Ning Wan looked up and saw Li Manqing, the protagonist of this banquet.
As the daughter of a Shangshu, Li Manqing's appearance and dressing style are naturally among the best. The gold and silver jewelry on her head alone are dazzling, and she stands out like a star among the crowd.
Her hands are as soft as silk and her skin is as white as cream. The jewelry does not make her look vulgar, but rather adds to her elegance.
Li Manqing smiled, but her eyes fell on the stranger in the crowd. Her heart was slightly moved, and she opened her red lips slightly: "Are you Ning Wan?"
"It's me." Ning Wan bowed slightly and replied calmly. When she raised her eyes, she looked at Li Manqing for a moment, then lowered her head again.
It seems that the Shangshu's daughter really doesn't know her.
In that case, it was most likely her fiancé's idea to call her here.
Li Manqing nodded lightly, the corner of her mouth slightly raised: "No need to be polite, everyone please sit down, let's be casual today, just treat it as a reunion between sisters."
As soon as she finished speaking, the daughters of officials around her responded and returned to their seats, and Ning Wan naturally had no intention of talking to them.
But Li Manqing's eyes flickered slightly, and when she looked at her, she seemed to want to ask something else, but considering that the occasion was not right, she swallowed the words and went to sit in the upper seat.
In the eyes of these daughters of officials, Ning Wan was just a daughter of a businessman, and naturally not worth their effort to make friends with her. Therefore, after they sat down, no one took the initiative to talk to her.
Ning Wan was also happy and relaxed, savoring the cakes on the table with peace of mind, and listening very seriously to the gossips of these young ladies from official families.
Unlike the gossip between the common people, the gossip between them is the kind that you don’t usually hear.
For example, the son of the Vice Minister of Personnel visited a brothel, which caused his father to be impeached; the Vice Minister of War planned to send his son, who was unable to carry anything on his shoulders or hands, to the army for training.
As they chatted, the topic suddenly changed from simple gossip to the major issue of marriage.
"Speaking of which, my sister is so lucky to have such a good husband like the Third Prince." The youngest daughter of the Minister of Rites flattered him.
"Yes, the Third Prince now stands out among the many princes and is highly regarded by the Emperor."
"And we've all heard that the wedding date between my sister and the third prince has been set. Maybe next time we get together, we sisters will have to change our way of addressing my sister and call her the Princess Consort..."
"Ahem—" Before the man could finish his words, Li Manqing coughed lightly, interrupting him. Her expression was a little serious, but she still had a hint of a smile on her face.
"Don't talk nonsense."
It was obvious that she knew what the man had not finished saying, and everyone present also knew the reason why Li Manqing did not let her finish her words.
She was simply afraid that things would not be finalized and something unexpected might happen, which would lead to gossip. Thinking of this, the woman quickly cried out "Ah" and said with a smile:
"It's just a matter of time, sister, why worry?"
When Li Manqing, who was mentioned, heard this, she covered her face and took a sip of tea. Although she was smiling, the smile did not reach her eyes.
As the daughter of an official, her marriage could not be determined according to her own wishes. The marriage with the prince was more of a matter of interest and there was not much true love.
Even her father told her that the Third Prince had the potential to be an emperor, and if she could become his wife, she would definitely be the mistress of the harem in the future, completely disregarding whether she liked this husband or not.
Li Manqing pondered and her eyes fell on Ning Wan again.
She sat quietly in the corner, concentrating on eating the cakes on the table, and even occasionally stuffed a piece into the hands of the two maids beside her, as if she was eating some delicacy.
But in a moment, she seemed to realize that someone was staring at her. She had originally lowered her head, but suddenly she raised it and quickly caught Li Manqing's gaze.
Ning Wan was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile at Li Manqing.
Li Manqing couldn't help but smile when she saw this, but she was thinking silently in her heart: She is completely different from these official daughters. With such a good opportunity, she only has her eyes on the cakes in front of her...
Thinking of this, Li Manqing sighed in her heart.
Although today is her birthday party, few people come to celebrate her birthday sincerely. They just have their own ulterior motives and calculations.
Even she herself is almost like that.
Li Manqing's reason for sending a visiting card to Ning Wan was not simple, but she had no intention of harming her.
That day, the Third Prince Jun Yan came to look for her father specifically, saying that he wanted to use her birthday party to invite the young talents of Rongping County to a gathering.
Knowing Jun Yan's thoughts, his father naturally did not refuse and even cooperated with him.
Then Jun Yan sent her a private message, wanting her fiancée of Mr. Shen to attend the banquet, so as to cultivate their relationship in advance.
Li Manqing was not an innocent and naive girl, so she could naturally see what Jun Yan meant. She knew that he just wanted her to start with Ning Wan so that he could get the support of Mr. Shen and the Ning family.
Because she knew Jun Yan's purpose, Li Manqing felt that this marriage was not as beautiful as she had imagined at the beginning, and it was impossible that Jun Yan agreed to this marriage because he really liked her.
Ning Wan didn't know that just by eating a piece of cake, she had aroused Li Manqing's imagination and even caused a small misunderstanding.
Just now, when everyone's attention was focused on Li Manqing.
"Miss, please eat a little more. The meal hasn't started yet. If you eat too much, you won't be able to finish it later."
Chunqin, who was standing beside Ning Wan, held the pastry in her hand, with helplessness in her tone. But thinking of the young lady's greedy habit, she poured a cup of tea and then whispered a reminder in Ning Wan's ear.
Lu Zhu even tugged at Ning Wan's sleeve. "Yes, and Miss Li has already looked over here. Why don't you say a few words first to deal with the situation before continuing to eat?"
Hearing this, Ning Wan swallowed the last bite, looked up obediently, and met Li Manqing's gaze again. She smiled very naturally, then lowered her head and took another piece of pear blossom cake.
Lu Zhu's eyes widened slightly. "...Hmm, is that all you need to do? Isn't that a bit too perfunctory?"
"Don't worry, it's just one or two pieces of cake. It won't kill me." Ning Wan replied softly to Chunqin, but she knew in her heart that she had no right to speak in such an occasion.
Not to mention that she got up early in the morning and up to now, three full hours have passed. If she doesn't eat two pieces of cakes to fill her stomach, she doesn't know whether she will have a banquet or invite others to have a banquet.
After hearing their master say this, Chunqin and Luzhu looked at each other and said no more.
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