The attendant beside him carried two baskets of fruits, several times more than what Cheng Hongguang had.
Zidu asked the attendant to place the baskets beside Shen Yuning's table. Then he turned back and smiled at Cheng Hongguang. "Young Master Cheng, you'd better keep your fruits for yourself. After all, you don't have many left. I'm afraid you might not even have enough for yourself."
Shen Yuning was utterly confused by Zidu's actions. But she felt she shouldn't have any entanglement with the Cheng family, so she quickly bowed to Cheng Hongguang and thanked him. "Thank you, Young Master Cheng, for your concern. I have some too."
Their polite and amiable interaction made Xue Yujiao, who was sitting nearby, extremely angry.
Back then, Xue Yujiao had looked down on Cheng Hongguang. She thought the Cheng family was just a low - ranking family. As the legitimate daughter of a marquis's mansion, she wasn't as short - sighted as Shen Yuning. How could she possibly marry into the Cheng family?
It wasn't until the engagement was called off that she realized that none of the gentlemen her mother had painstakingly found for her could compare to Cheng Hongguang.
It was impossible for her not to feel regretful. Especially in the past two years, after the passing of the old lady of the Cheng family, Cheng Hongguang had remained unengaged after his mourning period. Her mother had once planned to plead with her grandmother, hoping to renew the engagement. But unfortunately, her grandmother firmly refused.
Now seeing Cheng Hongguang ignoring her, the legitimate daughter of the Xue family, and being so affectionate towards that "lowly" woman Shen Yuning, how could she not be angry?
Cheng Hongguang didn't notice Xue Yujiao's expression. He just stammered for a moment, returned the greeting, and walked away with his servant carrying the basket of fruits.
Shen Yuning smiled and bowed to Zidu. "Thank you, Young Master, for running this errand for Sister Xue. I just wonder if she'll have enough fruits left for herself after giving them to me?"
Zidu replied calmly, "Don't worry, Lady."
Shen Yuning didn't feel it appropriate to pursue the matter of the fruits. Instead, she thought there was nothing much to talk about between them. So she simply invited Young Master Zidu to sit at the table and drink wine and eat fruits with them.
Zidu didn't decline. He sat down, picked up a fruit to eat, and when he looked up and saw Weirui pouring wine for them, he said, "The wine in the princess's villa has quite a strong after - effect. Lady, as a young lady, you may not be able to drink it."
Shen Yuning smiled slightly. "It's just fruit wine. I often drank it when I was a child. It's okay."
Hearing this, Weirui also poured herself a small cup. She gently sniffed it and found the refreshing aroma extremely pleasant. After taking a sip, she found it really sweet and delicious. Paired with the refreshing fruits, it was extremely comfortable.
Shen Yuning took a sip of the wine. A trace of absent - mindedness appeared in her eyes. She put down the wine cup and said to Weirui, "If your Brother Xuanzhi were here, he would definitely like this fruit wine."
Weirui's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she lowered her head without saying a word.
Zidu's voice was a bit cold. "I thought this wine was a bit too sweet. Men should not like it."
Shen Yuning shook her head. "He is a man, but also my younger brother. Like me, he likes sweet food. Usually when he goes out, he always likes to buy some candied fruits and pastries..."
Weirui also looked up. "Yes, Aunt likes them, and so does Xuanzhi."
Shen Yuning was in a daze for a moment. Then she came back to her senses and looked at Zidu. "Don't you like this fruit wine?"
Zidu swirled the wine in his cup, shook his head, and smiled faintly. After a while, he replied, "I've disliked sweet food since I was a child. I like spicy food."
Shen Yuning followed with an embarrassed smile. Why did she always unconsciously think this person, so different from Xuanzhi, was Xuanzhi?
Zidu seemed not to notice her speculation. He tilted his chin towards Cheng Hongguang. "Young Master Cheng passed the imperial examination the year before last. But unfortunately, his grandmother passed away, which delayed his career. Now he is a junior official in the Imperial Academy."
Shen Yuning already knew about the passing of the old lady of the Cheng family. The period of sadness had passed. Only a trace of melancholy appeared between her eyebrows. Then she smiled. "With Brother Cheng's ability, even if he was delayed, he will quickly catch up."
She didn't know what in this sentence had angered Xue Yujiao at the next table.
Xue Yujiao suddenly stood up and shouted angrily, "Shen Yuning, have you no shame? How dare you covet Brother Cheng?"
Shen Yuning was at a loss, not understanding what had happened at all. She just looked at Zidu in bewilderment.
Zidu stood up and said coldly, "Miss Xue, accusing others and insulting the lady's reputation in public is really a sign of bad upbringing."
When Xue Yujiao got angry, she didn't care about anything. She just shouted, "Am I wrong? I heard clearly that you were talking about Cheng Hongguang. He is my fiancé. She has no shame and actually covets him."
Shen Yuning looked up, but not at Xue Yujiao. Instead, she looked at Zidu. Yes, this was the feeling. The most similar thing between Zidu and Xuanzhi was the coldness they exuded when they were angry.
Although Cheng Hongguang had left, he hadn't gone far. He was standing with a friend, talking.
Hearing the commotion here, he quickly walked over, bowed, and said, "Miss Xue, please don't talk nonsense. The engagement between me and you has already been called off. Now I'm not engaged, and I'm not your fiancé."
Thinking that her engagement was hopeless, Xue Yujiao burst into tears. "Heaven! Why am I so miserable? It's all that bitch! She seduces men everywhere!"
Shen Yuning stood up and quickly, firmly, and forcefully slapped Xue Yujiao across the face, making her shut up. "Xue Yujiao, I don't care how your family spoils you. But if you dare to talk nonsense again, it won't be just a slap."
Xue Yujiao covered her face and stared at Shen Yuning with wide eyes. "You... How dare you hit me? I'll fight you!"
However, before she could step forward, Zidu gently pushed her, and she fell to the ground.
Xue Yujiao cried even louder. "Why? Why, Brother Cheng? I'm the legitimate daughter of the Xue family. What is she? What is she?"
Seeing her talking without restraint and knowing that there were so many people present today, Cheng Hongguang quickly defended himself. "Miss Xue, please don't talk nonsense anymore. I haven't seen Lady Shen for many years. I just took this opportunity to talk to her for a few words today. There was no impropriety at all."
Shen Yuning somehow felt that most of the coldness on Zidu had inexplicably disappeared, and he had returned to his gentle and elegant appearance.
Cheng Hongguang always had good manners and couldn't say anything harsh. He was eager to find someone to testify for him. He bowed to Zidu. "Young Master Zidu was also here just now and saw clearly. I just talked to Lady Shen for a few words, right?"
The corner of Zidu's mouth curled up slightly. He nodded and replied, "Yes, I saw clearly just now. Young Master Cheng is a polite person and there was no impropriety at all."
Xue Yujiao refused to give up. "You all take her side? Why? She's just a fallen - status lady, a lowly merchant's daughter. How can she be compared with us?"
Just as Zidu was about to speak, he heard someone in the crowd shout, "The princess is coming!"
A group of noble ladies came in a grand manner. Shen Yuning sighed slightly. Maybe she shouldn't have come today. She had caused trouble for no reason and made Princess Jiayang's banquet less enjoyable.
However, Princess Jiayang's arrival didn't seem to be about this dispute. Behind her was Eunuch Wu, the imperial attendant beside the emperor. There was also a row of other attendants, each holding a box in their hands. They all walked up to Shen Yuning.
Eunuch Wu smiled like a flower. He stepped forward and bowed to Shen Yuning. "Lady, it took me a long time to find you. I went to your mansion this morning and learned that you had come to the princess's villa for the banquet today. But this is a matter assigned by the emperor. I can't afford any delay. So I came here immediately."
Shen Yuning quickly helped him up and asked curiously, "Eunuch Wu, did the emperor have something to order me?"
Eunuch Wu made an exaggerated gesture. "Lady, you're too modest. The emperor is going to reward you."
It turned out that the emperor had issued an edict to reward Lady Rongchang. She was praised as a role model for the women of the Great Zhou, and everyone was required to follow her example. The emperor also bestowed a mansion and land to show his favor.
Previously, although Shen Yuning was a lady, she had no fiefdom or mansion. She only had the title and an annual salary. Now that she had a mansion and land, her treatment was naturally different.
Eunuch Wu announced the edict and handed the imperial edict to Shen Yuning. Then he asked the attendants behind him to open all the boxes. Inside were all gold, silver, jewels, jade, calligraphy, and paintings.
Now that the national treasury was not abundant, the emperor's reward was indeed generous.
Xue Yujiao was sitting on the ground, completely unable to understand. Just now, she had looked down on Shen Yuning, thinking she was a rural merchant's daughter. How could she suddenly change?
Lady Shen, with that imperial edict, was much more noble than before.
Everyone present looked sideways. For a moment, they didn't know whether to think that Lady Shen, who had been driven out by the Xue family, was really capable and had caught the emperor's eye, or to think that Princess Jiayang had anticipated this and invited Shen Yuning to her villa today.
Wouldn't Princess Jiayang gain more favor in the emperor's eyes after Eunuch Wu returned to the palace to report?
Some smart people quickly realized that recently, there had been more and more disputes in the court about the law that allowed women to establish independent households after reaching adulthood. The two sides were at a stalemate and there was no result for the time being.
Wasn't Lady Shen the first person personally bestowed by the emperor to establish an independent female household? At this critical moment, the emperor's generous reward to Lady Shen clearly showed his intention. Therefore, as the female relatives of court officials, after seeing today's grand scene, they would naturally persuade their husbands at home to carefully consider which side to stand on in this matter.
Shen Yuning was also completely stunned, but she was always calm. She received the edict and thanked the emperor. However, since she had come out for the banquet today, she didn't have any suitable silver on her to reward the attendants who had worked hard for her.
Fortunately, Princess Jiayang was considerate. She immediately looked at the old maid beside her. The old maid understood and took out a bag of gold ingots. She presented them to Eunuch Wu, saying that it was Lady Shen's treat for them to have tea.
Eunuch Wu was also a smart person. Hearing what the old maid beside the princess said, it was obvious that she regarded herself as Lady Shen's servant. He also glanced at the young miss from the Shen family and saw that Miss Shen was standing beside Princess Jiayang in a rather intimate manner. A look of understanding appeared on his face.