The pavilion was exquisitely built, half a zhang above the ground. Originally, there were steps leading up to it. But Shen Yuning was pushed by Xue Yujiao. Caught off guard, she tumbled directly from the edge of the pavilion.
Although Mrs. Xiao was partial to her own daughter, she still thought that Shen Yuning had been raised by her for fifteen years. She just wanted to be out of sight and out of mind, never intending to take Shen Yuning's life. Seeing this, she shrieked in alarm, "Yuning..."
The pavilion was surrounded by trees and grass. If Shen Yuning fell like this, even if her hands and feet were unharmed, she was likely to get scratches on her body and face.
However, in this moment of crisis, a handsome figure in a black robe flashed by. He caught Shen Yuning in his arms, and the two of them stood steadily below the pavilion.
In panic, Shen Yuning opened her eyes and saw the tense lips. She subconsciously called out, "Xuanzhi."
The masked man glanced at her, gently placed her aside, and bowed, saying, "In this critical moment, I have offended you. Please forgive me, Lady Xiang."
Shen Yuning's eyes flickered slightly. So it was Zidu. But why did she always subconsciously think it was Xuanzhi every time she saw him? They were clearly two very different people.
Zidu had already turned his head and looked at the woman on the pavilion. In a cold voice, he said, "Miss Xue, doing such a hurtful thing in public is not appropriate, is it?"
Xue Yujiao grew up in a remote village. There were few noble people in the capital who were willing to associate with her. Moreover, she was arrogant and snobbish by nature, having offended many people. So in the capital, she didn't even have a close friend. She rarely went out and naturally didn't know much about other people's affairs.
She had never seen this masked man before. She only occasionally heard that a young man from a foreign land with a disfigured face had come to the capital and was living in the Duke's Mansion.
Since he was also from the countryside, how could Xue Yujiao take a fancy to him? She just snorted and said, "A country bumpkin dares to interfere in my business? Even if I beat and kill her today, no one would dare to say a word."
Shen Yuning stood behind Zidu, and the strange feeling in her heart grew stronger. The former Xuanzhi would also exude a chilling aura when he was angry.
Was it the same for all martial - arts practitioners?
The commotion on their side was quite loud. In a short while, many noble people gathered around. Seeing it was the reckless second miss of the Xue family and Lady Xiang Shen who had been driven out of the Xue family, it was none of their business, so naturally few people were willing to interfere.
Xue Yuxin squeezed out of the crowd. Seeing the situation, she was startled. She quickly ran up to look at Shen Yuning carefully. Only when she saw that Shen Yuning was all right did she feel relieved.
She frowned at Xue Yujiao and said, "Yujiao, come down quickly and apologize to Yuning."
She just wanted to quickly offer a way out to calm things down. As for teaching her sister a lesson, she would report it to her grandmother and second uncle when she got home. Otherwise, if the commotion continued, it would only disgrace the Marquis's Mansion.
However, Xue Yujiao was used to being domineering and would never listen to this unfriendly cousin. She angrily shouted, "All of you are partial to her, aren't you? I'm the second miss of the Xue family. What is she? Now, I regret just driving her away back then. I should have..."
Mrs. Xiao knew her daughter's temper well. How could she let her say such things in public? She quickly covered her mouth and said to Xue Yuxin in a panic, "Yuxin, your sister is not feeling well today. When she got up this morning, it was as if she had encountered something. She's talking nonsense now."
Zidu then said coldly, "You're the second miss of the Xue family, without any title or merit. You're just relying on the family's shadow. And she is a Lady Xiang personally appointed by the emperor, with a higher rank than you."
He was telling the truth. But since Shen Yuning was just a common girl, even though she was appointed Lady Xiang, she was only respected and loved by the common people. In a place like the capital full of noble people, she was naturally not worthy of attention.
Moreover, not only was she not worthy of attention, but an ordinary family would not take a common merchant girl who was a Lady Xiang seriously.
However, such a lack of respect could only be kept in mind and not publicly stated like Xue Yujiao, otherwise, wouldn't it be slapping the emperor in the face?
At this time, Princess Jiayang rushed over. She had already learned about the situation from her servants. When she came, she only went to look at Shen Yuning and asked, "Yuning, are you all right?"
Shen Yuning quickly shook her head and said, "Thank you for your concern, Princess. Thanks to Mr. Zidu's rescue, I'm fine."
Princess Jiayang lovingly tidied up Shen Yuning's slightly disheveled hair and smiled, saying, "You're a Lady Xiang appointed by the emperor. You're a courtier, not a commoner."
Shen Yuning nodded with a smile and didn't explain.
However, everyone could see clearly that even though Lady Xiang Shen was no longer a daughter of the Xue family, Princess Jiayang still loved her as much as before.
Everyone present knew that Princess Jiayang liked to be in the spotlight but was not an easy - going person. Immediately, several smart ladies said some witty remarks to make the princess happy. Then, they all went to the edge of the lotus pond to eat the tenderest lotus seeds.
Lady Xiang Shen, who was now the center of attention, was no longer as cold - shouldered as before. Whether it was out of respect for the princess's face or out of nostalgia for the old days with Shen Yuning, some ladies and young girls took the initiative to talk to Shen Yuning and tell her some interesting things that had happened in the capital recently.
After eating the lotus seeds, it was time to eat crabs.
Mrs. Cao, the wife of the official of the Ministry of Rites, was straightforward. Her husband's and her own families were well - connected in the capital. She was good at livening up the atmosphere. She deliberately sighed with regret, "These crabs are so good. If we waited for another two months, it would be even more enjoyable to eat them."
Hearing this, Princess Jiayang nodded and laughed, "Mrs. Cao knows how to eat best. Don't worry. When the crabs are fatter, I'll invite you all to eat them again."
Everyone burst into laughter and joked that Mrs. Cao was a glutton.
After the joke, Princess Jiayang greeted Weirui beside her, "Weirui, do you like to eat crabs?"
Weirui had been posing as the Virgin's attendant for the whole morning. Seeing that the princess was really amiable, she boldly joked, "Princess, maybe I ate too many crabs when I was a child, so I'm not particularly fond of them. And I always think it's too troublesome to get the crab meat out. There's so little of it, and it's really not satisfying."
The ladies who had been joking just now showed disdainful expressions when they heard this plain - looking little girl speaking so inarticulately.
Unexpectedly, Princess Jiayang immediately told her maid, "Go and peel a whole crab for the young miss. Make sure she enjoys it."
The ladies were all shocked. They thought that the princess really loved Lady Xiang Shen and even doted on her niece.
Seeing the embarrassment still on Weirui's face, Shen Yuning laughed and said, "Princess, you may not know that in the countryside, there are no such many rules when eating crabs. We just tear them with our hands and bite them with our mouths. In the past, our family was poor and there was nothing good to eat. We would just catch shrimps, crabs, and snails from the pond to eat. Now there are so many delicious things, so we don't want to be so troublesome."
Her calm and generous manner made it hard for others to say anything contemptuous.
Princess Jiayang sighed, "So the treasures we cherish are so easily available in the countryside."
After the crab feast, fruit wine was served to dispel the coldness of the crabs. Then the noble ladies followed Princess Jiayang into the hall to talk and listen to music. The young masters and ladies went to the long corridor beside the lotus pond to rest.
The long corridor in the princess's villa was also well - known for its comfort in the capital. The wide corridor was divided into two sides. At this moment, the young men were on one side and the young ladies on the other. The eaves of the corridor were not completely covered. Grape vines twined around them, and the green leaves were pleasant and provided shade.
From afar, Shen Yuning saw Xue Yuxin waving at her. She didn't go over. Instead, she bowed and found an empty seat at the back, sitting down with Weirui.
As soon as she sat down, she saw that the two daughters of the Xiao family were sitting next to her. People who disliked each other turned their heads and didn't look at each other.
After everyone sat down, the maids from the villa came to serve fruits. The best fruit today was the grapes from the villa. They were specially cultivated. These grapes were not only crystal - clear but also sweet and smooth when eaten. Occasionally, there was a hint of sourness, which made them even more delicious.
There were rules for serving fruits. The nobles in the front row received them in delicate baskets. Four or five baskets were served for each table, allowing the nobles to enjoy themselves. For those in the back rows, only one or two baskets were served. Later, the fruits were served on fruit plates, with only two or three small bunches of grapes on each plate.
When it came to the Xiao sisters, the maid respectfully served them two fruit plates. There were just two left, which could be served to Shen Yuning.
However, Xue Yujiao walked over at some point and shouted, "Hey, why are you only serving two plates here? Two plates are not enough to eat."
The maid was stunned. Seeing that there were also two people on Shen Yuning's side, if all the fruit plates were served to the Miss Xiao, Lady Xiang Shen and her niece would have none.
Xue Yujiao giggled. She took out all the remaining fruit plates from the maid's big basket and placed them in front of Xiao Yuan and Song Yanyan. Then she sat down next to Xiao Yuan.
The maid apologized to Shen Yuning embarrassedly. Seeing that the Lady Xiang showed no sign of annoyance, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly turned around, thinking whether she should send someone to get some more.
Xue Yujiao took a grape and sneered, "Such good fruits are not for ordinary people to eat."
Just then, a man walked over from the opposite side. His tall figure stopped in front of Shen Yuning's seat. He bowed and said, "I hope Lady Yuning is well."
Shen Yuning looked up, quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "It's actually the eldest young master of the Cheng family. I was distracted for a moment. I'm sorry for my rudeness."
This man was Cheng Hongguang, the fiancé that Grandmother Xue had arranged for Shen Yuning when she was in the Xue family. Later, since she was no longer a daughter of the Xue family, this marriage was naturally supposed to be Xue Yujiao's. Unfortunately, fate played a trick on them. Xue Yujiao also failed to marry into the Cheng family, and the marriage alliance between the two families was no longer possible.
Cheng Hongguang looked at Yuning in front of him, and his heart was stirred again. He had known since he was very young that he might marry the smart girl Yuning from the Xue family in the future. Every time he came to the capital, he would bring her all kinds of small gadgets.
He had been looking forward to it for a long time. Finally, when his father came to the capital for a report and she had come of age, he thought he could marry her soon. He had even secretly sworn that he would love her for a lifetime.
After Yuning left, he had also made a fuss. Although the Xue family didn't recognize Yuning, he still regarded her as his wife. But everyone opposed him and told him that his future wife would be Xue Yujiao.
The timid and cowardly him had chosen to compromise at that time.
Until now, he was still unmarried, and so was she. Could they still meet again?
Cheng Hongguang suppressed the excitement in his heart and told the servant beside him to present a small basket of fruits. "Lady Yuning, I saw that you didn't have any fruits here, so I brought some for you. The fresh fruits in the princess's mansion are really delicious, Lady..."
Just as he finished speaking, a man wearing a silver mask walked over. After saluting, he smiled and said, "Lady Xiang Shen, Miss Xue has just got some new fruits and wants to give them to you. I happened to be free, so I came to deliver them on Miss Xue's behalf."