Chapter 8

At just one glance, Shen Qing’s eyes twitched, and she quickly withdrew her gaze.
Li Yu turned back and exclaimed with delight, “A-Man is here too!”
Li Daoxuan said, “It’s my elder sister’s Quijiang Banquet. As her younger brother, I ought to attend.”
Li Yu took Shen Qing’s hand and introduced her, “This is the daughter of the Duke of Han, Lady Shen.”
Shen Qing bowed silently. “Greetings, Your Highness, the Prince of Cang.”
Li Daoxuan glanced at Shen Qing, an unreadable expression in his eyes. Smiling faintly, he said, “Since you are my sister’s friend, no formalities are needed.”
Shen Qing felt her scalp tingle under his gaze. Seeing the black serpent coiled around his shoulder made her hold her breath. She forced a smile that did not reach her eyes. “Your Highness, you are too courteous.”
Li Yu also noticed the black serpent. “Why did you bring Qiuren along? What if it frightens the other ladies?”
Li Daoxuan replied lazily, “It insisted on following me. I couldn’t help it.”
Li Yu said, “Then hurry to the men’s side. Don’t scare the ladies.”
Li Daoxuan inclined his hand in farewell. “I take my leave.”
He seemed to pay no mind to Shen Qing. After bowing to Li Yu, he turned and left. His companions, waiting nearby, quickly enveloped him and led him to the cuju field.
Shen Qing finally exhaled, though doubts filled her heart. She remembered that in her previous life, Li Daoxuan had not attended the Quijiang Banquet at this point. Reborn, the situation had clearly changed.
Thinking of the mysterious Liulixin, Shen Qing felt a rare tension. She must avoid encountering him beforehand.
Given his cruel temperament, if he caught her alone, escaping without injury might be impossible.
With that in mind, Shen Qing followed Li Yu to the circle of noblewomen.
By the riverside, colorful clouds of silk fluttered, and green lotus leaves drifted. The noblewomen, smiling gracefully, gathered along the riverbank to begin the purification ritual, presided over by Lady Jinxiu, wife of the Duke of Han.
Years ago, Shen Qing’s father had ridden the battlefield alongside the Emperor, pacifying the four seas and ultimately helping the Emperor establish the Li family’s prosperous era. He was therefore promoted to General of Cavalry, conferred the title Duke of Han. Shen Qing’s mother was similarly honored, taking the title Lady Jinxiu.
Blending into the crowd, Shen Qing listened as her mother explained the rules, her eyes scanning her surroundings. Finally, she spotted a familiar figure not far off.
The person she had despised all her life: the heroine Shen Ling.
It was Shen Ling’s first time attending the Quijiang Banquet. Her face looked inexperienced and uneasy. Her maid tried desperately to calm her.
The newcomer’s awkwardness struck Shen Qing as petty and naive.
Every other noblewoman there carried herself with elegance and dignity. Shen Ling, however, moved like a timid child, every gesture awkward and constrained, lacking the natural grace expected of a noblewoman.
In an instant, a surge of malice nearly rose to Shen Qing’s eyes.
Suddenly, a girl of about seventeen or eighteen appeared beside Shen Ling. She was adorable, with kind, inviting eyes and a warm smile toward everyone.
The girl gently tugged at Shen Ling’s sleeve. Startled, Shen Ling stepped back like a frightened fawn, eyes wide with panic.
The girl, surprised at Shen Ling’s timidity, stammered, “I-I’m sorry, did I scare you?”
Shen Ling paled. “N-no.”
Now, it seemed as if the girl had bullied Shen Ling.
Curious gazes began to fall on them.
The girl cautiously said, “Good… I’m Zhao Ranyan. What’s your name?”
Shen Ling’s face turned even paler. “Shen… Shen Ling,” her voice faint, like a whispering cat.
Zhao Ranyan leaned closer. “What?”
Shen Ling’s eyes reddened. She stepped back sharply, nearly hiding in her maid’s embrace.
Zhao Ranyan was taken aback and froze.
Whispers started among the nearby noblewomen.
“Why is she crying?”
“I don’t know. Look, her eyes are red. Could Zhao Ranyan have bullied her?”
Hearing this, Zhao Ranyan turned pale and waved her hands. “No, I didn’t! I… I just wanted to get to know her.”
Shen Ling clung weakly to her maid, trembling, trying to explain, “No, Zhao Ranyan didn’t bully me.” Her eyes reddened further.
Paradoxically, her statement seemed to confirm the idea that Zhao Ranyan had bullied her.
Discussion around them grew louder.
Zhao Ranyan, unused to such a scene, was flustered.
Shen Qing, irritated, looked at Shen Ling, wishing she could split her in two to stop her from playing the innocent act.
She asked, “001, can I kill the heroine?”
A warning blared in her mind. 001 said, “…Host, no. If you kill the heroine with your own hands, you will dissipate.”
“Oh.”
Shen Qing’s disappointment was palpable.
At that moment, a spirited noblewoman stepped forward. “It wouldn’t do for one lady to bully another, would it?”
Zhao Ranyan panicked. “I really didn’t! I just… just wanted to meet her…”
Liu Wanxiu didn’t recognize Zhao Ranyan or Shen Ling, but her companion did. Pulling her aside, she whispered, “A’Wan, that’s Zhao Ranyan of the Yi Zhao family in Jingzhao. How could she possibly bully anyone?”
Liu Wanxiu was stunned. Zhao Ranyan’s reputation was of gentleness and timidness, never causing trouble.
Yet now, looking at the red-eyed, timid girl, she seemed like the victim.
She didn’t know what to do.
Fortunately, Li Yu, who had witnessed everything, stepped forward.
She frowned at Shen Ling. “Tell me, did Zhao Ranyan bully you?”
Shen Ling froze, staring at Li Yu blankly. “No.”
“Then why act as if you’ve suffered so terribly?” Li Yu raised an eyebrow. “From the looks of it, it seems Zhao Ranyan has bullied you badly.”
“Moreover, I clearly saw that Zhao Ranyan wanted to meet you, but you immediately reddened and hid in your maid’s arms.” Li Yu then asked, “Whose daughter are you? Why do you look so unfamiliar?”
Shen Ling was on the verge of tears. Her maid suddenly interjected, “Mistress, my father may not hold high office, but he is still the magistrate of Wannian County. For you to speak to him with such arrogance is excessive.”
Gasps rose from the crowd. Some even looked pleased at the drama.
Li Yu laughed. “Ah, so you are the daughter of the newly promoted magistrate of Wannian County, formerly of Huaixi County.”
“But among the noblewomen here, whose status is not higher than your father’s? He is just a county magistrate. Why must a maid speak to him with such pride?”
Li Yu let out a sudden laugh. “So you’re the daughter of Magistrate Shen, newly transferred from Huai County to Wannian County.”
Her gaze swept the circle of young ladies. “And tell me, which of the girls here does not outrank your mistress? Your father is merely a county magistrate. On what grounds does a maid at his household put on such lofty airs?”
The maid stiffened. “You, you…”
Li Yu smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “This princess has always believed that one’s station is earned by one’s forebears. If your master isn’t of sufficient rank, then you, a mere servant, ought all the more to remember your place instead of biting people at random.”
A quiet ripple passed through the gathered noble girls.
Some had already recognized Li Yu’s identity; others caught on from the way she was addressed and hastily lowered their eyes, hearts pounding. The Wanyi Princess might be known for her easygoing temper, but that didn’t mean she was someone a county magistrate’s maid could snap at.
The maid’s face went chalk-white. Only now did she realize she’d kicked a steel plate. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly.
Li Yu, however, did not even bother looking at her again. Her phoenix eyes turned back to Shen Ling. “Since Lady Zhao did not bully you, don’t cry at every shadow as if the whole world owes you a debt. Understand?”
Shen Ling’s lips trembled. “Yes…”
Her voice was paper-thin, like a kitten’s mewl.
Li Yu’s tone softened by a fraction. “Zhao Ranyan’s temperament is well known in Chang’an. She’s timid and gentle, she couldn’t bully anyone even if she wanted to. Next time, be clearer with your words. Don’t let people misunderstand.”
A flush of shame crept up Shen Ling’s cheeks. She nodded again and again, looking even more pitiful.
Zhao Ranyan also rushed to say, “It’s my fault too. I shouldn’t have startled you.”
The tension in the circle finally eased.
Watching from the crowd, Shen Qing clicked her tongue inwardly. Still the same as ever, crying without saying anything, letting others fill in the story and turning herself into some fragile little white lotus.
If not for the system’s warning, she really would have liked to go over and slice that “lotus” clean in half.
Li Yu gave a few more words of comfort, then smiled and clapped her hands. “All right, that’s enough. We’re here for the ritual, not to trade rumors. Lady Jinxiu, shall we begin?”
Her mother stepped forward smoothly, taking up the role of host as if nothing had happened. The noble girls slowly shifted their attention back to the river, to the rites of purification and the drifting wine cups.
Shen Qing, however, narrowed her eyes, gaze lingering on Shen Ling’s hunched shoulders and reddened eyes.
Glass Heart… heroine… male lead…
Pieces from her previous life snapped into place one by one.
This time, she thought, the script would not go quite so smoothly.
Her expression suddenly hardened, the quiet pressure of a princess rolling off her in waves. “If I recall correctly,” Li Yu said coolly, “I never sent an invitation to a county magistrate’s daughter. Just how, exactly, did you and your maid sneak in here?”
Many of the girls had already looked puzzled when they heard Shen Ling’s identity. Now, with Li Yu voicing the question aloud, the same thought flickered through their minds: That’s right. This is supposed to be a gathering for the daughters of high officials and nobles. How did a mere county magistrate’s daughter get in?
At the words “this princess,” mistress and maid both went visibly ashen. The maid’s knees nearly gave out. “P–princess…?”
Shen Ling managed to steady herself and stepped forward to curtsey. “Your Highness, I beg your pardon. This commoner’s daughter meant no offense. I was simply too nervous just now and accidentally caused a misunderstanding.”
Inwardly, Shen Qing rolled her eyes.
Li Yu wanted to roll hers too. So you were able to speak all along, and yet, while Lady Zhao was put on the spot for your sake, you kept your mouth shut and let her flounder. Now that you know who I am, you suddenly find your voice?
She let out a mirthless laugh. “I am not the one you should be apologizing to.”
Color drained from Shen Ling’s face. Looking miserably aggrieved, she moved to Zhao Ranyan and dropped into a deep curtsey. “Lady Zhao, please forgive me. I was in the wrong.”
It was the kind of bow one usually reserved for elders or people of far higher rank. To offer it to someone of the same age… Whether out of ignorance or calculation, the gesture was conspicuous.
Zhao Ranyan, caught in the middle, didn’t dare accept such a salute with the princess right there. She hurried to help her up. “Lady Shen, please, you exaggerate!”
Li Yu actually laughed in anger. She stopped Zhao Ranyan with a raised hand. “Lady Zhao, come stand by me. You can share this bow with this princess.”
Shen Ling’s face grew even uglier. She was now stuck halfway down, rising would look like defiance, staying put felt like humiliation. She could only remain frozen there in that awkward pose.
Watching, Shen Qing felt utterly refreshed. She slipped closer to Li You’and murmured in her ear, “She still hasn’t said how she got in.”
She wanted to know that too.
In her previous life, Shen Qing had assumed it was Li Yu who’d sent the invitation. Clearly, that was not the case.
Li Yu said, “Lady Shen, you have yet to answer. How exactly did you slip in?”
Shen Ling’s gaze suddenly shifted to Shen Qing. Her brows knit as she said tremulously, “Elder Sister…”
At that single word, Shen Qing felt as if something damp and mossy had wrapped around her ankles. Disgust crawled up her spine. She drew her hands back, forcing down her nausea. “I’m not aware of when my mother gave me such a big little sister,” she said lightly. “Please, Lady, don’t speak nonsense.”
In the blink of an eye, Shen Ling’s eyes filled with tears. “Back then, Second Uncle insisted on splitting from the main branch and going to Chang’an. My father tried to persuade him otherwise, but couldn’t. Now that my father has finally been promoted to Wannian County, we at last had a chance to see our kin again. A-Ling thought… at the very least, Elder Sister would still acknowledge me as her younger sister. I never imagined…”
She trailed off, but the implications hung in the air.
Shen Qing was long used to her habit of smearing filth over everyone around her. She let out a cold little laugh.
“Years ago, my father said to me: ‘When we lived with the main branch in Huaixi, there were always people looking down their noses, causing trouble. Even when I wanted to marry your mother, there were endless obstructions. It was only after I had the fortune to follow His Majesty in the campaigns, earning a general’s title and the rank of noble, that we finally left that nest of gossip behind. Yet somehow, from every corner and crack, a stream of cousins and kin came crawling out to claw at our sleeves.’”
She covered her lips and smiled, brows curved. “I used to think Father was making a joke. Where would so many random cats and dogs come from to claim kinship? But now it seems he spoke the truth. Fancy that, I’ve actually run into one. How rare.”
The noble girls all lifted their handkerchiefs to their mouths, eyes glinting with amusement. So she’s just a hanger-on who snuck in to latch onto influential relatives.
Shen Ling clearly hadn’t expected Shen Qing to be so sharp-tongued. Her face went blotchy with embarrassment; her lips moved for a long time without producing a single word.
Li Yu’s patience had clearly run dry. Since she was nothing more than a gate-crasher trying to cling to the Shen family’s status, there was no reason to let her stay. With a flick of the princess’s hand, two imperial guards stepped forward to haul Shen Ling and her maid away.
At that crucial moment, a male voice rang out urgently:
“Sister, wait!”