AWB Chapter 400 is for my use.
Chapter 400 is for my use.
Yu Wan was speechless for a moment.
She had long anticipated that Prince Qi's meddling was an attempt to sow discord between the Duke of Anguo's mansion and the Yun family.
But to everyone's surprise, the King of Qi had the heart of a matchmaker and even started to worry about her marriage.
Yu Wan clicked her tongue inwardly, but quickly put on a flattered expression. "Your Highness is truly willing to go to such lengths for my sake?"
King Qi's expression was gentle. "How can it be considered a trouble? I admire Miss Yu, and it is my honor to be able to help her."
Yu Wan immediately looked grateful, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness!"
The King of Qi was very satisfied with her reaction. He lowered his voice, which seemed to carry a hint of seduction, "As long as Miss Yu is willing, the gates of the King of Qi's mansion will always be open to the Yu family."
Yu Wan instantly understood the deeper meaning behind King Qi's words.
He wanted to win over the Duke of Anguo's family and use them for his own purposes.
Yu Wan rolled her eyes inwardly, but kept her head down, pretending not to understand.
She feigned a shy expression and said, "This...this...marriage is always arranged by parents and matchmakers. I really dare not make decisions on my own."
"Let me ask my father and mother before I discuss this matter."
She looked shy and bashful, as if she thought that the King of Qi meant he wanted her to enter his palace.
The King of Qi already has a principal wife, but the position of concubine is still vacant.
Seeing her shy expression, King Qi knew she had misunderstood him, but he did not intend to explain.
He hadn't considered that this was a possible move.
Looking back now, it wasn't a bad move after all.
It's just the position of a concubine. If we can use this position to win over Duke Anguo, it would be an extremely worthwhile deal.
To him, women were nothing more than tools to maintain his interests, bargaining chips in his hands to gain power.
Yu Wan didn't want to go in with Prince Qi and become the center of attention, so she deliberately made an excuse to let Prince Qi leave first.
King Qi had already achieved his goal. Even though he could tell that Yu Wan was deliberately making excuses, he was very easy to talk to and did not hold it against her. He left first.
……
Half an hour later, Yu Wan leisurely returned to the banquet hall.
As a prince, the King of Qi was of extremely high status and naturally would not sit at the same table as ordinary guests.
He was sitting upright beside Madam Li at that moment.
Beside him sat a young man with striking eyebrows and bright eyes, possessing an exceptionally handsome face.
Yu Wan recalled what the Duchess of Anguo had mentioned to her before, and guessed that this person was most likely Li Zhuoyue, the eldest son of the Li family.
Yu Wan glanced around discreetly and noticed that most of the women at the table were drawn to Prince Qi.
King Qi has only married his principal wife so far, and the positions of the two concubines are still vacant, with many people eyeing those two positions.
Perhaps because no one expected that Prince Qi would appear at Madam Li's birthday banquet, after the initial surprise, they were all unable to contain their excitement, hoping that Prince Qi would notice their daughters so that they could become related to the royal family.
Yu Wan sat down next to the Duchess of Anguo. The Duchess of Anguo lowered her voice and said with a hint of sarcasm, "These ladies from noble families love to criticize others' behavior and say that they are unruly and shameless. They should look in the mirror and see what they look like now."
Yu Wan observed carefully and whispered, "They're like hungry wolves that haven't eaten meat for half a year, their eyes are practically glowing green."
Lady Anguo couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. She quickly covered her mouth, coughed lightly, and pretended to be serious, saying, "Your description is quite apt."
To celebrate Madam Li's birthday, the Li family specially invited a famous opera troupe from Shengjing City to perform.
Everyone drank heartily while watching the play with great interest, creating a lively atmosphere.
Yu Wan was also engrossed in it, watching with great interest.
At this moment, a play is being performed on stage, depicting a filial son who, in order to save his seriously ill mother who is beyond medical help, does not hesitate to cut off his own flesh and blood to make medicine.
The lead actors in the opera troupe possessed solid singing skills and remarkable stage presence, delivering a performance that was both expressive and deeply moving. After the performance, many of the women had tears in their eyes and gently wiped them away with their handkerchiefs.
Madam Li's eyes also welled up with tears. She stood up, leaning on her cane, and exclaimed several times, "Excellent! You sang so well! Someone, give her a generous reward!"
Just as everyone was immersed in the emotions of the play and praising the troupe, the steward of the Li family hurriedly stepped forward, looking slightly flustered.
He walked quickly to Madam Li's side, leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
Madam Li's smiling face froze instantly, her cane trembled slightly, and her wrinkled face was filled with anger.
Her voice carried a hint of urgency and annoyance, "Have you searched everywhere?"
The steward of the Li family bowed his head respectfully and replied, "Reporting to the old lady, we have searched everywhere, and we have carefully questioned all the servants in the mansion, but the thing is nowhere to be found."
King Qi and Li Zhuoyue were close to Old Madam Li and both heard the steward's words.
Li Zhuoyue's lips curled slightly as she toyed with the teacup in her hand. She exchanged a half-smile with the Prince of Qi and said in a low voice, "Looks like there's going to be a good show?"
King Qi took a small sip of tea, his expression remaining gentle, and replied softly, "Don't you know better than I do?"
The two spoke very softly, and no one else could hear them.
The surrounding guests noticed Madam Li's unusual behavior, and the lively discussions gradually subsided as they all cast questioning glances at her.
The smile on Madam Li's face had faded, and she gestured to the butler to step aside with a stern expression.
The crowd sensed something was off and became slightly uneasy.
Madam Li raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over everyone at the table, and said in a deep voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, something extremely important has gone missing from my household. This item was part of my dowry. Although it is not worth much money, it is my most precious possession. With so many guests today, perhaps the servants in my household made a mistake."
"Therefore, I would like to trouble you all to help me search carefully."
After these words were spoken, the room fell silent.
The women's expressions all turned rather unpleasant.
Madam Li's words were tactful and polite, but didn't they imply that she suspected one of the guests had stolen something?
Arriving at the banquet in high spirits, only to be unjustly suspected of stealing, no one could possibly be happy.
Some couldn't hold back, saying, "Madam Li, we've all come here sincerely to wish you a happy birthday. How can you doubt us without reason? If this gets out, our reputations will be ruined."
As soon as he said this, many people agreed with him.
Old Madam Li's face grew increasingly grim. She slammed her cane heavily against the floor tiles, making a dull thud, and said angrily:
"I, too, want to understand this!"
"I sincerely invited you all to my home, yet someone secretly stole my Li family's property. What is the reason for this?!"
"If we can find it, I will apologize to you all; but if we cannot find it, I can only report it to the authorities and let them thoroughly investigate the matter and give my Li family justice!"