Minister Li solemnly accepted the ginseng, "Then I will thank the Princess Consort on behalf of my mother. Princess Consort, please come in."
Madam Han also stepped forward to present a gift, but the Li family's smiles significantly diminished upon seeing Han Xuemei and her mother.
Ye Qingcheng smiled without speaking and followed the housekeeper of Minister Li inside.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd muttered, "Everyone knows Minister Li is holding this memorial banquet for his deceased father, yet the Han family arrives in such luxurious attire. Han Xuemei is even adorned with numerous ornate hairpins. They must be here to freeload!"
"Exactly! Even the Princess Consort is dressed plainly. Han Xuemei is probably here to mock them. Didn't you see Minister Li's family change their expressions when they saw them? It's truly a disgrace to the Han family."
The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but everyone present heard it.
Madam Han and Han Xuemei were both extremely embarrassed by the remarks.
A smile played on Ye Qingcheng's lips as she followed the housekeeper into the residence.
Observing the simple and elegant furnishings within, Ye Qingcheng understood. It seemed the Li family still deeply missed their late father.
The housekeeper led the Princess Consort to the opera troupe.
"Princess Consort, please enjoy the opera here. We will invite you to the banquet once the feast is ready."
Ye Qingcheng simply smiled and replied, "No trouble, you may go about your business!"
The housekeeper respectfully withdrew.
Ye Qingcheng sat down and listened intently to the opera. She had never had the opportunity to watch a troupe perform so up close!
Fanning herself with a fan and cracking melon seeds, Ye Qingcheng asked, "Bixi, have you heard anything about this Minister Li's character?"
Bixi nodded, "I've heard that Minister Li entered officialdom through the imperial examinations and rose step by step to the position of Minister. Moreover, Minister Li is known for his amiable and courteous demeanor. He and Madam Li have been devoted to each other for many years and he has never taken a concubine. His son and daughter were both born to his wife."
Ye Qingcheng nodded, indicating that this Minister Li seemed to be a good person. "And what about the elder Madam Li?"
"Actually, regarding the elder Madam Li, I've only heard rumors, and I don't know if they're true. It's said that when Master Li was young, he was often very busy, and it was the elder Madam Li who raised Minister Li. The elder Madam Li was knowledgeable and virtuous, which greatly influenced Minister Li's character from a young age, leading to his upright and incorruptible reputation and his lifelong abstinence from other women."
Ye Qingcheng understood. She realized that Minister Li, from a humble background, had endured hardships. For the elder Madam Li to have raised the Minister so well, especially considering that ordinary rural women might not possess such foresight, suggested that the elder Madam Li's background was likely not simple either.
Suddenly, Ye Qingcheng noticed a figure appearing in her peripheral vision. She looked up to see an unfamiliar face.
Ye Qingcheng looked to Bixi for help. Bixi introduced, "Princess Consort, this is Minister Li's youngest daughter, Li Mo'er."
Oh! So it was his youngest daughter!
Li Mo'er also spotted Ye Qingcheng and greeted her with a bright smile, "Oh! You're here to watch the opera too!"
Ye Qingcheng replied with a full smile, "Yes!"
"Hee hee!" Li Mo'er touched her nose. "These operas are supposed to be cheerful, but because my grandfather is still in mourning, they've all been changed to mournful tunes. It's really tiresome."
Ye Qingcheng chuckled at her words, "I find it quite novel. If Miss Li finds it tiresome, why then did you come?"
"Hee hee!" Li Mo'er moved a little closer to Ye Qingcheng. "I didn't want to come initially, finding the welcoming guests too troublesome, making my face ache from smiling. But I heard my maid say that the Regent's Princess Consort had arrived and had completely subdued that girl from the Han family. I was curious, so I came to see."
Ye Qingcheng let out a snort of laughter. "And what do you think? Is it not as good as you expected?"
Li Mo'er shook her head. "Hmm! It's not that it's not good, it's that it's too good. When the Regent married, our family also attended, but my mother and elder sister didn't want me to join the revelry, saying that the entire capital knew the Regent's intentions at the time. He merely wanted a new bride who resembled Murong Yun, treating her as a replacement!"
Ye Qingcheng fell into thought. Speaking of which, when Xiao Wangye took her as a replacement, no one knew. She also took Xiao Wangye as a replacement. She only bore a slight resemblance to Murong Yun from the side, but Xiao Wangye looked exactly like him!
Bixi, who had been paying close attention to Ye Qingcheng, noticed her unusual demeanor and felt a flicker of anxiety. What if the Princess Consort hadn't yet emerged from Murong Yun's shadow...
Li Mo'er, oblivious to Ye Qingcheng's introspection, continued, "But I think you don't resemble Murong Yun at all. She... I won't comment on her, but I think you are even more beautiful than Murong Yun... The Prince was truly blind to have liked Murong Yun before."
Come to think of it, ever since she transmigrated, she had been constantly reminded of Murong Yun, yet she had never seen Murong Yun's appearance. She...
"What kind of person is Murong Yun?"
Li Mo'er pondered for a moment. "Hmm... it's not appropriate for me to comment on someone behind their back. What kind of person is she? Hmm! I think she's quite good, she just has poor judgment in people..."
Ye Qingcheng listened thoughtfully.
Li Mo'er waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, let's not talk about her. I really didn't know someone could so thoroughly put Han Xuemei in her place."
Ye Qingcheng let out a chuckle. "You seem to dislike her quite a bit!"
"Of course I dislike her!" Li Mo'er's disdain for Han Xuemei was undisguised. "Her family and mine are both ministries, yet they dote on Han Xuemei like a princess, cherishing her like a treasure and fearing she might break. When she goes out, thirteen people must attend her, and everyone must flatter her. After meeting her, she holds her nose so high in the air! Today is my grandfather's memorial banquet, and she, of all people, dressed as if she were entering the Golden Palace. I despise such people the most."
Watching Li Mo'er complain about Han Xuemei, Ye Qingcheng found it rather amusing!
When facing Murong Yun, she advised against speaking ill of others behind their backs, but towards Han Xuemei, she had countless bad things to say. It appeared she truly detested Han Xuemei.
"Who are you bad-mouthing here again?" At this moment, a clean and crisp voice came from behind them. They turned to look, and Li Mo'er immediately wilted. "Fourth Sister!"
Ye Qingcheng observed this young lady intently. Dressed in a creamy white gown, her posture was upright and elegant, exuding a gentle and dignified aura.
The fourth daughter of the Li family stepped forward to bow, "Greetings to the Princess Consort."
Ye Qingcheng smiled, "I know you. I saw you at the entrance earlier, but I didn't catch your name."
Fourth Daughter smiled subtly, "Princess Consort may call me Li Xuan'er."
Li Xuan'er. Ye Qingcheng smiled, thinking that Minister Li rather liked giving his daughters names ending with 'er'.
Li Mo'er ran over and hooked her arm around her sister's. "Fourth Sister, why are you here?"
Li Xuan'er playfully tapped her nose. "You! I asked you to invite the Princess Consort to the banquet, but here you are, chatting away with her. Grandmother, Father, and Mother are all waiting for you. Knowing you wouldn't be punctual, they sent me to invite the Princess Consort to the main hall for the seating."