The elder sister killed the whole family, and came back to be beaten to death

The Queen sent word that all the unengaged girls from the families of fourth-rank officials should attend the event. Since Shen Tang was not engaged, it was reasonable for her to go.

But this palace banquet was held for the selection of a princess for Prince Ning. Old Prince Ning asked Shen Tang to marry him on behalf of his grandson Xiao Huan. Shen Sui politely declined. Shen Tang would definitely not marry Xiao Huan, so there was no need for her to go to the palace banquet. More importantly, Shen Tang was plotted against by Concubine Ye and Princess Cheng'an a few days ago, and she was still in fear. Ginkgo didn't want Shen Tang to enter the palace again from the bottom of her heart.

Shen Tang didn't want to enter the palace either, but she still wanted to find an opportunity to ask Xiao Huan if he had a birthmark. Since it was a banquet held to select the Crown Prince's Consort for Xiao Huan, Xiao Huan would definitely go, and Shen Tang didn't want to miss such a good opportunity.

But Shen Tang didn't hesitate, because she had no choice at all. "My grandmother and father wouldn't let me go."

That's right. It's impossible for the Marquis and the old lady to let the girl go to the palace where people are eaten without leaving any bones when they know that Concubine Ye is targeting her. Ginkgo felt relieved. "With such a good opportunity, the second wife and the eldest girl will definitely take the opportunity to return home..."

Even if there is no opportunity, I will find a way to create one to return home. What's more, it is such a good opportunity. I am afraid he is already on the way home.

As Shen Tang guessed, as soon as the Second Wife received the news that the palace was going to hold a banquet and the Queen was asking officials of the fourth rank and above to bring their unengaged daughters to attend, she immediately had people pack up and return home.

Although the palace banquet was in three days, it was impossible for the Second Wife and the others to enter the palace directly from Jingci Temple. They could only come back two days in advance. The old lady didn't want her to go to Jingci Temple again. Besides, Shen Xi and Shen Ran also had to prepare for the palace banquet. If they wanted to dance or play the piano, they had to practice for two days to avoid being unfamiliar with it. So the old lady turned a blind eye.

It was with great difficulty that they were allowed to go to Jingci Temple for self-reflection, but they ended up coming back early after only a few days. They called it reflection, but Shen Xi went out to the street to view lanterns and sent her cousin to the examination hall. How could this be considered self-reflection?

The reflection was perfunctory, but it was not without effect. When the Second Wife and Shen Xian came back this time, they did not dare to encourage the old lady to let her enter the palace. Shen Xian and Shen Ran attached great importance to this palace banquet. Shen Tang went to pay her respects a while later, but they were nowhere to be seen.

But in the end Shen Tang still went to the palace for the banquet.

The weather was fine on the day of the palace banquet. After breakfast, Shen Tang went to Songhe Hall to pay his respects to the old lady as usual. When he walked around the screen, he saw Shen Xian and Shen Ran chatting and laughing with the old lady. They both dressed very carefully, looking dignified, pretty and graceful.

The second wife's dress was not that of a fourth-rank official's wife, but rather that of a marquis's wife.

The old lady warned Shen Xian and Shen Ran, "Don't walk around the palace casually. Be careful in what you say and do."

The two of them agreed obediently.

When the maid came in to report that the carriage was ready, the second wife prepared to take them into the palace. Shen Luo could only watch. The third master was a fifth-rank official, and Shen Luo was not qualified to enter the palace. Moreover, with her status, entering the palace would only be for fun.

Just as the Second Madam stood up, a maid came in and said, "Old Madam, the Queen Mother heard that the Second Young Lady's sword dance is quite good and she wants to meet her. Concubine Ye heard from the Second Madam a few days ago that you, Old Madam, were not feeling well, so she sent a royal physician to see you."

The old lady did not show any honor at all for Concubine Ye's concern, but rather a bit of coldness on her face.

Concubine Ye sent the imperial physician not because she cared about the old lady, but because she was afraid that the Pingyuan Marquis' Mansion would use the excuse that Shen Tang was unwell to prevent Shen Tang from entering the palace. She sent an imperial physician to shut the Pingyuan Marquis' Mansion up. Since the Queen had ordered officials of the fourth rank and above to bring their unengaged daughters to the palace for a banquet, and Shen Tang was not unwell, refusing to enter the palace was tantamount to turning a deaf ear to the Queen's words.

老夫人知道叶贵妃不是平远侯府能得罪的起的，可就算揍昌平侯世子的男子就是想娶他们平远侯府姑娘的人，也没有叶贵妃这样柿子捡软的捏的，他们平远侯府就这么好欺负是吗？！

The old lady clenched the Buddhist beads in her hand angrily. Shen Tang said, "Grandma, please let me enter the palace."

Even if she could avoid the first day, she couldn't avoid the fifteenth. The Queen Mother asked her to enter the palace, so she pretended to be sick to avoid it today. She would still have to go when she recovered.

Since she can't hide, she can at least see Xiao Huan if she goes to the palace today, but that may not be the case next time.

The old lady also knew what Concubine Ye was going to do and no one could stop her. But when she thought about the last time Shen Tang entered the palace and was accused of bumping into Princess Cheng'an and breaking the imperial porcelain bottle, and was almost punished to kneel for three hours, the old lady was still frightened.

Shen Tang said, "Grandma, I will be careful."

It's not enough to just be careful.

The only thing that comforted the old lady was that the person who liked Shen Tang had great respect in the eyes of the emperor. If anything happened to Shen Tang, the emperor would protect him for the sake of that person.

Shen Xian also said, "Grandma, just let my second sister go. After she enters the palace, I will accompany her wherever she goes."

No, it would be fine if Shen Xi didn’t accompany her. If she did, she would definitely die faster.

However, Shen Tang knew that Shen Ying said this just to get the old lady to let her enter the palace so that she could be bullied by Concubine Ye. As for accompanying her, it would be impossible even if the sun rose from the west.

The old lady looked at the second wife and said, "Tang'er will come to the palace with you. Take good care of her. If anything happens to Tang'er in the palace, you will be the only one I will ask."

Shen Tang was wearing a dress embroidered with orchids in a lake-blue cloud pattern today. It was about new, and she would not bring disgrace to the Marquisate when she attended the banquet in the palace. However, her hair ornaments were a bit simple, and returning to Qingyi Garden to get them would take too much time. So the old lady ordered the maid, "Bring me the pair of gold and sapphire hairpins from my dressing box."

After a while, the maid brought the hairpin and the old lady inserted it into Shen Tang's bun and said, "It's really good."

Shen Tang said, "Thank you, Grandmother, for the reward."

Shen Xian was so angry that she tightened the embroidered handkerchief in her hand.

In the past two months, the old lady has been rewarding Shen Tang one after another, but has not given her anything good. Her grandmother's heart is really biased towards Shen Tang. After returning from the palace banquet, she will have to think of a way to win back her grandmother's heart.

When they arrived at the gate of the Marquis' Mansion, the carriage was already waiting there. Neither Shen Tang nor Shen Ying wanted to ride in the same carriage with the other. Unfortunately, they were both daughters of the eldest son's family and had twins in the same pregnancy, so they had no choice but to be tied up.

All the way into the palace, the two of them pretended each other didn't exist and didn't say a word.

They entered the palace smoothly and stopped at the horse racing ground. Shen Tang sat outside and got off the carriage first.

But Shen Tang didn't expect that as soon as she got out of the carriage, she saw Xie Guimo. He was riding on a horse, handsome and noble.

Since the day Shen Tang told Xie Guimo about his rebirth and Xie Guimo jumped out of the window, they have never seen each other again.

Eyes facing each other.

Shen Tang felt as if his heart was pierced by a needle.

The pain spread throughout her body. She looked away and stepped out of the carriage.

……

Shen Tang got off the carriage, Xie Guimo also got off the horse, and Princess Jingyang came out of the sedan chair.

Seeing many ladies from wealthy families walking forward, she urged Xie Guimo, "If you don't let your mother choose a consort for you, then you should do your best. If you find a girl you like, your mother can propose marriage to you. Don't put off your lifelong event any longer."

When Princess Jingyang said this, Shen Tang and Shen Xi happened to pass by, and their expressions were different.

Shen Tang felt heartbroken, and Shen Ying tore the embroidered handkerchief in her hand with an extremely ugly look on her face. Such a good marriage was ruined by her. It would have been fine if the Prince of Jingyang had died, but he was still alive and well. She didn't know how many people laughed at her behind her back for letting the duck that was in her hands fly away.

The palace maid led the way and took them to the imperial garden.

The imperial garden was full of spring, with countless exotic flowers and plants, but what was even more eye-catching were the ladies dressed in their gorgeous attire. Although today was not the day to choose a concubine for the prince, but only for the Prince of Ning, the Prince of Ning's status was not much lower than that of the prince, and the future status of an ordinary prince might not be as high as that of the Prince of Ning.

Prince Ning is the emperor's biological uncle and holds a high status. The Prince of Ning is the only remaining heir. It can be said that as long as the Prince of Ning does not murder the emperor or rebel in the future, he will enjoy endless wealth and glory for the rest of his life.

The Prince of Ning is not only of noble status, but also handsome and talented. It is not enough to describe him as a man of both civil and military talents. If you can marry him, you will wake up smiling in your dreams. Yet, there are still people who refuse. Only a very arrogant person can do such a thing. The whole Imperial Garden is talking about it.

As soon as Shen Tang entered the imperial garden, countless eyes fell on her, looking her up and down from head to toe.

If someone else rejected a marriage proposal, everyone would definitely be surprised, but when it came to Shen Tang, it seemed less surprising. After all, it was not the first time Shen Tang rejected a marriage proposal.

If she had not refused the marriage, she would have become the Crown Prince of Jingyang's consort.

If she doesn't marry the Prince of Jingyang, or the Prince of Ning, who will the second daughter of the Pingyuan Marquis marry? The Crown Prince?

A lady from a prominent family said sarcastically, "Prince Ning saved her in the street. If Old Prince Ning doesn't propose marriage, wouldn't that be a cause for criticism? Marquis Pingyuan refused the marriage because he knew his daughter wasn't worthy of Prince Ning. Prince Ning is the only remaining heir in the Ning Palace. If anything were to happen to him, the Pingyuan Palace wouldn't be able to afford it."

"Why is she always being rescued..."

When these people talk about her, can they please speak a little more quietly? Not only do they talk about her, but they also let her hear it.

Do you think she likes being rescued? She is in danger of her life when she goes out for a walk. She may be hit by a wine jar while walking on the road. She almost gets a piece of water stuck in her teeth.

In her previous life, she married Xie Guimo, and people said she was not worthy of him. In this life, she didn't marry him, and people said she was too arrogant. Fortunately, she didn't care much about what others said, otherwise she would be furious.

Moreover, Shen Tang didn't care what others said about her. Concubine Ye was deliberately trying to get her into the palace. God knows what trap she had dug for her. She had to be extremely vigilant.

Not knowing where the trap was, Shen Tang simply decided to remain unchanged. He arrived at the Imperial Garden and found a pavilion to sit down. He did not participate in any games such as pitching pots, flying kites, and blindfolded catching people, nor did he go near them. He just sat in the pavilion without drinking tea or eating cakes.

Shen Tang, "..."

I'm almost having paranoia.

Shen Tang was bored, but luckily she didn't have any friends. She sat in the pavilion for a quarter of an hour, and then Princess Roujia of Prince Duan's Mansion came over.

Princess Roujia asked kindly, "Sister Shen Tang, why are you sitting here? Aren't you going to play?"

Shen Tang smiled and said, "It's good to watch from here."

Princess Roujia sat down and said, "I'm here to thank Sister Shen Tang."

Shen Tang looked at her, "What are you thanking me for?"

Princess Roujia whispered, "Thanks to Sister Shen Tang for sending me the prescription. If it weren't for Sister Shen Tang thinking of me, I might not have been able to enter the palace today."

Although it was definitely impossible for her to marry Xiao Huan, who was her cousin, she liked the hustle and bustle. Everyone else could go to the palace for banquets, but she was the only one stuck in the mansion, half dead, which was so boring.

She thought Shen Tang would not come to the palace today, but when she knew Shen Tang was here, she was grateful and wanted to come over to thank him. She didn't know how to thank Shen Tang.

In the past, she would be in excruciating pain during her period. This time, she took the medicine ten times, and although it still hurts a little, it is much better than before. The doctor said that if she takes the medicine for a few more months, she will not feel any pain as long as she pays attention to keeping warm.

Shen Tang didn't expect that Princess Roujia would go to the Marquis' Mansion to thank her for just a prescription, and now she was thanking her again. She laughed and said, "The princess and I are too formal."

Princess Roujia smiled, with dimples at the corners of her mouth. She rested her elbows on the stone table and looked at Shen Tang's face. Shen Tang thought there was something dirty on his face and raised his hand to wipe it. "What's wrong with my face?"

Princess Roujia said sadly, "Why don't you marry the Prince of Jingyang or the Prince of Ning?"

Not to mention her eldest brother, he had no chance of getting a number at all. Fortunately, her eldest brother stopped their mother from proposing marriage a few months ago, otherwise her eldest brother would be another person who was rejected by Sister Shen Tang.

Shen Tang said, "I'm not worthy of them."

Princess Roujia didn't believe it, "It's obvious that you don't want to marry them."

The bridal sedan from Prince Jingyang's Mansion had already gone to Marquis Pingyuan's Mansion to pick up the bride, but it was sent back empty. If it weren't for Sister Shen Tang's gentle temperament, she would really suspect that she was too picky and looked down on Prince Jingyang.

Princess Roujia approached Shen Tang and whispered, "They all said that you had a better match and that's why you didn't marry the Prince of Ning. Is that true?"

Shen Tang, "..."

Shen Tang felt that his eyes were dazzled by the gossipy light emanating from Princess Roujia's face.

Could you please not be so curious?

There are not many ladies from wealthy families that she has a good relationship with, and she really doesn't want to lie to her.

Shen Tang said awkwardly, "It's true, but I rejected it a few days ago."

Princess Roujia, "..."

Princess Roujia's eyes widened, and then widened again, "Didn't the emperor know about this marriage?"

Shen Tang laughed, "Even if the Emperor grants a marriage, there's still a possibility of cancelling it. What's more, if the Emperor only knows about it and doesn't come to propose, then the matter will be left unresolved."

Princess Roujia said, "I'm really curious about who you will marry."

She won't marry anyone.

However, Shen Tang did not say this out loud. She would not marry the Prince of Jingyang, nor the Prince of Ning. She would rather live out her life alone, so as not to make people suspect that she was mentally ill.

Princess Roujia sat with Shen Tang for quite a while, and Shen Tang felt a little sorry for it. "Princess, you don't have to accompany me."

Princess Roujia said, "It's lively over there, don't you want to go take a look?"

Shen Tang shook his head, "I won't go."

Shen Tang insisted on not going, and Princess Roujia did not force him, and left the pavilion with her maid.

But as soon as they left, a palace maid came over and said, "Second Miss Shen, the Queen Mother wants to see you."