No one knew what Song was laughing about; they simply assumed she was unfazed by praise or criticism.
However, Lady Yuan, the wife of the Minister of Justice, was also present when Wuyi Lane sent housewarming gifts to Liuzheng.
Looking at Song Shi, he couldn’t stand her at all.
However, mindful of his status, he didn’t say anything, only maintaining a smile and chatting with the other ladies.
For the princess’s birthday, only female relatives were invited. A garden full of women naturally provided plenty of topics for conversation.
But most of the conversations revolved around the guzheng (a type of Chinese zither).
“General Zhaoyong is coming too? We can finally see him in person.”
“I’ve long wanted to meet this ‘model woman’ whom His Majesty has personally praised.”
“Keep your voice down. Didn’t you see that the Princess was a little unhappy just now? It’s the Princess’s birthday, and you’re even late.”
Fewer people are talking about Liuzheng now.
Someone whispered about the eldest princess again.
“Look, nowadays it’s fashionable in the capital to wear green vines, but today, not a single woman in the garden is wearing one.”
“You dare to mention that the Princess is obsessed with green ivy. Last time she held a spring banquet, a woman wore the same style of silk dress as the Princess. Because she was young and beautiful, she overshadowed the Princess. The Princess’s expression was not good at the time, and not long after, that woman was found drowned in her own pond.”
“Was this done by the eldest princess?”
“Who knows… Anyway, it’s always better to be careful.”
The two whispered to each other, but because they were very close to the Song family and the Song family was in a windy spot, they heard every word of their conversation.
The smile on Song’s lips deepened even further.
She came today with two plans in mind.
First, he made Liuzheng the target of everyone’s scorn and the princess’s disgust.
If she could use the Princess’s influence to make Liuzheng suffer a setback, and then use the jujube cake she sent that day to ruin Liuzheng’s reputation, she could force Liuzheng to resign from her post and promote her eldest son to the position.
There is no reason for a woman to hold office in this world. If Liuzheng were to voluntarily resign and step down, His Majesty would surely be pleased.
Therefore, she had Yun’er prepare a complete set of large brocade fabric with green vines and emerald earrings, which she then had the scholar’s wife present to the princess.
First, it was confirmed that the eldest princess would wear this outfit to the banquet, and then Liuzheng was given a similar-style brocade green straight dress to wear to the banquet as well.
The plan was flawless.
Of course, if the eldest princess is magnanimous and doesn’t hold this against her;
Liuzheng was lucky again and won the favor of the eldest princess, which was fine.
This is a good opportunity to get the Princess to bestow medicine upon her Yun’er.
In short, whatever the situation, it will benefit the Song family.
She was in a great mood.
He didn’t mind being ignored at all, and continued to chat and laugh with the top scholar’s wife.
Because of her close personal relationship with the Princess, the top scholar’s wife was not afraid of being implicated by the Song family.
It’s common for the eldest princess to ignore people just because of a single sentence that displeases her.
She was Emperor Jingyuan’s only younger sister. The other princesses were not born to the former empress dowager, so no matter how willful they were, Emperor Jingyuan would protect them, and they were used to being willful.
Tea and snacks were served quickly.
They were all in the style of the palace, exquisite and delicious.
Although it was summer, ice was placed in the garden, and a cool breeze caressed their faces, making the women feel happy.
Just then, a servant came to report.
“General Zhaoyong has arrived.”
The princess slightly raised her eyelids: “Bring General Ruan here.”
Mr. Song was very excited.
It’s finally here.
To prevent her emotions from showing, she deliberately didn’t look up, only staring at her embroidered shoes.
But it felt like everything around me had become noticeably quieter.
I suppose it was because of Liuzheng’s green silk dress.
She pursed her lips slightly, restraining the corners of her mouth from turning up.
However, the crowd did quiet down because of Liuzheng, not because of that green silk dress.
The eldest princess and the other women looked up and saw Liuzheng dressed in a light blue satin jacket with a bellflower design, as delicate and graceful as a lotus flower in a lake, elegant and serene.
Song was extremely beautiful when she was young, and Madam Ruan was also famous for her beauty. Liuzheng combined their looks perfectly and was even more outstanding.
Moreover, she was naturally fair-skinned and not easily tanned; even after nine years at the border, her skin color did not change much.
For a moment, everyone was stunned.
Even Princess Huishu was stunned for a long time.
Logically speaking, she doesn’t like being overshadowed or having her limelight stolen, but Liuzheng wasn’t wearing any makeup, which means she wasn’t intentionally trying to outshine her.
The person at the Spring Banquet had clearly dressed up meticulously.
The two were completely different, therefore, the eldest princess did not feel angry.
I was just surprised that Liuzheng was so good-looking.
She assumed that someone who had fought their way out of the piles of corpses at the border must be as burly as a man, and as for appearance, needless to say, could not possibly be a beauty.
The praise from the people is probably embellished because she protected her country.
Unexpectedly, upon meeting her in person today, I found that she was just as everyone on the street had said General Zhaoyong was as beautiful as a celestial being.
“Liuzheng greets the Princess and wishes her abundant blessings and good health year after year.”
Liuzheng performed a half-bow with a steady hand, her face full of genuine celebration.
Although the eldest princess had no interest in Liuzheng’s stunning appearance, she was still dissatisfied because Liuzheng was “delayed by something”.
She nodded slightly: “Rise, please take a seat.”
Such calmness greatly surprised Madam Song, who had been looking down at the embroidered shoes.
Between her two plans, she hoped the former would fulfill her wish rather than the latter giving medicine to Ruan Yunzheng.
After all, although she loved her adopted daughter, she doted on her son even more.
After the incident at the small Buddhist hall, she wished Liuzheng would die immediately so that her son could take Liuzheng’s place in military merit.
His Majesty cannot ignore the military achievements Liuzheng made during her lifetime just because she is dead.
They will surely compensate the Ruan family in other ways.
Most likely, Changzheng will take over Liuzheng’s job.
But the princess did not react at all.
She was very disappointed and confused.
However, when she looked up, she saw Liuzheng wearing a bellflower-colored silk dress.
He blurted out instinctively, “You…”
Fortunately, she remained rational and realized that it was not appropriate to ask directly in this situation, so she only said one word and swallowed the rest of the question.
“What’s wrong with Mother?” Liuzheng heard this and looked up at Song Shi with a puzzled expression.
She didn’t deliberately lower her voice, and because everyone around her was looking at her and not saying anything, everyone present subconsciously followed Liuzheng and looked at Song Shi.
Song’s face turned pale and then flushed for a moment, but she managed to maintain her smile.
“It’s alright, come sit with your mother.”
Liuzheng said, “Mother, please wait a moment. I have something to report to the Princess.”
Upon hearing this, the eldest princess looked at Liuzheng again.
She was annoyed by Liuzheng’s lateness and intended to ignore her for a while before speaking to her again.
Unexpectedly, Liuzheng was so inconsiderate that she insisted on coming over.
Just as he was about to say, “We can talk about it after the banquet,” and continue to ignore Liuzheng, he heard Liuzheng say, “Princess, I was preparing to leave for the banquet early this morning, but just before I was about to leave, the Empress Dowager summoned me. So I had my mother come first…”
The eldest princess was slightly taken aback.
It turned out that he wasn’t intentionally being proud or arrogant because of his achievements, but rather that the Empress Dowager had invited him.
Her anger subsided considerably.
Why doesn’t Song mention her displeasure?
Just as she was about to speak, Liuzheng continued, “The Empress Dowager knows that Liuzheng is coming to the banquet, and has ordered Liuzheng to bring a birthday gift for the princess. Liuzheng dares not delay, and is presenting it now.”
She turned her head slightly, and her maid Baoqin stepped forward and handed her a long brocade box.
The princess was overjoyed.
“Bring it here quickly.”
The old woman quickly took it.
The eldest princess opened the brocade box and saw that it contained the gold-inlaid jade ruyi that she had asked the Empress Dowager for months but could not obtain, and she was overjoyed.
His brows and eyes, which had been slightly furrowed, now relaxed completely.
She had completely lost all her anger towards Liuzheng; instead, she felt a great deal of affection for her.
“Thank you for your hard work.” She finally smiled at Liuzheng and beckoned, “Come sit next to me.”
The ice cubes in the jade cauldron were closest to the eldest princess, and the area next to her was much cooler than Song Shi’s side.
Moreover, staying cool is secondary.
Sitting to the left of the eldest princess was Princess Chang Le, the eldest daughter of the prime minister, a woman of noble status.
Liuzheng sitting there is also a symbol of status.
“Thank you, Princess.”
Liuzheng bowed again before sitting down.
He remained humble and composed.
“Nine years at the border, it must have been tough, right?”
“It is Liuzheng’s good fortune to be able to fight for the country. I dare not say that it is hard. However… if Liuzheng’s elder brother had not suffered from a leg ailment, he might have been even more valiant than Liuzheng.”
She brought up Ruan Changzheng’s leg ailment.
The eldest princess thought for a moment and said, “I happen to have a miraculous medicine in my palace that can cure leg injuries. Perhaps your brother can use it.”
Liuzheng quickly got up to express her gratitude.
“The Princess’s great kindness will never be forgotten by the Ruan family!”
Madam Song was a beat slow to react before she came out to bow and express her gratitude.
The eldest princess smiled and said, “Get up!”
She ordered someone to fetch the medicine.
Liuzheng carefully put the zither away and thanked them again.
“No need to be so polite!” The eldest princess nodded and asked, “What does the Empress Dowager want with you?”
“I’m just concerned about Liuzheng.”
She lowered her head shyly, saying, “The Empress Dowager meant well, but Liuzheng almost offended her.”
“oh?”
“A black cat suddenly pounced on me when the palace maid was serving tea, startling her and spilling tea all over me. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager did not punish me for my disrespect in front of the palace, and even allowed me to change my clothes in her palace.”
The eldest princess thought something was wrong, waved her hand, and said, “You don’t need to worry. The Empress Dowager is the most kind and magnanimous person. Besides, this is not your fault. She won’t take it to heart.”
“Yes, Your Majesty also showed concern for me.”
Then, she showed a guilty expression and said, “It’s just that the green ivy that Mother gave Liuzheng to wear to the banquet is now ruined, wasting such good fabric.”
Upon hearing this, Song’s face turned noticeably pale.
Everyone present was a shrewd person; how could they not notice something?
Their expressions suddenly became complicated.
Only Yuan Shi, with a clear understanding, wore an expression that said, “I knew it all along.”
The eldest princess was straightforward, but she wasn’t stupid.
She gave Song a deep look, a half-smile playing on her lips.
However, the affairs of the Ruan family’s inner quarters were none of her concern, so she did not point it out. She only said in public, “It’s just a piece of brocade, what’s the big deal? I’ll give you two bolts of fine silk, you can use them to make summer clothes.”
Haosha, also produced in Jiangnan, is not as famous as Dajin, but it is more precious. It is as light and thin as a cicada’s wing, making it very suitable for summer outerwear.
Liuzheng immediately expressed her gratitude.
Song’s face turned even uglier.
The eldest princess’s actions have trampled on the great legacy of Jiangnan Nianjia.
It is conceivable that after today’s birthday banquet, the high-ranking officials and nobles of the capital will no longer consider wearing brocade a source of pride.
However, Song Shi usually relied on sending Ruan Yunzheng a large brocade from her hometown in Nianjia to associate with noble people.
She will likely receive even fewer invitations from distinguished guests in the future.
Song clutched the handkerchief tightly, her initial calm and composure completely gone.