Marrying the Sweet Story’s Melodramatic Villainess [Transmigration] - Chapter 14

In the blink of an eye, the day of the banquet arrived. The front of the Cui Residence was bustling with a constant stream of horses and carriages as guests gathered in great numbers.

The female guests arrived with their jade pendants tinkling, while the gentlemen wore high hats and broad belts, each exuding elegance and grace. The stewards of the Cui family directed the servants with organized efficiency to receive these distinguished guests. Pei Mingjiao arrived alongside the Grand Princess, Yan Linlang. Both mother and daughter shared a love for bright, vibrant dresses; standing there, they were naturally radiant and dazzling. The housekeeper, wearing a face full of smiles, personally welcomed them into the manor.

The pavilions and terraces were arranged with exquisite precision, featuring winding corridors, flying eaves, and painted rafters. Every corner was filled with poetic charm and character. Today’s banquet was held at the Water Pavilion, with separate sections for men and women. Inside the pavilion, fans were placed in all four directions. Servants acted like invisible shadows, waving the fans over ice basins to circulate a cool breeze. The tables were laden with delicacies from the mountains and the sea. When Pei Mingjiao and Yan Linlang arrived, they happened to hear the sounds of loud laughter and conversation.

As soon as Yan Linlang arrived, the noble ladies and young misses stepped forward one after another to pay their respects. Yan Linlang took her seat and said with a smile, “It seems I have stolen the spotlight from the host.”

Madam Du, her face beaming with smiles, followed her lead with a few playful jests. Cui Yi raised her eyes and met Pei Mingjiao’s clear, dark, and bright gaze. The latter hadn’t expected such a coincidence and curved her eyes into a smile at her. Her hairpins swayed gently, just as they had when they first met. Cui Yi felt a momentary dazzle in her eyes; her eyelashes trembled slightly as she offered a soft, lingering smile in return.

That smile was so gentle and soothing that it made Pei Mingjiao feel momentarily uneasy, causing her to reach out and touch the jade necklace on her chest.

Cui Yi sat to the left of Madam Du, occasionally adding a few words to complement Madam Du’s conversation. The atmosphere at the banquet was extremely lively. On the men’s side, Cui Yan and Cui Ting were busy entertaining guests. While the noble ladies chatted, they surreptitiously observed Cui Yi—noting her outstanding appearance and her proper, dignified conduct. Thinking of the unmarried nephews in their own families, many began to harbor certain intentions. Madam Du was well aware of what these people were planning, but fortunately, she had made preparations early and was only waiting for a reply from her maiden family.

Madam Du checked the time and felt it was about right. She smiled and said, “I presume everyone knows that our residence has brewed some fine wine. Since you have all graced us with your presence today, we certainly won’t let you down.”

As she finished speaking, maidservants arrived carrying wine pots, lowering their heads as they carefully placed them before the honored guests.

Some impatient ladies and girls immediately poured the wine into jade porcelain cups. Seeing that it was indeed as clear as water, as the rumors suggested, they couldn’t help but let out a few gasps of surprise.

“The wine in the celadon pot is the ‘Thousand-Mile Drunk.’ The Thousand-Mile Drunk is quite potent…” Cui Yi’s voice was clear and slow as she provided a detailed introduction.

Those who were not good at drinking felt their faces begin to flush after just one sip; most of these were the younger girls. The older ladies, however, found it extremely refreshing. Among them, the most delighted was Madam Lu. Her fair face carried a rosy hue, and she leaned her head on her hand, looking quite dashing and elegant. On the spot, she composed and recited a poem.

Madam Lu was originally a brilliantly talented woman of Chang’an. The poem she composed while in high spirits featured exquisite lines that felt magnificent and heroic. One by one, the guests raised their glasses to toast her, and Madam Lu accepted every challenge.

Composing poetry was a mandatory skill for the great aristocratic families. With Madam Lu leading the way, the others were not afraid and followed suit one after another. As the hosts, Madam Du and Cui Yi naturally could not dampen the mood. Madam Du had been quite famous for her talent in her youth, so composing poetry came easily to her. When it was Cui Yi’s turn, she had anticipated this scene yesterday. Fortunately, she possessed the original host’s memories of learning poetry, and she had prepared a poem the day before. She recited it at an unhurried, steady pace; while it wasn’t exceptionally brilliant, it was enough to save face.

Pei Mingjiao was no good at composing poetry or prose, so she sat there content to simply listen to others. Yan Linlang’s scholarship was excellent, so writing a poem was very simple for her. After a full round, the guests’ faces were flushed with a light glow, and their personalities had loosened up considerably. The hall was filled with the clamor of laughter and chatter.

The Duchess of Chengen cast her gaze upon Yan Linlang and Pei Mingjiao. Her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Weiguo, felt a secret surge of resentment upon seeing this. She had borne a son and two daughters for the Zhao family, yet in the end, they still treated her as an outsider.

The Duchess of Weiguo was the daughter of the Duke of Zheng, so she normally wouldn’t have ended up as a second wife. However, the Duke of Weiguo was truly handsome. At that time, it had been six months since the previous Duchess had died in childbirth. When the Duke had not yet remarried, she thought it over and went to plead with the Duchess of Zheng. The Duchess of Zheng doted on her daughter and immediately made the arrangements, allowing her to marry into the family successfully. However, her married life was not the harmonious “clashing of zithers” she had imagined. Just when she was thinking of divorce, she became pregnant. Ultimately, she couldn’t bear to leave, so she stayed on in a lukewarm relationship. But for the sake of her own children, she inevitably had to fight for their interests; she couldn’t let the children from the previous wife take all the benefits.

Yan Linlang was not someone easily fooled, so the Duchess of Weiguo did not dare to step forward rashly. The Duchess of Chengen was cautious by nature and did not reveal a hint of her thoughts. Thus, Pei Mingjiao had no idea that people were already plotting against her.

Pei Mingjiao had a few too many drinks. Seeing that her mother was busy socializing and that Cui Yi wasn’t paying attention to her, she decided to head out for a stroll. Cui Yi, who was currently socializing with others, caught a glimpse of Pei Mingjiao’s retreating back out of the corner of her eye. She felt somewhat uneasy—after all, a “villainess” naturally had an accident-prone constitution.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xuan, the Heir of the Duke of Weiguo, saw Pei Mingjiao leave the table from the other side of the Water Pavilion. His heart stirred, and he also left his seat. Zhao Yang, seeing his elder brother suddenly depart and realizing he seemed to be heading off to “accidentally” encounter Pei Mingjiao, narrowed his eyes, his thoughts unreadable.

The Cui family also kept koi, though they weren’t as plump as the ones at Murong Xihua’s house. Pei Mingjiao crouched there, her cheeks flushed as she stared at the colorful koi in the pond. The clean surface of the pond reflected her currently blurred and dazed appearance, making her feel a bit dizzy.

“These koi are truly well-raised.”

A sudden shadow loomed over Pei Mingjiao. Hearing the voice, she tilted her head back and squinted her eyes. The corners of her eyes were tinged with a damp redness, looking like a peach blossom in full, decadent bloom. Zhao Xuan’s breath hitched for a few seconds. He crouched down beside Pei Mingjiao and reminded her softly, “The pond is deep, Commandery Princess. You must be careful not to fall in.”

Pei Mingjiao didn’t like being disturbed at such a time, so she couldn’t help but show a bit of her temper. “I can swim.”

Zhao Xuan smiled very indulgently and reminded her warmly, “Princess, you are drunk.”

Pei Mingjiao frowned, feeling that he was meddling in her business. Furthermore, she remembered that Murong Xihua liked Zhao Xuan. Since Murong Xihua was also here today, she didn’t want to cause a scene at the Cui Residence. It wasn’t that she was afraid, of course, but rather that she wanted to give Cui Yi some face.

Thinking of this, Pei Mingjiao stood up. Zhao Xuan reached out to support her loosely, but Pei Mingjiao did not appreciate the gesture. She said impatiently, “Get away from me.”

Zhao Xuan gave a bitter smile. “I wonder how I have offended the Princess to cause such annoyance?”

Pei Mingjiao wanted to say that everything about him was annoying. Just then, Murong Xihua came over, pushed Zhao Xuan aside, and glared at Pei Mingjiao. “Well, well! I was wondering why you hadn’t come back for so long. It turns out you were here with Young Master Zhao.”

Pei Mingjiao’s vision seemed to be covered by a layer of haze, and people looked blurry to her. She had to squint to distinguish the expressions on the faces opposite her. She felt she was speaking with great momentum, but in reality, her voice was soft and slurred: “Stop… talking nonsense. It was him who… stuck… himself to me.”

Her words were sticky and unclear; Murong Xihua couldn’t understand her at all. But it didn’t matter. At this moment, she only felt the excitement of catching Pei Mingjiao making a fool of herself. “Good! Pei Mingjiao, it’s finally your turn to be drunk.”

Zhao Xuan lowered his eyelids to hide his disgust for Murong Xihua. “Third Young Lady, the Grand Princess will certainly not allow the Commandery Princess to remain drunk like this.”

This was a reminder to Murong Xihua that the Grand Princess was present and that she should exercise some restraint.

Murong Xihua was unwilling to let it go. Last time she was drunk, Pei Mingjiao had made her lose face completely, which kept her from leaving the house for a long time. Pei Mingjiao’s mother was a Grand Princess, but her own grandmother was a Great Princess; by seniority, even the Son of Heaven had to call her grandmother “Great-Aunt.” In what way was she inferior to Pei Mingjiao?

But the laws of the human world cannot restrain the Son of Heaven. Murong Xihua did not understand this truth.

Just as she was preparing to play a good prank on Pei Mingjiao, Cui Yi—who had come out to search for her because she was worried about potential trouble—said, “If you all like the koi in our manor, I can have someone bring some fish food over. How does that sound?”

Since the host had appeared, Murong Xihua had no choice but to swallow her anger. Zhao Xuan, on the other hand, cupped his hands in a respectful bow. “Lady Cui, the Commandery Princess is drunk. I’ll trouble you to take her to a guest room to sober up.”

As Cui Yi approached, she finally saw the flush on Pei Mingjiao’s face. Eyelashes covered those eyes that were usually clear, dark, and bright. With her eyes downcast, she looked obedient and cute, with none of her usual arrogance.

Cui Yi said softly, “Princess, I will take you to rest.”

Pei Mingjiao looked toward the source of the sound. Everything was a blur, but she recognized the voice and knew the person calling her was Cui Yi. She didn’t really hear what was said; she just nodded her head.

In this state, she clearly had no ability to move on her own. Pei Mingjiao’s maid was still at the Water Pavilion, so Cui Yi had to support her personally. As Cui Yi lightly took hold of Pei Mingjiao’s arm, she felt a sensation of softness. Her fingertips trembled slightly. She lowered her eyes, bid farewell to Zhao Xuan and Murong Xihua, and led the girl toward the guest rooms.

Pei Mingjiao’s legs had no strength, and being used to being waited on, she grumbled about wanting a piggyback ride.

Cui Yi: “…”

If Cui Yi actually tried to carry her, it wouldn’t be long before both she and Pei Mingjiao would need someone to look after them.

The weak-legged Pei Mingjiao leaned her entire weight against Cui Yi. The hairpins on her head brushed against the clothes on Cui Yi’s shoulder, rubbing against her skin and making it feel itchy and numb. To make matters worse, the drunk girl wouldn’t stay still, wrapping both arms around Cui Yi’s neck. Her wide sleeves slipped down, revealing two pale, tender arms. On the inner side of her left arm was a vivid red cinnabar mole—a tiny speck that was strikingly visible against her white skin, almost positioned right at Cui Yi’s mouth. Cui Yi turned her head away, her own face flushed from the struggle. She frowned in discomfort, grabbing the arms circled around her neck to try and pry them off. However, her strength was no match for Pei Mingjiao’s. Instead, she ended up drenched in sweat. In this weather, with the two of them pressed together, it was bound to get hot.

Pei Mingjiao was also hot, but her rebellious streak had surfaced. She endured the discomfort and refused to let go.

Fortunately, some maidservants passed by, and only then were the two separated.

Cui Yi used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her neck and breathed a sigh of relief. She let the maids support Pei Mingjiao while she led the way to the guest room.

Pei Mingjiao, however, threw a tantrum. She refused to let the maids touch her, complaining that they didn’t smell good.

There was no reasoning with a drunk person. Cui Yi had no choice but to support one side while a maid supported the other. Only then did they manage to get her safely to the guest room. The manor had prepared sobering soup early on, and they watched as Pei Mingjiao drank it. Cui Yi breathed a sigh of relief, her brow showing signs of fatigue. She ordered people to stand guard outside the guest room to prevent any accidents before returning to the banquet. By the time she rejoined the guests, that hint of weariness had already been masked.

Cui Yi whispered what had just happened into Madam Du’s ear. Madam Du patted Cui Yi’s hand and said, “You did very well.”

Cui Yi smiled gently.

Another round of drinking games ended, and Madam Du took the opportunity to advertise the family’s wine. Upon hearing that the wine could be purchased, the guests placed orders on the spot.

In this way, the Wine Appreciation Banquet was a resounding success.