Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 558 - 287 Retaliation_2

Chapter 558: Chapter 287 Retaliation_2

In this dynasty, the women mostly drank rice wine. During the banquet, many of the hostesses went to the tables where the Eldest Princess and the Former Imperial Consort were sitting to offer their toasts. After some time, Lady Fu and Grandma Fu also picked up their wine cups; representing the Pan family and the Fu family, they went to pay their respects with a toast to the Eldest Princess and the Former Imperial Consort. Lady Fu gave Yixiu a meaningful look, the Qian family would certainly not dare to go themselves, so they had no choice but to let Yixiu represent them.

In her previous life, Yixiu was an office director, unafraid of drinking with the leaders or offering toasts to her superiors, and she even had a pretty good tolerance for alcohol. However, in this era, there was no chance for her to show off her drinking skills.

When she saw Lady Fu signaling her, she stood up, picked up her wine cup, and followed behind Lady Fu and Grandma Fu.

The Eldest Princess, the Former Imperial Consort, the Eldest Princess Fengyang, and Old Lady Yue were seated together at a table, the closest to the north, which was a redwood Carved Flower Eight Immortals Table. Many people came to offer a toast and say a few auspicious words.

When Lady Fu and her group arrived at their table, Lady Fu led with a smile, "The younger generation wishes the Eldest Princess, the Former Consort, the Elder Princess, and Old Lady Yue happiness and good health." After speaking, she sipped from her cup.

Once Grandma Fu had offered her toast, Lady Fu pointed to Yixiu with a smile, "This niece of mine must also offer her respects to all the esteemed elders here."

Yixiu stepped forward, bending her knees slightly, cup in hand and said with a smile, "The younger generation toasts the Eldest Princess, the Former Consort, the Elder Princess Fengyang, and Old Lady Yue, wishing you a hundred years of peace. As the plum blossoms endure through the winter’s frost, the aged dragon brings rain at dusk, and the old tree blooms anew in the depth of spring." Afterward, she also took a modest sip from her cup.

Yixiu was graceful and composed, with a smile that filled the room. Her voice was crisp and gentle, neither too fast nor too slow, pleasing to the ear. The auspicious phrases she spoke were pleasant to hear and poetic.

The Eldest Princess and Old Lady Yue, as if they liked something about her, took hold of her hand and praised her repeatedly.

At an adjacent table, some from Jingchang were displeased. Luo Susu spoke up, "What kind of good girl is she? This morning, she was eavesdropping in the Plum Grove; a country girl will always be a country girl, so crude."

Wong Wen and those from Jingchang nodded in agreement, "Indeed, indeed."

Their voices were not low, and people at the nearby tables all turned their heads to look at Yixiu.

Faced with such public humiliation, Yixiu was furious. She contained the anger in her eyes and, with an innocent look, said to Lady Fu, "Auntie, it was just like now this morning. Miss Luo and Miss Wong forced their gossip into my ears but insisted I was eavesdropping. Could it be that when they want to talk, I should cover my ears?"

Her voice sounded aggrieved, but her volume was certainly not small, especially when she stressed the words "talking about others."

Luo Susu, angered, stood up and retorted, "Nonsense, we weren’t discussing others; we were discussing..."

Her companion Jingchang, frightened, quickly tugged at her and whispered urgently, "Shut up." Then to the people looking at them, she said, "We didn’t say anything, nor did we discuss anyone; Miss Qian must have misheard."

It was a joke; if they were privately discussing this country girl, not to mention having Liang Jinzhao involved in the conversation in this public setting, they’d definitely be scolded by the elders present and laughed at by others. If word got back to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, their own elders would be implicated too. It was a matter that could be privately discussed, and they could bully the girl, but if it came to light, they could completely deny it. However, it absolutely couldn’t be said publicly—it would be impossible to disavow it then.

Wong Wen was even more afraid. If this blew up, her own family would be in trouble. She kept signalling Luo Susu with her eyes, telling her not to talk nonsense. Hearing what Jingchang said, she also spoke up, "Right, right, we’ve been enjoying the plum blossoms all along and haven’t said anything. It was Susu joking with Miss Qian."

Seeing the other two saying this and knowing she couldn’t afford to provoke Jingchang, Luo Susu reluctantly sat back down in a huff.

Fengyang saw her granddaughter seemingly on the verge of tears and was unhappy. She scolded Yixiu with a stern face, "A country girl only knows how to be quick with her tongue. Eavesdropping and still acting so righteous, truly without any home training..."

Usually, these little spats among the young girls were overlooked by the elders, who would generally not speak harshly, only humorously chiding them a bit.

The Eldest Princess frowned and said, "Fengyang, you are an elder. When children quarrel, a gentle admonishment is enough. How can you speak like that about someone else’s child? If it’s really as Yixiu said, should your child cover her ears before speaking?"

Lady Fu was not afraid of Fengyang and chimed in, "Tomorrow, I will visit the Empress Dowager to ask her to decree a special order that Miss Luo and Miss Wong are like Gods and Immortals. Whenever they speak, others must cover their ears or else be accused of eavesdropping on their conversation."