After the delicate and soft-spoken wife gave up, the aloof and powerful minister embraced her and sh

Chapter 247 The Day of the Flower Viewing Banquet

The next day, Wen Jiayue got up early to dress up.

Although Shen Fuhan said there was no need to worry about making mistakes, she was still a little nervous.

She hardly recognized any of those ladies, and if someone tried to talk to her, she wouldn't even be able to call out their names.

Thinking of this, Wen Jiayue asked, "My lord, do you know how many people will attend this flower-viewing banquet?"

“I don’t know,” Shen Fuhan said. “However, although the Duke of Qi’s mansion is low-key, the scale of this flower-viewing banquet will not be small.”

The flower-viewing banquet will also focus on introducing Pei Huaijin, paving the way for him in the capital, so the guests are all high-ranking officials and dignitaries.

If we were to choose a wife for the fourth brother from among these families, I doubt he would refuse.

Shen Fuhan reminded him, "Don't forget about finding a fortune teller for your fourth brother."

Wen Jiayue nodded: "I will take it to heart."

Wen Jiayue licked her lips, examined herself in the bronze mirror, and only after confirming that her hairstyle and makeup were impeccable did she stand up.

Shen Fuhan's gaze fell on her face.

Her eyebrows were relaxed, her almond-shaped eyes were clear, and her lips...

He didn't look at her much, his gaze shifting downwards. The azure sky and water made her appear exceptionally gentle and graceful, and the gold-threaded hem of her skirt was faintly visible, hinting at luxury.

He quickly looked away and said calmly, "Let's go."

Wen Jiayue went out with him.

Zhao Zhao was in the courtyard, surrounded by a group of maids. When she saw her father and mother come out, they looked at her curiously.

Wen Jiayue smiled and said, "Zhaozhao, Mother will come back to keep you company this afternoon. Be a good girl."

Zhao Zhao is still young, and she doesn't want to bring her into the public eye. She'll wait until she's a little older.

The two left side by side.

The maids chattered, "The Marquis and his wife are so loving; they even wore the same color clothes today."

"Yes, I was completely stunned just now. They looked like a divine couple, didn't they, Sister Cai'er?"

Cai'er smiled and said, "What you said is all right, but let's not talk about our master in private."

The maids then composed themselves and focused on taking care of their young master.

As she sat in the carriage, Wen Jiayue straightened her slightly wrinkled cuffs, her heart beating a little fast.

She took a deep breath and told herself it was just a flower viewing party, and she wasn't nervous.

Shen Fuhan said, "If you have nothing to say to those women, find a corner to stay in. Those who know what's good for them won't bother you. If they don't, you don't have to be polite."

Wen Jiayue nodded and asked, "When we arrive at our destination, will we have to part ways?"

Although she rarely attended such banquets, she knew that it was usually the men who gathered in one group and the women in another.

“Yes,” Shen Fuhan reassured her, “Don’t be nervous.”

The Duke of Qi's residence wasn't too far from the Marquis of Jing'an's residence, separated by three streets.

Although it was still early, the area outside the mansion was packed with carriages, blocking the entire street.

With Shen Fuhan's help, Wen Jiayue stepped down from the carriage and onto the steps of the Duke of Qi's mansion.

There were others who arrived around the same time as them. Shen Fuhan said in a low voice, "This is Lu Yuanbo," and then exchanged pleasantries with a composed expression.

Wen Jiayue nodded and smiled in response.

Lu Yuanbo also brought his family, including his wife and two children, who looked to be about five or six years old.

“Lord Shen and Madam Shen are truly a perfect match,” Lu Yuanbo said with a smile. “However, it seems that we don’t see Madam Shen very often.”

Shen Fuhan said calmly, "My wife is shy and doesn't like going out and socializing."

“I see,” Lu Yuanbo said, turning his eyes around. “If Lord Shen doesn’t mind, why don’t my wife take Madam Shen along for a walk?”

Shen Fuhan looked at Wen Jiayue.

Seeing her nod, he replied with a "yes," and said, "I'll have to trouble you to take care of my lady, Madam."

Mrs. Shen smiled warmly: "Of course, Mrs. Shen, let's go."

The two exchanged names and chatted about cosmetics and children, so the conversation wasn't awkward.

Upon entering the Duke's mansion, maids led them to the back courtyard.

They were walking rather slowly, as the two children were at a mischievous age and always wanted to run around.

One was not kept in sight, and it disappeared without a trace.

Lady Bo was extremely anxious. She had finally managed to establish a connection with the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion, and now these two little brats were causing trouble!

But she couldn't leave the child unattended, so she could only say apologetically, "Mrs. Shen, why don't you go ahead first?"

Wen Jiayue shook her head: "No rush, I'll wait for you here."

Anyway, she had nothing to do, and finding a wife for her fourth brother was just for show. Shen Fuhan wasn't supervising her, so she might as well relax.

Upon hearing this, Madam Shen's eyes lit up: "Thank you, Madam Shen, I'll go find it right away!"

Wen Jiayue nodded and let the maid from the Duke's mansion follow her.

She could tell that this aunt had ulterior motives; every word she said was subtly or overtly flattering her.

But it's no use looking for her; Shen Fuhan won't listen to her whispers in his ear.

Fearing that the lady might get tired from standing, Ruyi looked around and said, "Madam, there's a pavilion over there. Let's go sit down."

Wen Jiayue responded and walked into the pavilion.

The Duke's mansion is a place where every step reveals a new view, and every corner is exquisitely crafted. Wen Jiayue sat in the pavilion and enjoyed the scenery, finding it quite delightful.

Just as he was engrossed in watching, Ruyi's hand suddenly pointed in one direction after another.

"Madam, look over there!"

Her voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement, but she didn't dare to shout it out because she was in the Duke's mansion.

Wen Jiayue looked in the direction she was pointing, puzzled, and then a man came into view.

Right where she had just stood, a gentle-looking man left her with a very familiar profile before she hurried over.

Wen Jiayue was slightly taken aback, momentarily lost in thought. Brother Dragonfly?

Or... Pei Huaijin?

She and Ruyi exchanged a glance.

Ruyi nodded vigorously, lowering her voice to say, "He really looks like Young Master Gu, who lived next door to the Wen family when we were little!"

Wen Jiayue's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "You think it looks like it too?"

Last time, she mistook this young master Pei for her childhood playmate. It was dark then, so the mistake was understandable.

But this time, with the sun shining brightly, she could see clearly and still thought that Young Master Pei was Brother Dragonfly.

Moreover, even Ruyi said so, which proves that the two have similarities.

“They’re exactly the same,” Ruyi exclaimed. “Could it be that Young Master Gu is the long-lost biological son of the Duke of Qi? But I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

"Shh, don't make wild guesses," Wen Jiayue suppressed her doubts. "We don't even know if it's the same person yet. Maybe they just look alike. Don't tell anyone else."

However, if given the chance, she wanted to see this young master Pei's face to see just how much he resembled the dragonfly brother in her memory.

Ruyi smiled and said, "Don't worry, Madam, I'm not that stupid."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the aunt and her maid returned with her two children.

Seeing that Wen Jiayue was still waiting for her, Madam Bo immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mrs. Shen, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. Let's go."

Wen Jiayue nodded and got up to walk towards her.

Standing by the roadside, she couldn't help but glance back at the long-vanished Young Master Pei.

Personally, she hoped she hadn't mistaken the person for someone else.

When she was little, her brother Dragonfly was very kind to her, gentle and patient. She regarded him as an older brother and always wanted to confide in him when she was wronged.

It's the same now, but unfortunately I haven't seen him since I was seven.

"Madam Shen, what are you looking at?" the aunt suddenly asked.

Wen Jiayue shook her head: "Let's go."

If Young Master Pei really is Brother Dragonfly, and if he also saw her, he would definitely take the initiative to find her.