Chapter 566 Come and give me a gift
Not long after, a maid came over and saluted, saying, "Miss, the old lady is ready, please come over."
He Zhiyan's mouth twitched slightly after hearing this: "I know."
The old woman delivered the message and left.
"Did you see that?" He Zhiyan looked at Lu Xiang and Lu Qiao, and said speechlessly, "It's not convenient for all the male guests to go to the backyard, so I asked the female guests to go and celebrate her birthday now. To put it bluntly, I'm ready, so come and give me gifts."
"Pfft..." Lu Xiang couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Then go ahead."
Now that she was here, she was well prepared. Even though she had never dealt with Madam He in her previous life, she had heard that she was not a kind old lady. Knowing He Zhiyan in this life, she understood her a little better.
However, most of the guests did not think that there was anything inappropriate about Madam He. As the old lady of the Marquis's Mansion, it was normal for her to be arrogant. Their mansion was not as noble as the Marquis of Wu'an's Mansion, and being able to attend the old lady's birthday banquet was already a sign of respect for them. Therefore, no matter when or how they met, as long as the old lady was willing to see them, it was giving them face.
The old lady's courtyard was closer to the second house. Not far away was an archway connecting the Marquis's Mansion and the second house. It was open during the day and locked at night, making it particularly convenient for people from the second house to enter and exit the Marquis's Mansion.
Madam He sat in the main seat, with her back straight and chin slightly raised, looking down upon everyone with a condescending look. As Madam He's biological daughter-in-law, Luo sat right next to her.
The younger generations kowtowed to him one by one to wish him a happy birthday. According to the rules, the younger generations of the Marquis' Mansion should come first, but Old Madam He did not follow this rule. The moment He Zhiyan stood up, she immediately asked the younger generations of the second house to come first.
Luo glanced at the wife of Marquis Wu'an with pride, and saw that the handkerchief in her hand was almost twisted into a knot, and there was hidden anger in her eyes.
He Zhiyan is the legitimate daughter of their eldest wife. Isn't it a slap in the face for this old woman to be so disrespectful to He Zhiyan?
After the younger generations of the second house had finished celebrating the birthday, it was the turn of He Zhiyan, He Zhimin and the two young concubine daughters.
Some people looked at these young ladies from the Wu'an Marquis' Mansion and couldn't help but feel a little sympathy in their hearts.
This is such a big marquis's mansion, but the population is so pitifully small. There is not even half of the second branch's population left, and she is a daughter. The long-lost son was finally found, but he is not at home. I heard that he has joined the army.
I don’t know what Lord He was thinking. He actually let his only legitimate son go to the battlefield. Swords and knives have no mercy. Isn’t he afraid that he might lose his life on the battlefield by accident?
Finally, it was the guests' turn to present their gifts and wish Mrs. He a happy birthday.
The old lady looked at the gifts given to her by the crowd, and her wrinkled face visibly turned from full of smiles at the beginning to a dull one. Humph, as expected, they were all from small families, and the gifts they gave were not precious at all, and were not worthy of her status as the old lady of the Marquis's Mansion.
It was not until Lu Xiang presented two pieces of fabric that the old lady's face became as long as a shoe horn.
Yun Lu stood behind Lu Xiang holding a tray, her eyes flickered slightly, and she smiled gently, "The colors of these two pieces of gold brocade were specially selected by my family. They can best bring out Madam He's temperament. I wonder if Madam He likes them?"
Gold brocade?
Madam He was startled and stood up from her seat. She walked closer and looked at the material in Yunlu's hand carefully. She couldn't help but reveal surprise in her eyes: "This material feels soft and light, it's really different from other materials."
This is an offering. Not only is it worth a fortune, but most importantly, it is a symbol of status.
Because woven gold brocade is exclusively supplied to the palace, it cannot be purchased by just anyone with money. Very few are sold to the public each month and are booked in advance very early.
Scarcity makes things valuable, and therefore the noble families in the capital felt very proud to be able to wear clothes made of gold brocade.
Madam He's eyes were almost shining when she looked at Lu Xiang again, and she couldn't close her mouth. "I like it. I like it very much. Miss Lu San is really discerning. The color of this material suits me very well."
Everyone looked at the materials that Old Madam He had put away with envy and jealousy. Some people couldn't help but reach out to touch them, but were glared back by Old Madam He.
What are you touching? What if you break something?
When the wife of Marquis Wu'an looked at the two pieces of gold brocade, she suddenly felt as if her heart was soaked in vinegar.
Lu Xiang was actually able to buy gold brocade, and generously gave it to the old lady.
This color looks good on her.
"Did Lu Xiang give you a few horses?" Lady Wu'an Hou turned slightly sideways and asked He Zhiyan in a low voice.
If so, she would come over to make clothes for Min'er.
He Zhiyan shook his head expressionlessly: "No."
The wife of Marquis Wu'an could not help but be stunned for a moment.
Isn't it said that Lu Xiang and He Zhiyan are as close as sisters? Why didn't she send a few horses to He Zhiyan? It seems that this friendship may not be sincere.
Lu Xiang gave the old lady a piece of gold brocade at the birthday banquet. Was he showing off his status to them?
The future Eighth Imperial Concubine, let alone buying her, would probably be given to her by Furong Pavilion.
The breeze is warm and the branches and leaves are swaying.
The banquet was held in an attic at the junction of the backyard and the front yard. The male guests sat on the first floor, while the female guests sat on the second floor.
The windows on all four sides of the upstairs are open. It is a special experience to look at the scenery outside the window while eating.
Lu Xiang caught the eye of Madam He and was invited by the old lady to sit at the main table. People who didn't know her would think that she was her real granddaughter.
Luo glared at her daughter in disappointment. What a tactless girl! Didn't she see that the old lady liked Lu Xiang so much? Yet she remained indifferent. If she had established a good relationship with Lu Xiang earlier, maybe they would have had a chance to get a few pieces of the brocade instead of just watching the eldest wife benefit from it.
He Zhiyan has such a good relationship with Lu Xiang, so he must have gained a lot of benefits.
As the eldest son’s wife’s biological mother, she is naturally indispensable.
If the wife of Marquis Wu'an knew what Luo was thinking at this moment, she would probably be so angry that she would vomit blood.
She got nothing out of it.
Lu Qiao looked at Madam He who was sitting in the main seat and being flattered, and complained quietly in Lu Xiang's ear: "If Aunt Yunlu hadn't mentioned that you gave Third Sister a brocade, Madam He's face would have been as if you had a grudge against her. This is too much power, to actually put on a displeasure in front of her, and now she's looking at you as if you were looking at a moving treasure. It's a big loss to give such a good material as a birthday gift."
Lu Xiang turned his head and looked at Lu Qiao, who looked extremely distressed, and smiled: "I don't feel bad at all, why are you so angry?"
"It's not worth it. It's like throwing a banknote into a river. Not even a splash can be seen." Lu Qiao said indignantly.
He Zhiyan interrupted honestly, "Don't mention Qiao'er, I feel bad for you too. If I had known you were going to give me Zhijin brocade, I would have stopped you no matter what." It had nothing to do with whether the old lady was her biological grandmother or not. Even if she was, she would not look down on her if she had such a personality.
"You two should keep your voices down. If old Madam He hears you, you will have a hard time." Lu Xiang's last sentence was directed to He Zhiyan.
He Zhiyan secretly stuck out her tongue and glanced at Madam He secretly. She saw that she was so pleased with the praise that she had no time to pay attention to them.
After three rounds of drinks, the loud sounds of drinking and the hustle and bustle of life were heard on the first floor. Many people had already fallen asleep on the tables. He Yu and He Xiong hurriedly arranged for people to come down and help them to the side rooms.
"Prince Song, are you okay?" He Xiong stood beside Song Yanjun, watching him stand up shakily, and asked with concern.
Song Yanjun rubbed his forehead and frowned, "He... Sir He, please stop moving around. You're making me dizzy."
He Xiong hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, I won't move. The prince looks a little uncomfortable. Why don't you go down and rest for a while?"
Song Yanjun wanted to say no, but feeling dizzy, the words on his lips became: "Okay."
Not only did he feel dizzy, he also felt his body becoming increasingly weaker. If he hadn't been supporting himself on the table with his hands, he would have almost fallen down.
Hearing this, He Xiong hurriedly helped him walk away.
A servant saw him struggling to support Song Yanjun, so he asked, "Second Master, why don't you let me do it?"
He Xiong shook his head and refused: "No need, I will personally take the prince to rest."
On the second floor, Lu Xiang was sitting by the window, so he could see outside easily. He happened to see Song Yanjun, who was being supported by He Xiong and could hardly walk steadily.
"Xiangxiang, what are you looking at so intently?" He Zhiyan said, looking in the direction Lu Xiang was looking at: "Hey, isn't that Prince Song? Is he drunk?"
"That direction..." Lu Xiang suddenly turned his head and looked at He Zhiyan: "I just saw the guest being helped by the servants to rest, and he didn't go this way."
He Zhiyan was startled at first, then quickly understood what Lu Xiang meant. Seeing that the person supporting Song Yanjun was He Xiong, he said with a slightly gloomy face, "The most indicative direction should be my second uncle's mansion and my grandmother's yard."
Lu Xiang didn't know what he was thinking of, and his expression changed slightly.
"What's wrong, third sister?" Lu Qiao asked puzzledly.
"When did He Zhimiao leave?" Lu Xiang suddenly asked.
Hearing her say this, He Zhiyan immediately looked around, and indeed, he did not see He Zhimiao: "I didn't notice."
"Let's go and take a look." Lu Xiang stood up without hesitation, said something to Madam He and Madam Wu'an Hou, and left.
It would be best if she was overthinking it. He Xiong simply wanted to curry favor with the Prince of Anguo, so he was so attentive and personally helped Song Yanjun to rest.
"Xiangxiang, don't worry, maybe it's nothing." He Zhiyan comforted.
He was constantly comforting himself in his heart, but there was an inexplicable lingering sense of uneasiness in his heart. Nothing must happen to Prince Song, otherwise they would not be able to withstand the wrath of Duke Anguo and the Queen.
Lu Qiao followed the two men, not daring to ask any more questions, but she sensed something strange from their words and actions.
He Xiong supported Song Yanjun and did not return to his own residence, nor did he lead him to the old lady's yard, but instead took him into another room.
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