Chapter 3 I don't want to marry him again...
The second wife said, "You silly girl, children shouldn't meddle in adults' affairs."
The Third Madam smiled and said, "In my opinion, it would be good to let Yangqing go along. I'll also let Chuying go with her. Otherwise, Yue'er will be so embarrassed."
The second wife thought it made sense and then fell silent.
The third wife then spoke of other things and took her leave after a while.
When Chi Yangqing returned to her room, she felt very relaxed, as it had come so easily.
Chi Rongyue was the second wife's third daughter. Her first two daughters had already married well, but Rongyue was already nineteen years old and still unmarried, which really worried the second wife.
Hearing that the Prince of Ning's son was interested, he was overjoyed.
However, Chi Yangqing, who has been given a second chance at life, knows that the Prince of Ning is by no means a good match. Not only is he not a good person, but at such a young age, he already has a bunch of concubines and maids at home. It's a sure thing that whoever marries him will be unlucky.
The Prince Ning's mansion remained arrogant and rude, relentlessly pressuring them.
In her previous life, Chi Rongyue's true love was the eldest son of Minister Yun's family, whom she met at the flower-viewing banquet.
Yun Shilang came from a family that had passed the imperial examinations. Although his family background was not very strong, he was fortunate to come from a scholarly family with a noble and respectable background, and there was nothing messy about him.
With Young Master Yun taking the initiative to propose marriage, and the Prince Ning's Mansion also eyeing the opportunity, the Chi family hastily married their daughter off to him.
The young couple lived a very good life after their marriage and were considered a well-known harmonious couple in Beijing.
Chi Yangqing wanted to go with him this time because she remembered the youngest son of Minister Yun's family. Once, during the Lantern Festival, she even received a lantern from this man.
At that time, she was so charmed by Li Shangxuan that she didn't care about other people's goodwill.
Looking back now, the Yun family has a very upright family tradition, so marrying into the family with my sister would have been a good choice.
As night fell, the gentle breeze of the day grew a bit colder.
Xiao Tao brought out the five kinds of wontons she had been talking about all afternoon. Chi Yangqing took a sniff and immediately beamed, "It smells so good."
As soon as night fell, Liu Ye'er closed the doors and windows tightly, afraid that the cold wind would sneak in and make Chi Yangqing catch a cold.
She walked over carrying a food box and saw that Chi Yangqing was still not satisfied after finishing her wontons. She opened it like a treasure and laid out the items one by one, saying, "Didn't Miss say yesterday that she didn't have any taste in her mouth? Here are some pastries, come and have a taste."
Upon seeing the black bird with outstretched wings on the food box, Chi Yangqing knew who had sent it. Her interest immediately waned, and she snorted, "This pretentious act is annoying."
If he truly loved her, why would he bring back a child before he died?
Liu Ye'er disagreed, saying, "What are you saying, Miss? His Highness the Crown Prince clearly meant well."
Liu Ye'er always speaks to Li Shangxuan like this today. Chi Yangqing said sourly, "You always think he's good. I really don't know if I'm the young lady or he's your young lady."
Willow Leaf said, "Is that even a question? Of course you are my mistress."
Seeing that Chi Yangqing was acting strangely today, Liu Ye'er assumed that she was acting strangely because of her illness, and put the pastries that had just been served back into the food box. "Since Miss doesn't like them, I'll give them to Xiao Tao and the others to eat for fun."
Chi Yangqing quickly said, "Who said I don't like you? You're not allowed to accept this."
She dislikes people, not pastries.
Liu Ye smiled and then instructed, "Just try a few pieces, don't eat too much. It's late at night, and it's hard to digest. Be careful not to get indigestion and feel uncomfortable."
Chi Yangqing had already picked out a flower-shaped pastry and popped it into her mouth, humming softly, "Why would I be so delicate?"
I tried a piece of each of the pastries, and then gave the rest to Xiao Tao and the other girls. They could still eat them tomorrow, but the taste would be greatly diminished.
This serendipitous matchmaking was arranged for the flower-viewing banquet hosted by Grand Princess Zhaohua the day after tomorrow.
The Grand Princess is the current Emperor's aunt. She is very respectable and, as she gets older, she enjoys hosting elegant banquets, inviting all the young men and women in the capital. It is an excellent opportunity for her to do so.
On the night the appointment was made, Yangqing lit a candle and started picking out her clothes to avoid being in a rush the next day.
First of all, I can't dress too flashy, since the main character this time is Rongyue, and I can't overshadow her.
But she can't be too plain either. It's a flower appreciation banquet, so the men and women attending should be dressed up. If she's the only one dressed simply, wouldn't she look out of place and attract gossip?
She was relieved after choosing a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).
This is a new outfit made this year. I only tried it on once when I first got it and then took it off. It's made of the most fashionable fabric this spring. Only after listening to Liu Ye'er's rambling did Yang Qing vaguely remember that this was originally prepared for Li Shangxuan's birthday.
But now, she doesn't want to wear nice clothes to celebrate his birthday.
Actually, the flower viewing banquet was in the afternoon, so she didn't need to be so busy. However, having suddenly been reborn, her mind felt like a jumbled mess, chaotic yet excessively active, making it impossible for her to fall asleep. She could only find something to do.
The next morning, as expected, the Second Madam sent someone to urge her to get up early and prepare. This time, it wasn't Qingzhu who came, but another maid, Bihe.
No matter which maid it was, she was ultimately someone from the madam's quarters, and seemed to be naturally a bit more noble than the maids in the young lady's quarters. Liu Ye'er said with a smile, "The young lady got up a long time ago, but according to the doctor's instructions, she still had to eat something light, so she didn't go to have breakfast together."
Bihe smiled and said, "I told Madam this a long time ago, but Madam just wouldn't believe me. After Miss has finished breakfast, let's hurry to Madam's room. Fifth Miss came very early this morning."
Liu Ye'er quickly replied, "I know, I'll be right there."
Chi Yangqing heard everything clearly from inside, knowing that she would definitely be given another lecture. She had been Empress for almost seven years, and the Empress Dowager, Li Shangxuan's adoptive mother, didn't really give her any power. In the vast palace, apart from Li Shangxuan who liked to bully her, everyone else respected and feared her. Although life was boring, no one dared to make her suffer.
It feels strange to suddenly be back in my teenage years and have to get scolded by my mom.
After getting dressed, I went to the Second Madam's place, and sure enough, the Fifth Miss, Chi Rongyue, was already there.
The second wife had four daughters in total. The first two daughters were already married. Rongyue was the third daughter, Yangqing was the youngest daughter, and there was also a half-sister who was sixteen years old this year.
The second wife wasn't particularly good to this daughter who wasn't her biological child, but she wasn't particularly bad either. Anyway, the family had plenty of food and clothing, so she couldn't be bothered to mistreat her; she just didn't care much about her.
In fact, she didn't care much about Rongyue and Yangqing.
As the second daughter-in-law, she didn't need to manage the household, so she focused all her attention on tending to the flowers and plants.
Lian Tang, who is the eighth in this generation, also came today, something Chi Yangqing had already anticipated.
Mother values reputation above all else. If it were only Rongyue attending this banquet and Yangqing didn't go, that would be one thing. But now that both Rongyue and Yangqing are going, there's no reason for her to leave out her half-sister, Liantang.
If someone were to seize upon this incident and use it to gossip and label her as "unkind," the Second Madam would probably be so angry she'd vomit blood.
Seeing that her three daughters were sitting obediently in front of her listening to reason, the second wife's expression softened considerably. She stopped her nagging and asked Yangqing with a smile, "Your clothes are very nice, but why are you only wearing these few pieces of jewelry? Don't you have anything else you like?"
Chi Yangqing hugged Rongyue's arm and said, "Today is my sister's special day. I just need to play the supporting role."
The second madam said with satisfaction, "I used to think you were just naughty and ignorant, but I didn't expect you to become so sensible in the blink of an eye. I trust Rongyue, but Yangqing and Liantang, listen carefully. Everyone at this banquet is a prominent figure. You two must be very careful and make sure nothing goes wrong, understand?"
Yang Qing nodded hurriedly, "Mother, I know everything."
Lian Tang was a quiet and reserved girl to begin with, and after being given such instructions, she became even more dull. In the eyes of the Second Madam, she was somewhat unpresentable. "Mother, I understand."
The second wife gave a faint "hmm" and said nothing more.
The mother and her three daughters had lunch together before meeting up with the third wife.
The two ladies sat in the front carriage, while the four young ladies sat in the back carriage.
With so many people, the carriage became very crowded. The sixth young lady, Chu Ying, was spoiled and couldn't help but complain, "Really, couldn't you have arranged another carriage? Why do we have to squeeze into this one? You're next to me and I'm next to you."
The other three remained silent.
Chu Ying was a little embarrassed and decided to find someone to target. Rong Yue was steady and mild-mannered, and Lian Tang disdained to cause trouble, so Yang Qing was the only easy target left.
She raised her chin dismissively, her tone deliberately provocative, "Why would you go to a banquet like this?"
Having been named, Yang Qing could no longer pretend not to hear and could only ask in return, "Why can't I go?"
Chu Ying choked. She had overheard Yang Qing being favored by the Crown Prince from the Third Madam, so it was not appropriate for her to say it out loud.
But after being asked such a casual question, she felt embarrassed and started rambling on and on.
In the past, Yangqing might have said a few nice words to coax her, and the matter would have been easily resolved.
But today, her mind was preoccupied with the two sons of Minister Yun and the unreliable Prince Ning's heir, and she couldn't be bothered to spend too much time on Chu Ying.
Rongyue had always ignored her spoiled cousin, but in the end, it was only after the timid Liantang said a few kind words that the matter was finally resolved.
The Ping'an Ward, where the Chi family lived, was not far from the Yunli Ward, where the Grand Princess's residence was located. They arrived quickly amidst Chu Ying's noisy chatter.
Following the order of seniority, they disembarked from the carriage. It was a fine day, with the sun shining brightest. Yang Qing squinted as she looked at the plaque hanging in front of the Grand Princess's mansion. It was said to be the work of the greatest calligrapher of the time, matching the magnificent residence and highlighting its unparalleled wealth.
She used to come to this place often in her past life, but back then she was a top-tier VIP, not just one of many female guests like she is today.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
