"Since you've come to the poetry gathering, Miss Qianmo should at least compose a poem, right?" Yao Ruoqin looked at Shen Qianmo with a seductive expression, her eyes full of provocation.
Shen Qianmo smiled slightly. She was familiar with Yao Ruoqin's gaze. In her previous life in the palace, Yao Ruoqin often looked at her with provocative eyes, knowing full well that she loved Shangguan Che, yet deliberately being intimate with Shangguan Che, scheming to make her see it and cause her pain.
Yao Ruoqin's thoughts were just as wicked as Shen Qianxin's. However, she lacked Shen Qianxin's patience and cunning.
"Qianmo has never been to such an occasion before. Why don't you ladies give Qianmo a performance first?" Shen Qianmo revealed an innocent expression, her dark eyes filled with naivety.
"Perform a performance? Do you think we're actors?" Shangguan Pian was always willful and outspoken, saying whatever came to mind.
"Qianmo didn't mean that. Does the princess think that all of you sisters are more like actors?" Shen Qianmo smiled innocently, glancing at Shen Qianxin and Yao Ruoqin's embarrassed expressions, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.
"Sister, how could you say that?" Shen Qianxin pretended to be worried about Shen Qianmo, tugged at Shen Qianmo's sleeve, and advised her.
"Second sister, it was the princess who said it. Second sister also thinks the princess is wrong, right?" Shen Qianmo pointed at Shangguan Pian with an innocent look and said.
"You're trying to sow discord!" Yao Ruoqin said angrily, pointing at Shen Qianmo, seeing Shangguan Pian's bad expression and Shen Qianxin's embarrassed look.
"Miss Ruoqin, what are you saying? Qianmo doesn't understand." Shen Qianmo continued to feign ignorance, her dark eyes filled with innocence, but a hint of cunning and teasing flashed deep within them.
She's just trying to sow discord, but what can they do about it? She's pretending to be ignorant, but she grew up in the mountains, so it's understandable that she's immature. If they hold it against her, they'd be lacking the magnanimity of a well-bred lady.
“You…” Yao Ruoqin pointed at Shen Qianmo, her eyes filled with resentment.
"Ruoqin, my sister is being immature, are you going to be immature too? Don't forget your place." Shen Qianxin looked at Yao Ruoqin gently and reminded her.
Shen Qianmo couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Her second sister was quite capable. She had seen through the problem so quickly. On one hand, she reminded Yao Ruoqin not to do anything disrespectful, and on the other hand, she subtly belittled Shen Qianmo, saying she was immature and not worth arguing with.
"Second Sister is absolutely right. Although Qianmo is immature, she knows she shouldn't do anything that shows a lack of dignity, so she won't argue with Sister Ruoqin." Shen Qianmo continued to smile innocently as she spoke to Shen Qianxin.
After Shen Qianmo said that, it seemed that Yao Ruoqin's status was not worthy of Shen Qianmo's attention. Shen Qianxin's words reminding Yao Ruoqin now sounded like they were belittling her.
"Qianxin, what do you mean? Are you saying that I'm not worthy to argue with the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family? I am, after all, the daughter of a great general!" Yao Ruoqin was already angry because of what Shen Qianmo said, and when she heard Shen Qianmo's ridicule, she didn't care to think and said to Shen Qianxin.
"Ruoqin, that's not what I meant," Shen Qianxin explained gently.
"Then what do you mean?" Yao Ruoqin asked aggressively.
"Me." Shen Qianxin wanted to explain, but she couldn't admit that she was actually being sarcastic towards Shen Qianmo, so she remained silent, her gaze towards Shen Qianmo becoming more probing.
This third sister, with just a few words, stirred up trouble between me, Shangguan Pian, and Yao Ruoqin. Is she truly naive, or is she feigning ignorance?
"Second sister, I suddenly feel very unwell. I think I should go back first. You and the other sisters can compose poems together." Shen Qianmo looked at the women with different expressions in front of her with satisfaction, a clever and mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Well, since Third Sister is not feeling well, then Second Sister will not insist that she stay any longer." A hint of resentment finally flashed in Shen Qianxin's eyes.
She originally intended to lure Shen Qianmo here, and then, together with the other daughters of officials, mock Shen Qianmo and embarrass her. However, she didn't expect to be outmaneuvered by Shen Qianmo instead. Not only did she fail to get revenge on Shen Qianmo, but she also developed a rift with Yao Ruoqin and Shangguan Pian.
"Qianqian, let's go." Supported by Qianqian, Shen Qianmo left the poetry gathering with composure and elegance. Watching Shen Qianmo's departing figure, one could only feel that her ordinary face had become radiant, and her noble temperament was something even Princess Shangguan Pian could not match.
As the daughter of the Prime Minister's family gracefully departed, some of the daughters of officials who had been bullied by Shangguan Pian and Yao Ruoqin for many years even developed feelings for Shen Qianmo.
As Shen Qianxin watched the direction Shen Qianmo had left in, her once gentle gaze turned venomous.
"Miss, that was so much fun!" As soon as Qianqian and Shen Qianmo walked away, she burst into laughter. She had been holding back her laughter for a long time. It was so amusing to see those arrogant young ladies being completely fooled by her young lady.
"You little devil." Shen Qianmo gently tapped Qianqian's nose. This little girl. Right now, she didn't want to really hold a grudge against them, so she was just playing with them. But when she really started to settle accounts, things wouldn't be so easy.
"Miss, Miss, didn't you say you'd take me out to play after this poetry competition?" Qianqian said with a lively smile, shaking Chen Qianmo's hand and acting coquettishly.
"Alright, alright. Let's go back and change!" Shen Qianmo let Qianqian play around, his eyes sparkling with doting affection, and led Qianqian back to the Prime Minister's residence.
"This Shen Qianmo is quite interesting." From the shadows, a figure dressed in red slowly appeared. All the sunlight seemed to gather on him. His smooth and soft skin was like the finest white jade. His long, narrow peach blossom eyes seemed to hold endless charm, and the slightly upturned corners of his mouth made him look charming and unruly.
Mei Xue's gaze fell upon Shen Qianmo with a mixture of interest and inquiry. He had been secretly observing her for the past few days. Her ruthlessness, her decisiveness, her doting on her maids, her cunning, her intelligence—all deeply captivated him. Such a legitimate daughter of a high-ranking official, raised in the mountains, was surprisingly intriguing.
Chapter Nine Street Thugs
"Miss, I'm afraid no girl will take a liking to you now that you look like this." Qianqian looked at Shen Qianmo, who had changed into men's clothing. Her peerless beauty had been transformed into an ordinary appearance that would be lost in a crowd because of the disguise pill.
"Is that so?" Shen Qianmo's dark eyes turned slightly, and she gradually exuded an innate noble aura. It felt as if all the light in the room had gathered on her, and even her ordinary face became radiant.
"Miss is indeed Miss. Even after taking the Disguise Pill, her elegance cannot be concealed." Qianqian was awestruck by Shen Qianmo's temperament and charm, and couldn't help but stick out her tongue playfully as she spoke.
“Qianqian is just as good.” Shen Qianmo looked at Qianqian, who was also dressed as a man, and said with a smile.
"I'm nowhere near as good as Miss." Qianqian turned her bright eyes around, her rosy cheeks were very cute, and she looked at Shen Qianmo with a mischievous expression.
"It doesn't matter if we don't attract attention, since we're taking the initiative this time anyway." A sly smile appeared in Shen Qianmo's eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"Miss, are you planning to tease those daughters of officials?" Qianqian let Shen Qianmo apply makeup to her face, her eyes shining with excitement.
Those young ladies from official families were all scheming and malicious, deliberately mocking Miss and wanting to see her make a fool of herself. They were so annoying! She had wanted to help Miss get revenge for a long time.
“We’ll take a stroll around the streets, and their boring poetry recitation will probably be over by then. If we bump into them, don’t blame me.” A playful glint flashed in Shen Qianmo’s eyes, and a lazy, indifferent smile played on her lips.
"Let's go, Miss!" Qianqian kept urging Shen Qianmo, her face showing a look of anticipation.
Shen Qianmo glanced helplessly at Qianqian. This little girl had been with her since childhood and loved to tease people just the same. Moreover, she had always been pampered by her and had a very childlike nature.
Once on the street, Qianqian skipped and hopped, looking left and right, while holding Shen Qianmo's hand and saying that the streets of the capital were much more fun than the streets near the Demon Palace.
"Young master, you look familiar." A red figure blocked Shen Qianmo's path. Shen Qianmo frowned slightly and looked up with displeasure.
She, Shen Qianmo, was always the one teasing others, but now she was being teased by someone else, and it happened while she was dressed as a man.
When her gaze fell upon the person who had arrived, Shen Qianmo felt a jolt in her heart.
How can one describe the appearance of this person? It's as if all words are inadequate; no single word can capture his extraordinary demeanor and captivating charm.