After sharing a body with her husband

Stable.

Xiao Jing and Xie Zhaoqing were also there.

Upon seeing Shang Lingjun, Xie Zhaoqing rolled her eyes, wondering to herself, "Has my elder sister not made a move yet?"

Xiao Jing frowned slightly. He was about to reprimand Xie Zhaoqing for his harsh words earlier, but when he saw that Xie Hengzhi and the others had also arrived, he swallowed his words.

Huo Chuan continued picking out horses, while Xiao Jing frowned, walked straight over, and said:

"You want to ride a horse? You can't even get on a horse, don't try to be a hero..."

But before he could finish speaking, Huo Chuan had already chosen a reddish-brown horse and mounted it with clean, swift movements.

Xie Hengzhi and Luo Yao were both surprised to see her skillful movements.

Shang Lingjun (Huo Chuan) gently tugged on the reins, and the horse galloped toward Xiao Jing, its hooves clattering on the ground.

Xiao Jing's eyes widened in alarm. He tried to dodge, but his feet went awry, and he stumbled and fell. He scrambled back several meters before finally avoiding the red-brown horse's hooves.

"Whoa~"

Shang Lingjun (Huo Chuan) let out a soft sigh, and the horse took two more steps forward.

She sat on her horse, glancing down at Xiao Jing with a half-smile, and spoke in a nonchalant tone:

"Don't block the way."

Xiao Jing noticed the strange looks around him, his face flushed red, and he quickly got up from the ground, angrily saying:

"Ati, are you trying to scare me?"

"You're overthinking it. You know I'm not a good rider."

Shang Lingjun (Huo Chuan) spoke in a lazy tone.

Xiao Jing's face turned pale and then red. She remembered that Shang Lingjun couldn't ride a horse. Every time she got on a horse, she would wobble and stagger. She would be so frightened that she would cry if the horse started to run.

"If you can't ride a horse, what are you doing up there? What if you fall and end up crying?"

Xiao Jing lectured him in the tone of an elder brother.

Xie Zhaoqing couldn't stand it any longer, so she quickly walked over and took Xiao Jing's arm, angrily saying:

"She did it on purpose, can't you tell? The way she mounted the horse just now, she's obviously a pro!"

She glared at Shang Lingjun and said coldly:

"I can't be bothered to argue with your disrespect, but Jinglang is your elder brother. How can you treat your own brother like this? It's incredibly ill-mannered!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhiyuan and the others frowned, especially Luo Yao.

That's really harsh.

But before they could speak, Shang Lingjun (Huo Chuan) scoffed.

"You dare talk about manners?"

He had never known before that Xie Zhaoqing's methods were so ruthless, and that his skin was thicker than a corner of a wall.

What a bastard.

Recalling what Shang Lingjun had told him about his past life's cause of death, Huo Chuan felt a surge of anger rising in his chest, and even his hand gripping the riding crop felt itchy.

"A mistress with no status or recognition, how did your parents raise you? Whose respect do you deserve?"

Xie Zhaoqing's pupils immediately contracted, and then the color drained from his face like a receding tide, while his ears burned hot, filled with an embarrassing blush.

Huo Chuan's voice wasn't quiet, and with the next round of the "Flying Flowers and Passing Papers" competition about to begin, quite a few people had come to the stable to choose horses.

Therefore, they all saw and heard the argument just now, and heard Huo Chuan's words clearly.

"A mistress? This is outrageous! To bring a mistress to such a grand banquet? It's utterly shameful!"

"So it's that Xiao Jing. What a disgrace! He caused such a scandal with his mistress not long ago, and now he's keeping a concubine. General Xiao and his wife have spent half their lives on the battlefield, how could they have given birth to such a good-for-nothing?"

People were whispering and gossiping.

Xie Zhaoqing's face turned ashen, and he was so embarrassed that his fingertips were trembling.

She was once such a proud, spirited, and talented poet who enjoyed the adoration of the world. How could she bear such a huge drop in status?

And all of this is because of Shang Lingjun!

All eyes were fixed on Xiao Jing and Xie Zhaoqing, filled with a disdainful schadenfreude. Xiao Jing's face instantly darkened, and he almost roared:

"I've already said it, Ah-Xuan is my distant cousin, not a mistress!"

He glared angrily at the crowd of onlookers. "What nonsense are you spouting! You think you can ruin an innocent woman's reputation with just a few words?!"

Those people guiltily looked away, but one of them muttered:

"Even your sister says that, why are you yelling at us...?"

Xiao Jing's face grew even uglier. He didn't know why, where had the obedient and sensible Shang Lingjun gone? Why had she become like this?

Ah Xuan is right, she has become sharp-tongued and mean, cold and ruthless.

He was now certain that he was filled with disappointment, utter disappointment, towards Shang Lingjun.

It wasn't that he hoped she could forgive him; it was that he didn't want to forgive her anymore, he was really angry.

Because she is no longer the same person, Ati.

Even when extremely angry, his tone remained calm.

"Ati, you are simply unreasonable! Ah Xuan is right. Now that you are a noblewoman, you should pay even more attention to the word 'manners.' You have disappointed your brother greatly!"

Xie Zhiyuan couldn't bear to watch any longer and said, biting her cheek:

"Young Master Xiao, you still remember you're the elder brother? Just now, your behavior..."

She paused, then said:

"Your cousin—let's just call her your cousin—she publicly humiliated my aunt. Are you deaf?"

Xie Zhiyuan put her hands on her hips,

"Why do you get so angry over something my aunt said to her? Who's your sister anyway? Besides..."

"My aunt wasn't wrong."

How can cousins ​​be so close?

But Xie Zhiyuan muttered this sentence in a low voice because she was afraid that Xiao Jing would yell at her too.

Xie Heng spoke in a gentle tone.

"Young Master Xiao, please calm down. Today is a joyous occasion for a banquet, why get so angry? My aunt is just being straightforward..."

But your cousin's words were also sharp, and she insulted us first. It's your business who you protect, but as elders of the Xie family, we will not allow outsiders to humiliate us for no reason.

He then looked at Xie Zhaoqing and asked seriously:

"May I ask, young lady, which family do you come from? And what do your father and brothers do?"

Xiao Jing's expression changed, and Xie Zhaoqing was speechless for a moment because she couldn't say anything.

Meeting Xie Hengzhi's unfamiliar gaze, Xie Zhaoqing felt uncomfortable. In the past, she and her cousin Hengzhi often discussed poetry and philosophy, and her cousin always praised him for his outstanding talent.

Now, they're actually helping Shang Lingjun to question her.

And then there's Xie Zhiyuan, that brat. She used to call me "cousin" all the time, always wanting to admire my poems and show them off.

Now these heartless bastards are all siding with Shang Lingjun!

Having fallen from grace, Xie Zhaoqing understood the importance of his status even more deeply.

Although she is talented, she doesn't even have the qualifications to participate in the poetry competition today because she lacks social standing.

At this moment, her desire for a noble status reached an obsessive level.

Xie Zhaoqing bit her lip hard, it hurt, but it reminded her to remember the feeling of shame and indignation she felt at this moment. She was determined to do whatever it took to turn her life around and become a noble person!

At that time, all those hypocritical and sanctimonious people from the Xie family will grovel at her feet!

Seeing that Xie Zhaoqing couldn't answer, Xie Hengzhi solemnly said:

"It doesn't matter if you can't answer. It just so happens that the Registrar Zhang is here too. Ask him to send someone to investigate and you'll find out. You insulted my elders without any explanation. There must be an explanation."

Xie Zhaoqing stared wide-eyed in disbelief, fear surfacing in her eyes!