Upon hearing this, the little lion shrank its neck, feeling somewhat uneasy. In fact, it already knew about the relationship between Ji Shaocheng and its master, so it couldn't possibly hurt this man. Otherwise, its master would surely skin it alive and turn it into braised lion cubs. Therefore, it dared not bare its teeth and claws at this man, otherwise it would only suffer the consequences. Thinking of this, the little lion let out a wronged whimper.
Hai Ling laughed, pulled her hand back from Ji Shaocheng's hand, and patted the little lion's head.
"Alright, don't feel bad. You can have two pieces of meat tonight."
The little lion was immediately delighted. Usually, its master said he was afraid it would get too fat, so he only allowed it to eat one piece of meat. But tonight it could eat two pieces! The little lion's eyes lit up, and it roared, no longer whimpering.
Ji Shaocheng glanced at his hands, said nothing, and turned to lead the way.
In fact, relatives in the Northern Lu Kingdom do not avoid suspicion among themselves, but Hailin is not used to it.
Although Ji Shaocheng was a good older brother, she was still not used to being too close to him.
As the group approached the courtyard entrance where the banquet was to be held, the steward of the Ji family called out, "Miss is here! Miss is here!"
The noisy chatter in the brightly lit courtyard suddenly stopped, and all eyes turned to the courtyard entrance.
Everyone knows that the reason for the banquet at the Ji residence today is that the young lady of the Ji family has been found. General Ji was so happy that he returned to his residence. Today's banquet is to introduce their young lady to everyone. Everyone present wants to see who this young lady of the Ji family is, and why the old master Ji is so fond of her.
At the entrance, the first to enter was Ji Shaocheng, a young general from Beilu, who was deeply loved by many noble ladies. Among the guests invited to the banquet today were many young ladies, who repeatedly sent signals of love to Ji Shaocheng. However, this general ignored them all. Many of them were unwilling to give up and prepared to continue looking for opportunities.
Following Ji Shaocheng into the room was the young lady of the Ji family, dressed in a white Northern Lu outfit with a snow fox fur collar and a wide belt with gold trim around her waist, which accentuated her slender waist. A round tassel hung lightly from her waist, making her walk graceful and charming.
Moving further up, everyone saw a stunning face. Her skin was as white as snow, her eyebrows as delicate as willow branches, her eyes as bright as stars, her nose as smooth as jade, and her lips as creamy as jade. Her face was truly breathtaking. Her expression was calm and composed, neither arrogant nor humble. Her every move exuded elegance and grace. The entire banquet was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.
The man gazed at her, filled with admiration. He thought to himself, "No wonder the ancients said, 'To die beneath a peony is to die a romantic death.' If they could have such a beauty, they would be willing to die for her."
The women were extremely jealous, especially the many young ladies from prominent families in the Northern Lu Kingdom who considered themselves to be both talented and beautiful. Upon seeing such a stunning face, their hearts were truly burning with jealousy.
Look at her skin, whiter than goat's milk; her eyebrows look like they've been drawn on; her eyes are like the brightest stars in the dark night sky; her nose is straight and high; her small, cherry-red lips seem to exude the fragrance of plum blossoms; every part of her is beautiful and alluring.
What was most important was not her beauty, but her overall demeanor—neither humble nor arrogant. Facing so many court officials, she seemed unfazed, showing no fear or apprehension whatsoever.
And what is that little yellow pet in her arms? It looks so fierce. Many people only realized this belatedly.
Hai Ling had no idea that in such a short time, the ministers and young ladies of the Northern Lu Kingdom had been filled with earth-shattering thoughts. She simply followed behind Ji Shaocheng and kept walking inside.
When General Ji Cong saw his daughter appear, everyone was stunned. He was so proud that he stood up and shouted excitedly.
"Ling'er, come here and sit next to your father."
Everyone snapped out of their daze, and the banquet was filled with unprecedented enthusiasm. Many people were talking excitedly, looking at Hai Ling sitting in the main guest seat, and praising her. The Ji family not only held a high position and great power, but this young lady was also deeply loved by General Ji. No matter what kind of family she was to marry into, she would be more than qualified. Therefore, every family with an unmarried son started to have their eyes on her.
The women, filled with jealousy, gossiped and tried to find fault with Miss Ji, but no matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find anything for the time being.
Among the guests, Ye Liushuang sat down, watching the women around her envious glances. She felt smug. What did it matter how beautiful Ji Hailing was? With her appearance, she had offended many women in the Northern Lu Kingdom. She would be in trouble from now on.
While thinking, Ye Liushuang casually said, "My cousin comes from the Great Zhou Dynasty and isn't very familiar with Northern Lu. You'll have to go easy on her later."
She said this, but what she really meant was that this woman came from the Great Zhou Dynasty and wouldn't know anything about the things in Northern Lu. She told them they could cause her trouble later. Sure enough, as soon as Ye Liushuang finished speaking, she saw the calculating look in the eyes of the women beside her. Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Ye Liushuang stopped talking. Too much talk leads to mistakes, and she didn't want to end up losing more than she gained. She knew how much her uncle and cousin liked Ji Hailing. If they knew that she had deliberately plotted against her, they would probably never be able to set foot in the Ji family mansion again.
Ye Liushuang still wanted to marry into the Ji family, so she didn't want to offend Ji Hailing openly; she just wanted to embarrass her through someone else.
The banquet officially began, with General Ji Cong sitting in the very center, followed by Hai Ling, then Ji Shaocheng, and on the other side were the important officials of the Northern Lu Kingdom, and so on down the list.
The banquets in the Northern Lu Kingdom are different from those in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Their low tables are connected together and arranged in a large circle. When there are many people, the tables can be crowded, and when there are few people, they can be more spacious, seemingly without any impact.
After Hailin sat down, she focused on stroking the head of the little lion in her arms. Because there were so many people, Qiuqiu was a little irritable, but it calmed down as soon as she stroked it.
At this moment, Ji Cong stood up with a cup of wine in his hand and spoke excitedly.
"Today is the happiest day for me, Ji Cong, because my daughter Hailing has returned. I am formally introducing her to everyone. From now on, she will be the treasure of our Ji family. If I find out that anyone is bullying my daughter, I will be the first to object."
After Ji Cong finished speaking, Hai Ling was completely stunned. Who would speak like that in front of someone? This was clearly spoiling his daughter to the extreme. She couldn't help but speak up.
"Father."
Ji Cong laughed heartily, raised his cup and drank the wine in his hand in one gulp: "Come, now I'll toast everyone, please take good care of our Ji family's precious treasure in the future."
The banquet quickly became lively. The Ji family was still a family of meritorious officials in Northern Lu for generations. Which of these court officials dared to offend the master of the Ji family? So everyone raised their wine cups, drank a cup together, and nodded, indicating that they would not make things difficult for the young lady of the Ji family if they saw her in the future.
Hai Ling looked at Ji Cong sitting beside her and said, "Father, aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"
"What's there to be afraid of? Who dares to laugh at me?" Ji Cong raised a thick eyebrow, exuding a fierce aura that made him someone not to be underestimated.
Hai Ling sighed inwardly. It seemed that she would no longer worry about anyone bullying her. If anyone did bully her, her father and brother would probably be the first to not let them off the hook.
The banquet began, and in the central, spacious area, people started singing and dancing. These songs and dances were different from those in the Great Zhou Dynasty court. The songs and dances in Northern Lu were mostly bamboo dances, accompanied by bamboo instruments. Two people would dance in pairs, keeping time with each other, following the music of silk and bamboo instruments, making a lively and humorous sound. Hai Ling was seeing this for the first time and was very interested, her eyes fixed on the bamboo dance in the room with great interest.
She watched the song and dance performances, while others watched her.
At today's banquet, many people stared at her, finding her exceptionally beautiful and exuding an air of nobility that was impossible to look away from. Some even stood up to toast Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng, trying to build a relationship with them, hoping to find a match for the Ji family's daughter with their sons. This way, they would not only gain a beautiful daughter-in-law but also gain the support of the powerful Ji family.
While enjoying the song and dance performances, Hai Ling drank some rice wine from Beilu. It wasn't intoxicating at all; it was very fragrant. She had tried it before and found it to be quite good.
Today, many people were staring at her, and Hai Ling knew that. However, she felt that the gaze from her left was too intense, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. She raised her eyebrows and looked over, squinting slightly. She quickly recognized the woman staring at her as Princess Feng Yao, who had come to the Northern Kingdom for a marriage alliance. Princess Feng Yao was wearing Northern Lu clothing and makeup, so Hai Ling hadn't paid attention to her before. But now, upon closer inspection, she recognized her.
She was also squinting at her, a glint of light slowly flashing in her eyes. She slightly raised her glass, looked at Hai Ling, and a smile spread across her lips.
"So it was you. I never imagined you were a young lady from the Ji family."
Feng Yao clearly recognized Hai Ling. She never expected to see the woman who had caused her to come to the Northern Dynasty for a political marriage in such a place. She had transformed into the young lady of General Ji of Bei Lu, and when she lost weight, she was stunningly beautiful. Just now, she felt that she was somewhat familiar, especially her expression, but she couldn't remember who she was. It wasn't until she looked at her that she could be sure that this woman was Jiang Hai Ling, and now she was Ji Hai Ling.
A surge of hatred welled up in Feng Yao's heart. She had already received news that her mother and brother had been sent to guard the Feng family's imperial mausoleum, and the other had been sent to a nunnery. She could do nothing about it. Although she had hated her mother and brother before, they were still her family. Now, she couldn't even visit them when they were suffering. So, Feng Yao felt resentment in her heart.
She came to the Northern Dynasty for a political marriage, marrying the seventh prince, Prince Zhaoyang. Everyone in the Northern Lu knew that Prince Zhaoyang was extremely lecherous, with countless beauties and singers in his household. Within three days of marrying into the prince's mansion, she was neglected, which made her even more resentful.
In fact, she had a lover in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but they were forcibly separated by her mother and brother. No, it should be said that it was because of the woman in front of her that she ended up in this situation today.