Wei Baozhu was as usual, polite and sensible, and took great care of others. Wei Laner's eyes occasionally showed a chill, but he concealed it well.
On the contrary, the maid behind Princess Yuanheng was holding a small box two feet square. I wonder if it was a gift prepared by the palace for Princess Deqing.
Following the guidance of the chamberlain, everyone walked onto the main road of Chonghua Palace. From a distance, they could already see the young girls walking in small groups to Zhangtai Palace.
Wei Lan'er asked Wei Jin'er in a low voice: "Sister, do we all have to speak in front of Princess Deqing one by one?"
Wei Jin'er smiled and shook her head: "The number of people in the capital who are qualified to be invited to the Youth Banquet is not too many, not too few. The wives of each family brought three or five daughters from their clans, and there was a large crowd. If the eldest princess of Deqing talks to each other one by one, she will not be tired at all. It is enough for everyone to pay their respects together. If the princess deliberately asks about someone or someone comes forward without giving instructions, there is no need to come forward. "
Naturally, the eldest princess of Deqing had to come as soon as possible. Everyone waited in Zhangtai Hall for a while before hearing the report from the chamberlain: "The eldest princess has arrived."
Everyone quickly straightened their expressions, stood aside quietly, and bowed in salute.
Then, a gentle yet dignified voice came: "Forgive me."
"Thank you, eldest princess."
The eldest princess is over sixty years old and has taken good care of herself. She looks like she is only forty or fifty years old, and her hair is only a few strands white.
Everyone stood up and saluted.
Princess Yuanheng nominally calls Princess Deqing the imperial aunt, but in fact the two of them have never met each other a few times, and of course there is no acquaintance or care.
At this time, the identity of Princess Yuanheng was just the eldest wife of the Wei family, and she could not attract the special attention of the eldest princess. Li Qingyi lowered his head and stood behind her, so he would not be noticed by the eldest princess.
On the contrary, many ladies around her looked at her frequently.
The princess glanced briefly and then smiled and said: "I always love liveliness. Looking at these fresh and tender little girls in front of me, I always feel that they are a bit more beautiful than the flowers outside. At this time every year, we all Please take time out to spend time with this old woman."
No one even dared to say so.
"Alright, let's gather at the Yunjing Terrace in front of us for the evening event. I've invited a few people to perform. You're in for a treat today. Now, let's go and play separately. Don't be restrained. .”
Next, it is time for free communication.
The eldest princess of Deqing said "casual" and seemed to be very talkative, but anyone who believed such polite words would be a fool.
The princess left a few familiar ladies from aristocratic families to talk, and everyone else left the Zhangtai Hall and dispersed in twos and threes to find their acquaintances.
Although Princess Yuanheng no longer has the support of the Queen Mother, she is still Wei Shicheng's official wife and the eldest wife of the Wei family, so she will not be left out in the cold. He gave the sisters a "keep yourself safe" look, and then went to talk to a few ladies.
Wei Jin'er pulled Li Qingyi affectionately: "Sister, let's go to Qushang Lake and have a look!"
Before Li Qingyi could answer, Wei Baozhu said, "Sister, do you want to go to the cultural gathering?"
Wei Baozhu always acted carefully, and he was afraid that Li Qingyi would not know what a cultural gathering was, so he turned to explain to her: "The cultural gathering is also an unwritten rule at the youth banquet. You can participate if you want. The female family members and the male guests will use Qu Shang There are lakes across the lake, and if there are good poems, servants will pass them back and forth in small boats, and finally they will be collected in one place and sent to the princess. If you win, you will get the lottery set by the princess."
The ladies who go to Beijing each have their own talents, and the gentlemen who are good at writing often use this to compare themselves with each other, and each time they are the most ugly.
Of course Li Qingyi knew about this and also knew that Wei Jin'er wanted to take the opportunity to promote her talent and fame, so he smiled and said: "Since sister Jin'er wants to go, let's go and have a look."
The main purpose of the Youth Banquet is to enjoy flowers, so the water pavilions and pavilions throughout the palace are decorated. Everywhere is a pleasant scene of elegance and joy. Everyone can rest and enjoy the scenery and talk.
The group arrived at Qushang Lake, and sure enough, many ladies were already there.
Opposite Qushang Lake, there are handsome young men dressed in brocade robes, and the voices of their eloquent talks are carried here by the wind from time to time.
The ladies and gentlemen looked at each other across the lake, vaguely visible, but not clearly visible, and there was a sense of interest out of thin air.
Li Qingyi followed Wei Jin'er and others into the water pavilion and attracted the attention of others.
It is true that Li Qingyi's appearance is so outstanding. Even if she did not pay attention to dressing up today, when she looked around, she seemed to be glowing from the inside out, and her face was radiant in every move she made.
"Jin'er, I wonder who this is?"
An acquaintance came forward to ask, and Wei Jin'er did not shy away from it, "This is Miss Li from Xuandehou Mansion."
"Xuandehou Mansion..."
The person who asked the question was startled for a moment, and then he remembered that there was a wealthy mansion in the capital that had been vacant for a long time and almost occupied the entire alley. Didn't there have a plaque of Xuande Hou Mansion hanging on it?
It's just that the Xuandehou Mansion has long been in decline, and there are only a few old servants taking care of the mansion. Why did such an outstanding Miss Li suddenly appear?
A few people in the crowd who knew the old affairs of Xuandehou Mansion could not help but exclaimed in low voice: "Could it be the Li family that Princess Yuanheng married back then?"
"Ah, then isn't she..."
Wei Jin'er held Li Qingyi's hand affectionately, without any hesitation, and then said the first half of the sentence, "She's my sister."
Almost everyone in the water pavilion was shocked by her words.
The Wei Mansion is now prosperous. As the mistress of the Wei family, Princess Yuanheng's past has been talked about by various governments, and the younger generations have also heard about the old events of the Li family.
Moreover, in the past few days, the capital was full of rumors that Princess Yuanheng was kowtowing and repenting at the Li family ancestral hall.
The past events of the Li family were dug up again and chewed over by everyone in the capital.
Many people are speculating on Princess Yuanheng's purpose of bringing Li Qingyi to the capital.
Nowadays, the legendary character suddenly appears in front of everyone, and everyone can't help but feel a sense of unreality.
Moreover, Miss Li, who followed Princess Yuanheng to Beijing and lived in the Wei family, seemed to have been treated politely and favorably by the Wei family!
Li Qingyi smiled and said very calmly, "Everyone, please be polite."
Seeing this, the little girls returned the favor.
Wei Jin'er suppressed the jealousy in her heart and said with a smile: "Sister, are you interested in participating in today's cultural gathering?"
Li Qingyi held Wei Jin'er in his arms, with a doting smile on his face that said, "If you are good to me, I will be better to you," and said, "Since my sister likes it, I will try it with you."
Wei Jin'er looked at Li Qingyi's expression and almost lost her composure, "Okay..."
Others around them couldn't hide their surprise when they saw the two of them being so close. They gathered together in twos and threes, pretending to write poems, but actually talking about the two of them.
"Every family has half-sisters, but I have never seen half-sisters. Is it possible that they can really be so close?"
"There are differences between half-sisters and full-blooded children. There is a rift between them from birth! It's the same for half-sisters. They came from the same mother's womb. They are both direct children, so they must be different."
"I can't see it. We're not the same father. We're not a family after all. We didn't grow up in the same place. How could we have such a good relationship? Besides, the children of the first wife and the step-brother are both legitimate children. Aren't they fighting fiercely?"
"We have only seen a woman who is not a mother. What does this woman look like if she is not a father? I really don't know..."
The little girls rubbed themselves in confusion.
Someone said: "Since Mr. Wei can accept Princess Yuanheng's remarriage to Li, he should also be able to accept the daughter she gave birth to before, right?"
"What you said is wrong. Miss Li doesn't care about being accepted by the Wei family, right? Her surname is Li, so she doesn't have to rely on the Wei family."
"Then the Li family has fallen to this point and does not rely on the Wei family. Why does she come to the Wei family?"
"Not necessarily. If you look at her rules and etiquette, she must be well-educated..."
