Chapter 4 Attending the Banquet.
Lingyi couldn't find another reason, so she could only slowly move over, not speaking to Qin Lie, taking off her shoes, crawling from the foot of the bed to the inside, lying down by herself, and closing her eyes to sleep.
Qin Lie quickly pressed down on her again, not only pressing down but also kissing her on the lips.
Aunt Liu Cui had taught her how to kiss. According to her, Lingyi's mother could tie nine knots on a thin rope with her tongue in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Lingyi practiced for more than a month, but could only tie five knots at most.
They'd done everything else, and kissing wasn't out of the question, since no one was around. But what Lingyi couldn't accept was what Qin Lie had put in his mouth—something cold and bitter. What could be in his mouth? Could it be saliva?
Lingyi immediately tried to turn back, but he pressed the back of her head down firmly. She was about to vomit, but he blocked her mouth with a forceful gag.
She could only try her best to push the cold, bitter liquid out with her tongue, but Qin Lie tried to push it back.
The two of them went back and forth for a while, but in the end, Lingyi swallowed most of the food. After all, she was down there, and his tongue was so strong that it made her tongue hurt and her mouth go numb.
After confirming that she had swallowed it, Qin Lie slightly moved away from her.
Even though it was just a battle of wits, both of them were panting heavily.
Qin Lie stared at her, his face flushed and his eyes bloodshot, as if he wanted to devour her.
Lingyi belatedly regretted it. He had already eaten the leftover porridge she had left. What was wrong with her eating a little bit of his saliva? She had eaten it peacefully just now, so he shouldn't have been staring at her like she had a grudge.
Taking advantage of her petite stature, she tried to slip away from under him, but as soon as she tried to shrink down, he scooped her up.
Soon, embarrassing noises rose again from inside the room. Mingzhu, her face flushed, waited outside for the princess to ring the bell and call for water, but nothing came.
When Lingyi got up the next day, she saw Mingzhu picking up her crumpled and dirty undergarment from the ground. Her face immediately turned red. She couldn't open her eyes when it ended last night and even forgot to ring the bell. She only remembered that Qin Lie had given them a quick cleaning, but she didn't expect it to be like this.
Lingyi wished she could wear a veil even inside the house so she wouldn't see anyone. As soon as she saw Granny Zhao, she asked them when they would return to Jizhou.
Granny Zhao became alert: "Did the Prince Consort ask you about this?"
“No, not at all.” Lingyi shook her head, somewhat awkwardly yet full of anticipation, and suggested, “I just want to go to my own princess’s residence. Although we are currently living in the general’s residence, I feel that everything should be done according to the rules of the princess’s residence.”
I used to think that the rules for princesses after marriage were numerous and troublesome when I listened to the classes taught by the governesses. But now I think that the rule that the prince consort cannot share a room with the princess without prior notice is the best thing ever!
Having received instructions from the palace, Granny Zhao naturally wouldn't agree. She only advised her that since she was newly married and her husband was with her all day, it was inevitable that she would be unable to control her feelings. After three to five days, when she could go out and socialize, her thoughts would calm down.
Lingyi had hope, and on the fifth day, she indeed received the invitation.
Although there are banquets in the palace every season, they are full of rules and are all the same. Lingyi is just a seatmate.
Now that she could attend a banquet outside the palace, Lingyi was overjoyed. She started choosing clothes and headdresses early in the morning, and finally chose a water-red satin dress with gold embroidery and butterflies, with a sky-white long gown over it. It had the brightness that was appropriate for her age, but did not appear frivolous.
Her hair was styled in a high bun, adorned with two kingfisher feather ornaments in the front and a hairpin with a swaying pearl pendant in the back, which swayed gently as she walked.
She already had skin as smooth as jade and beautiful eyes. She usually prioritized comfort in the mansion and only wore a little makeup.
Now dressed in her finest attire, she was even more radiant and dazzling. When Qin Hong turned around and saw her as he left the mansion, even though he had seen her before, he was still taken aback by the princess's beauty. Knowing he shouldn't, he still stared at her without blinking.
After the princess entered the carriage, Qin Hong finally came to his senses. Even after mounting his horse, he was still savoring the memory, muttering to himself, "Do all princesses look like this? Like... " He originally wanted to say "fairy," but remembering her status, he immediately changed his words to "like a fairy."
Qin Lie glanced at him and asked, "What? You want to marry one too?"
"No, no, I wouldn't dare," Qin Hong hurriedly refused. If he were to marry someone like that, he would cherish her dearly, not just treat her as a decoration. But then he thought, it's not like she'll always be a decoration. His third brother is a groom every night now, isn't he?
He wouldn't deliberately pry into his brother's bedroom affairs, but the contraceptive pills were ones he had brought. He had only gotten a few last time and now he needed to take more, so he couldn't help but want to know.
Thinking about it this way, it's better to marry her. Dying under the peony is still romantic, and the little princess is much prettier than the peony.
.
Today is a banquet held by the Duke of Anguo's mansion to celebrate the 70th birthday of the Duke of Anguo's matriarch.
Lingyi, Zhenshi, and Qin Lie were among those invited, while Qin Hong came along to join in the fun.
When they arrived, there were already many carriages parked in front of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, and the steward was making arrangements for them one by one.
Even in informal settings, although Lingyi did not ride in the imperial carriage, her carriage was still larger and more exquisite than those of other noble families. The steward of the Duke's mansion, with his keen eye, came to greet her from afar.
The four went to offer birthday greetings to the old woman, and many ladies in the hall were amazed and full of praise when they saw Lingyi.
What young girl doesn't love to hear praise? And with so many noble ladies speaking in unison, Lingyi, who had only ever heard palace servants flatter her before, couldn't suppress the smile on her face no matter how hard she tried to remain humble.
After the birthday greetings were finished and they left the old woman's Shouchun Hall, Qin Lie and Qin Hong, as male guests, went to the front hall, while she and Zhen Shi, as female guests, were arranged to stay in the back courtyard. Qin Lie straightened her clothes and instructed her, "This is your first time attending a banquet. Stay close to your second sister-in-law. After dinner, wait for me in the carriage so we can go back together."
The Duchess's wife joked, "The princess and her husband are indeed deeply in love, not wanting to be apart for even a moment. It's truly enviable!"
Lingyi was shy, and a blush immediately rose to her face.
At least he didn't lose face in his own room before, but he didn't restrain himself when he went outside and embarrassed himself in front of others.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she glared at him furiously from behind.
She felt she was fierce enough, but to outsiders, it was no different from a little girl acting cute.
Qin Hong felt half of his body go numb the mere glance he received. Qin Lie, on the other hand, didn't even flinch.
Thinking to himself that marrying a princess was a task that only his third brother could handle, otherwise an ordinary person really couldn't manage it.
This little incident did not affect Lingyi's mood. When she arrived at the backyard, she found a gathering of noble ladies and young misses, their fine clothes dazzling and the air filled with fragrance.
Madam Zhen said, "Those I associate with are all old acquaintances from the Prince's Mansion. They talk about those old, stale things, which is quite boring. Third Brother is just worried and confused. The Duke's Mansion is such a place, and the Princess has palace servants to take care of her. Why would she need to follow me to feel at ease?"
This was exactly what Lingyi wanted to say. Zhen was more than ten years older than her and mostly socialized with ladies who were as dignified and composed as her. If she stayed with her all the time, the banquet would be a waste of time.
After leaving Zhen Shi, Lingyi was like a fish in water.
Compared to the strict rules of the palace, the people outside were lively and energetic, and had a wide variety of games, which broadened Lingyi's horizons.
More importantly, compared to the imperial dishes served cold at palace banquets, the food here was so delicious that it shocked her. She never expected that as a princess, she would find many of the dishes on the table to be completely unheard of and unseen.
Little did she know that the imperial chefs in the palace were meticulous about avoiding mistakes, unlike the Duke's mansion, which had specially invited chefs from several of the most famous restaurants in the capital for this banquet, in order to bring together famous dishes from all over the country.
Lingyi ate and drank quite a lot with great poise.
Ruyilou's signature pear blossom wine is a specialty, highly favored by young ladies in the capital.
Granny Zhao didn't come along, and with no one to control her, she drank cup after cup with impeccable elegance...
After the banquet, she forced herself to maintain the demeanor of a princess and bid farewell to the host. As soon as she entered the carriage, she collapsed into Baozhu's arms and became completely drunk.
When the carriage returned to the general's house, Lingyi was still fast asleep, so Qin Lie had no choice but to carry her back to her room.
When he came out of the clean room after taking a bath, the palace servants had already removed her hairpins and gorgeous clothes. Her black hair was loose and her face was clean. She was lying on the bed with her head spread out.
Although it was only a few days, it was enough for Qin Lie to figure out her personality.
Princesses are thin-skinned and concerned with their image, never forgetting their princess status. They have no guile and love to put on airs. They eat small bites, sip tea slowly, and even their sleeping posture is elegant and dignified. Before going to sleep, they lie flat on their pillows, and every night their hands are folded on their lower abdomen at the perfect angle.
Judging from his current unseemly posture, he must be quite drunk.
Qin Lie moved her to the inside and covered her with a blanket, then lay down on the outside himself.
A moment later, she moved closer, snuggled into his blanket, wrapped her arms around his waist, pressed herself against him, and buried her head in his chest.
Qin Lie pushed her away several times with a blank expression, but she rolled back in a moment later, her movements very practiced.
Qin Lie: ......
He had also drunk quite a bit at his social engagements that night, and was feeling a bit tired, so he stopped arguing with the drunkard and let her hold him as he closed his eyes to sleep.
Unexpectedly, she started mumbling in her sleep again.
Lingyi's birth mother and Aunt Liucui spoke their hometown dialect in private. Before the age of eight, Lingyi spoke her hometown dialect more fluently than Mandarin. Even now, when she speaks Mandarin, she still has the soft accent of Wu dialect. This is even more obvious when she is drunk. Sometimes she simply stops speaking Mandarin altogether and speaks with a completely Jiangnan accent.
Qin Lie listened carefully for a while before he realized that she was reciting the names of the dishes they would be having for dinner.
It seems Her Highness was extremely satisfied with the dishes tonight, especially the crystal shrimp dumplings, which she mentioned repeatedly.
Although she was young, in Qin Lie's memory, even Qin Hong, who wasn't very bright, wouldn't have been so foolish at fifteen. After all, she was a princess of the imperial family who grew up in luxury, so she had the right to be so ignorant of the ways of the world.
The thought caused his heart, which had softened slightly, to harden again, and Qin Lie pushed her away.
This time she didn't come closer, but instead curled up into a ball, closed her eyes, and began to sob softly.
In the dead of night, within the confines of the bed curtains, Qin Lie couldn't ignore what was happening, so he had no choice but to pull the person back to him.
Lingyi found a comfortable position in his arms and slept soundly until dawn.
Last night she dreamed that she brought those delicious dishes into the palace, but Aunt Liu Cui not only refused to eat them, but also pushed her away. Lingyi was so sad that she cried, and she was still a little listless when she woke up.
Her mood improved considerably when a palace maid delivered a stack of invitations.
She was eager to go out, and as the head nanny, Zhao Mama naturally couldn't indulge her playful nature. She selected two invitations from the stack and declined all the others.
Before Granny Zhao could finish speaking, her sleeve was grabbed and gently swayed.
Lingyi blinked her big eyes at her, "Granny, please keep one more..." She pitifully held up one finger, "Just one..."
Zhao Mama softened her tone without realizing it: "...Keep one more."
Zhao Mama had heard of the Seventeenth Princess before. There were so many princesses in the harem who were not favored, so why was she the one who won the Crown Prince's favor? The servants didn't say it, but they all thought that this Seventeenth Princess was a formidable character.
After spending these few days together, Granny Zhao felt that her guess was correct. When it came to being charming and agreeable, this princess was indeed unparalleled in the world.
As long as it doesn't conflict with the instructions from the palace, Granny Zhao won't go against Lingyi's wishes.
The palace now only hopes that the seventeenth princess will bewitch her husband and conceive soon.
The prince consort received several times more invitations than the princess, keeping him extremely busy.
Thinking about this, Granny Zhao couldn't help but feel puzzled.
When the Seventeenth Princess was betrothed, some in the palace were worried, some sympathized, and some laughed at her; no one thought it was a good match. Which princess wouldn't want to stay in the capital and marry a man she knew well? A general whose name she only knew, who was seven years older than the Seventeenth Princess, was to be married off to the remote Ji Province.
Let alone the princess, even these servants, when the Imperial Concubine assigned the governesses, who wouldn't want to follow the Sixteenth Princess?
The governess is to accompany the princess for life; her honor and disgrace depend entirely on the princess's fate.
The sixteenth princess's husband was Xie Jiayu, a renowned scholar in the capital. His grandfather was a highly respected official who served as Grand Secretary for three reigns and tutor to two emperors. In addition, he had an older sister who was the Crown Princess. His future was limitless.
As a third-rank official from the Prime Minister's faction, the governess was already of exceptional status; who wouldn't look up to her in the future?
Not to mention that he will undoubtedly be given a house in the capital in the future to live out his old age in comfort.
Although Granny Zhao was experienced in handling affairs, she was still a servant in the deep palace and naturally did not understand why the powerful and noble people in the capital were so eager to have Qin Lie.
The Qin family now controls three provinces and commands an army of 80,000. The Prince of Dingbei is getting old, and his heir was injured eight years ago and can no longer even ride a horse. In recent years, the Ji Province army has become even more renowned, and it is obvious to everyone who has the sense to do so.
Such a person should either be avoided as a friend or an enemy.
Everyone else has sent out invitations, but you haven't. Do you mean you look down on someone who is only a third-rank official?
As a result, during this period, Qin Lie was invited to every banquet, big or small, in the capital.
Lingyi was unaware that it was because of Zhao Mama's indulgence of her and Qin Lie.
The young girl loved to dress up. After seeing the clothes and accessories of those noble ladies, she found that many of them were just as good as her own, the princess, and some even had more novel styles. So she started to arrange for the palace servants to make clothes for her, and if they couldn't make them in time, she would just buy them.
Although Princess Lingyi did not necessarily have to be the most beautiful woman in the room, she could not let the noble ladies overshadow her.
But his excitement only lasted a few days. One day, Qin Lie returned to the manor early and saw the princess's carriage parked outside. He asked her what was wrong and learned that the princess had not gone out for three days in a row.
Qin Lie was surprised. This princess had prepared more than ten sets of clothes and jewelry for the banquet, so why had she given up so early? Returning to his room to inquire, Lingyi complained that while the lavish banquets were initially dazzling, after a few times they became quite similar. Most of the noble ladies were there to find suitable matches for their younger relatives, and the young ladies' contests of chess, poetry, music, and painting were mostly for elevating their own status and seeking higher prices—it was truly boring.
Qin Lie could tell from her expression that while there was some truth to what she said, it was not entirely accurate.
He had thought the man was innocent and guileless, but now he was spouting lies. Qin Lie sneered inwardly.
Qin Hong told him the information he had gathered: "The princess encountered Geng Qing from Shu Prefecture, who was betrothed to you along with her, at the banquet a couple of days ago. Although Geng Qing is a skilled warrior, he is a lecherous man who even dared to take advantage of his subordinates' wives. Now that he is the princess's husband, he has become much more restrained. That day, he happened to be half-drunk and had the audacity to try to harass the princess when he saw her at the Minister's residence. Fortunately, a palace maid stopped him. The princess must have been frightened; she hasn't gone out for the past few days."
That evening, Qin Lie came to the room, where Ling Yi was leaning against the bed reading a book.
This was the result of her social engagements in this short period of time. She was surprised to find such interesting stories outside the palace, and she had been reading them so much that she had almost forgotten to eat and sleep.
Just as she was reading a crucial part, Qin Lie suddenly came over. She quickly hid the book under her pillow and looked at him casually, "Is there something you need, Prince Consort?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
