Suddenly, there came several exclamations from the decorated gateway. All the young ladies turned around and saw several young gentlemen standing not far away.
At the front were the third and fourth sons of the Rong family. Behind them were some familiar and some unfamiliar young men. Among them were the newly - appointed General Wei Hongmiao and Prince Yu from the Northern Qi, quite conspicuous.
But the third son of the Rong family, Rong Sui, was holding an embroidered shoe in his hand. He frowned and looked sharply in the direction of the young ladies. He still looked as calm as ever. If it weren't for his slightly tilted jade crown and the loose hair on his forehead, no one would have noticed anything amiss.
The fourth son of the Rong family, Rong Heng, opened his mouth in surprise and shouted, "Whose shoe is this?"
With just a glance, the young gentlemen could see the young lady still swinging on the swing and unable to get off. Her delicate feet, though covered with socks, vaguely showed their graceful shape - the shoe was missing.
Shi Ning'an panicked and shouted urgently, "Zheng Chi, Zheng Chi, come and help me quickly..."
Zheng Chi stared with wide eyes. Not to mention helping Shi Ning'an, she, like the other young ladies, was as silent as a cicada in winter.
Why on earth did this shoe hit Rong Sui? Who was Rong Sui? He was not only a man of few words when it came to women. As the leader of the four most outstanding young men in the capital, everyone could only admire him from afar but dared not approach him casually. No matter how hotly the young ladies discussed him behind his back, they had to be subdued when facing him.
In an instant, Rong Sui strode towards her.
Shi Ning'an struggled to grab the pillar beside the swing, but after several attempts, her hands were bruised by the vines beside the swing, and she still couldn't reach the pillar.
Rong Sui was getting closer and closer. Was Rong Sui angry?
At this moment, Shi Ning'an just wanted to find a crack in the ground to hide in.
Would Rong Sui scold her? Shout at her? Or even - take action?
In just a moment, Shi Ning'an was so anxious that her eyes turned red.
But Rong Sui's big hands firmly grasped the swing. The swing stopped, and Shi Ning'an's fluttering heart finally found a place to rest.
Her eyes were red, as if she was about to cry at any moment. Her heart was in a complete mess, and her whole body trembled with fear.
Was this the calm before the storm?
Rong Heng subconsciously took a few steps forward, fearing that his elder brother would do something to his cousin. Maybe his cousin was the only one who dared to be so presumptuous in front of his elder brother.
Rong Sui squatted down, helped Shi Ning'an put on the shoe, and looked up with a gentle smile. "It's still cold in spring. Don't be naughty. Be careful not to catch a cold."
The young gentlemen were just passing by the decorated gateway. When Rong Sui adjusted his clothes and returned to the gateway, about to continue to the outer courtyard, everyone was still in a daze.
Shi Ning'an still sat on the swing, her face blushing. Rong Sui had said - don't be naughty.
He was so gentle.
Rong Heng was also in a daze.
Rong Sui looked back. "Shall we go?"
Rong Heng came back to his senses, quickly nodded and followed. As he walked, he still looked back at Shi Ning'an in confusion. It seemed that something flashed through his mind.
Zheng Chi was the first to scream. She hugged Shi Ning'an and jumped up and down, laughing. "Oh my god, oh my god, Ning'an, what kind of luck do you have? What kind of luck? That's Rong Sui! Rong Sui actually put on your shoes for you in person!"
Miss Shao also nodded repeatedly. "I thought he was going to hit you just now! Even if he didn't hit you, I thought he would scold you severely. I didn't expect him to be... Wow, so gentle. It's the first time I've seen the third son of the Rong family so gentle!"
Because Miss Shao's elder sister had married into the Rong mansion and they were of a similar age, among the noble ladies present, she was the one who had come to the Duke's mansion the most and seen Rong Sui the most. But every time she saw Rong Sui, it was just a fleeting shadow, and even that shadow was rare. If they met on the street or at a banquet, Rong Sui would just ignore people.
Zheng Chi walked around Shi Ning'an and said again, "I thought your engagement was just a matter of expediency, and you would always have to face Rong Sui's cold face in the future. But! Ning'an, he smiled at you. Just for that smile, it's all worth it, okay?"
At this time, Zeng Ruoyun squeezed over, pulled Shi Ning'an out of Zheng Chi's hands, rolled her eyes and said, "What do you mean it's worth it? In my opinion, it's Rong Sui who is lucky, okay? My Ning'an is both beautiful and talented. Any young man who marries her should consider himself extremely lucky!"
A noble lady beside her quickly said, "But Rong Sui is both talented and handsome, good at both literature and martial arts, and he's a son of the Duke's mansion!"
Zeng Ruoyun raised her head. "Isn't Ning'an also both talented and beautiful? Ning'an's talents and knowledge are not inferior. As for family background, in this world, family background is the most ridiculous thing. Who isn't born with just one life? It's just a matter of luck when being born. As a human being, one should strive to live. When poor, one should cultivate one's own moral character; when prosperous, one should help the world. Judging a hero by family background is simply the most ridiculous thing."
Zheng Chi knew that Zeng Ruoyun was deliberately mocking her previous rudeness. For a moment, she just pouted in dissatisfaction.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Shi Ning'an pulled Zeng Ruoyun and smiled. "Come on, come on, is there ever an end to this? Whether the family background is good or not, it's already like this. Don't argue anymore. Didn't we come here to enjoy the flowers today?"
Zeng Ruoyun frowned and then became serious. "Ning'an, among those people just now, there was one who didn't look like from the Great Zhou. Is that Prince Yu from the Northern Qi?"
As soon as she said this, all the noble ladies present were stunned. Just now they were all focused on whether Rong Sui was angry or not. How could they pay attention to other young gentlemen?
For a moment, the sound of their discussion stopped, and they exchanged glances with each other.
Except for Zeng Ruoyun, all the young ladies present had attended the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. They all understood the intentions of the Prince of the Northern Qi. They had to admit that Shi Ning'an was the most outstanding in appearance. Although her family background had some flaws, with the support of the Rong family and being conferred the title of County Mistress, if the Prince of the Northern Qi wanted to marry Shi Ning'an, it would be of great benefit to his claim to the Northern Qi throne.
However, perhaps the Prince of the Northern Qi didn't expect that the Rong family would act so quickly. As soon as he showed his intention to propose marriage, the Rong family had settled Shi Ning'an's marriage, intending to take her in as a granddaughter - in - law, which also put an end to the Prince of the Northern Qi's thoughts.
Zeng Ruoyun whispered, "Ning'an, this man has a sinister look in his eyes. He's definitely not a good person."
Zheng Chi sneered. "Coward. Ning'an is already Rong Sui's fiancée. The Prince of the Northern Qi can't do anything to her anymore. The Northern Qi is just a small place. Are we still afraid of him?"
The young ladies present all nodded. Their views were the same as Zheng Chi's. However, they also felt a little uneasy in their hearts. The Prince of the Northern Qi came with great momentum. Shi Ning'an had the protection of the Rong family, but their families might not be so caring. Even if they were, they might not be as decisive as the Duke of Rong.
If they were unfortunately taken a fancy to by the Prince of the Northern Qi, they might not be as lucky as Shi Ning'an to escape.
Shi Ning'an pressed Zeng Ruoyun's hand. "Cousin, don't worry. I have a plan in mind."
Zeng Ruoyun looked up and saw her firm attitude. Considering that there were many people here and it was easy to talk too much, she closed her mouth and didn't say anything more.
It was just an episode. Miss Shao from the Shao family was very good at starting conversations. Soon she changed the topic and mentioned the baby in her elder sister's womb.
The noble ladies all offered their congratulations and guessed whether the baby in Mrs. Shao's womb was a boy or a girl.
"Most likely it's a boy. It's really rare for the Rong family to have a girl after so many generations."
"That may not be the case. There are no girls in this generation of the Rong family. Maybe the baby in the eldest mistress's womb is just a girl."
"Haha, if it's a young lady, the whole Rong mansion will be extremely happy."
For a moment, the noble ladies had a somewhat similar thought. They all felt a little regretful, thinking that if they were born into the Rong family and doted on by their brothers and fathers like that, it would be so wonderful. After all, the Rong family doted on Shi Ning'an, their granddaughter - in - law, surprisingly.
Only Zheng Chi propped her face with her hand. She thought that whether in the Rong family or in the Princess's mansion, girls were generally doted on. But if she were born into the Rong family and had a brother as handsome and outstanding as Rong Sui, it would be such a wonderful thing.
While everyone was discussing, Miss Shao pulled Shi Ning'an aside and whispered, "Ning'an, do you know that the Dong family is completely finished this time?"
Shi Ning'an understood in her heart. Those who were disfavored by the royal family, having their titles and official positions taken away, leaving only a concubine - born son who had just entered the officialdom as a ninth - rank official, the Dong family naturally had no chance of making a comeback.
And the eldest prince had lost his biggest backer, so he was completely out of the competition for the throne.
Miss Shao continued, "This time, the emperor was extremely angry. I heard that those who were related to the Dong family have all been removed from their official positions. At the very least, they have been demoted..."
Seeing that she hesitated to speak, Shi Ning'an said, "Sister, just say what you want. Don't hold back."
Miss Shao smiled. "It concerns your biological father, Shi Yongtang. He was originally a fifth - rank official in the Ministry of Personnel but received the salary of a fourth - rank official. Now, there have been great changes in the six ministries. Shi Yongtang used to have a good relationship with the Dong family, so he has also been implicated. However, perhaps the Dong family gave him up too early. This time, he has only been demoted to a sixth - rank clerk."
Shi Ning'an's eyes flickered slightly. The eldest prince had been ambitious over the years. He wanted to have as many useful people as possible in his hands. As long as someone was useful, he would never give them up easily. Although Shi Yongtang had been demoted before, he had been in the Ministry of Personnel for many years and still had some power. The Dong family would never give him up.
Moreover, at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, what happened to Rong Xuan was so similar to what happened in the previous life when he was drunk and molested Shi Ningxin. If there was no scheme from Shi Qingmei in this, Shi Ning'an would never believe it.
How could the Shi family not be involved with the Dong family?
The real reason why Shi Yongtang didn't suffer a great disaster might be the credit of the third prince.
Wei Hongmiao had made a comeback, the Prince of the Northern Qi was coming with great momentum, and the power of the third prince was gradually emerging. Originally, they were supposed to form a tripartite balance. However, now that the eldest prince had been completely eliminated from the competition for the throne, the power of the crown prince had suddenly increased, which put a great deal of pressure on the third prince.
Relying only on the Northern Qi, the third prince was not to be feared.
Shi Ning'an rubbed her fingers. Although there were still many unknowns, compared with the previous life, the current situation was already much better.
The Rong family used to look down on everything. Relying on their status, they were quite arrogant. Even the emperor was not taken seriously by her grandfather. After this incident, although he had been seriously ill, he had finally understood the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects.
As long as the Rong family abided by the etiquette in the future and was careful to prevent being harmed by villains, the downfall of the previous life would never happen again.
Miss Shao continued, "But now the General Wei Hongmiao is a very popular person. Many noble people in the capital want to make connections with him."
When she said this, there was a sneering smile on her lips. No matter how glorious General Wei was, everyone had seen how Mrs. Wei and Miss Wei had bullied Shi Ning'an last year. With such a family - in - law, wouldn't a girl suffer if she married into their family? Therefore, most of the families that came to propose marriage had a relatively low social status, or the daughters in those families were not highly regarded.