Chapter 6: The Banquet

Night

Xu Bingning was evidently quite familiar with such banquets, wearing a graceful and elegant smile as she greeted many young gentlemen and noble ladies she knew. However, among the guests who had arrived, those of genuine significance were exceedingly rare, and there were almost none who could prompt her to stop and engage in conversation.

Indeed, Young Master Qi, the young lady has invited you to the banquet to help you meet more people, not just to follow her around as an attendant

These carriages may not appear as luxurious as those typically driven by wealthy merchants and landowners, but almost every carriage bears a family emblem that possesses an unimaginable heritage. Even those wealthy merchants and landowners, who might spend their entire life savings and go bankrupt, would find it impossible to obtain the right to have these emblems embroidered on their garments

Gu Qing chuckled softly, nodded, and began to walk around in the courtyard.

In an instant, even the gazes directed at Gu Qing were tinged with a hint of vigilance

However, Xu Xiaolin, who was nearby, was worried that her young lady would argue with the young master over this matter. She quickly said, "Miss, miss, I will go, I will go, I will talk to the young master!" After saying this, fearing that Xu Bingning would not agree, she immediately ran over to Gu Qing, who was sitting in the corner of the courtyard.

Um ... ...

Seventh Young Master

The moonlight is as cool as water

Your young lady has injured her heart meridian, which is associated with fire and governs blood and pulse. During the period of injury, it is crucial to avoid excessive emotional fluctuations, particularly anger. Otherwise, it will accelerate the operation of the heart meridian, causing blood to flow more frequently within the vessels, directly impacting the heart and further worsening the injury to the heart meridian. Therefore, I suggest that before your young lady becomes truly angry, you should take her away to calm her emotions.

Although the Wuwei Marquisate has some influence in the royal capital, there are still numerous families in the entire capital that are more powerful than theirs. If they arrive too late, it may leave an impression of arrogance and rudeness, which could be somewhat detrimental to the family's future development

The man in white was not offended by Xu Bingning's blunt words; after all, he had come looking for trouble. Did he expect a warm welcome? He casually approached Gu Qing and cupped his hands, saying: "I am Wang Ji, the commander of the Mountain Ridge Camp. I wonder if I would be fortunate enough to befriend you."

"Isn't this an opportunity for you to perform!" With that, Xu Xiaolin disregarded everything else and directly pulled Gu Qing, heading towards the place where her young lady was.

At this moment, the three men who had been dismissed by Xu Bingning approached again. One of them, dressed in white and considering himself quite distinguished, chuckled and said: "Miss Xu, who is this gentleman? He looks rather unfamiliar."

The young talents from the royal capital and even beyond are currently gathering in small groups. The gentlemen are engaged in discussions about topics such as fame, secret manuals, and powerful weapons, while the ladies accompanying them or their elders have formed their own circle, chatting about their interests. Although the banquet has not yet officially commenced, the atmosphere in the courtyard is gradually becoming lively.

What does he think this is? Does he look down on the young talents present? Does he not realize that he himself is even inferior to these lowest-tier young people? With an angry huff, Xu Bingning was about to step forward to give Shang Guqing a scolding.

Seeing someone he admired approaching to greet him, Wang Ji was taken aback when the person turned and left without saying a word, causing a slight frown to appear on his face. In the background, he could vaguely sense the hidden laughter of those who were paying attention to this situation.

After casually glancing at Xu Xiaolin beside her, she suddenly seemed to recall something, her brow furrowing abruptly. Following that, she replayed in her mind all the limited interactions she had with Gu Qing over the past year

Xu Bingning also understood her temperament and nodded: "Don't do this anymore in the future"

"Oh? You sat down." Xu Bingning was slightly taken aback, her gaze immediately following Xu Xiaolin's, and she found Gu Qing sitting in a corner, wearing a contemplative expression.

Is there something? Have you forgotten so quickly what the young lady told you?

Gu Qing slightly nodded her head

"Hmm." Gu Qing nodded at Xu Xiaolin and asked, "Is there something you need?"

At this moment, at the entrance of the courtyard, the maid Xu Xiaolin was carefully assisting her young mistress Xu Bingning down from the carriage. Nearby, her husband Gu Qing stood with an air of composure, casually surveying the surroundings. He showed no inclination to step forward and take his delicate wife by the arm to enter the courtyard together, even though his wife was so perfect in both appearance and demeanor that countless young talents in the capital would go mad in pursuit of her.

Xu Bingning could not be bothered to engage with him: "Your Excellency, wouldn't it be better to ask yourself?" After saying this, she stepped aside with Xu Xiaolin. She understood that Xu Xiaolin had brought Gu Qing here to let him show off a bit and regain some confidence. After all, the three people before them were merely insignificant figures, and offending them was of no consequence. This was also a good opportunity for her to see if Gu Qing truly concealed a real self, as rumored in the Hou residence.

These few individuals can be evenly matched against you with your strength at the sixth level of the Qi Path, and moreover, if your young lady were to take action, dealing with them would be a trivial matter

The guarding force of this courtyard is not weak

Seeing that he had finally changed somewhat from before, Xu Bingning felt a slight sense of relief in her heart for reasons unknown, as if she were fortunate that he could turn from "evil" to righteousness

Gu Qing chuckled softly, nodded, and then turned around, walking directly back to the position where she had been sitting earlier

"What? These guys are truly despicable, daring to make the young lady angry!" At this, Xu Xiaolin suddenly turned around, intending to teach the three young men a lesson. However, just as she stood up, she recalled Gu Qing, who was right beside her, and quickly turned back, saying: "That's right, the young lady is your legally wedded wife. If anyone should step in, it should be you, Seventh Young Master. Those three only possess the strength of the fifth level of Qi, which is about the same as yours. You reached the fifth level of Qi three years ago, and you should be even stronger now. Dealing with them should be a piece of cake. Come on, Seventh Young Master, it's time for you to show your face in front of the young lady."

However, just as he was about to clarify Gu Qing's identity and reconsider his plans, a young man observing nearby suddenly spoke up: "General Wang, the friend you were about to introduce just now, if I am not mistaken, should be the Seventh Young Master of the Wuwei Marquisate, and also the ideal partner personally chosen by Miss Xu a year ago—Gu Qing. Yes, that's right. After he entered the banquet, he has been following Miss Xu closely... it is indeed Gu Qing!"

Xu Bingning, under the veiled sarcasm of the three young men, naturally felt less than pleased. However, considering that these three were merely minor players and that this was a banquet personally presided over by His Majesty the Emperor, she could not be bothered to stoop to their level. Yet, when she saw Xu Xiaolin disregarding the propriety between men and women, pulling Gu Qing towards her, a hint of anger surfaced on her charming face. She directly dismissed the three and approached the two, casting an unhappy glance at Gu Qing and said, "Let go!"

Xu Xiaolin turned around and indeed noticed that her young lady had been surrounded by three young men, who were continuously speaking about something. As the exchanges continued, a hint of impatience had subtly begun to appear on her young lady's face.

With the arrival of Xu Bingning, a woman of great renown in the capital, the atmosphere of the entire banquet was significantly elevated. Many young gentlemen, who considered themselves to be of notable lineage, frequently nodded at her or raised their glasses in acknowledgment. However, not a single person approached her for casual conversation, as if an intimidating force was effectively suppressing their desire to engage with her.

Uh, Seventh Young Master, what are you talking about? Someone is speaking to you.

When all her thoughts were organized, an answer that surprised her somewhat and carried a hint of anger suddenly surfaced in her mind

Looking at Xu Qiaolin, who was smiling and observing Gu Qing's "serious business," Xu Bingning's initial change of heart towards him soured once again: "Is this really your true purpose for coming here? Hmph! Unless you can satisfy me to the point where I can't find any faults, otherwise, if you have any thoughts of targeting Qiaolin, I will be the first to object"

When the two entered the courtyard, many young men and women had already arrived, but there was still some time before the banquet officially began

Gu Qing let out a light laugh but did not say anything, for his hand was being held by Xu Xiaolin.

Upon being reprimanded by her young lady, Xu Xiaolin seemed to understand something and quickly explained: "I apologize, my lady. I just saw the book related to you... in a moment of urgency, I brought him over."

Yes, miss

Uh, Seventh Young Master, does your nod mean that you have not forgotten what the young lady said to you, or have you indeed forgotten as I mentioned?

However, this time, His Majesty the Emperor personally ordered a banquet to invite all the young talents from various sectors of the entire Da Qi Dynasty. Anyone who received an invitation to attend this banquet is not an ordinary person. Although Wang Ji holds the esteemed position of a regional commander and commands thousands of troops, he still does not hold a particularly prominent status here. To avoid provoking individuals he cannot afford to offend, he suppresses his displeasure and refrains from seeking trouble.

Outside the royal palace in the capital, a vast courtyard covering an area of over 100,000 square meters is filled with various styles of carriages.

Could it be that this ancient youth is actually trying to target Xiao Lin?

These scoundrels are becoming increasingly despicable. No, the more despicable one is that Princess Qingping. If it weren't for her blatant opposition to the young lady, with the young lady's status and strength, how would these clowns dare to prance around in front of her

As she mingled at the banquet and exchanged greetings with numerous distinguished individuals from various fields, Xu Bingning suddenly paused. She glanced at Gu Qing, who was silently following her like a guard, and said: "If I were you, I would take this opportunity to get to know more people who could be of help to you. In the future, if any issues arise, they might be able to assist you as well"

Go accompany your young lady, it seems someone is harassing her

Just as Xu Bingning had made up her mind not to let Gu Qing get close to Xu Xiaolin, Xu Xiaolin suddenly remarked, "Why did the Seventh Young Master walk around the courtyard and then sit down? Does he know that the young people here are not up to par and does not wish to associate with them?"