Among the ladies, there were naturally those who knew what Chen Wanrong was referring to, and they immediately understood Su Nansheng's identity.
"I've heard about this too. So this is that Concubine Su," one of them said.
"Ah, I finally get to see her true face today."
So the ladies all shifted their topics.
Chen Wanrong accepted the compliments from all sides with a smug smile.
Concubine Li let out a sigh of relief, then stared at Su Hele viciously.
Su Hele, on the other hand, stared at Su Nansheng, who was smiling and handling the crowd gracefully, her face equally cold.
Even if others didn't appreciate her, she didn't need Su Nansheng to meddle.
Look at how smug and vulgar she looked now.
Princess Huaqing was in a great mood after receiving the donation. She entertained the guests well, and then the banquet ended.
When they left, each person received a potted flower, except for Su Hele.
...
"Cough, this poem is my masterpiece. It must be worth a hundred times more than gold and silver!"
Chen Mingzhu held her shoulders high and tilted her chin up, acting pretentiously, just like Su Hele.
But she couldn't hold it in for long. Her shoulders shook, and she almost laughed herself under the carriage.
"Hahaha, does she even know what she's saying!"
Just as the banquet ended, Chen Mingzhu somehow got into Su Nansheng's carriage.
As soon as the carriage started moving, she began her performance.
"Look."
Chen Mingzhu raised her hand. There was a faint red mark on the base of her left thumb, an obvious pinch mark.
"Do you know how much effort I put in to hold back my laughter?"
Su Nansheng gave her an indulgent smile. She guessed that Chen Mingzhu was probably afraid that Chang Yi wouldn't let her make fun of others casually, so she came to her to have a good laugh.
"You know, Su Hele has really reached a certain level. Ordinary people really can't understand her."
Chen Mingzhu pouted and clicked her tongue in amazement.
In Princess Huaqing's words, it was just that she was too shallow to understand Su Hele.
Hearing this, Su Nansheng tilted her head and thought of Su Hele from her past life.
She was a bit arrogant back then, but not as extreme as she was now.
So was it because of her indifference that accelerated Su Hele's descent into madness?
...
In the carriage, Concubine Li stared at Su Hele motionlessly, her gaze cold, like a venomous snake eyeing a frog.
In public, she couldn't just leave Su Hele behind, so she had to let her get in the carriage.
If they weren't on the main street, she would have already taught Su Hele a lesson and made her look like a fool.
"Worth a thousand pieces of gold? Su Hele, how dare you say such a thing!"
Concubine Li压低 her voice, but the anger in her tone couldn't be suppressed.
Su Hele turned her head away and didn't look at her.
"Those were Princess Huaqing's words. It has nothing to do with me."
Concubine Li slapped the seat. "What's the difference between what you said and that!"
She was still arguing with her here.
Su Hele lifted her head. She had said it was worth a hundred times more than gold and silver.
Moreover, her poem was truly capable of achieving such an effect. Those people at the banquet weren't on that level, so they naturally couldn't understand, including Princess Huaqing.
Seeing that she was still acting so arrogantly, Concubine Li finally couldn't hold back. She slapped Su Hele across the face, drawing blood from the corner of her mouth.
"Shameless! If it weren't for you, why would I have to bow my head to Su Nansheng!"
Being so humble was simply a great humiliation.
Yet Su Nansheng had taken advantage of this to gain a lot of attention. That attention should have been hers!
The more Concubine Li thought about it, the angrier she got. She wished she could tear Su Hele apart with her bare hands for making her look bad here.
Su Hele covered her face. She originally wanted to argue with Concubine Li, but when she heard her mention Su Nansheng, her resentment immediately shifted to Su Nansheng.
"She's just a sneaky person. Auntie, you know that now, right? Everything she has now is obtained through such despicable means!"
Su Hele's voice was even more vicious than Concubine Li's. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked like a madwoman.
"Then why don't you use those despicable means to gain some glory for me to see? You look down on her? You're not even as good as her!"
Concubine Li wasn't going to be deceived by Su Hele's words.
In her opinion, there was no such thing as an elegant or despicable means. As long as it could lead to victory, it was a good means.
What was the use of Su Hele always talking about being elegant? She still ended up being laughed at here.
Who would have thought that her words would ignite a certain kind of anger in Su Hele. With red eyes, she whispered:
"I'm not as good as her? I'm not as good as her? I've been better than her since childhood. My parents loved me more, and I had a better reputation. She's not even worthy of comparing with me!"
Her voice was hoarse, like a wild beast roaring. The veins on her neck stood out clearly, so stiff that it seemed they were about to pierce through the flesh.
Concubine Li had never seen her like this before. She was startled and then silently inched to the side.
Was she really crazy?
Who would have thought that after shouting, Su Hele would calm down again. She stared blankly into the void, her expression numb.
When she was a child, she was the most obedient. She worked hard on calligraphy, painting, and needlework. But what about Su Nansheng? She only knew how to run around and play like a wild child.
But even so, their father still loved Su Nansheng more back then. Why!
Back then, their father's words "Your needlework is not as good as A Sheng's" made her practice in the room for half a month until her hands were swollen and she couldn't hold a needle anymore.
But she finally received their father's praise. After that, she never did needlework again.
It was also after that that she couldn't bear to hear a single word like "You're not as good as her." That sentence had made her hold a grudge until now.
She had to outshine Su Nansheng in everything, whether it was their parents' love, the praise of the world, or their status. She wanted it all!
And she had indeed achieved that. Even Su Nansheng herself had obeyed her.
Su Nansheng would do the things she didn't want to do and fight the people she hated. She was obedient and easy to control.
But one day, Su Nansheng suddenly changed. She became indifferent to her, abandoned her, and even defied her. How dare she!
Now she wanted to turn things around? She was dreaming!
She was going to keep suppressing Su Nansheng, always suppressing her, and never let her rise again!
Thinking like this, Su Hele slowly calmed down.
She slowly wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with a silk handkerchief, smoothed the hair that had been knocked loose, and gently stroked her hot cheek. Then she sat up straight again.
She held her back straight, tilted her chin slightly, and stared straight ahead, as if the hysterical person just now wasn't her.
Concubine Li stared at Su Hele's self - assured actions with wide eyes and silently pursed her lips. She didn't say anything else.
...
After getting off the carriage, Concubine Li didn't cause any more trouble for Su Hele. She just frowned and watched her back in the distance.
This Su Hele was really strange.
Just as she was thinking, she turned around and saw Chen Wanrong also staring at her. "Is this how you watch over her?"
Concubine Li forced a smile. "This was my negligence this time. There won't be a next time."
Chen Wanrong snorted and said:
"Next time? There won't be a next time. From now on, if Su Hele receives an invitation, it means she's sick and can't attend the banquet. Do you understand?"
Next time? She shouldn't have let her go this time.
Hearing this, Concubine Li's face became even stiffer. But thinking of how Su Hele had acted just now, she still nodded slightly.