Phoenix Cries Return to Court

These words were laced with barbs, and as soon as Tao Qingqing finished speaking, several probing gazes immediately focused on Lin Xihe.

Tao Qingqing's eyes reddened, her lips pursed, and she gently raised her hand to tug at He Guangzheng's sleeve, looking extremely aggrieved.

Seeing the tears in the beautiful woman's eyes, He Guangzheng felt a pang of pity and couldn't help but frown. His gaze towards Lin Xihe held a hint of scrutiny and displeasure.

He then coughed lightly and said in a deep voice, "Mrs. Wen, Qingqing meant well. How can you be so inconsiderate? If you don't like that dress, you can tell Qingqing in advance. Changing clothes halfway through makes you seem petty and will also hurt Qingqing's feelings."

Lin Xihe paused slightly, her clear, cold eyes calmly sweeping over Tao Qingqing's "wronged" appearance, then lightly glancing at He Guangzheng's displeased face, before speaking softly.

"Sister, you're mistaken. During the bumpy journey, I accidentally spilled tea, soaking your dress. If I were to attend the banquet in wet clothes, wouldn't I be disgracing the Minister's household? As for our sisterly bond, our hearts are not concerned with clothing. Why are you so fixated on appearances?"

She paused slightly, then continued as if muttering to herself, "But it's strange, the dress that was soaked in tea actually stained my wrist..."

As she spoke, she casually tugged at her sleeve, revealing a striking red mark on her fair, jade-like wrist.

The onlookers immediately erupted in a commotion, and He Guangzheng's face darkened as he glanced at Tao Qingqing with displeasure.

Tao Qingqing's face turned pale. She bit her lip, her eyes filled with barely concealed resentment. However, restrained by the crowd, she could only feign grievance and cried out, "This is impossible! The fabric I prepared for you, sister, is made of the finest brocade. Sister, Qingqing has always been sincere towards you. How could you slander me like this?"

"Slandering you?" Lin Xihe scoffed, then said decisively, "If you dare say the fabric is of superior quality, you can have someone bring that faded dress for everyone to inspect. If everyone agrees the fabric is of superior quality, then I have wronged you, and I will apologize to you in public; if not, shouldn't you give me an explanation today?"

Upon hearing this, Tao Qingqing's expression froze, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.

He Guangzheng took in the whole scene and looked at Lin Xi, saying in a deep voice, "Enough! It's getting late. If we delay any longer, we'll really miss the banquet. Don't make a fool of yourselves here."

After saying that, he gave Tao Qingqing a wink, then turned around and hurried forward.

Tao Qingqing understood, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, glanced resentfully at Lin Xihe, and quickly followed.

With their own thoughts in mind, the three of them slowly stepped into the gate of the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers, two in front and one behind.

……

The valley has always been divided into pine banquet and orchid banquet, with men and women each having their own seats.

Not long after entering the valley, the three parted ways.

He Guangzheng was surrounded by his colleagues who had been waiting by his side as he went to the Songyan banquet.

Lin Xihe and Tao Qingqing walked along the gravel path on the other side towards Nuanfang Courtyard.

Along the way, Tao Qingqing deliberately slowed her pace and walked side by side with Lin Xihe, feigning intimacy in an attempt to create the illusion of harmony in the inner quarters of the Minister's residence.

She had already cursed Lin Xihe a thousand times in her heart. She hadn't let go of the embarrassment she had suffered at the valley entrance. She only hoped to humiliate Lin Xihe at the poetry banquet and regain her face.

Lin Xihe didn't even bother with formalities, her expression calm as she calmly admired the scenery along the way, as if the person beside her was nothing more than an insignificant wisp of air.

Before long, the two arrived at Nuanfang Courtyard.

As its name suggests, Nuanfang Courtyard was filled with seasonal flowers and plants. Peach blossoms, crabapple trees, and forsythia were arranged in a pleasing manner. Green orchids adorned the stone tables and benches, and dozens of desks were neatly arranged, with writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and exquisite fresh fruits and pastries on them.

At this time, there were already many officials' wives and noble ladies in the courtyard, sitting together in twos and threes, chatting and laughing in hushed tones, or appreciating the flowers and plants, creating a lively and peaceful scene.

Upon seeing the two arrive, the crowd reacted with varying expressions, and all rose to their feet, their faces plastered with polite smiles.

Although Tao Qingqing was Princess Ding'an, the incident that happened recently had caused quite a stir in the city. Although most of the officials' wives and noble ladies in the capital did not dare to offend her openly, they disliked her because she served two husbands, which violated the teachings of women, and they were even less willing to get close to her.

So after a few polite greetings, I deliberately kept my distance from her.

As for Lin Xihe, although everyone sympathized with her for being exploited and losing her entire family, they dared not approach her easily due to He Guangzheng's power and Tao Qingqing's status, for fear of getting into trouble.

Before long, only the two of them were left alone in Nuanfang Courtyard.

Tao Qingqing sat alone in the pavilion, twisting the handkerchief in her hand, her face full of embarrassment and awkwardness, her heart already churning with anger, her eyes fixed on Lin Xihe not far away.

Then they saw the plague god slowly moving to the most beautiful peach tree in full bloom.

She tilted her head slightly, her long hair as black as ink, with a few stray strands falling beside her cheeks and gently swaying in the wind. She stood there quietly, as if enveloped in a soft, gentle light, so serene and otherworldly, like a fairy from the moon who had mistakenly descended to the mortal world.

The ladies and daughters of officials around her were all secretly observing her, their eyes filled with undisguised envy. Even the previous whispers had unconsciously subsided.

This scene stung Tao Qingqing's eyes even more. She dug her nails deep into her palms, suppressing the jealousy in her heart. She turned around and waved lightly to Huan'er, her personal maid who had been standing beside her with her head bowed.

Huan'er quickly stepped forward, and Tao Qingqing leaned down slightly, whispering a few instructions to her, a hint of calculation flashing in her eyes.

Upon hearing this, Huan'er was slightly taken aback, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes. However, meeting her master's gaze, she ultimately dared not disobey, and quickly bowed in agreement before quietly retreating.

Before long, Huan'er walked quickly from the other side of Nuanfang Courtyard, stopped beside Lin Xihe, curtsied, and said in a low voice, "Madam Wen, my lady invites you to come over for a chat."

Lin Xihe was displeased that her pleasant mood had been ruined, but she also recognized the person behind Huan'er and feared that he was deliberately trying to cause trouble for her.

Very well, let's see what she has to do with this today.

Huan'er thought she would be rejected, but to her surprise, Lin Xi and Jing Tingting followed her into the pavilion without any sign of embarrassment.

"Sister, please don't take today's events to heart. There must have been some misunderstanding." As Tao Qingqing approached, a warm smile immediately appeared on her face. She quickly stood up to greet her and reached out to tug at Lin Xihe's sleeve.

Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the wives and daughters of officials not far from the pavilion to hear clearly.

As she spoke, she deliberately moved closer to Lin Xihe, as if to use this close posture to solidify the illusion of their "harmony".

Lin Xihe paused slightly, turned her body to the side, and subtly avoided her touch. "Sister, you might as well speak your mind directly. There's no need to beat around the bush like this."