Seeing her like this, Lü Youyou couldn't help but ask, "Does Sister Xihan have someone she likes?"
Kong Xihan shook her head helplessly. It was best not to bring up unrequited love anymore. She was almost seventeen; how could the Kong family not be anxious? They'd brought up marriage proposals countless times, but she'd always found excuses to decline. Fortunately, her parents were understanding and hadn't pressured her. She wanted to wait a little longer; perhaps one day, the person in her heart would…
Lu Youyou sighed softly, "Sister Xihan is luckier than me; she has a family that loves you."
Her father hadn't given her the right to refuse the marriage proposal to the Duke of Zhenguo's family.
Bai Chuxiao didn't know what to say, so she could only pat her hand to comfort her. Marriage has always been a difficult matter, from ancient times to the present. She and Chu Tianze had never even met before she was betrothed, but luckily she was fortunate...
Kong Xihan smiled wryly, "I don't know how much longer I can hold on, after all, I'm not young anymore."
Bai Chuxiao raised an eyebrow. She couldn't interfere with Lü Youyou's affairs, but she could perhaps try to bring Xihan and her sister together. What idea should she come up with?
The three walked side by side into the back hall, where many women were already seated. Zhang Miaoke, dressed in extremely elegant and luxurious attire, sat at the head of the table, while the Duchess of Zhenguo and the Princess Consort of Xiang sat at the lower tables.
Bai Chuxiao was somewhat surprised that Zhang Miaoke hadn't caused a scene, but instead sat there demurely chatting with the guests, which made her look at her with new respect.
Lü Youyou and Kong Xihan both bowed respectfully, while Bai Chuxiao nodded slightly and greeted, "Princess Consort Qi."
When Zhang Miao saw her enter, her expression turned somewhat cold. "Guests are welcome, please have a seat."
No sooner had she finished speaking than the Duchess of Zhenguo, with a smile on her face, said, "Youyou, come to my side quickly."
Bai Chuxiao didn't mind and sat down with Kong Xihan next to the Princess Consort of Xiang.
Everyone was somewhat surprised; why was Madam Wei being so affectionate towards the girl from the Lü family?
Lü Youyou had no choice but to step forward. Madam Wei took her hand and explained to everyone, "Youyou will be my daughter-in-law in the future."
"So it turns out that the Crown Prince Wei is getting married."
Congratulations, Madam Wei!
The crowd in the hall showered her with compliments. Bai Chuxiao and Kong Xihan exchanged a glance, sighing, "Let's hope Youyou has a good future."
The Duchess of Zhenguo glanced at Bai Chuxiao and the others, then patted Lü Youyou's hand and said, "Youyou, you know, not just anyone can be a friend."
Lu Youyou's face turned ugly. She wasn't even married yet, and now they were even interfering with her making friends? "What do you mean by this, Aunt?"
Was she alluding to Princess Changning by saying "who is she?"? Everyone stared at the Duchess of Zhenguo with great interest, waiting to see what she would say next.
As expected, the Duchess of Zhenguo sneered again, "A lady from a respectable family not only runs to the military camp, but also forbids her husband from taking a concubine. What kind of behavior is this? Such a person should never be associated with, understand?"
Lu Youyou lowered her head and didn't reply, but gave Bai Chuxiao an apologetic look. She hadn't expected that Madam Wei would use her as an excuse to speak ill of Bai Chuxiao.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Wasn't Madam Wei's statement a blatant attack on Bai Chuxiao? She was incredibly audacious; this princess was known for her constant threats of violence.
Zhang Miaoke had a look of schadenfreude on her face; she wouldn't say a word to stop it, she couldn't wait to see Bai Chuxiao make a fool of herself.
Kong Xihan looked displeased. "Madam Wei, what do you mean by this?"
The Duchess of Zhenguo raised her chin and said, "Who do you think you are to come and question me?"
After saying that, she looked at Bai Chuxiao and said with a smile, "Is Princess Changning too ashamed to speak?"
Bai Chuxiao calmly took a sip of tea, raised her eyes, and smiled, "Oh? Why should this princess feel ashamed?"
The Duchess of Zhenguo snorted coldly, "As a woman, it is wrong not to disregard female precepts, uphold feminine virtues, and remain unfaithful at home."
Bai Chuxiao smiled slightly, "His Majesty's bestowal of the title of Princess is sufficient proof that I have no problem going to the military camp. Does the Duchess of Zhenguo have some dissatisfaction with His Majesty?"
Lady Wei's face stiffened. "That's utterly unreasonable! Then how do you explain your statement that the Prince of Yan is forbidden from taking concubines? This is not something a lady of a respectable family would do. Don't you even know what the Three Obediences and Four Virtues are?"
Bai Chuxiao looked at her with a smile and said, "Madam Zhenguo, are you speaking up for Prince Yan? Prince Yan and the noble ladies in the palace have no objections, so what right do you have to interfere? You just mentioned 'the Three Obediences and Four Virtues,' so this princess may ask, Madam, what are the Four Virtues?"
The Duchess of Zhenguo replied disdainfully, "Naturally, it's about womanly virtue, speech, work, and appearance."
Bai Chuxiao spoke again, "Then what is meant by 'womanly speech'?"
The Duchess of Zhenguo snorted coldly, "Choose your words carefully, avoid using harsh language, speak at the right time, and do not belittle others—this is the way of a woman's speech." She was, after all, the Duchess of Zhenguo; how could she not know the proper conduct for women? She wanted to see what tricks Bai Chuxiao was up to.
Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "That Lady Zhenguo just came up here and immediately insulted me, the princess, and spoke ill of me. Does she have any manners as a woman?"
The Duchess of Zhenguo's face stiffened, then she sneered, "Princess Changning is truly sharp-tongued."
Bai Chuxiao raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Not as good as Madam Wei's long tongue."
Wasn't this blatantly calling Madam Wei a gossip? Everyone lowered their heads, wanting to laugh but daring not to.
The Princess Consort of Xiang, standing to the side, didn't hold back and burst out laughing. The Duchess of Zhenguo looked somewhat annoyed, but since she was a princess consort, she didn't dare to reprimand her.
But having lost face, she was too embarrassed to stay any longer, so she could only wring out her handkerchief and storm off with Lü Youyou.
Regarding the Duke of Zhenguo's wife's actions, Bai Chuxiao could only say indifferently, "She's crazy!"
The hall fell silent for a moment, then Lingxiang suddenly asked with a smile, "How have you been, Princess?"
Bai Chuxiao nodded. This Princess Lingxiang was indeed quite well-mannered; she didn't talk much and always had a smile on her face whenever she saw her. However, she had offered many suggestions regarding the Tianxiang Pavilion matter, and the Prince of Xiang seemed to trust her greatly. She was no ordinary person…
"Is Princess Xiang settling in well?" Bai Chuxiao asked in return.
"His Highness Prince Xiang treats Ling Xiang very well."
After saying that, he added, "We're about to return to our fiefdom, and it seems we won't see the princess for quite some time."
Surprise flashed in Bai Chuxiao's eyes. Had she missed something these past few days? How come news kept coming one after another? Would the Prince of Xiang be willing to return to his fiefdom?
Ling Xiang spoke without any restraint, and Zhang Miaoke, sitting at the head of the table, couldn't help but look over. She knew that Chu Tianling's actions might indicate he intended to stay in the capital a little longer.
"Fifth Sister-in-law, why are you in such a hurry?"
Ling Xiang said nonchalantly, "I'll have to go back sooner or later, and I want to go see them too."
Bai Chuxiao concealed her doubts and asked calmly, "When do we depart?"
Ling Xiang smiled gently, "After Bei Yan left..."
Bai Chuxiao chuckled, "Then I wish you a safe journey, Princess Xiang."
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