Chapter 39: Unreasonably Beautiful (First Update)
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**Chapter 39: Unreasonably Beautiful (First Update)**
In the carriage heading to the Marquis of Zheng’s residence, Xi'er couldn’t help but glance frequently at the new servant beside her. This servant, named Ah Zhi, had been arranged by the general temporarily. She looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old but was said to possess some skills, following the lady closely without arousing suspicion while also protecting her.
Xi'er felt quite anxious about this, struggling internally.
Meanwhile, Chang Suining took the opportunity to look over the flower party guest list in her hands. This list had been secretly gathered by Chang Kuo and contained the names of those who received invitations to the event.
Some were familiar to her, while others were new nobility. Whenever she came across a family worth knowing, she would casually ask a question.
Xi'er would eagerly answer, and when she finally spotted her lady's name on the list, she immediately exclaimed, “...this servant knows this one too!”
This left Chang Suining experiencing the amusing joy of pointing out what she did not know.
In this question-and-answer session, they quickly arrived at the Marquis of Zheng’s residence.
The flower viewing banquet was set in the garden of the Marquis of Zheng's estate.
Marquis Wei Qinxin had a fondness for flowers and plants, and there were rumors in the capital that the Marquis’s estate covered twenty-three acres, with a quarter of it occupied by buildings and the rest devoted to flowers and plants. While others had a residence with a garden, he had built a residence within the garden.
In this vast garden, all kinds of rare flowers and plants could be seen everywhere. Though it was only early spring, the blossoms were already vibrant and colorful.
“Why is this pot of red stones brought out? If it gets damaged, the Marquis will surely be upset!” A servant in the Wei family was frightened while watching the only one of its kind in the entire capital.
“It was the mistress who ordered it moved… She said since it has bloomed, it should be displayed for everyone to see. What’s the point of a flower blooming if no one admires it?”
“Does the Marquis know about this?”
“The Marquis left early in the morning. Before he left, he locked the courtyard gate. We were specifically instructed by the mistress to sneak over the wall to bring it out…”
“Understood…” The servants looked at the precious flowers and plants with increasing trepidation, fearing that if any of the young ladies were careless and picked a blossom, they would lose their heads when the Marquis returned!
Today, all the servants working in the garden received extra pay from the mistress, which made it even clearer that it was a dangerous job.
Just then, all the women guests turned their gaze toward the same spot.
At once, the sound of conversation became lively.
Some servants followed their gaze and saw that the focus of everyone’s attention was a girl who had just appeared in the garden and was walking toward them.
Bathed in springtime light, this girl was at the blooming age of youth, yet her beauty surpassed even that of the vibrant spring flowers around her, resembling a freshly bloomed red peony—pure and stunning.
However, her eyes had a hint of coldness, mingled with an inexplicable sense of heroic beauty that seemed almost out of place on her face. This mix made her beauty striking and almost domineering, leaving people unable to look directly at her yet impossible to ignore.
As the young ladies gathered around her, they couldn’t help but compare dresses and jewelry, yet at that moment, they seemed to forget to scrutinize each other’s attire.
“Who is she? Why have I never seen her before…?”
“She must be the daughter of a newly arrived official, right?”
“Big sister Wei, do you know who she is?” A group of younger girls around a girl in purple quietly inquired.
The girl in purple was Wei Miaoqing, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Zheng.
This delicate girl, whose appearance screamed refinement, struggled to tear her gaze away from that striking face, feeling an acute sense of crisis. She leaned in to her nearby servant, saying in a low voice, “Fang Guanshi, within a quarter of an hour, I want to know everything about that person!”
The servant nodded seriously, and before long, she returned and whispered, “Miss, I’ve found out. That’s Chang Suining, the young lady from the residence of General Chang in Xingning Lane. She just came of age last year, enjoys poetry, is timid and physically weak, doesn’t socialize much, and has only one elder brother. She usually likes to wear light colors…”
“Chang Suining?!” Wei Miaoqing abruptly interrupted the servant, exclaiming in surprise, “She is Chang Suining?!”
Isn’t she the one who garnered the title of the first beauty just because she went out last year?
She had heard her father mention numerous times that her mother, the Marquisate of Zheng, Duan Shi, was the first beauty of the capital, and she had inherited her mother’s looks. She had expected that when she turned fifteen and held her coming-of-age ceremony, she would surely inherit this title from her mother.
Having waited eagerly for fifteen years, just for her ceremony to pass and to be famous in the capital, who would have thought that at such a critical moment, a Chang Suining would suddenly appear!
How could she be reconciled to this?
Fortunately, her mother told her—these were just rumors spread by outsiders with no basis in reality.
It was just hearsay, something to amuse those who had never seen her.
However, at this moment…
Wei Miaoqing’s eyes turned red with jealousy, not just feeling envious but also confused and incredulous—
“Fang Guanshi, did you see that? How can there be someone… how can there be someone…” Wei Miaoqing stepped aside a few paces and examined the girl’s profile closely, nearly collapsing from anger. “...how can someone be so unreasonably beautiful?!”
Isn’t this absurd?
How is this even possible!
She wanted to ask, Lady Nüwa, how can you justify this?
The servant glanced at the girls around her and hurriedly reminded, “Miss, think carefully about your words…”
Wei Miaoqing was on the verge of tearing the handkerchief in her grasp. “I’ve already thought about it three, four, and a hundred times!”
Just then, the girl she had been staring at turned her head and looked at her, even taking a few steps closer.
Wei Miaoqing immediately adjusted her demeanor, trying to maintain a dignified posture befitting a host.
Watching the little girl who was attempting to appear composed, Chang Suining smiled slightly.
It was the first time she had seen this little girl, but her face was identical to that of Duan Zhenyi when she was young, so her identity was not difficult to guess.
Seeing Chang Suining smile at her, Wei Miaoqing was momentarily stunned, but she quickly nodded, forcing a courteous smile in response: “Chang family’s young lady has come for the first time, please feel free to walk around and don’t feel constrained.”
Looking at the little lady who looked like a proud peacock in the crowd, Chang Suining found her surprisingly naive and cute, instinctively tilting her head and smiling back, “Thank you.”
Wei Miaoqing felt as if the world had flipped upside down: “...!”
She took the opportunity of her friends speaking to her to turn away and no longer look at that unreasonable face, yet her heart was filled with doubts—she didn’t look like someone who was timid and unsocial… How could the rumors be untrustworthy in this regard!
“Look, the Cui family has arrived.” A lady whispered.
Due to their status, the presence of the Cui family was always eye-catching.
Cui Tang arrived along with several cousins and the wives of the second branch of the Cui family.
Cui Lang was also present; however, although this was a flower party and primarily a social event, he still needed to pay attention to the etiquette between men and women.
In the garden, it was clear at a glance: men walked on the right, and women on the left, separated by small bridges or bamboo and rock scenes. When entering the garden, no one needed to be reminded where to go; they all silently understood.
Since the scenery in between didn’t obstruct the view much, this flower party had always been a good occasion for the ladies of various families to secretly observe one another.
Over the years, many good matches had resulted from such events.
Speaking of this, the Marquisate of Zheng, Duan Shi, couldn’t help but grind her teeth—while others had achieved many good matches, her own son was contrary to this!
Yet recently, Duan Shi had caught a whiff of something unusual from her son.
This was mainly due to the servant who had returned with them from Hezhou, as well as Chang Ji—
They’re coming, coming, let’s start with twenty cents!
(End of chapter)
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