Just as she had suspected.

Ling Jingshu was not surprised in the least. She smiled and said, “A few days ago I had the good fortune of meeting the Crown Princess, and her voice, appearance, and bearing have left a deep impression on me. When I saw Second Miss Su today, I felt an immediate resemblance and dared to venture a guess — I had no expectation of being right.”

Su Ying smiled modestly. “I do bear a certain likeness to my aunt in appearance, but in bearing, I fall far short of her.”

Courteous, humble, poised, and well-bred. The Crown Princess’s grace and warmth existed only on the surface; this Second Miss Su, however, had been raised in a family of distinction and carried not the slightest trace of haughtiness.

Commandery Princess Fumin, who wore her arrogance on her face with her nose in the air, truly ought to be shrinking away in shame.

Ling Jingshu’s first impression of this Second Miss Su was quite favorable. “If Second Miss Su speaks so humbly of herself, would you not be making the rest of us feel too ashamed to show our faces?”

Su Ying laughed softly. “For Ninth Miss Ling to say that — now that is truly being modest and gracious. When I first saw you just now, I found myself wondering: when did a young lady of such breathtaking beauty appear in Luoyang?”

There was only admiration in her voice — not a hint of envy or resentment.

Since arriving in the capital, most of the young ladies Ling Jingshu had encountered had regarded her with hostility. On the surface she appeared cool and indifferent, but in her heart it had weighed on her rather more than she let on.

After all, who would willingly be met with cold disdain wherever they went?

Now, encountering this warm and amiable Second Miss Su, Ling Jingshu quite naturally felt the desire to befriend and get to know her better, and took the initiative to share something of her own background. “I was not originally from the capital — I have lived in Dingzhou all my life. It was to seek medical treatment for my younger brother, born of the same mother as I, that I came to the capital with my First Uncle’s family.”

So she was from a small place like Dingzhou.

The few young ladies who had not yet spoken quickly exchanged a subtle glance, a shared, unspoken pride in being young ladies of the capital quietly rising in each of their hearts.

Su Ying, however, showed no such reaction whatsoever, and with genuine curiosity began to ask about the local customs and scenic features of Dingzhou.

Ling Jingshu picked out a few of the more interesting things and shared them.

Su Ying smiled when she heard. “They say that reading ten thousand books is no substitute for traveling ten thousand miles — the more places one has been, the broader one’s horizons and the richer one’s conversation, and that is certainly evident.”

“It is a pity that this world imposes so many restrictions on women. Shut away in the inner chambers day after day, simply going out for an outing is difficult enough, let alone traveling far afield.” Ling Jingshu picked up the thread of conversation quite naturally and said softly, “It was only because my younger brother needed to come to the capital for treatment that I had the opportunity to come along.”

Ling Jingshu’s words had struck Su Ying at the heart of her own feelings.

As a young lady of a prestigious family, born into a life of silks and satins and every privilege, she was also bound by every manner of restriction. Even the chance to go out and make social calls on her own was rare beyond rare — let alone traveling to distant places.

The connection between two people can be both extraordinary and simple. Finding someone agreeable to the eye, finding conversation congenial — those alone were quite sufficient reason to become friends.

Su Ying’s bright eyes glanced over with warmth as she looked intently at Ling Jingshu. “I felt a sense of kindred spirit with you the moment I saw you today. If the opportunity presents itself someday, you must come and visit the Su Family. I will welcome you with open arms.”

Ling Jingshu smiled gently and replied, “The honor is mine in having the chance to meet Second Miss Su. One day I will certainly come to call upon you.”

Seated to one side, Ling Jingyan: “…”

In this short span of time, she had already made a friend?

At that very moment, a light boat arrived at the viewing pavilion.

Everyone’s attention was immediately drawn over. Ling Jingshu was no exception.

A light boat had moored at the edge of the pavilion. The eunuch rowing it moved with practiced ease, taking out a sturdy plank and laying it across to the pavilion’s edge. Then, supported by her maidservants, a young lady in a pale yellow dress stepped across.

This young lady was not tall in stature — petite and delicately proportioned, with skin as fair and smooth as jade. Her dark, lively eyes sparkled with an air of innocent charm, and the corners of her delicate lips curved upward naturally, giving her a look that was endearing and delightful. Yet when her gaze shifted and her eyes rippled, there was a natural-born noble air that shone through.

Two contradictory qualities, perfectly blended together in this young lady, formed a charm and bearing that was uniquely captivating.

Who was this young lady?

Ling Jingshu was still quietly musing on the yellow-clad girl’s identity when Jiang Shi beside her broke into a face full of happy surprise, rose from her seat, and walked forward, calling out, “Little Cousin Yue!”

The yellow-clad young lady heard the familiar voice and looked over at once, breaking into a smile. “Cousin Yueniang! So you came today too.”

Ling Jingshu understood immediately.

This young lady was Third Miss Jiang Rongyue of the Duke of Ying’s manor.

Although Jiang Shi was a daughter born of a concubine from a branch of the Jiang Family, her father had always maintained a close relationship with the Duke of Ying, and Jiang Shi herself had frequented the Duke of Ying’s manor often. She and Third Miss Jiang shared a bond of genuine warmth and closeness.

Third Miss Jiang gave every appearance of being naive and carefree, yet she was, in truth, quite well-versed in the proprieties. She greeted each of the assembled young ladies one by one first, then walked over to Jiang Shi’s side and held her hands with a smile. “Coming to the banquet today, I never expected to run into you, Cousin Yueniang — what a wonderful surprise.”

“Isn’t it just!” Jiang Shi felt an exceptional warmth and delight at the sight of Jiang Rongyue. “When we were walking up the wooden bridge earlier, we did see someone riding a light boat. But we were too far away at the time to see clearly — I had no idea it was you.”

Jiang Rongyue said with a merry smile, “Cousin Yueniang, let’s sit down and talk.”

Without any awkwardness, she tugged Jiang Shi into sitting down, then leaned over to greet Ling Jingyan. “A’Yan, you came too.”

Ling Jingyan finally had someone familiar to talk to, and her natural liveliness began to surface again. “Yes! Just a few days ago I ran into Princess Changping by chance at the Crown Prince’s residence, and Her Highness the Princess was hosting a Lotus Appreciation Banquet and sent an invitation to the Ling Family — so I came along to join the excitement and broaden my horizons a little.”

Jiang Rongyue’s gaze slid over to Ling Jingshu’s face once more. “Oh? Are you also a young lady of the Ling Family? How come I’ve never seen you before?”

Her bright eyes were full of open curiosity.

Direct and straightforward, yet not the least bit off-putting.

Ling Jingshu felt an immediate liking for this Third Miss Jiang, who acted like a fast friend upon their very first meeting, and smiled in reply. “Yes — I am the daughter of the Fifth Branch of the Ling Family, the ninth in birth order, and my given name is Jingshu.”

“You two are about the same age,” Jiang Shi said, smiling as she interjected. “Just call her A’Shu.”

Jiang Rongyue smiled at Ling Jingshu in a friendly, easy way. “A’Shu, the next time Cousin comes to visit, come along with her.”

This was the second warm invitation Ling Jingshu had received today.

Ling Jingshu accepted without any hesitation, smiling her agreement.

After Jiang Rongyue sat down, her mouth barely stopped moving — a match for Ling Jingyan at her most chatty on any ordinary day.

In surroundings like this, Ling Jingyan could not quite let herself go and still felt a measure of bashfulness, but Jiang Rongyue wore a face full of smiles and moved with total ease and confidence.

The Duke of Ying’s manor bore the distinction of being the foremost noble household in the capital. As the sole legitimate daughter of the Duke of Ying, Jiang Rongyue occupied a position of honor that none could rival, and she naturally possessed a self-assurance that others would find it difficult to match.

Was it not evident? The moment Jiang Rongyue appeared, every face in the pavilion lit up with a radiant smile.

What was remarkable was that Jiang Rongyue carried none of the arrogance one might expect — she greeted everyone with the same open, warm expression, earning goodwill from all.

Looking at Su Ying with her gentle, graceful smile, then at Jiang Rongyue with her endearing, artless manner, Ling Jingshu could not help but inwardly sigh in admiration.

Now these were what truly distinguished young ladies of noble birth looked like.