During the five years Murong Qiqi was away, Murong Xinlian had made great efforts to befriend the children of these noble families. There was no one in Capital City who didn't know that the second young lady of Murong Manor was a beauty whose charm and grace were unmatched. At this moment, Murong Xinlian was hosting the guests as if she were the legitimate daughter of the Murong family.
"What is this ugly freak doing here?" Murong Jun had always been very unwelcoming to this particular sister of his, and the term "ugly freak" slipped out of his mouth without hesitation.
Murong Qiqi pretended not to hear Murong Jun's words and maintained her sheepish appearance, obediently allowing Murong Xinlian to lead her by the hand into the Huxin Pavilion. "Greetings, big brother!"
"Hmph!" Murong Jun opened his folding fan, turned his face away, and gave a response. "If I had known we were waiting for her, I would have rather gone to Yihong Tower to find my Xiao Taohong! What a waste of this young master's time!"
Murong Xinlian and Murong Qinglian were already used to Murong Jun speaking like this.
He was a playboy in romantic matters, an expert in the sensual world, proficient in all kinds of indulgences from eating, drinking, gambling, and more. His greatest fondness was for beautiful women, and his favorite pastime was dallying with them.
As the only heir of Murong Manor, Murong Tai spoiled his precious son immensely. No matter whether he forcibly abducted women, or racked up gambling debts, Murong Tai always cleaned up after him no matter what outrageous deeds he committed.
This was the first time Murong Qiqi had seen Murong Jun since she returned to the manor. Although Murong Jun had inherited Murong Tai's handsome features, his yellowing eye whites, the dark circles under his eyes, and his emaciated figure all exposed his excessive indulgence.
"Oh, Third Sister, you are really slow!" Murong Qinglian glanced at Murong Qiqi.
Murong Qinglian's casual mention of "Third Sister" attracted everyone's attention to Murong Qiqi.
Many of the people present had only heard of the Third Young Lady of Murong Manor through rumors and had never seen her in person. After all, Murong Qiqi had been in Jingxin Nunnery for five years and had not appeared in the Capital City. Therefore, she had never been a part of the social circles of these young masters and ladies. This was her first appearance since her return.
However, since Murong Qiqi's return to the capital, rumors about her had been everywhere. Now, seeing the real person, everyone couldn't help but take a closer look, wanting to see what the woman in the rumors actually looked like.
With a simple braid, wearing a pale blue dress, and adorned with only a single, plain pearl flower on her head and a common peach wood hairpin in her hair, her appearance was not as beautiful as Murong Xinlian and Murong Qinglian. However, her demeanor was gentle and demure, giving off a refreshing and natural vibe that contrasted sharply with the bejeweled and extravagant appearance of the other young ladies.
"I wonder who it is that commands such respect; it turns out to be the Third Young Lady!" At this moment, a sarcastic voice suddenly rang out. The speaker was Miss Duanmu Yiyi from the Duanmu family.
"You must think you are more honorable than others, since you made everyone wait. Or is it that Third Sister looks down on us?"
Duanmu Yiyi's sharp tongue showed no mercy, but everyone knew why she was targeting Murong Qiqi.
Miss Duanmu was a loyal follower of Longze Jingtian and had once declared, "If I marry, I will marry King Jing!" Now, faced with Murong Qiqi, who was in every aspect inferior to herself and yet destined to become Princess Jing, Duanmu Yiyi naturally wanted to give her a show of force.
"I was late, and it was my fault. I wonder what I should do to appease the resentment in your heart, Miss?"
As soon as Murong Qiqi's words fell, those in the know burst into laughter.
"Resentment" was indeed a good way to describe Duanmu Yiyi's attitude. Unable to become Princess Jing, she was naturally filled with resentment, hence her hostility towards Murong Qiqi. The word "resentment" perfectly depicted Duanmu Yiyi's image as a resentful woman.
"Murong Qiqi!"
Mocked by others, Duanmu Yiyi's face immediately turned livid. In her eyes, Murong Qiqi had deliberately spoken that way, clearly a sarcastic jibe at her. The fact that she, the distinguished young lady of the Duanmu family, was being ridiculed by the useless Murong Qiqi was simply too humiliating for her.
"Cousin, come and sit over here." Just as Duanmu Yiyi was about to chastise Murong Qiqi, Li Yunqing, who had been sitting quietly on the side, smiled and raised his wine cup to her. "Since I've been waiting for you for so long, don't you think you should be punished with three cups of wine?"
Li Yunqing's intervention was completely unexpected to everyone. They knew that this young master of the Li family had always been aloof and hardly mingled with others. And yet, at this moment, he was helping Murong Qiqi out of her predicament. When did their relationship become so good?
Thankful for his intervention, Murong Qiqi grinned at Li Yunqing, picked up a wine jug, tipped her head back, and poured the wine into her mouth.
At this moment, the silvery moonlight evenly fell upon Murong Qiqi, casting a layer of dreamy mist upon her. The surroundings were very quiet, with only the sound of wine flowing down her throat. A beauty, radiant wine—the originally ordinary-looking Murong Qiqi somehow became enchanting in this scene, leaving everyone dumbstruck.
"What a drinker!" As soon as Murong Qiqi put down the wine jug, Shangguan Wuji cheered, "I never expected Third Young Lady to have such a good tolerance for alcohol, truly a heroine among women!"
The Shangguan family had been producing capable generals for generations, and Shangguan Wuji was no exception–imparting a bold and heroic air to his character.
Soldiers naturally preferred to drink heartily, so seeing Murong Qiqi, a woman, drinking so boldly, Shangguan Wuji couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for her.
Seeing Shangguan Wuji praise Murong Qiqi, Duanmu Yiyi's face grew even uglier. "So what if she can drink? She's still a useless piece of trash!" Relying on the fact that the current Empress Duanmu Qing was her own aunt, Duanmu Yiyi naturally held herself above others.
Duanmu Yiyi's words made Shangguan Wuji frown, "Miss Duanmu, discussing others in their presence isn't the behavior of a lady."
Shangguan Wuji's defense of her made Murong Qiqi look at him with newfound respect. She and Shangguan Wuji had never met before, but he had stepped in to help her whenever he saw injustice. Such a person was worth making friends with!
"Whether she is useless or not, why not put it to the test?"
Unable to challenge Shangguan Wuji directly, Duanmu Yiyi fell back on taunting Murong Qiqi. Her aunt, Empress Duanmu Qing, may be related to Duanmu Yiyi, but Empress Dowager Shangguan Feiyan was Shangguan Wuji's grandmother's sister, making Shangguan Wuji her "nephew." The Empress Dowager adored the descendants of the Shangguan family, and even the Emperor held the Shangguan Noble Family in high regard.