"Yes, yes, your skin is so good, how do you take care of it?"
The women in the hall only said what they could say, but unfortunately there was very little flattery to offer. Not only were they themselves in a difficult position, but even Hailing felt sorry for them. It was pitiful that people wanted to flatter her, but they had to rack their brains and couldn't find the right words. This feeling was not pleasant. So she smiled and nodded politely whenever someone said something, doing her best to be polite.
A group of people gathered around her, and she chimed in, making it seem like she was the center of attention.
On one side of the hall, Jiang Feixue, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, had a dark and gloomy face, her eyes filled with a sinister and ruthless glint. Seeing that ugly woman being fawned over by everyone, she felt her heart was bleeding with hatred. These things should have been hers, but they had been taken by this damned woman. She was unwilling to accept this, and she would never give up the position of Crown Princess. Therefore, the only way to successfully reclaim the position of Crown Princess was to destroy this woman.
Jiang Feixue smiled gloomily. Jiang Feiyu, who was standing next to her, guessed something from her sister's expression and looked in the direction her sister was looking.
Seeing Jiang Hailing, who was surrounded by everyone, still looking oblivious to her impending doom, Jiang Feiyu sneered inwardly, thinking to herself, "I'm afraid you're about to be in big trouble."
At this moment, the head maid of the General's Mansion came in to report that the banquet in the outer courtyard had been fully prepared and that all the guests were invited to move to the pavilion.
Madam Liu immediately got up and invited the guests to the courtyard for the banquet, so as not to see Jiang Hailing and her daughter looking so smug and happy, which made her so angry that she almost vomited blood.
The group got up and walked towards the inner courtyard while talking.
The Jiang family's women's banquet was set up in the courtyard. A temporary shed was erected, and the banquet dishes were laid out in a row. At a glance, there was a dazzling array of dishes, fresh fruits, and the aroma of wine. Not far away, a stage was set up, and several actors were practicing their singing.
Chapter 018 Setting a Trap
Madam Liu immediately greeted the guests according to their rank and status, personally inviting them to take their seats. Hai Ling was the first to sit in the most central seat, and those seated beside her were all people of high status and position. To her left was the Princess Consort of Ning, and to her right was the wife of the Right Prime Minister. The others sat down in order of rank. Madam Liu also sat in this seat, and the fourth madam was seated in the second seat, being entertained by Jiang Feixue. Many wives of high-ranking officials from the court were also seated beside her. After this process of arranging the seats, everyone was finally seated.
The banquet began.
The ivory clappers and flutes began to play softly, and soon an old woman led the troupe leader over, personally presenting a booklet for the ladies to choose their plays. Madam Liu took it and respectfully handed it to Hailing, saying, "Please let our third young lady choose the first play."
No one dared to protest these words. They all looked at the First Madam. These ladies in the capital were usually very shrewd and knew that the First Madam disliked Hai Ling and Jiang Caiyue the most. Seeing her do this, they couldn't help but admire her adaptability. It was really difficult for her. She was clearly filled with hatred, but she could still do it so flawlessly. It was clear that she was a woman of great skill.
Hai Ling knew perfectly well that the First Madam and Jiang Feixue hated her and her daughter. Although they were respectful on the surface, it was just for show. In private, they had glared at her countless times. If looks were sharp swords, she would have been killed by them long ago.
However, in this situation, she naturally couldn't ruin her reputation. Although she didn't want to get married, she couldn't belittle herself to break off the engagement.
So, with a smile, he generously accepted the booklet and dignifiedly selected a play, "Li Xiang Pays Homage to His Mother".
There is a story in this play that is very similar to her current situation. Li Xiang was originally from Liuyang. She was the daughter of an unfavored concubine in her family. The main wife did not tolerate her and plotted against her at every turn. However, Li Xiang was a smart and opinionated woman. So, she came up with a plan to pay respects to her mother, which allowed her to escape her mother's secret harm and eventually marry a good husband.
Hai Ling could not possibly follow Li Xiang's example and pay respects to her mother, because she already had a mother. She was merely using Li Xiang to give Madam Liu a warning, so that she wouldn't think she knew nothing.
As expected, after Hailing selected this play, Madam Liu's face darkened, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes, and she looked at Hailing intently. When she met Hailing's gaze, she felt uneasy for a moment, but quickly smiled.
“Our third young lady is truly clever and wise. She knows that Li Xiang’s farewell to his mother is a famous drama that everyone loves to watch, so she pointed it out.”
However, her words sounded somewhat unnatural, and many people at the table understood. They all looked at Hai Ling, and although she was still smiling, her calm and elegant demeanor, as well as the wisdom flashing in her eyes, made her someone not to be underestimated. Was this woman really the Sai Qianjin that everyone disliked? Aside from that appearance, she seemed to be very clever and capable, not an ordinary woman.
However, this was just a fleeting thought, and soon someone laughed and echoed it, and then the sound filled the air.
The First Madam then handed the booklet to Princess Ning and asked her to select a play. She then symbolically asked several other ladies of high rank to select a few plays as well. She then instructed the actors to begin performing, and the ladies ate, chatted, and watched the play.
Just as everyone had finished drinking two jars of wine, they heard a gasp from someone at the second table.
"Fourth Madam, what's wrong? Fourth Madam?"
Everyone looked over curiously, only to see that Du Caiyue's face seemed rather pale, with fine beads of sweat on her skin. She was covering her stomach with one hand, trying her best to hold it in, but the observant Kexin noticed and cried out in alarm.
As soon as Hailin and Yanzhi noticed that something was wrong with Du Caiyue, they got up and went over to her.
"Mom, what's wrong? You look terrible. Are you sick?"
Upon hearing Hai Ling's words, and feeling anxious because she had disrupted the banquet, Du Caiyue quickly shook her head and whispered, "Mother seems to have caught a chill and wants to go to the restroom."
As soon as she finished speaking, the people standing nearby laughed, their lips curling into disdain. This fourth madam was truly a low-class person; even a simple banquet was more troublesome than others.
Hai Ling squinted and carefully examined Du Caiyue. As a doctor, she could discern some things from her appearance. However, her mother was indeed not poisoned. With so many people around today, even if the First Madam and Jiang Feixue were powerful, would they dare to poison her? If they were wrong, it would be a huge problem. Besides, they didn't have the chance anyway. Thinking of this, Hai Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned to instruct Rouge behind her.
"Go out with Mother for a bit."
“Yes, Miss,” Rouge nodded and reached out to help the madam, but Du Caiyue stopped her. She was just going out to relieve herself and nothing would happen, but they had to be very careful here. How could Rouge leave? It would be troublesome if something happened. So Jiang Caiyue pushed Rouge away and looked at Kexin to the side.
"Kexin can come with me."
The banquet was in full swing, and everyone was watching the mother and daughter. The mother had only gone out to relieve herself, and if Hailing insisted, it would seem like she was making a mountain out of a molehill. So she nodded and glanced at Kexin, gently instructing her, "Take good care of Madam."
She didn't say anything else, but the fierce look in her eyes made the little girl Kexin tremble. She quickly nodded and accepted the order, helping Du Caiyue out.
Hailing turned around and sat back down in the main seat, smiling and nodding to the ladies who were watching the spectacle. The matter was considered closed, and everyone continued eating and chatting, while some people enjoyed the performance on stage.
She would occasionally offer a comment, but Hailing wasn't interested. She just ate quietly and kept an eye on the door, waiting to see when her mother would come over.
Just as everyone was chatting and laughing, she saw Kexin rush in with a pale face, looking around cautiously, hesitant to come closer. Hailing's heart skipped a beat. Could it be her mother? She immediately looked at Yanzhi behind her and whispered a word. Yanzhi then slipped to the door and quickly brought Kexin over. By this time, everyone else had also been alerted and looked over in their direction.
Tonight, the mother and daughter have had a lot going on.
Kexin walked over and knelt down with a thud: "Miss, something terrible has happened, Madam has fainted."
"She fainted! She was fine just now, how could she faint?" Hai Ling got up anxiously, her face extremely pale, and glared at Ke Xin.
Madam Liu immediately came over, her face full of anxiety, which was not fake at all. She looked at Kexin and said, "You said that Fourth Sister fainted, is that true?"
“This servant dares not lie. The Fourth Madam went out to relieve herself earlier. This servant was originally helping her to come over, but then the Fourth Madam said she felt a little dizzy, and this servant saw her faint and fall to the ground. So I dared not delay, helped her back to Qinfang Courtyard, and came here to report to Miss.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Liu immediately called out to the maid beside her, "Quickly, go and fetch a doctor."
"Yes, Madam," the maidservant ran out. Hailing couldn't wait any longer and led Yanzhi and Kexin straight out. Behind her, Madam didn't forget to remind her, "Third Miss, don't worry, everything will be alright. The doctor will be there soon."
Chapter 019 A Fierce Counterattack
Hai Ling had long since disappeared from sight. In the shadows, the First Madam's eyes were as fierce as a wolf's, and a chilling smile played on her lips as she slowly moved toward her daughter, Jiang Feixue. The mother and daughter exchanged knowing smiles, and the First Madam turned around and greeted the guests with a smile.