Shen Youying and Xie Qinglan sat down on either side of the Xie family matriarch. Logically, as a princess, she should be of a higher rank, and according to the rules, the princess should sit in the main seat, and the Xie matriarch in the secondary seat.
However, the Shen and Xie families had frequent interactions, and Shen Youying and Xie Qinglan were very close friends. Regardless of whether she was married or not, she always treated Xie's mother with the respect due to a junior.
Today, in front of a room full of female guests, Madam Xie did not deliberately avoid or distance herself from Shen Youying because of her status as Princess Qin, and treated her as close as ever; Shen Youying also did not put on airs as a princess, and as usual, she naturally sat down below Madam Xie and chatted with her about everyday matters.
The women in the group saw this and their minds started to wander.
After all, the Emperor now only has one son left, and the Prince of Qin has recovered from his leg injury. It has only been five years since the Emperor ascended the throne. Although some of the old ministers and nobles from the Taizong era have fallen from grace and been demoted, most of them are still serving in the court.
These veteran officials were promoted and given important positions by Emperor Taizong, and had even worked with the Prince of Qin. In addition, they valued ancestral rules, so it's hard to say whether they would force the Emperor to pass the throne to the Prince of Qin in order to legitimize the imperial line.
Some who were already eager to please had already shown their goodwill to the King of Qin. However, most others were cautious and dared not easily take sides in this turbulent situation.
The Xie family matriarch's continued closeness to the Princess Consort of Qin seemed to outsiders like some kind of signal.
For a moment, the women looked at Shen Youying with more fervor.
Shen Youying sat to the left of Madam Xie, taking in the changes in the expressions of everyone in the room, but pretending not to notice.
The women in the room chatted merrily for a while before the birthday banquet began.
Shen Youying and Xie Qinglan sat at one table with the old lady, and several other ladies of high status sat at the same table, including Shen Youying's aunt, Madam Ye.
After Shen Youying sat down, she realized that Madam Ye was two seats away from her. She nodded slightly to Madam Ye and called her "Aunt".
Ye wanted to turn her head away and ignore her, but considering her current status, she forced a smile and said, "It's been a long time. Your Highness's demeanor is even more refined than before."
Shen Youying sensed the distance in her words and guessed that Ye Shi disliked her because of Lu Minghe's matter. She was too lazy to bother with her, so she nodded slightly and said indifferently, "Aunt doesn't look too well. You should worry less and take better care of yourself." Then she turned to continue talking to Xie Qinglan.
The guests at this table, whether from the husband's or mother's family, were all high-ranking and powerful, and each of them was a shrewd person adept at reading people. Those who noticed the subtle back-and-forth between Shen Youying and Madam Ye exchanged knowing glances and watched the drama unfold in silence.
When the Shen family fell into misfortune, it was no secret in the capital that the Lu family unilaterally broke off the engagement, even though they had already agreed to it.
Privately, people would mutter a few words about how disloyal the Lu family was, since Madam Ye was actually the Princess Consort of Qin's aunt. Although they were only cousins, how close were the two families back when the Shen family was at its peak?
As soon as the Shen family ran into trouble, the Lu family immediately changed their tune, making them a laughing stock.
However, the Shen family had fallen on hard times by then, and Shen Youying had been betrothed to the tyrannical and unpredictable Prince Qin, with no certainty about what the future held. Even though everyone knew that the Lu family was acting unjustly, they wouldn't embarrass the Ye family for it.
But who knew that life would be so unpredictable, with fortunes shifting every thirty years. The Shen family, who thought they had hit rock bottom, actually rose again.
Even the Queen Consort of Qin, who was once a figure of sighs when mentioned, suddenly gained a much higher status and position after the King of Qin cured her legs.
Once a person's status becomes important, there will always be people around trying to curry favor and get close to them.
Shen Youying had no intention of paying attention to the Ye family, but she couldn't stop some people from trying to curry favor with her.
She was talking quietly with Xie Qinglan when she heard Lady Wuyi say to Madam Ye, "You don't look too well. Are you worried about Judge Lu's marriage?"
Lady Wuyi said with a smile, "Judge Lu has been given important responsibilities at such a young age, and he is also very handsome. I heard that matchmakers have been knocking down the threshold of the Lu family. Why are you still worried?"
When her son's marriage was mentioned, Madam Ye's face turned ashen.
Especially since this was at a banquet, with the person her son was thinking of sitting right next to her, and a circle of people around them openly or secretly watching her make a fool of herself, Ye's face grew even more unpleasant at the thought.
She said with a forced smile, "I only have one son, so his marriage naturally needs to be planned carefully. After all, I'm getting old and my energy is waning. Once the new bride comes home, she will be in charge of the household and managing the family affairs. I can't marry someone who's all looks and no substance, or the house will be in complete chaos."
Ye's words were somewhat veiled and insinuating.
Shen Youying glanced at her, but before she could speak, Lady Wuyi Marquis laughed again, "Indeed, we must choose carefully. But if you ask me, there are fewer and fewer good girls in good families. Girls from high-ranking families, with good looks, gentle nature, and good at managing a household are probably betrothed before they even reach marriageable age. Our family is neither high nor low, so we're lucky if we can find one or two outstanding women. Where are you going to find so many perfect girls waiting for you to choose from?"
She covered her lips with a handkerchief, leaned close to Madam Ye, and lowered her voice, pretending to be earnest and earnest, but her voice was just loud enough for everyone at the table to hear: "Princess Qin is perfect in every way, but didn't you miss out? If you want to find someone else to compare with, it will be difficult."
"Don't worry about it."
After saying that, Lady Wuyi patted Ye's hand as if she were doing it for her own good.
Ye was disgusted by her and wiped her hands with a handkerchief several times. She wanted to argue back, but if she brought this up in public, she would definitely offend the Prince of Qin. Moreover, Minghe had just returned home and lost her temper the day before. If she argued with her again at the Xie family's birthday banquet, Minghe would probably become even more estranged from her.
Ye held her breath, unable to exhale or suppress it, and ended up sitting stiffly the whole time, barely eating a few bites of food.
Xie Qinglan watched from the side, and after the play was over, she couldn't help but laugh gleefully: "Your aunt is really... You didn't see the look on her face just now. She'll probably be so angry that she won't be able to sleep tonight."
Shen Youying also wanted to laugh, and said in a low voice, "That's just her personality, strong-willed and concerned about her image."
Xie Qinglan shook her head and said honestly, "Lu Minghe is indeed a promising young man, but there are many promising young men in this capital city. I haven't seen any family like his, who has more requirements for choosing a daughter-in-law than an emperor choosing a concubine." She pursed her lips, "I think she just wants to find a daughter-in-law who can surpass you because she sees you doing well. But in this capital city, there are very few who can surpass you in terms of appearance, family background, and temperament. Even if there were, it wouldn't be his family's turn."
Shen Youying was amused by her and pinched her cheek: "I have one right in front of me, but he is already taken. I suppose that will be another regret for your aunt."
Xie Qinglan was teased by her again. Annoyed, she tickled her armpits.
Shen Youying quickly dodged away, and the two of them laughed and joked as they headed to the garden to digest their food.
On the male side, Lu Minghe kept an eye on the female guests' movements. From a distance, he saw Shen Youying and Xie Qinglan heading towards the garden. He hesitated for a while, but finally followed them.
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