Chapter 721: Unexpected Events (Two Chapters in One)
There was an endless stream of carriages and horses in front of the Princess's Mansion.
After the women from each family got off the carriage, they would exchange a few words with those they knew, and would also say hello to those they didn't know. As a result, there was some congestion at the entrance.
While everyone was greeting each other, Han Xinran helped Madam Li get off the carriage. After the four Daohua sisters got off the carriage at the back, he took the initiative to lead Madam Li and the others to a familiar house nearby.
She knew that the Yan family had unfamiliar relationships with other families in the capital, and this was the time for her to demonstrate her own value.
Fortunately, although the Earl of Zhaode's Mansion has declined in recent years, as the legitimate daughter of the Earl's Mansion, she has participated in many banquets and met many female relatives in the capital. She knew several of the families gathered in front of the Princess's Mansion.
Han Xinran didn't know if it was an illusion, but she noticed that as they got closer, the chattering crowd seemed to fall silent. Busy introducing her in-laws, she didn't think much about it and greeted the ladies and girls she knew with a smile.
In the capital, a place full of nobles and with complicated interpersonal relationships, the women of each family are always well-mannered and polite when they are outside, and will not offend others easily. They also gave enough face to the Yan family who had just arrived in Beijing.
So, she introduced one to another, and soon Mrs. Li got to know all the ladies in front of her door.
Daohua, Yan Yihan and the other two also exchanged greetings with the young ladies from each family.
Daohua chose to ignore the constant gazes falling on her, and stood quietly and obediently behind Madam Li and Han Xinran, acting like a perfect lady.
"My ladies, my princess has been waiting for a long time. Please follow me into the palace."
The maid from the princess's mansion came out to greet them, and everyone followed the maid into the gate.
After entering the backyard of the princess's mansion, Han Xinran was surprised to find that the silence in the crowd just now was not her illusion.
At this moment, the ladies and girls from various families who had arrived at the princess's mansion earlier had quieted down and were looking at them.
Han Xinran was puzzled. There was no one of particularly high status among their group, so why did they attract so much attention?
Suddenly, Han Xinran caught a glimpse of Daohua walking one step behind him from the corner of his eye, and his heart skipped a beat.
How could she forget that there was a person in her family who was a popular figure with a good status and good looks?
Before, her mind was all on her performance at the party, and she didn't pay much attention to her sisters' attire. Now, after looking carefully, she found that her eldest sister was particularly fresh and elegant today.
The sky blue cross-collar vest embroidered with green-calyx plum blossoms and the light green solid brocade undershirt make the skinny girl look even more elegant and pleasing to the eye; the blue waist belt embroidered with white background perfectly outlines her slender waist, making her look even more graceful.
The hem of her pure white gauze skirt moved slightly as she walked, and the blue Ruyi Palace sash appeared and disappeared as she walked. At first glance, she looked indescribably elegant and refined.
Han Xinran suddenly thought of the surprise in her elder sister's eyes when she first saw her elder sister. At that time, she was dressed casually. Today, she went out to visit someone and dressed up carefully. She was really more beautiful than a flower.
Daohua noticed that Han Xinran was looking at her, blinked at her, and asked her with her eyes if there was anything wrong.
Penetrating eyes, a charming smile.
Han Xinran's expression froze when she was stared at. She quickly looked away and secretly called her a monster in her heart. Why didn't she realize that her elder sister was so charming before?
After Daohua and others walked through the yard, people in the yard started talking again.
"Whose family is that girl in blue? Why haven't I seen her before?"
"I heard she's the eldest daughter of the new Minister of Revenue, Lord Yan."
"Hmm? Is that the Princess of Shengping County who was personally appointed by the Emperor?"
"Yes, that's her."
"This Princess Shengping is really good-looking."
"Isn't it? As soon as I walked in, I felt my eyes light up."
Main courtyard.
Princess Huijia was sitting in the main seat in the living room, chatting and laughing with some noble ladies and wives of nobles. When the maid brought the new guests in, she was about to greet them, but her eyes fell on the blue figure.
Not only the eldest princess, but all the ladies in the room looked over.
What a beautiful lady!
Princess Huijia greeted everyone cordially, asked everyone to take a seat, and then looked at Madam Li who was leading Han Xinran and the four Daohua sisters forward.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Madam Li, Princess Huijia looked at Daohua with a smile and said, "This is the Princess of Shengping County, right?"
Daohua stepped forward and bowed: "Shengping greets the eldest princess."
Princess Huijia raised her hand to signal Daohua to stand up, then she looked at Daohua with a smile, thinking to herself, this Princess Shengping is really a beauty. She has seen countless women, but there are not many who can truly stand out among the bright and delicate ones, but this Princess Shengping is one of them.
Some girls are stunning but not very attractive, while some girls are attractive but not stunning enough. This Lady of Shengping County is both stunning and attractive.
Afterwards, Daohua, led by Han Xinran, and Yan Yihan paid their respects to the other ladies present. Then they found a seat at the bottom and sat down, silently watching the people in the room. They matched the information Zhao Yongwang had found out and the information she had heard from her sister-in-law with these people bit by bit.
Although she did not like this kind of social interaction, she had to be aware of the personnel relationships among the officials and nobles in the capital.
In the next room, Kang Naixin was in charge of greeting the ladies from various families. When she learned that the Emperor's newly appointed Princess Shengping had arrived, she immediately pulled her friend Wu Xirong over to take a look: "The one in blue is Princess Shengping."
Wu Xirong looked at Daohua, who was calmly drinking tea, and said lightly, "She's looking okay."
Kang Naixin asked curiously, "Why did you always ask about her before?"
Wu Xirong sighed, "It's my second brother. When he was leaving this morning, he pulled me aside and told me to take care of the eldest daughter of the Yan family."
Kang Naixin's eyes widened: "What's going on? Your family and the Yan family have no connection!"
Wu Xirong shrugged. "How would I know? But recently my second brother has been very close to the third and fourth sons of the Yan family. Maybe that's why."
Daohua noticed someone was looking at her, so she turned around and saw two girls. She smiled, nodded, and looked away.
This sudden smile made Kang Naixin and Wu Xirong a little dazed.
After a while, Kang Naixin said with a sigh, "No wonder the men in the storybooks do so many ridiculous things just to win the smile of a beautiful woman. If it were me, I would do the same."
Wu Xirong glanced at her friend speechlessly.
Time slipped away as everyone chatted and laughed, and soon it was noon, and the servants of the Princess's Mansion began to set up the dining room.
Just then, a maid came to report that people from Duke Dingguo's Mansion and Duke Cheng'en's Mansion had arrived.
Hearing that people from the Guo and Jiang families were coming, Daohua couldn't help but perk up. At this time, she heard voices in her ears.
"This is really rare. These two families actually got together!"
Daohua turned around and found that the two girls who had been looking at her just now had sat down next to her at some point.
The conversation continues.
Kang Naixin: "After the Jiang family was rejected by the Guo family, the two families have been quite incompatible. Whenever they get together for a banquet, they always quarrel with each other."
Wu Xirong: "It's understandable that the Guo family would hate the Jiang family, because Guo Xueming hasn't found a marriage yet, and she's older than us."
Kang Naixin lowered her voice: "You don't know this, right? If the Guo family really wants to marry someone off, there must be someone willing. I heard from my mother that the Guo family has their eyes on Xiao Yeyang, so they haven't arranged a marriage for Guo Xueming yet."
Wu Xirong's face showed a sudden realization, and then she continued, "Xiao Yeyang has been back in Beijing for quite some time, and the Guo family still hasn't released any news. I'm afraid Xiao Yeyang is unwilling to do so?"
Kang Naixin nodded: "Nine out of ten."
Wu Xirong smiled and said, "I heard that Jiang Wanying also has a crush on Xiao Yeyang. The two families are together again today, so please don't start a fight."
Kang Naixin snorted, "They wouldn't dare. Today is my mother's birthday. If they dare to make a scene like they did in other mansions, don't think that the Princess's Mansion is easy to bully."
Wu Xirong smiled: "The emperor values the eldest princess, so they naturally don't dare to do that."
As they were talking, the women from the Cheng'en and Dingguo mansions arrived.
Kang Naixin and Wu Xirong were discussing Guo Xueming and Jiang Wanying's outfits today when they suddenly noticed that Mrs. Guo and Mrs. Jiang II were both looking at them.
Kang Naixin: "Were our words heard?"
Wu Xirong shook her head: "They are not looking at us."
The two of them followed the line of sight of Mrs. Guo and Mrs. Jiang and found that they were looking at the Princess of Shengping County next to them.
As for Princess Shengping, she was still calmly eating melon seeds.
"So it's Madam Yan. I thought you would stay in Zhongzhou. After all, Madam Yan once lost all the military rations. That was a big mistake."
After greeting Princess Huijia, Mrs. Jiang started to attack Mrs. Li.
Madam Li frowned, knowing that this was not the time to compromise. She smiled and replied, "The matter of the missing military rations has long been investigated. It was someone with ulterior motives who disregarded the interests of the country and framed our master. This matter has long been reported to the court, and the court has also issued an order. Madam Jiang, please do not worry about it."
Madam Jiang Er sneered, "It's been a while since we last met. Madam Yan seems to be much tougher now than when we were in Zhongzhou."
Madam Li said calmly, "Second Madam Jiang hasn't changed much since she was in Zhongzhou."
Mrs. Jiang Er's face darkened and she wanted to say something, but was stopped by Mrs. Jiang Da.
Today is Princess Huijia’s birthday. They may not give face to others, but they cannot give face to this person.
Mrs. Jiang II closed her mouth reluctantly and glared coldly at Mrs. Li and Daohua.
Mrs. Guo glanced at the Yan family. Although she was very annoyed, she did not join the Jiang family in making trouble at this time. However, when she saw the agate ring on Daohua's left hand, her eyes sank immediately.
Kang Naixin, who noticed everyone's expressions, whispered to Wu Xirong, "Now I know why your second brother asked you to take care of the Princess of Shengping. The Yan family doesn't get along with the Jiang family or the Guo family."
Wu Xirong nodded, she also noticed this.
Everyone in the room was still talking and laughing. Mrs. Jiang II would occasionally poke Mrs. Li, but Mrs. Li would block her attacks lightly.
Who doesn’t have two or three enemies in their family?
Although everyone was curious about how the Yan family had offended the Jiang family, none of them wanted to get involved and they just watched the show.
When it was almost time for dinner, a servant came to report that Princess Lekang and several princes' wives had arrived, and with them came the emperor's rewards.
This time, Princess Huijia personally stood up and went out to greet them, and the other ladies in the room also stood up.
Daohua stood in the crowd and looked at Princess Lekang and several princes' wives.
Princess Lekang is the queen's daughter and the emperor's only legitimate daughter. She is bright and pretty. Wherever she stands, she radiates and exudes elegance and grace.
Several of the princes' wives are also rare beauties, some are dignified, some are elegant, and some are bright and beautiful, each with her own characteristics.
Princess Lekang and several other princesses paid their respects to Princess Huijia, and then Princess Lekang signaled the eunuchs behind her to bring out the emperor's reward.
This is a pink longevity peach made of colored glass. The widest part is almost one foot. It is lifelike and particularly eye-catching.
The most valuable thing is that this is a reward from the emperor, which proves that he values me.
Princess Huijia kowtowed to thank the emperor for his grace, then let the maid take the birthday peach. After returning to the room and sitting down again, she looked at it with great interest.
Everyone around was very perceptive and was pouring out congratulations as if they were free.
"This glazed longevity peach is so beautiful. It can only be made in Kyoto's Liulichang."
Princess Huijia was very pleased to see the envy in everyone's eyes. After admiring it for a while, she generously asked her maid to take it away for everyone present to appreciate it up close.
Everyone was very happy and rushed to watch.
After a while, Princess Huijia saw that it was getting late, so she smiled and said, "Everyone must be hungry. Let's go eat first, and then come back to enjoy it after we finish eating."
Daohua was not very interested in the glazed longevity peaches given by the emperor. When she heard Princess Huijia say that they could go for dinner, she looked at Madam Li. Madam Li also didn't want to stay in the room any longer, so she got up and walked out with the women of the Yan family.
However, at this time, an unexpected discovery was made.
Looking at the maid who bumped into her and threw the glazed longevity peach in her hand out, Daohua sighed. She knew that this kind of banquet would not end unless something unexpected happened.
“Ah~”
The people in the room exclaimed in surprise, and Princess Huijia stood up with a nervous look on her face. This was a reward from the emperor, and breaking it would be a great disrespect to the emperor.
Just before the glazed longevity peach hit the ground, a light green embroidered shoe reached out and caught the peach. Then, the shoe lifted the glazed longevity peach up into the air.
The longevity peach flew into the air, and the rice flower spun around and came under the longevity peach. When the longevity peach fell again, it caught it steadily in its hand.
“Huh~”
Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief.
"Princess!"
Daohua came to Princess Huijia with a glazed longevity peach in both hands, bowed with a smile, and handed the peach over.
Princess Huijia glanced at the nanny behind her, and the nanny hurried forward to take the longevity peach.
At this moment, everyone's eyes fell on Daohua.
Just now, Daohua's leg-lifting and body-twirling movements were done smoothly and in one go. They did not seem indecent at all, but rather were extremely pleasing to the eye.
Princess Lekang and several princesses were also looking at Daohua, especially Princess Lekang. When she saw the agate ring on Daohua's left hand, her expression changed.
Princess Huijia looked at Daohua with a smile: "It's really thanks to you, Shengping, just now."
Daohua smiled and said, "You're too polite, Princess." Then she bowed and turned to leave. When she passed Madam Guo, she stopped and said, "Madam, please don't stretch your legs around in the future. It's not good to trip others."
If the birthday peach was really broken, the blame would definitely fall on her head, because she just happened to bump into the maid holding the birthday peach.
As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell completely silent, and everyone looked at Mrs. Guo.
The smile on Mrs. Guo's face froze instantly, and she looked at Daohua coldly.
Seeing this, Guo Xueming stood up with an angry face and looked at Daohua: "Miss Yan, you can't say anything careless."
Daohua smiled and looked at Guo Xueming: "Of course I know this. Miss Guo, are you asking me to produce evidence?"
Guo Xueming frowned.
Daohua took a step closer and whispered, "Would you like me to explain in detail the pattern and design of the shoes that Madam Guo is embroidering today?"
Guo Xueming looked over suddenly.
Daohua sneered, and thinking that the Guo family was Xiao Yeyang's uncle's family, she didn't want to make things too ugly, so she quickly returned to Madam Li and helped her out of the house.
Princess Huijia glanced at Madam Guo and her daughter and said calmly, "Let's go have dinner too."
Kang Naixin, who was walking behind, pulled Wu Xirong and said, "I think this Shengping County Lady doesn't need your care. I think she's quite strong in combat. That neat spin just now showed that she's a martial artist."
Wu Xirong nodded, agreeing: "I think so too."
(End of this chapter)
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