Ren Yaoqi changed into a beige-colored front-opening jacket with a purple base and dark-patterned satin, and wore a hollow gold crown inlaid with eight treasures. She and Xiao Jinglin followed the princess, looking dignified and calm.
The princess still made no secret of her love and reliance on Ren Yaoqi, and asked Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jinglin to sit with her at the main table. The old princess and Concubine Yun had agreed not to attend, so the only people at the main table were the princess, Xiao Jinglin, Ren Yaoqi, and Su and Xiao Jingyuan from the Xiao family's second branch.
The Su family was declining, and the mother and daughter seemed to be keeping a low profile. When Ren Yaoqi sat down, Su and Xiao Jingyuan just glanced at each other without saying a word. Yan Ningshuang and Zhao Yingqiu sat at the guest table next to the main table, very close to each other.
The princess said a few polite words and the banquet began. Although everyone in the hall was eating together, the sound of cups and plates clinking was very low.
Not long after the banquet began, a maidservant beside Concubine Yun came in to whisper to the princess that she was unwell. Ren Yaoqi, who was sitting beside the princess, heard the maid say that Concubine Yun had just meditated and felt a little dizzy when she stood up. After hearing this, the princess naturally decided to go to Feiwu Pavilion to visit her. Xiao Jinglin was also worried about Concubine Yun's health and wanted to go with her.
The princess thought about it and arranged for Ren Yaoqi to stay and preside over the occasion. She also kindly asked Su to help Ren Yaoqi, and then left with Xiao Jinglin.
As soon as the princess left, the atmosphere at Yun Qixuan relaxed considerably. Some young lady, overly relaxed, dropped her spoon and shattered it, drawing laughter from the surrounding crowd. Only three people remained at the main table, and Xiao Jingyuan and Ren Yaoqi engaged in a sporadic conversation.
"Miss Ren, this dress is so beautiful. I heard that the material was selected by the princess herself."
Although Ren Yaoqi had met Xiao Jingyuan, the second daughter of the Xiao family, several times, they did not have much contact. Seeing that her tone was quite friendly, he responded in a low voice, which were just some irrelevant polite words.
The people at the main table started chatting, and the people below also started chatting with each other. It was called a dinner party, but in fact it was just for these ladies to get to know each other and communicate. No one came for the food, so there was no such thing as not talking while eating. The reason why no one spoke before was because the princess was sitting here.
Yun Qiuchen left shortly after the princess and Xiao Jinglin left the table. Knowing that Concubine Yun was ill, she couldn't sit still and wanted to visit her. She came to the main table and greeted Su. Everyone knew that Yun Qiuchen was very favored by Concubine Yun, so it was natural for her to visit. Su allowed her to go.
Be it the princess, Xiao Jinglin, or Yun Qiuchen, none of them had returned since leaving the banquet. Sitting there, Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but feel a little worried. Could it be that Concubine Yun was seriously ill? After some thought, Ren Yaoqi sent someone back to investigate. The person he sent back reported that Concubine Yun had fainted before and hadn't been feeling well since waking up. The princess and the princess were both staying at Feiwu Pavilion. The princess said that Yun Qixuan was now in Ren Yaoqi's care, and asked her to wait until the time was right before disbanding the banquet.
Ren Yaoqi stayed at Yunqixuan until the banquet was over, then said a few polite words on behalf of the princess, and then had the ladies sent back.
Ren Yaoqi arranged things here and was about to go to Feiwu Pavilion to visit Concubine Yun. As soon as he walked out of Yunqixuan, he was stopped by someone.
When Ren Yaoqi turned around, she saw Yan Ningshuang, another lady sent by the court, as well as the eldest daughter of the Meng family, Meng Dong'er, the eldest daughter of the Su family, and the third daughter of the Yun family walking towards her.
Ren Yaoqi asked with a smile, "Why are you guys here?" Miss Yan and the others were the first to leave. She thought they had gone back.
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