After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

The round-faced young lady asked a question lightly, but it drew the attention of people at the nearby tea tables.

In the Jianzhan teacup in front of Shen Jingque, a thumbs-up was drawn on the snow-white tea froth, looking rather endearing.

The cups of others might contain plum blossoms and orchid leaves, or cranes carrying lingzhi mushrooms.

But hers was like a child's doodle tucked inside a collection of poems from an elegant gathering.

"Sister Shen's painting is truly an eye-opener."

A noblewoman in a pink dress raised an eyebrow: "Didn't the Princess's residence hire any tutors? This is so rude."

"They come from humble backgrounds and are not up to par."

The ladies at the top exchanged glances, revealing a hint of disdain.

Shen Jingque turned around and saw that the person who had just called her vulgar was actually an old acquaintance.

Wen Qianrou, Zhao Yuwan's follower.

What a small world!

Just as she was about to speak, a soft laugh from a boy came from diagonally opposite.

"I think it's fine."

Shen Jingque looked up.

A boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old sat diagonally across from me. His posture was extremely casual, with one hand supporting his forehead and a wisp of hair hanging down between his fingers, covering half of his eyebrows and eyes.

The one eye that was exposed was jet black and bright, with a light that seemed to be both smiling and not smiling.

The young man in brocade robes beside him chuckled, "Young Master Rong's taste has never followed the usual path."

Someone else joked, "Brother Rong, are you perhaps afraid that Miss Shen will lose face, so you're helping her by saying yes?"

The young man ignored everyone, only raising his teacup towards Shen Jingque with a slight smile.

"Miss Shen's tea ceremony is vivid, interesting, and auspicious. It's wonderful."

Shen Jingque raised an eyebrow slightly, "You know your stuff, brother."

But why doesn't she remember that there was an important character in the book whose surname was Rong?

Shen Jingque smiled and raised one hand, giving a thumbs-up.

"The pattern I drew is this gesture used to praise someone, meaning good, great, and awesome."

She pushed the Jianzhan (a type of Chinese teacup) forward half an inch, her gaze sweeping over the crowd who had just mocked her.

"Today, the Marquis of Yong'an's residence is hosting a grand flower appreciation event. The tea is excellent, the flowers are beautiful, and the snacks are delicious."

"I am not as skilled as my sisters in those elegant patterns, so I drew this instead, as a way of praising the Marquis's mansion for its thoughtfulness."

"Do the ladies think this picture is vulgar because they don't believe the grand event hosted by the Marquis of Yong'an's residence is worthy of praise?"

The flower hall fell silent.

Those who had been laughing the loudest just moments before suddenly changed their expressions, their gazes instinctively drifting towards the old lady in the main seat.

The old lady held her teacup without making a sound.

Who would dare to answer that?

Mocking Shen Jingque's painting is one thing, but mocking the Marquis's banquet is another.

The round-faced young lady blinked her bright eyes, then clapped her hands in sudden realization and said, "So that's what it means! Sister Shen is so clever; her ideas are much fresher than those of ordinary flowers and birds."

Seeing the sudden change in the situation, Wen Qianrou awkwardly chimed in, "Yes...yes, we were just ignorant and didn't understand Sister Shen's ingenious idea."

Shen Jingque sat back down with a smile, glancing at the young master Rong out of the corner of her eye.

The other person was stirring the tea foam in their cup with the lid, seemingly oblivious to the gaze directed at her, only their smile deepened.

Interesting, this person has taken note.

The bronze chime of the tea-tasting competition rang out again.

Just as the head maid was about to invite everyone to taste the wine, the curtain of the side door of the flower hall was suddenly lifted.

Zhao Yuwan came in from outside.

She changed into a dark blue jacket and her hair was restyled, but her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying.

Shen Tingyun followed behind, looking meek and obedient.

Zhao Yuwan quickly walked to the old lady's side, leaned down and whispered in her ear.

The flower hall was not large to begin with, and the ladies sitting close together more or less caught the words "snake" and "deliberately".

The old lady's face grew increasingly grim.

She raised her head, her cloudy old eyes shooting out a sharp glint, pinning her to the corner across half the flower hall.

"Shen girl! I heard you were just scaring Yuwan with a snake in the garden?"

"The Flower Appreciation Festival is an annual refined event of our Marquis's residence; how can such rude behavior be tolerated!"

Instantly, more than a dozen pairs of eyes turned to Shen Jingque in the corner.

Zhao Yuwan's eyes reddened, and she bit her lip, saying, "Grandmother, I didn't want to bring this up in front of the guests, but Sister Shen is really going too far."

Shen Jingque blinked.

"Sister Zhao, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

She stood up properly and curtsied to the old lady.

"Madam, please understand, I was walking on the garden path when several snakes darted out of the grass and chased me."

"What can I, a twelve-year-old girl, do?"

"I was scared, so I grabbed it and threw it far away, but little did I know that Sister Zhao was hiding behind the artificial hill."

As she said this, a look of confusion appeared on her face.

"Speaking of which, why are there so many snakes in the Marquis's garden?"

"Why is Sister Zhao hiding behind the artificial hill instead of sitting at her seat?"

Zhao Yuwan clutched the handkerchief, her fingertips twisting the embroidery crooked.

"I... I was just passing by."

Shen Jingque nodded.

"What a coincidence, the snake passed by, you passed by, and I passed by too."

She sighed softly.

"This fate is so perfect that even the God of Love would be ashamed of himself."

Xiao Changqi burst out laughing and immediately covered his mouth with his fan.

The young men also lowered their heads to drink tea, their shoulders heaving.

The old lady's expression grew increasingly grim.

She could easily understand the key point.

This snake must have been released by his granddaughter to embarrass Shen Jingque, but who would have thought that this little girl would be so brave and unafraid of snakes.

Instead, they suffered the consequences.

If this matter is dragged on any longer, the only result will be that we end up slapping ourselves in the face.

The old lady put down her teacup and softened her tone.

"That's enough. Since it's a misunderstanding, there's no need to argue anymore."

Zhao Yuwan said anxiously: "Grandma!"

The old lady gave her a sideways glance.

Zhao Yuwan bit her lip, not daring to say anything more.

The old lady looked at Shen Jingque, adopting the demeanor of an elder.

"You are of similar age and will inevitably be visiting each other in the capital in the future. Let's shake hands and make peace in front of all the guests today."

Shen Jingque answered quickly.

"OK."

The old lady glanced at her more often because of her straightforwardness.

Zhao Yuwan also looked at her suspiciously.

"You're really that easy to talk to?"

Shen Jingque smiled, her eyes crinkling.

"I feel bad that Sister Zhao was frightened."

She turned back to the tea table, picked up the large cup of tea she had just drunk, and then took an empty Jian ware teacup from the side.

"The tea I ordered myself, though it may not be very elegant, is at least my apology."

"If Sister Zhao would do us the honor of drinking half a cup, then this matter can be considered closed."

Zhao Yuwan sneered.

"Who knows if you've put anything dirty in here."

Shen Jingque spread her hands.

"The tea powder was provided by the Marquis's residence, the water was boiled by the Marquis's residence, and the teacups were also placed by the Marquis's residence."

"If Sister Zhao is still worried, I'll drink it first."

She divided the tea into two cups, picked up one of them, tilted her head back, and drank it all.

Shen Jingque struck a pose with perfect poise and grace.

If Zhao Yuwan were to stubbornly refuse to drink at this moment, she would seem petty.

All eyes in the flower hall were on Zhao Yuwan.

Zhao Yuwan took the other cup, stared at Shen Jingque for a moment, and then gritted her teeth and drank it down.

"It's so bitter, and indeed vulgar."

Shen Jingque smiled and returned to her seat. "Sister Zhao is right to reprimand me."

She lowered her head, straightened her cuffs, and ran her fingertips along the edge of the purse.

The pill that made three loud farts was crushed into small pieces and mixed into the strong tea, which perfectly masked the bitterness.

As for herself, she had taken the antidote earlier in the carriage.

She didn't want to cause trouble, but some people just had the audacity to come looking for trouble.

Then you can't blame her for being unkind.

Next, she eagerly anticipated the arrival of the esteemed eldest daughter of the Yong'an Marquis's family, which caused a sensation throughout the venue.