Princess Jing's languid and casual tone carried the assertiveness of a superior, and anyone could tell that if they dared to offend her again, they would have no choice but to completely break off relations today.
Madam Xu, standing to the side, was also somewhat at a loss for words. She glanced at the Princess Consort of Jing's face, then looked back into the depths of the mansion—if the eunuch were here, things would be better, but the eunuch was currently entertaining the Crown Prince. If someone were to report this, the matter would surely alarm the Crown Prince, and then things would only escalate further.
Wei Shuwan could see that Xu was at a loss. After all, it was the Duke Sheng's birthday banquet today, and she didn't want the situation to get out of control. In the end, she nodded and compromised: "Then this humble woman will respectfully comply."
She'd deal with whatever came her way; she didn't believe the Princess Consort of Jing could really cause any trouble at the Duke Sheng's birthday banquet. She was just trying to give her a warning; she'd just bear with it and treat it like a noisy crow.
Thinking this, Wei Shuwan obediently followed behind Princess Jing into the Sheng residence.
Zi Qiao quickly followed behind, saying, "This servant will assist you, young lady."
Miaoxiang originally wanted to go along as well, but Ziqiao stopped her and whispered in her ear, "If too many people go, the princess will think our young lady is too arrogant. I'll go alone."
Wei Shuwan followed Princess Jing into Huai Ren Pavilion, the place where Duke Sheng had specially hosted a banquet for princes and nobles today. However, Duke Sheng was currently playing chess with the Crown Prince and others in the tea room and had not yet come over.
Princess Jing was already exhausted. She found a place to sit down, rubbed her forehead acupoints with one hand, and instructed, "Miss Wei, begin mixing the incense."
"Yes, I've already brought you all the spices, what are you still standing there for?!" Princess Yun'an curled one corner of her mouth, raised her chin, and spoke and acted with extreme provocation.
Zi Qiao snorted in anger, but Wei Shuwan remained calm and composed as he walked to the long table, preparing to start blending perfumes.
Since the servant sent back did not know which spices were needed for the incense, he brought over all the commonly used spices that were placed on the table in the incense room. Now, dozens of spices were neatly arranged in front of Wei Shuwan. After scanning them, she made up her mind.
Zi Qiao stood at the other end and said, "Miss, please tell me which spices you want, and I will prepare them for you."
"clove"
Scrophularia
Cyperus rotundus
...
For each item Wei Shuwan mentioned, Zi Qiao would hand over the corresponding jar. However, when all the materials were ready, Wei Shuwan pushed aside the most crucial jars and replaced them with others.
Zi Qiao could tell at a glance that it contained agarwood, borneol, and asarum... but these were clearly not the ingredients for an incense to refresh the mind.
Aside from recognizing the jars, Zi Qiao wasn't actually an expert in perfumery. For a moment, she didn't know what her young lady wanted to do, so she just quietly stood by, precisely blocking the view of Princess Jing and Princess Yun'an.
The incense was quickly prepared. Wei Shuwan carefully shaped the incense powder into an incense seal, lit it, and presented the incense burner with the gold-inlaid lion design to Princess Jing.
"Princess Jing, the incense to refresh you has been prepared. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."
"etc,"
Princess Yun'an raised an eyebrow at Wei Shuwan, a playful smile in her eyes: "Take the incense to the breezy spot over there, so it will take effect faster."
Following her gaze, Wei Shuwan turned to look at the corridor behind the screen, then turned back to look at Princess Jing. Princess Jing only indulged her beloved daughter, and Wei Shuwan was too lazy to argue anymore, so she carried the incense burner there as Yun An had suggested.
“Princess Yun’an, there is no place here to put it.” Wei Shuwan looked around and saw that there wasn’t even a stool.
A sneer came from the other side of the screen, followed by: "Then you can stand there holding it for a while."
Wei Shuwan: "..."
Zi Qiao felt sorry for her young lady, but dared not argue, so she simply said, "This servant will serve on behalf of the young lady."
Yun An seemed to only notice the little maid's presence now, giving her a disdainful look, "Huai Ren Pavilion is a place where Duke Sheng holds banquets exclusively for the royal family, not a place for a maid like you to stay."
As soon as these words were spoken, Granny Juan immediately ordered her men to throw Zi Qiao out.
Zi Qiao called out "Miss—" with concern all the way, and was forced to leave Huai Ren Pavilion.
Wei Shuwan had no other hope, so she held the incense burner in her hands, which was gradually getting hotter, and blew on it from time to time, hoping that it would burn out quickly.
Soon, footsteps approached from behind the screen. Yun An greeted each of them with a humble and sweet voice, a stark contrast to her previous domineering demeanor in front of Wei Shuwan.
Then came the rustling sound of everyone lifting their robes and taking their seats, and Wei Shuwan knew that the banquet was about to begin.
At that moment, a deep, slightly muffled young male voice rang out: "Who is standing behind the screen?"
"Young Prince, the person behind the screen is just someone who came to prepare incense to awaken my mother. You don't need to pay attention to her," Yun An said sweetly, glancing at the slender figure projected onto the screen with a hint of disdain on her lips.
Amidst the crisp sound of the curtain being drawn, the maids entered in single file with light, graceful steps, and in the blink of an eye, the table was laden with delicious dishes.
Some started eating, some exchanged pleasantries, and some offered toasts... The room was bustling with activity for a while.
While others sat, she stood; while others ate, she listened. Wei Shuwan had never been so alone before. For a moment, she felt her legs go weak and she was about to collapse. All she could do was desperately continue blowing on the incense burner in her hand, hoping to find relief as soon as possible.
However, just as the incense had burned less than halfway, the laughter and conversation from the other side of the screen were abruptly interrupted by an untimely voice—
"Snoring—snoring—"
It's snoring.
Then came Princess Yun'an's embarrassed voice as she woke her: "Mother,"
"Mother, wake up..."
Wei Shuwan: "..."
The medicine took effect much faster than she had expected, probably because Princess Jing was truly exhausted, and had just drunk a few cups of fruit wine.
That's right, what she just mixed wasn't an incense to wake you up, but an incense to calm your nerves and help you sleep.
She vividly remembered her master saying that perfumery is about helping people obtain what they need.
"What Princess Jing needs most right now is to catch up on sleep," Wei Shuwan thought with a clear conscience.
Princess Yun'an had called out to Princess Jing several times and pushed her forcefully, but Princess Jing was leaning against the back of her chair as if she were fast asleep and had not woken up at all.
Sitting between the Crown Prince and Duke Sheng, Prince Jing's face first turned red, then blue, and finally as black as the bottom of a pot, as he faced the thunderous snoring of his wife.
"His Highness the Crown Prince is here! How dare you, a woman, sleep soundly at the dinner table!" He finally lost his temper, jumped up, and angrily pointed at his princess!
However, Princess Jing's snoring continued and grew increasingly louder, as if she were challenging him.
During the meal, some people coughed or sighed. Finally, the Crown Prince had to come out and laugh it off, saying, "It seems that Princess Jing is really tired. Why don't we help her down to rest for a while and recharge her energy? We can have someone prepare a meal for her separately after she has rested enough."
After saying this, the Crown Prince gave Duke Sheng a look seeking instructions.
Lord Sheng nodded hurriedly and said, "Your Highness is right. There are plenty of side rooms in the backyard."
Once the father-in-law spoke, Madam Xu, who had been silently watching Princess Jing make a fool of herself, smiled and replied, "I will make the arrangements immediately."
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