After rebirth, I seduced the abstinent Marquis and became the white moonlight

Chapter 13 First Show of Strength
Finding someone is not something that can be solved overnight. The most urgent thing for Shen Ning is to concentrate on preparing for the competition.

Speaking of painting, Shen Ning inherited his grandfather's talent. Not only is he intelligent, but his painting skills are also unique.

But she had never thought about competing for anything, and she didn't understand the twists and turns between scholars, so she had never thought about gaining anything with this skill. But now it's different.

On the day of the competition, she came to the scene with her carefully prepared works. Taking this opportunity, she specially called her sister out. Although Shen Rou made various excuses for not wanting to go out, she finally listened to her.

"Sister, here!"

Shen Ning ran towards Shen Rou happily, hugged her, and was so excited that he couldn't express it in words.

Shen Rou smiled and patted her on the back gently: "You are already married, why are you still acting like a child? Hurry up, or others will laugh at you."

Shen Ning pursed her lips and said disapprovingly, "What other people think is none of my business. But you, sister, haven't been home for more than a month. We are all in Beijing, so why is it so difficult for me to see you?"

After hearing this, Shen Rou didn't know what she was thinking of. Her face froze, and then she evaded the question vaguely: "I'm busy at home. Besides, there's Xiaoman."

Shen Ning saw through it but didn't say anything: "Although the Duke's Mansion is large, there are people to take care of everything. Why should I tie you up in the mansion? Xiaoman is over one year old. It's not like I can't take you with me when I go out."

Shen Rou choked and smiled awkwardly: "Ningning has grown up and knows how to care about her sister, but every family has its own problems, and some things are not as easy as they say."

Thinking of what happened in the Shen Mansion two days ago, Shen Rou's mind moved, and she asked anxiously: "I heard that you went home and made a scene, but what did you hear?"

Seeing her cowering, Shen Ning was angry: "Sister, what are you afraid of me knowing? About mother's hard life or your miserable life?"

Shen Ning still remembered that in her previous life, she heard Shen Rou's personal maid say that the son-in-law of the Duke's Mansion treated her worse than a maid. He had to wash clothes with cold water in winter, and she could not sit at the table for meals. She could only eat leftovers after others had finished eating. Physical pain was commonplace, and there was not a single good spot on her body. She was worse than the prisoners in prison.

Shen Rou didn't expect Shen Ning to speak so bluntly, and her face immediately turned pale. Now that the words were out, Shen Ning didn't want to hide it:

"Sister, I seriously suspect that Rong Jingtang has mental problems. Isn't this naked abuse? Only you are soft-hearted enough to still live with him under the same roof. If it were you, I'd say we should just stop living like this and get a divorce."

Shen Rou had a hard time keeping a smile on her face, but she still managed to remain dignified: "You are trying to persuade my mother to divorce, and you are trying to persuade me to divorce, how can this be? Besides, he said he would change, after all, he is Xiaoman's father, things will get better."

Shen Ning was not surprised by her reaction, but he still wanted to pinch his own Ren Zhong. Both of them were really a worry.

As they were talking, the two had already entered the Manjusri Academy. The competition had gone from being a folk event to a formal one, and so had the venue.

As the highest institution of learning in the capital, Manjusri Academy is not only large in scale, but also houses outstanding students, including princes and princesses, as well as children of various ministers.

Everyone is eager to compete in this competition, hoping to stand out and show their face in front of His Majesty.

But it is not shameful to show your face. Except for the people in the school, those who come from outside all have some ability.

It is precisely because of this that when everyone saw the Shen Ning sisters, they were so surprised that they couldn't close their mouths.

"What are they doing here? Do they think this is a vegetable market? I think we should just go there and avoid having people come to join in the fun."

The person who was speaking was the current emperor's legitimate daughter and the prince's sister, Zhao Yunzhen. In her opinion, the Shen Ning sisters, who had nothing, were not even worthy of carrying her shoes.

The noble ladies in the capital city always read people's faces, and seeing her attitude, they all agreed. "That's right, a little petty, just like their mother who is not presentable."

Under normal circumstances, Shen Yuyao would have joined in mocking Shen Ning, but at this moment, she stirred her handkerchief with an uneasy look on her face and didn't say a word.

Soon, the competition officially began. Shen Ning pulled Shen Rou to the guqin group, watched everyone compete in their guqin skills, and pushed Shen Rou forward.

"Sister, I remember you are the best at this, go and try it, maybe you can win first place."

In fact, the Shen Ning sisters both have special skills, but Zhong Wanqing is an introverted person and has never thought of letting them show their talents.

Shen Rou was sweating coldly when she heard what Shen Ning said: "Nonsense, I can't show off my skills, let's go."

Shen Ning held her back and said, "Sister, your piano skills are the best I've ever seen. Why do you always underestimate yourself? Since you're here, you won't lose anything if you give it a try."

Shen Rou really likes playing the piano, and this is her only pleasure in the backyard. When she first entered the Duke's Mansion, she had planned to rely on this to make Rong Jingtang look at her with a higher regard, but unfortunately...

While she was in a daze, she was pushed onto the stage. Looking at the guqin in front of her, and then at the curious or contemptuous expressions in the audience, Shen Rou's heartbeat suddenly quickened, and her dull head seemed to come alive again as if a dead tree had come back to life.

Compared to playing the piano, she really doesn't seem to be afraid of anything.

When she sat down and played the first note with her fingertips, everyone present held their breath, and after a while, whispers were heard from the crowd.

"Isn't this High Mountains and Flowing Water? She can actually sing such a difficult piece of music?"

"I have only heard the zither player play this piece in the palace. Looking at her performance, she is not inferior to the zither player."

The guqin competition was hosted by the nanny beside the empress dowager. After hearing Shen Rou's guqin sound, her half-closed eyes instantly became clear. It would take more than ten years to practice this fingering technique.

When the music ended, Nanny asked, "Anyone else who wants to spar?"

The girls around lowered their heads. Compared with Shen Rou, their level was just like children playing house. They didn't dare to show off.

Mammy let out a "hmm" from her throat, then raised her hand and asked the maid next to her to fetch a box: "This prize is yours."

When the box was opened, a golden hairpin with double beads of rubies and sapphires was revealed inside. It was obviously a top-grade product in terms of both quality and craftsmanship.

Seeing Shen Rou's eyes widened, the nanny said proudly, "This was worn by the Empress Dowager. Thank her for it."

*
After leaving the Qin House, Shen Rou was still confused: "I just played a song, and you rewarded me with such a valuable thing."

Shen Ning was proud of it. He came close to his sister and said, "So, do you know how great you are?"

As she was talking, she suddenly remembered the scroll in her hand and hurriedly pulled Shen Rou to run: "Hurry, hurry, the studio is over there, don't wait until it's too late."

(End of this chapter)