Flowering Banquet Episode 3

surprise and shook her head, "The King and I don't have any intention of annexing the Han family."Han Mingyi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I understand that His Majesty wouldn't set his eyes on such...The Imperial Capital Rhapsody 22. The Grand Flower Festival (3)

22. The Grand Flower Festival (3)

"Hmph! I wondered who it could be, and it turns out to be Miss Ye San whom Brother Jing Li rejected."

In a generally peaceful atmosphere, there are always one or two discordant voices that emerge. People turned around to see a gorgeously made-up young lady being escorted over by a crowd.

Ye Li pondered for a moment and recognized the identity of the young lady before her; she was the Emperor's cousin, the daughter of Princess Changren and the niece of Princess Chaoyang, Lady Ronghua. Although Ye Li wasn't familiar with the elite daughters in the capital city, her maternal uncle had given her detailed information about all the prominent families in the city, including a special analysis on several key figures, and this included Lady Ronghua.

"Lady Ronghua is short-tempered. Miss Ye should be careful," someone whispered to Ye Li beside her.

Ye Li raised her head just as Qin Zeng, the daughter of Inspector Qin, gave her a warm smile. Grateful, she nodded slightly, and Qin Zeng returned the gesture with a smile.

"Greetings, Lady Ronghua," everyone present quickly greeted the Lady Ronghua.

Lady Ronghua humphed lightly and walked up to Ye Li, examining her thoroughly before arrogantly declaring, "So you're Ye Li"

Ye Li nodded. "Yes, Your Excellency." For some reason, Ye Li felt a sharp sense of animosity from Lady Ronghua towards herself. She was at a loss as to why the lady, whom she had never met before, harbored such hostility.

"Humph, I heard that you know how ugly you are and dare not show yourself to people. How did you rush out so eagerly after being abandoned by Brother Jing Li Don't you feel ashamed" The Princess of Ronghua wore a perfect makeup but her expression was full of disdain. The young ladies standing beside her also started whispering among themselves when they heard what the princess said.

A hint of coldness flashed in Ye Li’s eyes, but she didn’t avoid the arrogant and domineering girl’s gaze. Even if Ye Li prided herself on being calm, she had to admit that this girl was incredibly unpleasant.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I’ve been out here for so long without frightening anyone. Perhaps in the past, I was too self-deprecating." Ye Li’s tone remained gentle but there wasn’t a hint of weakness or evasion. "As for Prince Li... indeed, I am not worthy of him. The Emperor making another suitable match for Prince Li is truly wise."

"It's good that you have self-awareness!" The Princess of Ronghua hadn't expected Ye Li to say something like this and was momentarily taken aback before speaking disdainfully.

Ye Ying quickly stepped forward, smiling apologetically. "Ronghua, my sister has never participated in gatherings in the capital city; please don’t take offense."

Clearly, Ye Ying wanted to be a good sister and help her sister out of this situation in front of everyone. However, the Princess of Ronghua didn't want to give her face-saving attempt. She waved away Ye Ying’s hand which was reaching towards her, looking at her with disdain. "She is useless; you are even worse. Does it matter whether I take offense or not"

Ye Ying's perfect smile froze on her face and the hand that had been pushed aside remained stiff for a moment. “Ronghua…”

The Princess of Ronghua lifted her chin arrogantly, looking at Ye Ying with disdain. "Is it okay for you to call my maiden name"

Seeing the obvious anger, disgust, and jealousy in the eyes and face of the Princess of Ronghua as she glared at Ye Ying, Ye Li had a better understanding of their relationship. If the Princess of Ronghua was being rude towards her, then to Ye Ying, it was blatant rejection and humiliation. It seemed that it had something to do with Prince Li who had caused a stir in the capital city. Sighing inwardly, although she didn’t have much feeling for this sister, Ye Li also wasn't optimistic about the match between Prince Li and Princess Ronghua. Marrying close relatives doesn't bring any benefits.

Ye Ying looked at the Princess of Ronghua with a pitiful expression, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something. Before she could speak, Ye Li stepped forward and held her hand, turning back to look at the Princess of Ronghua. "I’ve heard that Your Highness and my younger sister have always had a good relationship. For her inappropriate behavior towards you just now, it’s due to my negligence as an elder sister in teaching her properly; please forgive us." The Princess of Ronghua raised her eyebrows. "Are you not afraid that I’ll punish you Or do you want to humiliate yourself like Ye Ying" Ye Li smiled slightly. "Your Highness is gracious and broad-minded, surely you won’t be angry over such a trivial matter. After returning home, I will report this incident to my father and mother and then specially go to the Princess Palace to apologize." So would she stop causing trouble now

Princess Ronghua stared at Ye Li for a long time and then thoughtfully said, "You are more presentable than Ye Ying. Brother Jingli’s taste is truly not up to par."

Feeling the stiffness in Ye Ying's wrist that she held, Ye Li was tempted to look skyward with exasperation: Princess Ronghua, can't you live without stirring up trouble

"Princess, your words are too flattering. Prince Li’s taste and reputation have always been well-regarded."

Finally, the princess huffed loudly and, with a dramatic flourish of her sleeve, led her entourage away in great pomp. She left behind looks of sympathy and pity on everyone's faces; offending this capricious princess was not good for anyone.

"Fourth Sister, are you okay"

Seeing the Princess Ronghua leave a distance away, Ye Shan and Ye Lin hurriedly came forward to inquire with concern. A few other young ladies who were friends with Ye Ying also surrounded her, asking if she was alright. Even though Ye Ying had offended the Imperial Prince’s Mansion and the princess, don't forget that she was still the future Princess of Li. The Prince of Li was favored by both Emperor Jingde and Empress Dowager Chengying; his status far surpassed that of Princess Ronghua.

"Princess Ronghua has always been this way. Don’t take it to heart."

A soft, elegant voice spoke beside Ye Li’s ear. She looked up at the smiling historian's daughter dressed in scholar robes and smiled openly, "I’m fine. Thank you for your reminder earlier, Miss Qin." Qin Zeng also smiled generously, "No need to thank me. My mother and Xu Madam are close friends. Xu Madam often mentions you. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you but unfortunately, as you rarely attend gatherings, we never got the chance." Ye Li recalled that the historian Qin, who was apparently her grandfather Qingyun’s disciple, had a daughter named Qin Zeng, who seemed to have an arranged marriage with her second cousin, Xu Qingze. No wonder her brother said that he would be staying in the capital for some time; it was indeed about time that her nineteen-year-old second cousin married. Thinking of this, the sincerity on Ye Li’s face increased as she smiled and said, "Just call me by my name. Before, I didn’t enjoy going out much, so it is fortunate to have made a good friend like you. But… don't we have more opportunities for familiarity in the future"

Qin Zeng clearly understood what she meant; her pretty face turned slightly red as she glared at Ye Li and said, "I am half a year older than you, so you can call me ‘sister’. I’ll introduce some of my close friends to you."

Hence, Ye Li and Ye Ying were separated into two groups; Qin Zeng introduced Ye Li to her female companions. As expected, these young ladies had been the ones who had greeted Ye Li earlier. After discovering that she was not as poor in manners as rumored but rather an elegant lady with good upbringing and speech, everyone gladly accepted this new friend.

Sitting together with newfound friends and discussing some amusing anecdotes about the ladies of the capital, Ye Li discovered that these women were not as dull as she had initially thought. Indeed, the talented young ladies from noble families, who would eventually become the heads of their households, were all intelligent and capable women rather than the lovelorn characters found in romance novels.

"Miss Ye, it's best for you to stay away from your sister," Murong Ting, who inherited her father’s straightforward nature, glanced at Ye Ying, who was practicing music with someone nearby.

Ye Li raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean by that"

Murong Ting waved dismissively. "Ye Ying's reputation isn't very good right now. It’s said that the former Princess Zhao Yang originally didn’t want to invite her. But somehow, she managed to get Lady Xiao Wei, the Empress Dowager, to personally vouch for her and secure an invitation. The princess is known for being upright and hates those who don’t follow規矩 (rules). If you become too close with her, the princess might take it out on you."

Ye Li knew that Ye Ying's reputation was not good, but she was surprised at how bad it had gotten. She thought that society’s expectations for women in this era were less strict than those from her previous life.

"If it were just a regular arranged marriage, people wouldn’t say much even if they were jealous," another Lady of the Duke's Manor said, furrowing her brows. "But before the engagement was announced, she secretly interacted with her future brother-in-law. Who can accept such behavior from a sister Princess Rong Hua used to be Ye Ying’s best friend, but after the engagement announcement, they fell out."

Murong Ting said disdainfully, "It's rumored that Prince Li and Ye Ying often met because of Princess Rong Hua. She probably felt betrayed by Ye Ying."

Qin Zeng frowned and said, "Enough, why are you talking about this in front of Lie

The two ladies remembered that Ye Li was the direct victim of these rumors. Originally admired as Prince Li's fiancée, she now faced sympathy for being betrothed to Duke Ding instead. Feeling guilty, they didn’t know how to apologize. Ye Li smiled and said, "It’s not a big deal; don't worry so much." Qin Zeng looked at her worriedly and said, “Lie... you…” Ye Li waved them off and said, "Royal edicts are hard to resist. Since this is the reality now, I must accept it. Wallowing in self-pity won’t help either, right Besides, Duke Ding was an outstanding person before his incident, and people haven't complained about his temper. It shouldn't be too difficult to get along with him."

The conversation lightened considerably when Ye Li spoke nonchalantly. After a while of chatting, a servant from the princess's residence invited them to dinner. The four ladies then left together. Once they had gone, the garden quieted down except for distant laughter of young girls. Behind towering rock formations, a figure in green appeared, seated on a wheelchair looking towards where the girls had disappeared, his calm and cool eyes flashing with depth...Nanjing City respectfully welcome Princess Consort Dingwang."Feng Zhirao glanced at the smiling middle-aged man. This person was part of the pro-royal faction; as soon as the war began, he fled from X...