Shen Lixue spoke eloquently and behaved politely. Her warm smile was like a spring breeze, and the noble ladies and young ladies all praised her highly: "The eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion is truly remarkable!"
"Wasn't it said that she grew up in the countryside?"
"Her mother was Lin Qingzhu, the most talented and beautiful woman in the capital back then. Even though she grew up in the countryside, her manners and etiquette were impeccable."
Listening to the murmurs of the crowd, Dongfang Zhan sat in his seat, holding his wine glass lightly, but didn't drink a drop. His gaze lingered on her, intentionally or unintentionally.
Shen Caiyun leaned back in her seat, looking at Shen Lixue without saying a word. Shen Yingxue gritted her teeth in hatred. What a bitch! She only gave her a few boxes of gold and silver as a reward. What's there to be proud of?
"Look, look! Prince An! Prince An is here!" A sharp voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone was stunned and stared at him. Dongfang Heng was dressed in white, with a dark cloud and sea pattern embroidered on the hem. The pattern was exquisite. His dark eyes were like a deep pool, unfathomable. He exuded aloofness and pride, keeping people at a distance.
Everyone's eyes darted back and forth between Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng. It was only natural for a fiancé to host a banquet and for his fiancé to come and celebrate.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. It was just a small banquet, yet Dongfang Heng had come.
The moment Dongfang Heng stepped into the living room, he saw Shen Lixue. Although she was standing among the crowd, he was very familiar with her unique temperament and spotted her at a glance. A slight ripple appeared in his cold eyes.
Dongfang Zhan's gaze sharpened, and he greeted him with a smile: "Prince An!"
Dongfang Heng's tone was icy, his face cold: "Prince Zhan!"
Shen Lixue frowned. The handsome men of the Qingyan royal family were pleasing to the eye, but why did she always feel that there was a very special fluctuation between them, like a frozen river with a calm surface but turbulent undercurrents beneath?
"The banquet hasn't started yet, has it? This young master has arrived at just the right time!" With a clear laugh, Nangong Xiao swaggered into the living room, lightly waving his folding fan. Behind him walked Ye Qianlong, Lin Yan, the princess of Southern Xinjiang, and a stranger he had never seen before.
The man was about twenty years old, with an ordinary appearance. He wore a white robe with beautiful vine flowers embroidered on the hem. However, unlike the princess of Southern Xinjiang whose vine flowers were seven-colored, his were gold. As he walked, he arrogantly surveyed the decorations of the living room, his eyes full of disdain: "The decorations of this Qingyan Prime Minister's residence are nothing special. They are far inferior to those of our place!"
Shen Minghui's expression darkened slightly as he glanced at the man in white: "Young Master Nangong, who is this?" Looking at the man's clothes, he had a vague idea of what was going on, but he wasn't sure.
The rich fragrance of flowers filled the entire living room. Shen Lixue frowned slightly, and a name seemed to spring to mind.
"He is the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang, here to escort the Princess of Southern Xinjiang back, and to travel around for a few days!" Nangong Xiao said casually, quickly downing a cup of wine: "I came to attend the banquet, met them on the street, and then they followed me to the Prime Minister's residence. It has nothing to do with me!"
These two people were extremely agile, like leeches following him everywhere. He tried to shake them off the whole way but couldn't, so he had no choice but to let them follow him.
Sniffing, Nangong Xiao looked at Qin Ruoyan and frowned deeply: "Princess, there are no poisonous insects in Qingyan Capital. Could you please not use such strong incense next time?" The fragrance is almost suffocating.
"I will leave Qingyan soon and won't bother you for long!" Qin Ruoyan retorted without any politeness, casually found a place to sit down, and poured herself a glass of wine.
The Southern Border Crown Prince's arrogant gaze swept over the noble ladies, his eyes sparkling, yet filled with disdain: "They say Qingyan produces beauties, but in my opinion, they're nothing special!"
The noble ladies' faces instantly darkened. This prince of the Southern Frontier was as plain-looking as a passerby, yet he dared to say they were not beautiful. Or was it that ugliness was considered beautiful in the Southern Frontier, and beautiful things were considered ugly there?
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. The Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang was truly arrogant and didn't take Qingyan seriously at all. Did he really look down on the noble lady, or was he deliberately trying to cause trouble?
"Everyone, I'd like to propose a toast!" The Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang was full of arrogance, and the atmosphere in the living room was a bit awkward. Shen Minghui raised his glass and took a sip to ease the awkwardness. After putting down his glass, his eyes were full of joy. He had tentatively sent out invitations and actually invited princes, dukes, county princes, and heirs. It seemed that he was still highly regarded in the court, which was worth celebrating.
Dongfang Heng went straight to the glass of wine, but just as he picked it up, the glass was snatched away. He looked up and met Shen Lixue's cold eyes, which held a hint of anger: "You're injured, drink less wine, have some tea instead!"
Shen Lixue moved extremely quickly, spoke very softly, and did her job very discreetly. Others could only see her talking to Dongfang Heng, but couldn't hear what they were saying. Envy, jealousy, resentment, and ambiguous glances all fell on the two of them. They weren't even married yet, but their relationship was already so intimate. Their relationship after marriage would definitely be very good.
Dongfang Heng didn't try to take it by force. He accepted the tea that Shen Lixue poured for him and slowly sipped it, a warm light flashing in his cold eyes.
"Dongfang Heng, is your injury still the same?" Shen Lixue looked at the silk clothes on Dongfang Heng's chest. Beneath the beautiful patterns, there was a deep sword wound that went straight to his heart.
"Hmm!" Dongfang Heng nodded. His injuries would not improve until he was treated by the Ghost Doctor of Southern Xinjiang.
Shen Lixue frowned slightly: Every injury has medicine. Although Dongfang Heng's injuries are severe, there should be some medicine that can slow down the damage. Let's try to find some...
Seeing that Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng were chatting happily, Shen Yingxue shyly went to find Dongfang Zhan. Dongfang Zhan was drinking wine and ignored her even after she had been there for a long time.
Strange, Prince Zhan is clearly lucid, how could he not notice her arrival! Shen Yingxue followed his gaze in confusion and saw Shen Lixue. A surge of anger welled up inside her: This slut seduced Prince An, and then secretly tried to seduce Prince Zhan as well! How despicable, how despicable…
As Shen Lixue was pondering where to find medicine, she overheard a group of women discussing: "Miss Shen is truly clever; she actually came up with such a perfect flood control plan. If it were me, even if I came up with the main strategy, I wouldn't have been able to think of something so comprehensive..."
"Me too……"
"We are all..."
"Ladies, you are all clever and quick-witted. There's no need to belittle yourselves. It's just that time was of the essence, which is why we couldn't come up with a good plan to control the flood. If given more time, we're sure to come up with a more perfect flood control strategy..." Shen Yingxue glanced at Shen Lixue, her tone both mocking and sarcastic. Shen Lixue's flood control strategy was just a matter of luck; if she had more time, she could have come up with it herself...
"Really?" Several young ladies asked, feigning joy, while their mocking gazes frequently fell upon Shen Lixue, as if they were mocking her for overestimating herself, for coming up with a clever but unrealistic plan, and for thinking she was so superior. They suggested that given some time, she could come up with something even more perfect.
The hall fell silent instantly, and mocking glances were frequently directed at Shen Yingxue. It was her older sister's celebration banquet, and she, as the younger sister, was showing such disrespect. It was anyone's guess how Shen Lixue would handle this...
Shen Minghui's expression also turned somewhat unpleasant. How could Yingxue be so inconsiderate, mocking Lixue in public and disgracing the entire Prime Minister's residence? Couldn't she have waited until the guests left before making the mockery?
Dongfang Heng remained silent, his face terribly grim. Lin Yan and Ye Qianlong also looked rather unpleasant, their sharp gazes fixed on Shen Yingxue. Shen Yingxue shivered, but knowing there were many guests, she knew they wouldn't dare do anything to her. Trembling, she defiantly said again, "I'm sorry, elder sister, I was just speaking from the heart, not mocking you!"
The Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang also watched Shen Lixue with great interest. Being publicly humiliated by his own sister was not a pleasant experience.
Shen Lixue chuckled softly, took a boiled egg from the cup and plate, and said loudly, "Who can make this egg stand upright on the table without any support?"
The way everyone looked at Shen Lixue became a bit strange. It was one thing for her to be mocked by her own sister, but she actually had the mind to play games with eggs.
Shen Yingxue blinked, looked at Shen Lixue, and then at the boiled egg. Was she too weak to handle the shock and had gone mad from her own reaction?
The idea of balancing an egg was quite novel, and several noble ladies and gentlemen stepped forward to try it, but they couldn't manage it even after trying for a long time.
Shen Yingxue curled her lip in disdain. What a bunch of idiots, they can't even do something this simple.
"Let me try!" Pushing aside the crowd, Shen Yingxue walked forward arrogantly, as if victory was in her grasp. She took the egg and carefully placed it upright on the table. The moment she let go, the egg fell over. She frowned and tried to stand it up again, but the egg was very disobedient. She stood it up, and it fell over as soon as she let go. She stood it up, and it fell over again. She tried to stand it up for a long time, but the egg still could not stand upright.
Shen Yingxue was losing face and glared angrily at Shen Lixue: "This egg can't stand up at all, big sister, are you playing a trick on me?"
Shen Lixue smiled coldly: "I can make an egg stand up!" She quickly picked up the egg, tapped it on the table, and a small piece of the shell was broken off the round tip, allowing it to stand steadily on the table.