mtl008 Chapter 530: Unlucky, Why Are They Everywhere?
Chapter 530: Unlucky, Why Are They Everywhere?
"I pointed out your bad breath with good intentions, why did you curse at me?" Yao Qingnian was not one to tolerate her, so she ignored her and returned to her seat, sitting obediently.
Ran Jiajia could only leave on the pretext of having something to do. Soon, the news that the daughter of the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet had bad breath spread, and everyone tried to avoid her.
After a while, Prince Rui came with his princess and Shen Youran to celebrate the birthday.
"Grandmother, your grandson has brought Qing'er and Concubine Shen to celebrate your birthday. I wish you will be as constant as the moon and as bright as the sun."
"Qing'er, you're here! Come to your aunt and tell me if King Rui bullied you?"
"Grandmother, can you please give your grandson some face in front of so many people? Qing'er is gentle and virtuous, how could your grandson bear to bully her?" Prince Rui said with a smile.
"You don't have the final say. It's Qing'er's turn."
"Aunt, Prince Rui treats Qing'er very well, so you don't have to worry about me."
"That's good. If this brat bullies you or suffers any injustice, come to the palace at any time and I will deal with him for you."
"Grandmother, I dare not."
They were talking happily, while Shen Youran stood aside awkwardly, and no one noticed her at all.
It was Prince Rui who remembered her, so he brought her to the Queen Mother and introduced her, saying, "You Ran, come and pay your respects to the Queen Mother. Grandmother, this is You Ran, you haven't met her yet!"
"Greetings, Her Majesty the Queen Mother. This is the longevity picture that I embroidered for you myself. May you live a long and healthy life." Shen Youran saluted, then took out the birthday gift that she had prepared in advance and displayed it in front of everyone.
The stitches on this picture of a hundred longevity paintings are fine and even, and the sheen of the embroidery threads shines faintly on the brocade. Each "longevity" character is elegant and lively. No one expected that Concubine Shen's embroidery skills were so exquisite, and everyone praised her.
"Grandmother, Youran has put a lot of thought into this Hundred Years of Longevity painting. His hands are now pierced beyond recognition."
"Well, Concubine Shen is thoughtful." Although the empress dowager disliked her, in front of so many people, she did not make things difficult for her because she had prepared gifts for her so carefully. She signaled the nanny beside her to pack up the things, said a few polite words, asked them to take a seat, and then continued to chat and laugh with Princess Zi Ning and Princess Rui.
Shen Youran felt uncomfortable being treated differently, but that was the Queen Mother, so she didn't dare to show it no matter how brave she was. She could only sit obediently next to Prince Rui.
After catching a glimpse of Yao Qingnian's figure not far away, his anger deepened, so he whispered a few words in Prince Rui's ear, signaling him to look in the direction of Yao Qingnian and Chen Shuhua.
"Why is that country bitch here? This is the Royal Grandmother's birthday party!" Prince Rui looked in the direction Shen Youran said, and sure enough, he saw Yao Qingnian talking to Chen Shuhua and the others, looking calm and composed.
"I guess he came in with the old lady of the Duke's Mansion?" Shen Youran thought, now Yao Qingnian has no identity at all, he is a pariah, what qualifications does he have to attend the birthday banquet in the palace.
"You Ran, you said she came back from the countryside, right? Then she must not know anything."
"Your Highness, my sister was sent to the countryside to be raised when she was young. How could she learn anything good in such a poor place?"
"You are right. I will find an opportunity to teach her a lesson later."
"This is also my first time in the palace. Your Majesty, please show mercy." Shen Youran was delighted. Now she didn't have to do anything, someone would take care of the bitch Shen Nianran. She just had to wait and watch the show.
The Empress Dowager's birthday banquet began. The Emperor came over and said a few words of blessing, then left as he had official business to attend to.
The banquet hall was bustling with laughter and joy. The time was almost up. In order to give the ladies some opportunities to perform and to add to the festive atmosphere, the empress dowager would set up some prizes for the ladies who performed well. The ladies were all married and generally would not join in the fun, but the ladies were eager to try. If they could get the empress dowager's praise and favor at the banquet, it would not only help the family but also be of great help to their marriage. They might even be favored by the princes or the ladies.
Now the candidates for husbands in the girls' minds are the Crown Prince, Prince Rui, Prince Jing, Prince Heng and so on. The Crown Prince and Prince Rui have already married their principal wives, leaving Prince Jing and several younger princes. Although Prince Jing is not favored by the Emperor, his status and position are there, and he also has good looks, so he has won the hearts of many girls. And Prince Heng is also a rare talent.
The first person to come forward was Jiang Wei, the second daughter of the Imperial Censor. She was a famous talented woman in the capital. She was different from Shen Youran, who was a talented woman who was flattered. She was a real talent. The young lady walked into the hall with a graceful step, her figure spinning lightly, like a startled swan, her feathered clothes fluttering, her embroidered ribbons flying, as graceful as colorful clouds chasing the moon.
After the dance, everyone was immersed in her graceful dancing. The Queen Mother was the first to praise: "The girl from the Jiang family danced very exquisitely. She is worthy of being a recognized talented woman in the capital. It is really pleasing to the eyes. Appreciate!"
Jiang Wei bowed and said, "Thank you, Queen Mother, for your praise."
Then, several other ladies took turns to display their talents, some playing the piano, some reciting poems, each with their own merits.
After the last lady finished her performance, Prince Rui suddenly spoke to the Queen Mother, "Grandmother, we have all seen the talents of these ladies in the capital, and they are naturally good. I have long heard that Miss Shen is also very talented. I wonder if I can have the honor today to ask you to let her perform for us, so that everyone present can open their eyes and see if she is as talented as the rumors say."
Yao Qingnian was enjoying the show while eating, but when he heard what King Rui said, he almost choked and cursed in his heart, "What bad luck! Why are they everywhere?! It seems that King Rui is deliberately trying to make things difficult for me!"
"What is Prince Rui doing? You know Miss Shen just came back from the countryside, how could she know these things?"
"I guess he's trying to stand up for Concubine Shen and embarrass her."
The ladies below were talking about it.
The Queen Mother looked towards Yao Qingnian, then smiled and said, "Since Prince Rui has said so, I wonder what Miss Shen thinks?"
"Reporting to the Queen Mother, as everyone knows, although my granddaughter has been raised in the countryside since she was a child, she is dignified and sensible, and has a good understanding of etiquette. She is already a very good child. As for the arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, she has just returned not long ago, and we haven't had time to hire a female teacher for her to learn. If she suddenly goes on stage to make a fool of herself, I'm afraid everyone will laugh at her. I beg the Queen Mother to forgive me." When Old Lady Chen heard that Prince Rui wanted Yao Qingnian to perform on stage, she knew that he did it on purpose, so she did not hide it and said it directly, so that even if they were going to make things difficult, they would have to think twice.