Chapter 42 The Banquet (Part Six)
Jiang Wanru gripped her sleeve tightly and followed.
When Jiang Wanning and Shen Ruzhi arrived at the banquet area, most of the people were already seated.
The two sat down next to Zhou.
Jiang Wanru sat down next to Shen Ruzhi.
The Grand Princess glanced in Jiang Wan Ning's direction, her posture languid, "I think most of the people have arrived."
"Let's begin."
"Your Highness." Lady Li, the wife of the Earl of Qingyuan, stood up. "I knew Your Highness was coming."
"I have just sent someone to invite Lady Qu to come and perform for you all."
"Oh? Lady Qu?" The Grand Princess said with interest, "You've really put your heart into this."
"I have heard that this lady usually does not come out of seclusion. Even a wealthy family like the Prince's Mansion has to make an appointment in advance to invite her."
"The Countess has a way."
Li was quite pleased with herself. "Actually, it's nothing much. It's just that my little girl is learning to dance from Lady Qu."
"It just so happens that I am at your residence today."
"No wonder your daughter didn't come today."
"It must be said that Her Highness the Grand Princess is very fortunate. Lady Naqu was originally scheduled to be absent today, but she suddenly found herself free."
"It must be because the Grand Princess is so blessed that she was fortunate enough to come here."
Lady Qu was a famous courtesan on the pleasure boats of the capital. Her exquisite dances attracted invitations from prominent families throughout the city.
They all wanted him to give their daughters some guidance.
But once someone has a certain status, they can't be hired just because you want to. Of course, a mere dancer isn't enough to make you disrespectful to some powerful families.
He simply used his skills to find a powerful backer.
It is said that this woman is backed by someone from the royal family.
Just then, Madam Qu walked in.
Lady Qu had a slender waist and a light, graceful gait.
However, this long dress was exactly the same as the one Jiang Wanru was wearing.
Without comparison, Jiang Wanru doesn't look particularly bad in this outfit.
In comparison, wearing the same clothes, Jiang Wanru's waist was a size bigger than Qu Niangzi's, making her look especially bulky when sitting.
Some observant people at the table had already noticed and began to whisper among themselves.
After paying her respects to the Grand Princess, Lady Qu also noticed Jiang Wanru.
A slight sneer curled at the corner of her lips. "This outfit was designed by one of the ladies on the pleasure boat. I never expected to run into someone wearing the same thing today."
Jiang Wanru lowered her head and shifted her body uncomfortably.
With a 'sizzle' sound.
Jiang Wanru suddenly felt a loosening around her waist and quickly reached out to cover it.
She was trying her best to breathe; in her panic, she hadn't noticed that her clothes had ripped.
Jiang Wanru's face turned bright red. Hearing the laughter coming from above, she wished she could crawl under the table.
"Ningning, did you know she would wear this outfit?"
Jiang Wan Ning calmly took a sip of tea. "Aunt Liu and Madam Qu traveled together on the same pleasure boat."
"This outfit is worn by every courtesan on the pleasure boat. Aunt Liu borrowed it through her connections on the pleasure boat."
"Then how did you know that Madam Qu would also be wearing this outfit today?"
"Because Madam Qu's master and Madam Liu are at odds. I only unintentionally revealed some information to Madam Qu."
Shen Ruzhi's eyes widened. "So you knew all along that Madam Qu would be coming?"
Jiang Wan Ning's lips curled up slightly, but she did not reply.
Of course she knew that Lady Qu would come. If Lady Qu hadn't wanted to come, how could Madam Li have managed to get her to come?
"Madam Qu, it's just someone imitating her poorly. You don't know, she just danced a little, and her dance moves..."
The speaker had a mocking expression and deliberately hesitated to speak.
This caused a murmur of laughter from everyone at the table.
Lady Qu smiled faintly and said, "I'm just curious, where did you get these clothes, Miss?"
"As far as I know, this style and design are only available to people on pleasure boats."
Jiang Wanru kept her head down and didn't say anything.
"Miss Qu probably doesn't know this, but Miss Jiang's mother used to be a courtesan on your pleasure boat."
"It's quite a coincidence."
"Yes, but that Aunt Liu has some tricks up her sleeve, which is how she became the concubine's daughter in the Marquis's mansion."
"The Marquis's residence?" Madam Qu pretended to think. "So it's Senior Sister Liu's daughter."
"How is Senior Sister Liu?"
"She's now a concubine in the Marquis's household, how could she not be happy?"
Madam Qu continued, "How is Granny Zhang?"
Jiang Wanru blushed even more and lowered her head, whispering, "Granny is very good."
"Thank you for your concern, Madam Qu."
Lady Qu did not respond to this, but turned around and curtsied to the Grand Princess, saying, "Your Highness."
"Please allow me to change my clothes."
"allow."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Lady Qu retreated to the back and soon came out after changing into a new set of clothes.
"My lady, this dress?"
"Just throw it away." Lady Qu didn't even glance at it again.
Jiang Wanru clenched her fists tightly; she could have dealt with it later.
To insist on handling this at the banquet is clearly an insult to her.
Throughout the entire banquet, the only time Jiang Wanru raised her head was when she looked pitifully at Pei Anqing.
But Pei Anqing didn't even glance at her.
The others looked at her with unintentional mockery.
She wanted to leave but couldn't just walk away silently. If she stood up, her clothes would be torn, which would only draw everyone's attention back to her.
Jiang Wanru could only sit there with her neck hunched over.
"Arong, I heard that your daughter just showed off quite a bit."
After the performance, the Grand Princess said, "It is said that giving birth to a daughter is like giving birth to a mother."
“Ah Rong, you weren’t like this back then.”
Madam Zhou smiled and lowered her head, "The child is naughty, Your Highness, please don't be offended."
The Grand Princess waved her hand, "How could I possibly hold a grudge against a child?"
"But I heard you intend to marry her to the Prince of Langya?"
"That Pei Yanchuan is really lucky. He's not going to live much longer, yet he still manages to marry such a beautiful wife."
"If you ask me, Madam Jiang, if you want your daughter to marry into a better family, you should also consider her future."
“What if she doesn’t live long after she marries into the family…” said Madam Li, the wife of the Earl of Qingyuan. “I’m doing this for the sake of the child.”
"Madam Jiang, please don't blame me for meddling."
“Since you know you’re meddling, shut your mouth.” Zhou said without any politeness.
"you..."
Lady Li, the wife of the Earl of Qingyuan, originally thought that with the Grand Princess around, Lady Zhou wouldn't dare to be too presumptuous. Who knew that she would not give her any face at all.
The Grand Princess chuckled, "Arong is indeed different from before."
"However, what Lady Qingyuan said is not a lie; she is also thinking of your child."
The Grand Princess glanced at Jiang Wan Ning and said, "If I remember correctly, this child is two months younger than Ping An."
"This tender little flower bud was gnawed by an old cow, and the worst part is that she will be a widow in the future."
"Arong, if I had to say, you are far too cruel."
"How about I take charge and refuse this marriage proposal on behalf of His Majesty, and then find Ningning another good marriage."
"I remember the third young master of the Qingyuan Marquis's mansion is quite good... What do you think?"
"Not good." A cold, clear voice came from afar.
Pei Yanchuan was dressed in a black brocade robe with a wide crimson belt tightly cinched at the waist, his attire strikingly similar to Jiang Wanning's.
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