In the crowd, a young woman wanted to join in the commotion, but before she could speak, another woman next to her pulled her back and said, "Don't get involved. We can't afford to offend Mrs. Lu!"
The girl was taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly asked, "What happened? Do you know her?"
"I offended her by accident."
The speaker was Qin Yu, who had offended He Jiu Niang at the jewelry shop earlier. Her mother was unwell, so she came by herself today. She wasn't surprised to see He Jiu Niang, and even thought that the prefect's wife had organized this banquet for He Jiu Niang.
Knowing she couldn't afford to offend this important figure, she stayed hidden in the crowd, refusing to respond to anything anyone said.
Now that her girlfriends want to get involved, she can't help but remind them.
"when?"
The girl was very surprised and anxious: "She didn't make things difficult for you, did she?"
"No, but she's really not someone we can mess with. Just remember what I said, and we shouldn't get involved."
She whispered her instructions, and her friends nodded repeatedly, showing no further intention of stepping forward.
Qin Yu may be arrogant and domineering outside, but she is good to those around her, and she trusts her.
She had no desire to show off in front of He Jiuniang, after all, she was a very low-key person.
So she looked at the prefect's wife. She was the only one here who knew her identity. If the prefect's wife wanted to get closer to her, she would definitely say a few words for her.
The prefect's wife clearly wanted to know just how capable she was, and had no intention of helping. She even smiled and said, "Since Sister Li has said so, Sister Lu shouldn't refuse. We only have our own people here today, so it won't have any impact."
The meaning was already quite clear: if He Jiuniang refused again, it meant she was truly afraid.
He Jiuniang is the kind of person who doesn't actively cause trouble, but she can't let people bully her like this.
Seeing that the prefect's wife was not helping her and was even going to add fuel to the fire, her smile instantly became even brighter.
She said, "Since everyone has said so, let's all show off our talents. As the host, Madam Qian, why don't you take the lead and let everyone appreciate your dance moves?"
These people really think she's some naive, innocent girl who's never seen the world, unable to see through such an obvious scheme.
The young girls perform their talents to win the favor of the ladies and secure a good marriage for themselves. But if someone of He Jiuniang's generation were to perform, it would simply be providing amusement for these people.
He Jiuniang was never one to suffer a loss. Adhering to the idea that if you can't beat them, join them. So she decided to drag them all down with her and see what they could do.
Sure enough, the prefect's wife's expression changed instantly, a drastic change that was clearly visible to the naked eye, and the smile on her face vanished completely in an instant.
The others exchanged bewildered glances, not expecting Madam Lu to be so bold as to speak so directly to the prefect's wife.
Qin Yu's friend glanced at Qin Yu sheepishly, a wave of fear washing over her. It seemed this person was no ordinary individual, not even putting the prefect's wife in her eyes. Luckily, she hadn't actually said anything to offend anyone.
Seeing that the prefect's wife remained silent, He Jiuniang couldn't help but urge, "Why isn't Madam Qian saying anything? Didn't you say we're all family? Then let's all go together! It's so boring for me to be alone!"
The prefect's wife's face darkened further, but she dared not truly offend He Jiu Niang, so she could only force a smile and say, "Oh dear, I'm too old, you young people should play, I..."
"Madam Qian is too modest. You are in your thirties, which is the prime of your life. If you refuse me on the grounds of your age, I will be truly heartbroken."
As she spoke, she pretended to wipe away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes, and this action was done in complete silence.
Mrs. Li and others were completely stunned.
Even if she could argue with the prefect's wife normally, she wouldn't dare to embarrass the prefect's wife in front of so many people. But He Jiu Niang did it, so there are only two reasons.
Either Madam Lu is truly mentally unstable and still doesn't realize she's offended someone, or Madam Lu has quite a background, so much so that even the prefect's wife can't do anything about her.
Based on Madam Li's understanding of the prefect's wife, the second possibility is most likely.
The prefect's wife appears gentle, generous, and shrewd, but in reality, she is quite petty. If someone of lower status spoke to her like that, she would have had them thrown out long ago. However, the fact that she not only didn't have Madam Lu driven away but also smiled obsequiously at her proves that things are not simple.
For a moment, all she wanted to do was watch the show quietly, hoping that the anger wouldn't be directed at her. She even regretted making Madam Lu perform her talents.
At the same time, the prefect's wife also regretted it.
She did intend to give He Jiuniang a hard time, but she didn't expect her to embarrass her so publicly. Upon reflection, she realized she was in the wrong; she was the one who embarrassed her first. So she smiled and said, "Oh dear, these are things only children like to play. We adults shouldn't interfere, we..."
"How can we not get involved? You yourself said that these are all our own people, Madam. Since they are all our own people, please don't refuse. We are also eager to see your beauty."
As she spoke, He Jiuniang turned to Madam Li and asked, "Madam Li, don't you think so?"
Madam Li was now in a difficult position, never expecting that this vile woman to be so eloquent, single-handedly putting them all in an awkward position.
At this moment, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to say anything. If she said the right thing, she would offend the prefect's wife, since she had just helped her deal with Madam Lu. But if she said the wrong thing, it was she and her daughter who brought up the topic of the talent show, which would be a slap in her own face.
He Jiuniang watched this group of people trying to smooth things over, a faint smile on her face. She thought to herself: I just wanted to quietly eat some duck neck, but you all have to make things difficult for me. Since you don't want me to have peace, then no one can escape!
The prefect's wife made up her mind and said directly, "Very well, then today's banquet will be changed into a talent show, and the most outstanding person... I will use this jade hairpin of mine as today's prize!"
As she spoke, she took a bright green hairpin off her head. It was of excellent quality and clearly very valuable.
It's clear that the prefect's wife really went all out today.
He Jiuniang clapped her hands and cheered, "Good! Madam is so generous! Please, Madam!"
She made a very solicitous gesture of invitation, with a slightly aggressive air about her. Even the prefect's daughter couldn't stand it and wanted to say something to her, but the prefect's wife grabbed her arm.
She composed herself and said, "My clothes are bulky. Let me change into something lighter first. If you need to change, you can go and prepare. Let's... begin in fifteen minutes!"
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