The Ministry of Revenue is one of the Six Ministries. Madam Xiao is the mother of the Minister of Revenue and was also granted the title of Second-Class Lady of Guangling County by the late Emperor. Therefore, the fact that she is sitting in the flower hall today, in front of Madam Xiao, means that she is a very prominent person in the capital.
Li Shiyue didn't hesitate. She stepped forward and gracefully bowed to Madam Xiao, saying, "Yan Yan greets Madam Xiao. May Madam Xiao enjoy good health and longevity."
Her voice was sweet to the ear, and she adopted an extremely humble posture. Old Madam Xiao quickly exclaimed "Oh dear," her face beaming with smiles, but she reached out and offered a hand to Li Shiyue from a distance, saying, "I take the county princess's kind words into consideration."
"County Princess? You're the Yichang County Princess whom the Emperor recently bestowed the title of?"
The young woman sitting next to Madam Xiao wore a pale yellow jacket with a light silver begonia pattern. A strand of hair fell down her sideburns, and her eyes were fixed on Li Shiyue.
The sudden question, the gaze filled with inquiry and confusion, seemed to scrutinize Li Shiyue from head to toe. Lost in thought, the woman's hands began to slowly rub the hem of her skirt.
Madam Xiao's smile remained unchanged. She patted the young woman's hand, which was originally reaching for Li Shiyue, as if to comfort her: "Third Sister has never seen the County Princess before. She's just a child, she's just curious."
A mere Yichang County Princess is nothing special, but the Rongguo Duke's Mansion behind her certainly deserves some respect.
"Third Sister, come and greet the County Princess." When Madam Xiao turned her head, the smile on her face was still there, but Feng Lanyin clearly saw the warning in her grandmother's eyes.
Feng Lanyin glanced at the silent Li Shiyue, who was also sizing her up. She raised her chin slightly, stood up, and reluctantly bowed: "Lanyin greets the County Princess. May the County Princess be well."
Li Shiyue could tell that Feng Lanyin was clearly hostile towards her, but she couldn't understand where this hostility came from at their first meeting.
Before she could speak, Feng Lanyin had already turned her gaze away and sat back down beside Old Madam Xiao, which was against etiquette. Although Li Shiyue was a guest, Li Shiyue's status was higher than that of Feng Lanyin, a young lady from a humble family. Such behavior inevitably made people think that the Feng family did not take Li Shiyue seriously.
On a larger scale, it seems the Ministry of Revenue's office didn't even take the Duke of Rong's mansion seriously.
Madam Xiao had obviously thought of this, but with so many guests in the room, she felt that all eyes were on her and couldn't show any displeasure. She gave Feng Lanyin a deep look, then looked away, her smile becoming even more pronounced.
"Third Sister is ignorant, please don't hold it against her, County Princess."
Madam Yang sneered inwardly. Did they think the Xu family was stupid? Feng Sanniang was of marriageable age this year, yet she acted so willfully on this occasion. Did she not take Yan Yan seriously, or did the current Minister's Mansion not take the First-Rank Duke's Mansion seriously?
Besides, she had no intention of putting on a show for others, even at the expense of her own child's reputation. She picked up the teacup beside her, ignoring Old Madam Xiao's words.
Helpless, Madam Xiao could only look at Li Shiyue. If the Xu family didn't respond, her granddaughter's reputation would likely be damaged today.
Seeing the expectation in Madam Xiao's eyes, yet unwilling to show it on her face due to her status.
Li Shiyue withdrew her gaze. Her aunt remained silent, presumably wanting her to make the decision herself. If this matter was not handled properly, rumors would spread within half a day that she was causing trouble by abusing her official position.
If she just accepts it like that, she'll feel uncomfortable, and people who don't know the situation might think she did something wrong and is afraid of the third daughter of the Feng family.
"What the old lady said is not right."
All attention was drawn to Xu Lingyu, who was surrounded by people, and the Crown Prince and others beside her. Madam Xiao's expression changed, and she no longer cared about the previous incident. She hurriedly stood up and bowed.
Duke Rong and Xu Yunci exchanged glances and walked to their side. Suddenly, Xu Yunci appeared beside Li Shiyue, his faint fragrance gradually enveloping him.
Li Shiyue lowered her eyes, not looking around, her mind was shallow, and she practically had "avoiding Xu Yunci" written all over her face.
Xu Yunci watched as his little cousin moved closer to Xu Lingzi's back with extremely light movements, and it looked like her leg was about to hit the round stool.
His eyes were fixed on her, but when he reached out to grab Li Shiyue, their hands were blocked by Yang and the others. After Li Shiyue regained her footing, Xu Yunci quickly withdrew his hand, as if it hadn't been him just now.
Before Li Shiyue could react, Xu Lingyu had already walked towards her. Today, Xu Lingyu was dressed in a bright yellow gown, standing with the Crown Prince. The two of them wore the same style of clothing, which was the kind of luxurious clothing only the royal family possessed.
"I overheard something just now, but it seems Yichang said something that displeased the old lady."
The Crown Prince was always humble, especially when he helped up Old Madam Xiao, displaying the demeanor of a crown prince. At this moment, he smiled as he looked at the Crown Princess and Li Shiyue beside her, his eyes filled with respect and affection for his wife's younger sister.
Madam Xiao's smile remained unchanged, but in her heart she was pondering the weight of the Crown Prince's words "Yichang" at that moment.
“The county princess is the kindest. She is my granddaughter. I have never seen her lose her manners. It is because of her tolerance that she did not hold it against Third Sister.”
After she finished speaking, those present couldn't help but marvel at Madam Xiao's shamelessness. The Xu family hadn't even said anything, so why was she being so tolerant?
The Minister of Revenue has never expressed his position. After all, as an official of the Six Ministries, the daughter of the Feng family is qualified to be a prince or the crown princess.
Madam Xiao's eyes darted around, noticing that Xu Lingyu and Li Shiyue seemed quite familiar with each other: "Lanyin, why don't you greet His Highness and Her Highness?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Lanyin's previously unfriendly expression vanished. She walked up to the Crown Princess with a beaming smile. The young woman, who had just come of age, now displayed a charming shyness beneath her smile.
"Lanyin greets Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess. May Your Highness and Your Highness live a long and peaceful life."
Xu Lingyu smiled at Feng Lanyin, noticing the eagerness in her eyes in just one glance. She patted Li Shiyue's hand almost imperceptibly in a reassuring gesture, the curve of her lips becoming even more pronounced.
"What a good girl, it's clear that she's favored by the old lady. The third young lady is close in age to Yan Yan, and Grandmother always favors Yan Yan at home. Luckily, my younger sisters are all kind, otherwise, they would have turned the Duke's mansion upside down."
Xu Lingzi looked at the Feng family grandmother and granddaughter, whose smiles were frozen on their faces, and stepped forward to continue the conversation while suppressing her laughter: "Eldest sister is talking about Grandmother. There are so many people here, and they only say how good Yan Yan is. If this continues, I'll start to feel jealous."
"Good sister, please don't be angry with me. We're all family, why be so formal?" Li Shiyue pretended to beg for forgiveness and wrapped her arms around Xu Lingzi's forearm. It was clear that the two sisters were very close.
Although Feng Lanyin was spoiled and pampered, she was not unaware of the meaning behind Xu Lingyu's words.
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