The banquet at Rui’an King’s Residence was of high standards, and the food and wine were delightful.
Duanhua spoke softly to Su Rong, "You may not understand how many people in the capital want to curry favor with Mr. Shen. His wife usually declines such ordinary feasts pleading ill-health. Your influence must be substantial, as Mrs. Shen attended today’s banquet because of you."
Su Rong also whispered in her ear, "It’s not my influence, but that of my paternal uncle. He and Uncle Shen have a deep friendship from the past, and that is why my elder brother and I receive hospitality from the Shen Residence."
Duanhua murmured, "After today, no one would dare to impeach you."
Respect from the Princess Residence was expected, but the generous and well-meaning gift from Rui’an Queen hinted support. Princess Sheng An of the Duke Residence, who usually wouldn’t attend such ordinary feasts, was clearly there for Su Rong, as well, debunking the rumors of a quarrel between her and the Duke Residence because of a broken engagement. Meanwhile, Mrs. Shen of the Minister of Rites’ Residence explicitly mentioned accepting Su Rong into her residence in front of many others.
No one in the capital is a fool. From today onwards, Su Rong has been accepted into the circle of the capital city’s elite, and is no longer to be underestimated.
After exchanging a few whispers, they resumed their formal demeanor.
Zhou Yun observed the close bond between the two, reflecting on how Duanhua changed, as she didn’t constantly seek Zhou Gu at the feast, as though she had forgotten his existence.
Everyone was chatting cheerfully.
Su Rong overheard a young lady nearby whisper, "Is the gentleman in the deep blue long robe the eldest Master Su? He is so handsome, worthy to be Lady Su Qi’s brother."
Following the young lady’s gaze, Su Rong looked across a long corridor to the male guest’s area and saw her elder brother, Su Xingze.
Fen Ling sat on his left, Zhou Gu on his right. It seemed that her broken engagement hadn’t impacted the friendship between Zhou Gu and Su Xingze.
Su Rong averted her gaze.
One of the young ladies at her table asked lowly, "Lady Su Qi, word has it that your elder brother is yet to be betrothed?"
As soon as she finished, many turned their attention towards her.
The young lady blushed and quickly explained, "Don’t get me wrong. Since ancient times, hasn’t there been the custom of maiden’s throwing themselves at men? I hear numerous people in the capital have their sights set on the eldest Master Su." Pause after a pause, she kindly and subtly reminded, "I meant, Lady Su Qi, do remind your brother to be careful on the day of the examination."
Su Rong remembered this being the Sixth Miss from the family of Deputy Censor-In-Chief. With her bright and earnest eyes, Su Rong smiled, sincerely thanking her, "Thank you for your reminder, Miss Wang Liu."
After the banquet, everyone departed the Rui’an King’s Residence one by one. Su Xingze waited at the entrance, and when he saw Su Rong and her party, he greeted Qingping, "Your Highness, Lady."
Qingping smiled, "Could we accompany your sister to the Princess Residence?"
Upon hearing this, Su Xingze knew that Su Rong wouldn’t accompany him to the Shen Residence today. Feeling helpless, he shook his head, "I am to accompany Mrs. Shen back to the Shen Residence. I shall visit the Princess Residence another day."
Qingping nodded with a smile and got into her carriage.
Duanhua was not so keen on Su Xingze before, but after hearing many ladies discussing Su Xingze during the banquet, she carefully scrutinized him, straightforwardly warning him, "Today, I heard many people discussing you at the banquet. There are many people eyeing you, waiting for the day of the announcement, hoping to ’snatch you off the roster.’ Be careful."
Su Xingze: "..."
"Don’t take it lightly, no matter how handsome a man is, if he studies well but cannot protect himself."
Su Xingze: "..."
After finishing speaking, Duanhua ignored him and boosted Su Rong into the carriage.
After getting into the carriage, Su Rong looked back and saw Su Xingze’s face filled with a speechless expression. She chuckled, "Brother, hurry back home with Mrs. Shen. I’ll visit Shen Residence tomorrow."
Fen Ling patted Su Xingze’s shoulder, "Brother, good-looking people must learn to protect themselves. Like me, many girls were looking at me today, but I didn’t even glance back."
Su Xingze was completely speechless.
Fen Ling, with a cheerful laugh, mounted her horse, and the carriage from the Princess Residence also set off.
Lady Shen then came out, chuckling at the sight, "Let’s go, Xingze."
Su Xingze turned to offer a bow, gesturing for Lady Shen to get in the carriage. He himself mounted his horse and returned to the Shen Residence.
As the carriage from the Princess Residence passed through the bustling streets, Princess Qingping suddenly remembered something. She said to Duanhua and Su Rong, "A few days ago at Qianjin Square, I ordered some clothes for both of you. They should be ready by now, so there’s no need for delivery, we’ll stop by and pick them up today. Also, let’s see if there are any new cosmetics or jewelry in stock."
Having said that, she turned to Su Rong with a smile and asked, "You’ve been in the Capital City for quite some time, but you still haven’t had a chance to go shopping. Would you like to pick out some jewelry at Qianjin Square?"
Su Rong was about to decline saying that she had plenty of jewelry. She just found it inconvenient to bring along when she traveled to the capital. Furthermore, after moving into the Princess Residence, both the Princess and the county lady had given her a box full of jewelry which she had not yet been able to wear. Before she opened her mouth to reply, Duanhua had already spoken, strongly agreeing, "Yes, yes, yes, I’ve been meaning to mention that her daily dress could use improvement. My mother has plenty of money. Let’s go!"
Su Rong had no choice but to be led off the coach by Duanhua.
Qianjin Square was enormous, at least twice as large as the Brocade Pavilion in Jiangning County. In addition to ready-made clothes and fabrics, it also sold cosmetics and jewelry, offering a wide array of items.
Su Rong asked Duanhua, "Who is the wealthy proprietor behind this Qianjin Square? They really don’t spare any expense."
Duanhua whispered, "I heard it’s the Imperial Concubine."
Su Rong, who knew little about the Imperial Concubine, was puzzled. "Why ’heard’? You’re the county chief’s daughter, aren’t you capable of finding things out for yourself?"
Duanhua retorted, "Who said that? Even though I am the daughter of a county chief, there are things I can’t touch. The various powers in the Capital City are intertwined, and everyone has secrets. How can I casually investigate the secrets of others? Even with the favor of my royal uncle, I dare not probe recklessly. What if, behind the Imperial Concubine, there is my royal uncle?"
Su Rong conceded that Duanhua had a point. "I’ve been too naive."
Ah, not having been born and raised in the Capital City, it seems she still has a lot to learn.
Princess Qingping, as a high-end customer and a regular of Qianjin Square, was personally catered to by the storekeeper. "Princess, the clothes you ordered a few days ago are ready. We were planning to deliver them to your residence today, but we heard that you went to the Rui’an Wang Residence. We were afraid that if we delivered the clothes and you were not there to inspect them, it might cause inconvenience. So, we planned to deliver them this evening when you returned. We did not expect you to come."
Princess Qingping nodded, "Let, us take a look, if there are any problems we can leave them here for adjustments."
"Indeed." The storekeeper personally went to the back room and brought out a well-wrapped package. Upon unwrapping layer by layer, four dazzling dresses were revealed within.
"Oh, how beautiful," Duanhua’s eyes sparkled as she reached out to touch the material, "This is Yunjin fabric, Mother, when did you become so generous? You bought two for each of us at once."
These two pieces must have cost a great deal of silver.
Princess Qingping smiled, "A few days ago, Qianjin Square announced that they had obtained a batch of hard-to-find fabric. The shopkeeper was kind enough to notify me first."
She looked at Su Rong and Duanhua, "The red and pink ones are for you, while the green and blue ones are for Su Rong. You both can go to the fitting room and try them on. If they fit, take them. If not, leave them here for the tailors to make adjustments."
Duanhua nodded continuously, extremely delighted, "What are you standing there looking silly for? Let’s go and try them on."
Since living in the Princess Residence, Su Rong had been wearing the dresses provided by the Princess. After her and Fen Ling moved in, Princess Qingping had also ordered normal gowns to be made for them. However, she was surprised that the princess had privately ordered such expensive gowns for her.
This Yunjin fabric was instantly recognizable. It seemed very likely the same batch of fabric that had made its way out of the royal supply to the Brocade Pavilion.
She hesitated and shook her head at Princess Qingping, "Princess, this is a highly valuable gift, I cannot accept something this valuable..."
Princess Qingping lifted her hand to interrupt Su Rong, "It’s just a couple of dresses. Take them and go try them on!"
Her words were light and casual, as if it was of no importance, but Su Rong knew their true value. She felt uncomfortable as she had originally stayed at the Princess Residence with the simple intention of freeloading, but never expected to profit so much from it.
"My goodness, my mother is a princess, and our royal grandfather left her half of his private treasury before his demise, as did our royal grandmother. She routinely cries poverty to my royal uncle and pillages his private treasury. She’s loaded. If she wants to give you a gift, just accept it. Stop dawdling," Duanhua couldn’t help her out, otherwise, she would’ve already pulled her along by now.
Su Rong could only follow her, thinking to herself that although the princess was affluent, she was also generous. While she reluctantly agreed to accept the dresses, she was not going to let the princess’s generosity become routine. Even though she would be leaving the princess’s household the following day, she anticipated regular future interactions with the princess, and decided to accept her gifts in the end.
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