Three families hire each other, the mistress of the marquisate accidentally offends the treacherous

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked at Jiang Qingyue.

Especially those young ladies who had just developed a dislike for Dong Ling, there was already some hostility in their eyes.

Jiang Qingyue answered, "To reply to the Imperial Concubine, we are not familiar with each other.

"However, I do have some connections with General Dong Ling. When I was in prison before, General Dong Ling interrogated me once. I wonder if this counts as acquaintance..."

Jiang Qingyue listened to Nie Qianjin's sour question and couldn't help cursing in her heart:

You really don't know the importance of this. Don't you know what your purpose is today? You're actually being jealous in such an occasion.

Originally the matter had been settled, but who knows how much trouble this remark would cause.

I am not afraid of stupid people, I am afraid of stupid people holding high positions.

For the first time, Jiang Qingyue felt disgusted with Nie Qianjin.

It would be fine if he died of stupidity, but he wanted to drag others to be buried with him.

Nie Qianjin was speechless.

When Jiang Qingyue mentioned the intersection during the prison interrogation, it seemed like she was looking for trouble.

"You don't have to be nervous. I'm just asking casually."

Jiang Qingyue lowered her head and said nothing. Nie Qianjin wanted to say something but couldn't find a reason to do so. It felt like he was punching cotton, but the uneasiness in his heart became more and more obvious.

Her plan to leave this time failed, and there would almost be no second chance.

She was trapped in this cage of wealth, and now Dong Lingyan was her only thought and hope.

After the emperor is gone, she may have one last chance to leave, but she will have to wait for that chance.

If Dong Lingyan no longer has her in his heart, then she will really be trapped to death in this palace.

No, she wouldn't allow that to happen.

She wanted to see how much Dong Lingyan cared about Jiang Qingyue before she could plan what to do.

Nie Qianjin looked at Princess Chen: "I heard that some programs have been prepared for today."

"Yes, yes, it is an honor for the Chen Palace to have you here today. Originally, several young ladies in the palace wanted to perform for the Imperial Concubine, but the young ladies in the palace were not well-trained and were afraid of offending the Imperial Concubine, so I invited young ladies from other palaces to perform together."

"Yes, the gentlemen are on board too, so we can enjoy the view together."

"The women here show off their talents, and maybe even find a marriage."

In the capital city, all the banquets held in various mansions had a hidden purpose, which was to find marriage partners for unmarried men and women.

At today's banquet, the male guests are in the orchard opposite, and there is a lake between the two gardens.

At this time, all the men were sailing on the lake, so they could row the boats over here just in time.

Everyone understood what Nie Qianjin said.

When the young ladies thought of General Dong Ling whom they had just met, they were all eager to try and show off.

Although everyone had heard that General Dong Ling was cruel, they had only heard about it. It was completely different from what they had just seen, so they thought the rumor was wrong.

When a young girl is in love, she will only see what she wants to see and automatically ignore everything else.

As soon as the Imperial Concubine finished her words, the lady from Prince Chen's mansion had already asked the servants to set up the stage, ready for the young ladies to perform.

Jiang Qingyue listened quietly at the side, with no intention of getting involved.

However, I noticed that the ladies were frequently looking towards the boat behind.

When we are young, we are ignorant and only look at appearance, but we don’t know that appearance is the most useless thing when you are with someone until old age.

The stage was quickly set up.

The first person to come on stage was the young lady of the Yongyi Marquis’s family.

The Yongyi Marquis' Mansion only has the title of Marquis, but no real power.

It is the maiden home of the second wife of Prince Chen’s Mansion.

The one who came up was the second lady's niece.

It must have taken some thought to be the first to go on stage.

She was dressed gorgeously and bowed politely as soon as she came on stage.

She performed the piano.

Following a beautiful sound of piano, the men's boats had already reached the shore.

But they didn't go ashore, they just stood on the boat and listened.

Jiang Qingyue was a little surprised to see Ji Yunzhi was there too.

Ji Yunzhi nodded slightly to her, and Jiang Qingyue withdrew her gaze.

This young lady's piano skills are neither good nor bad, just average. However, today's stage was indeed carefully thought out, with lotus flowers in a water tank and a screen, which is quite pleasing to the eye.

When the third lady came up to perform, Nie Qianjin looked at Jiang Qingyue casually:

"I heard that Miss Jiang is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. I have never had the honor to see her. I wonder if Miss Jiang is willing to come on stage."

"Your Highness, thank you for your praise. I haven't done this for a long time, so my skills are not so good. I won't show off my ugliness."

"Miss Jiang, you are too modest. You are now divorced and free. You may find a suitable husband at the banquet today."

Jiang Qingyue's eyes turned cold: "I don't think so much."

Jiang Qingyue's refusal was obvious, and if Nie Qianjin insisted, it would be a bit aggressive.

She glanced at Princess Chen beside her, and Princess Chen felt guilty.

"Miss Jiang, just perform one. You don't have to win first place. The main thing is to participate and make it more lively."

Princess Chen's mission today is to please the Imperial Concubine.

She didn't know what the imperial concubine was thinking. After she said these tentative words, she glanced at the imperial concubine secretly. Seeing that the imperial concubine looked satisfied, she understood.

The imperial concubine wanted Jiang Qingyue to perform, so she had to put Jiang Qingyue on the stage today no matter what.

"I haven't attended banquets in the past few years. Not only am I not familiar with them, I've even forgotten some of the basics. Why don't I practice hard this time when I go back, and then make a fool of myself next time."

Jiang Qingyue made it clear that she didn't want to perform.

At this point, Princess Chen didn't know what to say, but seeing that the Imperial Concubine didn't say anything, she had to bite the bullet and speak again:

"That's fine. My Third Young Miss, today's program is dancing. Could you please ask Miss Jiang to come on stage and play the drums? That will count as participation. There will be piano music to accompany it, so you just need to play at a steady rhythm."

There are two types of drum performances in the Da Zhou Dynasty. One has rhythmic beats, and the other is harmony, as long as there is a sound.

The former requires some skills, while the latter is purely participation and doing some physical work.

Jiang Qingyue showed a look of dissatisfaction on her face, feeling that Nie Qianjin was getting too aggressive.

"I am truly sorry. Princess Chen knows that I have caught a cold today and I am too weak to speak, let alone play the drum. Please do not force me."

Jiang Qingyue's words were just short of saying she would not go on stage.

At this point, as the host, it was already impolite for Princess Chen to make demands on the guests. If she were to be more aggressive, it would be too unreasonable.

Jiang Qingyue was not feeling well, and she told everyone about it as soon as the imperial concubine sat down, so it was not an excuse at this time.

Princess Chen was in a dilemma for a moment.

She looked at Nie Qianjin with some trepidation, but saw that Nie Qianjin was looking into the distance.

There is the boat for the gentlemen.

Dong Lingyan didn't even look at her from beginning to end.

Nie Qianjin spoke to Jiang Qingyue:

"Today is a rare Hundred Flowers Banquet, and the young masters and young ladies are all here, so Miss Jiang should not spoil the fun."

Everyone looked at Jiang Qingyue and couldn't help but feel a little sympathy. Jiang Qingyue had to go on stage.

No one knew why, but everything was fine just now, and in just a short while, it was as if the Imperial Concubine had become enemies with Miss Jiang.

Cao, who was standing by, watched this scene with a smile on his face, as if he was gloating.

Although she didn't know what kind of conflict there was between Jiang Qingyue and the Imperial Concubine, the Imperial Concubine's behavior was exactly what she wanted.

She glanced at Nie Qianjin who was sitting in the first seat, and thought to herself that if she had any questions about Jiang Qingyue in the future, she could whisper them to the Imperial Concubine.

Cao's smile gradually widened, as if he had discovered some secret.

When Nie Qianjin said this, the atmosphere was a little tense.

Jiang Qingyue looked up at Nie Qianjin and saw a provocative smile on Nie Qianjin's face.

It’s for Dongling Yan.

Dong Lingyan, who was on the boat, frowned when he heard this.

I feel that it is inappropriate for Nie Qianjin to force him in this situation.

There was a boat nearby that had already docked, and Ji Yunzhi got off the boat.

The ladies present blushed again when they saw Ji Yunzhi.

If the General Dong Ling just now was majestic and suave, then the Prime Minister in front of him was a gentleman as beautiful as jade and unparalleled in the world.

What's more, the other party is well-known for his talent, became famous at a young age, and is the youngest prime minister of the Great Zhou. Any of his identities and resumes would make him a dazzling presence.

Although he was married, many of the young ladies present felt that it would be fine if they could enter the mansion and become concubines.

"Your Highness, you are so strong-willed, but what do you think of Miss Jiang?"

Ji Yunzhi always spoke directly, without any roundabout way.

Everyone present was shocked when they heard this.

The Prime Minister is so brave. The Imperial Concubine is favored by the Emperor.

The only person in the world who dares to speak to the Imperial Concubine like this is probably the upright Prime Minister.

All the ladies present widened their eyes and stared at Ji Yunzhi on the field with uneasy looks.

It is really hard not to like such a Prime Minister.

"Miss Jiang is the younger sister of the Prime Minister's wife. The Prime Minister is too protective of her. The way he defends his wife's younger sister is really... I can't think of a word to describe the shock in my heart at this moment."

"Me too, me too. The Prime Minister's wife is so happy."

"I heard that it was the Prime Minister's wife who took the initiative to express her feelings to the Prime Minister. Later, the two of them became close friends and have always treated each other with respect. The Prime Minister's wife has always been the only one in the backyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion."

"I'm so envious. If I had known earlier, I would have taken more initiative. Maybe the current Prime Minister's wife will have to be replaced by someone else."

"How old were you at that time, little girl?"

"Oh my, I just feel emotional. Such a good husband, it's a pity that I was born at the wrong time. But it doesn't stop me from admiring him. The Prime Minister is really a role model for a husband."

Several young ladies gathered together chatting and laughing, not noticing that the atmosphere here had become somewhat tense.

Nie Qianjin was slapped in the face in public and looked very unhappy.

"Prime Minister, what do you mean?"

Ji Yunzhi: "Miss Jiang has made it very clear just now, and expressed her unwillingness to go on stage, but the Imperial Concubine has been aggressive and wants people to go on stage again and again. Why is that?"

Nie Qianjin: "Master Prime Minister, are you going to stand up for Miss Jiang?"

"Let me say something fair." Ji Yunzhi said in a resounding voice.

"Oh, there are so many things going on in the world, but the Prime Minister doesn't care about it. Instead, he has the leisure to care whether Miss Jiang wants to perform on stage. If you don't know, you would think that the Prime Minister and Miss Jiang have some special dealings in private."

Nie Qianjin emphasized this special exchange so strongly that it is hard not to let people imagine.

Ji Yunzhi was not moved at all, and looked confident and righteous:

"I will take care of every injustice I see. Now that I see the Imperial Concubine is being aggressive, I will take care of this one first.

“I am in charge of matters, no matter how big or small, as long as there is injustice, I will speak out.

"I didn't expect the Imperial Concubine to be so confused about right and wrong. Not only is she petty, she also exaggerates and directly spreads rumors that I have some private dealings with the Second Miss Jiang.

"Your Highness, you'd better produce evidence, otherwise I will report the truth to the Emperor and let him judge.

"I can bear some injustice, but I cannot let Miss Jiang suffer an unjust accusation for no reason."

"You...you..." Nie Qianjin was a little exasperated.

Ji Yunzhi's words didn't give her any face at all.

In public, they actually said that she was unable to distinguish right from wrong, and was exaggerating and petty. How could she carry herself in front of these ladies in the future?

She knew that the emperor doted on her because she was young, beautiful and from the common people. Unlike those ladies from wealthy families, he only doted on her as a plaything.

If she really had any conflict with the prime minister, her impression in the emperor's mind would definitely be greatly reduced.

How could she dare to really go to the emperor and argue with the prime minister?

Outside, she could act like a royal concubine in front of anyone, but she didn't dare to really go to the emperor and confront the court officials.

She suppressed her anger and grievance, and said with a smile:

"You are joking, my Lord Prime Minister. There is no evidence. I misheard and wrongly accused you and Miss Jiang.

"As for performing on stage, it's just a joke with Miss Jiang. If Miss Jiang doesn't want to perform, then she doesn't have to. Right, Princess Chen?"

Princess Chen was called out at once and almost didn't react.

He quickly followed up Nie Qianjin's words and replied:

"Yes, yes, yes. Just now, I saw that Miss Jiang was in a bad mood, so I wanted her to participate. It would make her happier. I didn't want to cause such a misunderstanding. I will personally come to apologize to Miss Jiang. I hope Miss Jiang will forgive me."

"No problem."

Jiang Qingyue responded and glanced at Ji Yunzhi with gratitude in her eyes.

When he took it back, he met Dong Lingyan's gaze.

There seemed to be a look of guilt in his eyes.

Jiang Qingyue just pretended not to see it.

He left the party on the grounds of feeling unwell.

In the crowd, Cao almost gritted her teeth as she watched the whole process.

Ji Yunzhi's protection was so obvious, how could she not see it.

That day in the Prime Minister's Mansion, she felt that Ji Yunzhi was wrong to Jiang Qingyue. Today, she was almost certain that Ji Yunzhi was protecting Jiang Qingyue.

It was a pity that his daughter was still missing, but Ji Yunzhi stood up for her.

If half of this thought could be given to Jiang Peilan, it wouldn't have come to this.

Cao secretly wiped her tears and hated Jiang Qingyue to the core.

Now Ji Yunzhi and Jiang Peilan are still husband and wife, so she can't do anything to Ji Yunzhi.

But it is possible for Jiang Qingyue.

She found an excuse to go to the side room, asked the maid to write a note, and quietly had someone hand it to Nie Qianjin.