Identity exposed

Fu Zhi Qiao was unaware that Zuo Murui was sending people to investigate her background. She had been busy these past two days looking for a suitable birthday gift for Zhou Miao Si.

Just a few days ago, Zhou Miaosi sent an invitation to the Fu residence. In the invitation, Zhou Miaosi said that her birthday was coming soon and she wanted to take this opportunity to invite her close sisters to the residence for a gathering. She also instructed Fu Zhiqiao to be sure to attend.

Fu Zhiqiao shopped around several streets before finally finding a suitable gift for Zhou Miaosi.

Zhou Miaosi's birthday banquet was held in the Begonia Courtyard of the Qin Mansion. In the afternoon, the invited guests arrived at the Qin Mansion one after another.

Fu Zhi Qiao followed the maid leading the way through the corridor. She could faintly hear the sound of a zither coming from the inner courtyard. After passing through a moon gate, she arrived at Zhou Miao Si's Begonia Garden. The green-clad maid who greeted her at the door had a polite smile on her face and made a gesture of invitation: "Miss Fu, please come with me."

Yinxing followed behind Fu Zhiqiao, carrying a wooden box. Guided by the maid in green, the two arrived at the small garden of Haitangyuan.

The sun was slowly setting in the west, bathing the entire garden in a golden glow.

Yellow jasmine, golden stamen, pink jasmine... there are many flowers in the crabapple garden. It is clear that the flower beds and bonsai have been specially arranged, and the overall look is very elegant.

Several small tables were set up in the open space, with various kinds of snacks on them. The chairs were covered with floral gold-threaded cushions, so that guests could sit and chat while enjoying the flowers.

The maids in the courtyard were all dressed beautifully. When they saw Fu Zhi Qiao coming, they all bowed and greeted her. When the maid announced that Fu Zhi Qiao had arrived, Zhou Miao Si straightened her skirt and came over with a smile.

Zhou Miaosi was the hostess of the banquet. She wore a bright red gauze dress, with light rouge on her face, and her hair was tied up with a flying fairy hairpin. Not a single strand of hair was out of place. She wore a gold hairpin and a gold necklace, and her attire was very elegant and luxurious.

As a guest, Fu Zhi Qiao didn't want to steal the spotlight from her host, so she wore a simple light blue silk dress and light makeup. The simple outfit made her look even more elegant and refined.

Fu Zhiqiao took the carved brocade box from Yinxing and placed it in Zhou Miaosi's hands, while also saying a few words of blessing.

Zhou Miaosi took the brocade box, opened it, and immediately showed a look of surprise.

The brocade box contained a complete set of red coral headdresses, including a gold hairpin, a flower ornament, a hair ornament with dangling ornaments, and a pearl hairpin. On the two sides of the box were two smaller hairpins with tassels at the temples. Each headdress was inlaid with red coral the size of a fingernail, so red that it looked as if it could drip blood!

Even Zhou Miaosi, who had seen many fine things, couldn't help but exclaim how beautiful it was. She was overjoyed, but still said politely, "It's just an annual birthday banquet, it's not worth you spending so much money."

Zhou Miaosi knew in her heart that this whole set of headdresses would cost at least several hundred taels of silver.

“Birthday banquets are held every year, but this year is your first birthday as a mother, Sister Miaosi, so it should be a little different,” Fu Zhiqiao said with a smile.

Zhou Miaosi took Fu Zhiqiao's arm and said with a touched expression, "You've always been the most considerate person to me!" As she spoke, she pulled Fu Zhiqiao into the crowd and introduced her to the other guests.

The Lady of Ming'an County? When did such a person appear in the capital?

Most of the ladies and young women invited to the banquet were either on good terms with Zhou Miaosi or had close ties with the Qin family. Although they had doubts after hearing about Fu Zhiqiao's identity as the county magistrate, they did not show it on their faces. Those who glanced at her more often were simply drawn to her beauty.

Fu Zhi Qiao smiled faintly and nodded to the others as a greeting.

She was quickly recognized by someone in the group of noble ladies. "Isn't this the owner of Fuyun Pavilion!"

Fuyun Pavilion has been open in the capital for some time now, and many noble ladies have already gone in to spend money. Not to mention that Fu Zhi Qiao has personally organized two or three makeup tutorials, so it's not surprising that someone recognized her at this moment.

The person who recognized Fu Zhi Qiao was Song Fangfei, the wife of Liu Xingzhi, a third-rank provincial inspector. She was present when Fu Zhi Qiao taught makeup at Fuyun Pavilion, and the makeup she wore today was the "noble lady makeup" that Fu Zhi Qiao had taught her.

Song Fangfei initially thought Fu Zhiqiao was an ordinary merchant, but after Zhou Miaosi's introduction, she learned that Fu Zhiqiao also had the identity of a county magistrate. However, she did not point out in public that Fu Zhiqiao was the owner of Fuyun Pavilion.

The ladies and young women present all own several shops and estates, but they all entrust the affairs of their shops to the managers and do not personally manage them like Fu Zhi Qiao does.

Song Fangfei had a good impression of Fu Zhiqiao, so she naturally wouldn't expose her secrets in public.

The county magistrate's status was indeed not conspicuous in the capital, but the ladies and young women present were all shrewd and made a great show of it. Seeing that Zhou Miaosi was friendly to Fu Zhiqiao, they immediately became more enthusiastic towards Fu Zhiqiao as well.

Seeing that the atmosphere was good, Fu Zhiqiao also made a couple of joking remarks.

Qin Xiyu, who had been eating snacks nearby, immediately came over to Fu Zhiqiao upon seeing her, affectionately taking her hand. "Sister Fu, you're here! Come on, let's go admire the flowers. My brother specially found some peonies for you, and I heard one of them is extremely rare..."

After enjoying the flowers, it gradually got dark, and lanterns were hung throughout the Begonia Garden to illuminate the area.

Zhou Miaosi brought her daughter out to greet the guests. A little baby wearing a red tiger-head hat and with a chubby little face was being held comfortably in her wet nurse's arms. She occasionally let out a "giggle" laugh, which amused everyone.

"Look how pretty the little girl is."

"You're absolutely right, she'll definitely be a beauty when she grows up!"

Everyone praised the baby, but the main character today wasn't the infant. After Zhou Miaosi had introduced her daughter to the guests, she had the wet nurse take the child away. She then called out to everyone, "The banquet is about to begin, ladies, please join me at the table!"

As the banquet began, the maids cleared away the fruits and snacks and set out one exquisite dish after another. In an instant, the Begonia Courtyard was filled with laughter and joy.

Someone suddenly got the idea and suggested playing the game of pitch-pot.

The maids quickly brought over the pitch-pot and various kinds of arrows.

Taking advantage of a break in the game, Tang Yuying found an opportunity to sit next to Fu Zhiqiao and said sarcastically, "Miss Fu, I really underestimated you."

Seeing Tang Yuying's indignant expression, Fu Zhiqiao deliberately answered in a gentle voice, "What makes you say that, Miss Tang?"

"Are you still pretending? You're so proud of yourself for driving Ya Dan away!" Although Tang Yuying didn't know exactly what had happened when Yu Ya Dan suddenly left Beijing, she had a feeling that it must be related to Fu Zhi Qiao.

Fu Zhi Qiao lost interest in pretending. "Miss Tang, are you sure you want to stand up for your friend without knowing the reason?"

Tang Yuying opened her mouth, somewhat at a loss for words, but she quickly realized, what other reason could there be?

Seeing Fu Zhi Qiao remain silent with a faint smile, Tang Yu Ying felt inexplicably uncomfortable. What right did Fu Zhi Qiao, a mere merchant, have to sit with these noble ladies? Wasn't it because she had climbed up to the young master?

"Aren't you afraid I'll expose your shameful deeds?"

Fu Zhiqiao was speechless. Tang Yuying seemed like a shrewd person, so why was she so reckless? She asked in return, "Miss Tang, what shameful things do you know about me?"

"Don't think that just because you've climbed up to the prince, you can..." Tang Yuying stopped mid-sentence.

"Why did Miss Tang stop talking?" Fu Zhiqiao raised an eyebrow and gave her a half-smile.

Tang Yuying gritted her teeth. No matter how outrageous the young master's actions were, it was not something a woman like her, who was not yet married, could discuss. It was fine to say a few words in private, but now that there were so many people around, if what she said were leaked, her reputation would be ruined.

Fu Zhiqiao sat upright in the chair, took a sip of tea, and turned her gaze to the person playing the arrow-throwing game.

Seeing that Fu Zhi Qiao was ignoring her, Tang Yu Ying was furious. Was there really no way to deal with this woman?

After several rounds of pitch-pot, the atmosphere in the courtyard became even more lively, creating a stark contrast with the quiet atmosphere at Fu Zhiqiao and Tang Yuying's place.

Zhou Miaosi noticed that the atmosphere between her and Tang Yuying was a bit off, and invited, "Zhiqiao, would you like to give it a try?"

“Okay!” Fu Zhiqiao took the three arrows that Zhou Miaosi handed over.

She first approached and examined the bronze pot used for pitching. The mouth of the pot was large enough to fit three fingers. Then she picked up an arrow, walked outside the pitching line, weighed it in her hand, closed her left eye slightly, aimed at the mouth of the pot, and with a forceful push of her right hand, the arrow went into the pot with a "clang".

Zhou Miaosi was also surprised that Fu Zhiqiao hit the target with her first arrow, and she clapped and cheered repeatedly.

All eyes in the courtyard instantly turned to them.

"Just lucky, just lucky!" Fu Zhiqiao said modestly, then threw two arrows in succession.

Tang Yuying was prepared to laugh at her, but Fu Zhiqiao hit the target three times in three attempts. She rubbed the handkerchief in her hand, feeling even more annoyed. Unfortunately, she was not good at pitch-pot, so she could only sit aside and sulk.

"How can you say it's luck if you make all three of your shots?" Zhou Miaosi's eyes were full of approval, and she couldn't help but ask, "Have you practiced at home?"

Fu Zhiqiao honestly shook her head. It was her first time playing the pitch-pot game. Besides luck, she was able to hit all the targets because she had practiced shooting before, so she was somewhat accurate.

Zhou Miaosi was even more surprised to hear this. To throw so accurately on the first try? She then handed over a few more arrows. "Want to play another round?"

"I'm not playing anymore, or I'll be exposed."

Zhou Miaosi took it as a joke and didn't press the matter, instead inviting the other women to continue playing.

Seeing that Fu Zhi Qiao was both handsome and had an extraordinary bearing, someone pulled Zhou Miao Si aside to inquire about Fu Zhi Qiao's background, "Miao Si, tell me quickly, what is the background of this Lady Ming An? Is she married?"

Zhou Miaosi glanced at Fu Zhiqiao, who was talking to Qin Xiyu. They were laughing over something funny, and the yellow candlelight made her fair and translucent skin seem to glow.

"Zhi Qiao is not a girl from any family; she is the Lady of Ming'an County, personally bestowed by His Majesty."

"ah?"

After Zhou Miaosi finished speaking, the others were even more confused.

Tang Yuying looked incredulous upon hearing this, "When was she granted the title of County Lady?"

Tang Yuying arrived a little late, so she didn't hear Zhou Miaosi's introduction of Fu Zhiqiao, nor did she know that Fu Zhiqiao had been granted the title of County Lady.

However, thinking about how she had been belittling Fu Zhi Qiao's status, Tang Yu Ying pursed her lips, feeling inexplicably hot-faced. Her gaze involuntarily turned to Fu Zhi Qiao, who had been sitting quietly there.

Zhou Miaosi was naturally happy to satisfy the curiosity of these noble ladies. "Have you all heard? His Majesty has acquired a new treasure that can reduce high fever, called alcohol. This alcohol was made by Zhi Qiao."