The banquet had already begun, and Li Shiyue sat next to Xu Lingzi. The hairpins she wore today were one of Xu Lingzi's, and the two of them looked as close as if they were one person.
What was particularly glaring to those with ulterior motives was that when Madam Fan thought of her daughter who couldn't leave the house, she looked at her illegitimate daughter beside her with almost gritted teeth.
"You better behave yourself. Don't think that just because your second aunt isn't coming, you, a concubine's daughter, can actually catch the eye of a nobleman."
Madam Fan was furious. She never expected that Vice Minister Fan would have the idea of sending his illegitimate daughter to the Prince of Yan's residence. If anyone should go to the Prince of Yan's residence, it should be her stepmother, who is worthy of the position of Princess Consort of Yan. A lowly child born of a concubine is not even worthy of carrying her daughter's shoes.
The third young lady beside her was born out of wedlock. From the moment she took her seat, she saw Li Shiyue sitting next to Xu Lingzi. Although she had never met her before, she could guess that in this kind of occasion, the only person who could sit next to Xu Lingzi was the cousin of the Duke of Rongguo's mansion who had been granted the title of county princess.
I heard that this cousin who lives in the Duke's mansion is the eldest daughter of the Earl of Yunyang's family. It's clear that she's not much better than me, otherwise she wouldn't have traveled all the way to the capital to seek refuge with Old Madam Xu.
Miss Fan withdrew her gaze, concealing the contempt in her eyes, and unconsciously raised her hand to her lower abdomen.
No one else noticed her action except Li Shiyue, who caught a glimpse of it. She saw the light pink hem of the dress and suppressed the surprise in her eyes.
She hadn't seen the young man's face in the garden corridor, but the woman was standing facing her. Through a crack in the corridor wall, she secretly glimpsed the woman's hem.
Li Shiyue withdrew her gaze and turned to look at Xu Lingzi: "Is the lady sitting next to Madam Fan one of the other ladies from the Fan family? I don't think it's the Second Miss Fan from that day."
Upon hearing this, Xu Lingzi replied without looking over, "The second daughter of the Fan family that day was named Siyun, and she was born to Madam Fan. The one who came today is the third daughter of the Fan family, and she was born to one of Vice Minister Fan's concubines. Her name is Yintong."
The music of silk and the sound of tung trees—this Vice Minister Fan really knows how to feign elegance.
When guests come to visit, even if there have been some arguments between the two families beforehand, it is ultimately a matter between the women and should not be taken as a matter between the two families.
Li Shiyue listened to this and put down her chopsticks. She suddenly remembered the young man who was entangled with this woman. He seemed to be the heir of the Marquis of Guangping’s mansion. She had heard it with her own ears.
The sweet and sour pork burst with flavor as she chewed, filling her mouth with a delightful mix of sweet and sour notes. But Li Shiyue found it tasteless, as if she were chewing wax. She thought of the Lady of Guangping Marquis earlier, wondering if she knew that her proud son had been having an affair with another man's daughter.
Perhaps because she had something on her mind, Li Shiyue sat down next to Xu Lingzi, and she would be nervous for a long time at the slightest sound.
Halfway through the banquet, Li Shiyue's gaze kept falling on the people around her. She glanced at Fan Yintong as if it were nothing, and Fan Yintong seemed to be particularly careful, observing the food in front of her for a long time before she would pick up her chopsticks.
Unable to sit still any longer, Li Shiyue leaned closer to Xu Lingzi and said, "Cousin, I want to go change my clothes."
Changing clothes at this time actually meant relieving oneself. Xu Lingzi didn't suspect anything. Li Shiyue led Chunling back to the inner courtyard. When they arrived at Chengyu Pavilion, their own place, they breathed a sigh of relief.
“Lian Dong, go to Songyuan and tell Chang Shun that I have something to say to my cousin.”
Li Shiyue frowned slightly, a hint of anxiety in her eyes. If she hadn't misheard, it was true that the heir of the Marquis of Guangping was having an affair with Fan Yintong. Wouldn't her cousin's life be ruined if she married him?
Watching Lian Dong leave Chengyu Pavilion, she felt like she was going to explode. In her panic, she couldn't even remember who Xu Lingzi had married in her previous life.
"Miss, don't worry, this matter is not settled yet, there is still room for everything." Chunling also knew that Xu Lingzi was not only a cousin to Li Shiyue, but also a good friend.
Li Shiyue's heart was uneasy when Lian Dong did not return. Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming from the corridor. She thought it was Lian Dong returning, so she walked to the beaded curtain and saw Xu Yunci walk in and stand in front of her.
Through the slightly swaying beaded curtain, Xu Yunci's aloof face was right in front of her, and Li Shiyue was stunned for a moment.
Chang Shun said, "You're looking for me."
His voice was soft, and he raised his arm to lift the beaded curtain in front of them, walked past Li Shiyue, and sat down in the east room. Ignoring Li Shiyue, he sat down and looked around at the room's furnishings.
He had come before, but never alone, nor had he ever spent time alone with Li Shiyue.
Li Shiyue snapped out of her daze, disregarding all etiquette, and hurriedly told Xu Yunci what she had overheard. After rambling on and on, she finally felt thirsty, took the teacup Chunling handed her, and gulped it down.
Looking at Xu Yunci, he couldn't hide his anxiety: "Cousin, if that's really the case, we absolutely cannot agree to the marriage proposal from the Marquis of Guangping!"
"Who told you that Mother is going to marry Sixth Sister off to the Marquis of Guangping's mansion?"
Xu Yunci smiled slightly, taking in Li Shiyue's anxious expression. He slowly picked up his teacup and leisurely savored the freshly brewed tea.
Li Shiyue's gaze faltered slightly: "But my aunt and the Lady of Guangping Marquis had me and my cousin listening in, wasn't that to let my cousin make the decision herself?"
Xu Yunci looked at her quietly and put down his teacup: "You said you would let Sixth Sister decide for herself. Do you know that Sixth Sister had a deep friendship with the heir of the Marquis of Guangping's mansion when she was young?"
Li Shiyue nodded: "My cousin mentioned that we were childhood sweethearts, but later the Guangping Marquis's family moved to Luling, and that's when we lost contact."
Seeing her slightly stunned expression, Xu Yunci gave up on teasing her and simply told her everything.
"Mother's move is to train Sixth Sister herself. Whether she chooses the childhood sweetheart she remembers or sets her sights on someone better, it's all up to her to decide."
“It’s not that we don’t care about her wishes. If the heir of the Marquis of Guangping is really unreliable, even if Mother doesn’t make the decision, I will. I won’t let her be blind and marry the wrong person.”
"I didn't expect you to overhear these things by chance, and you were so eager to tell me." Xu Yunci's smile became more pronounced, causing Li Shiyue's cheeks to flush slightly.
"But don't worry, I will investigate these matters. If he dares to wrong Sixth Sister, I will not let him off. Besides, I didn't even consider the Marquis of Guangping's family when choosing a husband for Sixth Sister."
He had always favored Guo Xun, especially after Guo Xun joined Chonghua Palace, which made him even more convinced that Guo Xun was a reliable person. Mainly, since neither of them had parents, Liu Niang's future life would be more comfortable.
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