Jiang Chengyu naturally wanted to go with her sisters, but Jiang Sheng was right; the Second Madam might find them in her haste. So she could only reluctantly agree, "Then hurry back, the banquet is about to start."
Actually, it wasn't that fast. The bell was just signaling the ladies of noble families to return to their seats and join the men attending court in the Golden Palace. They still had to wait for the princes and princesses to take their seats before the imperial family arrived.
Crowded places are often chaotic, and the pace of life tends to slow down.
Jiang Sheng used this time to hesitate on the predicted path and intercept the Fifth Prince.
The interaction between the rising star and the prince attracted attention, while the greetings between the two daughters of noble families and the prince were impeccable, leaving no room for rumors.
Just in case, Jiang Sheng also prepared a small jade pendant, threw it into the dense grass, and then bent down to look for it.
Soon, Yao Siqing reminded her from the side, "The Third Princess is coming. I have met her a few times. We can greet her and exchange a few pleasantries later without arousing suspicion."
If one can greet a princess, then of course one should also greet a prince.
Jiang Sheng calmed down and caught a glimpse of a graceful young woman walking towards them, followed by a palace maid. Her eyes held the arrogance unique to the elite.
"Greetings, Princess." Yao Siqing bowed in greeting. "May the Princess be well."
"It's Miss Yao." The Third Princess's arrogance faded slightly upon seeing the Yao family's daughter. "The banquet is about to start, why aren't you going in yet?"
Yao Siqing smiled slightly, "My younger sister lost her beloved jade pendant, so I'll stay here with her to look for it."
"Would you like me to lend a hand?" The Third Princess asked politely, but she didn't actually do anything.
Yao Siqing knew perfectly well what was going on, but said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "The princess is someone who is to help the imperial family manage the situation, how can she waste time outside like us?"
The two exchanged a few pleasantries, going over the formalities to the extreme, before gracefully bidding farewell.
In theory, the Third Princess is the hostess and should help the guests find their belongings.
But she was sixteen at the time, the age when she was looking for a husband. It was normal that she didn't have the mind to deal with the troubles and trivial matters when she finally encountered a large banquet.
Jiang Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she raised her head, she caught sight of two figures walking towards her.
One was slightly older, around fourteen or fifteen years old, while the other was thin and slender, around thirteen or fourteen years old. Each of them was accompanied by a guard in brocade robes, a privilege reserved for princes.
They have a good relationship and are having a lively conversation.
"Fifth Brother, how much money have you prepared for this donation?" the older brother asked. "If you're short on cash, your fourth brother can lend you some."
"I'm sorry to trouble you with your concern, Fourth Prince." The Fifth Prince smiled bitterly. "Even if I borrowed it, what good would it do? Without income, I can't repay it. I can't very well use your money as a donation."
One of them called himself "Fourth Brother".
One of them only called him "Fourth Imperial Brother".
The way he addressed him sounded a little unfamiliar because he already had his fourth brother.
Hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Sheng suppressed the soreness in her throat and stood up straight, her head adorned with jewels.
She wanted to see if her usually cunning and sly fifth brother could be scared out of his wits.
Yao Siqing covered her mouth and chuckled, adopting a spectator's posture.
“...That’s true.” The fourth prince didn’t expect his younger brother to speak so bluntly, and he was really afraid that the ten thousand taels of silver would go down the drain, so he quickly changed the subject, “Who are those two young ladies ahead? Why are they still lingering around here?”
The Fifth Prince chuckled knowingly, "It must be that the news that Father is going to choose a principal wife for my brothers has been leaked by someone with ulterior motives, and some noble family has taken notice."
The imperial family had many descendants.
The eldest prince was seventeen years old, the second prince was only half a month younger, the third princess was sixteen, and the fourth prince would be fifteen next month—all of them were of marriageable age.
He was only thirteen years old and had absolutely no connection to the arranged marriage, so mentioning it brought a smile to his face.
"This..." The Fourth Prince's eyes flashed with disdain. "Marriage should be decided by parents. How can a young lady show her face in public like this? What kind of behavior is this! We need to find out which two families the girl belongs to. We can't accept her."
The Fifth Prince nodded in agreement, turned around casually, and gave a light, perfunctory glance.
Because of his height, the first person he saw was the poised and elegant Yao Siqing. Her slender figure and beautiful face made him pause, and a bad feeling arose in his heart.
His gaze fell downwards, and needless to say, her rich attire and unusually plump and smooth figure made his pupils contract.
Look closer, her round little face is set with big, round eyes, and her pink lips complement her fair skin. There is a light-colored scar at the corner of her eye, left from being bitten when she was fighting with a dog for food.
No...right.
The usually composed Fifth Prince was pale, his hands trembling like leaves under his brocade robe. His gaze swept around repeatedly until he finally confirmed that the noblewoman whose banknotes were pasted on her was his chubby younger sister who should have been sitting in the courtyard eating braised pork knuckles.
When he met those round eyes that held a hint of anger, Chang Yan was shocked as if he had seen a ghost. He took two steps back and stepped on the guard's foot.
"Fifth Prince, it hurts! It hurts!" The guard gasped.
He then came to his senses and returned to his original position as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, the Fourth Prince did not notice anything amiss. His eyes were fixed on Yao Siqing, darting around as if he were regretting the outrageous words he had just uttered.
"Greetings, Your Highnesses." Yao Siqing was dignified and graceful, her bow flowing smoothly and pleasing to the eye.
Jiang Sheng then bent down, but did not say anything.
She was afraid that her fifth brother would keep sneezing.
“No need for such formalities, young lady.” The Fourth Prince’s eyes were piercing. “The banquet is about to begin. Are you lingering here because you have something to resolve? If you can’t resolve it, just tell me.”
This is not the same face they had just shown.
Yao Siqing covered her mouth and laughed, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. It's nothing serious. My sister's beloved jade pendant is missing, and we'd like to look for it in this area."
"It's nothing, it's nothing." The Fourth Prince waved his hand and directed two guards, "You two help look for it, keep your eyes sharp and don't delay the banquet."
He was speaking passionately and didn't notice that Chang Yan's expression changed again, from shock to helplessness.
Oh, my all-powerful jade pendant, why do I keep losing it?
It must have been tough on the older brother and sister, who tried every possible way to get close to him, again and again.
Especially for Jiang Sheng, who dislikes restraint, appearing in the solemn and majestic imperial city must have taken a lot of determination and courage.
They must be very worried.
She left without saying goodbye because she was afraid her brothers and sisters would object, and that her eldest brother would be heartless enough to give up the imperial examination.
Choosing to do it on my aunt's wedding night was also in the hope of dispelling everyone's sadness.
However, looking at his sister's eyes might backfire.
Chang Yan lowered his head and smiled bitterly, but when he raised his head again, his expression was resolute. He glanced at the Hall of Preserving Harmony and deliberately said, "Fourth Brother, I have a slight stomach ache. Would you be willing to accompany me to the latrine?"
Not only did young ladies from aristocratic families go to the urinals hand in hand, but these young boys also loved to go in groups.
Normally I would just accompany him, but today the Fourth Prince was clearly unwilling.
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