Chapter 15 Scented Pendant
Turning to the old lady, Yongqing said, "I think Heng'er has learned good manners. In the future, let her go out and see the world more often."
The old lady glanced at Yongqing Bo with surprise.
When did you become so concerned about things inside the mansion, Lord?
"She has only recently learned the rules, so let her temper her temper a little longer, so she won't make a fool of herself in public."
"When I go out, I have several older sisters to look after me, so I won't make a fool of myself. If I stay at home all the time, I'll become more and more petty."
The old lady found it even stranger.
"Why has the Lord suddenly taken a liking to Heng'er?"
"Sixth Sister is quite pleasing to my eye." The Earl of Yongqing's tone softened. "Madam should also take a closer look at Heng'er's strengths."
The old lady's heart stirred.
Having been married for decades, she knew perfectly well that when her husband acted like this, it wasn't just casual conversation, but a serious matter.
Despite her many doubts, the old lady did not object further: "I understand."
Not long after these words were spoken, another invitation arrived at the Earl's residence—an invitation to the Qiu sisters to attend the birthday banquet of the Princess of Jiayi.
The post also specifically mentioned that it had long admired the name of Miss Qiu Liu and looked forward to meeting her.
The old lady stared at the invitation, her feelings complicated.
How did the sixth daughter, who stayed in Lengxiang Residence all day, manage to please the Earl at home and catch the eye of the Princess of Jiayi outside?
She said this girl was weird!
But her dislike for Qiu Heng didn't affect the old lady's good mood: this was an invitation from the Prince Kang's residence.
The old lady immediately summoned her granddaughters and gave them some instructions. She also urged the sewing room to finish the summer clothes that had been tailored for the girls a few days ago. She even took out her private money and instructed her trusted nanny to select five sets of valuable jewelry from a famous jewelry store in the capital.
On the day of the banquet, even the somewhat spoiled Qiu Fu was quiet on the way to the Prince Kang's mansion.
This is the first time I've been formally invited to the Prince's residence. Will I meet Princess Kang? Are noble ladies of similar status, like the Princess of Jiayi, easy to get along with?
Qiu Heng seemed oblivious to the tension among the others, and took out several fragrant pendants: "I mentioned before that I was making a kind of fragrant ornament, which I would give to the four of you sisters to play with once it's finished."
Incense pendants, also called incense plaques, became the most common incense ornaments in the Great Xia Dynasty thirty years later, just like sachets. At this time, however, they had not yet appeared.
Qiu Xuan and the others naturally didn't recognize her.
"This is--"
"This is called a sachet. It is made from a blend of various fragrant materials and serves the same purpose as a sachet, but it has a longer-lasting and more stable fragrance."
"It has the same effect as a sachet?" Qiu Xuan picked up one of them and held it to her nose to smell it. It was indeed fragrant and pleasant.
Qiu Ying couldn't wait to pick one up and examine it closely: "I've never heard of a scented pendant before. Could it be that Sixth Sister figured it out herself?"
That's amazing!
Qiu Heng shook her head: "No, I was taught to me by a wandering Taoist priest I met before."
Not far from Yunfeng Village is a Taoist temple, where incense burns brightly. That area has always been a gathering place for spice merchants from all over the country.
"Sixth Sister has such a good opportunity." Qiu Fu's tone was stiff, and she didn't quite believe it.
She casually encountered a wandering Taoist priest with unique skills, and she thought she was a fairy descended from heaven?
Qiu Heng smiled faintly: "Perhaps it was because the Daoist Master saw that I was so talented in the art of incense that he begged me to teach him."
Qiu Fu: "..."
"Then thanks to Sixth Sister, we're the first to learn something new." Qiu Xuan took off the sachet she always wore and replaced it with a fragrant pendant.
Qiu Ying also loved them, her eyes falling on the two remaining sachet pendants in Qiu Heng's hand: "Third sister, fourth sister, aren't you going to choose? I want the one with the pink tassel."
The four pendants are all made of the same butterfly shape, except that the tassels hanging from them are different colors.
Qiu Fu glanced at Bai Qiuying, reached out and took the purple tassel sachet, reluctantly replacing the sachet.
She didn't really care for the fragrance pendant; she just didn't want to seem out of place when she was out and about.
As they walked through the spacious and grand Prince's mansion, the sisters' gazes unconsciously fell on the sachets worn by the noble ladies who had come to the banquet, and their tension inexplicably eased.
Even princesses and county princesses only wear ordinary sachets.
Many noble ladies were surprised by the appearance of the Qiu sisters, including Fang Rui, the granddaughter of Fang Xiang.
"How come just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can come to this banquet?" Fang Rui glanced at Qiu Xuan and the others, then covered her mouth and chatted with the noblewoman beside her.
Yongqingbo was always hanging around his grandfather. His grandmother had told him long ago not to get too close to the Qiu family girl, lest he try to use her to do something.
Even without her grandmother's reminder, with an elder like Uncle Yongqing who loved to flatter and fawn, how could the Qiu family's daughter possibly have good character?
That's how they managed to sneak into the birthday banquet of the Princess of Jiayi County.
Fang Rui's voice was quite loud, and many people heard it, immediately turning their various gazes toward Qiu Xuan and the others.
Qiu Fu's expression changed, and Qiu Xuan gently tugged at her clothes, causing her to swallow the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Unlike Qiu Xuan and the other three who looked embarrassed, Qiu Heng seemed completely unconcerned.
The stark contrast quickly drew attention to her.
Is this the Miss Qiu Liu?
Are you so vulgar that you can't understand good and bad words?
A noblewoman beside Fang Rui walked over and asked in a seemingly warm manner, "Are you Miss Qiu Liu?"
The noble ladies, who had been chatting amongst themselves, all stopped talking at once, and more of their gazes fell on Qiu Heng.
Is Cheng Susu trying to make Qiu Liu look foolish?
Is Miss Qiu Liu too shy to even open her mouth?
"I am Qiuheng." The girl, dressed in the same clothes as her sisters, remained calm and composed. "Who are you?"
As soon as these words were spoken, all eyes immediately turned to Cheng Susu.
It was a simple question, yet she inexplicably felt embarrassed and annoyed.
How dare a girl from the countryside ask her such a question? Did she think they were the same kind of people?
Seeing that Cheng Susu did not answer, the girl looked puzzled: "Is your sister embarrassed to say her name?"
"My name is Cheng Susu." Cheng Susu gritted her teeth and asked again, "I heard that Miss Qiu Liu has been living in the countryside in the south before coming to the capital?"
The noble ladies: Here they come, they're starting to mock Qiu Liu's status as a country girl.
Some of the noble ladies felt that Cheng Susu had gone too far, while others simply wanted to watch the spectacle, so for a moment no one spoke up.
"Yes. Has Miss Cheng always lived in the capital? Has she ever been to the south?"
Women: ?
Why are you asking questions back and forth like this?
Cheng Susu felt a tightness in her chest.
If this conversation continues, she'll become the laughingstock!
"I'm planning to hold a poetry banquet in a few days and would like to invite a few of the Qiu family sisters to attend," Cheng Susu said, then suddenly realized, "Oh, Miss Qiu Liu can read, right?"
Upon hearing this question, some quick-witted noblewomen couldn't help but show sympathy in their eyes.
The sympathy wasn't for Qiu Heng, but for Cheng Susu.
Qiu Heng nodded earnestly: "I can read. Can Miss Cheng read?"
Cheng Susu: She's going to tear this wild girl's mouth apart!
Feng Caixing, who had just walked over and was standing on the outside, couldn't help but burst out laughing, and her sister pinched her arm hard.
Princess Jiayi, along with the Feng sisters, had just come from Princess Kang's place. After greeting the women, she looked intently at Qiuheng.
"My cousin said that Miss Qiu Liu is very skilled in incense making. I wonder if I could have a look at the sachet that my cousin saw the other day?"
"I didn't wear a sachet today." Under the disappointed gaze of the Princess of Jiayi, Qiuheng took the sachet from her waist.
"She wore a fragrant pendant."
(End of this chapter)
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