Seeing this, everyone at the banquet had different thoughts, but from tonight onwards, none of them dared to look down on Gan Qiongying.
The Regent looked at Gan Qiongying with scrutiny, and he even seemed to be wondering what tricks she was up to.
Wen Xueling was also looking at Gan Qiongying, and the jealousy and hatred in her eyes were almost impossible to hide.
She, the Regent, and Zhongli Zhengzhen, who had been trying to get a response from Lihua, were all wondering about the same thing.
That is, why did Princess Duanrong, who used to only run around recklessly and do whatever she wanted, suddenly grow a brain?
Her skillful handling of Wen Xueling's actions tonight, coupled with the two birthday gifts that touched the heart of Princess Hui'an, means that from now on, as a pivotal figure in the imperial clan, Princess Hui'an will never allow Princess Duanrong to fall into a predicament.
Gan Qiongying was sitting very close to Grand Princess Hui'an. Seeing that the Grand Princess Hui'an was crying, she crawled closer on her knees and said with a smile, "Aunt, please don't get agitated. Tonight, I'm just using this opportunity to offer my own help..."
"I am truly ashamed to have offended my aunt's 'golden pearl'," Gan Qiongying said, pretending to reach out to catch the pearl from Princess Huian's face, but Princess Huian slapped her hand away.
She stopped crying and started laughing, and the eyebrowless man beside her immediately presented her with a brocade robe.
Princess Hui'an's voice was extremely gentle, carrying a hint of an elder's reproach to a younger generation, but mostly affection, as she asked, "Then tell me, whose flowers are you borrowing?"
"To be honest, although I had some ideas for today's birthday gift, I'm incompetent. It was all found by the Prince Consort for my aunt."
Princess Hui'an was taken aback.
The people at the banquet were all taken aback. They thought they had a powerful backer, so why bring up this lowly prince consort?
Upon hearing this, Li Hua was so startled that he almost stood up.
Gan Qiongying smiled and said, "Aunt, my husband is a man of unparalleled talent, and his business acumen is unmatched."
"His business associations were all over Nanzhao, and he found the residence of Layman Liaochen in just three days."
"And this gyrfalcon, hehehehe, it was originally discovered by a hunter, but money makes the world go round, hahaha..."
She spoke so naturally that everyone followed her gaze and looked towards Li Hua's position.
His seat was really far back. Logically speaking, he was the son-in-law of the emperor, yet he sat in the same row as the son of the Minister of Revenue, who did not yet hold an official position.
This clearly shows that Princess Hui'an did not think much of this consort.
Indeed, no one in the room paid him any attention. Since he came in and sat down, apart from Zhongli Zheng looking at him, no one had spoken to him.
“Aunt, you haven’t met my husband yet, have you? He is extremely handsome, with a refined and gentle demeanor… Moreover, because he traveled extensively in his youth, he is very knowledgeable. After the banquet, when there was nothing else to do, I asked him to tell you in detail about Master Chen’s life now!”
Gan Qiongying praised Li Hua without reservation, genuinely believing that all the men present were trash, while only Li Hua was a celestial being.
After all, no one dared to stand up and say that he gave his wife 200,000 yuan in pocket money every month.
It was real pocket money. Gan Qiongying had only glanced at the monthly accounts of Li Hua's subordinates once, and the numbers almost made her faint from shock.
Even the national treasury can't withstand this kind of draining, but the God of Wealth can!
Young men should recognize the good in a wealthy merchant, and laugh heartily while clutching a gold ingot!
“Aunt, I should have brought my husband to your residence to pay my respects at the time of our wedding, but I was unwell then… How about we take advantage of today’s birthday celebration to give you a proper greeting together and make up for our rudeness that day!”
Princess Hui'an naturally agreed without hesitation, and even Wu Mei, who was beside her, showed a slight smile.
Today's birthday banquet has been turned into a family dinner by Gan Qiongying, but the audience can only be spectators and become mere background figures.
"Husband, come quickly!" Gan Qiongying got up and walked straight towards Li Hua's direction.
Li Hua's ears turned bright red. He was even grateful for his own mask, which couldn't reveal the hot blood running through him.
He was excited, nervous, and... afraid.
He braced himself on the table, stiffly stood up, and his legs, which had gone numb from sitting, caused him to stumble slightly. Fortunately, Sanjiu caught him quickly.
Li Hua's heart was pounding, and his palms were sweaty.
He wanted to blame Gan Qiongying for letting him make a scene in such a setting. He... couldn't even walk calmly and normally in front of Princess Hui'an.
But it's as if he's been waiting for this moment since birth.
He will be chosen with unwavering conviction, mentioned with pride, and praised with exaggerated acclaim, as if he were some kind of hidden gem.
His eyes were a little red, but he didn't want to cry; he just wanted to laugh.
He straightened his back, and Gan Qiongying walked up to him and grabbed his arm.
"Come on, let's give Auntie a belated wedding."
She pulled him aside, past the seats of the young nobles and princes, both of them keeping their eyes fixed straight ahead, their eyes only on each other.
Gan Qiongying supported Li Hua's arm, and because of her skill, she was able to match his rhythm and pace even more attentively than Tian Jiao.
They walked neither fast nor slow until they reached the banquet hall. The two of them knelt down and performed a grand ceremony before Princess Huian, just like bowing to heaven and earth. No one could tell that the prince consort was lame in one leg, as rumored.
Because Li Hua's foot barely touched the ground, all the weight on his left side was on Gan Qiongying.
"Greetings to the Grand Duke, and best wishes to the Grand Princess for a long and prosperous life."
Li Hua's voice was a little tense, but it was indeed gentle, calm, and pleasant to the ear.
Gan Qiongying chimed in with auspicious words, saying, "Me too!"
Princess Hui'an couldn't help but burst into laughter. She hadn't been so happy in a long time. In her joy, she had Wu Mei reward Gan Qiongying and Li Hua with many things on the spot, as if it were their wedding.
Gan Qiongying's smile stretched from ear to ear as she looked at the gifts that had been put away. The gifts bestowed by the Grand Princess of Hui'an must all be the finest of the finest.
She and Li Hua kowtowed to express their gratitude, finally finishing their mischief and reaping a bountiful harvest before leaving the stage together.
Gan Qiongying pulled Li Hua, whose hands were covered in sweat, back to her seat. At the fork in the road between the men's and women's sections, she didn't let go of Li Hua's hand, but just looked at her and smiled.
Li Hua was extremely anxious and gestured for her to let go. To outsiders, it looked like a newlywed couple exchanging glances right there at the banquet.
Princess Hui'an laughed and said, "Alright, let the prince consort sit next to you. Get down now, don't draw attention here!"
Gan Qiongying then gave Princess Hui'an a playful smile and said, "Aunt Xie, the Prince Consort is not in good health and has a poor appetite. He won't eat properly unless I watch him!"
Then he pulled Li Hua and sat down at her table again.
As soon as she sat down, she said to Wen Xueling, "Princess Xue'e, move over a bit. You're too close to my table. It doesn't bother me, but my husband can't stand the pungent smell of perfume."
Wen Xueling wore a lot of powder because she was going to dance, and it was quite pungent.
Wen Xueling wanted to strangle Gan Qiongying to death.
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