Chapter 16 Reunion
What is a fragrant pendant?
The noble ladies, including the Princess of Jiayi, all had their eyes on the butterfly-shaped incense holder that Qiuheng was holding with her finger.
It's a very rustic, woody red, giving the originally delicate butterfly a noble and dignified charm.
People loved fragrance and always associated it with elegance. These wooden incense ornaments undoubtedly appealed to people's tastes more than sachets.
Princess Jiayi was completely captivated by the small, beautiful, fragrant butterfly pendant and couldn't help but reach out to take it.
Feng Caiyue tugged hard at her cousin's sleeve, which brought the Princess of Jiayi back to her senses.
"Ahem." Princess Jiayi tried her best to maintain her composure. "Miss Qiu Liu, may I admire your fragrant pendant?"
Qiu Heng smiled and handed it over.
The county princess of Jiayi carefully held the incense pendant, first touching it, then gently smelling it, her heart and eyes filled with nothing else.
"Did they add mint to this?"
"Yes, summer is here, and wearing this fragrance can cool you down and refresh you."
"This is similar to the incense balls used for burning incense."
"It's really not difficult to make..." Qiu Heng simply began to explain how to make the incense pendant.
Princess Jiayi listened intently, unable to think of anything else for a moment, while the other women were extremely surprised.
They had never seen scented pendants on the market before. How could Qiu Liu, the sixth young lady, have revealed such a unique skill?
Qiu Xuan and the other three hesitated to speak, feeling that Qiu Heng had suffered a great loss.
But they quickly forgot about feeling sorry for Qiuheng. When a noblewoman noticed that they were all wearing butterfly pendants, she was immediately surrounded.
The county magistrate of Jiayi kept asking Qiuheng a series of questions.
"I've written two incense recipes suitable for summer. If the princess is interested, she can try them."
The Princess of Jiayi was overjoyed and immediately ordered her maid to bring pen and ink.
Qiu Heng picked up her brush and wrote down a fragrance recipe, which attracted the attention of the other women. They wanted to learn the recipe, and they were also curious about how well this country girl, Qiu Liu, wrote.
Each small character is elegant and graceful, the kind of small regular script most popular among women for wearing as hair ornaments.
The women's gazes toward Cheng Susu suddenly became subtle.
The entertainment options for noble ladies in the capital were diverse and plentiful: poetry clubs, painting clubs, incense clubs, football clubs… as long as they wanted to play and loved to play, there were plenty of opportunities for gatherings. Many people present had seen Cheng Susu's calligraphy, but it wasn't as good as Qiu Liu's.
That would be embarrassing.
Cheng Susu's face burned, and she clenched her fists tightly.
A hand rested on her shoulder; it was Fang Rui, a noblewoman from the Prime Minister's residence.
"So what if you write well and know how to make incense?" Fang Rui chuckled softly after everyone's attention had returned.
Qiu Heng's grandfather still had to grovel before her grandfather.
Once the ink had dried, Princess Jiayi carefully put away the incense recipe, took Qiu Heng's hand and said, "This is the best birthday gift I have ever received. After I make the incense pendant, I will ask Miss Qiu for her advice."
Qiu Heng smiled and said, "Actually, the birthday gift I gave to the county princess was a pair of fragrant pendants."
Upon hearing this, the Princess of Jiayi hurriedly instructed her maid to retrieve the birthday gift sent by Qiuheng from the mountain of congratulatory gifts.
"Cousin, open it and take a look quickly," Feng Caixing urged.
The county princess of Jiayi opened the box containing the gift, and the noble ladies who had been eagerly waiting to see it all exclaimed in amazement.
Inside, a pair of wooden lotus flowers bloom in layers, their simplicity and elegance blending seamlessly together.
After that, the sachet became the main topic of the birthday banquet, and the Qiu sisters experienced the feeling of being the center of attention for the first time.
Qiu Fu thought to herself: She doesn't care at all, she's not here for her.
"Miss Qiu, the butterfly pendant and the purple tassel are surprisingly well-matched."
Qiu Fu couldn't help but smile: "It's mainly because the texture and color of this butterfly are just right, my sixth sister..."
When the Prince's heir, Ling Yun, arrived with several young men, this was the lively scene he witnessed.
Those who came with him were either his cousins or his nephews; they were all there to celebrate the birthday of the Lady of Jiayi County.
The noble ladies could not hide their excitement as they bowed and greeted the guests.
It wasn't that they were shallow; it was simply that Prince Ling's ethereal and otherworldly aura was too outstanding, like a noble crane, making all the handsome men around him look like dirt chickens.
When Qiu Heng saw Ling Shizi, her guess was confirmed: he was indeed Brother Bai, whom she had known since childhood.
She stood among the noble ladies, avoiding the gaze of the young master Ling, and bowed with her eyes lowered.
Ling Shizi noticed the girl's avoidance and gave up the idea of greeting her.
Princess Jiayi received another batch of gifts, and then Prince Ling and his entourage left.
Watching the handsome young man disappear into the distance, a noblewoman clutched her chest and murmured, "Heavens, Young Master Ling is so handsome!"
She just went on a long trip, what exactly did she miss?
Even Feng Caixing couldn't help but sigh in distress: When will I be able to see my cousin without being distracted? It's all because my cousin has been away from the capital for too long and I haven't gotten used to seeing him.
Feng Caiyue glanced at Qiu Heng without leaving a trace.
Qiu Liu and her cousin should know each other, but she acted like they were strangers just now. Was she afraid of gossip?
Actually, she was quite curious about how Qiu Liu and her cousin had met. A country girl, a prince's heir... well, she was very curious.
While the women were captivated by Ling Shizi's good looks, a maid approached and said, "Princess, the Princess Consort has heard that Miss Qiu Liu has brought a fragrance ornament that she has never seen before and wishes to meet her."
"Does Mother wish to see Miss Qiu Liu?" The county magistrate of Jiayi County was busy attending to the noble ladies and couldn't leave, so he instructed his maid, "This is Miss Qiu Liu's first time visiting the Prince's residence, please take good care of her for me."
"yes."
Seeing Qiu Heng leave with her maid, the noble ladies sighed: So she got a private audience with the Princess Consort?
When Qiu Heng met the Princess Consort of Kang County, the Lady of Changchun Marquis was also present.
The two sisters did not resemble each other much in appearance alone. Lady Changchun could be described as having a beautiful face, while Princess Kang could be described as having a beauty that could rival that of a nation.
Only a beauty like her could give birth to a son like Prince Ling.
"Greetings to the Princess Consort and the Lady of the Marquis."
Princess Kang looked Qiu Heng up and down carefully and smiled, "What a beautiful child. I heard that Miss Qiu has made a new kind of fragrance ornament. May I take a look?"
Qiu Heng handed the butterfly-shaped pendant to the maid, who then passed it to Princess Consort Kang.
“This is quite a novelty.” Princess Kang’s fair fingers brushed the fragrant pendant and handed it to the Lady of Changchun. “Sister, take a look too. The young girls these days are truly intelligent and virtuous.”
Lady Changchun Marquis took the sachet with great interest. Princess Kang asked Qiu Heng a few more questions and then said, "Sixth Miss Qiu, go and play with Jia Yi."
Only the two sisters remained in the room. Princess Kang sniffed the lingering fragrance on her fingertips, her expression enigmatic: "I knew it. A girl who can associate with Yun'er is no ordinary person."
I just don't know how far this relationship has progressed.
As Qiu Heng walked into the garden, she wondered what Princess Kang's purpose was in meeting her.
She could sense that Princess Kang was not interested in the incense, but rather in her as a person.
Is it because of Prince Ling?
Thinking this, a section of moon-white robe came into view, and it was none other than Ling Yun, the heir of Prince Kang, who was waiting in front of him.
"Aheng," he called out openly, making no attempt to hide his joy at the reunion.
(End of this chapter)
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