The sun gradually slanted and the party was coming to an end.
The food at the banquet was changed several times.
Li Nian ate with gusto while watching the ladies display their talents.
Suddenly, Xiao Yunya's voice rang out in a low voice: "Sister-in-law, I want to go to the toilet."
Li Nian looked around and found that some female relatives had left their seats, so she said, "Let's go, I'll go with you."
The two walked out of the hall together.
Li Nian looked at the empty square and asked, "Do you know the way?"
Xiao Yunya replied, "I know. I've attended many palace banquets since I was a child. Sister-in-law, please follow me."
"good."
Li Nian responded and followed Xiao Yunya.
Go down the white marble steps outside the main hall, walk all the way west, continue along the wide alley with red walls and black tiles, pass through the double-opening vermilion and red gold iron gate, and you will reach another side hall.
Xiao Yunya pointed to the townhouse next to two flowering trees not far away: "That's the house over there."
Li Nian nodded: "Then go ahead."
Xiao Yunya hurriedly said, "Sister-in-law, please don't leave. I'm scared to be here alone."
Li Nian replied in a low voice: "Well, I'll wait for you to go back together."
Hearing this, Xiao Yunya moved forward and walked along the bluestone path towards the row of low houses over there.
The scorching sun shines on my cheeks, making me feel uncomfortable.
Li Nian moved a little closer and stopped under the shade of a tree nearby, looking around boredly.
Suddenly, I saw a group of palace maids walking towards the circular archway on the west side.
Li Nian's gaze fell on the palace maid at the back.
The palace maid had kept her head down since she entered the yard, looking very timid.
Although he couldn't see the palace maid's appearance clearly, Li Nian inexplicably felt that her figure was somewhat familiar.
Just as he was about to go closer to take a look, Xiao Yunya happened to walk out of the hut.
"Sister-in-law."
Hearing her call, Li Nian turned and walked towards her: "Well, I'm here."
Li Nian put the matter of the palace maid behind her and followed Xiao Yunya back.
After the princess and Lord Liu finished talking about the disaster in northern Jiangsu, they planned to look for Li Nian, but when they looked up, they found that neither she nor Xiao Yunya were at their seats.
He hurriedly went out with his entourage to look for her.
I never expected to meet the person I had been looking for in a side hall in the plum garden.
"Wait a moment." She stood in front of a line of palace maids and spoke in a cold voice.
Several palace maids hurriedly saluted: "Greetings, Her Royal Highness the Princess."
The princess walked slowly and stopped beside the palace maid at the end of the team.
The maid at the back looked as if she wished she could bury her head in the ground. She said quietly, "Lift your head."
The other palace maids all took half a step back, leaving only the space next to the last palace maid.
Wen Luoxin knew that she couldn't escape this disaster today, so she raised her face calmly.
"It really is you." The princess narrowed her eyes slightly. "No wonder I searched everywhere for you but to no avail. It turns out you hid in the palace."
"I am stupid and don't think I have done anything wrong. Why is Princess looking for me everywhere?" Wen Luoxin met her gaze with neither humble nor arrogant attitude.
"Why am I looking for you? There are many reasons." The princess chuckled and said no more to her.
She came up to the leading maid and asked, "Where did you bring her from?"
The leading maid fell to her knees with a thud and said in a plaintive voice, "Your Highness, I truly do not know her identity. I simply assumed she was a new servant in the palace. It just so happened that the front hall was shorthanded, so I called her in for help."
The princess pressed the issue, "Think it over first. Are you sure you met her along the way?"
The maid in charge rested her forehead against the bluestone pavement and said respectfully, "I dare not lie to Your Highness the Princess. I did meet her on the way."
The princess stared at Wen Luoxin with a deep gaze. This was not a good time to ask questions.
Then he said, "Take her to my bedroom."
Upon hearing this, the attendant hurriedly replied, "Yes." He then escorted Wen Luoxin to the princess's bedroom in the palace.
At this time, Li Nian had already followed Xiao Yunya back to the door of the banquet hall.
I happened to meet Xiao Yunchen and Li Sisi walking out.
Li Sisi saw the two of them walking towards her side by side.
He walked over quickly and said, "The party is over. Let's go home."
"good."
The journey back was much more lively than the journey here, with noble ladies in gorgeous clothes gathering in groups of two or three, laughing and chatting.
Get on the carriage back home.
Li Sisi told Xiao Yunchen about his guess at the banquet.
"Chenchen said that the emperor specially asked the daughters of the court officials to show their talents at the palace banquet this time, perhaps hoping to choose a concubine from among them."
"What?!" Xiao Yunya exclaimed, "I, I don't want to enter the palace!"
The person she likes is still in the northwest. According to her age, she should have reached the age for marriage, but because the person she likes has no intention of getting married, she has been waiting.
Some time ago, Qi Heng finally wrote back a letter, asking his family to help introduce some suitable women for marriage.
At that time, she thought that she must be among the candidates considered by Mrs. Qi. Unexpectedly, the sisters around her with similar background and age all received invitations from Mrs. Qi, but she was the only one who did not.
Xiao Yunya twisted her handkerchief, feeling resentful again.
It was because the second sister-in-law offended Wen Luoxin so much that Madam Qi excluded her!
Li Sisi was baffled as she received Xiao Yunya's glare again. She said speechlessly, "What's wrong with me? How have I offended you?"
Xiao Yunya said angrily: "It's all your fault! Otherwise I, I..."
She was too embarrassed to say the embarrassing words that she wanted to marry Qi Heng, so she pursed her lips, snorted, and turned her head away, ignoring her.
"Why are you blaming me again?" Li Sisi looked puzzled. "How else would you raise him?"
"Just ignore it!" Xiao Yunya snorted coldly.
Li Sisi: ...
I hate people who only say half of what they want to say!
Li Sisi simply didn't bother to pay attention to Xiao Yunya, the awkward guy, and pulled Li Nian over to start chatting.
The carriage drove all the way from the streets of the capital to the gate of Marquis Xiao's mansion.
Xiao Yunya was worried all the way about the possibility of having to enter the palace.
As soon as the carriage stopped, she was the first to step down on a low stool and took small steps to look for Old Madam Xiao.
Li Sisi watched her running very fast in small steps, which looked very funny.
He smiled and said, "Look at the way Xiao Yunya walks. If she's in a hurry, she can just run with big strides. She won't feel tired if she runs with small steps."
Li Nian also looked towards the gate of the Marquis' Mansion, where Xiao Yunya was walking away.
She said calmly, "Because she was taught from a young age that women shouldn't walk with big strides, it's not proper manners. In fact, like Xiao Yunchen, she was asked by the old lady to be a qualified lady from an aristocratic family, so she always had many concerns about her words and actions."
Hearing this, Li Sisi nodded in agreement: "That's right, although it's not very free, the manners are indeed elegant and beautiful."
As if she had thought of something, she chuckled, "Except for when I get anxious sometimes, I lose my composure."
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