Transmigrated into a vicious female supporting role, reborn as a hostage to the paranoid male protag

As the main owner of Shuibo Pavilion, the Qin family holds an annual plum blossom viewing banquet. In addition to the grand main banquet, they also hold banquets in the Bihe Garden next to the Plum Garden Villa for dozens of days before to entertain guests, to show their hospitality.

Su Yingxue and Si Dong arrived a few days late, and the banquet at Bihehe Garden had already been set up for several days. When Su Yingxue, supported by Taxue, arrived at the gate of Huangyuan, Si Dong had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing her walking towards me from afar, she was as graceful as a banished immortal, the hem of her crescent-white dress fluttering like a dancing butterfly, and she was as beautiful as a poem or a painting.

"Little sister." Si Dong, who was dressed as Qin Dong, unconsciously showed respect to his master.

"Thank you for your help, brother." Su Yingxue returned the salute calmly, then followed Qin Dong to the Bihe Garden. The Bihe Garden was the second largest garden in the Shuibo Pavilion, second only to the Plum Garden Villa in terms of scale.

In previous years, there would be several competitions at the Plum Blossom Viewing Banquet. Every year, the Qin family would host the banquet, and several nobles would be invited to the banquet to add some spice. The content and process of the competition would not be announced until the day of the event.

The Bihe Garden banquets held in the first ten days included one or two interesting games at each banquet to enhance the familiarity among the participants and serve as an ice-breaking trip.

As soon as you enter the Bihe Garden, a yellow-clothed servant and a maid will come forward with a sweet smile to greet you. The banquet in the Bihe Garden is divided into men's and women's tables, separated by a rippling Bihe Pond. The tables are set up in several pavilions on both sides of the pond.

Su Yingxue helped herself to Taxue, gave her name, and the maid led her to a seat.

Because the Qin family hosted the banquet, even though she was a concubine's daughter from a side branch, she still got a seat in the middle. Most of the people sitting in the front were noble ladies from aristocratic families, and those sitting in the back were relatives of officials. She was a concubine's daughter who had neither relatives with official status nor the prominent status of a legitimate daughter. The only reason she could sit there was because of her surname Qin.

Su Yingxue arrived relatively late, and most of the guests were already seated. The most beautiful ladies of the Beijing circle and women of marriageable age competed for attention in a dazzling display of colors.

Several ladies who knew each other well sat in groups of two or three at the banquet. They looked at the young talents on the other side of the Bihe Lake with reservedness and quietness, while chatting privately with the girls beside them.

Those who could be invited to the Water Wave Pavilion for the Bi Lotus Feast and the Flower Appreciation Banquet were certainly not ordinary people. Therefore, in order to avoid blind marriages, the daughters of aristocratic families would sometimes take this opportunity to screen and get to know each other better.

"Have you heard?" A pink-dressed woman at the next table couldn't help but say to the yellow-dressed woman next to her, "Look, the man at the second table across from us is Mo Yunsheng, the eldest son of the Mo family."

"I heard he's a rising star at Dongli Academy, a humble young man of remarkable talent and distinguished appearance. My brother said even the teacher predicts he'll be among the top three in three years!"

Upon hearing this, the woman in yellow glanced at him and said sullenly, "She is indeed very handsome, and her family is indeed one of the most affluent. It's a pity that her background is relatively low."

"As for fame and fortune, they are nothing but the moon in the water and the flower in the mirror," the woman in yellow lazily looked ahead again and again, her eyes focused on the first table on the other side.

With a smile on her face, she said to the young lady beside her, "If we really want to count the most talented people, we might as well look at the chief prince, the Second Prince Su Yanqing. He is a man of pure spirit and clear mind, loves poetry and song, and is skilled in archery and horseback riding. Born into the royal family, the only son of the imperial concubine, he is also so handsome and extraordinary. Isn't he more popular than the young master of the Mo family?"

The purple-clad woman beside her heard this and looked at the yellow-clad woman with a hint of sarcasm. She couldn't help but pour cold water on her, "Hey, where does this bad breath come from? It's so disgusting! Some people are toads who want to eat swan flesh. They dress like humans and think they are superior to others and can make up faults for others."

"It's a pity that he is the only son of the imperial concubine and a member of the royal family. How can you, the daughter of a fifth-rank official, be allowed to have such fantasies about him?" Situ Qingming had been at odds with Zhang Yingying, the daughter of the fifth-rank director of the Imperial Observatory, since childhood.

In the past, when Situ Qingming's father did not have such military achievements, Zhang Yingying's father had a higher rank than her. As the daughter of a civil official, she always looked down on her from the bottom of her heart at banquets because she was the daughter of a military officer and her words and deeds were not polite enough. She often gathered people to mock her for being vulgar, openly or secretly, with her sisters.

Now, it was a rare opportunity for her father Situ Liang to make a name for himself and become very popular. Once again, she heard Zhang Yingying mocking Mo Yunsheng for flattering the powerful and looking down on the weak. She couldn't help but think of how she had also been criticized for her background. She couldn't help but retaliate and poke back at her arrogance.

"Situ Qingming!" Zhang Yingying seemed to have been stabbed in a sore spot. Her beautiful eyes now held a hint of hatred as she fiercely glared at the woman who sat in a more prestigious position at the table next to her. From childhood to adulthood, Zhang Yingying had always been superior to Situ Qingming, always being admired and admired wherever she went.

Now, her luck has turned, and Situ Qingming has suddenly transformed herself into a figure that the entire circle of noble ladies has to give way to. Now, she, Zhang Yingying, has become the object of ridicule. How can she swallow this!

Last year, several small nations in the north invaded the border. Situ Qingming's father, Situ Liang, was entrusted with the task and lived up to expectations, inflicting several defeats on the enemy nations and forcing them to sign an agreement. Now, having recently returned to Kyoto and been personally appointed by the Emperor as the "Great General Guarding the North," he enjoyed a period of immense glory.

"I'm here, I'm here, what are you mumbling about?" Situ Qingming, born into a military family, didn't have the shyness of a scholar's wife. Because of this, she was always forthright, unconcerned with details, and quite daring. "Every year, the Bihe Banquet gets worse than the last."

"I wanted to have a quiet meal, but I can always hear a bunch of flies buzzing around, which really ruins my appetite. I don't want to have this banquet."

After saying that, Situ Qingming stood up and left. She didn't like the scene of noble ladies from Kyoto visiting the sons of royal families. She always liked to be alone and free. Now she had seen enough of the faces of these so-called noble ladies. Because of her own personality, she couldn't fit in with them and felt bored.

As soon as Situ Qingming left, Su Yingxue followed him out. She was also very angry when she heard what the yellow-clothed woman had said about Mo Yunsheng.

Whether before or after she traveled through the book, Zhang Susu had always respected the character of Mo Yunsheng. What's more, now that Mo Yunsheng was her target, and as someone whom Su Yingxue saw in her eyes and protected in her heart, how could she allow other women to make insinuations about Mo Yunsheng?

However, due to the current situation, Su Yingxue couldn't be too conspicuous in her disguise as Qin Xue. She had originally thought that there was still a long way to go, but she didn't expect Situ Qingming to accomplish what she wanted to do beautifully. Seeing Zhang Yingying's sulking and helpless look just now, Su Yingxue felt very relieved.