Three days later, the Marquis Yongning’s Residence held a flower-viewing banquet and sent invitations to everyone at Meng Residence.
Officially, it was a flower-viewing banquet. In truth, its purpose was to bring together young men and women of marriageable age so they could size one another up—a fact everyone in the capital understood without saying.
Second Madam naturally wasn’t going to let such a good opportunity pass. She meant to bring Shen Tang along.
Shen Tang didn’t really want to go, because of her past pursuit of Meng Huaiyan.
Whenever she attended one of these gatherings, the young ladies would gossip about her behind her back.
They called her a toad lusting after a swan’s flesh, said she was trying to climb into a higher branch, and accused her of being vain and the like.
Before, she’d been willing to ignore such talk just for the chance to see Meng Huaiyan.
But now she had no desire to go looking for abuse.
Besides, everyone invited to Marquis Yongning’s Residence was either from a great aristocratic family or a promising young talent. With her reputation so poor, who would ever take an interest in her?
Second Madam could more or less guess why she didn’t want to go. But what if?
For once, she took a firm tone that brooked no argument. “No. You have to go.”
Shen Tang: “……”
*
Among those going to Marquis Yongning’s Residence that day were the women of the first and third branches, as well as their party.
Second Madam wasn’t particularly close to the women of the first and third branches; they merely maintained a polite facade.
The two sides exchanged greetings and a few pleasantries, then boarded their carriages for Marquis Yongning’s Residence.
Meng Residence and Marquis Yongning’s Residence weren’t far apart; the journey took only half an hour.
Ayun had dragged Shen Tang out of bed at the fifth watch to do her hair and makeup. After a whole morning of fussing, she was exhausted.
She made the most of the carriage ride and dozed off. Before long, the rocking carriage brought them to Marquis Yongning’s Residence.
When the gatekeeper saw that the Meng family had arrived, he hurried over to welcome them warmly and led them toward the flower hall.
The Marquis Yongning’s Residence covered a vast area. Without a servant to guide them, they would likely have gotten lost.
As they went along, Shen Tang took in the pavilions and towers, the flowers and potted plants. Every last thing about the estate proclaimed two words: money!!!
When would she ever be this rich?
Seeing Shen Tang looking like she’d never seen the world, Meng Caiwei couldn’t help sneering at her.
When no one was paying attention, she went over and bumped Shen Tang’s shoulder, muttering, “Country bumpkin.”
Shen Tang: “……”
Meng Caiwei was Meng Huaiyan’s own younger sister. Because Shen Tang liked her brother, she saw her as a pig trying to root up the cabbage in her family garden and couldn’t stand the sight of her.
Every time they met, Meng Caiwei would make some cutting remark. Since she was Meng Huaiyan’s younger sister, Shen Tang had always put up with it.
But her forbearance had only made Meng Caiwei worse. Last time, during a scuffle, she had even shoved Shen Tang into a pond.
Shen Tang had fallen seriously ill, and afterward Meng Caiwei hadn’t even offered an apology.
Shen Tang couldn’t help rolling her eyes.
She still hadn’t settled the score with her for pushing her into the water last time, and now she was at it again.
This time, Shen Tang wasn’t going to put up with her.
Taking Meng Caiwei by surprise, Shen Tang gave her a hard shove back, just as rudely as she’d been shoved.
Meng Caiwei clearly hadn’t expected her to fight back and was completely unprepared.
The impact sent her staggering. She cried out, and if her maid hadn’t caught her just in time, she would have fallen flat on the ground.
The commotion was loud enough to draw the attention of those ahead. The Grand Princess turned around, frowned slightly at the scene, and asked in a stern voice, “What happened?”
Meng Caiwei was intimidated by her mother’s stern face. Besides, her mother had warned her not to cause trouble before they left that morning.
Meng Caiwei didn’t dare tell the truth. Swallowing her anger, she said, “Mother, I twisted my ankle by accident. It’s nothing.”
After that, Meng Caiwei didn’t dare stir up trouble again. She shot Shen Tang a furious glare, then stalked ahead.
Shen Tang gave a quiet snort and ignored her.
The flower hall was spacious, and many ladies and young women had already arrived. It was quite lively.
When they saw the Grand Princess and her party, everyone rose to pay their respects.
The Grand Princess said coolly, “Rise. There’s no need to stand on ceremony.”
Even so, no one dared act too freely in her presence.
The flower hall had been bustling moments before, but the Grand Princess’s arrival lent the atmosphere a solemn air.
A short while later, when everyone had arrived, Marchioness Yongning invited the guests to take their places for the banquet.
The banquet was held outdoors, with men and women seated separately and layers of gauze curtains between them.
The curtains were thin and sheer. Anyone who cared to look could see everything clearly; they were little more than a formality.
Shen Tang sat beside her Aunt and ate quietly.
Still, she had the uneasy feeling that someone was watching her. Whenever she turned to look, she could find no trace of anyone.
Was it just her imagination?
Shen Tang shook her head. She was probably mistaken.
After the banquet, her Aunt told her she didn’t need to stay by her side and could go off by herself.
She might as well have written “Make a good impression and meet some people” across Shen Tang’s forehead.
Shen Tang obediently agreed, but once she was out, she took Ayun and slipped away to a quiet spot.
Marquis Yongning’s Residence was enormous. Shen Tang took several wrong turns without paying attention to where she was going and, by chance, stumbled upon a secluded spot.
The pavilion was cleverly designed, with two crabapple trees planted outside it.
From the outside, you couldn’t see in unless you looked carefully, but from inside the pavilion, you could see the scenery beyond through gaps in the branches.
Shen Tang was quite pleased. She let out a sigh of relief and settled into the pavilion.
Ayun wasn’t entirely happy about it. She had spent all morning making Miss look so lovely in the hope of catching the young gentlemen’s attention.
What if Miss happened to meet the person destined for her today?
But Miss was hiding here. How was she supposed to meet any young gentlemen?
Ayun tried persuading her a few times, but Shen Tang refused every time without hesitation.
Seeing that Shen Tang was set on doing as she pleased, Ayun gave up and sat down beside her.
It was a lovely spring day, and the crabapple blossoms outside the pavilion were in full bloom. Shen Tang leaned on the railing, contentedly admiring the view.
Then she spotted a maid beside the artificial hill across from them. The maid was carrying a wine flask and acting furtively.
Shen Tang nudged Ayun with her elbow. Ayun looked up and followed Shen Tang’s gesture.
The maid glanced around nervously as she poured some white powder into a black wine flask. She shook it, then headed toward the garden.
She looked jumpy and suspicious, and she’d chosen such a secluded spot. Whatever she was doing, it couldn’t be anything good.
What should Shen Tang do? Should she intervene?
She was torn. Reason told her to stay out of it. Everyone attending today was someone of consequence, and she couldn’t afford to offend any of them.
If whoever was behind this found out that she’d interfered and ruined their plan, they might hold it against her.
But if she did nothing, she…didn’t think she could live with that. After a few moments’ thought, she decided to follow and see what happened.
Careful not to let the maid notice her, Shen Tang followed at a distance. She watched as the maid made her way to a lakeside pavilion on the southern side of the garden, as if she knew the place well.
The pavilion stood over the lake and had gauze curtains. Two people were drinking inside. They were too far away for Shen Tang to make out their faces.
But Shen Tang knew Meng Huaiyan too well. Even though she could see only his back, she was certain it was him. The other person was almost certainly Jiang Congyu.
She just didn’t know which of the two the person behind this was targeting.
The maid set down the wine flask and left. Shen Tang waited until she was well away before coming out of hiding and heading toward the pavilion.
Since this involved Meng Huaiyan, Shen Tang had no choice but to intervene.
After all, in her previous life she had drugged him and ruined his marriage prospects. If she could help him this time, she could consider the debt repaid.
Then they would truly be even.
Jiang Congyu spotted Shen Tang from a distance and gave Meng Huaiyan a teasing smile.
He had just been asking Meng Huaiyan when Shen Tang would show up. Less than half an hour later, here she was.
Shen Tang really did pursue him relentlessly.
Meng Huaiyan ignored Jiang Congyu’s teasing. As Shen Tang approached, he tamped down the irritation rising inside him.
Knowing that Meng Huaiyan disliked her, Shen Tang didn’t bother with formalities.
She got straight to the point. “There’s something in this wine. I saw that maid put it in myself.”
Her words struck like a thunderclap.
Qingyang hurriedly pulled a silver needle from his robe. The moment it touched the wine, it turned black. The substance was deadly poison.
Qingyang and Tingsong were horrified. They immediately knelt to beg forgiveness. “We failed in our duty. We beg Your Highness to punish us.”
Meng Huaiyan’s expression gave nothing away, but a flash of fury crossed his eyes.
He had been careless today. He hadn’t imagined that person could reach into Marquis Yongning’s Residence.
The move was brazen, yet not carefully thought through. It seemed more like a silent warning.
Thinking of what he had been investigating lately, Meng Huaiyan let out a scornful laugh.
Jiang Congyu’s expression was grim. Marquis Yongning’s Residence had always been under tight guard; nothing like this had ever happened before.
But with so many people about for the flower banquet, the place had been crowded and confusing. Someone with ill intentions had managed to slip in.
His voice was stern, tinged with guilt, as he said to Meng Huaiyan, “I was careless today. I nearly got you killed.”
Meng Huaiyan shook his head. “It’s not your fault. This was aimed specifically at me.”
Then he ordered Qingyang coldly, “Investigate!”
Qingyang acknowledged the order and withdrew.
Jiang Congyu rose and bowed to Shen Tang.
Gone was the casual disdain he’d shown while talking about her with Meng Huaiyan. His words were earnest and sincere. “Miss Shen, thank you for today. If you hadn’t warned us, Huaiyan and I might not have escaped this calamity.”
“If you ever need anything from Marquis Yongning’s Residence, just ask. If it’s within our power, we’ll do everything we can to help.”
A promise from the Young Marquis of Marquis Yongning’s Residence was no small thing. Anyone else would have been beaming with delight.
But Shen Tang couldn’t smile. She had thought the maid might have put in something to make them pass out or something that would arouse them, hoping to marry into the Meng or Jiang family.
She hadn’t expected it to be poison. Whoever would dare target the Jiang and Meng families in the capital must be someone of lofty rank and tremendous power.
If they didn’t even care about the Meng and Jiang families, what chance did a nobody like her stand?
She had ruined their plan today. If they decided to kill her out of spite, it would be easy as anything. The thought frightened Shen Tang.
She had been given a second chance at life and hadn’t even had the chance to enjoy a good life yet. She didn’t want to die just like this.
Shen Tang managed a smile and replied perfunctorily, “Then thank you, Young Marquis.”
Everyone in the pavilion wore grave expressions. For a while, no one spoke.
A moment later, Qingyang returned, looking troubled. “Heir, that maid jumped into the lake and died.”