Palace servants roamed around the banquet hall, serving the guests their drinks and snacks while they continued to have a merry conversation with their peers.
After the second part of the banquet was finished, the madams and masters were required to sit inside the banquet hall to continue mingling with the people of their ages.
Meanwhile, the young ladies and noble sons are required to sit in a wide pavilion near a large pond to oversee the beautiful sunset. It was nearing the end of the banquet and because of that, the sun was slowly starting to descend. The perfect time to watch the sun being replaced by the moon.
The incident of Song Lin has yet broken the beautiful scene inside the palace thus, no one is frightened yet and is showing carelessness as they laughed merrily.
Lin Xiaofei lazily put her chin on top of her palm as she put her elbow against the wooden table under. She scanned the faces of the young ladies and noble sons present and creased her eyebrows.
It could be said that even after having her soul transmigrated inside this body, she was still not used in being surrounded by young people who didn't know how much they owed this world and still take things for granted.
She slowly sighed and closed her eyes when suddenly, a voice rang by her ear as she felt someone taking the empty seat beside her.
"Why do you keep on sighing?" Liu Shishi asked her.
Lin Xiaofei opened her eyes and turned her head slightly to look at her.
"What? Did my beauty mesmerize you?" Liu Shishi flashed her a brilliant smile. She winked at Lin Xiaofei who frowned even more.
Lin Xiaofei truly wanted to know who was this young lady who sat announced beside her and acted like they were close friends. She wanted to laugh at the young girl's comment about her beauty since if they were to compare each other's beauty, it was Lin Xiaofei who's more blessed with a winsome beauty, a power to bewitch mortals.
Not knowing how to address the young girl, she helplessly looked at Bai Lu who was finally standing by her side after staying outside of the banquet hall for as they were servants, they weren't allowed to attend unless they were palace servants.
Bai Lu crouched down and whispered by her ear and said, "Young miss, that is the granddaughter of the Chief Secretariat and also young miss' childhood friend."
Upon hearing the young girl's identity, Lin Xiaofei couldn't help but raise both of her eyebrows in surprise. How come she never heard of this? What's more, she was shocked at the discovery that she actually has a childhood friend.
"What's this? After falling ill last time, you forgot who I am?" Liu Shishi naturally heard what Bai Lu said as she was sitting closely beside Lin Xiaofei and looked very hurt, "Lin Xiaofei… Could it be… you already forgot that I am your long lost sister?"
She pretended to act exaggeratingly and dabbed her imaginary tears in her eyes with her handkerchief.
Feeling already exhausted just by looking at Liu Shishi, Lin Xiaofei tried to massage her head. She badly wanted to know why was she surrounded by eccentric people.
She first assumed that according to the previous owner's infamous reputation and arrogance, she wouldn't have any friends around her but who knew that she was completely wrong. Not only does the previous owner have a friend but this childhood friend just happened to be the granddaughter of the Chief Secretariat.
Just as Lin Xiaofei was deep in her thoughts, Liu Shishi's eyes suddenly exclaimed and said in an excited tone, "The princes and princess is here!" Taking a pause, she gasped and added on, "Heavens… Is that the Duke walking with them?"
When she heard the first part of Liu Shishi's sentence, the desire to see the faces of her enemies made her want to turn her head. However, after hearing the latter part, Lin Xiaofei's head stopped mid-turn.
On the other hand, Liu Shishi had her eyes on the figures of the people who had just come.
Aside from the four princes who came, there were two princesses with their servants who stepped into the pavilion and sat in the far centermost honored seats. As they were of royal blood, they naturally have to sit where they could be displayed like deity statues in a prayer hall.
"Your grace, please sit beside us." Princess Gao offered the seat beside her. Her eyes twinkled in slight excitement and bashfulness. Princess Zhu who came with her bit her lips as she didn't expect her sister to act before her.
Even though Duke Qu Xing Xu shared the same blood as the royal family, their relations were slightly distant as he was born from the previous emperor's younger sister who shared little blood from the current emperor.
But that didn't stop the princesses of the Zheng empire to admire and wish they could get the Duke for themselves.
Qu Xing Xu didn't even spare a glance at the chair that Princess Gao offered to him as he started to walk his way towards the chair on the left near the pond. The place where he was sitting was slightly lower from his current status as a duke and of royal blood.
"Duke Qu Xing Xu, don't you think that chair is too much for your identity?" Prince Zhou asked after seeing the red eyes of his sister.
Slowly raising his eyes to look at him, Qu Xing Xu said, "What's wrong with it? Aren't we celebrating the Rabbit Moon festival? Then, why must we stick by the rules?"
Upon hearing him, Prince Zhou's face became ugly and he had to pretend to laugh to erase his embarrassment. How could he not understand this man's meaning in his words?
Qu Xing Xu was clearly stating that Prince Zhou was too uptight even in a peaceful day where one should celebrate the festival and still wanted to act haughtily in front of others when in truth when they arrive in this pavilion, one shouldn't care too much about their status as they should just enjoy their time.
Prince Zhou's face twisted in shame and anger. But he couldn't lash out however he wanted to, since the man who commented these words was no ordinary man and someone who have a more important role than a prince.
With his tail tucked in between his legs, Prince Zhou nodded his head and replied, "Your grace is certainly right about that. How could I ever forget." He then flicked his sleeve and sat on his chair.
The other princes and princess also took their seats but when they sat on the wooden chair, they felt extremely uncomfortable and their actions were done clumsily aside from Yu Fangzhu.
He was slightly older than everyone else in the pavilion but because he was born later than the elderlies inside the banquet hall, he had to follow his younger siblings there.
After seeing the important people finally seated in their chairs, the sons and daughters of every noble and official tensed up. Each and every one of them had different thoughts entering their minds as they acted randomly to ease their uneasiness.
With the presence of the royal offsprings and the Duke himself, they naturally couldn't act carelessly.
However, there were some who kept their calm as they continued what they were doing. For example, the daughters of some Marquis and Dukes as well as the granddaughter of both the Chief Secretariat Liu and Great General Lin.
At this moment, Lin Xiaofei only had one thing in her mind. She wished she could wipe the sly grin off the face of the man sitting across her.
Nudging her slightly, Liu Shishi wet her lips as she said, "Sister Xiaofei… Am I seeing this right? Is that really the duke sitting across us right now?"
Lin Xiaofei cast a long sideways glance towards her and replied, "Are you sure it's not your head that isn't right?"
What's so great about that man anyway that made everyone to ogle at him like they were some cave people who saw a piece of meat hanging in the air. This type of two-faced man, she wondered what will happen when everyone finds out what kind of a man he is.
She was still not forgiving him for the tricks he displayed in front of her. Pretending to be both Manager Liu and Duke of Xin while playing with her.
Liu Shishi suddenly whipped her head at her, "Look who's talking. Aren't you the one who has been stalking him and is infatuated with the duke three years ago?"
When Lin Xiaofei heard that, her head slowly turned to look at her before using her eyes to look at the man across her.
As their eyes met, the sly grin on his face was gone and a similar reaction was seen in his face.
Both of them looked at each other and saw each other's eyes filled with shock.
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