She adjusted a newly purchased white jade hairpin in her hair and said, "At my age, no amount of rouge and powder can compare to the beauty of the flower buds in the courtyard. It's no use defying old age!"
Having finished speaking, she no longer looked at the others and walked directly to Zhao Jiaqi, who was dressed in court attire. She curtsied, "Qiao Yu pays her respects to the Princess Consort, may the Princess Consort be well!"
"Ji Rou pays her respects to the Princess Consort, may the Princess Consort be well!"
Zhao Jiaqi: "Rise."
After the mother and daughter thanked her, they stood up. Zhao Jiaqi was finally able to carefully examine the two of them.
Madam Ji appeared to be in her forties, slightly plump, with calculative eyes, a rather snobbish person. In contrast, Ji Rou, true to her name, was delicate and fragile. She was beautiful, but lacked a certain spark of liveliness.
A moment later, Madam Zhou Baihe of the Li household arrived, accompanied by her youngest daughter, Zhou Qian. The two of them ignored those who greeted them and walked up to Zhao Jiaqi, bowing.
Closely following behind were Madam Liu Baijie of the Liu household, leading her daughter Liu Ru, and Madam Meng Hao Jingyu, who also brought her entourage.
It was as if these families had coordinated, arriving one after another.
"For today's flower appreciation banquet, please do not be reserved. Pastries and herbal teas have been prepared in the pavilion and in the Qin Fang Pavilion. We also have the recently popular milk tea. Feel free to rest there if you get tired from walking!"
As Zhao Jiaqi finished speaking, those who were sensible quickly led their daughters away. Soon, few people remained in the courtyard.
Madam Ji looked at Zhao Jiaqi, her eyes darting between her and Zhou Baihe. She smiled and said, "Princess Consort, what a coincidence. Madam Li's elder sister is the wife of the Prime Minister, serving in the same court as His Highness. I wonder if the Princess Consort is aware?"
"Is that so? That is quite a coincidence. When we were in the capital, the Prince's estate was only separated by a wall from the Prime Minister's estate. I never heard the Prime Minister's wife mention it!" Zhao Jiaqi deflected, turning her head to look at the grim-faced Zhou Baihe. She smiled and said, "Indeed, Madam Li shares a six-tenths resemblance in features with the Prime Minister's estate. Both are dignified, capable, and steady. One can tell they come from a prominent family."
Her words were flawless, neatly sidestepping the issue and praising Zhou Baihe in the process.
Madam Ji, Qiao Yu, covered her mouth with a brocade handkerchief and forced a few awkward laughs. Unnaturally, she nodded along with Zhao Jiaqi's words, "Yes, yes. Madam Li's maternal family is a prominent family in the capital, officials for generations. Her brother-in-law is even the current Prime Minister. However... I heard that something happened to the Prime Minister, and it seems his household has been confiscated!"
"Madam Ji, this is not hearsay, it is true. The Prime Minister is still in prison, and the Prime Minister's wife is confined to her residence. I wonder what Madam Li thinks of this matter?"
Madam Liu chimed in after Qiao Yu, subtly but pointedly criticizing Zhou Baihe twice.
The two women were clearly provoking her, which allowed Zhao Jiaqi to discern some of the underlying tensions.
Zhou Baihe glanced at the two who were colluding against her. She was too lazy to argue with such people. Raising an eyebrow and lifting her chin, she replied, "I have no opinion. I believe His Majesty will thoroughly investigate and will not wrongly accuse the good, nor will he let a villain go, wouldn't you agree!"
She raised her eyebrows at them, her provocation evident. As the situation was escalating, only Madam Meng remained silent and did not speak, merely watching them with amusement. Her eyes, however, held a naked contempt that she couldn't conceal.
Seeing this, Zhao Jiaqi was utterly bewildered.
The four great families had dominated this region for many years. Logically, they should have been more harmonious. Yet, why was there such an atmosphere of bickering?
In the pavilion, Zhao Jiaqi and several ladies were seated. Just as the hot tea was served, the steward hurried over, spoke a few words to Qiufen outside the pavilion, and then left in a hurry.
Seeing this, everyone was curious. Had something happened in the estate? They all craned their necks.
Zhao Jiaqi beckoned a servant girl beside her and asked.
"Qiufen, what did the steward say just now? There are no outsiders here, so feel free to speak freely!"
Qiufen curtsied and reported matter-of-factly, "Your Princess Consort, a young lady accidentally fell into the water when His Highness was passing by the lotus pond. She drowned and is unconscious. The estate physician is currently treating her. His Highness sent the steward to inform the Princess Consort that if the young lady wakes up, she is to be reminded to pay for the entire pond of lotuses!"
This... shouldn't they be asking if the young lady was dead?
Instead, His Highness was concerned about the pond of lotuses!
Zhao Jiaqi knew exactly what was going on. She smiled sweetly and waved at Qiufen, "Have Xiázhi go and keep watch. When the young lady wakes up, tell her to compensate... fifty taels of silver, just as a token gesture!"
Qiufen grinned and left, her small steps so quick that she looked like she was wearing wind-fire wheels.
The ladies in the pavilion were all stunned. Madam Meng asked in surprise, "Princess Consort, is the life of a young lady not more important than a pond of lotuses? His Highness's actions are truly inappropriate!"
She had been silent, but the moment she spoke, she gave Zhao Jiaqi such a fright, almost accusing the Prince of disregarding human life.
"I suspect Madam Meng's mind is not functioning properly. Since the young lady fell into the lotus pond in a place where His Highness was passing, there must have been many people who saw it. How could they have let her drown?"
Madam Meng, Hao Jingyu, was so insulted that her face immediately turned ashen.
Zhao Jiaqi seemed to ignore her and continued, "Everyone knows that the front courtyard is for entertaining male guests. Why would this young lady go to the front courtyard? And why did she fall into the water right in front of His Highness?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Baihe sneered and chimed in, "These nasty tricks of the inner chambers have found their way into the Prince's estate. They think they can extort His Highness with this ploy, desperate to enter the Prince's estate, aren't they? Fortunately, His Highness maintains his integrity. This punishment is not excessive. It will also give those who seek to climb the social ladder a lesson and save them from disgrace!"
Her words, neither too heavy nor too light, struck a chord with the other ladies. Their faces flushed red, then white, and occasionally green, indicating their anger.
With her straightforward personality and sharp tongue, her words cut deep. No wonder these women were ganging up on her.
Now, those who had aspirations to enter the Prince's estate became much more subdued. However, there were still many who were unwilling to give up.
During the banquet, Zhao Jiaqi became more familiar with the ladies. She navigated the conversations smoothly, understanding their personalities. They were all old foxes, their words meticulously chosen.
In the afternoon, after seeing them off, Zhao Jiaqi collapsed onto the chaise lounge. Fan Zehao massaged her shoulders and back, grumbling softly with concern, "Let's see if you'll host this flower appreciation banquet again next time."
All this fuss, and she ended up exhausting herself!
Zhao Jiaqi pinched the excess flesh at his waist. Don't think she couldn't hear his low grumbling. After venting her frustration, she asked, "Did you gain anything today?"
"Yes, I gained fifty taels!" Fan Zehao replied in a low, muffled voice.