The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 144- Attending the Banquet

Duke Ying's residence is one of the four dukes conferred upon the founding of the country and is also one of the only two remaining noble houses in the present-day Great Zhou. Therefore, with the legitimate granddaughter of the duke getting married, guests arrived one after another, and the front gate was bustling with activity.

Duke Ying's daughter-in-law, accompanied by her eldest daughter-in-law, was welcoming female guests at the second gate. Upon seeing the daughter-in-law of the Marquis of Changning, her eyes lit up, and she quickly abandoned her niece and sister-in-law to greet her, laughing before even speaking, "Oh, we've finally been waiting for you!"

The First Lady was pulled along by her, and a few other matrons came forward to greet them, all smiling brightly, "With so many guests today, you must be busy. Why are you waiting specifically for us?"

Duke Ying's eldest daughter-in-law, Lady Yang, noticing her mother-in-law's expression, quickly chimed in with a smile, "Isn't it because we're waiting for our little fairy who will be sitting at the main table? If she's absent today, where will we find someone to take her place?"

"Speaking of which..." The First Lady stopped and glanced at the three young ladies beside her, slightly suppressing her smile, and jokingly said, "Others may not know, but you all are aware. Little Sixth is still in mourning, so technically she shouldn't come. But since the geomancer said it wouldn't cause any harm, we just brought her along because we're relatives. However, Old Lady has instructed that if others want to see her, they are not allowed to."

The daughter-in-law of Duke Ying glanced at her eldest daughter-in-law and readily replied, "Of course, of course." She then looked at Song Chuyi, who was standing in front of the First Lady, and was just about to say a few words to her when she heard a loud announcement outside that the Princess of Zhennan and the Lady of Duke Han's manor had arrived. Although the Princess of Zhennan usually didn't like to show off her royal entourage, it couldn't be taken lightly. With the words on the tip of her tongue, she could only smile and ask her eldest daughter-in-law to take them to the Jinxiu Pavillion, where her daughter was currently staying. "Be careful and don't let anything go wrong."

Lady Yang hurriedly bowed and acknowledged her.

At that moment, two maids came forward to lead the way for the First Lady. "The ladies are all in the front at Bi Shui Residence. May we take you there?"

The First Lady didn't want to follow them into her unmarried daughter's room to help with the makeup, so she nodded in response and specifically instructed Song Chuyi, "Just listen to the nanny; there's no need to be afraid."

Lady Yang had already started to smile, "Rest assured, the nannies all know the rules, and we'll be right there to look after you."

With her playful banter, the First Lady found it unnecessary to say much more, jokingly scolding her a few times before taking the maids to Bi Shui Residence.

The eldest daughter of Duke Ying had her embroidery house built in her family's garden; it was an exquisite two-story building. In front of the house, two banana trees provided ample shade, now adorned with large flowers of yellow and red. At the base of the trees were tightly packed small flowerpots, and beneath them rested a drowsy peacock, creating a beautiful scene.

Upon hearing the commotion, the peacock shook itself awake and strutted a few steps, suddenly spreading its tail feathers in a vibrant display that left everyone momentarily stunned.

"How marvelous!" Lady Yang exclaimed as she pulled up Song Chuyi with one hand and held Song Chumi with the other. After her surprise, she quickly smiled, "This peacock hasn't displayed its feathers since it arrived. Isn't it just as the geomancer said? You, little girl, are a lucky star!"

By this time, they had already entered the courtyard, where shrubs were planted at the corners of the two walls, entwined with many morning glory vines, offering a different scene from the outside.

Although maids and older servants were frequently coming in and out, carrying things, everything was orderly and did not seem noisy.

On the second floor, several noble ladies who had befriended Miss Shen had gathered in small groups. Upon seeing Lady Yang, they hurriedly stood up to greet her.

Lady Yang smiled and gestured for them to sit down before turning to Miss Shen with a smile, "Several young ladies from the Marquis of Changning's residence have come to help you with your makeup, Yuan'er."

Shen Huixin quickly stood up to thank her, then pulled the youngest, Song Chuyi, closer. "This one is the Marquis's sixth granddaughter? Today, we will trouble you."

Song Chuyi didn't expect to hear any news from this eldest young lady—having spent over twenty years in Duke Ying's residence, she knew every person there well. This young lady was usually spoiled by Lady He and was completely unaware of the sordid affairs in the household.

So she merely lowered her head and smiled slightly. After Song Chumi and Song Chubin had presented their gifts, she took the box from Ziyun and handed it to her, saying, "This is for my sister's makeup. May everything go smoothly and safely for you."

Shen Huixin took it and hurriedly expressed her gratitude, but Lady Yang had already received a heavy purse from a maid and placed it in Song Chuyi's hands, then looked at the nanny behind Shen Huixin.

The nanny respectfully stepped forward, guiding Song Chuyi to lift the beaded curtain and pull back the tent to reveal the maids replacing the bedding with new bright red covers, inviting Song Chuyi to sit in the middle on the footstool.

Another group of maids smiled and invited Ziyun and Luyi to go downstairs for tea.

"Don't be afraid, Miss," the nanny reassured Song Chuyi while directing a few maids to stuff red dates, longans, and peanuts under the bedding. "You just need to sit for a bit."

In her previous life, before her marriage, she had become hated and despised, and due to the loud rumors surrounding her, the Song family had no face to hold such a makeup ceremony for her. Thus, she was genuinely clueless about the proceedings and could only sit still and remain calm.

However, she had barely been seated for a short while when she heard another maid announce that Miss Chen and Princess Yunxiu had arrived. She lifted her gaze slightly and indeed saw Miss Chen smiling as she came forward to help Shen Huixin with her makeup.

(Translator Xiaobai: Remember Miss Chen who pushed our Chuyi out when faced with danger in previous chapters?)

With a nanny supporting her, Miss Chen stood up, holding a tray to sprinkle peanuts and longans onto the bed. Finally, she had a maid place the peanuts, longans, and red dates from under the bedding into a gilded dish for her to present to Shen Huixin.

As she approached, Miss Chen, who had been sitting next to Shen Huixin, had tactfully stood up to avoid her but still kept her eyes on Song Chuyi, giving her a gentle nod.

Miss Chen had been ruthlessly dismissed by Ye Jingchuan, and now to see her remain unperturbed, as if nothing had happened, made Song Chuyi marvel at the hidden talents within the household.

Shen Huixin accepted the offerings, and immediately a nanny smiled and congratulated her. The girls around them also surged forward, laughing and exchanging auspicious words, creating a lively atmosphere in the room.

Miss Chen seized an opportunity to step forward to Song Chuyi and said with a smile, "I originally wanted to come personally to thank you for your kindness, but your family... it's truly... one cannot return from the dead. Don't be too sad about it. I didn't expect to see you here; what a pleasant surprise. You've grown even more beautiful!"