Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

In a blink of an eye, it was the day of the flower viewing banquet. The garden of the Song residence was decorated with clusters of flowers. Red, purple, green, and chrysanthemums of various colors and shapes competed with each other in beauty, which was a breathtaking sight.

Xue Qing followed closely behind Ji Nuan, her eyes never leaving the woman with black hair and a slender waist in front of her.

Servants were busy arranging tea and snacks as they shuttled between pavilions, towers, corridors and flower halls.

Xueqing's eyes fell on the blooming flowers from time to time, and she recalled the miraculous scene yesterday morning.

Yesterday morning, the maid who worked as a housekeeper at the Ji residence was in the toilet when she unexpectedly discovered that all the chrysanthemums in the front yard had bloomed overnight. She screamed as if she had seen a ghost, waking everyone up. The four Xuehua sisters rushed to investigate and were also stunned by the sight.

They were originally worried that the young lady would mess things up.

Although the flower viewing banquet was held under the guise of flower viewing, bringing together the ladies and girls of various families to eat, drink, and get to know each other and build relationships, no one was really there to enjoy the flowers. However, the flowers Ji Nuan bought were only buds, and if they were really put at the flower viewing banquet, it would be a bit unreasonable.

Unexpectedly, overnight, all these flower buds blossomed into the most beautiful appearance.

The four sisters, Xuehua, were puzzled and didn't believe such a coincidence could happen. They all suspected that Ji Nuan had done something to make all the flowers bloom at the same time. Later, when they saw Ji Nuan so calmly arrange for the flowers to be delivered to the Song residence, their suspicions were further strengthened.

Until now, Xue Qing is still wondering how the young lady managed to make all the chrysanthemums bloom overnight.

At this time, a little maid came over and saluted respectfully, saying, "Miss Ji, the wife of the prefect and her cousin are here. Madam invites you over."

Ji Nuan nodded slightly and sent the maid away: "I understand, you go and do your own thing." She looked towards the flower hall, as if expecting Shen Mingzhu to finally arrive.

Xue Qing concentrated her thoughts. As a qualified first-class maid, she shouldn't be so curious. Her duty was to serve the young lady well.

She reminded him in a low voice: "Miss, Qi Tongzhi was just transferred from the capital. His wife comes from Lu Yushi's mansion and attaches great importance to rules and etiquette."

Ji Nuan smiled slightly, already having a plan in mind: "Well, let's go over there." After that, she took Xue Qing and walked towards the flower hall.

When Ji Nuan arrived at the flower hall, Shen Mingzhu was shyly introducing herself: "Madam Hou, my family is from Qingzhou. I am now of marriageable age. My parents sent me to my uncle's house because they trust my aunt and asked her to find a good family for me."

Ji Nuan was shocked. What kind of girl would say such a thing on her first visit to someone's house? Shen Mingzhu was truly brainless. No wonder she could easily goad her into spending tens of thousands of taels. Such a simple-minded person with no sense of propriety made it difficult for her to regard her as a rival.

Looking at the marquis' wife again, he saw that she looked unhappy and was obviously quite dissatisfied with Shen Mingzhu's words and actions, but she did not say anything to stop her.

Ji Nuan raised her eyebrows. Did he know his niece was stupid and had given up on disciplining her?

Shen Songhe spoke, but she didn't pick up on Shen Mingzhu's words. Instead, she praised Madam Qi's upbringing: "Your aunt is naturally good. Not to mention that she comes from a family of scholars, she has memorized the "Nu Jie" and "Nu Xun" since she was a child. Her own knowledge and upbringing are among the best in the capital. Even after she got married, she managed the house in an orderly manner. No one can find a single fault with her."

It was almost as if he was saying that Shen Mingzhu was uneducated and didn't know the rules, and that she should ask Madam Qi for advice.

However, Shen Mingzhu didn't seem to grasp the deeper meaning of Shen Songhe's words, or perhaps she simply didn't know what embarrassment was. She continued to smile sweetly and nodded in agreement, "Madam, have you also heard about my aunt's demure and gentle nature? My uncle valued this aspect of her. He married her despite others mocking him for climbing the social ladder. He wasn't worried that she would become too powerful after marrying her and relying on the Censorate."

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the flower hall suddenly became tense. Madam Qi's face turned ugly in an instant. She finally couldn't help but interrupt Shen Mingzhu: "Mingzhu, shut up! How can you, a junior, make up the elders' affairs?"

Mrs. Qi was upset and regretted listening to her master and bringing Shen Mingzhu to the banquet. This girl was simply stupid. Not only was she naughty and willful at home, but she also didn't know the rules when she went out, which was embarrassing.

She quickly apologized to Shen Songhe, "Don't worry, Madam Hou. This child has been spoiled by her family. I will teach her a lesson when I get back."

Shen Songhe smiled slightly, expressing her understanding: "I understand Madam Qi's dilemma."

As an aunt, it's not easy to discipline your niece. If you're too lenient or too harsh, it won't end well. Not only will your hands be tied, but when it comes to someone as foolish as Shen Mingzhu, no matter how capable you are, you'll be powerless.

Shen Mingzhu wanted to continue speaking, but at this moment Ji Nuan chuckled softly, walked over gracefully, bowed to Shen Songhe first, and called softly, "Aunt Shen."

Then he turned around and bowed to Madam Qi, saying in a clear and pleasant voice, "Madam Qi, how are you?"

Shen Songhe nodded with satisfaction. Comparing the two, Shen Mingzhu was simply unbearable to look at. His daughter-in-law was still the best.

There were no women of this age in the Song Mansion, and seeing that the Marquis' wife loved Ji Nuan so much, Mrs. Qi had probably guessed her identity.

She quickly smiled, stood up and nodded in return.

The moment Shen Mingzhu saw Ji Nuan, her face fell to the ground. She was already unhappy that her aunt had interrupted her, and now seeing her aunt being so polite to Ji Nuan, her unhappiness was written all over her face, and she was almost unable to hold it back.

"Come sit next to me."

Shen Songhe ignored Shen Mingzhu's strange expression. She smiled and waved to Ji Nuan, asking her to come sit next to her. Then, she introduced her to Madam Qi, "This is the prince's fiancée, the daughter of the Ji family."

Mrs. Qi thought about it and realized that she was right.

She praised him repeatedly, "I've heard that the prince has a discerning eye. Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, Miss Ji is truly dignified and generous, with an extraordinary temperament. No wonder she's favored by the prince. Madam Hou is so lucky!"

Shen Mingzhu's face darkened even further. Madam Qi held her hand tightly, yet she dared not lash out. She could only lower her head silently, the jealousy and injustice in her heart surging like a tide, difficult to calm.

She thought angrily, what was so good about Ji Nuan? Just because she was born into a peasant family, she couldn't compare to Shen Mingzhu. The Marquis' wife didn't worry about marrying her and bringing a smell of mud into the house.

Song Qiuniang was right. Ji Nuan would win people's hearts. She must find a way to get close to Lord Song today. Even if she could not marry Lord Song openly, she would stay with Lord Song.

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