Chapter 262: Birthday Gift (1)
Although Chu Lian didn’t know why Princess Wei cared for her so much, she knew that Princess Wei was being genuine.
Chu Lian and Royal Princess Duanjia chatted happily together in Songtao Court. When Chu Lian noticed that it was about time, she led Royal Princess Duanjia over to Matriarch He’s Qingxi Hall.
The moment they reached Qingxi Hall’s entrance, they could hear the pleasant buzz of women chattering away.
Royal Princess Duanjia glanced curiously towards Qingxi Hall before tugging at Chu Lian’s sleeve and asking, “It sounds like there are a lot of young ladies inside.”
A sly glint shone in Chu Lian’s eyes. She covered the mischievous smile on her lips and replied, “Royal Princess, didn’t you see my Second Brother today? I’m afraid Grandmother’s using this chance to help him look for a bride!”
Ah?
He Changjue was looking for a bride?
For some reason, Royal Princess Duanjia’s spirits fell upon hearing this piece of news.
Chu Lian assumed Royal Princess Duanjia didn’t know the context for this, so she continued to explain the current state of the Jing’an Household. “Princess, I’m sure you don’t know this, but my Second Brother doesn’t come home often. Even Grandmother can’t do anything about him. However, as a legitimate son of House Jing’an, he can’t stay single forever. So Grandmother is using Mother’s birthday banquet as an excuse to invite more noble families over with their eligible daughters.”
He Changjue was already twenty four this year. At this age, he could be considered an old bachelor in the capital.
However, considering House Jing’an’s good reputation and noble family status, coupled with He Changjue’s looks, character, and position in the Dragon Guards, there were still many families looking to marry their daughters to him, even though he was slightly older than the usual age of a bachelor.
Thus, there were quite a few noble madams and ladies in attendance today.
The sweet and charming ladies here were all waiting for the chance to meet He Erlang later on when it was time to wish Countess Jing’an a happy birthday.
Royal Princess Duanjia had actually heard some rumours about the He Family’s second son before. However, they had still been complete strangers at that time, so she had just treated them as some funny stories to listen to. Now that Chu Lian was talking about it to her directly, there was a strange feeling in her heart.
Was He Erlang really going to choose a wife?
Chu Lian pulled Royal Princess Duanjia along with her into the courtyard and headed towards the heated room.
Chu Lian had gotten the chance to marry into House Jing’an thanks to that peculiar reputation the ladies of House Ying had. Later on, she had made a name for herself at House Dingyuan. Almost right after that, the Emperor had personally given her the title Honoured Lady Jinyi, and then she had opened a restaurant that seemed to be growing more and more popular each day.
Any one of these events would be enough to fuel the capital’s gossip mills for a while. However, they were all centered around the same person and had happened one after another. The group of noble madams and ladies gathered around Matriarch He were eagerly waiting to meet the Honoured Lady Jinyi, who had somehow gone from a nobody to the talk of the town right after marrying into House Jing’an.
This lady had been an insignificant young lady from a third-rate noble house before. How had she suddenly turned into such a bright personage that no one was able to ignore?
When Chu Lian and Royal Princess Duanjia entered the heated room, everyone’s gazes landed on the two of them at the same time.
The two young ladies had very similar figures; the only differences were in their clothing and accessories. Their facial features even carried the same sense of purity and beauty. If not for the very different hairstyles and clothing the two were wearing, this group of ladies might not have been able to tell which one was Royal Princess Duanjia and which one was House Jing’an’s Third Young Madam.
When they had their first look at Chu Lian, who was wearing a dress with some auspicious patterns outlined in silver thread, the ladies were all slightly surprised.
The actual appearance of Chu Lian was way too different from the image of the infamous Honoured Lady Jinyi they had in their minds.
Chu Lian’s young face still carried some baby fat in her cheeks. Her skin looked as soft as rose petals kissed with morning dew, and the rest of her features were equally fair and fine. There was the smallest smidge of pink lipstick accentuating her tender lips, and the corners of her mouth seemed to naturally curve upwards, so she looked like she was smiling even in the most neutral expression. The most startling feature of them all were her almond-shaped eyes.
Slightly moist and crystal-clear, they looked as if they could see through anything.
Some of the older madams held a hand up to their foreheads in shock. They couldn’t quite accept this huge gap between their expectations and reality. The… The Honoured Lady Jinyi who was the talk of the town was merely a young and tender little girl!
After Chu Lian bobbed in greeting to the elders present, she tilted her head in extreme confusion. The corners of her eyes twitched as she had a strange feeling that the noble madams and misses seemed to be looking at her rather weirdly.
Royal Princess Duanjia wasn’t just any normal royal princess. With Chu Lian by her side, the attendees of today’s banquet were naturally jumping for the chance to speak to either her or Chu Lian.
Additionally, the food lovers present tried to come over to ask Chu Lian about reserving one of the special little courts in Guilin Restaurant that only the rich could afford. They all hoped that they might use this chance to trade favours and get themselves one of those little courts.
Regardless of gender, the latest trend amongst the capital’s upper class was now to treat their friends to a meal at Guilin Restaurant. That was something even more impressive than hosting a banquet at Yuehong Restaurant.
All the noble madams and ladies gathered around Chu Lian and Royal Princess Duanjia. Even the focus of their chatter switched to these two outstanding young ladies, causing the expression of the originally popular Madam Zou to turn a little stiff.
However, Matriarch He was happily watching. Prince Wei didn’t participate in politics, and he was also the Emperor’s full-blooded brother. Now that Royal Princess Duanjia was close with her Third Granddaughter-in-Law, it also meant that Prince Wei’s Estate was close to House Jing’an. That was a very good thing indeed.
Sanlang’s wife might be somewhat lazy, but her actions always seemed to align with Matriarch He’s wishes.
Thus, even though their guests were now surrounding the two young ladies, Matriarch He didn’t call a stop to it.
