Seeing that everyone had arrived, Jiang Yuwei instructed her maid to inform the kitchen to prepare fruits and snacks.
The princess took a closer look at the three girls that Jiang Yuwei had chosen. They were all outstanding in appearance, each with their own unique beauty, and their attire was also very appropriate.
“Princess Anping, come and sit closer so I can take a good look at you. I haven’t seen you since you returned to Shu last time. In the past few months, I have noticed that you have become even more beautiful. Shu really does nurture people.”
Princess Anping blushed upon hearing this, then secretly glanced at Princess Qinglan sitting beside her.
Seeing this, Princess Qinglan quickly nudged her arm, signaling her to hurry up and sit down next to the princess.
Anping rose, bowed to the princess, and smiled:
"Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness. I brought you some specialties from Sichuan on this trip. I'm sure you'll like them."
He then walked over and sat down next to the princess.
The princess smiled and gestured for her to drink tea.
“I like anything Princess Anping gives me. You’ve always been a lovely girl. I’ve watched you grow up since you were little. You even slept on the same kang (heated brick bed) with our Zixuan when you were a child! Hahaha!”
Upon hearing the Princess's words, Princess Anping blushed and glanced at Ning Zixuan before smiling and saying:
"Your Highness is joking. Those were things from when I was a child."
The princess smiled and looked at Miss Wang, who was sitting below, engrossed in eating her snacks, and said:
"Miss Wang is such a free spirit. Seeing how much you enjoy our pastries, I'll have someone pack a portion for you to take home when you leave the manor."
Miss Wang was taken aback when the princess mentioned her. She paused for a moment, then put down the pastries in her hand, quickly stood up, and bowed to the princess, saying:
"Then, thank you very much, Your Highness."
Seeing her daughter only knowing how to eat, Madam Wang shook her head and sighed, angry at her daughter's lack of ambition, not even knowing how to cherish such a good opportunity.
All the ladies who were invited today were on high alert, but my daughter was only focused on eating!
Ning Zixuan smiled faintly as he looked at Miss Wang, whose mouth was full of pastry crumbs. He had known Wang Yuruo since childhood; her personality was the complete opposite of her name.
He speaks and acts like a man, and because he has been wielding knives and guns since childhood, he has a much larger appetite than others.
Although she couldn't stand the weak and delicate appearance of those aristocratic young ladies and hadn't made many friends, there were no secrets in this circle, and her free-spirited reputation meant that no one dared to come to her door to propose marriage.
Ning Zixuan couldn't help but find it amusing; it seemed Wang Yuru was now showing some camaraderie with him.
"Miss Yu Rou, if you like these snacks, please have some more. It's alright, sit down and eat."
Everyone couldn't help but chuckle when they heard Ning Zixuan's words. Seeing this, Madam Wang could only shake her head repeatedly, realizing that her daughter had no hope of becoming the heir's wife.
Only Wang Yuru was genuinely happy to hear the prince's words. Her mother had pulled her out of bed early to dress up, and after she finished, she rushed to the Prince Jing's residence without even having breakfast.
Right now, my stomach is growling with hunger, so I can only eat some snacks to tide me over.
So Wang Yuru quickly bowed to the Crown Prince.
"Thank you, Your Highness. Then I won't stand on ceremony."
After saying that, he sat down and continued eating.
At this moment, the princess looked at Ning Zixuan with some surprise. She knew her son's personality well. He wouldn't even bother to look at things that didn't concern him. Today, he actually took the initiative to talk to this Miss Wang. This was simply astonishing.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei smiled faintly and then instructed the maid beside her:
"Keep an eye on Miss Wang's table. If her plate is empty, remove it and replace it with hers immediately."
The maidservant received the instructions and went to prepare.
The eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's residence, still seated below, grew anxious when the Princess called out both of their names but hadn't mentioned hers yet. She rose and bowed to the Princess.
“Your Highness, I see a zither over there. I recently learned a new piece that can calm the mind and soothe the nerves. Why don’t I play it for you?”
The princess had just recovered from her shock when she met the scheming eyes of the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion, and couldn't help but frown as she looked at Jiang Yuwei.
Was this invitation sent to the wrong person? Didn't I instruct Yuwei to specifically request that the Prime Minister's wife bring the Second Miss to the manor? Why is the Eldest Miss here too?
Jiang Yuwei met the princess's gaze and naturally understood her meaning, so she quickly shook her head slightly to indicate that she had not invited the young lady over.
The princess understood. The inner quarters of the Prime Minister's residence were in great chaos. Although Ye Yingying was the child of the Prime Minister's first wife, the first wife was not Prime Minister Ye's original wife.
Prime Minister Ye's first wife was the mother of Ye Yuqing, the second young lady of the Prime Minister's mansion. She passed away shortly after giving birth to Ye Yuqing.
Therefore, the current First Madam took advantage of the situation and gave birth to Ye Yingying.
The First Madam felt that she was now the legitimate wife of the Prime Minister's Mansion, so she did not want her daughter to be the second daughter. Therefore, she begged Prime Minister Ye to give the status of the eldest legitimate daughter to Ye Yingying. Thus, Ye Yuqing became the second young lady of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
This incident caused quite a stir in the capital back then, because the older generation in the capital knew the truth behind it, so everyone maintained a superficially amicable relationship with the Prime Minister's wife, but deep down they all looked down on her.
The princess naturally knew that the Prime Minister's wife was no pushover, and that her children wouldn't be any better. Therefore, when choosing a husband for Ning Zixuan, she directly ruled out the Prime Minister's family.
Looking back now, the second young lady of the Prime Minister's mansion is indeed a gentle and refined girl. If there were no other suitable candidates, the Princess Consort would not want to get involved with the Prime Minister's mansion.
Since Ye Yingying came to Prince Jing's residence to cause trouble today, the Princess Consort naturally wouldn't indulge her. So she smiled faintly and said:
"Since Miss Ye is in such a hurry to show off, then you may play a piece. However, since the banquet was held in a hurry today, I did not specially invite a musician. So I will have to trouble Miss Ye."
Upon hearing the princess's words, Ye Yingying's face flushed red and then turned pale. Seeing that everyone was looking at her with mockery, she naturally regretted speaking up earlier.
She had hoped to make a good impression at the Prince's residence today and show off in front of Ning Zixuan, but she never expected that the Princess would only regard her as a musician after saying just one sentence!
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