Chapter 50: Weird
Zhou Baili was wrong about everything else, but she was right about this one thing: these compliments would not bring any benefits to Liu Mingyue. On the contrary, they brought her unexpected trouble.
Liu Mingyue lowered her head, not daring to respond to these compliments. How others praised her was one thing, but she just shouldn't take it seriously.
"Today's palace banquet is for several generals who are about to go on the Western Expedition. I didn't expect to see such an interesting and lively scene."
There was a constant sound of orchestral music in the hall, as well as the voices of guests complimenting and laughing. The sounds of private discussions were not worth mentioning.
In addition, everyone knew in their hearts that all the words praising Liu Mingyue were just for fun. Today's farewell banquet was like a rare drama. Except for the Zhou Mansion, the Hou Mansion and Liu Mingyue herself who had no interest in watching the drama, everyone else was watching with great gusto.
Even the palace maids who were serving at the back of the hall dared to discuss in private. Chi Hongyuan, who was drinking with his head down, was attracted and looked towards the seat of Marquis Dingbei with disapproval, while the palace maids were still discussing.
"Although the prince of Dingbei is disabled, he is still a prince. Liu Mingyue's status is not up to par, and she is also so ugly. If I were the prince, I would also be depressed."
Chi Hongyuan's eyes fell on Liu Mingyue as the palace people talked, but Liu Mingyue didn't know that the "old friend" had noticed her because of this episode. Chi Hongyuan had excellent eyesight, and he was stunned when he saw Liu Mingyue lowering her head.
How come this Princess Consort of Marquis Dingbei looks somewhat similar to the person he met in Zui Xiang Lou?
Although they were only somewhat similar, they were also somewhat scary. Chi Hongyuan felt confused and looked at Liu Mingyue a few more times.
"Sister, I want to eat another bowl of hawthorn cake." Tang Yue took her elder sister's hand and acted coquettishly.
Chi Hongyuan glanced over there calmly, and when he saw the eldest daughter of the Tang family, he lowered his head with a complicated expression.
I was overthinking it. The young man who proposed to cooperate with him looked very young and had an average physique, so his figure looked similar to that of a woman. Moreover, most of the women at the table had figures like that. I must have been thinking too much lately.
After leaving Zui Xiang Lou, Chi Hongyuan ordered his men to follow Bai Ziyu and Liu Suifeng, but as expected, they returned empty-handed.
The people who followed would be left behind by Bai Ziyu and the others, which was not surprising, but it also made Chi Hongyuan feel frightened. Bai Ziyu was gifted and had been famous since he was a child. Seeing that Bai Ziyu was young, he was more impressed than puzzled.
The young man next to Bai Ziyu looked like he was not even an adult yet, but he had such a plan and knew a lot about him. Even if Chi Hongyuan was calm, he couldn't help but worry. The more he worried, the more he would be paranoid.
"Mother, Your Highness, I'm going to go for a walk outside." Liu Mingyue didn't know that she was already under suspicion, so she stood up and left the table to go to the toilet.
The Marquise and Tan Zhuoyan both felt that Liu Mingyue was embarrassing and just wanted her to stay away from them, so they immediately waved their hands and told her to leave.
Liu Mingyue just tried her best to say a few words to them, not bothering to look at their expressions, and left Qinghe Palace alone.
Chi Hongyuan in the corner stared at Liu Mingyue's back and felt that she was very similar to the young man from Zuixianlou.
As soon as this thought came to his mind, Chi Hongyuan held his head and shook his head. It couldn't be him. The Zhou family's adopted daughter was brought to the mansion by a concubine. She was raised in the inner house since she was young. She lived a more restrained life than the legitimate daughter. How could she know the news from the outside world?
"Is the Ninth Prince also interested in the Crown Prince's Consort?" The Eighth Prince, who was as unpopular as Chi Hongyuan, said with a half-smile.
The two sat close to each other, and the Eighth Prince was not very old when Chi Hongyuan was banished to the cold palace, so he did not bully him. The relationship between the two could not be said to be good, but it was just a relationship where they could talk.
Chi Hongyuan lowered his eyes and shook his head. He was used to being a man of few words, so the Eighth Prince was not surprised and continued talking to himself.
"This Crown Prince's Consort is also a strange person. She followed her mother to the Zhou Mansion as a foster daughter when she was young. She looks... She married Tan Zhuoyan not long ago. How could her life be easy? Fortunately, she was able to take care of everything at the palace banquet."
The Eighth Prince said this, but he was not admiring Liu Mingyue. He was just talking about other people's affairs in a tone of watching the fun.
Chi Hongyuan still didn't say anything, but he poured wine for the Eighth Prince. Although this action was insignificant, the Eighth Prince was flattered and said happily: "Oh, is the sun rising from the west today, Old Nine?"
Chi Hongyuan rolled his eyes at him. He just wanted this person to say a few more words about Liu Mingyue so that he wouldn't have to speak.
However, the Eighth Prince's words reminded him of one thing. She was just an adopted daughter of the Zhou family, and her mother was a concubine in the mansion. The mother and daughter were helpless. What good would it be for them if Zhou Junyuan died? You have to know that the marriage between the Hou Mansion and the Zhou Mansion was also based on Zhou Junyuan's military power.
The person who cooperated with him was unlikely to be a woman in the inner palace, especially not the adopted daughter whose interests were closely tied to Zhou Junyuan.
Liu Mingyue left the hall, went to the toilet, and planned to walk around the garden before returning to Qinghe Hall. The people in the hall all wore masks when speaking, and it was a bit tiring to deal with them. Even though she had lived a new life, Liu Mingyue couldn't handle it.
"Isn't this the Crown Prince's Consort? Why is she wandering in the garden alone without anyone around her?" A familiar sarcastic voice sounded. Liu Mingyue was a little dazed. When she raised her eyes, she saw Zhou Baili and Zhou Qianqian walking towards her.
The two were dressed up in jewels and precious stones, bringing honor to the Zhou family. In her previous life, she did not leave the table, so she did not expect to meet Zhou Baihe and Zhou Qianqian on the way back to the toilet.
"Two sisters." Liu Mingyue is now the Crown Prince's Consort, so of course she doesn't need to bow to them. She just greeted them verbally.
In private, Zhou Baili and Zhou Qianqian would never greet her politely, and Liu Mingyue didn't bother to argue with them.
The two approached and looked Liu Mingyue up and down with a deliberately rude look. Zhou Qianqian seemed to frown, but in fact she was gloating: "Now you are also the Crown Prince's Consort, why are you dressed the same as when you were in the Zhou Mansion?"
What Liu Mingyue wore today was indeed not eye-catching, but it was definitely not shabby. The whole set of clothes cost only twenty taels, which was quite acceptable.
"It seems that Miss Zhou Er's taste is not very good. When I was in the Zhou Mansion, the clothes I wore could have been made into several sets with one tael of silver. How can they compare with the dress I am wearing today? Even if I am not good enough, I still have to consider the reputation of the Marquis' Mansion."
She started by saying that Zhou Qianqian had bad taste. Zhou Qianqian choked, thinking that she was the one who was looking for trouble, so she couldn't be angry.
"Qianqian is also concerned about my sister. Why are you so sarcastic in your words? My sister doesn't need to be so malicious. Sigh, but my sister has been wronged since she married into the Marquis' Mansion. She looks thinner than before she got married. Just now at the banquet..."
Zhou Baili held up a round fan and lightly covered half of her face, looking like she couldn't bear to speak. She pretended for a while before continuing with concern: "I noticed that the prince didn't talk much to my sister during the banquet, and his face didn't look good. Does he treat my sister coldly at other times?"
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