"Excellent!"
The Crown Princess stepped forward and personally took Song Chaoyu's hand. "The Minister of Rites has raised his daughter well. I will certainly visit with His Highness the Crown Prince to express our gratitude!"
Her gratitude towards Song Chaoyu was evident. "Come and sit beside me later; it will be better if we are together!"
Song Chaoyu quickly lowered her head. "This humble daughter dares not!"
But the Crown Princess had made up her mind and was already pulling Song Chaoyu towards the banquet seats.
In an instant, Song Chaoyu could no longer remain obscure at this banquet.
Even after three rounds of drinks, Consort Xian brought the Prince of Chang with her, smiling at Song Chaoyu. "I never expected you, a young girl, to be so quick-witted. If it weren't for you, and something had happened to the Crown Princess in the Tower of Ascending Sparrows today, I would also be hard to blame."
She raised her wine cup, gesturing for the bowing Song Chaoyu to rise. "There's no need for such formality. Let us share a drink!"
Song Chaoyu rose and raised her wine cup, her gaze inevitably drawn again to the Prince of Chang, who followed behind Consort Xian.
He sat in his wheeled chair, his eyes still as cold as ever. He raised his wine cup towards Song Chaoyu in a gesture of acknowledgement.
After drinking a cup of peach blossom wine, which was not a strong liquor, Song Chaoyu felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
She was almost certain that the Prince of Chang before her was not her Han Xi gege.
Her Han Xi gege would never look at her with such indifferent eyes; her Han Xi gege had always been a gentle and smiling young man.
She had saved the Crown Princess, and even Consort Xian had brought the Prince of Chang to toast her. This palace banquet seemed to have everyone approaching Song Chaoyu.
In the end, even the Princess of An yang, who had made things difficult for her earlier, came over.
This willful girl, with her awkward pride, raised her wine cup to Song Chaoyu. "I thought you were someone who only knew how to speak glibly, but I didn't expect you to have such capabilities. Since you saved my cousin, I should also offer you a toast."
Song Chaoyu then learned that the Crown Princess's mother was the aunt of the Princess of An yang.
Song Chaoyu could only drink the wine offered by the Princess of An yang. She was truly unable to hold her liquor, and her face was already flushed red.
Later, when others came to toast her, Song Yanjiao, standing beside her, blocked Song Chaoyu. "Look at how enthusiastic you all are, making my fourth sister's face turn red! She truly cannot hold her liquor. Why don't I stand in for her? You can all toast me instead. Let my fourth sister rest for a while, otherwise, if we get the day's heroine drunk, how will we explain it to Father when we return?"
Her generous and thoughtful demeanor naturally earned her much praise.
Song Chaoyu was not actually drunk, but she indeed did not wish to continue drinking.
She watched Song Yanjiao, who moved with such ease as if she were a butterfly flitting through a garden of flowers, and felt that she should learn more from her charming demeanor today.
To be able to shift everyone's attention from herself to her, Song Yanjiao's skill was truly remarkable!
The Crown Princess had not fallen into the water, so the matter naturally passed.
The palace banquet was filled with music and laughter, and everyone continued to revel until nightfall.
Just before the banquet was to conclude, the Crown Princess called Song Chaoyu to a halt. She personally took the precious purple pearl phoenix-flying-in-nine-heavens hairpin from her own hair and placed it on Song Chaoyu's coiffure.
She held Song Chaoyu's hand and spoke for a good while before letting her leave.
It was only when Song Chaoyu got into the carriage with the First Madam and Song Yanjiao, and saw Song Yanrou sleeping soundly in the carriage, that she remembered Song Yanrou was waiting for them!
"Get up!"
The First Madam, who had been smiling all along, lost her smile upon seeing Song Yanrou sleeping. "I told you to reflect in the carriage, and you've fallen asleep? What kind of decorum is this?!"
Song Yanrou jolted awake and only then realized that the palace banquet had ended.
She rubbed her eyes, then immediately saw the luxurious pearl hairpin on Song Chaoyu's head. Startled, she stepped forward to try and snatch it off. "Where did you get this hairpin?"
Her action, however, was stopped by Song Yanjiao.
Song Yanjiao smiled and said to Song Yanrou, "We can't touch this hairpin carelessly! It's a gift from Her Highness the Crown Princess. Now, our fourth sister has become the most glorious daughter of our Song family!"
These words, while seemingly praising Song Chaoyu, were actually intended to provoke Song Yanrou's anger.
As expected, Song Yanrou rolled her eyes at Song Chaoyu. "Her? The most glorious daughter of our Song family? What right does she have? Why would Her Highness the Crown Princess bestow a hairpin upon her? She, an illegitimate daughter, dares to steal the spotlight from Second Sister?"
Song Chaoyu couldn't be bothered to respond to her words, knowing that leaving the palace with the hairpin was a breach of etiquette.
As the carriage began to move, Song Chaoyu held the hairpin in her hands and handed it to the First Madam. "Mother, this daughter is merely of illegitimate birth and is truly unworthy of such a precious phoenix hairpin. Please accept it!"
Eastern pearls were not easily obtained, let alone purple eastern pearls.
The Crown Princess's phoenix-flying-in-nine-heavens hairpin was adorned with a total of six purple pearls as tassels. Even the First Madam, the matriarch of the Song family, would find it hard not to be tempted.
However, just as Madam Song's hand was about to touch the hairpin, she was stopped by Song Yanjiao beside her.
She nudged Song Chaoyu's hand, smiling magnanimously. "You silly girl, you're not trying to make Mother feel bad, are you? This is a gift from Her Highness the Crown Princess to you. Regardless of your status, you saved the Crown Princess today, and you deserve this hairpin. If you were to give the hairpin to Mother, then it would be Mother overstepping!"
She glanced at Song Yanrou beside her and spoke even louder. "You keep it for yourself! When Father arranges a marriage for you later, this hairpin placed in your dowry box will be true glory! I, as a legitimate daughter, fear I do not possess such honor!"
Knowing that she was trying to incite Song Yanrou's displeasure, Song Chaoyu was not annoyed.
Her objective had been achieved: with Song Yanrou's overbearing nature, it was hard to guarantee she wouldn't try to snatch the hairpin. Now that the First Madam and Song Yanjiao, the eldest legitimate daughter, both acknowledged that the hairpin could only belong to Song Chaoyu, Song Yanrou could only be filled with jealousy.
It was thought that the day's commotion would end here.
Who would have thought that when the carriage arrived at the entrance of the Song manor, Song Yuan would personally be waiting at the gate, even though it was already night!
Seeing Song Chaoyu and the others disembark from the carriage, Song Yuan's face showed a rare smile of pride. "Good, very good! Your trip to the palace has made our Song family's reputation even more brilliant. Just now, gifts from the Eastern Palace and Consort Xian have been continuously sent to our Song family, startling me!"
He stepped forward and patted Song Chaoyu's shoulder, something he rarely did. "Fourth girl, your performance today was excellent. What reward do you want from your father?"
In the past, Song Chaoyu had only heard such words spoken by Song Yuan to Song Yanjiao.
She never expected such words to be directed at her now, but her heart felt no joy, only a sense of Song Yuan's hypocrisy.