Trembling, Lingxiu handed the invitation to Li Huaiyu and said, “You don’t need to take his clothes anymore; we can enter the Jiang residence now.”
Huaiyu was taken aback as she accepted the invitation and exclaimed, “Is this true?”
“Yes,” Lingxiu nodded, her eyes sparkling with joy. “It seems that Young Master Jiang cares about you a lot, even sending a personal invitation. He must be looking forward to your arrival!”
While it was clear that he cared, Huaiyu shook her head. If he truly wanted her there, the invitation should have arrived much earlier, not at this hour when she was supposed to be leaving the residence. Rather than him eagerly awaiting her, it felt more like he was fulfilling someone else’s request.
After taking the invitation, Huaiyu dragged the unconscious servant to a corner of the wall and then beckoned to Lingxiu. “Let’s go.”
Before dawn, the official road was shrouded in a hazy mist. Lingxiu was about to suggest finding a carriage when, before she could speak, a luxurious eight-treasure incense carriage approached and stopped beside them.
“Get in.” A jade-boned fan lifted the carriage curtain, revealing Lu Jingxing’s charming face.
Li Huaiyu smiled. “I thought you had overslept.”
Pulling her up, Lu Jingxing replied with a hint of annoyance, “Dear Miss, we’ve been busy, and it’s already the ugly hour. What do you expect me to do, sleep?”
Hearing this, Lingxiu nearly slipped off the carriage step as she reached for the yoke.
“Be careful.” Huaiyu caught her and helped her steady herself on the yoke, then shot Lu Jingxing a glare. “Speak properly!”
“Hey, it’s the truth,” Lu Jingxing said, not letting go of the curtain, his phoenix eyes sparkling. “Didn’t we spend all night picking out jewelry and making clothes?”
Last night, Li Huaiyu had been eager to return, but the clothes in his shop didn’t fit her well. With no time to remake them, Lu Jingxing had to alter the dresses to her size, which took several hours.
Since he was helping her, Huaiyu couldn’t just leave without showing gratitude, so they ended up working until the ugly hour.
Lingxiu sighed in relief. “I see.”
Lu Jingxing smiled as he lowered the curtain and looked at Li Huaiyu, who was sitting across from him. “Are you ready?”
“Ready,” Huaiyu nodded, her eyes bright. “Once we arrive, we’ll part ways.”
“Should I wait for you when we leave?”
“No need; my father will be there.”
Nodding, Lu Jingxing opened his fan and smiled. “If anything goes wrong, remember to come to the west side.”
Lingxiu and Zhaocai sat on the yoke outside, listening to the conversation between their masters. They assumed they were discussing Bai Fourth Miss’s appearance at the Jiang residence and didn’t think much of it.
However, inside the carriage, Li Huaiyu understood that Lu Jingxing was worried about her encountering trouble while looking for Qingsi, so he arranged to meet her on the west side in case she needed help.
The birthday banquet for Young Master Jiang was not a significant event; her main reason for going through all this trouble was not just to avoid disappointing Lingxiu but also to find out Qingsi’s whereabouts.
Since Qingsi was in Jiang Xuanjin’s hands and not in prison, she must be somewhere in the Jiang residence. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she and Lu Jingxing discussed their plan to search the Jiang residence separately.
The sound of hooves echoed as they finally arrived at their destination just before the third watch.
As dawn broke, the entrance to the Jiang residence was bustling with people, with sedan chairs and carriages parked everywhere. As soon as Li Huaiyu got out of the carriage, she spotted a stone taller than a person standing beside the gate.
It was an uncut jade stone, its sunlit side polished smooth, with four characters elegantly inscribed on it—**Generations of Loyalty and Integrity**.
These were words written by her father during his lifetime, ordered to be brought here by eight horses to show his esteem for the Jiang family. The Jiang family had indeed lived up to his expectations; the eldest son, Jiang Chong, was a military man with remarkable achievements, while the second son, Jiang Shen, was a scholar renowned throughout the country.
As for the third son, he was even more impressive, having entered politics at sixteen and now being known as the Duke of Ziyang, having personally eliminated the long-standing threat of the Danyang Princess.
With a half-smile, Li Huaiyu withdrew her gaze and followed Lu Jingxing toward the main entrance.
Today, there were many guests. Jiang Chong was at the entrance, welcoming guests with Jiang Yan by his side, showing great courtesy.
“Congratulations, congratulations!”
“Same to you! Please come inside.”
“Look at Young Master Jiang’s demeanor; the Jiang family truly has talent! Hahaha!”
“Too kind, too kind! Please, come in.”
Jiang Yan, who was following his father and exchanging pleasantries, showed no signs of impatience on his face, but inside… he was already feeling overwhelmed!
These empty and superficial compliments were utterly meaningless, yet he had to endure them without showing any displeasure. He couldn’t tell if today was his birthday or a day of punishment.
Just as he was feeling frustrated, two more people approached.
“Shopkeeper Lu.” Jiang Chong cupped his hands in greeting. “Your esteemed presence is a great honor.”
“General, you flatter me,” Lu Jingxing replied with a smile, returning the gesture. “I’m honored to be invited.”
“Not at all.” Jiang Chong said this politely but noticed that Jiang Yan had not responded.
With a hint of confusion, he turned to see his son staring blankly at Lu Jingxing’s side.
What was he looking at? Following his gaze, Jiang Chong was taken aback.
What a graceful and noble young lady! Her expression was gentle, and her demeanor rivaled that of the man beside her. Meeting his gaze, she calmly performed a greeting, “General, greetings. Young Master Jiang, greetings.”
With her head slightly bowed and her posture dignified, Jiang Chong couldn’t help but want to praise her.
“Who is this?” He took the invitation handed to him by her maid and looked down, his eyes brightening.
Jiang Yan didn’t look at the invitation; he only sensed that his father had suddenly fallen silent and thought he had been rude. He quickly regained his composure and cupped his hands, saying, “Please, both of you, come inside.”
Li Huaiyu nodded, giving him a slight smile before walking in with Lu Jingxing.
“You know how to make an entrance,” Lu Jingxing said, opening his fan and whispering, “You’re putting on quite the show.”
Li Huaiyu walked gracefully, revealing a hint of her canines as she laughed. “Do you think I grew up just anywhere?”
Although she didn’t like to follow rules, it didn’t mean she hadn’t learned. She knew exactly when to do what!
Jiang Yan glanced at the retreating figures, thinking that the peonies on her dress were indeed beautiful. He hadn’t seen many who could pull off such a pattern.
Jiang Chong looked at him and suddenly asked, “Did you send an invitation specifically to Bai Fourth Miss?”
At the mention of this, Jiang Yan’s expression darkened. “My uncle asked me to send it. I’ve already done so. Whether she comes or not is none of my business.”
Jiang Chong paused, glancing at him and then at the invitation in his hand.
This child, could it be that he didn’t even recognize who that young lady was?