Gan Qiongying was very satisfied with how things had turned out.

However, Wen Xueling was still standing in the middle of the banquet. After agreeing to compensate her, she was about to bow to Princess Hui'an again, and she didn't know what to say.

Gan Qiongying immediately became alert, guessing that Wen Xueling was still up to no good and wanted to dance to save face!

She naturally wouldn't give Wen Xueling any chance.

Tonight, all the "male leads" are here, and all the elements are there. If Wen Xueling jumps out, the plot effect will kick in, and who knows what kind of chain reaction it will cause.

Therefore, Gan Qiongying immediately pretended to suddenly realize something and stood up, speaking to the Grand Princess Hui'an before Wen Xueling could, "Aunt! I just remembered that I haven't yet presented the birthday gift I prepared!"

"It's a full moon, go and urge them to hurry up and celebrate."

Full Moon was very quick-witted, and immediately bowed and said, "It's already prepared, so please have it brought up."

Gan Qiongying then said to Wen Xueling, "Then someone quickly come and help Princess Xue'e down... cough, down."

"Princess Xue'e's legs are not good, so you should go back to your seat and eat more to replenish your strength. The braised wild boar tendons tonight are quite good. Since it's a case of 'like cures like,' I'll give you my portion too."

Wen Xueling has always considered herself a "lady of high society," and among the noble ladies of Yindu, she has the best reputation.

However, she has been repeatedly taken advantage of by Gan Qiongying and has lost face frequently. She is really unwilling to accept this!

"Don't be moved," Gan Qiongying said, "Hurry up and make room. A bird of prey is coming soon! If it scratches your face again, do you still want to find your Mr. Right?"

Gan Qiongying's way of speaking was far too direct, and it also had a kind of insidious malice that left no room for criticism.

If you analyze it carefully, every word she says is normal, even considerate of you, and her tone is affectionate and joking.

But hearing it makes me feel uncomfortable all over.

Wen Xueling really had no choice but to leave this time. She was genuinely afraid that Gan Qiongying might accidentally injure her in front of so many people with some kind of "raptor," leaving her speechless and with nowhere to turn for help.

Wen Xueling sat back down in a huff, unable to eat or even maintain a smile.

Without Liuli, who served her closely, the remaining maids, though she usually kept by her side, had no idea what Wen Xueling liked, let alone how to quell her anger.

Wen Xueling sat in her seat with a stiff, cold face, watching a group of servants surge onto the stage, surrounding a tall man whose face was covered by a black cloth.

The man's right arm was wrapped in animal skin, and on the skin was a huge gyrfalcon!

Everyone in the room gasped in surprise. The banquet was filled with all sorts of gifts, and the banquet itself was so long it looked like Li Hua's legs, stretching as far as the eye could see.

There's a hunting ground here, and some ambitious young nobles came yesterday, hunting a lot of game as birthday gifts for the Grand Princess.

The wild boar tendons served today are one of them.

However, no one actually sent live prey. After all, the intact pelts of the prey could be used to make various things, and the meat could be added to the meal, but sending live prey to the Grand Princess was simply inappropriate.

I've never heard of Princess Hui'an having any hobby of keeping animals. She's over fifty, so I can't give her horses or anything like that. If she gives her a docile pet, that's fine, but animals are always unpredictable. If she gets hurt, that would be a real problem.

Even if you don't get hurt, dying is still considered bad luck.

Therefore, among all the gold, silver and jade artifacts, Gan Qiongying directly obtained such a beautiful bird of prey, which naturally became the focus of discussion.

Among the noble families in Yindu, there were quite a few young masters who secretly indulged in cockfighting and dog racing. They loved horses, weapons, and birds of prey that flew in the sky. Unfortunately, gyrfalcons were active in the Huzhou area and were extremely difficult to find in Yindu.

Moreover, taming this thing is by no means an easy task.

All eyes in the arena were drawn to the man with the gyrfalcon perched on his arm. Even the Regent, who had been so steady as if his buttocks were glued to the cushion and his eyes were blind, couldn't help but look over.

However, the Regent's gaze only lingered briefly on the exceptionally beautiful gyrfalcon before passing over everyone else and looking directly at Gan Qiongying.

His gaze was cold and sharp, like that of a hawk; anyone caught in his gaze would unconsciously feel a chill—the above is an excerpt from the original text.

Gan Qiongying didn't feel cold; she just thought he looked a bit like an eagle.

The man carrying the eagle on his shoulder stood still in the center of the field and bowed deeply to Princess Huian.

The gyrfalcon on his shoulder let out a soft whistle and flapped its wings as he bent over, almost as if it were paying homage to the Grand Princess Huian.

Gan Qiongying stood up with a smile and said, "Aunt, look, this gyrfalcon has been tamed by this man. Look how long its wingspan is! As a messenger, it can carry things that are slightly heavier than letters and travel to and from Qinzhou in just three days!"

Everyone felt that although the gyrfalcon that Duanrong had given to the Grand Princess of Hui'an was novel, it was actually useless.

These birds of prey, though excellent for hunting and for military commanders to scout out enemy positions, should not be confined to the inner quarters.

Confining a bird of prey in the back of the house for an old woman to enjoy is a grand gesture, but it is also absurd and in line with Princess Duanrong's usual capricious nature.

Some of the scions of prominent families were initially feeling regretful, but upon hearing Gan Qiongying mention Qinzhou, they were all immediately taken aback.

Qinzhou is located on the coast and has been plagued by river bandits for many years. The eldest princess's most beloved youngest daughter married into Qinzhou, and her husband was the naval and land commander who had been stationed in Qinzhou for many years.

Princess Huian had a daughter late in life and loved her dearly. Although the military governor was a good man, he was also a rough and ready soldier. Princess Huian was most worried about the health and safety of her youngest daughter.

However, in ancient times, travel was slow. Princess Hui'an was over fifty years old and it was impossible for her to travel long distances to visit her daughter. Her married daughter also had her own children, and as the matriarch of the family, it was not appropriate for her to come back often.

This birthday banquet was cancelled because of rampant pirate activity and the martial law in Qinzhou. The youngest daughter, who was supposed to come, was unable to return.

Even carrier pigeons would take about a month to travel to and from Qinzhou and return. Qinzhou was frequently embroiled in war, and as carrier pigeons were a common communication tool, they were often shot to prevent the leakage of military intelligence.

Therefore, Princess Hui'an spent half the year waiting for a reply from her youngest daughter.

She kept flocks of pigeons in her backyard, but every letter she sent always disappeared without a trace.

When Gan Qiongying mentioned that the gyrfalcon could deliver messages and return to Qinzhou in three days, Princess Hui'an's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Gan Qiongying continued, "I will give this gyrfalcon and this skilled falconer to my aunt, so that she can communicate with her sister Xiji anytime in the future."

"We could also let this servant go to Xiji's place. He's a guard in my household and quite skilled. With Xiji's husband by his side, the hawks released from Qinzhou will be safe from being shot when they reach the capital."

This guard was indeed handpicked by Gan Qiongying; he was one of her shadow guards, named Zhen Si. This was a perfect opportunity to place him rightfully by the side of Grand Princess Huian.

"Xiji" was the nickname of the youngest daughter of Princess Huian.

Princess Hui'an sighed and tears streamed down her face. She smiled at Duanrong, then burst into tears again.