jdhmnovel Chapter 161: Dinner at Prince Ning's Mansion
Chapter 161: Dinner at Prince Ning's Mansion
Since arriving in the capital, Yuxiu and Cui no longer concealed their looks. Now Cui's complexion is fair and translucent. This morning she put on some light makeup and matched it with some simple jewelry. She gave people a pure and elegant temperament.
Xu Qinghe's eyes widened when he saw Cui. After being dressed like this, there was no trace of the sad-looking, skinny woman in Xujia Village.
If someone who doesn't know the truth saw her, they would definitely think she was the legitimate daughter of some noble family. Her every frown and smile would make people unable to take their eyes off her.
Looking at Yuxiu who was following her, she had grown a lot after these days of recuperation. She was like a slightly blooming lotus, fresh and elegant. There was a casual and unrestrained look between her eyebrows, which made her even more mysterious and eye-catching.
Yu Erniu had already driven the carriage to the outside of the mansion and was waiting. Xu Qinghe helped his wife and daughter into the carriage, and then he sat in as well.
Anyway, there are only three people in their family now, and there are not so many rules of wealthy families. It is more natural to be more casual.
There was another carriage behind, driven by Zhang Dazhu, with Zisu and Qingdai following behind.
Thinking that he would meet his biological mother soon, Xu Qinghe still felt a little awkward and nervous.
When the old lady was ill, he stayed by her bedside for quite some time, listening to her chattering. At that time, he felt only bitterness and pity for her.
But now that they meet again, they both know each other's identities, and it seems impossible to be as natural as before.
"It's not appropriate to make this matter public right now. We'll just go and pay our respects to the old lady. As for other things, it's not appropriate to say too much with so many people coming and going."
Seeing Xu Qinghe's complicated expression, Cui patted his arm and said soothingly:
"We will hold a housewarming party in a few days and invite the old lady over. The two families can visit each other. There is still a lot of time in the future..."
In fact, Cui Shi has received quite a few invitations in the past few days. Some want to visit her, some invite them to be guests, and some come to ask for medical advice...
However, they had just arrived and didn't know what the situation in the capital was like, so she declined all of them, saying that she was tired from traveling all the way and her health was not feeling well now. She needed to concentrate on her pregnancy and would talk about other things later.
Anyway, given her current status, those people should be prepared to be rejected. After all, they are all respectable people, so they won't pester her.
"I... just don't know how to face it..."
A few days ago, the old lady was so sick that she was confused, and she insisted that he call her mother. Although he felt uncomfortable at the time, he still called her a few times with pity in his heart. Now she suddenly became his real mother, and he couldn't call her that anymore.
"Dad, don't think too much. Anyway, only our family knows about this. We are here as a guest anyway. There's nothing to be awkward about. Just be open and honest."
In fact, Yuxiu had already thought of it. Since her father looked very similar to Prince Ning, it would definitely arouse some people's suspicion today.
But that was not a big deal. They were not afraid as they did not steal or rob. Even if someone guessed something, it would not be the Xu family who would be embarrassed.
The carriage was running very smoothly. With the sound of "da da da..." of horse hooves hitting the bluestone floor, Xu Qinghe's emotions quickly stabilized.
That's right. The third master of Prince Ning's Mansion, with his pointed face and monkey cheeks, is no match for me. If others want to see him, let them see him. It would be best if someone could dig up what happened back then so that he can trace his roots. That would be a good thing.
After Xu Qinghe came to his senses, his frown relaxed and he gave Yuxiu and Cui a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, I'm a grown man, what can possibly happen to me? But you guys should be more careful when you enter the backyard."
When he lived in Prince Ning's Mansion, he listened to the maids and servants talk about the love, hatred and grudges between the women in the wealthy families. Naturally, he was still frightened and his scalp tingled just thinking about it.
"Master, we have arrived at Prince Ning's Mansion."
They had just chatted for a few minutes when they heard Yu Erniu's report from outside.
Then the carriage slowly stopped, and a servant came outside to greet the guests. Seeing that it was Xu Qinghe's family, he quickly asked someone to trot in to report.
"Please come this way, everyone. We have all been waiting for a long time, and finally someone is here."
The one who came to greet them was the Second Lady. She was also dressed up new today. Perhaps because she didn't have to worry about the old lady's illness these days, her complexion looked much better, and her eyes were full of smiles.
Xu Qinghe simply bowed to her and was taken to the front hall by the old housekeeper. Cui led Yuxiu to follow the second lady, and they walked to the backyard politely to each other.
As soon as she entered the front yard, Yuxiu heard a very festive laughter, as if there was a stage and a woman was singing in a long and melodious voice.
Sure enough, when they turned around a moon gate, they saw a tall stage set up on the open space in the backyard. There were two women in red and green on it, gesticulating and singing with great devotion.
There were already many people sitting in the audience, and at a glance, everywhere were the wives of officials dressed in rich and gorgeous clothes.
The old princess was surrounded by a group of old ladies at the front. Everyone was watching the show while covering their mouths and whispering to each other. From time to time, young women came over to greet them. It was really lively.
"Ms. Cui and Miss Xu, please come this way..."
Seeing that the seat in front of the old lady was already crowded, Yuxiu and Cui were thinking of finding a random seat and then going to pay their respects to the old lady when there were fewer people around, but they were stopped by the Second Madam.
Her voice was quite loud, and when she shouted out in this loud voice, all the ladies in the yard turned their heads and looked over.
There was no secret among these people. Everyone already knew that Cui's disciple from the Divine Doctor Sect would be coming to the banquet today.
Especially the elderly ladies, their eyes were sparkling when they looked at Yuxiu and Cui.
"Madam Cui, girl Yuxiu, come and sit over here."
The scene fell into silence for a moment. The old princess laughed a few times, then stood up and asked them to sit in the two empty seats next to her.
"Greetings to the old lady, and to all the ladies..."
Cui did not say anything polite. She brought Yuxiu forward, bowed to the old princess, nodded to the other old ladies, and then followed the old princess's hand and sat down next to her.
"Oh, I was wondering why grandma didn't allow us to sit there just now. It turns out that it was reserved for Miss Cui and Miss..."
A very gentle-looking woman came over with a smile and bowed to Cui with gratitude.