As soon as Jiang Chuwei and Ye Huan got off the carriage, Princess Qingning ran over and said, "Why are you so late? My legs are sore from standing."
"Who asked you to stand here and wait? You're just asking for trouble!"
Ye Huan reverted to her carefree nature.
Princess Qingning glanced at her and quickly took Jiang Chuwei's hand: "Sister Jiang, let's go into the manor."
Ye Huan quickly took Jiang Chuwei's other arm: "Let's go."
Jiang Chuwei: ...
Why do I feel like I'm being fought over?
Once inside the Prince's residence, the princess released her hand.
When her mother saw her unruly behavior, she naturally disciplined her afterwards.
The three entered in single file, their presence leaving the guests in awe.
Ye Huan was wearing a pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a white belt tied around her waist in a bow, making her look lively and energetic.
Princess Qingning, dressed in a purple palace gown, possessed a graceful figure, her skirt fluttering like a fairy. Her obsidian-like eyes were slightly upturned, with tiny gold specks at the corners, sparkling like stars. A jeweled ring adorned her slender waist, exuding youthful exuberance.
Jiang Chuwei walked slowly towards them, looking more like a fairy descending from heaven to earth.
Her long, black hair cascaded down her back, framing her raven hair and red lips. Her aloof eyes seemed unapproachable, yet two lively and spirited women would occasionally turn back to exchange a few playful words. Her light green dress, embroidered with gold and adorned with pearls and gemstones, shimmered with light as she walked, exuding both elegance and nobility.
All eyes were on this one spot.
People whispered among themselves, "Whose daughter is this? She's like a fairy from heaven."
Seeing everyone's amazed gazes fixed on Jiang Chuwei, Princess Qingning looked as if she were proud of herself.
Princess Xiang came forward to greet them, and seeing that only Jiang Chuwei had attended the banquet, she understood what was going on.
The Jiang family is being a bit too cautious.
Qiu Shu presented a gift, and Jiang Chuwei bowed and wished the Princess Consort of Xiang a long and happy life.
Princess Xiang personally led Jiang Chuwei to Lady Yan's residence in the Yongning Marquis's mansion.
Everyone was surprised; the Princess Consort of Xiang was being far too enthusiastic towards Miss Jiang, treating her like family.
Madam Yan warmly invited Jiang Chuwei to take a seat. After Jiang Chuwei greeted her, she was pulled to sit next to Madam Yan.
Yan Yunyao immediately stood up and bowed to Jiang Chuwei as an equal, showing no attempt to hide the enthusiasm of the Yan family mother and daughter for Jiang Chuwei.
Lady Yan, the wife of the Marquis of Yongning, had a troublesome concubine at home. Due to the suppression by the Princess Consort of Xiang, no one outside knew about Lady Yan's situation.
In addition, she was strict in disciplining her servants, so there were no bad rumors about her outside. Madam Yan was quite authoritative in public.
Seeing that Lady Yongning treated Jiang Chuwei with great courtesy, the crowd, though puzzled, began to think more highly of Jiang Chuwei.
Before the news of the Yongning Marquis's heir's recovery was released, everyone assumed that Jiang Chuwei had simply caught the eye of the Yongning Marquis's wife.
Although Jiang Chuwei had rarely attended banquets in the past three years, and was a new face at today's banquet, a little inquiry revealed that the woman in front of her was the eldest daughter of the General's Mansion who had divorced and returned home.
Some busybodies started to speculate: was the reason she was able to escape unscathed after the Pingyang Marquis's family was raided and exterminated, simply because it was a divorce?
How could it be such a coincidence that her entire family died right after she divorced her husband?
Despite their suspicions, no one dared to truly embarrass Jiang Chuwei.
After all, it's Princess Xiang's birthday banquet today, so no one dares to cause trouble.
The Prince of Xiang doesn't concern himself with affairs and always seems to be playing with cats and dogs, while the Princess Consort of Xiang is decisive and efficient.
Whoever messes with her is doomed.
Everyone could clearly see that Princess Xiang treated Jiang Chuwei with great courtesy.
The birthday banquet was divided into male and female sections, separated by an artificial lake.
Princess Xiang's connections in the capital were top-notch.
The Prince of Xiang was the only younger brother whom the Emperor left behind to go to the capital. They had grown up together under the Empress's care.
No prince could match this affection.
Several princes, accompanied by their female relatives, also arrived at the palace.
Among them were Prince Jin and his wife.
"Sister! Let me take you to sit in the pavilion." Princess Qingning's most important task today was to accompany Jiang Chuwei.
Ye Huan immediately stood up: "Let's go, let's go, we'll come back after the birthday banquet starts."
No matter how approachable Madam Yan was, Ye Huan still felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
I always feel uncomfortable sitting with elders I don't know well.
The topics Madam Yan and Jiang Chuwei were discussing were not topics she could chime in on.
Jiang Chuwei smiled politely, and Madam Yan could clearly see that she held Jiang Chuwei in high esteem.
"Isn't it a bit too unusual for Lady Yongning to treat a junior like this?" Lady Zheng scoffed.
A divorced woman, yet she is so adept at social maneuvering.
"Could it be that she intends to make Miss Jiang Wei her daughter-in-law, after all, she has a useless son in the family?" The speaker was Madam Sun from the Duke of Su's mansion.
These two weren't usually that close, but the princess seemed particularly annoyed by Jiang Chuwei's favoritism.
The Duke of Zheng and the Duke of Su were two prominent families in the capital, one being the maternal family of a concubine and the other the maternal family of the Empress Dowager.
They could say whatever they wanted, but they kept their voices down, because if that shrew Yan Zhilan heard them, they wouldn't get away with it.
However, these words all fell into Princess Qingning's ears.
Seeing that she was about to run over to argue, Jiang Chuwei quickly pulled her back: "It's alright, they're just gossiping, it won't affect me at all."
Ye Huan is a carefree person: "Yes, yes, we won't listen to what we don't want to hear, and we'll just blame everything that's unpleasant on them."
Jiang Chuwei: ...
Ye Huan knows how to comfort herself.
Princess Qingning: But...
"Let's go! It's alright!" Jiang Chuwei greeted Madam Yan and then led the two away.
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