Most women in Beijing knew Wen Hongxuan's temper and would not easily provoke her.
Therefore, even though she had often refused to give them face and refused to be invited to various spring outings and sightseeing parties over the years, the other families would not say anything. In order to save the old marquis and his wife's face, they would generally go to the Yongping Earl's Mansion to invite them, and they did not care whether they went or not.
When Wen Hongxuan spoke, the wife of the Marquis of Zhengyang changed her expression slightly. She held back Meng Xinyue who was about to speak, and said with a smile, "Isn't that the wife of the Marquis of Anding? You two can have a chat as a family today."
It is a good idea not to hit a smiling person. Lady Zhengyang gave in, and Wen Hong did not continue to pester her. She just nodded to Lady Zhengyang, then led Jiang Lingyao and walked forward.
Although he has a bad temper, he is not ignorant of etiquette.
Zhou Huiniang arrived a little late today. When she arrived, the side hall was almost full. Except for a few elderly princesses, almost all the ladies of honor had taken their seats.
As soon as she walked through the door, she saw her daughter in a gorgeous dress, coming towards her from a distance.
Zhou Huiniang's eyes lit up. Although her daughter usually liked to wear bright makeup and her hair was always covered with pearls and jade, that was just the makeup for a little girl. It did not have the heaviness that such a grand dress brought to people.
Jiang Lingyao, wearing the formal dress of a noble lady, had a slightly calmer expression. Although her eyes and eyebrows were still bright, she already had the dignified look of a new wife.
Because of the marriages between the two families, Wen Hongxuan had met Zhou Huiniang several times. The weddings were prepared by the two ladies themselves, so they seemed quite familiar with each other this time.
Jiang Lingyao was aware that countless people were staring at them from behind. The older ladies were all curious, while the younger ladies and girls were very happy and were waiting to see the show.
But how could Jiang Lingyao possibly let herself be laughed at?
She paused for a moment, then went forward, holding her mother from her natal family in one hand and her aunt from her husband's family in the other, and the three of them walked in affectionately.
At this moment, even Wen Hongxuan had a slight smile on her face.
She looked at Zhou Hui Niang and whispered something. Then everyone saw Zhou Hui Niang lower her head and smile gently, then she took Jiang Lingyao's hand and placed it in Wen Hongzhu's hand.
This scene is truly touching and moving.
The palace maid was very thoughtful and arranged a seat for Zhou Hui Niang right next to Jiang Ling Yao. After the three of them sat down together, Jiang Ling Yao whispered, "Mother, why did you arrive just now? The Empress and the Imperial Concubine are both here."
Zhou Hui Niang had just exchanged greetings with Wen Hongxuan, so she stopped talking and just pointed at the two noble ladies sitting in the front and said, "I just happened to run into Madam Zhang and Madam Yang when I entered the palace, and we talked for a while."
Although Jiang Lingyao had accompanied her mother to meet these ladies before, this was the first time she had seen such a grand palace banquet. They were seated at the back and could only see the backs of the two first-rank officials, but they could see that one was tall and one was short, one was fat and one was thin, which was very unforgettable.
The tall and thin woman is the wife of Zhang Gelao. Zhang Gelao has always been a loyal minister. He does not form cliques for personal gain, does not engage in corruption or bribery, and does not even associate with any other court officials. He is completely clean and incorruptible.
He always liked to advise His Majesty on his "playful" affairs, so although he had a good reputation in the court and the country, he was not liked by His Majesty.
However, Zhang Ruige was indeed the pillar of the country and a capable official in the court. It was because of him that the government and the country could maintain clarity and prosperity.
Therefore, even if Your Majesty is unhappy, he will not touch him at all.
And looking at old lady Zhang Ge who was standing and sitting alone, she seemed to be a lone subject.
Beside her, the short and plump old lady Yang Ge seemed much more lively. As soon as she arrived, she greeted the princesses and wives, chatting and laughing all the way until she took her seat. After sitting down, she was even chatting and laughing with another duke's wife beside her. Even if you looked from a distance, you could tell that she must be very happy.
This Yang Ge Lao was a very capable man. In terms of speaking ability, he was even the worst among the Ge Lao. But who could stop him from being a good person and manipulating people? He got along very well with the Imperial Concubine. With the Imperial Concubine around, Yang Ge Lao's position was as stable as Mount Tai.
The two ladies were sitting next to each other, but they each acted independently, which was like the situation of kings not meeting each other.
Jiang Lingyao was pulled by her mother to look at it for a while, and then she heard the eunuch's voice in the palace chanting: "The Empress has arrived, the Imperial Concubine has arrived."
Following the voice came two palace ladies wearing phoenix crowns, bridal robes, and colorful wide-sleeved shirts. Both of them wore dragon and phoenix pearl and emerald crowns, but the style of the Empress's crown was more complicated, and looked more heavy and gorgeous.
In addition to the phoenix crown, the shawls they wore were also elaborate and magnificent. The dark blue satin was embroidered with golden dragon patterns and had bean-sized pearls on both sides. As the two walked, they shone with brilliance. ①
Jiang Lingyao knew the Royal Concubine, but she had never seen the Empress. The Empress usually stayed at home and rarely went out, never asking about palace affairs. She only appeared when visiting the temple, assisting in sacrifices, attending court meetings, and palace banquets. She was always silent and never said a word.
Jiang Lingyao was not too far away, but she could vaguely see that Queen Wang was a graceful and elegant lady. Jiang Lingyao remembered that she was not yet thirty years old, and her slender waist made her look even younger.
The Imperial Concubine following behind her had a completely different temperament. She was very tall, with sharp features, and was much older than Queen Wang, which made her temperament even more sharp.
Although many people in the palace heard about the Imperial Concubine and didn't know where the Empress was, at this moment in the palace banquet, it was still the Empress Wang who walked in front.
Jiang Lingyao followed the others in paying respects. After everyone was seated, Jiang Lingyao realized that the imperial concubine's phoenix chair was almost placed side by side with Queen Wang's.
She was like another queen, sitting high on the steps, looking down at the noble ladies who once looked down on her.
After everyone was seated, Queen Wang lowered her eyes and sat on the phoenix chair without saying a word. However, Concubine Xie slightly raised her lips and revealed a friendly smile.
She picked up the cup with her nail-painted fingers and looked at the court ladies below with a sharp gaze: "It is the Dragon Boat Festival, and Your Majesty wishes to celebrate with the people, so you should hold this Dragon Boat Festival banquet and spend the festival together with all of you."
After Concubine Xie said this, all the princesses, wives and young ladies in the side hall raised their wine glasses and looked towards the two Phoenix Masters on the steps.
Seeing that everyone was so obedient, Concubine Xie pursed her lips and smiled, then lowered her head to look at Queen Wang: "Your Majesty, shall we have a glass of wine together?"
Queen Wang obediently picked up the wine cup, looked at her and smiled tenderly: "I wish my Ming Dynasty everlasting prosperity."
When he finished speaking, the wife of the chief minister also sang along: "May our Great Ming Dynasty prosper forever."
For a moment, the scene in the palace was very lively.
After a brief opening, Concubine Xie said, "We are all family, there is no need to be so rigid, ladies, please be more casual. We have prepared songs and dances for today, let's enjoy them together."
As soon as she finished speaking, joyful stringed instrument sounds rang out from the side hall. Jiang Lingyao listened carefully and found that the song played by the musician in front was probably "Moon in the Water".
It's obvious that this is what the Imperial Concubine likes. She likes this kind of flowers and decorations.
As the singing and dancing began, the palace maids began to serve the dishes. Jiang Lingyao looked at the plate after plate of cold food in front of her and glanced at Zhou Huiniang curiously.
Zhou Hui Niang whispered to her, "The banquet in the palace has both hot and cold dishes, but they have been prepared since morning. Even if you are careful, they will be cold when they are served. Just pick out the ones that look good and taste them."
She paused and said, "Originally you didn't have to go to the palace for the banquet. I forgot to teach you this."
Jiang Lingyao smiled and said to her, "Don't worry, mother. My husband told me about this on the way here."
"My son-in-law is really good," Zhou Huiniang praised Duan Nanqi in front of Wen Hongzhuan, "Last time I came to visit him, I saw that he was considerate and caring, better than many men in Beijing."
Wen Hongxuan was also very polite: "Our Yaoyao is better. She has something to do every day and can teach the girls at home. They all look up to this third sister-in-law who can open a shop and do business."
The two of them chatted back and forth, praising Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqiao to the skies. Plus, Jiang Lingyao was sweet-mouthed and good at talking, so the palace banquet wasn't that unbearable. The three of them actually chatted and laughed until the time came to leave the palace.
After leaving the palace, Jiang Lingyao separated from her mother and followed Wen Hong to find her own carriage.
Wen Hongxuan noticed that although she was curious today, she was also dignified and proper. Most importantly, she liked to hear those weird words from Zhengyangbo's daughter-in-law, so she liked her even more.
"Your temper is similar to mine. You say whatever you want to say. If others don't let me live a good life, I won't let others live a good life either."
Jiang Lingyao smiled shyly: "Aunt, I was too harsh today. It's fine if she said anything bad about me, but how could she say that about my husband? He goes out early and comes back late every day, working hard for the family. I feel upset when I hear her belittling my husband. I feel uncomfortable if I don't say something to her."
These words really sounded good to her. Wen Hongxuan looked at her tender young face and couldn't help but sigh: "The third brother has such a good fate. I am really happy for him. It's not easy for him."
As they talked, the two found their carriage. When Jiang Lingyao got into the carriage, she saw Duan Nanqi sitting leisurely inside, still flipping through the storybook in his hands.
Jiang Lingyao sat down swiftly, then reached out to take off the hair crown on her head.
The tiara was all adorned with pearls and jade and was so heavy that it almost broke her neck. However, the more anxious she became, the harder it was to take the tiara off. It tangled with her long hair and was very annoying.
Duan Nanqi saw her pursing her lips and being upset about her hair, her little face tense and looking a little aggrieved, so he couldn't help but put down the book.
"Can I help you?" he asked tentatively.
Jiang Lingyao's hand paused slightly. She turned her head to look at Duan Nanqi, and saw that he was looking at her calmly. There was no other emotion in his eyes. He probably just wanted to help.
Jiang Lingyao: “…”
"When has my husband been so kind? Do you have something to say?" Jiang Lingyao smiled sweetly.
Jiang Lingyao drank less water today, so her throat felt a little dry. It sounded hoarse and husky in her ears, lacking its usual lightness.
Duan Nanqi's eyes flickered slightly, he stretched out his hand and grasped the heavy hair crown, while the other hand gently stroked her tangled hair.
Jiang Lingyao's breathing suddenly stopped.
Duan Nanqi saw that she was pursing her lips tightly, as if she was very nervous, and couldn't help but smile: "I'm not being kind, I have something to say."
"Ma'am, do you want to go and see the lights?"
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