The wooden bridge was winding and about two feet above the water surface. It could only accommodate two people walking side by side. It was very delicate and unique.

The eunuchs were in the first two groups, followed by Jiang Shi. Ling Jingyan held Ling Jingshu’s hand and walked side by side. Bai Yu and the other maids followed behind. From a distance, the momentum was really not small.

There were already quite a few guests in the viewing pavilion in the center of the lake. Those who were familiar with each other sat together in twos and threes, enjoying the lake view and chatting casually. At this time, seeing a group of people coming, naturally, everyone subconsciously looked over.

“Strange, whose boudoir girl is this? Why does she look so unfamiliar?”

“Yes! I have never seen her before.”

“The girl in the pink dress is cute and charming, and the one in the autumn-colored dress… Hey? When did such a beautiful girl appear in Luoyang City?”

A group of famous ladies whispered.

Those who were qualified to enter and leave Changping Gōngzhǔ’s mansion were all the top ladies and daughters in the country. Inevitably, they were proud and self-righteous, and subconsciously regarded this small circle of contacts as the top boudoir social circle in the country. Normally, the people coming and going were all familiar faces, but suddenly a few unfamiliar faces appeared, so naturally everyone looked at them sideways.

One of them recognized Jiang Shi and said softly, “The woman in the front, with a married lady’s bun, seems familiar. She should be the shu daughter of the Jiang family.”

“A mere shu daughter is worthy of being a guest of Her Royal Highness Changping Gōngzhǔ?” A girl sneered contemptuously and then turned to the green-clothed girl beside her and smiled, “Second Miss Su, you have always been in contact with Third Miss Jiang, have you ever seen this person in the Duke of Ying’s mansion?”

The green-clothed girl was about fifteen years old, not very beautiful, but with elegant features and outstanding temperament. It was Second Miss Su, the zhínǚ ^[1]brother’s daughter of the Crown Princess Su.

Miss Su smiled lightly and whispered, “She should be a lady from the Jiang family’s branch. I have never seen her. Miss Jiang will be here soon. We will know once we ask her. They will be here soon. Let’s stop talking. It’s not good if someone hears us.”

It’s okay to talk about someone behind their backs, but it would be really embarrassing if someone heard it.

The girls who were whispering just now stopped talking after hearing this.

…

The viewing pavilion drew closer and closer, so close that the delicate faces of the young ladies in the pavilion could be seen clearly.

Being looked at intentionally or unintentionally by so many people, Ling Jingyan felt her heartbeat speed up and her legs became a little weak. She hesitated and slowed down unconsciously.

“What’s wrong?” Ling Jingshu, who was standing next to her, almost immediately noticed her abnormality and asked in a low voice.

Ling Jingyan lowered her voice and replied, “Nothing, I’m a little nervous being stared at by so many people at the same time.”

To put it bluntly, she was just timid.

Ling Jingshu laughed and whispered jokingly, “Aren’t you known for your boldness?”

It seemed that she was a bully at home, but she became timid when she met outsiders.

Ling Jingyan heard the teasing in Ling Jingshu’s words, but she had no time to refute it.

They had arrived at the viewing pavilion.

Under the different looks of the people, Ling Jingyan subconsciously straightened her back. Coming out represents the face of the Ling family, and the Ling family cannot be embarrassed.

The eunuch led Ling Jingshu and her group to the viewing pavilion but did not introduce the identities of the three people, and left soon. Although there were many people in the viewing pavilion, they all looked indifferent, and no one took the initiative to break the silence.

Not to mention that Ling Jingyan’s expression was a little stiff. Even the always-calm Jiang Shi was a little hesitant.

So, what should they do next?

“Her Royal Highness the Princess hasn’t arrived yet, let’s sit down and wait!”

Ling Jingshu was unexpectedly the first to speak. She glanced around calmly, picked a corner where no one was sitting, and walked over.

The moment Ling Jingshu spoke, Jiang Shi quickly came to her senses, walked side by side with Ling Jingshu, and said with a smile: “You are right, let’s wait for a while.”

Jiang Shi raised her voice intentionally. To attract everyone’s attention to herself.

Ling Jingshu was so sharp that she instantly understood Jiang Shi’s painstaking efforts.

The previous experiences were enough to prove that she was born to cause trouble. Jiang Shi was protecting her in her own way!

Thinking of this, Ling Jingshu felt warm in her heart.

This kind of warmth, the Old Lady Ling had never given her, and Ling Wuye, her biological father, had never given her. However, she felt the affection and warmth of her family through Ling Jingyan and Jiang Shi. And the concern and care of her tángxiōng Ling Ji… She didn’t say it, but she remembered it in her heart.

Even though Master Ling was ambitious and naturally greedy, Sun Shi’s suspicion of her schemes was greater than her concern, it did not diminish her gratitude and touched feelings towards the family.

…

After sitting down, Ling Jingshu looked at the girls in the pavilion calmly.

The maids stood behind their masters. About five or six women were sitting at this time. Their ages ranged from thirteen or fourteen to about twenty years old. Their appearance and temperament were unique and charming.

The most outstanding one among them was the girl in green clothes and a green skirt. She had an elegant appearance and a bookish air. You could tell at a glance that she came from a scholarly family.

Moreover, the girl’s face and temperament were vaguely familiar, vaguely similar to the Crown Princess she had seen a few days ago…

While Ling Jingshu was looking at the girl in green, the girl in green was also secretly paying attention to Ling Jingshu.

Just now, when she saw her from a distance, she already thought that this girl in the autumn-colored dress was very beautiful. Now that she was closer, she realized that this girl was extremely beautiful and had a calmness that was far superior to other girls of the same age.

Her eyes were as bright as water, like a clear spring, and when you look at them carefully, they were like a deep pool of water, which made people unable to help but be attracted.

How could such a beautiful girl be unknown?

The girl in green was secretly thinking about the other party’s background and identity. She smiled and took the initiative to greet them: “Are you also here on an invitation from Changping Gōngzhǔ?”

The other party was so friendly, Ling Jingshu would not be rude and smiled and replied: “Yes. My surname is Ling, and my maiden name is Jingshu. I am the ninth child in the family. This is my tángsǎo Jiang Shi, and this is my tángjiě Ling Jingyan. My uncle is Ling Langzhong of the Ministry of Works. May I ask your surname and name?”

The girl in green smiled slightly: “My surname is Su, my maiden name is Ying, and I am the second child in the family.”

This is the most outstanding girl in terms of appearance and temperament that Ling Jingshu encountered after entering the capital city.

She was also the first girl who had shown kindness to her.

Ling Jingshu’s mood had also improved a lot. She smiled at Su Ying and said: “It is my honor to meet Second Miss Su. I would like to ask, are you related to the Crown Princess?”

Her identity was known to everyone here, and there was nothing to hide.

Su Ying nodded gracefully: “That’s right, the Crown Princess is my biological gūmǔ ^[2]sister of father.”

(To be continued.)