Chapter 17 Jia's Furious
On the day of the lotus banquet, the sky was clear and blue.
Ye Mingzhu and Sheng Yunche entered the Rongguo Duke's Mansion. Guided by servants, they rode in a sedan chair to a lotus pond that seemed to stretch endlessly.
The women were in the Floating Fragrance Pavilion by the water, while the men were in the Gentle Breeze Pavilion on the artificial hill, one on the left and one on the right.
Before they parted ways after getting out of the sedan chair, Ye Mingzhu gently tugged at Sheng Yunche's sleeve, her watery and charming almond-shaped eyes looking at him, hesitant to speak, as if she didn't want to separate.
Sheng Yunche glanced down at her and said coldly, "Let go."
Ye Mingzhu did not loosen her grip.
He cleared his throat and finally said helplessly, "I will always be here."
Ye Mingzhu then curtsied gently and said with a smile, "Thank you, Duke."
She was just doing her usual "beast taming" and didn't notice that not only the maid in charge of guiding the way in the Rongguo Mansion, but even Yaqin who was following behind her was extremely surprised.
It was as if they couldn't believe that the eccentric Sheng Yunche had such a "gentle" side.
Watching Sheng Yunche walk away, Ye Mingzhu smiled and turned around: "Let's go."
I heard that Madam Jia is here today, and Liu Rumei was specially invited because of her outstanding talent to comment on the girls' talents in music, chess, calligraphy and painting at the banquet.
She was curious to know how Jia Shi, who was embroiled in rumors, felt, and whether she could do what she had been told in her past life: "When others gossip about you, first think about your own problems."
I also wonder if, if Liu Rumei's character is exposed, there will still be anyone willing to appreciate her talent.
...
After rounding a rockery, Ye Mingzhu could see Fuxiang Pavilion in the distance.
The pavilion was already quite crowded. Several unmarried girls, some beautiful and some quiet, were sitting on the vermilion benches facing the water, chatting in twos and threes.
The ladies sat in the innermost seats, served by maids, sipping tea and chatting.
As Ye Mingzhu entered Fuxiang Pavilion, a maid announced, "This way, Madam of the Duke of Wei." The voices of the crowd immediately fell silent, and almost simultaneously they all turned to look at her.
She knew perfectly well that this was a consequence of Sheng Yunche's forced marriage, and everyone was very curious about her.
"The Duchess of Weiguo is here! I didn't expect that we could actually get you to come!" The Duchess of Rongguo stood up and said with a smile, "By the way, your second wife is saying that outsiders have misunderstood her, saying that she didn't covet your dowry. Is that true?"
Ye Mingzhu smiled.
The Duchess of Rongguo directly embarrassed Jia Shi, seemingly enjoying the show. However, her previous plan to provoke Jia Shi into anger could be skipped, which was a good thing.
She said, "Of course it's not true."
She denied it, but her eyes showed a sense of helplessness.
The ladies present were all shrewd and immediately understood that she was just saying something polite, meaning "don't wash your dirty linen in public." They all looked at Jia with strange eyes.
Having been neglected for a long time, Jia Shi was already suppressing her anger. This further provocation made her so angry that she no longer cared about her dignity.
She stood up angrily and berated him, "Ye Mingzhu, stop slandering me! You took those dowry items yourself, and you're blaming me? Have you no shame?!"
"I mean you don't have any," Ye Mingzhu said helplessly.
"You mean that?"
"Otherwise what?" Ye Mingzhu asked respectfully. "What do you think I should say?"
Madam Jia was furious: "What do you want to say? Just tell the truth! But you vile woman, you're deliberately trying to smear me! I, I'm going to teach you a lesson today! I..."
If she can't win an argument, she'll resort to violence.
"Mother, please calm down!" Liu Rumei, who had been pretending to be invisible, dared not play dead any longer. She quickly got up and grabbed her, and even though she was pinched several times, she did not let go.
She and Jia are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. If Jia makes a big fuss, they will both lose face.
All she wanted now was for Jia to shut up.
Ye Mingzhu could tell what Liu Rumei was thinking at a glance, and of course she wouldn't let it go so easily.
She had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.
She gave Baozan a look, and Baozan immediately said loudly, "Second Madam, you say my mistress is slandering you, but the jade hairpin you are wearing is my mistress's dowry. You haven't forgotten, have you? There are words engraved on it!"
What? Jia was stunned, forgetting all her fuss for a moment, and subconsciously touched the jade hairpin in her hair.
This jade hairpin is clearly...
Baozan then looked at Liu Rumei, curtsied, and asked, "Madam, the Hetian jade pendant on your waist was also part of my mistress's dowry, and it is engraved with my mistress's name. May I ask where you obtained it? Would you mind telling me?"
Liu Rumei hadn't expected to be involved, and looked completely innocent, but her face turned uncontrollably pale.
In an instant, the Floating Fragrance Pavilion became eerily quiet.
The crowd looked on in amazement.
"Baozan, what are you saying?" Ye Mingzhu broke the silence, speaking gently, "The jade hairpin and the Hetian jade bracelet were gifts I gave to Second Madam and Eldest Sister-in-law, have you forgotten?"
"Oh dear, I really forgot." Baozan slapped her forehead and said insincerely, "Second Madam, I'm sorry. Eldest Madam, I'm sorry."
It's obvious at a glance that he's just saying polite things.
Jia: "..."
Liu Rumei: "..."
Both of them forced a smile, but their expressions were quite unpleasant.
With things having escalated to this point, Jia Shi could no longer stay at the lotus banquet, and Liu Rumei naturally had no choice but to follow her. It was impossible for her to stay behind alone to give comments to the young ladies.
Even if she wanted to stay, she would have to see if the Duchess of Rongguo would give her face.
Ye Mingzhu watched the two men walk away in a disheveled state, then calmly sat down at the table, picked up a cup of lotus-scented drink, and slowly sipped it.
When others speak to her, she replies with a smile.
She was happy to have some peace and quiet since no one was talking.
Everyone present was shrewd. After the play about "seizing the dowry" ended, the young ladies waiting to be married began to play musical chairs, compose poems, and play the zither, without wasting a single moment.
Liu Rumei, one of the judges, has left; we can invite another one.
Furthermore, it is conceivable that Liu Rumei will be invited to attend literary gatherings and banquets to make comments in the future, which will definitely be greatly reduced... The "most talented woman in the capital" with a blemish on her reputation is not so precious.
After sitting for a while, Ye Mingzhu, remembering the main purpose of her visit, asked Yaqin in a low voice, "Did you see Madam Qin from the Qin family? Did her only daughter attend the banquet with her?"
Just as Yaqin was about to say "no", she suddenly caught sight of two figures out of the corner of her eye and immediately smiled and said, "Look, those two who came in are them."
Ye Mingzhu turned her head and looked at her, somewhat surprised.
In her imagination, Qin Xuefei should have been a delicate, beautiful, gentle, and kind woman, which is why she ended up with such an ending.
But the Qin Xuefei she met was dressed in a bright red dress. Her spirited eyebrows and eyes had a bright and infectious smile, and she looked very straightforward.
Yaqin noticed her surprise and explained in a low voice with a smile, "Although the Qin family is a scholarly family, Madam Qin comes from a military family, and her daughter, Miss Qin, is also very heroic."
Ye Mingzhu nodded, indicating that she understood.
Over the next few hours, she chatted with the ladies about clothes, jewelry, flower arranging, and tea, while keeping an eye on Qin Xuefei's movements from time to time.
When Qin Xuefei's clothes were wet by a maid in green, and she and her maid were about to change, she noticed that the maid was acting suspiciously and immediately realized that something was wrong.
...The plot of Qin Xuefei being ambushed, which was mentioned in the storybook, is very likely happening right now!
Ye Mingzhu made an excuse to change her clothes and followed Qin Xuefei from a distance.
From a great distance, she saw a male servant rush out from behind the artificial hill and knock Qin Xuefei's personal maid unconscious with a stick.
While Qin Xuefei was checking on the maid's injuries, the maid in green took out a cloth and covered her mouth and nose, then pushed the struggling maid into the lotus pond.
Ye Mingzhu was just wondering why Qin Xuefei, who didn't look weak, was so easily ambushed. It turns out she was drugged.
Almost immediately, a richly dressed playboy rushed out of the woods not far away, lifted his clothes and was about to jump into the water, but a scholar-looking man was faster and jumped into the water with a "plop".
Was that scholar Liu Pinliang?
Ye Mingzhu's heart leaped into her throat, and she quickly shouted, "Don't move! Neither of you should move, or you'll have ulterior motives!"
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