The people present here are all ladies from well-known families who pay attention to etiquette and manners. Naturally, they cannot show too much curiosity. At most, they just look at the two of them from the corner of their eyes while chatting.
This look made everyone secretly amazed.
Gu Xiyu is wearing a light green dress, and her skin is as white as snow. Her eyes are as faint as two pools of water, and her lips are as red as petals. Her beauty is exquisite and flawless. And Ye Qinglan is wearing a pink dress today, with a smile on her lips and eyes that are as full as a flower. The orchids in bud are indescribably beautiful and moving.
The two girls sit side by side, each with their own charm, but equally unable to take their eyes off them.
And having Shen Qiuyu dressed up in all her makeup is really pleasing to the eye.
In fact, not only men love to see beauties, but women also love to see them. Especially those who are so beautiful that no one can feel jealous. What's more, most of the female relatives who came to the banquet today are in their thirties or forties. Middle-aged women are very self-aware and stop competing with each other. Then they are in the mood to appreciate beauties.
However, there are also two middle-aged ladies with very subtle moods.
One of them is Ma. She fell in love with Ye Qinglan that day and wanted to marry a beautiful and smart daughter-in-law for her sickly young son. She never expected that before she even wrote her horoscope, she heard the news that Queen Gu summoned Ye Qinglan to the palace. .
After receiving the message from Mr. Then, Mrs. Zheng revealed her intention to get married in public. Ma finally gave up completely.
No matter how courageous she was, she did not dare to compete with Duke Dingguo, so she could only reluctantly give up the marriage and choose one of the two original candidates to be her daughter-in-law.
But now, seeing Ye Qinglan smiling in front of her eyes, the unhappiness and anger that Ma had suppressed in her heart welled up like spring water...
Another person with a subtle mood was Mrs. Wang, the Minister of Civil Affairs. She chatted with Mr. Mo casually, but in fact she had been paying attention to Gu Xiyu's every move from the corner of her eye.
I saw Gu Xiyu sitting there quietly, with her hands naturally placed on her knees. Although she didn't speak from the beginning to the end, her expression was calm and composed. How could she be said to be "different from ordinary people"?
Wang murmured secretly in her heart, and couldn't help but feel a little regretful. If she had known this, she should have met Gu Xiyu that day before making any plans...
She didn't give birth to Xie Peng until she was twenty-five years old, so naturally she loved her very much. Basically, she gave Xie Peng whatever he wanted. He was never willing to lift a finger. This time, Xie Peng made a fuss about marrying Gu Xiyu. , but she disagreed life and death. In the final analysis, it was all for the sake of her son. The only son of the Xie family could not marry a girl who screamed and cried when she saw a stranger!
Therefore, Wang was very cruel. No matter how much trouble Xie Peng made, he would never give in. For this reason, he gave Xie Peng a good beating and was imprisoned in the house for three months.
But when she saw Gu Xiyu today, Wang realized how unreliable the rumors were. Apart from being silent and speaking less, Gu Xiyu was just like an ordinary girl. Where did such beauty, such family background, and such temperament come from? In all aspects, they are worthy of Xie Peng...
But everyone knows that she banned Xie Peng. If she changes her attitude at this time and goes to the Dingguo Palace to propose marriage, wouldn't it become a joke? What's more, the Dingguo Palace is not a good place either. Xiangyu. After hearing such rumors, how could he possibly agree to Xie's marriage proposal?
The more Ms. Wang thought about it, the more upset she became, but she couldn't show it on her face and continued to talk to everyone as if nothing had happened.
At this moment, the young woman sitting next to Shen Qiuyu said with a smile: "Today is Concubine Shen's birthday, and I don't have much to offer. I offer this coral in the hope that Concubine Shen will accept it." !" After saying that, he winked at the maid behind him. The maid came out holding a long and heavy brocade box.
As soon as the brocade box was opened, a coral tree about three feet high was seen lying quietly in the brocade box. The coral was crystal clear and shining with a dazzling light. It was obviously of top quality. The female relatives present all knew the goods, and they immediately Full of praise.
Shen Qiuyu thanked him with a smile and ordered others to receive the congratulatory gift.
The young woman started, and the other female relatives also sent congratulatory gifts one by one. In fact, generally speaking, congratulatory gifts are packed in boxes and attached with gift lists. The congratulatory gifts are displayed in public like today. Yes, it was a very casual and intimate act. Fortunately, most of the female relatives here had close contacts with the Prince's Mansion, so they didn't take it seriously.
Everyone knew that the Crown Prince doted on Concubine Shen alone, and even held a birthday banquet specially for her. Such behavior actually had the meaning of bringing Concubine Shen and the Crown Princess together. Therefore, the gifts prepared by everyone were naturally very expensive. This When the gifts were displayed, there was a sense of comparison. All kinds of precious and rare objects were displayed in front of everyone.
Mo's smile did not diminish, but her eyes were slightly cold. She glanced at the young woman intentionally or unintentionally. This woman's surname was Feng, and her husband's position was not high, he was only a fifth-rank Hanlin scholar. It was just because Feng and Shen Qiuyu had a good relationship. , that’s why I was invited to the banquet. Feng was the first to send a congratulatory gift, which was obviously intentional. Maybe Shen Qiuyu secretly instructed...
If the gift that Ye Qinglan brought out later was too ordinary, today would be a huge embarrassment in front of everyone.
But Ye Qinglan seemed very calm - anyone who brought the best jade as a gift would have such confidence. Shen Qiuyu wanted to embarrass her, but she was destined to be unable to do so!
Soon it was Gu Xiyu's turn.
Although Gu Xiyu didn't see Shen Qiuyu's intentions, she vaguely sensed something was wrong. Before sending the congratulatory gift, she smiled and said: "Cousin Lan and I prepared a congratulatory gift for Concubine Shen. I hope Shen Concubine Concubine likes it."
Ye Qinglan felt warm in her heart and glanced at Gu Xiyu with a smile.
Shen Qiuyu wanted Ye Qinglan to make a fool of herself, so she naturally refused to let it go and quietly winked at Mrs. Feng. Mrs. Feng immediately understood and opened her mouth with a smile: "Miss Gu is joking. Today is Concubine Shen. It’s my birthday, Miss Ye Shi must have prepared gifts for you! Why don’t you bring them out soon to open our eyes?”
At this time, not to mention the Mo family, even all the female relatives saw signs that something was wrong. This was not an eye-opener, it was clearly to make Ye Qinglan look embarrassed! Ye Qinglan's identity as a concubine was there, how could it be possible? Can you get a decent gift?
Gu Xiyu's white and tender cheeks were slightly red, and a trace of anger flashed in her eyes. Just as she was about to say something, she heard Ye Qinglan smile slightly and say: "I did prepare a small gift to make everyone laugh."
A trace of pride flashed in Feng's eyes, and she deliberately covered her mouth and smiled: "It doesn't matter whether the gift is expensive or not, what matters is the intention. Even if Miss Ye Shi sends a square handkerchief, Concubine Shen will be very happy."
When Feng made fun of Ye Qinglan, Shen Qiuyu just smiled and listened, showing no intention of trying to save the situation.
Mr. Mo coughed and laughed, "Mrs. Feng's words today are really humorous. However, it is true that etiquette is more important than courtesy."
Feng didn't expect that Mo would actually help Ye Qinglan. She was startled and glanced at Shen Qiuyu subconsciously. Shen Qiuyu frowned slightly, then smiled nonchalantly and said: "What the Crown Princess said was... When the Crown Princess said this, I really became curious."
With Mo and Shen Qiuyu being such a couple, no one would be wise to speak at this time. If you accidentally offend one of them, you will lose more than you gain.
As a result, everyone's attention focused on Ye Qinglan. What gift did she prepare today?
Gu Xiyu was the only one who was really worried about Ye Qinglan and looked over with a worried look.
Ye Qinglan smiled reassuringly, and then winked at Ruomei behind him. Ruomei presented the brocade box in her hand. The exquisite brocade box immediately attracted everyone's attention when it appeared.
The materials used are exquisite and the workmanship is exquisite, and it is inlaid with many fine gems. This brocade box alone is worth a lot of money. The gifts placed in such a brocade box will not be too bad...
Ye Qinglan's gentle and soft voice sounded: "This brocade box contains a piece of jade. Concubine Shen may like a bracelet or make it into a jade hairpin."
Before she finished speaking, Ruomei carefully opened the brocade box.
As soon as the brocade box was opened, the clear and shiny jadeite appeared in front of everyone's eyes. Even the most inexperienced person could tell that this piece of jadeite was absolutely extraordinary.
Feng, who was waiting to see the joke, suddenly became speechless.
Shen Qiuyu smiled slightly.
Mo's eyes lit up, and the corners of his lips suddenly raised, pretending to be surprised: "This is a rare high-grade jadeite! The most rare thing is that this piece of jadeite is flawless. If it is made into a bracelet, it will be very beautiful." After saying that, he looked at Shen Qiuyu with a smile: "Concubine Shen got such a good piece of jade, it is really enviable."
Shen Qiuyu gritted his teeth secretly, but a slightly surprised smile appeared on his face: "I really didn't expect that cousin Lan would be willing to give me such a good jadeite as a gift. Thank you very much, cousin Lan."
Only then did everyone react and immediately laughed and agreed. This piece of jade directly outshone all the previous gifts. It was obvious that Ye Qinglan came well prepared!
The only ugly person was naturally the taunting and provocative Feng.
Feng looked at the piece of jade and felt her face burning. It was really embarrassing today in front of so many people...
Didn't you say that Ye Qinglan was an unloved concubine? How could she give such a congratulatory gift?
Ye Qinglan was in the limelight, but she did not pursue the victory.
On an occasion like today, it would be really ugly to have such a tense situation. It would be unsightly to alarm the prince. Anyway, everyone knows very well that in this round, they have won the glory and beauty!
I just don’t know if Shen Qiuyu has any other options...
---------------
Today is the third update of `(*n_n*)′ to celebrate. This is the second update. There will be another update at 6pm~ (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation. Monthly tickets and your support are my biggest motivation.)
