vstars Chapter 63 What are you?
Chapter 63 What are you?
Seeing that Qin Wan was not coming up, Han Shu lifted the carriage curtain and said to Qin Wan, "Wan'er, it's windy outside. There's a heater in the carriage. Come on up, we should set off!"
Qin Wan looked at the carriages in front of her. There were two carriages in total, one for men and one for women.
However, Qin Wan did not want to ride in the same carriage as Su Yan'er, nor did she want to ride in the same carriage as Qin Lang, so she went straight to the back.
Everyone was puzzled; what kind of trouble was Qin Wan up to now?
Before I could ask, another carriage came from behind.
Ignoring everyone's stares, Qin Wan boarded the last carriage.
She had heard about it early on, and Han Shu had instructed the steward to prepare two carriages. She knew that if she hadn't prepared one, she would have to ride in the same carriage as Su Yan'er, so she secretly asked Wan Shuang to call for another carriage.
Han Shu saw that Qin Wan had already boarded the carriage, and her face showed bitterness. She had wanted to be intimate with her daughter, but she was not given the chance.
Was it because I forgot to prepare clothes for her?
How could she be so stingy?
The carriage crossed the street and headed towards the palace.
The closer one gets to the palace, the more carriages of powerful families there are, and the more crowded the streets become. However, since the Marquis of Pingding holds a noble title, most people give way to them.
Upon arriving at the palace gates, the group disembarked from their carriages. The palace banquet was to be held at Chaoyang Palace, located at the rear of the palace, which required walking to reach.
Qin Wan followed behind the crowd, walking quietly. She didn't want to attract attention, but the more she did so, the more people noticed her.
"She is the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Pingding, the one who is in love with the Fourth Prince!"
"I thought she was some kind of celestial being, but she's nothing special!"
"Of course, how could she be even a tenth as good as Miss Shen? She was flogged twenty times at the Empress's birthday banquet last time, and I didn't expect her to dare to attend the palace banquet today!"
"I'm afraid they haven't had enough of being beaten yet!"
"Hahaha......"
The sarcasm from the people around her was quite harsh. Qin Wan recognized them; they were the young ladies who were friends with Shen Siyi.
Qin Wan knew she had no grudges against them, so this mockery was something Shen Siyi had deliberately orchestrated.
But this was the imperial palace, and Qin Wan, being all alone, dared not act rashly, lest she be accused of being sent to Leishan Temple.
She'd heard these words countless times, so she was indifferent and let others say what they wanted.
Qin Wan's expression remained unchanged. The young ladies who had been speaking ill of her were watching Qin Wan's face closely, and they were certain that Qin Wan had heard what they said.
But she didn't react.
This left them somewhat bewildered, feeling as if they had been punched hard into cotton, utterly powerless.
They were initially just passionately criticizing each other, but now they're getting a little annoyed.
According to the plan, after provoking Qin Wan, he would step forward to argue with her, escalate the situation, and further damage Qin Wan's reputation.
But despite the good plan, Qin Wan didn't take the bait, which surprised them. Wasn't Qin Wan usually intolerant of badmouthing others and always fought back? What was wrong with her today?
After waiting for a while, they still didn't get a response from Qin Wan, so they had no choice but to leave dejectedly, probably to tell Shen Siyi.
Chaoyang Palace.
Upon entering the banquet hall, the men's seats were separated from the women's seats, with a screen temporarily separating them.
The seating was arranged according to official rank. The Marquis of Pingding, being a nobleman, was seated in the second row, and Qin Wan took her seat as well.
But she had her own single table. The seat next to Han Shu used to be hers, but now it belongs to Su Yan'er.
Han Shu's explanation was: Yan'er rarely attends palace banquets, so she might be a little reserved. It would be better to sit with her.
Qin Wan no longer cared about any of this; whoever wanted to sit next to her could sit there.
The main hall gradually filled with people, and Qin Wan looked up and saw Shen Siyi just entering the hall.
Shen Siyi, who had just heard about what happened, came with a dark face. Coincidentally, her seat was arranged directly in front of Qin Wan, which seemed to be intentional.
"Long time no see, Miss Qin!" Shen Siyi stepped forward to greet her, her voice emanating from her back teeth with a hint of resentment.
Qin Wan returned a smile to show peace. She was only one step away from her plan—to safely leave the Marquis's mansion. She couldn't afford to make a mistake at this crucial moment.
If a dispute were to arise with Shen Siyi at the palace banquet, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would be willing to go to any lengths to protect Shen Siyi, but the Marquis of Pingding's mansion would not be willing to go to any lengths for Qin Wan.
Therefore, Qin Wan had no choice but to endure it for the time being.
"Miss Shen!" Su Yan'er stood up, bowed, and greeted her.
She knew that Shen Siyi was the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo and the future consort of the fourth prince. If she could befriend her, she would be able to gain a firm foothold in Fengdu City in the future.
However, before Su Yan'er could finish bowing, Shen Siyi rolled her eyes at her.
What are you?
Upon hearing this, Qin Wan chuckled to herself, then noticed that Su Yan'er's face had turned as black as charcoal.
Su Yan'er wanted to ask Han Shu for help, but Han Shu was chatting with a nice lady and not by her side, so she had no choice but to answer.
"I...I am the adopted daughter of the Marquis of Pingding, and my name is Su Yan'er!"
"Hmph, an adopted daughter actually has the right to attend a palace banquet?"
Shen Siyi's blunt sarcasm made Su Yan'er's eyes redden, and tears were about to fall. Looking at Shen Siyi's disdainful look and Qin Wan's indifferent attitude, Su Yan'er felt ashamed and wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Qin Wan watched as Su Yan'er sat down and wiped away her tears alone, and she was secretly delighted, almost laughing out loud.
Shen Siyi's target was not Su Yan'er, but Qin Wan, so she stopped paying attention to Su Yan'er.
After sitting down, he turned to look at Qin Wan and whispered.
"I didn't expect you to be so patient after all this time. I thought you would fight back!"
Qin Wan understood that Shen Siyi was referring to the people who had ruined her life before she came to Chaoyang Palace.
"I'm sorry to disappoint Miss Shen!" Qin Wan's indifferent words made Shen Siyi even angrier.
"Qin Wan, stop pretending. I know exactly what you're thinking..."
"quiet!"
A spy's shout rang out, instantly silencing the noisy hall, and those who hadn't taken their places returned to their seats.
Even Shen Siyi, who was speaking, immediately sat up straight and became upright.
"Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress, Consort Yan... have arrived!"
After a report was given, the central screen was removed, and Emperor Xiao, along with his concubines and princes, entered the main hall.
Next, everyone bowed in unison.
"Long live Your Majesty! Long live the Empress!"
After all the dignitaries had taken their seats, Emperor Xiao raised his hand and said, "Rise, please take your seats!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After everyone took their seats, Emperor Xiao raised his hand, and ceremonial music began, officially marking the start of the Spring Festival Palace Banquet.
But as soon as Han Shu sat back down in her seat, she noticed that Su Yan'er was acting strangely.
He asked in a low voice, "Yan'er, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Su Yan'er lowered her head and looked down, not saying a word, but just shaking her head repeatedly, as if she was extremely aggrieved.
Han Shu glanced in Qin Wan's direction and asked another question.
"Did Wan'er bully you?"