Chapter 129 Jiang Fenghua's Birthday Banquet
Xie Shang held a birthday banquet for her at the Jiang residence. It wasn't a grand affair, but it was still quite dignified, and he invited quite a few people.
The Jiang family was stunned. In their hearts, birthday celebrations didn't need to be extravagant; the most important thing was that the family was together, and the sentiment and warmth were what mattered most.
Xie Shang clearly didn't think that way. First, there had to be a sense of ceremony, and second, he couldn't lose face as a prince.
Jiang Fenghua felt like she was being roasted over a fire, extremely embarrassed. If she hadn't experienced all sorts of hardships, she would have been moved to tears.
She is now very calm and composed.
Jiang's father and mother stared at their daughter. At only sixteen years old, she had such an aura, handled everything with ease, and acted with great maturity. Jiang's mother had never taught her these things, only letting her grow up like a demure young lady. They were astonished by how capable their daughter was.
The Third Princess and the Second Princess, having somehow obtained the news, arrived at the Jiang residence with gifts.
Jiang Fenghua was surprised to see that Princess Yu and the Third Princess had appeared together. The two had always been at odds, with red eyebrows and green eyes, but now they both had smiles on their faces and seemed to be on very good terms.
Jiang Fenghua also had a sincere smile on her face, "Second sister-in-law, third sister-in-law, why did we have to bother you? Please come in."
The Third Princess was a warm and sociable person. "On such an important day, the Fifth Princess is really stingy. She didn't even send us an invitation. Is she afraid we'll come and ask for your wine?"
Jiang Fenghua said with a smile, "Drink as much as you like at my house. No one is allowed to leave until they're drunk. I've already had the maids prepare the guest rooms, just waiting for you to arrive."
The Third Princess smiled broadly and took Xie Wei's hand, saying, "We can't argue with you. You're so smart because you've read so much. Today, I've brought all three of my little rascals with me."
The children said in unison, "Greetings, Aunt Wu! We wish you a happy birthday, may your happiness be as vast as the Eastern Sea and your longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountains."
Xie Wei said, "Fifth Aunt, we've prepared a gift for you. See if you like it."
Jiang Fenghua smiled broadly and accepted them one by one. Xie Wei gave her a large bouquet of flowers, which was beautifully and uniquely decorated.
Before Jiang Fenghua could take it, Hongxiu quickly took it, saying, "There are too many gifts for Your Highness to carry. This servant will take them inside!"
Jiang Fenghua knew that Hongxiu was thoughtful, so she quickly said, "Fifth Aunt likes it very much, thank you."
She then asked Lianye to fetch Jiang Zhiqin to keep the young guests company. As soon as Jiang Zhiqin arrived, everyone liked him very much and took them away.
Princess Yu stood there stunned, looking somewhat embarrassed, unsure of what to say.
Jiang Fenghua offered, "Second sister-in-law, please come along too."
Princess Yu smiled and said, "Yes."
Later, Jiang Fenghua learned that Prince Yu and Princess Yu had a fierce argument, almost to the point of irreconcilable differences. Princess Yu's family had come to visit, but to no avail. Xie Yu liked to fight and had beaten Princess Yu, leaving her covered in injuries. She would fight back, but no matter how strong a woman is, she is no match for a man.
So Princess Yu was destined to suffer this injustice in silence. Prince Yu threatened to divorce her because she had been unable to have a child for so many years.
When the topic of childbirth came up, Princess Yu knew she was in the wrong and couldn't utter a single word. Xie Yu pointed at her scars and rubbed them hard, making her increasingly insecure.
If it weren't for that time when the couple had a fight, and Princess Yu was beaten by Prince Yu, which happened to be witnessed by the Third Princess, she and the Third Princess would never have had any contact.
This time, the Third Princess Consort brought the Second Princess Consort along to the Jiang residence.
The group, putting aside their past grievances, chatted and laughed as they walked inside. A moment later, Zhang Yumo and the Fourth Princess also arrived. Jiang Fenghua exchanged pleasantries again, leaving her exhausted. The crucial question was, where had Xie Shang gone?
Zhang Yumo went straight to Jiang Jinyan's courtyard, leaving only the Fourth Princess Consort in the living room. The Fourth Princess Consort seemed to have forgotten her shrewish behavior towards the Princess Consort Yu, and greeted them with a smile.
Princess Yu was unwilling to pay attention to her. It was because of the family affairs of the Fourth Prince's Mansion that she was implicated and beaten by Xie Yu. The injuries on her body were still throbbing. She turned her face away.
The Fourth Princess Consort, with a smiling tiger look, said, "Second Sister-in-law is still angry. It was my fault for not investigating properly last time. I'm sorry." She only said a fake apology now that she saw it.
Princess Yu said angrily, "You think you can get away with this without even investigating properly? Because of your family's mess, I've been ruined..."
The Third Princess suddenly pulled her aside, saying, "Today we're all here to celebrate Fenghua's birthday. You can't bring up anything else. You can settle your personal grudges outside before coming back in. Nobody's stopping you."
Princess Yu stopped making a fuss and sat down with a thud.
The Fourth Princess smiled and said, "My second sister-in-law and I have no grudges against each other; it's all a misunderstanding!"
Seeing the Fourth Princess Consort like this, the Third Princess Consort also wanted to slap her twice. She heard that the maid was eventually beaten to death by her. It was clearly the Fourth Prince who couldn't control himself and seduced the maid. In the end, the two of them played good cop and bad cop, and they just dumped the body in a mass grave and that was it.
The Third Princess was also a smart woman; she didn't care about other people's affairs.
Jiang Fenghua, the hostess, maintained a smile throughout. "Gentlemen, please enjoy the show first. Dinner will be served soon. I'll go and greet the other guests."
The Third Princess said, "I love watching plays the most. Fenghua, you go ahead and do your work! Don't worry about us."
As soon as Jiang Fenghua left, the second, third, and fourth princesses were speechless. They stared at each other, but fortunately, a stage had been set up in the Jiang residence's courtyard, and someone was performing an opera. The opera was very exciting, and everyone's eyes were focused on the stage. The table was full of fruits and snacks, which was enough to shut them up.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yumo walked into Jiang Jinyan's courtyard and happened to meet Jiang Jinyan as he was leaving. He was dressed in a brocade robe and looked dashing.
Zhang Yumo was also dressed exquisitely, a light blue long dress with flowing sleeves that hugged her slender figure, making her look even more dignified and beautiful. The two looked at each other.
Jiang Jinyan spoke first, "Is Miss Zhang also here to celebrate Ruan Ruan's birthday?"
Zhang Yumo said gracefully, "Yes, it's Fenghua's birthday, so I had to come. I also wanted to check on Young Master Jiang's injuries to see if they've healed."
"Everything is ready. Thank you for your concern, Miss Zhang," Jiang Jinyan said calmly.
Zhang Yumo nodded. "Now that you're better, I'm relieved. After all, Young Master Jiang's injury was because of me; otherwise, I would have felt guilty all along." From now on, she would never have an excuse to appear in front of him again.
Jiang Jinyan changed the subject again, saying, "After Ruan Ruan's birthday, I will be leaving for a while."
Zhang Yumo was stunned. Was he leaving again? And when would he be back this time?
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