Chapter 145 Refusing a Drink
In ancient times, male and female guests were received separately at banquets. Male guests were in the front courtyard and female guests were in the back courtyard. When Princess Kang entered the mansion, she was directly welcomed into the back courtyard, as were Lu Yifang and Wu Zhengyan.
The Tang family was the maternal family of Princess Kang, and given her noble status, she naturally wouldn't travel with ordinary people. Because of her poor health, a sedan chair was waiting for her as soon as she entered the inner courtyard.
Princess Kang was surrounded by a group of maids and servants as she stepped into the sedan chair. But just as the curtain was about to fall, she called for a halt and had Lu Yifang brought to her side.
"I am not feeling well, please forgive me, Madam." Princess Kang sat in the sedan chair, her voice so soft that Lu Yifang could hardly hear her. But Princess Kang seemed to be trying hard to raise her voice.
Lu Yifang was used to being soft-hearted, and seeing her like this, her face showed concern. "The weather is cold, Your Highness, please take care of yourself."
Princess Kang was taken aback; she hadn't expected Lu Yifang to show her such kindness. She forced a smile and said, "My health is like this. I called you here because I've heard of your esteemed daughter's remarkable reputation and wish to meet her today."
Lu Yifang's smile remained unchanged, but the tenderness in her eyes faded considerably. In the past six months, so much had happened in the Chu State Duke's mansion; even the most innocent and kind-hearted Lu Yifang had grown more shrewd.
Princess Kang was so ill she could barely walk, yet she insisted on attending the banquet and was even called to her side to say she wanted to see Jiang Yu. Was it really just because she was curious about Jiang Yu? Impossible.
Too many things have happened in the Chu State Duke's mansion. Lu Yifang is now like a frightened bird, and the slightest disturbance makes her instinctively on guard.
"It's not difficult for the Princess to see her; she can simply send someone to the front yard to inform her," Lu Yifang said with a smile, her body unconsciously leaning back slightly. It was a very obvious gesture of wariness.
Princess Kang seemed to be having trouble supporting herself. She helped herself onto the sedan chair and forced a smile, saying, "Yes, I just wanted to let the lady know."
Lu Yifang nodded, and Princess Kang smiled at her again, then had the sedan curtain lowered and the sedan chair lifted and left. The second young mistress of the Tang family, who came to greet her, smiled and said to Lu Yifang, "Madam, you don't know how many young ladies want to meet Lord Jiang."
She was trying to explain Princess Kang's behavior. Lu Yifang smiled and agreed, but she couldn't let it go in her heart.
Jiang Yu followed Marquis Anyuan into the banquet hall. At such a banquet, seating was naturally tiered. Because of the Chu State Duke's status, and also because she was with Marquis Anyuan, she was seated at the head table, among a group of powerful officials over fifty years old.
Marquis Anyuan naturally introduced everyone present to Jiang Yu one by one. As a junior, Jiang Yu respectfully and humbly greeted all the esteemed figures. Regardless of their opinions of her, out of respect for the Duke of Chu and Marquis Anyuan, the esteemed figures would all praise her, saying that she was a promising young talent.
But when it came to Marquis Anling, the atmosphere changed. After Jiang Yu greeted him respectfully, Marquis Anling picked up the cup in front of him and said, "My dear niece, we can't just talk. We have to drink at the table. Come on, have a drink."
A silence fell over the table. Although no one used words of praise for a woman when praising Jiang Yu, that was out of respect for the Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Anyuan; it was clear they had raised Jiang Yu as a man. But deep down, everyone still felt that Jiang Yu was a woman, and fundamentally different from men.
Therefore, no one would offer Jiang Yu a drink; they weren't trying to make enemies of the Duke of Chu's mansion or the Marquis of Anyuan's mansion. Even if they were to make enemies, they wouldn't be foolish enough to openly bully someone's junior at the dinner table, as that would be a loss of face.
Marquis Anling, being a brash and unruly man, raised his cup to drink with Jiang Yu. Marquis Anyuan, still smiling, did not come to Jiang Yu's aid. An outstanding person wouldn't let their elders intervene over such a trivial matter.
Jiang Yu, of course, wouldn't let Marquis Anyuan take the lead. She also picked up her wine glass and said with a smile, "I didn't know Uncle liked wine. It was my fault."
As she spoke, she picked up the wine pot and poured some more into Marquis Anling's cup, as an apology. Marquis Anling didn't pay attention to this small detail and laughed as he was about to clink glasses with Jiang Yu when a voice rang out, "I've long heard that Marquis Anling enjoys fine wine. How about I have a drink with you?"
All eyes turned to see Prince Kang walking over with a smile. He stood beside Jiang Yu and, as if they were old friends, reached for the wine cup in her hand, a gesture that silenced the space once more.
Jiang Yu didn't have time to guess what the Prince of Kang was going to do, but she couldn't let him drink from her cup. She smiled, turned around, and called to the maid beside her, "Bring me a wine cup."
This movement allowed her to evade Prince Kang's attempt to take the wine cup from her hand. Prince Kang's smile remained unchanged as he looked at Marquis Anling and said, "While Lady Jiang is indeed a woman of great talent and ability, she is still a woman. How about I drink with you?"
This was an attempt to shield Jiang Yu from the drinking, and the smiles on the faces of the powerful figures present became somewhat sinister, while the smile on Marquis Anyuan's face had completely vanished. He was about to rise to help Jiang Yu out of the awkward situation when he heard Jiang Yu say:
"This is my first time dining with all of you seniors. I should have offered you a toast first, but since this is my first time in such a situation, I am not sure how to respond and have been impolite. I will punish myself with three cups."
She brought the wine glass to her lips, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp. Then she poured herself two more glasses and drank them down just as heartily.
Sitting next to Marquis Anling, Marquis Chengen kicked Marquis Anling without making a sound. Only then did Marquis Anling realize that he had caused trouble again, and he quickly clapped his hands and said, "My niece is so straightforward."
He then looked at Prince Kang and said with a smile, "Your Highness, I'm used to being carefree and playful. I was just joking with my niece, hahaha..."
He gave an awkward laugh, but the atmosphere around him had improved considerably. The Prince of Kang's expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly regained his gentle demeanor and said with a smile, "I also feel that since Lady Jiang is a woman, she should be taken care of."
Jiang Yu replied politely, "Thank you, Your Highness."
She walked back to sit down next to Marquis Anyuan, who laughed twice and said, "Yunzhi, if you want to drink, I'll drink with you until you're full later."
Marquis Anling's given name was Lin Yunzhi. He was younger than Marquis Anyuan and a generation younger, so it was only right that Marquis Anyuan addressed him by his given name.
Knowing he had made a mistake, Marquis Anling immediately smiled apologetically at Marquis Anyuan and said, "Tomorrow I will bring the best wine to drink with my uncle."
"Does your wife agree to let you go out drinking with a wine jar?" Marquis Chengen asked.
Marquis Anling looked embarrassed, but still stubbornly said, "What I want to do is none of her business, what can a woman like her do?"
Everyone knew what kind of person he was, and they laughed heartily, as if the little incident from before had simply passed. But what the most astute people in the room were really thinking was something only they themselves knew.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
