Part 1: A Dream Within A Dream / Rebirth of Ill Fated Concubine

Chapter 041 Allure

As if sensing her gaze, Shen Mingzhen turned around and was shocked to see Jiang Ruan's appearance. Then, she immediately asked inexplicably angrily, "Who is she?"

Before the people around could speak, they saw Jiang Ruan smiled slightly, with a hint of ambiguous emotion at the end of her eyes, and said in a light voice, "Jiang family's eldest daughter, Jiang Ruan."

"You are Jiang Ruan?" Shen Mingzhen was stunned. She had heard about Jiang Ruan's affairs long before. She and Jiang Susu have always been good friends. Jiang Susu is beautiful and refined, but gentle.

 A few days ago, because of Jiang Ruan's remarks in the court, the Jiang family became the target of public criticism, and even Jiang Susu was frowning for several days. 

Therefore, in Shen Mingzhen's eyes, Jiang Ruan is a rude, incompetent, cowardly and ugly mountain village girl. However, when she saw her today, not to mention the demeanour of a noble in the palace, in terms of appearance, she is comparable to Jiang Susu, and even brighter. Seeing this, Shen Mingzhen felt a little unhappy.

Jiang Ruan nodded gently, and Jiang Li smiled and said, "Sister Mingzhen, this is my elder sister. My elder sister just came back from the farm and is not familiar with the things in Capital. This is also the first time she comes to your house."

She emphasized this, and Shen Mingzhen's eyes flashed with contempt, saying, "There is a difference between Capital and the farm. Miss Jiang, you have to look carefully."

This was rude, and it was basically embarrassing Jiang Ruan in front of her. Lu Zhu and Lian Qiao flashed resentment on their faces. The open and secret struggles here, Xia Yan only joked with Madam Shen, and seemed not to notice this side, so naturally she would not speak out to help.

Needless to say, Jiang Dan was already scared and dared not make a sound. She stood there with her head down, hoping that no one would notice her. Jiang Li had already gloated over the misfortune, but what was unexpected was Jiang Susu's attitude. She just stood aside and smiled, and didn't say anything.

This was the first time she had seen such a scene. In her previous life, whenever a young lady confronted Jiang Ruan, Jiang Susu would speak up for her if she was there. Perhaps it was to gain her trust, or to win a good reputation, but now she was unwilling to say a word of kindness. Could it be that she was losing her temper? 

This was a bit strange.

Jiang Ruan just smiled quietly, and did not respond. She did not intend to waste her time fighting with Shen Mingzhen. This made Shen Mingzhen's punch seem to hit cotton, and it was useless. 

Shen Mingzhen held her breath and simply grabbed Jiang Susu's hand: "Mother, the ladies and sisters in the hall have been waiting for a long time, let Madam Jiang and Sister Susu go quickly."

Shen Mingzhen was arrogant and domineering. She only mentioned Jiang Susu and Xia Yan in her conversation. It was a rude thing, but Madam Shen did not blame her at all, and just smiled and agreed. Obviously, this was already a common thing. Shen Mingzhen was really the jewel in the palm of the Shen family, and she had been spoiled since she was a child.

In the hall of Shen's house, the ladies and young ladies had been waiting for a long time. Those who knew each other sat together and talked. Someone said, "I heard that the eldest daughter of the Jiang family will also appear today."

"The eldest daughter of the Jiang family?" A lady with high cheekbones said, "Is she the legitimate daughter who was treated harshly by Minister Jiang? God has pity on her. She lost her mother at a young age and ended up with a miserable end. If it weren't for the accidental encounter by Wang Yushi this time, I don't know how much suffering she would have to endure."

The woman next to her smiled and said, "Although she is a poor person, I heard that her fate is unlucky for her relatives. Minister Jiang is usually fair, so there must be a reason for this." 

The woman had a round face and her eyes were smiling into slits. She was just like a kind-looking and wealthy Bodhisattva in the temple. She looked kind and friendly. She continued, "She just grew up on the farm, so she is not as good as those who were raised in the mansion. She must have done something wrong. She is not as outstanding as the second young lady of the Jiang family."

Speaking of the second young lady of the Jiang family, people all thought of Jiang Susu's talent and appearance, and nodded in agreement: "The second young lady of the Jiang family is naturally excellent, like a fairy, far inferior to the eldest young lady of the Jiang family."

"Then the eldest young lady of the Jiang family and the second young lady of the Jiang family stand together, and the contrast is too obvious."

"It is enough for the Jiang family to have a second young lady of the Jiang family. The second young lady of the Jiang family is a talented woman in the capital. Girls who grew up in the mountains must be extremely rough, not to mention their appearance."

The round-faced woman smiled more deeply, nodded to the woman with high cheekbones who looked unpredictable, and drank tea slowly. Before the discussion stopped, someone shouted, "Look, Madam Jiang and the second young lady are here."

Everyone raised their heads. Walking in front were Xia Yan and Jiang Susu. Xia Yan was dressed appropriately, showing her gentle bookish taste just right. She looked gentle and virtuous. Such an outfit would not take away Jiang Susu's limelight.

The girl who came slowly was wearing a snow-white fox fur coat. The coat was gathered at the waist, which made her figure more slender and attractive. Below the waist was a brocade skirt of the same colour. The skirt was very large, and it was like clouds and mist when she moved. 

Only a small part of her long hair was tied behind her head, and two white ribbons hung down. Her face was not made up, and her light cherry lips were smiling. She was dignified and beautiful. Her facial features were naturally beautiful. Her innocent and simple appearance with a hint of aloofness was really as moving as a fairy. As she walked slowly, the women present were already praising her.

This is a common thing for Jiang Susu, but it is different today, because the crowd's attention is quickly attracted by the person behind Jiang Susu.

The girl behind Jiang Susu walked forward slowly, like a ball of fire in the snow, and like a plum blossom in the frost, and immediately attracted everyone's attention. The small jacket with hundreds of gold butterflies and the scarlet fairy skirt are already very gorgeous, but they are just right for this girl. The white fox fur exposed on the sleeves of the big red crane cloak has a little silver light, which is really lively and radiant.

The girl got closer and closer, and when they saw her appearance, they couldn't help holding their breath. She was born white, and with a little makeup, she looked like the best mutton-fat jade. The redder her lips were, like the reddest red clouds in the morning. 

Her eyes were dark, and the light flowed as charming as spring. When you look carefully, you feel that the upturned corners of your eyes seem to contain a hint of cold irony. 

With her long black eyebrows and charming fragrance, Jiang Susu was already elegant and refined, but this girl was so beautiful that everyone who was used to seeing fairies was stunned. It was as if they saw a lively spirit emerging from the flowers, passing by flowers and willows all the way.

When the girl moved, her steps were calm. Under her bright and beautiful appearance, she had a calm demeanour. Such a unique charm rarely appeared on young girls, and people felt that she was the only one in the world.

What surprised people the most was that she and Jiang Susu stood together, and their demeanour was comparable. Even if you looked closely, you would feel that the elegant fairy suddenly lost some colour in front of this lively spirit. The pure white was really inferior to the passionate red.

"It's the eldest daughter of the Jiang family!" A lady murmured.

(End of this chapter)

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