On this day, all the members of the Shen family were having lunch.
Suddenly, a visiting card from the Empress Dowager was delivered from the palace.
Shen Wenshan opened the card.
His expression grew increasingly solemn.
Qin Shuang put down her chopsticks and frowned. "Husband, what does the card say?"
Shen Wenshan pursed his lips. "Three days from now, the Empress Dowager is hosting a chrysanthemum banquet. She wants me to bring all the female members of the Shen family to the palace to admire the chrysanthemums."
Everyone knew that the Empress Dowager was the younger sister of Gu Kexing.
No wonder Shen Wenshan looked so solemn.
"What on earth does the Empress Dowager want us for?" Shen Yu asked.
Although the Empress Dowager held a chrysanthemum banquet every year, in previous years, it was usually only the female members of the families of court officials who were invited.
This was the first time that a merchant family had been invited.
"The card says that since the Shen family suffered unjustly some time ago, His Majesty has graciously allowed the Shen family to attend as well," Shen Wenshan said, frowning.
Ruan Jiu put down her chopsticks and frowned.
In this case, the Shen family had no choice but to attend.
"Father, I always feel that there's more to this than meets the eye," Ruan Jiu said seriously.
For other families, being invited to the Empress Dowager's banquet might be a great honor.
But for the Shen family, it seemed more like a case of the weasel paying a New Year call to the chicken.
Shen Wenshan nodded. "I think so too."
This was exactly what he was most worried about.
It wouldn't matter if he went alone, but now all the members of the Shen family had to go, which made him feel uneasy.
He sighed. "In any case, even if this banquet is a feast of treachery, we have no choice but to go."
The good lunch was ruined by a single card.
-
Three days later, the Empress Dowager's chrysanthemum banquet was held as scheduled.
As soon as they entered the palace gates, Shen Wenshan whispered, "Everyone, be careful later. Don't let anyone find fault with you."
Then he looked at Shen Yu beside him. "Especially you!"
Qin Shuang quickly added, "There are many schemes in the palace. You must be careful about everything."
Shen Yu quickly replied, "I know. I have to talk less, pay more attention to the wine in my cup, and not go anywhere alone."
For the past three days, Shen Wenshan and Qin Shuang had been repeating these words to him and Ruan Jiu every day.
He could recite them backwards.
Qin Shuang glared at her useless son.
If this was just a simple banquet, it wouldn't matter.
The fear was that it was really a feast of treachery.
She didn't have to worry about Ruan Jiu. As long as she stayed with Ruan Jiu at all times, she wouldn't fall into anyone's trap.
But her son was so brainless that she couldn't help but worry about him.
At the banquet, all the male guests sat on one side, and all the female guests sat on the other side.
The Empress Dowager, dressed in a golden palace robe, looked dignified and noble.
Sure enough, just by sitting there in silence, she exuded an air of authority.
Fortunately, the seats arranged for the Shen family were at the very end. They just had to wait quietly for the banquet to end without having to talk to anyone too much. It was perfect.
But Ruan Jiu's thought didn't last long before it was interrupted by a voice.
"I've heard that the Shen couple recently found their long-lost daughter. His Majesty has praised this girl many times for her eloquence and intelligence," the Empress Dowager said.
Shen Wenshan's eyes darkened when he heard this.
So their target was Ruan Jiu.
He stood up and said, "Your Majesty has overpraised. My daughter is reckless. Fortunately, His Majesty didn't blame her."
The Empress Dowager continued, "Where is the legitimate daughter of the Shen family? Come forward and let me take a good look at you."
After hearing this, although Ruan Jiu was nervous, she had to step forward slowly.
Today, she was only wearing a simple plain silk dress, but she was still so beautiful that people couldn't take their eyes off her.
Even the Eldest Princess, who was known as the most beautiful woman in the capital, paled in comparison to her.
Many young nobles present were completely captivated by her.
Ruan Jiu knelt on the ground and curtsied gracefully. "This commoner girl, Ruan Jiu, pays her respects to the Empress Dowager."
"You're really a charming girl," the Empress Dowager exclaimed.
Just then, the Eldest Princess beside her said coldly, "So what if she's beautiful? She's just a country bumpkin."
"Yongning, I think you're just jealous that she's more beautiful than you," the Second Prince said.
"Jealous of her?" The Eldest Princess sneered. "The adopted daughter of the Shen family was illiterate. I'm sure this newly found legitimate daughter is no better."
"I think she has an air of elegance that suggests she's well-versed in the arts. Maybe she's proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. What do you think, Crown Prince?" the Second Prince said.
The Crown Prince seemed not to hear the Second Prince's words. He remained silent and didn't even glance at Ruan Jiu for a moment.
But after hearing the Second Prince's words, the Eldest Princess was a bit indignant. "I think you're just lustful!"
The Second Prince smiled. "Then do you dare to make a bet with me? Let's have a poetry competition with this girl. If you can beat her, I'll give you the blood-sweating horse that Father Emperor rewarded me with."
"Really?" The Eldest Princess's eyes lit up.
She had begged Father Emperor for that blood-sweating horse for a long time, but Father Emperor had given it to that stupid Xiao Qi.
But...
Xiao Qi raised his eyebrows and nodded.
He was already confident.
After all, the Eldest Princess found excuses to avoid going to the imperial study nine days out of ten. Any literate person could easily outshine her.
In the palace, they were the two who got along the worst.
This was a perfect opportunity to humiliate the Eldest Princess.
The Eldest Princess was a bit embarrassed, but she was also eager for that blood-sweating horse. She gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I'll take the bet!"
Hearing this, Ruan Jiu took a deep breath.
It was obvious that the Second Prince was deliberately picking a fight.
What did their feud have to do with her?
So she cast a pleading look at the Empress Dowager.
To her surprise, the Empress Dowager looked completely unconcerned.
Helpless, Ruan Jiu had to pretend to be panicked and exclaimed, "This commoner girl is terrified! I was lost since childhood and can barely recognize a few characters, let alone write poetry."
In this situation, if she really outperformed the Eldest Princess, the Eldest Princess might eat her alive on the spot. It was better to say that she was illiterate.
As soon as she said this, everyone burst into laughter.
But Ruan Jiu didn't care. Being laughed at was better than offending the Eldest Princess.
The Eldest Princess laughed heartily. "Xiao Qi, you've lost. You'd better send the blood-sweating horse to my palace later."
Xiao Qi was a bit embarrassed. He glared at Ruan Jiu and said, "Humph, what a waste of your good looks. People like you can only end up as a lowly concubine in someone else's mansion, a mere decorative vase."
Ruan Jiu smiled faintly. "Thank you for the compliment."
"You!" Xiao Qi was speechless.
Sure enough, she was an ignorant girl who couldn't tell good from bad.
Just then, the Empress Dowager, who had been silent all this time, said, "Alright, stop making a scene. The chrysanthemums in the palace are blooming particularly well this year. How about we all go to the imperial garden with me to admire them?"
Hearing this, Ruan Jiu secretly let out a sigh of relief.
She stood up, supporting her legs.
The palace was really no place for a person. One had to kneel and bow all the time. Her feet were almost numb from kneeling. It was still better in Qinzhou.
It seemed that she had to return to Qinzhou as soon as possible.
In the imperial garden, Qin Shuang never left Ruan Jiu's side.
Fortunately, after Ruan Jiu's performance at the banquet, no one was willing to talk to them, which gave them some peace.
Now they just had to wait quietly to finish admiring the chrysanthemums and leave the palace. Then they could finally relax.
Suddenly, someone exclaimed.
"Something's wrong! Someone has fallen into the water!"