Chapter 60 A Perfect Match
She took the initiative to say all this because she actually wanted to ask the old lady to mediate and make the matter come to a conclusion, but the old lady's words made it clear that she was unwilling to take care of it.
After a long pause, Wang sighed and said, "Old An is absolutely right."
The door to the main house was open, and Song Lingyi overheard the conversation between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. The young girl found it incredible. She had never imagined that even a talented and romantic man like Pei Zhao could escape the pressure of his elders to get married.
…
Soon it was the day of the Pei family’s old lady’s birthday banquet, and the Duke and his wife attended the banquet with their three children.
Although the old lady had no intention of bringing Pei Zhao and Lu Yu together, Wang Shi hadn't given up on the idea. The Lu and Pei families were well-matched. Pei Zhao had risen to fame at a young age, a young man she had watched grow up. He was a man of noble character and a steady mind. If Pei Zhao could be engaged, she wouldn't have to worry about her youngest daughter's future.
Before daybreak today, Wang forced her youngest daughter to dress up. She had her hair tied up in a bun, with golden hairpins and a heavy red gold necklace around her neck. The sunset-colored dress she wore was a newly made fashionable style, with even the cuffs and hems inlaid with gold thread. She looked solemn and gorgeous, and had the air of a legitimate daughter of a duke.
A quarter of an hour later, the carriage stopped at the Pei family's gate.
The mansion is located in the east of the city. It is about the same size as the Duke's Mansion. Today it is decorated with flowers and golden beams and colorful buildings.
The two cousins helped each other out of the car. As soon as Song Lingyi stood firm, Lu Qian came over and teased with a sly smile, "Oh, Lu Yu, you are dressed too formally. If you didn't know, you would think you were attending a palace banquet."
“…” Lu Yu frowned.
Girls are shy. Even if they dress beautifully, they will feel insecure if they are teased.
"Are you annoying? Will you die if you say less?" Song Lingyi nudged him with her elbow and looked at him reproachfully.
Lu Qian felt pain, covered his abdomen with one hand and pinched Song Lingyi's neck with the other.
"You damned girl, you really have the guts to do that."
Wang looked back at the three playful people and urged them to catch up quickly.
When the Duke and his wife attended the banquet, Pei Tingyou, the head of the Pei family, personally came out of the house to greet them. The elders exchanged greetings, but the younger ones had no chance to join in the conversation and could only stand by silently.
Song Lingyi looked at the elder of the Pei family who had been engaged to Song's mother without leaving any trace. He was about the same age as her uncle, with a thin figure and gentle manner of speech. He now held the position of Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, a senior secretary of the state and a political advisor.
I heard that he was the second son of the old lady of the Pei family and had no chance of becoming the head of the family. However, his eldest brother died young, so he took on the burden of the family.
"This is Lingyi, right?" Pei Tingyou shifted his gaze slightly and looked at the girl with a gentle smile.
Lu Tanwei hadn't originally planned to emphasize the introduction of his niece, but when Pei Tingyou asked, he responded generously, "Yes, you weren't in Kyoto some time ago, so you haven't seen her yet."
As he spoke, he waved to the girl, "Lingyi, come and greet your Uncle Pei."
The girl was a little embarrassed when she was suddenly called: "Uncle Pei, how are you?"
Everyone said that Song Lingyi was 80% similar to Song's mother, and the most similar point was her eyebrows and eyes. The angle of her kneeling just blocked the lower half of the portrait of Song's father's face.
Pei Tingyou looked at the girl's face and was stunned for a moment. After chatting about some family matters, he asked the maid to take the three children to Sifang Pavilion first.
"This child's eyebrows and eyes are exactly the same as Yan Xian's." Pei Tingyou exclaimed, with a hint of complexity in his eyes.
Lu Tanwei laughed out loud, relying on his close relationship with Pei Tingyou, and teased him darkly, "Even you think so, don't you? Back then, my father had a pair of green jade pendants with dragon and phoenix patterns made, hoping to create a happy marriage, but you and my third sister were not destined to be together. However, the phoenix pendant is now in Lingyi's hands, and Jianzhi is still unmarried. As my second uncle, why don't you try to bring them together?"
Pei Tingyou was stunned for a moment, as if he was really considering the feasibility of what he said. Wang Shi, who was standing by, glanced at Lu Tanwei with disapproval.
The sister-in-law had such a mess back then, how could she possibly match the two younger generations? The youngest daughter was fine, maybe she could talk to the old lady of the Pei family and the wife of the eldest house, but the niece was more difficult.
Noticing his wife's look, Lu Tanwei coughed lightly and said seriously, "It was just a joke, Brother Pei, please don't mind it."
Pei Tingyou just smiled without saying anything and led the Duke and his wife into the courtyard.
On the other side, Lu Qian was taken away by some familiar young men, while the two cousins went to the women's table.
As midsummer approaches and the weather becomes hot, the women's banquet is specially set up in a square pavilion surrounded by water on three sides.
The two were walking on a path shaded by trees when they suddenly heard laughter coming from the Square Pavilion ahead.
I don’t know whose voice Lu Yu heard, but she paused and her face changed slightly.
"What's wrong?" Song Lingyi asked in confusion.
Lu Yu curled her lips, wanting to say something but stopping herself: "Nothing, go in, and then you can bow with me later."
After the two of them sat down and saw the girl who was the center of attention, Song Lingyi immediately understood why her cousin had reacted that way.
The noble ladies' gazes gathered around her. Lu Yu smiled gracefully and bowed to the girl sitting in the middle of the long table, saying, "Princess Changyang is well."
It is said that the noble ladies of Kyoto are as beautiful as flowers.
Princess Changyang was the best among them. She was of noble status and beautiful. She was wearing a scarlet brocade satin dress and sat upright in the middle of a long table. She was surrounded by a group of noble ladies who spoke flattering words to her.
There are many princes and princesses in the palace. Although Princess Changyang and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are not siblings from the same mother, she was raised by Empress Shen since childhood. Her manners and demeanor are beyond the reach of ordinary noble ladies.
Hearing this, she raised her eyes and first took a critical look at Song Lingyi's outfit. Then she glanced at Lu Yu and said in a delicate voice, "I've heard people mention the cousin of the Duke of Jin's Mansion all day long. I used to think this sister was a fairy from heaven, but now that I see her, she's nothing special."
The noble ladies surrounding the long table covered their lips and giggled.
Lu Yu frowned and was about to argue when her cousin next to her straightened up and said, "Princess, you're talking about other people's opinions. I never said I was a celestial being. If you have any opinions, you can express them privately. Why bother speaking harshly on our first meeting?"
She didn't know if it was bad luck or she just had no luck with people of the same sex, but every noble lady she met was more difficult to get along with than the last.
Song Lingyi took a quick look and found that most of the ladies present were familiar faces. They were confronted by Lu Yu and Huo Wenxuan last time, so they wanted to curry favor with them and get revenge.
Princess Changyang seemed not to have expected the girl's rebuttal. She chuckled and said nonchalantly, "Young lady, you are so eloquent, but don't you even know the difference between superiors and inferiors? How dare you say that I spoke ill of you?"
“…” Song Lingyi felt depressed.
This feeling of appearing indifferent on the surface but actually being superior and looking down on others to the core seems familiar.
"Princess." Lu Yu spoke up in time, "My cousin has only been in Kyoto for a short time. I hope you will forgive me if there are any inconveniences."
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