Chapter 482 It’s an Apricot Tree

The earliest invitation post among the ones that Xing Xing picked out was from the Duke of Enguo's Mansion, by Miss Nie Yuke.

The post only said that it was a small gathering of close friends, so I guess the atmosphere should be more relaxed.

When the date arrived, Xingxing arrived at the banquet on time.

Xingxing had never liked extravagant dressing, and the invitation only said that it was a "small gathering of close friends", so she wore a pearl hairpin on her head that was gifted by Empress Nie, and dotted her hair with other pearls. She wore a goose-yellow flower-patterned buttoned skirt, and a emerald-patterned brocade-feathered satin cape on the outside, and took a carriage to the Duke of Enguo's mansion in a neat and energetic manner.

The alley where the Duke Enguo's Mansion is located is where the old and powerful families in the capital live, called Xin'anfang.

Those who can live here basically have a family history of at least a hundred years, and are among the most powerful among the powerful.

When they arrived at the gate of Duke Enguo's mansion, Xingxing got off the car, and happened to arrive with another beautifully dressed girl.

The girl probably had never seen Xingxing before, so she glanced in Xingxing's direction.

The maid who came out with Xingxing today is called Zhaoying, and she has a relatively stable personality.

Zhaoying went to the concierge, handed in the note and reported her identity.

The doorman smiled and said, "It turns out that you are the Fusui Xiangjun from the Zhenxi General's Mansion. Our fourth lady has already told you to come this way."

His attitude is enthusiastic and doesn't make people feel uncomfortable. He is indeed a servant raised by a wealthy family that has been around for hundreds of years.

This was the first time Xingxing went out to visit someone since she was conferred the title of Lady of the Country.

Xing Xing couldn't help but wonder, is there any use for the title of Lady of the Country?

After entering the Duke of En's mansion, the beautifully dressed young lady quickly caught up with him and said with a smile, "So you are the recently famous Fusui Xiangjun... and you are still so young. I am from the mansion of the general of Zhenguo. My surname is Xu, and I am the third child in the family. You can call me Shanshan."

Xing Xing smiled and nodded: "Hello, Miss Xu."

Xu Shanshan sighed and asked bluntly, "You are so amazing. You were given the title of a county lady at such a young age. Does the Empress like you very much?"

Xing Xing didn't know how to respond to this, she just pursed her lips and smiled: "Maybe."

The General who Zhen Guo, it sounds like there is only one word difference from the General who Zhen Xi, but in Daxia, this is not a title for a military general, but a noble title for a prince except for the eldest son. The only difference is that if the General who Zhen Guo succeeds to the title, it will be a downgrade.

The daughter of a general who guards a country cannot normally be granted the title of a county lady unless she is particularly favored or has other special circumstances. No wonder Xu Shanshan is so envious.

As the two were talking, Xu Shanshan suddenly asked, "I wonder what talent Xiangjun has prepared today?"

Xing Xing was stunned when she heard it: "Ah?"

What talents do you want to prepare?

Xu Shanshan was also surprised when she saw Xingxing like this: "Ah? Aren't you prepared?"

Xing Xing shook her head, not quite sure what was going on. "Isn't it... a get-together for close friends? Why do we have to prepare a talent show?"

Xu Shanshan said "Oh" and explained, "It is indeed a gathering of close friends, but we are usually a bit bored, so when we get together, whoever's house we are at gets to decide the theme, and we prepare some talents. For example, this time, we are at A Ke's place, and A Ke chose a tree in her yard."

At this point, Xu Shanshan comforted Xingxing again: "This is your first time to attend such a small gathering. I think A Ke forgot to tell you about this established rule. But it's okay, it's not a big deal."

Xingxing nodded but didn't say anything.

When they arrived at Nie Yuke's yard, Nie Yuke enthusiastically introduced Xingxing to the other people who had already arrived.

Only then did Xingxing discover that there was another "old acquaintance", Yu Mingzhu.

Yu Mingzhu looked thinner. She was extremely beautiful to begin with, and her thinness made her look even more pitiful.

Yu Mingzhu nodded to Xingxing as a greeting, and her response was quite appropriate.

Xing Xing responded with the same nod and withdrew her gaze.

Nie Yuke smiled and said, "Xiang Jun, after I sent you the invitation, I remembered that I forgot to tell you that most of the time we have to choose a theme for our gatherings, and everyone prepares some talents around the theme. This time it was my turn, and I thought about it for a long time, but I didn't know what to choose, so I just picked the tree in the yard... I thought it was your first time here, so if it's not convenient for you, you can just take a look."

These noble ladies obviously have a very good relationship. They smiled and said, "Ake, you really love your new sister."

Nie Yuke said seriously: "My aunt specifically asked me to take good care of Fusui Xiangjun."

Everyone couldn't help but talk about Xingxing being conferred the title of Fusui Xiangjun.

"Tell us quickly, what did you say to the Empress when you entered the palace that day? How did you please the Empress so much?" Xu Shanshan was even a little impatient.

No one laughed at her, as they all knew her family background. She wanted to be given a title of a county lady so that she would look good when she got married.

But it is not so easy to be granted the title of Xiangjun.

Xing Xing thought for a moment and said, "It seems that they didn't say anything. The Queen was very kind and amiable. She asked about some things in life and the past."

Xingxing's answer was obviously not enough to satisfy Xu Shanshan, but Xingxing was now the county lady, and Xu Shanshan couldn't force Xingxing to say anything more. She could only mutter something nonsense and let it go.

Yu Mingzhu has always been a star in the circle of the rich and powerful. But at this moment, many people's attention is obviously on Xingxing. When she thinks of Xingxing's title of Fusui, Yu Mingzhu's eyes flash with gloom.

She pursed her lips and looked away.

The villain has succeeded!

The lunch was served earlier than usual, and Nie Yuke, as the host, was very considerate.

"This was made by our new chef." Nie Yuke said with a smile, "Last time I went to the palace to give my aunt a portion of roast pork strips, and my aunt rewarded the chef with silver, saying that he did a great job."

Everyone was a little jealous.

Nie Yuke introduced the origin of this dish to several young ladies, and then talked to several young ladies about the cooking method of that dish. The atmosphere at the banquet was quite good.

After dinner, the ladies moved to a place in the arcade.

There were charcoal warming basins placed next to the seats on all sides of the place, so even though it was open to the sky, it wasn't cold at all, and instead had a unique flavor.

Nie Yuke pointed to the tree in the garden that had just sprouted some new buds and said, "This is our topic today. Come on, let me see what you have prepared."

Some young ladies said that they had prepared a poem.

One of the ladies said she had prepared a dance.

Another lady said that she brought painting supplies and was going to paint soon.

Xingxing watched from the side without saying anything.

Nie Yuke came over and asked very considerately: "Ms. Yu, don't feel stressed. If you don't, it's okay."

Xing Xing pursed her lips and smiled, saying "OK".

Yu Mingzhu, on the other hand, suddenly exclaimed, "Huh?" and smiled slightly: "I just realized that this tree is an apricot tree."