Jealousy and Envy

Of course, there were many ladies who were dressed up in luxurious clothes at the event. Xiaoguo thought that her outfit was pretty over the top, but she didn’t expect the other ladies to look even more exaggerated than her. They looked like they were wrapping themselves into balls of fabrics. Their hairstyles were even more fancy. Gold, silver, jade, big flowers, and all kinds of accessories were piled on everyone’s heads.

In comparison, her hairstyle actually looked quite simple and plain.

As it was not convenient for the ladies to turn their heads, they could only look straight ahead when they walked. If they spotted anyone they knew, they would greet them and speak without caring if the other party was able to look back and respond.

Xiaoguo thought that everyone looked quite hilarious. Due to her constrictive outfit, it was inconvenient for her to laugh out loud. She could only laugh softly to herself.

All the women seemed rather used to their outfits. Xiaoguo was the only one feeling uncomfortable. It was difficult to move around being dressed like that. If there was an emergency, she could only wait for her death.

However, that may not be entirely true. After all, she was bundled up in such thick layers. If an attacker was holding a knife, he might have difficulties piercing through her clothes.

At the thought of this, Xiaoguo wanted to laugh again. She was really impressed by her imagination.

Unbeknownst to Xiaoguo, a jealous gaze was watching her from afar. Looking at the elegant back view, this person punched the tree indignantly. When she becomes Brother Jiang’s woman in future, she will be just as beautiful. She will also attend banquets and wear beautiful clothes. She will also get someone to hold her while she walks… She must have everything!

That’s right, this person was Yu Zhizhi. Before the event, she had pleaded with Mrs. Yang, asking the lady to bring her along to the banquet. To her surprise, the other party only smiled and glanced at her disdainfully. Without having to say anything, her gaze was piercing and insulting.

After being rejected, Yu Zhizhi could only hide in the darkness and sneak around. In fact, she just wanted to see how Qin Xiaoguo was dressed for the event. She swore to herself that she would definitely dress up better than her!

After walking for a short while, Xiaoguo was reminded by Lingzhi to look ahead. She tried her best to look up and saw Jiang Danhe waiting for her. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him.

Oh, Lingzhi was the woman who had helped to dress her. While they were making their way to the event, Xiaoguo asked for her name. After all, it was impolite for her not to find out her name after spending the entire night with her. Jiang Danhe had borrowed Lingzhi from the Prime Minister’s wife.

The mission for Lingzhi was considered complete. After sending the beautifully dressed Xiaoguo to Jiang Danhe, she could excuse herself and leave.

Xiaoguo thanked Lingzhi softly. The other party was stunned for a moment. Then, she smiled and nodded before turning to leave.

As soon as she left, Jiang Danhe put away the amazement in his eyes and walked towards Xiaoguo. He almost couldn’t come back to his senses because she looked too beautiful tonight.

“Xiaoguo?”

“Yes,” Xiaoguo said sweetly.

“Xiaoguo?”

Jiang Danhe called out again and held his hand out in midair.

“Yes!”

Xiaoguo didn’t know what was wrong with him, but she answered loudly and put her hand in his.

Jiang Danhe held her hand tightly in satisfaction. For some reason, he called out again, “Xiaoguo.”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

Xiaoguo was gradually getting testy, but she still tried her best to respond to him gently.

“You’re so beautiful tonight.”

Xiaoguo was like a balloon that had suddenly been deflated. She smiled faintly and said, “You’re very handsome too.”

It was not a good place to chat. After all, there were many people coming and going. Jiang Danhe was happy to stand there and let everyone watch them, but Xiaoguo didn’t like that. Hence, the two of them walked hand in hand towards the garden.

The interaction between the couple made the other ladies extremely envious. The general knew to come out and escort his wife, unlike their ungrateful husbands!

The ladies were green with envy. Even the unmarried young girls tugged at their handkerchiefs and looked at Xiaoguo enviously. The same thought was running through everyone’s mind. “How wonderful it would be if the handsome and loving general was still single.”

It is absolutely impossible for them, the noble daughters from reputed families, to be concubines. Therefore, they could only blame the heavens for being unfair. To think that such a good man did not belong to them!

Xiaoguo seemed to have sensed the gnashing of teeth around her. She couldn’t help but feel a little smug. She held Jiang Danhe’s hand tightly in joy, making him feel overjoyed for a long time. In the end, he quietly leaned over and asked, “Is this the couple outfit you were talking about?”

“Couple outfits?” When Xiaoguo heard this, she looked at his attire. She hadn’t noticed it earlier, but now she realized that the color of his clothes was the same as hers. His clothes were just a shade darker— making him look more mature and dignified.

Xiaoguo pursed her lips and smiled. “Yes. It’s a couple outfit.”

It turned out that she had mentioned this idea to him a long time ago, but she was just mentioning it casually. To her surprise, he actually took it to heart.

Jiang Danhe looked very proud of himself and that amused Xiaoguo immensely.

Other than Shao Zhan, all the other ministers had already arrived in the garden. Their families were also arriving one after another. Xiaoguo sat at the front with Jiang Danhe. Fortunately, there was no need for men and women to sit separately. Otherwise, she would have to make her way clumsily to the women’s section.

“Are you hungry?”

The first thing Jiang Danhe did after sitting down, was to pick up some food for her.

Xiaoguo looked at the exquisite food on the small table and swallowed quietly. Even though she was very hungry, she had to take the big picture into consideration. She shook her head and said, “It’s fine. Maybe later.”

Actually, everyone present was hungry, but Shao Zhan was not here yet. Nobody dared to start eating and could only look at the food.

Fortunately, Shao Zhan arrived not long after.

Xiaoguo stood up and bowed with everyone else. As it was not a palace banquet, they didn’t have to greet the emperor formally. The men only had to cup their fists and bow. It was even easier for the women. They could just bend forward or do a curtsy.

Between the two options, Xiaoguo chose to bend down. It was easier for her to get up that way. If she chose to do a curtsy, she didn’t know what could happen.

After which, Shao Zhan made his official speech. He said a few words casually and went straight to the point.

“Everyone, enjoy the beautiful scenery, entertainment, and delicacies!”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

As soon as he finished speaking, all the ministers who were present thanked him in unison. In an instant, the drums started playing. Two teams of ethereal-looking girls came from various directions to the center. They waved their long sleeves and started dancing gracefully.

Xiaoguo stole a glance at everyone and realized that the first thing they did after thanking the emperor was to pick up their chopsticks. No one was interested in the beauties in front of them.

It looked like everyone was hungry.

“What are you laughing at?”

Jiang Danhe asked curiously when he saw Xiaoguo smile for no reason.

“Nothing.” Xiaoguo retracted her gaze and looked down at the plate. Her eyes widened in an instant. “Stop adding food to my plate!”

Jiang Danhe put down his chopsticks in confusion. He looked at the food on her plate and asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

Xiaoguo was furious and looked at him speechlessly. How could he ask what was wrong while giving her an innocent look? She didn’t notice him stacking food on her plate earlier. How did he manage to stack the food so high and steadily on such a small plate?!

Apparently, after Shao Zhan sat down and finished his speech, Jiang Danhe immediately picked up his chopsticks and started adding food to her plate. He kept himself busy and did not stop. When she finally called for him to stop, he still had a piece of snack in his chopsticks. He could not decide whether to put it down or not.

Xiaoguo had a lot to say to him, but she didn’t say it out loud. He was doing this for her own good. There was no need for her to say so much.

“It’s fine. Let’s share the food.”

As she spoke, Xiaoguo pushed the plate to the middle.

Jiang Danhe blushed when he heard that. Was she going to share a plate with him? “How intimate! It’s awesome!!”

Feeling shy, he did not dare to look around. He picked up the food on his plate and started eating.

Xiaoguo took a look at him and laughed silently. This silly man had become so innocent all of a sudden. He wasn’t this shy when he stole a kiss from her previously.