Yin Youlan also looked annoyed, but her face still maintained a dignified smile. However, her gaze towards Shen Qianxin was filled with resentment.
Shen Qianmo ate her food calmly. Let them fight amongst themselves; she only needed to watch their drama unfold. Ultimately, control rested with her. Even that old fox, Shen Lingyun, couldn't escape her calculations!
This family dinner appeared to be a warm and loving affair, with a loving father and daughters, and sisters showing deep affection. However, in reality, it was a scene of mutual scheming and exploitation.
"Shen Qianmo!" After the family banquet, Shen Qianyu called out to Shen Qianmo, her tone still arrogant and domineering as always.
"What's wrong, eldest sister?" She looked lazily at Shen Qianmo, her dark eyes unfathomable.
"You're being so kind by playing the zither for me, are you trying to harm me on purpose? Let me tell you, if anything goes wrong at this Hundred Families Banquet, even if you're the legitimate daughter, Father won't let you off the hook!" Shen Qianyu looked at Shen Qianmo with suspicion and warning, raising her chin as she spoke.
"I don't need to remind you, elder sister, I know this very well." Shen Qianmo looked at Shen Qianyu with a half-smile, replied indifferently, and then turned and left.
"Shen Qianmo, you better not try anything funny! Otherwise you'll regret it!" Shen Qianyu watched Shen Qianmo's graceful departure. Despite her ordinary appearance, she possessed a noble air that infuriated her!
Chapter Sixteen: Sarcasm and Ridicule
"Miss, this outfit is so tacky, why did you wear it?" Qianqian said, looking at Shen Qianmo wearing a peach-colored palace dress with gold trim and large peonies embroidered on it.
My young lady always has excellent taste and prefers elegant and refined clothes, so why did she choose such a luxurious yet vulgar dress today?
“Today I’m attending the Hundred Families Banquet, so I naturally need to dress up nicely. These clothes are so vulgar, they won’t win people’s favor.” As she spoke, Shen Qianmo tucked a large peony into her hair, then smiled contentedly at herself in the mirror.
Her appearance was plain, with features so unremarkable that one would easily forget her at first glance. The loose and vulgar palace dress concealed her shapely figure and noble air.
The woman in the mirror looked like a chicken trying to become a phoenix, but failing miserably. Shen Qianmo smiled with satisfaction; now no one would want her anymore.
"Miss, Qianqian can't go with you, so please be careful!" Qianqian held Shen Qianmo's hand, looking reluctant to part.
"It's just attending a banquet! Silly Qianqian, be a good girl and wait for me to come back." Shen Qianmo patted Qianqian's head and smiled indulgently.
"Mo'er, why are you dressed like this?" Shen Lingyun frowned when he saw Shen Qianmo dressed in such a tacky outfit. Although the clothes were luxurious, they did not reflect her status or temperament. They looked like something a wealthy merchant who had never seen the world would wear. How could they be the clothes of the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family? And the peony in her hair was even more unbearable to look at!
Shen Qianmo usually has a somewhat ethereal and refined air when she doesn't dress up, but now that she's dressed up like this, she looks even worse.
"Father, isn't the Hundred Families Banquet very important? Mo'er wants to dress up a bit more elegantly!" Shen Qianmo blinked her bright eyes and said innocently.
"Fine. Mo'er, go with your sister." A hint of disdain flashed in Shen Lingyun's eyes, but he put on a fake, loving smile and said.
"Yes, Father." Shen Qianmo obediently walked to Shen Qianyu and Shen Qianxin's side. Shen Lingyun probably thought that since she was useless anyway, she might as well be used as a foil for Shen Qianyu and Shen Qianxin.
"You look so beautiful today, little sister." Shen Qianxin gently took Shen Qianmo's hand, her eyes sparkling with tenderness, but the hint of mockery deep in her eyes did not escape Shen Qianmo's notice.
Shen Qianmo raised her eyes to examine Shen Qianxin. Dressed in a light purple gown with a jade belt, she exuded a gentle and noble air. Her eyebrows were lightly drawn, and her eyes revealed a hint of tenderness. What a charming and dignified beauty she was.
"Thank you for the compliment, Second Sister," Shen Qianmo replied with a forced smile.
"With such a big peony in your hair, do you think you're a prostitute? How shameful!" Shen Qianyu disliked both Shen Qianxin and Shen Qianmo at this moment, and without caring about Shen Qianxin's feelings, she pointed at the peony in Shen Qianmo's hair and ridiculed her.
"With so much makeup on your face, does your older sister want to be an actress?" Shen Qianmo asked Shen Qianyu with an innocent smile.
But a hint of disdain lingered in the depths of her eyes. Shen Qianyu was always so brainless and all talk and no action.
Saying this would only increase Shen Qianmo's resentment towards her, without achieving any real effect. It would be better to be like Shen Qianxin, who both won Shen Qianmo's favor and made Shen Qianmo lose face at the subsequent Hundred Families Banquet.
"An actress? I think it's Third Sister's loose and shiny clothes that an actress would wear!" After being rebuked by Shen Qianmo, a trace of resentment flashed across Shen Qianyu's face, and her eyes became even more venomous as she looked at Shen Qianmo.
"Big sister, have you ever seen an actress wearing clothes with gold trim? Did you wear one when you were making a cameo appearance?" Shen Qianmo's eyes remained unchanged, and a mocking smile still lingered on her lips.
"Hmph!" Shen Qianyu was speechless after being spoken to by Shen Qianmo, and glared at Shen Qianmo fiercely.
"Big sister, don't look at me like that. Qianmo is timid and can't stand being scared. If she faints, there will be no one to play the zither for her!" Shen Qianmo deliberately pretended to be scared, her smile still on her lips, and said to Shen Qianyu.
"Third sister, eldest sister was just joking with you!" Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's last sentence, Shen Qianyu's expression immediately changed, and she said with a flattering look.
Who told her to ask Shen Qianmo for help! If Shen Qianmo didn't help her play, she would have come to the Hundred Families Banquet for nothing! If she couldn't gain the favor of the princes and noble sons, how would she ever escape her status as an illegitimate child and rise to prominence like a phoenix?
"I was just joking with my older sister!" Shen Qianmo sneered inwardly as she watched Shen Qianyu's expression change faster than the weather.
Help you play the piano? You think I, Chen Qianmo, am really that kind?!
However, I will definitely play this piece well! I want to help you gain not only the favor of the sons of powerful and wealthy families, but also the favor of the prince! You will thank me then!
It's a pity that the prince's favor is only because of this piece of music. I'm 100% sure you can't play such a piece! We'll see how you explain yourself then! My dear elder sister.
The Prime Minister's entourage quickly arrived at the venue for the Hundred Families Banquet. A young eunuch came to lead the way.
Shen Qianmo casually surveyed the surroundings; the area was filled with pavilions and waterside terraces, a truly breathtaking sight. Deep within these pavilions and terraces lay an extremely spacious open area.
Around the open space were rows of tents. The tents were arranged according to official rank.
The tents closest to the central open space belong to the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, the Eighth Prince, the Prime Minister, the General, and the Minister of War.
After Shen Qianmo followed Shen Lingyun into the tent, the tent flap was lowered.
According to the custom of the Hundred Families Banquet, the banquet will officially begin in the evening. There is still a full hour before it officially begins.
"Once everyone has arrived, Mo'er, you can play the zither." Shen Lingyun glanced at the people outside the tent and saw that most of them had arrived and the lights in each tent were on. He then handed a zither to Shen Qianmo.
Shen Qianmo touched the zither in front of her; it was actually the Phoenix Cry zither.
I never expected that the Phoenix Cry, the third-ranked zither, would be in Shen Lingyun's hands. And now Shen Lingyun has given me such a fine zither.
If it were her former self, she would have been moved by her father's love for her. But now, she knew all too well that the zither was merely a means to attract the attention of those outside the tent.
"The Crown Prince has arrived." The eunuch's voice came from outside the tent. Shen Qianyu and Shen Qianmo hid in a corner of the tent to peek, while Shen Qianxin sat inside the tent with a dignified and calm expression.
Shen Lingyun looked at Shen Qianxin with satisfaction, then at Shen Qianyu and Shen Qianmo, and shook his head with a hint of disappointment.