Seeing Yao Niang's curiosity, Xie Danqiu didn't keep her in suspense and said, "The first person to open such a box was Lu Erlang."
Yao Niang pictured the boy's aloof face in her mind and thought to herself, "This second young master of the Lu family is indeed as clever as he looks."
Seeing that she was not looking at the contents of the box, Xie Danqiu couldn't help but urge her.
Yao Niang then opened the lid of the box, revealing the contents inside.
Inside the box lay an exquisitely crafted hairpin. Thin slices of jade were used for the petals, and gold wire was used as a medium to create the shape of a flower. The stamens trembled, making it lifelike. The hairpin was adorned with a tassel about half a palm's length long, strung together with pearls the size of rice grains, each pearl round and emitting a soft luster.
The hairpin was placed on a beige velvet cloth. Yao Niang carefully picked it up and discovered that it had a hidden feature. The hairpins of ordinary hairpins are usually made with blunt tips, but the one Xie Danqiu had given her was rather sharp.
Seeing that Yao Niang had noticed this, Xie Danqiu showed a sense of satisfaction at being affirmed and explained, "I heard that you encountered danger before, so I specially ordered the craftsman to sharpen the hairpin tip. If you encounter danger again in the future, you can use it to defend yourself."
Although she is usually very outgoing, she was considerate enough not to mention being teased at this moment, but simply vaguely mentioned that she was in danger.
Xie Danqiu reached out and took the hairpin from Yao Niang's hand, gesturing for Yao Niang to look over.
With a twist of her hands, the hairpin broke into two pieces, revealing a hollow cavity inside.
Seeing the surprise on Yao Niang's face, Xie Danqiu became even more smug.
"You can hide some small things in here from now on."
Xie Danqiu smiled mysteriously, while Gu Yaoniang listened with suspicion.
"little things?"
Xie Danqiu counted on her fingers for Yao Niang: "Sleeping potion, poison, poison needles... they have many uses!"
Princess Ruining interrupted at the right moment: "Don't frighten Yaoniang!"
Yao Niang was indeed somewhat taken aback and shocked at first, but after thinking about it carefully, she understood that Xie Danqiu had prepared a weapon for her to defend herself!
She was very grateful and sincerely thanked Xie Danqiu.
Xie Danqiu was even happier to see that she genuinely liked the girl.
Wang Zhilan sat quietly to one side without saying a word.
Xie Danqiu said, "I'm glad you like it! I'll send you more when I have new stock!"
When Yao Niang saw that she spoke like that, she couldn't help but find it a little funny, as it had the air of a bandit leader.
Everyone says the Xie family is a family of upright and scholarly officials, but unexpectedly, the Xie family's most favored daughter is not like an ordinary girl, but has such a chivalrous spirit.
She had learned from Princess Ruining that Qin Yuxiu and Xie Danqiu's marriage was still on track. Since marriage was inevitable, Princess Ruining decided to keep the past entanglements between Yaoniang and Qin Yuxiu a secret, so as not to make Xie Danqiu uncomfortable. She would simply keep a closer eye on Qin Yuxiu from now on.
Yao Niang initially disagreed with this approach. However, upon further reflection, since the marriage between Qin and Xie was already a done deal, there was no need to create further trouble. If Qin Yuxiu could settle down and get married, he might very well be a good husband.
Princess Ruining saw that Yaoniang seemed thoughtful and feared that she still had concerns, so she said, "Aqiu likes to tinker with these little self-defense gadgets, and the mechanisms are very intricate. Ahan and I also have some of these things that she gave us. You can keep them without worry."
Judging from her tone, it seems that Xie Danqiu designed these mechanisms herself?
Gu Yaoniang was genuinely surprised this time.
She quickly thanked Xie Danqiu, saying, "I really like it, thank you so much, Aqiu."
After saying that, she didn't bother to put the hair ornament away, but instead simply reached up and inserted it into her sideburns.
Today, she simply styled her hair in a tassel bun, using only a hairband and a beaded flower to secure it, without any further embellishment. The addition of an intricate and delicate floral hair ornament, however, had a finishing touch effect.
Seeing that she had inserted it crookedly, Wang Zhilan smiled and reached out to straighten it for her.
Yao Niang gently shook her head, causing her hair ornament to sway and make a slight rustling sound.
She smiled and asked, "Does it look good?"
All three nodded, and Xie Danqiu exclaimed, "I have such good taste! This suits you so well!"
All three of them arrived. Gu Yaoniang did not invite any other guests, and the Gu family prepared a small banquet.
Once everyone had arrived, Gu Yaoniang led them toward the Lanyue Tower where the banquet was being held.
If Gu Xingzhi had any quirks, the number one would definitely be his love of naming everything inanimate around him. He named carriages, pavilions, and even the different inkstones and brushes in his study.
Lanyue Tower is located in a corner of the Gu family garden and is the tallest building in the Gu family. In the summer, there are many mosquitoes, but Lanyue Tower is high up and surrounded by curtains, so it is rare to be undisturbed by them.
Gu Xingzhi and Qiao Niang were already waiting at Lan Yue Tower.
Since Gu Xingzhi was considered an elder and none of them were particularly formal, they didn't separate the seating by gender and sat down together after exchanging greetings.
Gu Xingzhi's previous understanding of Xie Danqiu came from other people's words. Today, seeing the young girl in her red dress, innocent and straightforward, he understood why Gu Yaoniang, despite her hesitation, was still willing to continue her friendship with her.
The group was clearly curious about the scars on Qiao Niang's face, but none of them looked down on them; they simply examined them with interest.
Qiao Niang pretended not to know anything, her expression remained unchanged, still full of smiles, making people feel close to her.
Gu Xingzhi, however, looked rather strange when he saw Wang Zhilan.
Actually, Wang Zhilan and Gu Yaoniang are both petite with round eyes and a very endearing smile.
But when Gu Xingzhi saw her, his usual warm smile faltered for a moment, and he began to wave his ever-present folding fan faster.
The three guests, who knew nothing about him, did not notice anything amiss.
But Qiaoniang and Yaoniang noticed, and couldn't help but feel a little strange.
Gu Xingzhi asked, "Madam Wang looks somewhat familiar. May I ask who your father is?"
Wang Zhilan, unsuspecting, smiled sweetly, revealing two adorable dimples on her face, and said, "My father is Wang Chengxian, the Grand Counselor. Does Second Uncle Gu recognize him?"
Gu Xingzhi's eyes were unfathomable, but his face was all smiles. He seemed somewhat surprised, and after a moment's thought, he said, "So you are the daughter of Lord Wang. I have long heard of your father's uprightness and integrity, a pillar of our dynasty. I have only known him through letters before, and have never met him. I suppose I have mistaken you for someone else."
Wang Zhilan didn't find anything amiss when he denied it, and said with a smile, "Perhaps Uncle Gu knows one of my uncles. There are many people in our family, and many of them look alike."
Gu Xingzhi nodded gently, smiling kindly as he invited Yao Niang and the others to begin their meal.
He was already a generation older and a man, while everyone at the table was a woman, so he found it rather boring. Not long after the meal began, he found an excuse to leave.
Qiao Niang was also afraid that Yao Niang and the others would feel constrained from being tired, so she soon left the table, leaving Lan Yue Lou to the four young girls.
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