted. Although not extremely luxurious, they were more than enough for a banquet.
Liuyun returned to Shen Linyi's side, spat forcefully, and looked disgusted.
"What a thing! Give him a little face, and he really thinks he's the master."
"Fortunately, Miss found a double in advance. I'd like to see what else that Master Wen has up his sleeve!"
Shen Linyi watched the departing carriage, smiling faintly, and slowly put on her veil.
Wen Heyu wanted to give her a warning, but she just wouldn't take the bait. If she did everything according to Wen Heyu's wishes, she would be too passive.
On the carriage, the one who had put on those clothes and replaced Shen Linyi was an old woman who chopped firewood in the Jing'an Temple. She was of a similar build to Shen Linyi. With the veil and her hair covering her face, and Lao Bo not looking closely, she wasn't recognized at first.
That old woman wasn't someone to be bullied. Knowing that Shen Linyi was being taken to be humiliated and with Shen Linyi giving her two silver ingots, she happily put on the clothes and went in Shen Linyi's place.
To avoid Wen Heyu shifting the blame later, all the clothes the old woman wore were newly bought by Shen Linyi through Liu Jingxian. They were just similar in style.
Half an hour after Lao Bo's carriage left, the carriage sent by Liu Jingxian finally arrived. Shen Linyi and Liuyun got on the carriage and set off for the Lin Pavilion Banquet.
She was definitely going to the Lin Pavilion Banquet, but in a different way.
At this time, the Qin'an Tower where the Lin Pavilion Banquet was held was extremely bustling. On the main street by the Huai River, there were luxurious carriages coming and going. The carriages wafted a fragrant breeze, causing the surrounding common people to look up.
They envied and imagined which high - ranking official or noble was sitting in the carriages, but after just a moment of envy, they lowered their heads and got back to their work.
The gray - hooded carriage that Shen Linyi was in seemed out of place among these grand carriages, but it didn't attract much attention.
As the top - three scholar in the imperial examination, Wen Heyu was also a remarkable figure in the crowd. He was good - looking and talented, so naturally he was the one that all the elders wanted to win over. If it weren't for his humble background, his marriage would probably be highly sought after.
However, they had heard that Liu Jingxian, the daughter of Lord Liu, had taken a fancy to Wen Heyu. Therefore, they were very cautious when inquiring about Wen Heyu's marriage.
Wen Heyu was flattered by everyone. Although he still looked calm on the surface, the excitement in his tone couldn't be hidden.
Just as he was about to get closer to the son of the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Lao Bo rushed in in a hurry. He looked around rudely and seemed to see a savior when he saw Wen Heyu.
"Master! Master!"
Lao Bo didn't lower his voice and shouted all the way to Wen Heyu's side. The people around were annoyed by his shouting and looked over displeasedly.
The son of the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, seeing this scene, immediately pulled a long face. After perfunctorily clasping his fists in salute, he flicked his sleeves and left.
Wen Heyu was also annoyed with Lao Bo because of this commotion, but he suppressed his anger, smiled and apologized to the surrounding guests, and then pulled Lao Bo to a secluded place.
"What are you doing? Why are you shouting in front of everyone without any manners? It's really disgraceful," Wen Heyu didn't ask Lao Bo why he was so panicked but directly scolded him.
Lao Bo felt a bit wronged, but because of his age and the running, he was out of breath. He just pointed in the direction of the door and stammered, "S... something's wrong! Miss Shen..."
"Did she make a fool of herself?"
Wen Heyu couldn't wait for Lao Bo to finish and interrupted him arrogantly.
"If she made a fool of herself, why are you so panicked? Didn't I teach you that once Miss Shen makes a fool of herself, you should explain to others that she is the daughter of my family's servant and was recognized as my adopted sister because her family had done a favor to mine."
"Lao Bo, you are now a servant of an official's family. You can't be as unrestrained as you were in the south of the Yangtze River."
Lao Bo still hadn't caught his breath and still pointed in the direction of the door, "N... no... She... is at the door..."
Seeing that Lao Bo still couldn't finish a sentence, Wen Heyu's patience was exhausted. He said impatiently, "Forget it. I'll go and have a look myself."
After saying that, Wen Heyu lifted his feet and walked outside. Lao Bo gasped for breath, wanting to remind Wen Heyu but couldn't say a complete sentence. He could only follow Wen Heyu towards the door.
When he got to the door, Wen Heyu finally understood why Lao Bo was so urgent.