The banquet was mostly filled with wives of officials chatting. Xu Lingzi sat next to Zhou Shi, a serene smile on her face, her eyes concealing her impatience as she lowered her head.
Xu Lingqing tugged at Zhou's sleeve: "Mother, I want to go change my clothes."
Zhou did not suspect anything and simply said, "Go."
To be precise, she knew Xu Lingqing's personality. After all, he came from her womb, so she didn't need to worry about him suffering any losses outside.
The moment Xu Lingqing stood up, Madam Zhou turned her head and continued to chat with the lady beside her, smiling.
The fourth branch wasn't positioned very close to the front. Xu Lingqing stood up and couldn't help but glance at Li Shiyue, who was sitting in Yangshi's room. He then looked away and walked outside.
The corridor was quiet. Xu Lingqing's face had not only matured, but she had also grown considerably taller. She suddenly stopped and looked at Wei Yujie chatting happily with a young man in the distance, raising an eyebrow slightly.
She didn't recognize that young man. He smiled gently and said something, and Wei Yujie's eyes showed shyness. She clutched the handkerchief in her hand so tightly that it became deformed.
Xu Lingqing looked at him with disdain. The maid beside her said softly, "They think they can marry into the Duke's mansion with such a low opinion of themselves. The Wei family is overestimating themselves."
"With the example of my third aunt, my eldest aunt has observed for decades that anyone who truly loves their son would not approve of the marriage to the Wei family."
The contempt in her eyes was undisguised, but she was surprised that Wei Yujie would actually take a fancy to a man from another family.
However, if she were to be seen alone with her husband in the Grand Tutor's residence, her reputation would be ruined.
It's one thing for the Wei family to be a small, insignificant family, but the main concern is the Rongguo Duke's Mansion. Even if she causes trouble for Li Shiyue and the eldest son's family, it doesn't mean that Xu Lingqing would do anything to harm the Rongguo Duke's Mansion.
Although the fourth branch of the family has now been separated, there can only be one Xu, and she still understands the principle that we all share the same fate.
She looked up at the two people in front of her. The young man was a little closer to Wei Yujie, and Wei Yujie did not flinch.
The maid beside her sensed something, glanced up at her mistress's face, and then looked ahead with a somewhat unfriendly gaze: "If we let the Wei family's young lady run wild, it will tarnish the reputation of the Duke's Xu family."
Xu Lingqing's gaze suddenly softened as usual. She strode over, smiled slightly, and seemed to still be that quiet young lady.
"Cousin Wei?"
The two people in front were clearly surprised that someone was coming. The young man took two steps back, putting some distance between himself and Wei Yujie.
Xu Lingqing noticed the faint disappointment in Wei Yujie's eyes, and then saw that the young man was a famous playboy in the capital, someone who knew how to deceive young women.
She smiled coldly to herself, but maintained a gentle demeanor on her face. She walked to Wei Yujie's side and said worriedly, "Cousin Wei, what are you doing here? Are you lost?"
Wei Yujie subconsciously looked at the young man beside her, but he avoided her gaze. Her smile was somewhat forced: "I got lost. I was thinking of going back."
Xu Lingqing seemed to only then notice that there was another person present. Wei Yujie spoke first, sounding as if she were explaining, "This young man just gave me directions. I was just about to leave."
Xu Lingqing didn't expose her, but raised the fan in her hand higher to cover half of her face. Seeing the young man looking over and scrutinizing her from head to toe, Xu Lingqing suppressed her disgust and turned to the side.
Realizing his rudeness, the young man looked away, his clasped hands resembling those of a wolf in sheep's clothing: "Since someone has come looking for you ladies, there's no need for me to lead the way. I won't disturb you two while you enjoy the scenery."
Only after her husband left did Xu Lingzi put down the fan in her hand and look up to meet Wei Yujie's gaze.
Xu Lingqing seemed unaware that Wei Yujie was staring at her absentmindedly, and casually said, "Cousin Wei, you should stay away from that kind of person. There are no fewer than ten maids in the family, not to mention the concubines with official titles."
Her words were smug and pointed. Wei Yujie lowered her head and suddenly felt that Xu Lingqing must have seen it not just now, but perhaps for a long time.
"Really? I don't know her." Her voice was soft, as if she were speaking in a depressed mood, and she wasn't very interested.
Xu Lingqing had no time to figure out what the woman beside him was thinking. He glanced at the stone steps under his feet and a hint of mischief in his eyes: "By the way, I heard from my third aunt that my third cousin will be returning home from the military camp in a few days."
"According to blood ties, the third cousin is Wei's biological cousin, and this is the first time she has met him since she came to the capital."
"Speaking of my third brother, he used to act recklessly, but fortunately he has reformed his bad habits in the army now."
Seeing Wei Yujie's thoughtful expression out of the corner of her eye, Xu Lingqing was in a good mood, and even her steps were much lighter on the way back.
She had barely sat down when she felt a gaze upon her. She looked up, only to meet the eyes of Li Shiyue, who was diagonally in front of her.
Li Shiyue's eyes churned with unreadable emotions as she calmly watched her, or rather, watched her return with Wei Yujie.
Xu Lingqing seemed somewhat surprised, raising her eyebrows slightly and smiling as she looked over. Before she could raise the cup in her hand, Li Shiyue had already looked away.
As if she had just happened to look over, Xu Lingqing gripped her cup tightly. It seemed as if something had been noticed about her these past few days, but she felt no distress at all.
Indeed, no matter how long you pretend, there will eventually come a day when your true colors are revealed.
On the way back, Li Shiyue and Xu Lingqing shared a carriage. After all, the fourth branch of the family now lived next door to the Duke's mansion, and for convenience, a small gate had long been added to the wall.
Xu Lingqing wasn't surprised at all to see Li Shiyue already sitting inside. Since Madam Yang hadn't boarded the carriage yet, she naturally wouldn't sit with Madam Wei.
"I thought my cousin didn't want to see me yet."
Xu Lingqing smiled, as if nothing had happened, just like when Li Shiyue first entered the manor, she still looked like a quiet young lady.
Li Shiyue looked at her, her gaze calm, but lacking the usual enthusiasm: "What are you after?"
Xu Lingqing didn't look up, playing with the handkerchief in her hand. After thinking for a while, she looked up at Li Shiyue and smiled sweetly: "Interesting. I was worried that my second brother and cousin, whom I got so easily, wouldn't cherish it, so I wanted to do something interesting."
Li Shiyue raised an eyebrow and looked at her. Xu Lingqing's words were an indirect admission that Wei Yujie's previous actions were indeed orchestrated by her.
Xu Lingqing raised her hands and said with a smile, "My cousin will be my sister-in-law in the future. Although it's not my brother's happy occasion, I really like my cousin and I really hope that she will be my sister-in-law."
She wasn't stupid; she wouldn't do anything that would cause a big commotion. She didn't want the fourth branch of the family to fall into poverty, and she certainly didn't want them to end up like the second branch.
Li Shiyue remained silent. Xu Lingqing glanced at Yang Shi outside the curtain and then moved closer to Li Shiyue.
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