Chapter 979: Thrown Out
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Madam, all the guests are here.” Bi Zhu came in and reported.
Little Jiajia turned around and smiled brightly. “Auntie, in that case, let’s go over quickly.”
She was wearing a red dress embroidered with Ruyi and a short jacket of the same color. There was a snow fox fur collar around her neck. Her outfit made her face look even fairer and more ostentatious than usual.
Madam Li could only suppress her worries and leave the twins to the nanny to take care of them. She brought Little Jiajia to the banquet hall.
Although everyone knew that Madam Li wanted to find a match for her son using this banquet, they could not say it out loud. Coincidentally, there was a plum garden in the Duke’s residence and a greenhouse built beside it. Therefore, Madam Li was holding a banquet to admire plums. Not only could she admire the flowers, but she could also eat tea and chat in the greenhouse. It was quite convenient.
Madam Li was aware that she rarely went out and was not familiar with the families of those civil servants. In order to avoid an awkward silence, she specially invited a few madams she was familiar with, including Madam Xiao, who had many dealings with the Duke’s residence.
She thought that when everyone sat together and someone took the lead, the topic would naturally rise.
However, no matter how well she planned it, Little Jiajia was an unexpected variable.
Who was Little Jiajia? She was the most doted on princess in the Xuanyuan Kingdom. Even Emperor Chong’an had to treat her well. Because of her, the noble consort and her daughter, who were quite doted on, had suffered a setback and were still grounded.
No one dared to underestimate her.
The people present were not older than her. Even if they were older than her, no one dared to act impudently in front of her.
After this greeting, the scene turned cold.
With the self-proclaimed smooth-talking madam flattering her, Little Jiajia was indifferent. If anyone else wanted to speak again, they would have to consider it carefully.
Firstly, they were not familiar with each other, and the guests did not know the temperament of this foreign princess. They were afraid of saying something wrong and making her unhappy. Secondly, the age difference was too great, and they really had nothing in common to talk about.
After all, women only talked about children, husbands, or family matters. They couldn’t say this to Little Jiajia. They could just bypass her and talk to others, but with her status, who would dare to neglect her?
Thirdly, the princess had rejected Emperor Chong’an’s invitation to stay in Wanjing Garden at the palace banquet. The news that she was interested in Heir Song had long spread. These people had all come with the intention of forming a marriage alliance with the Duke’s Residence. When facing Little Jiajia, they felt a bit awkward. Even though the shovel was raised, no one dared to dig deeper.
It wasn’t just them, Madam Li was also feeling uneasy. She was not angry at Little Jiajia for standing here, but she felt guilty for no reason. It was a feeling that even she could not explain.
She kept calling Song Jingchen her hubby. It was only right for Madam Li to look for a daughter-in-law for her son, but she glanced at Little Jiajia beside her.
She still felt guilty.
Little Jiajia did not seem to sense that the atmosphere was off. She sat upright beside Madam Li and glanced around. When she noticed a certain yellow figure with her head lowered, her already tense face tensed up even more.
“Xiao Ruoshui, you actually didn’t say anything when we met yesterday. If I hadn’t asked Sister MO Yuan, I’d be unaware even after my husband had been snatched away!” she thought.
Xiao Ruoshui regretted it now. Apart from regret, she also felt guilty. Her mother had clearly told her that it was impossible for the Xiao and Song families to get married, but she refused to give up and insisted on following them.
Now, Jiajia would definitely see her and think that she was a traitor.
How could Auntie Li bring Jiajia over? With her around, it would be strange if this continued.
Madam Li expressed that she didn’t want to either!
Madam Xiao did not know how much her daughter was suffering. She had seen
Little Jiajia a few times when she went to the Xiao residence to look for Xiao Ruoshui. She was not as afraid of her as others. She smiled and tried to smooth things over. “On the way here, I saw that the plum blossoms bloomed even better this year than the last time I saw them. It’s a pity that we haven’t seen them for the past two years.”
“Oh my, Madam Xiao, it’s only been two years since you last saw it. This is the first time I’ve seen it. In the past, I only heard that there was a plum blossom forest planted in the Duke’s residence. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to come to the residence. Now that I’ve made this trip today, I can talk to someone in the future.”
Mrs. Xiao was speechless.
The corners of Little Jiajia’s mouth twitched. The person who spoke to her was probably brainless and liked to stand out. Look at what she said. Not only did it make people think that Madam Xiao was showing off her close relationship with the Bulwark Duke’s residence, but she also implied that the threshold of the residence was high.
She probably didn’t have that intention, but it sounded like that to people.
The madams, who had wanted to follow Madam Xiao’s lead, were at a loss for words. The greenhouse fell silent again.
The madam finally realized that she had said something wrong. She lowered her head and stopped talking.
Madam Li pursed her lips and smiled faintly. “It’s my fault. How about this? Take a look today and bring some back later. You can put them in a vase for a few days.”
“That’s good. I’m waiting for you to say that. Don’t regret it when the time comes,” Madam Xiao said with a smile.
The madams covered their mouths and laughed.
“It’s just a few plum blossoms. My heart won’t ache.” Madam Li sighed secretly.
“It’s boring for you girls to listen to us here. Don’t hold back. Go out and play. Help your mother pick them. If you see any plum blossoms you like, get a maidservant to help break them. Don’t hurt yourself.”
There were more than ten candidates in total. Apart from the initial greetings, she had never even spoken to them, let alone understood their personalities or anything else. If she sent them out like this, this competition could be considered to have ended without a hitch.
Those madams knew this, but the young ladies could not see through them. They were all children less than ten years old. Even though their mothers had mentioned it before they came, they could not help but heave a sigh of relief when they heard this. The atmosphere here was too oppressive.
“Thank you, Madam.”
With someone taking the lead, the other girls left the greenhouse in groups of two or three. Xiao Ruoshui also slipped into the crowd.
“They’re all good children.” Madam Li smiled and instructed Bi Zhu to take care of them. Then, she looked at Little Jiajia, who was sitting calmly at the side, and opened her mouth to say something.
Without waiting for her to speak, Little Jiajia stood up first. “I’ll help Auntie entertain them.’
The corners of Madam Li’s mouth twitched in tacit agreement.
Everyone quickly stood up and watched her leave. When she disappeared from everyone’s sight, they heaved a sigh of relief.
Madam Li sighed again. “I wasn’t a good host today.”
“There’s good tea to drink and flowers to admire. We can even break the plum branches and take them away later. We’re the ones who have taken advantage of your hospitality,” a madam sitting closer to Madam Li said with a smile.
“Sister Shen is right. We usually don’t have a moment of leisure in the back residence. It’s rare for us to hide here for half a day. Madam, don’t mind us being noisy.”
“That’s right.”
As expected, without Little Jiajia around, the atmosphere in the greenhouse became much lighter. Everyone talked about the children and the interesting things they usually heard. Time passed quickly.
However, as they chatted, someone realized that something was wrong. Originally, the laughter of the girls outside could be heard from time to time, but at some point, it could no longer be heard.
Madam Li also sensed this and was about to send a maidservant to take a look when MO Yuan entered through the curtain.
Everyone recognized that she was the princess’s maidservant and their hearts skipped a beat.
“Madams, my princess asked me to come and say that she’s brought the ladies to the Qinghui Garden to play. Madams, don’t worry.”
With that, MO Yuan turned around and left without waiting for anyone to react.
“Qinghui Garden?” Madam Xiao asked.
Madam Li held her forehead. “The courtyard where the princess is temporarily staying.”
“What does the princess want to do?”
The person who asked this turned pale. Her daughter was inside.
Madam Li had spent some time with Little Jiajia and more or less understood her. She comforted her, ‘Madam Liu, don’t worry. The princess is just a little playful. She definitely doesn’t have such bad intentions.”
Madam Xiao also said, “Indeed. I’ve seen the princess a few times. She’s a little girl who’s been doted on since she was young. Although she has a temper, she’s still a good child who knows her limits.”
Madam Xiao really felt that Little Jiajia was good. Every time that girl came to look for Ruoshui, she would greet her first. She didn’t put on any airs at all. She would even personally send Ruoshui back.
In the past, her daughter had been wild when she went out to play. How could she remember to bring her anything? She had only been following the princess these few days. Every time she returned, she would either bring snacks or food. This change naturally had something to do with the princess.
If not for that, she would not have let Ruoshui go out with the princess every time. Moreover, the princess had even helped Ruoshui get a spot to go to the palace school.
As for why the princess would be like this today, Madam Xiao could more or less guess the reason.
It was all because of Heir Song.
Since the Duchess and Madam Xiao had spoken, no one could do anything about it.
With this in mind, everyone could not help but be a little distracted.
About an hour later, a maidservant hurriedly ran in. “Madam, something bad has happened. The princess got someone to throw Eldest Miss Shen out of the residence..”
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