The person who came to give the invitation was the same arrogant eunuch as the last time.

Madam Sun stuffed a “rich” purse as usual, and the eunuch smiled and said in a more polite tone: “The craftsmen spent half a year building a new ship for Her Royal Highness the Gōngzhǔ. Her Royal Highness likes to be busy. So she planned to invite some distinguished guests to take a boat trip on the lake together at the Gōngzhǔ Mansion.”

“It will be the day after tomorrow. Please ask Madam Ling and the two Miss Ling to come to the mansion as soon as possible. Don’t be late.”

Although the three of them were invited to visit, the waiter was looking at Ling Jingshu.

Ling Jingshu could only smile and respond: “Please report to Her Royal Highness the Gōngzhǔ, we will definitely arrive early.”

The eunuch sent the invitation and quickly left.

Everyone had their own thoughts and no one said anything for a while.
“Ah Shu, the Gōngzhǔ has sent an invitation, so we can’t refuse.” Jiang Shi frowned slightly and whispered, “However, I have an extra worry in my heart now. Changping Gōngzhǔ and King Yan are siblings. What if King Yan also comes to the Gōngzhǔ’s mansion?”

Ling Jingshu was also worried, and sighed softly, “To be honest, tangsao, I’m worried about this, too!”

Ling Ji had already learned from Jiang Shi that King Yan was obsessed with Ling Jingshu. Hearing this, he snorted coldly, “How ridiculous! Although gentlemen love to marry beautiful ladies, they are not so aggressive.”

Matters of the heart should be based on mutual consent. How could this be possible?

Ling Ji became more and more angry as he thought about it. He said indignantly, “Ah Shu, try not to leave the house in the future. I will accompany Ah Xiao to the Crown Prince’s Mansion. No matter how tyrannical King Yan is, he can’t come to our Ling family’s backyard!”

When these words were spoken, people reacted in different ways.

Jiang Shi wanted to object, but she didn’t have the nerve to speak.

Sun Shi didn’t have so many concerns. She frowned and said, “That’s not right! Ah Xiao has to go to the Crown Prince’s Mansion every five days. You have your classes at Imperial College. It’s okay to take a leave occasionally, but you can’t take a leave every few days.”

Ling Jingshu also quickly took over the conversation: “Bomu is right. Tangge should focus on his studies and not worry about me. Besides, I can’t forget to eat and not even dare to leave the Ling family’s door just to avoid King Yan!”

That was true.

Sometimes, leaving the house was unavoidable. For example, if Changping Gōngzhǔ sent an invitation, Ling Jingshu couldn’t refuse to go.

Ling Ji frowned and said nothing else, only admonishing: “Anyway, Ah Shu, you have to be more careful. People’s words are scary. You haven’t been engaged yet, so a good reputation is the most important thing.”

Then he said to Jiang Shi: “Yu Niang, you are a few years older. When you go out together in the future, please take better care of Ah Shu. Don’t let King Yan get close to Ah Shu alone.”

Jiang Shi nodded and agreed solemnly.

Ling Ji’s concern and care bring warmth to people’s hearts.

Ling Jingshu smiled at Ling Ji and said, “Thank you, Tangge, for always considering me.”

“We are siblings, why are you still saying these polite words?” Ling Ji replied indifferently, “I just regret that I don’t have time to accompany you and Ah Xiao out of the house. Otherwise, with me there, King Yan can’t get close to you.”

In fact, even if Ling Ji was there, he couldn’t stop King Yan.

Ling Jingshu knew this very well. However, Ling Ji had good intentions, so she would not tell him such a big truth, so as not to hurt Ling Ji’s face.

……

Two days later.

Before leaving, Sun Shi gave them a lot of nagging instructions. To sum it up, it can be summed up in two sentences: King Yan was not easy to provoke, so stay away from him. Changping Gōngzhǔ was also not easy to provoke, so try to please her.

“Mother is good in everything except that she is too long-winded. She repeats a few simple sentences over and over again for so long that it really wastes time.”

Sitting in the carriage, Ling Jingyan complained somewhat dissatisfiedly.

It was okay for Ling Jingyan to complain a few words, but Jiang Shi the the daughter-in-law, and Ling Jingshu the niece could not say anything. The two looked at each other, exchanged a knowing look, and smiled together.

Sun Shi did talk a lot, which was probably a common problem among older women.

After arriving at Changping Gōngzhǔ’s residence, the three got off the carriage and went to the gatehouse to wait.

Before the doorman could come back with the message, Su Ying, who was also a guest, arrived.

Everyone smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries.

Su Ying, who was dressed in a light blue dress and looked beautiful and elegant, smiled and said, “I thought I was the first one to arrive, but I didn’t expect you to arrive earlier than me.”

Ling Jingshu smiled and replied, “When Her Royal Highness the Gōngzhǔ sent the invitation, she specifically asked us to come early. We didn’t dare to neglect it, so we came a little early on purpose.”

Su Ying glanced at Ling Jingshu and smiled, “I have seen you three times, and every time you were dressed simply. I have never seen you dressed up!”

Girls aged fourteen or fifteen were at the age when they loved beauty the most. Especially when they went to a banquet together, they couldn’t help but compare themselves secretly. Su Ying was no exception. Every time she went out to visit someone, she had to dress up carefully for a long time.

Ling Jingshu, however, always showed her face without makeup and didn’t care about her clothes. No wonder Su Ying was secretly surprised.

Ling Jingshu smiled and brushed it off lightly: “I’m new here, and I’m not familiar with the current popular dress styles, hairstyles, and jewelry. I’ll just dress casually and simply to avoid making a fool of myself.”

Su Ying smiled and said, “A natural beauty like you will look good in anything you wear. How can you look ugly?”

“I accept it shamelessly when others say it.” Ling Jingshu smiled and replied, “I am really ashamed when Miss Su praises me like this. In terms of natural beauty, who can compare to Miss Su?”

Everyone liked to hear nice words.

Su Ying pursed her lips and smiled: “Forget it, let’s not flatter each other. Also, I am one year older than you, so you can just call me Su jiějiě. The title of Miss Su is too distant.”

Ling Jingshu didn’t hesitate and quickly changed her words, calling her “Su jiějiě”.

The doorman attentively led everyone into the mansion and directly to the lake.

At this time, the midsummer was about to pass, and the lotus flowers in the pond were blooming particularly charmingly. The gentle breeze was full of the refreshing fragrance of lotus flowers.

The brand-new pleasure boat was parked by the lake. It was spacious and luxurious, with tables and chairs, and a variety of fresh fruits and snacks on the table.

After Ling Jingshu and the others boarded the pleasure boat, they waited for a while, and the ladies from famous families who received the invitations came one by one. Most of them were familiar faces, having seen them at the lotus viewing banquet and Su Ying’s coming-of-age ceremony.

Chāngpíng Gōngzhǔ was dressed radiantly as usual and came with the support of two handsome servants.

Fúmǐn Jùnzhǔ did not come today. Without this annoying person, Ling Jingshu felt much better.

After Chāngpíng Gōngzhǔ sat down, she smiled sweetly and said, “There is still a distinguished guest who has not arrived today. Please wait for a moment.”

(End of this chapter)