Shen Yun was the hottest new noble in court recently.
These ladies of the court were the eyes and ears of the court officials in their backyards.
Many times, their actions seemed unrelated to their husbands on the surface.
But in reality, everything they did had already been sanctioned by them.
The court and the backyard seemed distant, not even on the same battlefield.
But their foundations were the same.
Although Shen Yun's entry into the Grand Secretariat did not come to pass due to his refusal, rumors had already spread throughout the court.
He might not be entering now, but he would eventually.
He was only twenty-four years old, six years younger than the youngest Grand Secretariat minister at the time.
This was truly a bright future, full of promise.
This also brought about a change in the status of Su Xiaoqi and the Zhao family mother and daughter in the backyard.
After Madam Song revealed her identity and Madam Xu vouched for her, everyone's gaze towards Su Xiaoqi changed instantly.
Su Xiaoqi deeply felt the change brought about by Shen Yun's differing status and position.
It was as if, when they had first entered the garden, the three of them were mere nobodies.
But now, inexplicably, they had suddenly become superstars.
From being ignored, they were now surrounded by a swarm of admirers.
She was unaccustomed to it.
But she could still manage.
After all, she had improved crop seeds several times in modern times and received national awards.
She had also enjoyed the adoration of everyone under thousands of spotlights.
This small scene was nothing compared to that.
Su Xiaoqi handled it with composure.
Shen Mingzhu, as Shen Yun's only sister, was also surrounded by a group of noble ladies.
She had initially been a little nervous, feeling that she was incompetent in everything from piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
If they had questioned her about those things, she would have been at a loss.
Fortunately, under the lead of Zhong Yanyan, daughter of a Hanlin Academy scholar, and Xu Mei, the second legitimate daughter of Xu Shijie, they did not dwell on Shen Mingzhu's shortcomings.
Instead, after hearing that she was good at making pastries, they humbly asked her for advice on how to make them.
This was Shen Mingzhu's forte, and she was very knowledgeable about it.
She recounted the pastries she made at the pastry shop and at home.
This caused everyone to perk up their ears and listen attentively.
During this time, Su Xiaoqi was worried that she might not be able to handle it.
But seeing that she quickly adapted to the situation, she was finally relieved, thinking that she was indeed the daughter of the Prince of Ning's mansion.
Even though she grew up in the countryside as a child, her noble blood could not be changed.
Among them, Zhao shi was the most unaccustomed.
When she was in Zhaojia Village, she had only seen the women of the village.
She had never seen so many noble ladies gathered together, with their fragrant silks and elaborate jewelry, dazzling to the eye.
Sitting in the pavilion, she felt a wave of nervousness.
Her eyes met no one she recognized, and others mostly looked at her with probing gazes.
Some wanted to speak to her, but seeing her timid appearance, they did not dare to approach.
After a period of utter boredom, Zhao shi simply stopped looking at anyone and stared blankly at the flowers outside.
After sitting for a while, the main figure of the Prince's mansion finally arrived, surrounded by a large group of servants.
The Princess of Ning, dressed in splendid brocade and adorned with jewels, was graceful and opulent.
She came before everyone and greeted them all familiarly.
She was a person who could handle any situation with ease.
Regardless of who among the noble ladies and young ladies attending, she could accurately call out their names.
She even knew what they were good at and what they liked.
When conversing with others, she could immediately grasp their preferences and lead them into pleasant conversations.
Although Su Xiaoqi was talking to Madam Zhong opposite her, her ears were actually paying attention to the Princess of Ning.
Listening to her skillful demeanor among the noble ladies,
She thought to herself that she was indeed cultivated by the royal family.
Her social skills were truly remarkable.
She couldn't help but worry even more about Zhao shi.
If Zhao shi were to confront her, she was unsure if she would have a chance to fight.
While Su Xiaoqi was worrying, she suddenly heard a suppressed and cold voice.
"Who are you? Why have I never seen you before?"
"I am..." Zhao shi stammered.
When she agreed to attend the banquet with Su Xiaoqi, she had specifically asked Madam Zhao to tell her some banquet etiquette.
This was to avoid making a fool of herself during the day.
But she found that no matter how much she learned last night, it was of no use.
The Princess of Ning, intentionally or unintentionally, kept mentioning her.
And occasionally threw in some particularly difficult questions.
Zhao shi could still manage at first, but later on, she couldn't even speak.
The Princess of Ning looked at Zhao shi's flustered appearance, her lips curved, and her smile disappeared.
Such a person dared to fight her for a man.
Truly overestimated herself.
The Princess of Ning wore a smile, but her heart harbored a chilling hatred for Zhao shi.
What angered her was that such a person, who was completely inferior to her in appearance and temperament, dared to compete for her man.
The crucial point was that she actually won.
She entered the household before her and gave birth to their eldest son and daughter.
Wasn't that infuriating!
The Princess of Ning was so angry that she tightly clutched her handkerchief.
Her slender fingers gradually dug into her palm through the handkerchief.
The pain made her gasp.
However, this kind of face-to-face confrontation gave her no pleasure.
If she were to deal with her, she would deal with her in front of everyone.
Today, she would let everyone know that this country bumpkin was not even worthy of carrying her shoes.
She called everyone over and said that at the corner of the garden ahead, there was a flower room.
She had cultivated many beautiful new varieties of orchids there.
Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums were the four types of plants highly esteemed since ancient times.
Among them, orchids were considered the most noble.
Not only did scholars and literati compare themselves to them,
But many women also favored them.
It was just that their ways of expressing their fondness differed.
Scholars and literati would write many poems for them.
Women in the backyard would send people to collect beautiful orchid varieties and move them to their own backyards to grow.
They would come to see them whenever they had the time.
Just like the Princess of Ning now.
She led everyone into the flower room.
Although it was early spring, the flower room was warm inside because the surroundings were airtight and charcoal fires were burning to provide heat.
The flower room was not small, about an acre in size.
Many pots of beautiful flowers were placed inside.
Some were in full bloom.
Others had not yet bloomed, with only a flower bud.
As everyone was admiring the flowers, Su Xiaoqi suddenly heard an exclamation:
"Oh, this flower is so beautiful, what kind of flower is this?"
Everyone's attention was drawn to the sound.
Looking over, they saw a delicate and pretty young girl.
She tilted her small face and asked Zhao shi.
Zhao shi was stunned; she hadn't expected this young girl, whom she didn't even recognize, to ask her.
She hesitated for a moment.
The young girl pouted with dissatisfaction: "Hmph, I saw you talking about this flower and that flower with people earlier, and I thought you knew a lot about flowers. Turns out you're just like everyone else."
Zhao shi was taken aback. Being spoken to like that by a small child, her face immediately turned red.
She stammered, unsure whether to speak or not.