design

Meanwhile, Miao Yiyun, being the most distinguished person at the banquet, naturally took her seat surrounded by attentive guests.

Among the group of women, Bai Shi, though somewhat old, was well-maintained. Sitting between Old Madam Dou and Zhong Shi from her maternal family, she spoke with Miao Yiyun and several other distinguished individuals, yet she did not lose face at all. On the contrary, she displayed the demeanor of someone in charge of managing the household affairs.

As Madame Jiang chatted and laughed, she glanced at Dou Zhen, who had just walked over and was seated with the help of her maids, and said to Madam Bai:

"It's fortunate that Miss Dou inherited your looks and demeanor; she is truly outstanding, unparalleled in the capital. It's evident that Madam Dou is very effective in disciplining her children."

Jiang Heng is such a prominent figure in Mujing now, it's quite flattering to hear these words coming from Madam Jiang, who raised such an outstanding son.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Madam Zhang covered her lips with her embroidered handkerchief and couldn't help but laugh:

"Madam Jiang, you're not praising Miss Dou at all. You're clearly using Madam Dou's name to promote your own good son! Who among us doesn't know that young Master Jiang is the most dashing and handsome man in the capital right now, and he's still unmarried. He's the dream son of countless young ladies..."

After saying this, he smiled and looked at Madame Chiang, who was smiling with her head down.

Lin Xu observed this and, in a daze, realized that Madam Zhang, who had once been determined to have the Fifth Prince marry Dou Zhen, had long since changed her mind. Not only had she completely let go of the matter, but she was also intentionally or unintentionally trying to bring the Jiang and Dou families together in front of everyone.

Lin Xu only had a gut feeling that something was strange, but she couldn't immediately figure out why Madam Zhang was doing this. In addition, Miao Yiyun and Song Xiyan had come on so aggressively that she had no time to pay attention to this matter.

The elders of the Dou family had all taken their seats. As the second daughter-in-law, she should be careful, even though she was pregnant. However, based on her understanding of Miao Yiyun and Song Xiyan from her previous life, she knew that the earlier conflict would not end there, and Lin Xu would not easily forgive the debts these people owed her in her past life. Therefore, she used the excuse of greeting the guests who had not yet taken their seats to stand not far from the entrance of the hall and keep an eye on things.

That ring...

She was always quick-witted, but even so, the two of them only met briefly before Liao Yan went on his campaign. At that time, she was only concerned with catching up with Liao Yan and talking about what would happen after they returned from the battle, and she did not pay any attention to the ruby ​​ring that Liao Yan had given her.

It wasn't that Lin Xu didn't cherish the things Liao Yan gave her. Firstly, Lin Xu had been a pampered daughter of a noble family since childhood, and she was never short of precious jewelry. Secondly, Liao Yan was a princess, the only daughter of the eldest princess, so naturally everything she wore and had was the best in the world.

So even though she received the ring then and knew from its quality it was worth a fortune, she didn't think of anything else...

However, Miao Yiyun's reaction just now was far too strange.

Lin Xu looked into the distance, his head bowed, and saw Miao Yiyun, so gentle and refined, chatting and laughing with several women. For a moment, his memory was inexplicably hazy.

Miao Yiyun grew up alongside Liao Yan since childhood, and the old items that could bother her so much were things she had seen in her childhood...

Amidst a whirlwind of thoughts, a flash of white light suddenly appeared in Lin Xu's mind. The next instant, she almost gasped as she recoiled in surprise at her right hand hidden in her sleeve—

Could this ring that Liao Yan casually gave him be the very one that all the women in the world have been searching for but never found—the one that once belonged to Princess Zhaocheng?

Princess Kunrou... how could she so easily, without even a single explanation, leave such a precious treasure, one of a kind in the world, to me?

Legend has it that before Princess Zhaocheng passed away, she said she would give this ring to the most intelligent woman in the world, but it disappeared after she died of illness... Unexpectedly, it was right in front of her all along, in Liao Yan's hands, and Liao Yan gave the ring to her without any hint!

Startled, Lin Xu quickly recalled how Liao Yan had enthusiastically talked about riding horses together when she returned, as they were about to part ways that day. Could it be that Liao Yan had already prepared herself then, even if she suffered a defeat and met with an accident that prevented her return, to leave this ring to her?

So this ring was a gift from her, as a final memento in case something unexpected happens...?

Thinking of this, Lin Xu closed her eyes briefly. Zhu Ling noticed her unusual behavior and quickly and carefully supported her. "Madam, are you alright?"

Lin Xu shook her head, only then realizing how careless she had been... When Liao Yan left this ring to her, he had actually prepared for the possibility that if something unexpected happened on the battlefield, the two of them would be separated by life and death! How could she be so dense!

Her right hand unconsciously clenched tighter inside her sleeve. Lin Xu comforted herself that Da Yu had won a great victory in the battle in her past life, and that it would be the same in this life. At the same time, she tried to regulate her breathing and calmed down after a long while.

A faint, sweet fragrance drifted from behind her, gradually approaching and wafting towards her.

Lin Xu was startled. At the same time, a voice that was both unfamiliar and somewhat familiar gently sounded beside her.

"I think that Madam didn't actually soil the ring just now, but rather she didn't want to let everyone examine this famous ring closely."

She turned around and realized that Wei Tingya had already come to her side without her noticing.

Even though they were separated by two lifetimes, Lin Xu couldn't help but feel a chill when he looked into the eyes of the fourth young lady of the Prince Gong's Mansion again.

Those round, cat-like eyes clearly gleamed with a chilling aura. Though her lips were smiling, a distinct coldness emanated from them.

Seeing her stunned, Wei Tingya's smile deepened. She took a small step forward, her head slightly lowered. Since they were about the same height, Wei Tingya was almost leaning his head on her shoulder. Lin Xu had no closeness to her whatsoever, and had even suffered such a loss in her past life. How could she possibly allow Wei Tingya to approach her so suddenly?

She instinctively took a step back.

Unexpectedly, this backfired and led them into Wei Tingya's trap.

As Lin Xu retreated hastily, before she could regain her balance and her body had even calmed down, a light breeze swept past her right side.

Lin Xu thought to himself that something was wrong. He hadn't expected that the Fourth Miss would still be so domineering in this life, daring to openly try to steal it!

She was only focused on raising her hand to dodge, trying her best to protect her ring, never expecting that her wide sleeve would be gently tugged by a figure.

Then a white, fluffy thing was pulled out.

It turns out that Wei Tingya wasn't stupid enough to try and take her ring in front of everyone.

Lin Xu turned around and saw Song Xiyan standing behind him, smiling innocently, wringing a soft ball of something in her hand. Bright pink hues flashed intermittently against the pure white background.

That was the embroidered handkerchief that had just fallen from her sleeve.

While Wei Tingya was deep in thought, he provided cover for Song Xiyan, who had quietly arrived. The two conspired to steal the embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve.

Lin Xu looked at the identical smiles of the two people in front of him, and after a long while, he slowly smiled.

Song Xiyan unfolded Lin Xu's embroidered handkerchief and carefully examined the cherries embroidered on it, but she was quite puzzled:

"Just now, Madam Dou said in front of everyone that you accidentally spilled tea, which is why this embroidered handkerchief is stained. But I've been looking at it for a long time, and although the handkerchief is wet, there isn't a single tea stain on it..."

Song Xiyan raised her head. The doubt in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a condescending air.

"Or is it that Madam Dou is a habitual liar and doesn't really want us to have a good look today, so she lied to everyone?"

Zhu Ling had never seen such a shameless person. She watched helplessly as Song Xiyan schemed to steal Lin Xu's things, yet showed no remorse whatsoever. She couldn't help but say coldly:

"Today is Miss Dou's birthday. Although the Dou family is known for its courtesy, we cannot tolerate guests taking our lady's things without permission. Now, before anyone else sees, please ask Miss Song to return our lady's handkerchief."

She and her companions stood together at the palace entrance, shrouded in a heavy beaded curtain, making it nearly impossible for those already seated inside to see what was happening. Given the large number of guests today, many of whom were women, it was not surprising that some would linger here during the comings and goings.

Taking advantage of this, Song Xiyan secretly followed Wei Tingya out of the side hall and stood behind Lin Xu when Wei Tingya put down his handkerchief and walked out of the banquet.

She already disliked Lin Xu. Although she didn't know the reason for the ring, since the Crown Princess wanted it, and the Fourth Miss of the Prince Gong's Mansion had a drastic change in expression after hearing the Crown Princess's self-deprecating remarks, Song Xiyan also realized that the ring in Lin Xu's hand was definitely not an ordinary item.

However, Song Xiyan wasn't interested in the so-called ruby ​​ring. She had grown up surrounded by treasures and was used to pearls and gems. Besides, since both the Crown Princess and the Fourth Miss were extremely interested in the ring, she wouldn't be foolish enough to compete with them. For her, it would be a win-win situation regardless of which of them won the ring.

Helping the Crown Princess would naturally benefit the family; but if she helped the fourth young lady of the Prince Gong's mansion, wouldn't she be able to regain the favor of the Prince Gong's wife and rekindle her romance with the prince she had been longing for?

Regardless, she felt that Lin Xu's daring to mock her last time made him a person of low character, deserving of any punishment. Such a treasure should not fall into the hands of a despicable person like Lin Xu.

Lin Xu had no idea what Song Xiyan was plotting, but she saw a persistent thread of hatred in her eyes. Suddenly, she found it all ridiculous.

This confrontation with Song Xiyan and Wei Tingya is quite similar to the lotus and osmanthus viewing banquet at Guixiu Mountain in my previous life. The only difference is that back then, Yao Suran, who had long since passed away, was also there to bully him and take advantage of his power.

Seeing that Lin Xu was not angry but smiling, Song Xiyan, who was originally in a strong mood, suddenly became suspicious. While she was slightly distracted, Lin Xu took advantage of her unpreparedness and snatched the still wet embroidered handkerchief back from Song Xiyan's hand.

Song Xiyan tried to snatch it again, but Lin Xu handed his embroidered handkerchief to Zhu Ling for safekeeping. At the same time, seeing Song Xiyan leaning closer, he raised his hand precisely at that moment—

"Smack."

Song Xiyan's grabbing posture froze in mid-air.

She slowly raised her eyes, looking at Lin Xu, whose hand was still raised, with almost disbelief, and then reached out to touch her cheek.

The prescription was from the spot where Lin Xu had slapped him, and it was now gradually becoming red and swollen.

At the same time, the banquet, which had been filled with harmony and laughter, suddenly fell silent after hearing the slap.