A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

On the day of the banquet, Jiangcheng's most luxurious restaurant was packed with guests, all of them wealthy and powerful figures from the government. Luxury cars and elegantly dressed people gathered at the entrance. Gentlemen in sharp suits looked elegant, while socialites, adorned with splendid attire and dazzling jewelry, filed in, chatting and laughing, creating a bustling atmosphere.

Before Gui'er set off, she suddenly received a message from Butler Zhao telling her not to dress too plainly.

Although she didn't understand why, Gui'er didn't want to openly go against the Marshal's wishes, so she had to dress up a little.

She spent a long time choosing and decided to wear a moon-white brocade cheongsam embroidered with elegant orchids, a lace shawl of the same color, a white marble twisted bracelet on her wrist, and a pair of small pearl earrings. She looked gentle and elegant without being too conspicuous.

As soon as Gui'er walked out of the room, Dingxiang said in surprise, "Miss, you haven't dressed up much in the past few years. They say you change a lot when you grow up. I've been with you every day and I didn't think you'd changed much. But after you dressed up like this today, I realized you've really grown into a beautiful woman. If you ask me, you're even prettier than Miss Taohua and even comparable to Miss Lily."

Gui Er smiled sheepishly and said, "That's not true. Clothes make the man."

Her mind was not on dressing up at all, but she was very much looking forward to meeting Song Xichen today and discussing with him what she should do next.

Arriving at the banquet hall, most of the guests had already arrived. Everyone in the Marshal's residence was dressed in their finest attire. The daughters of the Fifth and Sixth Concubines were growing up, and it was clear that the Fifth and Sixth Concubines had invested heavily in their attire. The clothes they wore were made of finer material than usual, likely custom-made at Yunxianglou. They featured filigree and gold embroidery, and they wore jewelry on their wrists and necks. Perhaps they wanted to use this opportunity to introduce their daughters to the young masters and talented young men of the city's wealthy families, paving the way for future in-laws.

The fourth concubine and her family dressed up for the event, and her two brothers who were officials also came, which gave her a lot of face. Many wealthy people and officials in Jiangcheng went to greet the two uncles, and even the Marshal took the initiative to come forward and greet them.

The Marshal was supported by the Eighth Concubine. Normally, he would only walk a few steps in the main courtyard and would always sit, looking fine. But today, when he was walking around at the banquet, it was obvious that his steps were unsteady and he looked a little weak.

In the past, at such banquets, Gui'er and Taohua would find a corner to hide, find something to eat so as not to attract other people's attention, and then leave when the time was almost up.

Now that Taohua is gone, although Guier still wants to follow suit, she finds that there are always people staring at her at the banquet. At first, she thought they were spies who had sneaked in, but she found that these people who were looking at her, both men and women, did not look like spies, but more like ordinary guests.

"That exquisite little beauty over there, could she be the legendary adopted daughter of the Marshal's Mansion? I heard a long time ago that she got married. It was said that she married a craftsman. What a pity, she is so beautiful. If I had known, I would have asked for her hand in marriage for my son."

"No, this is another one. It is said that she is very favored by the Madam and the Marshal. She was taken by the Young Master to study in Nanjing. She graduated early and returned. She is a talented woman."

"Really? Oh, then my son is a good match for her. They look about the same age. I need to ask someone. If I can become a relative of the Marshal's Mansion, then our family's business will not be a problem."

"What are you thinking? Do you know why another adopted daughter married a craftsman? Because they were just maids brought back from outside, and they were a little pretty, so the Marshal and his wife showed them special favors and gave them the opportunity to learn to read and write, but they had no dowry, so they just found a random craftsman to send them off. If your family married this girl, she would be pretty, but forget about the benefits. It is said that the dowry would only be two boxes of stuff, nothing valuable."

"Ah, this..."

Gui'er turned to glance at the noblewoman. She had already gone to meet another wealthy man to chat. It was true that marriages among the wealthy were always tied to profit. Alas, this wasn't bad either; she had some free time.

Although Gui'er's beauty caused some discussion at the banquet, everyone lost interest in her instantly when they realized that she could not bring them any benefits. She took a tray to get some food, hid in the corner, and ate while waiting for Song Xichen to appear.

The Marshal had originally thought he'd steal the show at the banquet, showcasing his recovery. However, seeing his legs tremble after every two steps, everyone offered a few polite words of comfort before walking away. The conversation turned back to Sha Yanxiao, but the Marshal couldn't get angry in public. Furthermore, he wasn't fully recovered yet, so he quickly tired and had to ask his eighth concubine to help him sit down and rest.

"Why don't you see Young Marshal Sha? I finally managed to get our daughter a chance to come to this banquet, but I gave Eighth Concubine a lot of money."

"The young marshal is said to be in the barracks all day and is very busy. He probably won't show up until a little later. Remember to make sure our daughter behaves well. Before he shows up, take her to the bathroom and tidy up her appearance."

Guier overheard the conversation and looked over curiously. They were a graceful middle-aged couple, and next to them stood a young girl, about eighteen or nineteen, with a round face. It was obvious she took after her parents, and she looked like she came from a merchant family. Guier looked at the girl and did seem to have some impression of her; she had seen her photo in the roster, but she looked thinner and prettier in the photo than in person.

Gui'er couldn't help but use her memory to search on the spot to see if there were any other blind dates for Sha Yanxiao.

As a result, she discovered one or two more. One was the daughter of an official from Fengcheng who was related to Marshal Zhang by marriage. Their family was very grand and they were brought here by their grandparents, parents and brothers. They were dressed very gorgeously. However, Marshal Zhang's genes did not seem to produce beauties. This girl had the same square face as Miss Zhang Si, single eyelids and thin lips, and it seemed that her family education was similar to that of Marshal Zhang's family. The girl lowered her head, like an ancient lady who never left the house.

The other girl was much more graceful and elegant, and was one of the most beautiful girls on the roster. The information on the roster said that this girl was the daughter of a manager of a foreign company in Shanghai. After the December 12.8th Incident, she returned to her hometown in Jiangcheng with her family. She had studied abroad before and even been to Hong Kong, so she had seen the world. Guier thought she was even more beautiful in person than in the photo. However, Dali was referring to their family who suspected she had a relationship with the Japanese. For this reason, Sha Yanxiao was unlikely to be interested in their daughter.

Gui'er didn't know why, but she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.