Chapter 17 (Revised)
The Prince of Yu's Mansion is particularly lively today, with luxury cars and luxury vehicles passing by in front of the mansion gate in an endless stream.
The Princess of Yu had hosted a plum blossom viewing banquet at her residence, inviting many officials and their families from the capital to come and enjoy the feast. Tall, handsome young men and shy, charming young women were seen entering and exiting the palace, chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.
The warm sun shines on the white snow, and red plum trees bloom wildly, adding a touch of warmth to this world of ice and snow.
Wei Xuan had already left the capital, and the task of entertaining the female guests was entrusted to Jiang Yingyue by Princess Yu.
When Chu Miaomiao arrived, she saw Jiang Yingyue arranging a maid to take a few girls to visit the garden. Then she turned around and talked to another girl with a smile, leading her to a seat.
Chu Miaomiao shook her head. She didn't expect Jiang Yingyue to be so busy.
"Wow, that Miss Jiang is amazing." Chu He also sighed, "If it were you, Princess, you would be so busy and confused that you would end up making things worse."
"..." Chu Miaomiao looked up at the sky, "If you can't speak, you can choose to be quiet."
The busy Jiang Yingyue suddenly noticed Chu Miaomiao not far away and waved to her. Chu Miaomiao walked forward with Chu He and greeted Jiang Yingyue.
Jiang Yingyue led Chu Miaomiao to her seat and introduced them to each other, "This is Princess Pingyang, and these are Jiang Huan from the Marquis of Wu'an's Mansion, Xu Ling from the General of Weiyuan's Mansion, Shi Yuanyuan from the Duke of Ying's Mansion, and Liang Yu from the Minister of War's House. You two can chat first, I'll come back later."
When she was in Pingzhou City, Chu Miaomiao was not very close to the local girls. When she was with them, she could always keenly sense that those people were only respectful on the surface, and there was undisguised mockery in their eyes.
At this moment, she was sitting with some unfamiliar ladies from Beijing. Looking at the girls with curious expressions, she did not feel any malice from them, and the tense string in her heart seemed to relax a little.
Without waiting for Chu Miaomiao to formally introduce herself, Jiang Huan impatiently leaned forward and whispered, "I have a question that's definitely not meant to offend you. Can I ask it?"
The four people's burning gazes fell on the dazed Chu Miaomiao, and their eyes were shining with expectation.
"ah?"
Jiang Huan looked around at everyone, and when she was sure no one noticed their table, she lowered her voice and asked, "Have you really been to Yiheju?"
Jiang Huan's question was like a thunderclap exploding in Chu Miaomiao's ears, startling her. She looked at Jiang Huan in astonishment, opening and closing her mouth for a long time without being able to utter a word.
Seeing Chu Miaomiao looking like she was struck by lightning, everyone knew what was going on.
Xu Ling's eyes sparkled as she asked curiously, "Are all the men in Yiheju really that good-looking?"
Chu Miaomiao was still immersed in the shock of the moment, and hadn't recovered yet. She only heard a faint voice floating in her ears, and the only question that kept echoing in her mind was: "Have you really been to Yiheju? Have you really been to Yiheju? Have you really been to Yiheju?"
It’s so annoying!
Chu Miaomiao shook her head vigorously, finally getting rid of the annoying voice. She clenched her fists, trying not to lose her composure. She took a few deep breaths before asking Jiang Huan, "How did you know that?"
Didn't he tell those people to shut up? Didn't the Crown Prince even ask Princess Yukang to settle the matter? Why did this happen again? Had the whole city heard about this? Would her brother have heard about it? What if her brother knew? What if he fainted from rage?
Thinking of this, Chu Miaomiao felt extremely anxious, gradually unable to breathe, and her hands and feet became weak.
Several people noticed Chu Miaomiao's panic, and Shi Yuanyuan quickly comforted her, "Don't panic, it's not that serious. We just happened to overhear a few girls talking about it."
"You, who told you that?"
Jiang Huan looked up and thought for a moment, "It seemed like Bai Xiaoyan was the first to say that she was Princess Yukang's cousin."
Chu Miaomiao sighed and held her forehead. It seemed that Bai Xiaochen still didn't take Princess Yukang's words to heart. His mouth was like a big colander. How could he learn to shut up?
"Don't worry about it," Liang Yu consoled him. "Everyone knows Bai Xiaoyan likes to gossip about others, so don't take her words too seriously. I guess few people would believe her."
Jiang Huan said, "Yingyue heard about this before and refuted the rumors for you. Her words carry some weight in this circle, so she must be the one with the most trust."
The four of them tried to comfort Chu Miaomiao, but she still felt a buzzing in her head. She reached out to stop everyone from talking and asked weakly, "Excuse me, I want to ask, will this matter be reported to the palace?"
The four of them pondered for a moment, and Liang Yu said, "It's hard to say. But if this news can spread among us, it will definitely reach the ears of Prince Yu's wife. I'm sure the Queen Mother and the Empress will know too."
Only then did Chu Miaomiao feel that breathing was not so difficult anymore, and her hands and feet gradually regained some strength.
It didn't matter whether other people knew or not, as long as these words didn't reach her brother's ears. Her brother's health had finally started to improve, and if he got angry because of her and hurt himself, then she would really be to blame.
Seeing that this question seemed to be bothering Chu Miaomiao, Jiang Huan also felt a little guilty, and the atmosphere became visibly depressed. Seeing this, Xu Ling hurriedly asked Chu Miaomiao about the scenery and interesting stories of Pingzhou City, hoping to change the subject as soon as possible.
But Chu Miaomiao just forced a smile: "Sorry, I'm feeling a little unwell right now, I want to find a quiet place to rest."
Jiang Huan quickly stood up and supported her: "I'll take you there."
Just as the two of them stood up, they suddenly heard a clear voice: "Isn't that Princess Pingyang?"
The originally noisy sound disappeared in an instant. Chu Miaomiao could clearly feel that everyone's eyes were focused on her. She couldn't help but hold Jiang Huan's hand tightly to support her.
Jiang Huan looked up and saw that the person who spoke was Jiang Qiyue. She was smiling but her tone was sharp.
here we go again.
Chu Miaomiao's hands trembled slightly. Even without looking at their faces, she could sense the mockery, contempt, and disdain in the gazes focused on her. She felt as if she were back among the ladies of Pingzhou City.
Chu Miaomiao gritted her teeth, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. You want to see her laugh, right? Did you pay? Even on the street, you have to tip a small amount to see a monkey show. And you want to see her laugh with just one sentence?
Making a fuss.
She calmed herself down, put on a dignified smile, straightened her back, and looked directly at Jiang Qiyue: "It seems that this girl has admired me for a long time. She was able to recognize me in the crowd at a glance. How thoughtful."
As Chu Miaomiao spoke, she walked over to Jiang Qiyue, took off the crystal clear hibiscus jade bracelet on her hand and gave it to her: "This princess is happy today, so I give you this little thing as a reward. It will not let you down."
Jiang Qiyue's expression changed several times. What worthless trifle? Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the hibiscus jade bracelet was worth more than all the jewelry on her body. He insisted on calling it a toy, then a reward for her. Wasn't he treating her like a servant, purely to disgust her?
"You country-"
"Fourth sister!" Jiang Yingyue interrupted Jiang Qiyue with a sharp voice. She quickly walked to Jiang Qiyue's side, put her hand on her shoulder, and signaled her to stop talking. She forced a smile and said to everyone, "We sisters have been busy lately, so it's inevitable that we are a little impatient. Please bear with us." She said to Chu Miaomiao with an apologetic look, "My sister was impolite. I apologize to you on her behalf. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
Unconvinced, Jiang Qiyue wanted to say something, but Jiang Yingyue stopped her and interrupted her: "Fourth sister, I feel a little uncomfortable. Can you accompany me to rest for a while?"
Jiang Yingyue was almost crying, praying that her cousin could quickly go down this staircase.
Chu Miaomiao tilted her head and offered to give way, making it clear that she wanted Jiang Qiyue to leave the table quickly.
What happened among the girls in the back garden at the banquet also reached the ears of Princess Yu, who was chatting with the ladies in the nearby palace. Princess Yu's eyes lit up, and the trace of sleepiness in her expression disappeared in an instant.
As luck would have it, the Crown Prince, Prince Su, and Prince Huai had all arrived to pay their respects to her, so Princess Yu suggested they go to the back garden to admire the plum blossoms. Everyone, unsuspecting, happily went. Before they even entered the warm room, they saw Chu Miaomiao and Jiang Qiyue confronting each other.
When the waiter sang: "The Princess, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Su, and His Royal Highness Prince Huai have arrived——"
Jiang Yingyue sighed, knowing that this matter was bound to become a big deal. She had no choice but to let go and greet everyone else.
"What happened?" Princess Yu sat down in the main seat and asked Jiang Yingyue.
Now it was Jiang Yingyue's turn to bear the pressure: "Thank you for your concern, Madam. It's just a little misunderstanding between sisters. We can talk it out."
The corners of Chu Miaomiao's lips curled up slightly in a sarcastic arc, and she almost laughed out loud.
This is what the so-called aristocratic daughters and famous ladies are like. They obviously dislike each other, but they still have to pretend to be harmonious. They have obviously quarreled to the point of breaking up, but they can still pretend nothing happened and cover it up for the so-called face.
There is no difference between Pingzhou City and the capital.
She didn't care anyway. Who in this world doesn't get talked about? If she took everything others said to heart, she would be exhausted. If others told her that she didn't deserve to live, would she really do it? She, Chu Miaomiao, was Chu Miaomiao. Why should she live according to other people's opinions?
At this moment, a beautiful young woman stood up and walked forward gracefully. She bowed to Princess Yu and spoke in a soft voice, "Your humble servant Cheng Sian greets Her Majesty. Sister Yingyue just said it was just a misunderstanding. I dare to speak up for Sister Qiyue."
Cheng Sian! As soon as Jiang Yingyue heard her voice, she felt a blackout and a headache. She finally ignored the order of seniority and glared at Jiang Qiyue.
Sister, sister, are you really willing to be a gun in someone else's hand?
Chu Miaomiao chuckled in an extremely discordant way, squinting at Cheng Sian with a cold look, and said with a pleasant expression, "I'm all ears. I'd like to hear the details."
Jiang Huan couldn't help but give a thumbs up, and her admiration for Chu Miaomiao increased; Jiang Yingyue looked up at the sky speechlessly, feeling exhausted; the Crown Prince and Prince Su were calm, but Prince Huai had an expression of watching the fun; the Princess Yu's bright eyes flashed with excitement.
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