Chapter 42 Birthday Banquet
On Qu Ling's birthday, the mansion was filled with red silk, which was so bright that it was blinding.
In her previous life, who would remember her birthday?
In this life, Qu Qi took a leave of absence for the first time, saying that he wanted to go back home to celebrate for her.
She is a junior, so there won’t be much of a celebration.
The old lady took care of it personally, but she also had selfish motives and only wanted to invite Qu Mingyue.
However, unexpectedly, many ladies from the capital came with their daughters and gifts, which made the place very busy and chaotic.
It was at this time that Song, who had been bedridden for a long time, appeared in front of everyone with Qu Lianzhi.
He arranged the servants to receive guests in an orderly manner, and ordered them to go to the restaurant to reserve a table. He also did not forget to greet the ladies he was familiar with.
He looked energetic and didn't show any sign of illness.
Even if Qu Xin saw her, his dissatisfaction with her would be much lessened.
Song is indeed a qualified mistress.
Qu Ling certainly knew that these people were not coming for her.
The news that Pei Jingming came to convey the imperial edict today can be found out with a little inquiry.
The Dingxiang Marquis's Mansion has been in turmoil recently, and they were curious and wanted to share in the joy of the newly appointed county lord in the capital.
Qu Lianzhi stood beside Song, dressed up carefully and looking extremely bright and beautiful.
She raised her chin slightly, with a proper smile on her lips, still the legitimate daughter of Marquis Dingxiang, as if she was not the one who lost her composure at the Song family's birthday banquet.
This appearance gave those who wanted to laugh at her pause.
To be honest, although I don't want to admit it, given Qu Lianzhi's identity, how many people in the capital are qualified to make fun of her?
But Qu Ling knew that her hands hidden in her sleeves had probably been pinched to the point of bleeding.
"Sister, you are so lucky," Qu Lianzhi approached, her voice soft, but her eyes pierced with venom. "It's such an honor to have the prince come here in person to announce the decree."
Qu Ling smiled faintly, his eyes sweeping over her carefully painted eyebrows and eyes, "Sister, you are dressed so beautifully today, outshining all the other beauties. Isn't it just to make the prince look at you more?"
As if this wasn't enough to irritate Qu Lianzhi, he intensified his attack, "Why would you bother with so much effort? I'm familiar with the Prince, and I can take you to talk to him."
Qu Lianzhi's eyes are murderous.
Ever since she learned that the prince would come to announce the decree, she couldn't sleep every night and wished she could cut Qu Ling into pieces.
She knew that today was Qu Ling's birthday party, but she insisted on dressing up more dazzlingly than Qu Ling.
"The Prince has arrived—"
There was a loud shout outside the door, and the hall instantly became quiet.
Everyone stood up.
Qu Lianzhi immediately straightened her back, raised the corners of her lips into the most perfect arc, and her eyes were full of charm.
When the slender figure stepped into the hall, she could no longer take her eyes off him.
Pei Jingming was wearing a light purple brocade robe, holding a bright yellow imperial edict in his hand, and walked in calmly.
There was a smile on his lips, but his eyes went straight across the guests in the room and fell on Qu Ling.
"Miss Qu." He nodded slightly and greeted Qu Ling first.
Qu Lingfu bowed and said, "Please trouble the prince to come here in person."
The actions between the two made Qu Lianzhi almost unable to maintain the smile on his face.
Pei Jingming then unfolded the imperial edict and read it aloud.
After the decree was read out, Qu Lianzhi was furious.
What a great Princess Jia'an.
She stared at Qu Ling, watching her respectfully accept the imperial edict, watching the faint smile at the corner of her lips, watching her climb over her head like this.
What made her even more hateful was that Pei Jingming never looked at her from beginning to end.
"Congratulations, Princess Jia'an!"
"The county lady is delighted!"
Amidst the congratulations from the whole room, Qu Lianzhi couldn't even force a smile.
"Lianzhi," Song warned softly, "Don't lose your composure."
Qu Lianzhi took a deep breath and happened to meet Qu Ling's gaze.
The two men's eyes met, one with a calm smile, the other filled with hatred.
Qu Xin personally came to greet Pei Jingming and went to the front yard.
Qu Ling's birthday party was in full swing, with people drinking and chatting, when suddenly there was a commotion outside.
"Mrs. Dongyang has arrived—"
The announcement came so suddenly that all the guests were stunned.
Qu Ling looked up and saw the wife of the Duke of Dongyang with a furious look on her face. She was holding a sandalwood box in her arms and strode into the hall.
Behind her followed two maids, each holding a thick account book in their hands. Their eyes were as sharp as knives and they looked very difficult to deal with.
Mrs. Qu had a bad feeling in her heart.
"Your family is celebrating a great occasion today, and I hope you can forgive me for coming here uninvited." Lady Dongyang's voice was not loud, but anyone with ears could hear the sarcasm in her words.
The whole room was silent, waiting for her next words.
The old lady was quite patient and said, "A guest is welcome. Please find a seat for Madam."
The wife of the Duke of Dongyang sneered and placed the box in her arms heavily on the table.
"I won't sit down either. You didn't invite me in the first place. I'm not coming to you with such a thick face just to ask for your food."
She raised her hand and opened the lid of the box. "I just want to ask the Marquis' Mansion why the dowry we gave to A Ling's mother appeared in the shop outside."
"And why didn't A-Ling invite me to his birthday party? Turns out he did something shameful."
The old lady's pupils shrank slightly, but soon returned to normal. Before she could say anything, Song immediately stood up.
She put on a smile and said, "Madam Bo, who knows if these are Madam Xu's old things? We can't rule out the possibility that someone deliberately forged them to slander our mansion."
The wife of the Duke of Dongyang sneered and glanced at Song. "Whether it is a counterfeit or not, we can find out by checking it out."
She waved her hand, and the maid behind her immediately unfolded the account book and read aloud the dowry that Xu had given her.
The old woman's voice was loud and clear, and all the guests in the room could hear it clearly.
Every time he read out an item, the wife of the Duke of Dongyang would take one from the box.
The old lady's expression became increasingly ugly.
The wife of the Duke of Dongyang said sternly, "These are only the ones we found. We don't know how many have been melted down or sold somewhere."
The prominent families in the capital seldom buy their headgear and ornaments from outside. Instead, they wear those passed down from their ancestors, or they find good materials and hire skilled craftsmen to make them.
Xu Zhaoyue's things all have special engraved marks, and are unlikely to be bought in the capital.
She asked the maid beside her, "Have you told the Marquis? This is a serious matter. Let the Marquis give our mansion an explanation."
The old woman was also clever and said loudly, "Master Bo has taken the prince to the front yard. I believe he has said everything he needs to say by now.
The old lady was shocked, thinking that this man came prepared.
Behind her, Qu Mingyue was sweating profusely. Who had let the secret slip? How could those things have been collected by the people in Dongyang Marquis's Mansion?
She originally thought of arranging the marriage during Qu Ling's birthday party.
Xu Zhaoyue’s dowry is Qu Ling’s dowry, and Qu Ling’s dowry belongs to their family, but they used some of it in advance.
Unexpectedly, the wife of the Duke of Dongyang would expose it in public today!
The old lady still didn't speak.
Or rather, she didn't know how to speak at this moment.
Song looked incredulous and said defensively, "Madam Bo must have misunderstood. Madam Xu's dowry has always been kept in the treasury of the mansion. How could it be lost outside?"
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