Chapter 57 The First Scandal in Life
The tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop.
Song Lingyi was filled with rage and said expressionlessly, "When did I ever say I didn't know Pei Erlang?"
She considers herself a person who does not like to suffer losses, but today's occasion is special and everyone present is a guest, so it is not easy to lose face.
Since you want to spread rumors about yourself, then go ahead. It's not her who's going to be angry anyway.
If we don't let her have a good life, then no one will have a good life.
When the ladies present heard this, they became like kittens with their fur standing on end, each of them looking tense and hostile.
After all, she was only a girl in her teens, so she couldn't hide her feelings. The round-faced girl in pink clothes completely stopped pretending and spoke disdainfully: "Pei Erlang is such a person, how could he be interested in you?"
Lu Yu, who had been enjoying the melon with great enthusiasm, immediately turned cold. "Wang Jin, don't go too far! My cousin is from the Duke of Jin's mansion and the star of this banquet. If you continue to speak rudely, I'll tell my father."
"The Lu and Pei families are old friends. It's not surprising that Sister Song knows Pei Erlang. But you..." Huo Wenxuan glanced at the noble ladies present, her eyes sharp. "You are so aggressive. Is this the etiquette for you as wives of officials?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the noble ladies fell silent, and the girl who was finding fault turned pale and dared not speak again.
Under the table, Lu Yu gently touched Song Lingyi's hand to comfort her.
When the banquet in the side hall was half over, the nanny beside the old lady came to invite Song Lingyi to go to the main hall to meet someone.
The main hall was different from the side halls. Sitting inside were all the elegant and noble wives of officials. When Song Lingyi entered, she felt like a little white rabbit that had strayed into a forest of wild animals. Fortunately, she had the protection of the old lady, so she only had to smile apologetically.
The wives of officials present were all experienced. Seeing that the old lady liked her granddaughter, they praised her as much as they could. The old lady was grinning from ear to ear, and while her relatives and friends were present, she ordered someone to fetch a South Pearl necklace from the storehouse and put it on her granddaughter in public.
All the ladies in the room were shocked.
South China Pearls were tributes, worn only by the royal family. This necklace not only features eighteen South China Pearls but also gold-inlaid Hetian jade. It's said to have been a gift from the late Empress Dowager. The fact that she gave away such a priceless treasure speaks volumes about her love and appreciation for her granddaughter.
In her previous life, Song Lingyi had been a small-town test-taker. Her research on beads had mostly focused on the balls used in ballpoint pens. Unaware of the value of South China Pearls, she naturally wasn't overly impressed.
It was not until they returned to the side hall that Lu Yu quietly told her the preciousness and origin of the necklace, which frightened Song Lingyi so much that she almost worshipped it.
…
The banquet ended and the guests left one after another.
The two cousins saw Huo Wenxuan off and walked hand in hand to the backyard. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Lu Yu asked with a smile, "Cousin, now that you've seen someone, what do you think of Pei's Second Young Master?"
Song Lingyi frowned, thinking of the crazy looks of those girls, and kept her distance from this "rumored boyfriend". She said lightly: "He's quite good, a type I've never met before. But it must be difficult to get along with such a person."
"Why?" Lu Yu was surprised.
We were chatting happily this morning, why is he saying I'm difficult to get along with now?
"Hmm..." Song Lingyi pouted her red lips and hesitated. "He feels like a banished immortal from a storybook, untouched by worldly desires, content with drinking dew. He has elegant manners and is well-read. At least someone like me definitely can't find a common language with him."
Besides, the Pei family is powerful, and Pei's second son shoulders the family's responsibilities. According to the routines in film and television dramas, such a person will definitely marry a woman who is of equal status, well-educated, and good at dealing with people.
None of these characteristics suit her.
To be honest, when she learned that Pei Zhao was the young man she had met on the outskirts of Qingshi Town, her heart skipped a beat. After all, it was during her lowest point, and how could she remain indifferent to the kindness shown to her by someone who had shown her so much? But that thrill was short-lived; she was not someone who lacked self-awareness.
"I think so too." Lu Yu nodded excitedly. "Speaking of which, there are many women in Kyoto who admire him, but Pei Erlang is twenty-one and still unmarried. He is independent and secluded from the world. He can be said to be a true immortal."
“Ahem!”
The two girls were chatting happily when they suddenly heard a light cough behind them. They turned around and saw Lu Qian standing not far away, looking at them with an indecipherable expression.
The topic discussed by the girls was too private, and Lu Yu couldn't help but blush: "How could my brother eavesdrop on our conversation?!"
Lu Qian sneered: "You two were acting like crazy in public, and I just happened to pass by. Is this considered eavesdropping?"
"What are you talking about? I'm just chatting casually!" Lu Yu retorted loudly.
Like a child whose thoughts were seen through, Lu Yu's face turned even redder after she finished speaking. In contrast, Song Lingyi next to her remained calm, but when Lu Qian looked at her, she turned her head away angrily.
“…” Lu Qian.
What did I do to offend her again?
He raised his hand and pinched Lu Yu's cheek, pulling her aside. Then he approached Song Lingyi with a stern look in his eyes, "I heard that you and Pei Zhao have known each other for a long time?"
"when?"
"Where did you meet?"
"Didn't you just return to Kyoto?"
A series of questions came at him like a barrage of bullets. Song Lingyi slowly turned her head to look at him, her chin slightly raised: "What's it got to do with you?"
It's fine for little girls to spread rumors, but why would a man be so gossipy? No, Lu Qian is also a gossipmonger, making up rumors about her outside!
"I haven't settled my score with you yet!"
Song Lingyi poked Lu Qian's chest with her finger and began to settle accounts: "Why did you tell others that I have a strange personality? What else did you say? Tell the truth!"
Lu Qian felt guilty and mumbled twice, "Nothing else, and you have a bad temper to begin with."
"Hmm?" Song Lingyi raised her eyebrows and looked threateningly.
"I just said one sentence. The rest is all their imagination and has nothing to do with me."
"Then my acquaintance with Pei Zhao has nothing to do with you. Get out of the way."
She raised her hand and pushed, but the young man in front of her didn't move at all. She had no choice but to walk around Lu Qian and head towards Zhilan Garden.
Lu Yu, who was standing by, stuck out her tongue at Lu Qian in a funny way, then chased after him, leaving the young man standing there with an ugly look on his face.
…
The old lady had another purpose for this banquet.
Her granddaughter was almost seventeen, and still had no plans for a marriage. The old lady wanted to settle the matter while she still had energy and vigor. However, after asking her granddaughter several times, she always found excuses to change the subject. Over time, the old lady stopped asking and let things take their own course.
Actually, it was not Song Lingyi's fault. She was busy dealing with a group of young girls on the day of the banquet and had no time to look at young men. The only opposite sex she remembered was Pei Zhao, but that man was a banished immortal who could not be touched from afar. She did not dare to even think about him, nor was she lucky enough to enjoy him.
I had thought that meeting Pei Zhao at the banquet was just a minor incident in life, and even if we met again, it wouldn't be soon. And those rumors would fade with time.
Unexpectedly, a few days later, the two met again on the street.
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