Chapter 40: Prince Residence’s Banquet

Early in the morning, the carriage from the Marquis of Changxing set off. Even if they went to the Prince Residence for a banquet, there was no reason to trouble Old Madam Chu. Thus, only Madam Zhao and Madam Yan went out, each bringing their daughters.

The Third Household’s wife was a concubine’s daughter-in-law and thus could only stay back on such occasions to serve Old Madam Chu. However, the Third Household had a daughter and in such an instance it would be deemed unreasonable to leave Sixth Young Lady behind. Thus, Madam Zhao took over Third Madam’s responsibility and brought Sixth Young Lady out and looked after her during the banquet.

They set off early in the morning and only arrived at Prince Huailing Residence when the sun was shining the brightest. There were maids waiting at the main doors and when they saw their horse carriage, they were greeted by a woman wearing a long crow blue robe, “Marchioness, Second Chu Madam, you have finally arrived!”

As a lady previously from the Marquis Residence, Chu Zhu naturally had to come out to greet the sisters-in-law of her maiden family. She was wearing a long red robe with a royal blue horse pleated skirt, while golden threaded hairpins adorned her head. She looked extremely high-spirited. Chu Jinyao alighted the carriage with the other sisters and stood quietly at the side, listening to Madam Zhao chatting with the people of the Prince Residence. After a while, some sedans were brought over and they were taken to the inner residence to chat.

The woman who was leading, looked very distinguished as she said, “Old princess consort and Princess Consort have been reminiscing about the Chu family Madams and are currently waiting at the main hall. TaiTai please do not rush to reminisce and instead talk in the room.”

Madam Zhao naturally complied and the woman from the Prince Residence pointed to the sedan chair and said, “The Chui Hua Doors is still a distance away from the hall and as the sun is shining very brightly, it is not good for Madam and Young Ladies to bask under it. Let us take the sedan chairs instead.”

After passing the Chui Hua Doors, it was the world of the Inner Residence. One had not expected that a sedan would be required to travel from here to where Princess Consort and Old princess consort were at. Chu Jinyao was somewhat shocked in her heart and saw that the other young ladies of the Chu family were no different. Even so, they were outside and thus refused to display their timidity and were carrying the image of the Residence of Marquis Changxing. As such, they did not have any expression as they went up to the sedan individually.

Madam Zhao and Madam Yan each had a sedan of their own. However, the young ladies obviously could not do so, therefore, two of them were seated in one. Chu Jinxian was already married and Second Young Lady was Madam Yan’s shu daughter, so for such a big event as coming to the Prince Residence for a banquet, Madam Yan used the excuse that Second Young Lady had to stay at home to embroider her dowry and declined it. In the end, among the younger generation, there were three young ladies from the Eldest Household, Third Young Lady, Chu Jinmiao, and Chu Jinyao, Madam Yan’s daughter, Seventh Young Lady and Third Household’s Sixth Young Lady. Eighth Young Lady was only six years old, so she was excluded for being too young.

Two of them sat together, and according to the sequencing, Chu Jinyao should sit with Sixth Young Lady. Chu Jinyao sat upright in the rickety sedan chairs and did not lift the curtain to look around. She had returned to the residence for half a year now and was used to such scenes of wealth and nobility.

There was not much space in the sedan chair and it would inevitably shake when walking; Chu Jinyao would bump into Sixth Young Lady’s knee from time to time. Sixth Young Lady was also sitting upright but did not speak. Third Madam had not come today, thus when everyone was chatting, they naturally skipped the topic of her mother as if there were only two Madams, Madam Zhao and Madam Yan, in Marquis Changxing Residence. Sixth Young Lady sat for a while before suddenly reaching out and covering the back of Chu Jinyao’s hands, “Fifth Older Sister, you did not forget what we spoke about the last time, right?”

As Chu Jinyao was not used to being touched by others and having her hands suddenly covered by another, she almost swatted Sixth Young Lady’s hands away. However, she endured and did not pull her hands out while speaking plainly, “Sixth Younger Sister do not think unnecessarily. We are in the sedan and do not know when it will stop. It is better not to talk for the time being.”

These words were ambiguous, neither agreeing nor refusing. Sixth Young Lady tilted her head and smiled towards Chu Jinyao before retracting her hands slowly. Even though she was still smiling on the surface, she was scoffing in her heart as she knew that benefits would move one’s heart and no one would be able to resist it.

During the rest of the journey, Chu Jinyao and Sixth Young Lady no longer spoke and just sat there relatively silent. It was fortunate that they soon arrived and the rough maids placed them down and called out, “Young Ladies, we have reached the hall.”

Chu Jinyao and Sixth Young Lady got up and bent down to exit the sedan. After waiting for everyone, Madam Zhao quickly shuttled through them to ensure that there was nothing improper on the Young Ladies before speaking, “Let’s go. Follow me to greet Old princess consort.”

There were already a lot of people sitting in the hall of the Prince Residence. Chu Jinyao followed behind Madam Zhao and smelled a strong warm fragrance as soon as she entered. Mixed with the scents of different powders from the females, it had become a recognisable symbol of a wealthy family. There were females on both sides, sitting and standing. Other than the masters of Prince Huailing Residences, there were maids serving Old Madam Chu and maids that were brought over by Madams and Young Ladies, inevitably making the room filled with women.

Chu Jinyao did not care to see who were the ones wearing bright colours and instead greeted Old princess consort with Madam Zhao. After the greetings were done, Old princess consort smiled and said, “I have long been looking forward to you all visiting me but it is a pity there was a delay in matters and could only be fulfilled now.”

Madam Zhao smiled and replied, “We too were looking forward to seeing Old princess consort, thus we came now.”

A married lady sitting by Old Madam Chu’s side suddenly asked, “Are these the Young Ladies of the Marquis residence?”

This married lady was around the age of thirty-seven or eight, with a fair and round face, wearing a bright red and gold robe, looking like a pampered noble Madam at first glance. With a head full of gems and gold hairpins and her bright red dress, not one person in the entire room was able to match her extravagances.

To dare to speak like this in front of Old princess consort and to dress like this, one did not need to think as this could be only one person… The matriarch of the Prince Huailing Residence, Princess Consort of Second Rank.

At this moment, Chu Jinyao gradually understood that even the usually flamboyant Chu Zhu dared not dress entirely in red on such occasions. Even though she wore a long red robe, she matched it with a sapphire blue skirt underneath. So it was to avoid clashing with Princess Consort.

Chu Jinyao knew she had shallow exposure as she had never seen what the Imperial arrogance of a Princess Consort and Princess looked like. Seeing Princess Consort of Second Rank today, Chu Jinyao felt that there were some gaps in her imagination, but nonetheless thought that it should be this noble.

When Princess Consort spoke, no one dared to take it lightly. Madam Zhao quickly responded, “It is them.” She then called their names individually and allowed them to come up to greet Princess Consort, also letting Princess Consort recognise their faces.

As to why there was a need to recognise their faces, everyone knew the obvious reason. After Princess Consort had seen them, she smiled and said, “They are all good Young Ladies. This is a first meeting gift to seek good fortune for the young ladies.”

The maids stepped forward and handed to Chu Jinyao and the rest a pouch. Chu Jinyao squeezed it after receiving it before handing it over to the maid behind, without any hesitation.

One could only say that life experiences were just this strange. With Chu Jinyao’s current family background, she did not take such a gift seriously.

Old princess consort watched as Princess Consort received the greetings and after seeing all of the young ladies, swept her eyes over everyone and suddenly stopped at Chu Jinyao, “This is Fifth Young Lady of the residence?”

The question that Old princess consort asked made everyone stunned. Chu Jinyao straightened her back and stepped forward as she greeted, “It is this junior. This junior greets Old princess consort.”

Old princess consort looked at Chu Jinyao and smiled as she nodded, “Good child. Not only one has a good appearance, but one’s personality is also good.”

All those gathered were tacitly aware of the intention behind this visit, but Old princess consort called Chu Jinyao out personally to inquire and was not stingy with her praises. In a short moment, a lot of eyes openly and discreetly fell on Chu Jinyao. However, Chu Jinyao continued to look calm and was not anxious or slow in the face of the many inquiring eyes.

Even Princess Consort was somewhat surprised when she saw this. Didn’t Deng Mama say that Fifth Young Lady was not raised by the elders and grew up lost among the common folk and was only found recently? In fact, Princess Consort had already noticed Chu Jinyao the moment she entered the room. This Young Lady had a striking appearance, thus she could almost confirm her identity at the first sighting of Chu Jinyao.

However, this not-really-genuine daughter of the Marquis Residence did not flinch when she entered the guest hall and upon receiving the first greeting gift did not look at it with curiosity or playfulness. What’s more, when she was pointed out, she was not overwhelmed by the favour nor showed arrogance, but instead looked as if she was used to the wealth. If Princess Consort did not know the truth and had seen this scene, perhaps she would have really thought that this was a Di-daughter that the Marquis family had pampered.

In addition to Princess Consort’s surprise, her impression of Chu Jinyao had also changed a lot. Princess Consort smiled and said, “Marquis Changxing Madam is truly fortunate. Eldest Young Lady of the Chu family is famous for her virtuous reputation. One did not expect that the second daughter would be outstanding, making one envious. It is unlike me who encountered two destined foes.”

County Princess Lin Baozhu, originally sat lazily and bored as she was used to such greetings of grandeur. However, when she heard Princess Consort’s words, she immediately pouted in dissatisfaction and exclaimed, “Mother, I am not satisfied with your words. Why am I a destined foe?”

Princess Consort pointed at County Princess and said, “Look, you dare to talk back to me and say that you are not a destined foe!” Even though she said so, there was not much anger in Princess Consort’s voice.

Annoyed, County Princess turned to look at Old princess consort to reason, making her laugh out loud, “Your mother is deliberately embarrassing you! You are the pearl in our Prince Residence. We cannot wait to dote on you, who would dare to provoke you?”

Only now was County Princess satisfied. Chu Zhu’s daughter, Lin Baohuan, could only sit at the side and be a foil on such an occasion. Even Chu Zhu could only stand at the side and laugh in accompaniment.

Upon seeing the treatment of County Princess, Chu Jinyao thought to herself that this was truly a pampered daughter of Heavens. Was it truly a good thing to be a study companion to such a Young Lady? However, Chu Jinyao remembered Old Madam Chu’s instructions before departing and sighed in her heart.

If the family clan had already made a decision, then it did not matter if it was a good thing or not, or if Chu Jinyao wanted it or not. Moreover, Chu Jinyao knew even more. If Old Madam Chu wanted to push Chu Jinyao to be the Heir Consort, then she not only had to live in the Prince Huailing Residence but also had to leave a good impression on the people in the Prince residence. Thus, County Princess’s attitude would be particularly important.

If one were to ask if Chu Jinyao liked Shizi, her reply would be no. If one were to ask if she wanted to give up on Old Madam Chu’s plan, Chu Jinyao would also reply no. In a female’s life, it was not up to one to decide when to be born, and when to get married; the honour and disgrace of one’s entire life was tied to others for a lifetime. Before marriage it was tied to one’s father, after marriage, it was tied to one’s husband. Competing for the husband’s favour and suppressing favoured concubines became the main purpose of the second half of the lives of most females. Chu Jinyao could not change her destiny. What she could do was walk as high as possible when she was reborn.

As for love… It was not important. Although she had no love for Shizi, this did not prevent her from obeying her family’s wishes and becoming the official wife of Shizi. If not, what else could she do?

Qi Ze’s face quickly appeared in front of Chu Jinyao but she quickly suppressed it. Qi Ze had left, even if he had not left, there would be nothing between them. From now on, they would be far apart like mountains and rivers, each would go on their separate ways. It was actually good that they did not meet again. Qi Ze was a brief and happy glimpse of her youth and afterwards, this secret would be forever buried in her heart. Other than herself, no one else would know.

Unknowingly, Chu Jinyao became sullen. Fortunately, her etiquette skills were not in vain. Even though she was distracted, she still maintained a gentle smile on her face, making Old Madam Chu feel very satisfied by the sight.

One could not help but say that elders liked daughters like Chu Jinyao who looked sweet at first sight. Old princess consort could not appreciate those appearances like a willow branch trembling in the wind nor those that would evoke pity.

There were a total of five young ladies that travelled over, but Chu Jinyao was the only one in the limelight. Chu Jinmiao clenched her fists secretly and turned to look at Chu Zhu seeking help.

Chu Zhu took advantage when no one was paying attention and shook her head at Chu Jinmiao to calm her down.

Old princess consort pulled Chu Jinyao over and after asking all the questions that she wanted to ask noticed the other young ladies behind. It was very rude to neglect guests, so Old Madam Chu’s smile remained unchanged and asked when she remembered the rumours of exchanging daughters, “Which one is Fourth Young Lady?”

Chu Jinmiao was overjoyed in her heart as she had never expected the turning point would arrive this quickly. She stepped forward and replied shyly, “It is me.”

Princess Consort also became interested and asked, “I have heard Momo Deng say that there is a talented young lady in the residence of Marquis Changxing. Is that you?”

Chu Jinmiao lowered her head and spoke humbly, “Momo has wrongly praised me.” However, she did not deny it with her words and obviously admitted that she was the most talented young lady of the Marquis residence.

Princess Consort smiled as she asked a few more questions and found that Chu Jinmiao answered smoothly. She then smiled at Old princess consort and said, “Mother, look at the young ladies of the Chu family, they are indeed well-taught and well-educated. If Zhu-er were half of them, I would be satisfied.”

Naturally, this made County Princess unhappy for a while. Chu Jinyao kept smiling while listening to the elders teasing. After a while, the elders seemed to want to chat about something and sent the younger generation out, “It would be mealtime in a while, so you all young ladies should go out and have a good time. We will call you when the meal is set up.”

Old princess consort had spoken, thus no one would dare disobey. Even County Princess stood up, bowed eagerly, and went out first. After County Princess left, the others then dared to move.

As soon as they left Old princess consort’s room, the young ladies naturally looked at County Princess as the leader. County Princess brought them to a small hall where they were able to see the flowers blooming through the windows. County Princess was not used to speaking in a roundabout manner and before everyone was seated, she ran over to Chu Jinyao and asked with arrogant innocence and a slightly raised head, “Are you the Marquis Residence’s young lady that was wrongly carried away?”