Before we knew it, the day arrived for the banquet hosted by the county magistrate's wife.
Yang Cui was troubled. Usually, to save time, she would simply tie her hair into a high ponytail or a bun.
She can't be this casual when attending a banquet now! But she doesn't know how to style her hair in ancient times!
Just as he was frowning in worry, Su Yutang arrived.
"Miss Yang." Su Yutang bowed to Yang Cui. "It was Master Xiao who sent me to help you with your makeup and dressing."
Yang Cui was taken aback; she hadn't expected Cen Xiao to be so thoughtful.
To everyone's surprise, Cen Xiao not only invited Su Yutang over, but also asked her to prepare jewelry and exquisite clothes, all in Yang Cui's size.
It's rare to see such a considerate side to this straight man who compares women applying lipstick to applying chicken blood!
Yang Cui had prepared new clothes for the banquet, but they were clearly not on the same level as the ones he had prepared.
"I can wear one or two pieces of jewelry, but forget about new clothes, I've already bought some. Miss Su, just give me a suitable hairstyle..."
Yang Cui thought she could borrow the jewelry first and return it to Cen Xiao later without affecting its value, but clothes were different; once worn, they lost their value. They were a fake couple, and Yang Cui had no intention of taking advantage of him.
“How can that be?” Su Yutang immediately refused. “If you go out now dressed too shabbily, you’ll be embarrassing Master Xiao and slapping him in the face. Besides, he went to great lengths to prepare jewelry and fine clothes for you, so you shouldn’t waste his efforts.”
At Su Yutang's urging, Yang Cui put on the clothes prepared by Cen Xiao. She wore a gold filigree hair ornament with gemstones and openwork jade with double phoenixes and peonies, a long dress with flying birds and flowers that trailed on the ground, and her hair was styled in a hibiscus bun. She looked very beautiful.
When they came out of the room, Cen Xiao, Dao San, and Dao Ba were all stunned.
Er Ya and San Ya rushed over and said, "Mom, you're so beautiful, like a fairy."
Yang Cui chuckled and playfully pinched Sanya's little nose: "Have you ever seen a fairy?"
"Of course I've seen her! Isn't the fairy my mother?" Sanya said sweetly, hugging Yang Cui's leg and acting coquettishly.
"Be good at home, and Mom will bring you some delicious food."
“We’ll definitely behave,” Sanya assured her repeatedly.
Just then, the carriage arrived.
The county magistrate's wife specially sent a carriage to pick up Yang Cui, and the person who came to pick up Yang Cui was the nanny who was by the side of the county magistrate's wife, You Shi, which can be described as very sincere.
Granny Xu had thought Yang Cui was at most just pretty, but she never expected Yang Cui to be so stunning! Her demeanor was far beyond that of a village woman.
I was stunned.
Cen Xiao was worried about Yang Cui going to the banquet alone, so he instructed Su Yutang to go with Yang Cui and protect her.
When they arrived at the Silver Mansion, there were already quite a few guests in the garden, chatting in small groups, creating a lively scene.
Upon seeing Yang Cui, Madam You approached with a smile. Yang Cui guessed that this person must be the county magistrate's wife, so she imitated the manner of ancient people and bowed to her, saying, "Madam Yin."
"Miss Yang, you are truly beautiful."
When Madam You saw Yang Cui, she was shocked. Yang Cui was much prettier than she had imagined. No wonder she could bewitch General Cen.
"You flatter me, Madam."
Just then, an untimely voice rang out: "Is this the famous ex-wife of the third-ranked scholar, Madam Yang?"
The woman spoke with a barbed tongue and looked disdainful. Yang Cui had no idea what she had done to offend this stranger.
Madam You said, "Xinrong, Miss Yang is my guest."
Xinrong? That name sounds so familiar!
“Sister You, she’s just a country bumpkin. How could she possibly come to a place like this? If word gets out, how can we face people like her?”
She made no attempt to hide her disdain for Yang Cui!
The other people who came to the banquet naturally heard the commotion, but they all watched with a detached, amused attitude.
At this moment, Su Yutang whispered to Yang Cui that the woman's name was Liang Xinrong, and she was the eldest daughter-in-law of the county magistrate.
Liang Xinrong!!!
Upon hearing this name, Yang Cui finally remembered who she was!
Because Liang Xinrong was also one of Lin Shikang's confidantes!
No wonder she harbored such deep hostility towards me! It turns out the problem still lay with Lin Shikang.
Because she had already married someone else, there wasn't much description of Liang Xinrong in the original novel. It was only later, when Lin Shikang became successful and wanted to help Liang Xinrong's husband, Wan Jiahao, that he mentioned some things about Liang Xinrong and Lin Shikang.
Liang Xinrong is the niece of Li Minqing, Lin Shikang's teacher, and Li Minqing's wife is Liang Xinrong's aunt.
Liang Xinrong also met Lin Shikang through the Li family. He was a poor but ambitious and refined student. Liang Xinrong was deeply attracted to him. She was Lin Shikang's first confidante and the first woman to spend money on him!
At that time, Liang Xinrong wanted to break off her engagement with the county magistrate's son for Lin Shikang's sake, but Lin Shikang stopped her. He told Liang Xinrong that one cannot be too selfish and must also consider one's family. The county magistrate has great power, second only to the county magistrate. If the engagement is broken off, both the Liang family and the Li family will suffer. More importantly, he couldn't bear to let her suffer with him.
Liang Xinrong was deeply moved after hearing this and broke up with him with a heavy heart. However, what Liang Xinrong didn't know was that Lin Shikang liked her, but he liked her even more. What he feared most was that the county magistrate would retaliate against him!
After Liang Xinrong got married, the two basically stopped contacting each other, but that doesn't mean Liang Xinrong forgot Lin Shikang.
Liang Xinrong's current provocations further demonstrate that this woman has not forgotten Lin Shikang!
Yang Cui smiled faintly: "Empress Dowager Guo was also born into the common people. Does Madam Wan also look down on Empress Dowager Guo?"
Empress Dowager Guo was the birth mother of the founding emperor. She was born into a difficult family. When she was still a young girl, she became the concubine of General Xia Yun. Later, she gave birth to her son Xia Zhong. Xia Zhong was brave and skilled in battle, which made the enemy tremble with fear. The previous emperor was incompetent and listened to slander. He wanted to kill him on trumped-up charges. Xia Zhong was forced to rebel and established the current dynasty!
Upon hearing this, Liang Xinrong's expression changed drastically.
"Don't talk nonsense! When have I ever looked down on Empress Dowager Guo?"
"Whether it is or not, it's not up to me to decide, it's up to the Emperor. Yutang, you should talk to your young master later and bring these words into the palace so that the Emperor can judge for himself whether this Lady Wan has any intention of looking down on Empress Dowager Guo."
A few casual words terrified Liang Xinrong.
None of them expected Yang Cui to bring up the Emperor. Once this reaches the Emperor's ears, who knows what he'll think?
Offending Empress Dowager Guo could result in the confiscation of one's property and the extermination of one's entire clan!
Even the people who had been watching the commotion earlier dared not underestimate Yang Cui now. In their eyes, Yang Cui had the ability to bring this matter to the ears of the emperor.
"Oh dear, it's all a misunderstanding. Xinrong loves to joke, Xinrong, look at you, how could you make such a joke?" Madam You smiled and tried to smooth things over. "Miss Yang, it's all a misunderstanding, could this matter be..."
"It depends on my mood."
Madam You was somewhat displeased, feeling that Yang Cui should have gone along with it at this point, and that her attitude of "depending on her mood" was clearly a disrespect to her!
But who can argue with her when she's Cen Xiao's woman? The woman of the valiant general, why should we give her face?
"Apologize now," Madam You whispered to Liang Xinrong.
Liang Xinrong was indignant. She actually had to apologize to a village woman! How could she ever face anyone again?
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