After Su Xiaoqi left Madam Zhao’s room, she went to the courtyard where Shen Mingzhu lived to inform her about the banquet the next day.
Upon hearing it was the Ning King’s mansion, Shen Mingzhu became nervous.
However, after Su Xiaoqi explained what the Ning King’s mansion might do to Shen Yun and the relationship between her siblings and the Ning King’s mansion, she quickly calmed down.
“I will take care of Mother tomorrow, so Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law don’t have to worry.”
Su Xiaoqi smiled at her.
Shen Mingzhu was no longer the ignorant village girl from Zhao Family Village two years ago.
In two years, doing business had trained her to be worldly and experienced.
She had a good eye for people and acted with discretion. As long as she wanted to, she could handle things on her own.
The next day, with the spring sun shining brightly.
Shen Yun, accompanied by Su Xiaoqi, Madam Zhao, and Shen Mingzhu, arrived at the Ning King’s mansion.
At the second gate, male and female guests were separated.
Shen Yun was a little worried about his mother and sister.
Su Xiaoqi winked at him, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
“Good, I’ll leave it to you, my wife. If anyone at the banquet is impolite and tries anything, don’t hesitate to be firm. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility for it.”
Su Xiaoqi chuckled.
She felt as if Shen Yun were encouraging her to cause trouble.
What if she got carried away and actually went looking for trouble after hearing his words?
At the second gate, the welcoming party consisted of Princess Fu’an and several experienced governesses from the mansion.
When she saw Su Xiaoqi, the expression on her face froze for a moment.
However, she was not Princess Qionghua, so she quickly regained her composure and walked towards Su Xiaoqi.
She stopped about five paces away from Su Xiaoqi, her eyes holding an unreadable emotion.
As soon as she stood still, the little maid beside her spoke:
“How dare you! Why do you not pay your respects when you see the Princess?”
The words were spoken loudly and with a condescending sense of superiority.
Madam Zhao beside them did not move.
Shen Mingzhu, however, couldn’t help but want to curtsy.
No matter how capable she was, she was still a merchant.
She understood best how status could crush people.
Su Xiaoqi held her back.
If Shen Yun were indeed the Ning King’s son, then his sister Shen Mingzhu would naturally be his daughter as well.
As daughters of the Ning King, could she not also possess a noble title?
So why should she pay respects to her?
Holding Shen Mingzhu’s hand and supporting Madam Zhao, she stood her ground and looked at Princess Fu’an.
Princess Fu’an was also looking at her, appraising her from head to toe, and then glancing dismissively at Madam Zhao and Shen Mingzhu.
Her mother had told them sisters everything.
She hadn’t expected her father to have had such romantic affairs in the past.
The Madam Zhao before her had aged, and although her attire was presentable, neither her jewelry nor her clothes were considered expensive.
They were nowhere comparable to her mother’s elegance and luxury.
This matched the identity the Ning King’s mansion intended to give them.
She was relieved, realizing that the other party did not know their plans.
She merely wanted to test Su Xiaoqi slightly and had no intention of arguing with her here.
After all, it was the Ning King’s mansion hosting the spring banquet today.
If it went wrong, it would tarnish their mansion's reputation.
She smiled at Su Xiaoqi and looked at her maid:
“Jin’er, step back. The ladies before you are the family of the current Minister of Rites.
This is Madam Zhao, this is Mrs. Shen, and this is Miss Shen. How could you be so rude?”
It was common for the young lady to speak and the maid to bear the blame. Xiao Jin did not dwell on it and quickly curtsied to Su Xiaoqi and the others, admitting her rudeness.
Su Xiaoqi said nothing outwardly, merely giving a faint hum.
What was the point of arguing with a little maid? One should strike at the right target.
With this matter settled, they entered the inner courtyard of the Ning King’s mansion.
This was Su Xiaoqi’s first time at the Ning King’s mansion.
Before this, she had been to the Prince Duan’s mansion.
This place was different from the Prince Duan’s mansion.
The scale of the estate might not be comparable to that of a prince.
However, the layout exuded a sense of deep heritage.
On the garden paths, even the most common flowers and plants were not ordinary.
They all had a history.
Of course, Su Xiaoqi didn’t know much about flowers and plants.
But Madam Zhao did.
She was skillful and dexterous, and her embroidery skills were excellent. To support her two children, she had to do a lot of embroidery every day.
Therefore, she learned many floral patterns from the shop.
Those flowers were not simple patterns.
Each flower had its own characteristics and was based on real flowers.
To embroider them as if they were alive, one had to first know what they looked like, then understand their characteristics, and grasp the details.
Only then would the embroidery not appear stiff.
Many years ago, it was with this embroidery skill that Madam Zhao raised Shen Yun and Shen Mingzhu and sent Shen Yun to school.
Later, she overworked her eyes from too much embroidery.
After Su Xiaoqi cured her, she forbade her from embroidering anymore.
But life needed some hobbies and solace. If one had no hobbies at all, life would feel unbearable.
Su Xiaoqi had a flash of inspiration and designated a plot of land in their courtyard for her to grow flowers for pleasure.
Originally, Su Xiaoqi just wanted her to grow them to pass the time.
But later, Shen Yun collected some extraordinary flower varieties and gave them to her to tend, and he also found many books for her to follow.
Her skills in floristry truly improved.
After more than a year of learning and practice, she had become comparable to a professional florist who had been tending flowers for five or six years.
Su Xiaoqi was quite surprised when she learned about this.
Madam Zhao could be considered someone who truly committed herself to her work and excelled at it.
However, no one took it too seriously.
After all, if she liked it, they let her be.
These things were merely her hobby.
What Su Xiaoqi and Shen Yun could do was bring back new varieties they saw outside.
Listening to Madam Zhao at this moment.
“This is the Golden Camellia, its flowers are golden.
This flower dislikes the sun and cannot be exposed to direct sunlight, so this kind of weather is best.
If it were summer, it would wilt as soon as it was exposed to the sun.
Look at this, the Lotus Lamp, this flower is beautiful.”
Su Xiaoqi also saw it; she recognized this flower because she had obtained two pots from Du Yiyi before and brought them back for Madam Zhao.
However, she heard it was difficult to cultivate, and Madam Zhao had even killed one pot at first.
Later, Shen Yun found a book for her to follow, and only then did she manage to keep it alive.
“This flower is afraid of both cold and heat. It might be okay in the climate of our Zhao Family Village.
In the capital, summers are too hot, and winters too cold, making it difficult to cultivate. One would need a greenhouse.”
Madam Zhao spoke articulately, and Su Xiaoqi listened attentively, nodding repeatedly.
“Mother knows so much.”
Madam Zhao was a little embarrassed by Su Xiaoqi’s praise and chuckled, covering her lips with a handkerchief.
“Indeed, Sister-in-law, you have no idea. Mother spends all her time at home on her flowers and plants.
Even the three of us are almost pushed aside,” Shen Mingzhu teased with a quick tongue.
The mother and daughters walked and talked, the atmosphere lively.
No one paid much attention to each other, and occasionally someone would pass by and glance at them.
However, at this moment, a pair of unfriendly eyes were fixed on the three of them.