Qin Xuanyan had always held herself in high esteem.
She was not only stunningly beautiful but also of noble birth. Among the noble ladies, she was like a moon surrounded by stars.
Just now, many of her close friends had praised her for being dazzling today, saying that the position of the Crown Princess was surely hers.
Qin Xuanyan was equally confident.
Suddenly, there emerged Cheng Simian, a girl of both good looks and grace, who had received special attention from the Queen. This made Qin Xuanyan feel extremely irritated.
Her look towards Cheng Simian grew increasingly contemptuous.
She didn't know much about Cheng Simian, but she was aware that Cheng Simian had been driven out of her family for eight years.
She had thought that having grown up in the countryside instead of in the capital, Cheng Simian would be vulgar and unrefined.
However, there was nothing in her bearing, behavior, or demeanor that indicated a rural upbringing.
On the contrary, she outshone the noble ladies who had grown up in wealth and luxury.
Qin Xuanyan was full of vigilance and hostility towards Cheng Simian.
Since Cheng Simian no longer had a prominent family background, Qin Xuanyan didn't hesitate to insult her and didn't take her seriously at all.
The noble ladies who followed Qin Xuanyan also looked at Cheng Simian with disdain.
Cheng Simian met Qin Xuanyan's gaze calmly, seemingly not bothered by the insulting words.
"The Queen has a refined taste. Since we've all been invited, it shows that the Queen has no prejudice against either you or me. If, as you said, I shouldn't be here, then you're implying that the Queen shouldn't have invited me?"
Qin Xuanyan's face turned ashen. After struggling for a long time, she couldn't come up with a single retort.
She had hoped to see Cheng Simian fly into a rage and feel ashamed, and then lose her composure and argue with her, thus confirming her reputation as a rural girl who didn't understand the rules.
However, even though she had used the most embarrassing matter of the Cheng family to provoke Cheng Simian, Cheng Simian remained calm and composed.
Moreover, with just a few words, Cheng Simian had easily shifted the blame onto her.
This made her feel as if she had punched a cotton ball, utterly powerless.
Qin Xuanyan's face turned from ashen to flushed.
She could only let out a cold snort, avoid Cheng Simian's eyes, and walked aside to sulk.
She was the only legitimate daughter in her family. Her younger half - sisters were in awe of her. At home, she was the one who scolded others. Among her peers, who would dare to scold her?
Who would have thought that in her first encounter with Cheng Simian, whose title and family background were inferior to hers, she would suffer a crushing defeat.
The noble ladies quickly comforted her.
"Sister Qin, why bother arguing with that rural girl? She's just good at talking. The Queen hates glib people the most."
"Not only the Queen, but the Crown Prince also dislikes such people. Does she think that winning this argument is showing off? When the Queen and the Crown Prince come out later, she'll be disliked. Then she'll be really embarrassed."
Qin Xuanyan's complexion improved a bit.
The Queen was still standing under the eaves. She pursed her lips and smiled, then tilted her head and asked Daiying beside her, "What do you think the situation just now resembled?"
Daiying, who had been by the Queen's side for more than a decade, naturally understood the Queen's thoughts.
"Your servant may use an inappropriate analogy. It looked like a concubine unreasonably provoking the main wife but being intimidated by the main wife's aura. Since the concubine was in the wrong, she could only go back and sulk."
It was obvious who the main wife and the concubine were.
The Queen nodded. "Exactly. I also noticed that during the argument, Miss Cheng was completely relaxed, exuding a sense of self - confidence that she was in control. However, Miss Qin, who had a higher family background, had a tense back and her face changed several times. She seemed rather petty."
She had already developed a preliminary liking for Miss Cheng.
"However, we can't conclude that she is capable of shouldering the responsibility of being the Crown Princess or even the future Queen."
Daiying said, "Your Majesty has good intentions for the Crown Prince. Naturally, you need to test her carefully."
A loud and clear chant rang out. "Her Majesty the Queen is coming!"
All the noble ladies quickly knelt down.
The Queen looked kind and said gently, "Get up, everyone. Don't be so formal. Take your seats."
There were eight tables set up in the Fengqi Pavilion. Opposite was the recently thawed Qingyue Lake. The lake was sparkling, with willows swaying gently. Winter jasmine bloomed along the water, presenting a dazzling expanse of golden yellow.
The scenery was truly delightful.
The Queen looked at the young and beautiful faces in front of her and felt in a good mood.
Her eyes lingered on Cheng Simian and Qin Xuanyan for a few moments. "When I came just now, I seemed to hear an argument. Did you girls have a quarrel?"
Qin Xuanyan felt a pang of nervousness and involuntarily looked at Cheng Simian.
Seeing Cheng Simian's calm expression, she straightened her chest.
She didn't want to lose her momentum and wanted to appear more justified.
Without Qin Xuanyan having to complain, a noble lady who flattered her had already reported to the Queen.
"Your Majesty, Sister Qin just said a few words to Miss Cheng. For some reason, Miss Cheng got angry and said that Sister Qin looked down on her. She even said that she would complain to you."
It was clearly a distortion of the truth and an act of shifting the blame.
Everyone present today came from a noble family and had been doted on at home.
I'm afraid no one could sit still after hearing such words.
They would surely refute on the spot.
An argument would be inevitable.
However, Cheng Simian said nothing.
She neither complained for herself nor refuted the noble lady's false accusations.
She didn't even give the noble lady an extra look.
Before coming here, Cheng Simian already knew that everything today was a test deliberately set up by the Queen.
The verbal dispute between her and Qin Xuanyan had long been seen by the Queen secretly.
Only the Queen was qualified to judge who was right and who was wrong in this dispute.
Even if she argued and defended herself, it would only be to vent her anger on the spot.
She might win face but lose her grace.
She remained silent, with an elegant and composed demeanor, as if she didn't care about such a trivial matter at all.
As for how those insignificant people gossiped, she disdained to argue.
The Queen saw this and her eyes showed more appreciation. She smiled knowingly.
She pretended to admonish them. "Alright, alright. Even at home, you may have arguments with your sisters. Today, many of you are meeting for the first time. It's inevitable to have some friction. Let's not dwell on it after it's over."
Such a reconciliation was like punishing both sides equally without distinguishing right from wrong.
Qin Xuanyan didn't dare to say anything more.
However, for Cheng Simian, who had truly been humiliated, it was a great injustice.
The Queen seemed fair, but not holding Qin Xuanyan accountable for her rudeness was clearly a form of favoritism.
Cheng Simian still remained calm.
The Queen was in a good mood and ordered the maids below, "Bring out the gifts I've prepared for the girls."
Soon, eight maids walked in unison, each holding a tray in her hand, and stood in front of the noble ladies.
There were many small items on the trays, such as collar buttons, hairpins, headdresses, silk flowers, bracelets, rings, and earrings.
These things were nothing special to the noble families, but a gift from the Queen carried a different meaning.
The Queen didn't assign the gifts but just said with a smile, "They're all small trinkets. Take a look and pick whatever you like."
The noble ladies were modest for a while and then happily picked what they wanted.
The maids finally came to Qin Xuanyan and Cheng Simian.
However, there was only a jade bracelet left on the tray.