Chapter 25: Saving Face

Shen Tang hadn’t expected it to be the heir of Xuanyi Marquis. Seeing him, she felt a sense of relief.

The heir of Xuanyi Marquis, Chu Yi, was a good friend of Xie Guimo, a man of good character who wouldn’t deliberately eavesdrop.

Moreover, even if the truth were to get out, it wouldn’t ruin her reputation; it would actually clear her name.

Shen Tang bowed to Chu Yi, greeting him. “I know that the heir of Xuanyi Marquis is not someone who would eavesdrop, and I also know that you and Prince Jingyang’s son are closer than brothers. But could you please refrain from telling Prince Jingyang’s  son about what you heard?”

“It’s too late…”

Chu Yi whispered.

Shen Tang didn’t hear clearly. “What did you say?”

Chu Yi coughed lightly. “Don’t worry, Second Miss Shen, I won’t say a word to Prince Jingyang’s son.”

“Thank you.”

Shen Tang bowed again.

Chu Yi, holding his folding fan, couldn’t contain the gossip in his eyes. He asked curiously, “Your elder sister plotted against you, and you knew that Prince Jingyang’s son wouldn’t die. Why would you rather be buried with him than marry him?”

…Could he please not be so curious?

How was she supposed to answer that?

Shen Tang felt exhausted. She couldn’t tell the truth, so she had to lie. “I don’t want to bear the infamy of stealing my elder sister’s betrothal. Besides, don’t you think Prince Jingyang’s’ son’s face is too striking?”

Chu Yi nodded in agreement.

Shen Tang continued, “I’m afraid that if I marry him, I’ll have an endless stream of beauties to deal with. Besides, he doesn’t really need the wedding.”

To prevent Chu Yi from asking further, Shen Tang bowed and left.

Chu Yi walked behind the rockery, but he saw a figure walking away. He chased after him, laughing so hard his cheeks hurt. “I never thought that Second Miss Shen wouldn’t marry you because she found your face too striking…”

The man was none other than Prince Jingyang’s son, Xie Guimo.

He glanced at Chu Yi. “Such a flimsy excuse, you actually believe it?”

Chu Yi smiled. “Flimsy? I think it’s quite simple and straightforward.”

…

Shen Tang walked towards the bustling crowd. The garden was even livelier than when they arrived. Jiang Li and Jiang Ning were also there. Seeing Shen Tang, Jiang Ning was overjoyed. “I didn’t see you earlier, Cousin. I thought you weren’t coming and was quite disappointed.”

Shen Tang said, “I went for a walk over there.”

The three of them went to a pavilion to rest.

After having a cup of tea, a maid from the Shouwang’s Manor came to invite everyone to the feast.

The Spring Banquet feast was held in the garden, a spacious place with pleasant breezes and fragrant flowers.

Once they arrived, Shen Tang was separated from Jiang Li and Jiang Ning. She sat at the same table as Shen Juan, while Shen Ran and Shen Luo sat behind them.

After everyone settled, the Princess of Shou arrived, accompanied by several noble ladies.

Shen Tang hadn’t expected that not only Xie Guimo but also Princess Jingyang’s would be present.

It made sense. Xie Guimo was of marriageable age, and the Jingyang Manor had broken off the engagement with Shen Juan. They needed to find another suitable candidate for the heir’s wife. The Spring Banquet feast had invited unmarried young ladies and young masters from prominent families. They couldn’t miss this excellent opportunity to find a match.

Once the young ladies and young masters were seated, a maid approached with a tray and a bamboo cylinder, asking those who wanted to showcase their talents to write down their skills. The Shouwang’s Manor’s steward would draw lots to determine the order of performance.

Shen Tang had no such desire, but Shen Juan took a wooden stick and wrote down her name and the talent she wanted to display, placing it in the cylinder. The maid then carried it away.

Soon, the steward drew a lot, revealing the first performer of the day, a young lady.

Being the first to perform, the young lady’s face flushed with nervousness, but her piano playing was excellent, melodious and captivating.

After she finished, another lot was drawn, revealing the second performer…

Shen Tang sat there, watching with great interest, almost forgetting the purpose of her visit.

She carefully scrutinized every young master around her age, hoping to find one who resembled her Big Brother. Unfortunately, she didn’t see anyone who looked like Shen Sui.

Shen Tang looked back and forth several times. Nanny Zhou had said that Big Brother’s eyebrows and eyes resembled Father’s when he was young, and he should still resemble him now that he’s grown up.

But none of them looked alike. Could it be that Big Brother was already engaged?

It was quite possible considering his age.

Shen Tang hadn’t expected to find her Big Brother right away, but she was still disappointed at the thought of coming all this way for nothing.

As she sipped her tea, she heard the steward’s voice. “Miss Shen Juan of the Pingyuan Marquis Manor, sword dance.”

Shen Juan was about to stand up, but when she heard this, she froze.

She had clearly written down playing the piano, not sword dancing.

It must be Chun’an!

Shen Juan looked in Chun’an’s direction. As expected, Chun’an had a “I’m waiting to see you make a fool of yourself” expression on her face, making Shen Juan clench her teeth in anger.

Shen Tang sat beside Shen Juan. Hearing that Shen Juan was supposed to perform a sword dance, she also felt something was wrong. Shen Juan excelled at playing the piano, and her dancing wasn’t particularly impressive, let alone sword dancing.

Shen Juan slowly stood up, but as she was about to walk, her foot suddenly twisted, causing her to gasp in pain.

The Princess of Shou saw this and said, “How careless! Is your ankle badly injured?”

Shen Tang knew that Shen Juan’s twisted ankle was fake, but she still stood up to help her. Shen Juan said to the Princess of Shou, “I’m ruining everyone’s fun. I just twisted my ankle and can’t dance with a sword, but my Second Sister’s sword dance is no worse than mine. Why don’t you let her perform instead?”

She was being nauseatingly manipulative again.

She had never seen someone so domineering within their own family.

When others plotted against Shen Juan, she was afraid of losing face and wouldn’t perform, so she pushed Shen Tang forward. Now, since Shen Tang hadn’t complied with her wishes and apologized to Xie Guimo, she wanted to make her look foolish in public?!

Shen Tang was about to refuse, but the Princess of Shou spoke first. “Alright, let Second Miss Shen perform the sword dance instead of Miss Shen Juan.”

Shen Tang was forced to take the stage.

Shen Juan whispered, “Second Sister, don’t disgrace the Pingyuan Marquis Manor.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll save face for you.”

Shen Tang’s eyes flashed with a cold gleam.

She would make Shen Juan understand what it meant to stand high and fall hard.

Shen Tang walked onto the stage and bowed to the Princess of Shou and the other noble ladies before taking the sword from the maid.

Everyone’s eyes were on Shen Tang. Few young ladies knew how to dance with a sword, and even fewer did it well. It was a sight to behold.

Shen Juan sat down, waiting to see Shen Tang make a fool of herself, but Shen Tang’s first move made her eyes narrow and her face turn sour.

Shen Juan wasn’t good at sword dancing, but she knew how to watch. Shen Tang’s movements were elegant, and the sword in her hand seemed to dance like a dragon. Even with her critical eye, she couldn’t deny that Shen Tang was dancing beautifully.

They had studied and practiced piano and dance together since childhood. When did Shen Tang learn to dance with a sword so well without her knowing?!

Shen Juan’s face was grim. She had wanted Shen Tang to make a fool of herself in public, to show her what it meant to oppose her. She hadn’t intended to give Shen Tang a chance to shine!

Shen Tang raised her palm above her head, and the sword spun twice in her hand. This single move was enough to captivate the entire audience.

When she finished, the Princess of Shou praised her. “This is the first time I’ve seen a young lady dance with a sword so gracefully and with such spirit. It’s truly impressive.”

Shen Tang humbly replied, “Princess of Shou, you flatter me. Compared to Eldest Sister, I still have a long way to go.”

The Princess of Shou glanced in Shen Juan’s direction. “It’s even better than Second Miss Shen’s dance. I can’t even imagine how good it could be. It’s a pity we won’t get to see it today.”

The Princess of Zhao chuckled. “There will always be opportunities to see it in the future.”

Shen Juan felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.

This was the first time she had experienced the feeling of being praised to death.

Although she was competitive, she wasn’t completely lacking in self-awareness. Even if she spent ten years practicing, she probably wouldn’t reach Shen Tang’s level.

Now, everyone knew she was even better at sword dancing than Shen Tang. They would surely ask her to perform next time!

What would she perform then?!

She couldn’t keep faking twisted ankles.

Shen Juan wanted to strangle Shen Tang to death in her heart, but she couldn’t show any sign of it because everyone was watching her.

Princess Jingyang’s also looked at Shen Juan. She had always wondered why the old duke had chosen the daughter of the Pingyuan Marquis to be wife. Now she understood, but unfortunately, the heir had insisted on breaking off the engagement after he regained consciousness…