Ling Chuchu suffered, Ling Qingwan regarded it as a joke, and lived a happy life. In the blink of an eye, it was the birthday of Sima, the Marquis of Yong'an.
Lord Sima is an old official in the court, about the same age as Shen Chengzhou. Ling Xiao, Wei Xun and Tan Hongbo were often taught by him when they were young. He is a well-respected official.
As soon as she got off the carriage, Ling Qingwan stopped and looked at the plaque on the door.
The four characters "Yong'an Marquis' Mansion" are vigorous and powerful. Unlike the red sandalwood used by the noble families in the capital, the plaque of Sima's house is made of a more simple feather wood. Coupled with such neat handwriting, it looks particularly elegant.
Ling Qingwan had some impression of Lord Sima.
In his previous life, he went to the general's mansion to visit his grandfather several times, and he always saw Lord Sima playing chess with his grandfather. One of them was a civil official, and the other was a military general, but they had been on good terms for twenty or thirty years, and it was a good story in the court.
Thinking of this, Ling Qingwan glanced at the carriage behind her.
She hoped that Lord Sima would like the gift she carefully selected.
Today was the birthday banquet for Marquis Yong'an, and many of the city's prominent families and dignitaries sent gifts. There was an endless stream of guests coming to celebrate the birthday, and the scene was very lively.
Ling Qingwan originally liked to be more quiet and wanted to find a corner to rest, but she didn't expect that as soon as she turned around, she ran into Sima Yan, the granddaughter of Lord Sima.
Sima Yan had been spoiled since she was a child, and had a spoiled and arrogant temper. In her previous life, when she met Sima Yan alone, Ling Qingwan was often ridiculed by her.
At that time, Ling Qingwan was submissive and did not know how to resist. Sima Yan pointed at her nose and called her a country bumpkin. She was not worthy of being on stage and brought shame to the Marquis' Mansion, but she did not dare to say a word.
When they suddenly met today, the past came flooding back to her mind. Ling Qingwan felt a little annoyed and turned her eyes away.
"There are so many people in the front hall, why didn't Miss Ling join them instead of coming here?"
Sima Yan walked up to Ling Qingwan.
"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Sima Yan. The Marquis of Yong'an who is celebrating his birthday today is my grandfather."
When Sima Yan looked at Ling Qingwan, her eyes were filled with disdain.
Ling Qingwan was very thoughtful, so she could tell at a glance. Moreover, Sima Yan showed it so obviously.
"Ms. Sima." Ling Qingwan nodded.
"You'd better stay in the front hall. My grandfather has invited a famous opera troupe from the capital, and they will go to the stage in the back garden to watch a play. If you're not here, he will have to go to the trouble of looking for you."
Sima Yan glanced at Ling Qingwan.
Is this the woman that everyone in the capital is talking about, the one who is very close to the Seventh Prince? She thought to herself, her heart filled with contempt.
It’s not that great.
Sima Yan sneered at Ling Qingwan.
As soon as she finished speaking, before Ling Qingwan could respond, Sima Yan's eyes were attracted by a figure not far away.
"Seventh Prince!"
When Sima Yan saw Wei Xun, she was like a wolf that had been hungry for half a month seeing meat. She immediately went to meet him.
"It's been a year since we last met. Do you miss me?" Sima Yan said to Wei Xun with a smile.
Ling Qingwan's intuition told her that Sima Yan must have a crush on Wei Xun.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Sima Yan finished speaking, Wei Xun calmly shook off Sima Yan's hand that was wrapped around his arm and walked straight to Ling Qingwan.
"It's rare for Miss Sima to return to Beijing. As a student of Lord Sima, I naturally welcome Lord Sima and Miss Sima back to Beijing." Wei Xun's mouth curled up slightly.
With just a few words, he severed ties with Sima Yan.
Sima Yan could naturally hear the alienation in Wei Xun's words. She was stunned at first, and then the smile on her face stopped.
Especially when he saw Wei Xun holding Ling Qingwan's hand, the resentment in his heart reached its peak and he wanted to burst out.
Another difficult one.
Ling Qingwan stroked her forehead.
From this scene just now, she could see that Sima Yan not only liked Wei Xun, but was also very jealous. She was afraid that she would do something shady behind her back. Ling Qingwan did nothing and just caused a lot of trouble.
Wei Xun didn't care and didn't pay any attention to Sima Yan. He said hello to her and took Ling Qingwan away.
Looking at the two people's leaving backs, Sima Yan was furious.
"What's so good about Ling Qingwan that the Seventh Prince protects her so much." Sima Yan gritted her teeth, her tone full of resentment.
The maidservant beside her didn't dare to say anything and could only lower her head and listen silently to Sima Yan venting her anger.
"I can't give up." Sima Yan murmured to herself.
"Seventh Prince and I have been childhood sweethearts and grew up together. It is impossible for Seventh Prince to have no feelings for me. Besides, what else does Ling Qingwan have besides a grandfather who is a general? No matter how powerful her grandfather is, it cannot erase the fact that she is a wild girl."
"How could the Seventh Prince fall in love with such a woman?"
The more Sima Yan thought about it, the more she felt that it must be Ling Qingwan who had drugged Wei Xun to make him so devoted to her.
On the other side, Ling Qingwan also followed Wei Xun to the front hall.
The front hall was much more lively than the backyard. Ling Qingwan and Wei Xun stood side by side and quickly attracted everyone's attention.
"If you feel bored, just follow me and I will accompany you." Wei Xun lowered his voice and said to Ling Qingwan.
As soon as he finished speaking, he held Ling Qingwan's hand even tighter.
But Wei Xun was a member of the imperial court after all, and he held a distinguished position. When many dignitaries saw Wei Xun, they all wanted to come forward and chat with him. Ling Qingwan had no intention of getting involved in all this. If it weren't for the fact that Lord Sima was an old friend of her grandfather, she wouldn't have come here today.
So Ling Qingwan politely declined Wei Xun, and while an official was chatting with Wei Xun, she slipped away to wander around somewhere else.
"Miss Ling Er!"
Suddenly, someone called her.
Ling Qingwan looked in the direction of the voice and saw two women walking towards her in a hurry.
One of them, Ling Qingwan, looked familiar. After thinking for a while, she was the young lady who had a big fight with Ling Chuchu at the eldest princess' birthday banquet last time.
Zhang Shuying was in front and Gu Zhi was behind, and they soon arrived in front of Ling Qingwan.
"It's really you. I thought you wouldn't come." Zhang Shuying said with a smile.
Ling Qingwan was confused by what she heard.
As far as I can remember, she and Zhang Shuying are not familiar with each other. What is Zhang Shuying doing
"Why don't you introduce yourself? Miss Ling Er is confused right now."
Gu Zhi reminded Zhang Shuying in a gentle tone.
Ling Qingwan's attention was attracted by Gu Zhi again.
Zhang Shuying and Gu Zhi seem to have a good relationship, but their styles are very different. The former is outspoken and lively, and Ling Qingwan sees a hint of An Yi in her. The latter is gentle and virtuous, and looks like a lady from a noble family, very friendly and powerful.
At Gu Zhi's reminder, Zhang Shuying introduced herself.
"I've heard of your name a long time ago, and I admire you very much. I've always wanted to meet you." Zhang Shuying told Ling Qingwan. "Sister Zhi'er and I just saw you from a distance, and we thought we were seeing things."
"The second Miss Ling is extremely beautiful, a rare beauty, how could she be wrong. So Shu Ying came to find her." Gu Zhi agreed.
Ling Qingwan said nothing, and the two of them praised her all at once.
However, Ling Qingwan roughly understood what was going on.