Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1077 Attending the Banquet

Seeing that Su Xing was like a block of wood, not arguing back no matter what she said, Su Yue lost interest in teasing her further. The two arrived at the gate of Prince Yu's mansion, where a long queue had already formed. They waited for quite a while before getting off the carriage and following Madam Su, they entered Prince Yu's mansion together with the invitation.

Madam Su was adept at social interaction and could strike up a conversation with almost anyone she met, but this was limited to the ladies she was acquainted with. She couldn't befriend the truly noble and powerful families.

"See that? That's where the talent show is. When the time is right, Yue'er, you can go up and play a piece. You've been learning the piano for so many years, and today you finally have the chance to show it off to everyone."

Su Yue looked eager to try, as she had come with a purpose. She had heard that this flower-viewing banquet was organized by Princess Yu for Prince Yu's heir, and whether she could win Princess Yu's favor and rise above others depended entirely on her efforts today.

She looked at Su Xing beside her and smiled, "I can play the piano to show off my talent, but I wonder what my cousin can do? Oh, there's paper and pen over there, why don't you compose a poem? Oh dear, I almost forgot, my cousin can't write poetry, but she can copy it. She can get thirty coins for copying a collection of poems."

Su Xing looked somewhat embarrassed. Since her father's death, the shop had been unable to keep operating, and she and her mother, living in the Su family home, had no income. To supplement their income, she copied books for the bookstore, earning one tael of silver a month. Although one tael of silver a month was considered a good income for ordinary people working outside, it was simply not enough for the Su family, who had to spend money everywhere.

However, people earn their living through their own abilities, and she hadn't asked anyone for help, which was already quite good. So, she quickly overcame her embarrassment and regained her composure.

Su Yue was disappointed again, so she ignored her and went to talk to her friends who she knew. She told her mother and went to talk to them.

Su Xing didn't know anyone and was suddenly all alone.

Madam Su glanced at her, her smile not reaching her eyes: "Xing'er, go play by yourself. Madam Wang and I have a private talk."

Knowing that his aunt disliked him, Su Xing curtsied and took his leave.

She found a secluded corner and sat down to eat her snacks. The soft, crumbly texture of the snacks was delightful, and she couldn't resist eating a couple more. Seeing that she enjoyed them, a maid from the Prince Yu's residence brought her another plate. Su Xing thanked her and obediently continued eating.

"Look, the Fifth Princess is here!"

"Wow, her headdress is so beautiful, and that gold choker is so big!"

"And there are gold bracelets, she even has gold bracelets on her ankles. Her Majesty the Empress really dotes on her!"

"Her outfit must have cost ten thousand taels of silver. Ah, I wish I could have so many beautiful pieces of jewelry someday."

"My God, ten thousand taels! I only spent a thousand taels on all my clothes. You really can't compare yourself to others."

"It's more than ten thousand taels. Didn't you see the pink jade bracelet on her right hand? That alone is worth three thousand taels. And the pink jade at her waist is also worth more than three thousand taels. Those two items alone are worth six thousand taels. If you ask me, it's probably a full fifteen thousand taels."

"Goodness, people used to say that the Fifth Princess was favored, but I didn't believe it. But after seeing it today... I have to say, she really knows how to be born into the right family."

Princess Yu had already personally gone to greet her. Upon seeing He Yinuo, she warmly shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. The young princess of the Yu Prince's Mansion also personally accompanied He Yinuo, introducing her to a group of noble ladies.

"Cousin, you have guests to attend to, so don't worry about me. I'll enjoy myself."

He Zimu instructed her maid to prepare several plates of snacks for her before leaving to entertain others.

Su Xing knew that the person not far away was the Empress's daughter. Thinking of the help he had received from the Empress before, he was extremely grateful. So he straightened his clothes and walked forward gracefully, wanting to pay his respects.

Shuang'er accompanied He Yinuo today. She saw Su Xing at a glance, raised an eyebrow, and did not stop her.

"This humble girl, Su Xing, greets the Fifth Princess."

He Yinuo ate her snack, chewing softly, and said, "Please rise."

He Yinuo examined the person in front of her, not recognizing her, but she recognized the hairpin in the girl's hair as belonging to her mother. She glanced at Shuang'er, who nodded slightly, confirming that her mother had recently purchased the shop from this little girl's mother.

The shop earned He Yinuo a lot of money, which made her feel comfortable, and she treated Su Xing with more kindness.

After Su Xing got up, he couldn't find anything to say for a moment, and looked a little awkward.

"Fifth Princess, I was fortunate to receive help from Her Majesty the Empress. She not only bought my family's shop but also helped my mother and me. We parted in haste that day, and I didn't have time to thank Her Majesty the Empress. Please convey my gratitude to Her Majesty the Empress when you return to the palace."

He Yinuo smiled and said, "I heard about this from my mother. She was just handling it officially, so you don't need to worry about it. By the way, do you not have anyone to sit with? I saw you sitting alone in the corner, looking rather lonely. Why don't you sit next to me?"

Su Xing was flattered. After all, she was still a thirteen-year-old child who liked excitement, so she curtsied and sat obediently next to He Yinuo.

The maids from Prince Yu's residence brought the two of them two more plates of snacks. They ate and chatted, and found themselves getting along quite well.

"I didn't expect you to like arithmetic too, what a coincidence! I've been studying the problem of the 'excess and deficiency' method lately. It says that if two people buy sheep together, each person pays five, which is less than forty-five; and each person pays seven, which is less than three. How many people are there and how much is the sheep? Although I've figured out the answer, the algorithm is quite complicated. It's just brute force. Do you have any clever solution? Tell me about it."

Su Xing had just seen a similar problem before, but it wasn't about buying sheep, it was about buying land. She had studied it before and there was indeed a simple solution, so she asked for paper and pen and started working it out for He Yinuo.

Not far away, Su Yue saw Su Xing sitting next to the Fifth Princess, the two chatting and laughing. Su Yue felt unhappy and invited a few of her girlfriends to go and pay their respects to the Fifth Princess, hoping to win the princess's favor and isolate Su Xing.

"Greetings, Princess." Several people stepped forward and bowed gracefully, interrupting Su Xing, who was working on a problem. Su Xing merely glanced at Su Yue without saying a word.

"I've long heard that the Fifth Princess is very approachable, and I didn't expect to see her today. She truly lives up to her reputation." Su Yue glanced at Su Xing. "However, my cousin is usually aloof to everyone, but I didn't expect her to take the initiative to chat with the princess. It's quite surprising."

Su Yue's words sparked a lot of speculation among the crowd.

Doesn't this mean that Su Xing is extremely cold to everyone else, only willing to associate with powerful and wealthy people like the Fifth Princess, and is a scheming person?

He Yinuo glanced at Su Yue, then at Su Xing, and smiled slightly: "So you two are cousins, both from the Su family. But it's strange, since you're Su Xing's sister, why are you so close to others, yet so distant from your own sister?"

He Yinuo's words put Su Yue in an awkward position. Wasn't he implying that she had come to the banquet siding with outsiders instead of her own sisters?