Dream of the Red Chamber: My Daiyu Has Been Reborn

"old lady."

Upon hearing Madam You's voice, everyone turned around and saw that Madam You was followed by a slender young girl.

The young woman was indeed beautiful, with a graceful and delicate figure. Her movements were elegant and charming. Although her clothes were not particularly luxurious, they exuded an indescribable air of sophistication.

Daiyu's gaze lingered on the girl's face for a long time, as if she were deep in thought.

It was her?

In her past life, she had only met Qin Keqing a few times. She only remembered that Qin Keqing was very gentle and peaceful, and handled matters very reliably. Even the usually picky Grandmother Jia had high praise for her great-granddaughter-in-law. Then Qin Keqing suddenly passed away. At that time, there was quite a bit of discussion in the mansion. She vaguely heard some rumors, but she didn't know if they were true or false.

However, Qin Keqing should not have married into the Ningguo Mansion yet, so why would she come with Madam You?

Lady You led Qin Keqing to Grandmother Jia: "Grandmother, this is the Qin family's daughter."

Qin Keqing immediately stepped forward and respectfully bowed to Grandmother Jia, saying, "Greetings, Grandmother."

Grandmother Jia looked her up and down and nodded with satisfaction: "This is Rong-ge'er's betrothed? She's quite a presentable girl."

Upon hearing Grandmother Jia's words, Qin Keqing's face flushed a delicate blush.

Madam You smiled and replied, "That's right. Her Highness the Eldest Princess heard about this child from somewhere and specially sent someone to the manor to convey a message, asking me to bring him to meet you. Keqing, this is the First Madam, the Second Madam..."

As Lady You introduced them, Qin Keqing greeted each of them.

Before long, the nanny from the Princess's residence came out to greet them, smiling and bowing to everyone: "Greetings to the Old Madam. His Highness has been talking about it for a long time, saying that if the Old Madam doesn't come to today's flower viewing banquet, half the fun will be lost."

Whether these words were true or false, Grandmother Jia felt very comfortable being flattered, and the smile on her face deepened.

Today's flower-viewing banquet is held in the large garden on the west side of the Princess's residence. It is now mid-spring, and the garden is full of peach and plum blossoms in full bloom, with flowers everywhere.

At this moment, the ladies of various noble families and ministers' and vice ministers' households were all seated in the flower hall, exchanging pleasantries and laughter. Princess Anning, Li Shulan, was dressed in a crimson palace gown and sat in the main seat, exuding dignity and authority.

Grandmother Jia led everyone forward to pay their respects.

"Please rise, madam. You are an elder; there is no need for such a grand gesture."

Li Shulan's gaze passed over Grandmother Jia and landed on Daiyu. When she saw the peach blossom hairpin in Daiyu's hair, the smile in Li Shulan's eyes deepened.

"Yu'er, come here quickly." Li Shulan beckoned to Daiyu.

Daiyu stepped forward and bowed gracefully: "This humble woman greets Your Highness the Eldest Princess."

"Good child, get up quickly." Li Shulan held Daiyu's hand and looked her up and down, her eyes full of affection. "Are you getting used to living in the Rongguo Mansion?"

"My maternal grandmother treated me very well, and I was happy with the place I lived."

Li Shulan nodded and pulled Daiyu to a spot beside her, saying, "You can stay here and talk to me."

Upon hearing this, all the ladies in the hall turned their attention to him.

The seat next to the Eldest Princess is not a place anyone can sit in. Every noblewoman present today is of rank, yet a young woman from the Lin family, who has only recently arrived in the capital, was chosen to sit beside her. They had already heard rumors that the Second Young Master Gu was engaged, and now it seems that this is indeed true.

At the same time, they also felt a little regretful. In their eyes, Gu Jinhong was a perfect catch. Many of their families had tried to propose marriage to Li Shulan, but she had always quietly turned them down. Now it seemed that the root of the problem lay here.

Daiyu understood that Li Shulan was giving her a makeover, so she didn't hesitate and quietly sat down beside Li Shulan.

With a smile on her face, Grandmother Jia led the group to sit down. Lady Wang, however, remained expressionless. She had long harbored resentment towards Daiyu, and seeing the Princess so highly of Daiyu only intensified her frustration.

At this moment, Lady You led Qin Keqing forward to pay her respects.

"This humble woman, accompanied by Miss Qin, pays her respects to Your Highness."

When Qin Keqing stepped forward to pay her respects, Li Shulan's gaze fell on her face. Upon seeing her appearance clearly, her smiling expression suddenly froze.

Although the face was still young and the eyes and brows still had a touch of immaturity, the contours of the features and the graceful, slender figure were still striking.

It's so similar, so incredibly similar.

Li Shulan's hands clenched slightly inside her sleeves. She had met Princess Su, the wife of Prince Yizhong, a few times over a decade ago. Now, suddenly seeing the shadow of an old friend on a young girl's face, Li Shulan felt a sudden jolt in her heart. What earth-shattering thing had her son discovered?

Li Shulan calmed her agitated state and said gently, "This is the Qin family's daughter? Come forward and let me take a look."

Qin Keqing stepped forward as instructed, her eyes lowered, not daring to look directly at the Princess.

Li Shulan studied him for a moment, then smiled and said, "Indeed, a handsome man with a refined air. Has he studied?"

"I know a few characters and have read some precepts and instructions for women."

"Good, good." Li Shulan smiled and turned to Madam You. "Your Ningguo Mansion is truly blessed."

"Your Highness flatters me."

Li Shulan gave Qin Keqing another deep look, then waved her hand for them to sit down.

Daiyu, who was standing nearby, witnessed this scene. Although Li Shulan's strange behavior just now was fleeting, Daiyu, who was close by and always had a keen sense of things, vaguely sensed something.

She couldn't help but glance at Qin Keqing a few more times. Could this future Madam Rong be hiding some secret?

Daiyu was thinking about it.

Suddenly, Li Shulan beckoned to the old woman behind her and whispered a few instructions. The old woman quickly obeyed and left.

Immediately afterwards, Li Shulan stood up and looked around the room with a smile: "Inviting you all to enjoy the flowers today is not a big deal. It just so happens to be the Flower Festival, and it's an auspicious day, so I thought I'd share the joy with you all."

Her gaze fell on Daiyu beside her: "Coincidentally, today is Yu'er's birthday. This child has just arrived in the capital, so I shamelessly made arrangements for her, which can be considered as fulfilling the friendship between me and her mother from back then."

These words stunned all the ladies in the hall. Was the Princess taking this Lin family girl too seriously, even going so far as to arrange her birthday? They strongly suspected that the Princess's sudden announcement of a flower-viewing banquet this year was all for this purpose.

Grandmother Jia suddenly raised her head, overwhelmed with emotion. She had completely forgotten that today was her granddaughter's birthday.

Daiyu stared blankly at Li Shulan, her eyes gradually welling up with tears. Ever since she woke up on that boat on the canal, she had been thinking about how to break free from her cage and how to change her father's fate.

She had almost forgotten that today was not only the Flower Festival, but also her birthday.