By the time she finally finished getting ready, Ji Yunshu was almost numb.
She wore a scarlet gold-woven scattered-flower skirt paired with a full set of red jadeite jewelry, which further enhanced her face, making her look as radiant as the morning glow, dazzling and brilliant.
Mama Li was extremely satisfied. “Our Madam will surely be the most beautiful of all the guests. We must let those people know that for someone to have failed to marry you, it was because he was blind.”
It was clear that while Mama Li usually kept her mouth shut, her heart harbored deep resentment toward Zhao Heng’s actions.
Ji Yunshu said with a grin, “You’re right, it’s his lack of fortune.”
If Zhao Heng had chosen not to marry her and lived a good life with Yao Ruolan, that would be one thing. But looking at things now, wasn’t it exactly a lack of fortune?
She wondered what kind of result all this tossing and turning would eventually lead to.
Ji Yunshu had managed to convince Zhao Shen to go with her. Zhao Shen had been unwilling at first; though he had occasionally left the manor over the years, he had never attended another family’s banquet.
But Ji Yunshu insisted. She felt that Zhao Shen staying in his courtyard all the time was detrimental to his physical and mental health.
Seeing that she truly didn’t care at all about him making her lose face, Zhao Shen agreed.
In any case, even if he didn’t go, people would still mock her for marrying a disabled man. It was better to appear openly.
When Madam Yao heard that Zhao Shen was also going to the banquet, she knew he wanted to support Ji Yunshu, and her heart felt an indescribable complexity.
Marquis Zhao, however, was very happy. He felt that marrying this daughter-in-law into the family was truly the right choice; his son was finally able to take this step.
The madams and several young misses from the Second and Third Branches were all going together.
A banquet at the Princess Manor gathered almost all the powerful and noble figures in the capital.
For the young girls, it was not only a rare opportunity to go out but also a prime time to showcase themselves to everyone.
Perhaps they would catch the eye of some family’s matriarch, and their marriage prospects would be settled.
Zhao Fu, the legitimate daughter of the Second Branch, reached the age of hair-pinning this year. Zhao Fei, the legitimate daughter of the Third Branch, was thirteen, and the concubine-born daughter, Zhao Xuan, was fourteen. None of them were betrothed yet.
Therefore, the madams of both branches were exceptionally attentive, dressing the young girls beautifully.
When Zhao Fu saw Ji Yunshu, she greeted her warmly, “Eldest Sister-in-law is here. This outfit is truly beautiful.”
Because Zhao Fu had previously made a special trip to remind her to visit Madam Yao during her illness, Ji Yunshu remembered her kindness. Besides, it was never a bad thing to have a good relationship with her sister-in-law.
She deliberately teased, “Does that mean I’m not beautiful on ordinary days?”
“Eldest Sister-in-law is beautiful all the time, but you are exceptionally beautiful today,” Zhao Fu said, blinking mischievously.
Ji Yunshu laughed. “Our Eldest Miss truly has a sweet tongue.”
With the two of them joking around like this, the remaining two young girls were no longer as distant toward Ji Yunshu.
The Marquis’s residence was not far from the Princess Manor; it took only a little over fifteen minutes by carriage to arrive.
Worried that Zhao Shen would be uncomfortable in crowded places, Ji Yunshu went to help push his wheelchair herself.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Heng actually took over the task voluntarily, looking after Zhao Shen with great care.
He even said to Ji Yunshu, “Sister-in-law, rest assured, I will take good care of Eldest Brother.”
His expression was peaceful, without a hint of resentment, as if the conflicts between them had never happened.
Truly, one should be amazed at how much a person can change in a few days. The male protagonist’s growth rate was truly extraordinary.
Ji Yunshu couldn’t exactly say: “It’s precisely because you’re here that I’m worried.”
She said graciously, “Then I thank Second Brother.”
After saying that, she instructed Jingzhe, who was following beside Zhao Shen, “There are many people at the banquet and eyes are everywhere. You should also be more attentive; don’t rely on the Second Young Master for everything.”
Jingzhe quickly responded in agreement.
Seeing Madam Yao waiting for her nearby, Zhao Shen urged, “Alright, go on. I’ll be fine.”
Only then did Ji Yunshu walk toward Madam Yao.
In front of everyone, Madam Yao was naturally an excellent mother-in-law. After waiting for so long, she didn’t show the slightest dissatisfaction, teasing Ji Yunshu, “It’s clear that Shen Ge’er married well; someone finally cares for him.”
Ji Yunshu feigned shyness and said, “Mother, what are you saying? He doesn’t like going out usually, so I just gave a few more reminders.”
As her voice fell, she heard someone nearby say, “Young wives are thin-skinned, how can they stand being teased? Since you’re here, why are you blocking the entrance? Hurry in.”
Ji Yunshu looked up and saw a beautifully dressed middle-aged woman standing at the entrance, smiling as she greeted them.
It was actually Taining Chang Gongzhu herself coming out to welcome them.
Noticing Madam Yao’s hand tightening around her handkerchief, Ji Yunshu narrowed her eyes.
Come to think of it, Taining Chang Gongzhu and Yong Wang were born of the same mother.
So, whether this honor was given to the Changxing Houfu or to Madam Yao herself was hard to say.
Madam Yao reacted extremely quickly, almost immediately loosening the handkerchief in her hand. She stepped forward and bowed respectfully, “How could we deserve the Princess coming out to meet us personally? You are the guest of honor today; it should be us going in to pay our respects.”
The Princess personally helped her up, her tone affectionate. “I’m not eighty or ninety years old yet; why call me a ‘guest of honor’? This isn’t a milestone birthday either. It’s just that I was bored and held a banquet so everyone could have some fun.”
The two of them talked as they walked inside.
Ji Yunshu and the others followed behind.
Seeing her looking at the backs of the Princess and Madam Yao as if deep in thought, Zhao Fu whispered beside her, “Eldest Sister-in-law might not know, but before Madam married, she served as the Princess’s study companion. Later, even though things happened with the Yao family, the Princess’s relationship with Madam has always been very good.”
Ji Yunshu really didn’t know about this.
However, this explained how Madam Yao and Yong Wang knew each other.
“So that’s how it is. I was wondering why someone like the Princess would personally come to welcome us.”
Zhao Fu laughed. “The rest of us are one thing, but Sister-in-law, you grew up by the Empress Dowager’s side. What kind of grand scenes haven’t you seen? What does this count for?”
Ji Yunshu said nonchalantly, “That’s different. The Princess is respectful to the Empress Dowager, but she isn’t necessarily this affectionate.”
Zhao Fu didn’t think much of it. “They were childhood confidantes, so their bond naturally isn’t something others can compare to. I heard my mother say that back when Madam was giving birth to Second Brother, the Princess personally came to our residence to visit and was worried sick.”
Ji Yunshu sighed inwardly; Marquis Zhao was truly an honest, simple man.
After entering the Princess Manor, Ji Yunshu went with the other girls to pay their respects to the Princess and a circle of elders before withdrawing.
The young girls all had their own circles of friends, and before long, they were chatting intimately in groups of two or three.
Ji Yunshu sat to the side to admire the flowers.
Just as she was feeling bored, she heard a voice ring out by her ear: “Isn’t this the Eldest Miss Ji? Oh, wait, that’s not right. You are now the Shizi Furen of the Changxing Houfu. Why are you sitting here all alone? Are you too embarrassed to see anyone?”
Ji Yunshu looked up and saw a girl in a pale yellow ruqun standing not far away, covering her mouth with a handkerchief and giggling after she spoke.
“Why would I be embarrassed to see anyone?”
Ji Yunshu had expected people to gossip about her at today’s banquet, but she truly hadn’t expected someone to dance right in front of her face.
However, thinking of the visitor’s identity, she felt it was normal.
The one speaking was the legitimate daughter of the Prince of Lin’an’s residence, Xiao Yue.
The original owner’s arch-rival.
The two had disliked each other since childhood. Xiao Yue disliked Ji Yunshu for being arrogant and domineering, relying on the Empress Dowager’s favor to look down on a noblewoman of the imperial clan like herself.
Ji Yunshu, in turn, couldn’t stand her thinking her status was so noble that her eyes were on top of her head.
The two would argue almost every time they met.
Later, Xiao Yue went to the palace less often, and they were only at peace because they didn’t see each other.
Now that everyone saw the two of them clashing, people began to gather around intentionally or unintentionally, just waiting to watch the drama unfold.