Poison Doctor Roaming the Martial World

Chapter 330 The Spring Banquet at the Prince Ning's Mansion

After Lu Qiao and Yang Jianwu met, their relationship grew increasingly close.

As long as Yang Jianwu was in the capital, Lu Qiao would often invite her to get together. The two would enjoy tea and chat, one practicing dance and the other practicing martial arts, and they became close confidantes who could talk about anything.

Lu Qiao was older than Yang Jianwu and had long reached marriageable age. Minister Lu wanted to marry Lu Qiao off to someone else as his second wife, but Lu Qiao resolutely refused to comply with her father's arrangement and even threatened to commit suicide.

Lu Qiao's resistance greatly angered Minister Lu. His daughter's disobedience to him was a disgrace to the Lu family.

Coupled with Madam Lu's instigation, Minister Lu, in a fit of anger, severed his father-daughter relationship with Lu Qiao and expelled her from the family.

Poor Lu Qiao was isolated and helpless. His maternal grandparents' home was far away in Hanling County, and there was no way for him to seek refuge there in the short term.

With nowhere else to turn, she was forced to live on the streets, wandering from place to place.

Just when Lu Qiao was feeling desperate, Yang Jianwu learned about her ordeal.

Yang Jianwu, being a wealthy and influential man, didn't mind supporting another person, especially since she was his good friend. So he invited Lu Qiao to live at Suyan Pavilion.

It wasn't until Manager Lan addressed him as "Master" that Lu Qiao realized Yang Jianwu was different. He admired her greatly and resolved to achieve the same success as Yang Jianwu.

*

Prince Ning's Mansion Spring Banquet

Under the bright sunshine and gentle spring breeze, the Prince Ning's Mansion was brightly decorated and bustling with activity.

This was the first time Mo Ye had held a banquet in the mansion in the name of Prince Ning, and it was also a helpless move taken in response to Emperor Dongli's urging for marriage.

Mo Yu is the sixth son of the prince. The seventh prince, who is younger than him, is already married, but he is still alone.

Emperor Dongli has been paying close attention to his marriage these past two years, urging him repeatedly, which has put a lot of pressure on Mo Ye.

This banquet was held out of necessity, solely to find a suitable candidate to become the Princess Consort of Ning.

The noble ladies from various families arrived at Prince Ning's residence early in the morning, their makeup exquisite and their clothes gorgeous, all harboring a common purpose—to attract the attention of His Highness Prince Ning.

As a result, minor mishaps occurred from time to time at the banquet...

The eldest daughter of Lord Chen had been hiding a lotus-patterned purse in her sleeve for half a month, ready to throw it out.

The third young lady of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion had already slipped her silver fox fur cloak off her shoulder, revealing a skirt with twin peonies and Terminalia chebula embroidered in gold thread underneath.

The illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo also managed to sneak in through connections, and has gotten lost multiple times hoping for a chance encounter, even if it's just to become a concubine...

Yang Jianwu led Lu Qiao to join in the fun. In Yang Jianwu's eyes, these carefully planned encounters were nothing more than a high-end version of flaunting one's charm.

Finally breaking through the crowd to see Mo Ye in person, he jokingly said with a smile, "Oh my, being handsome is really an advantage. Look at all these pretty young ladies, they're all waiting for our Prince Ning to fall for them."

Mo Ye shook his head helplessly, his eyes inadvertently glancing at Lu Qiao beside him...

Her beautiful eyes sparkled... her charming smile radiated...

Elegant and dignified... aloof and independent...

She's now Xiaowu'er's good friend, would she be willing to help me...?

Lu Qiao seemed to sense something, looked up and searched around but found nothing amiss. Could it be her imagination?!

It seems I need to practice more with the sword dance...

As the master of the Ning Prince's Mansion, Mo Ye was naturally very busy.

Yang Jianwu did not consider herself an outsider and leisurely strolled around the Ning Prince's mansion with Lu Qiao.

As they walked, the two overheard several noble ladies whispering in the distance. These ladies seemed to have some complaints about Lu Qiao, and their words were filled with undisguised contempt and mockery.

"Lu Qiao is no longer the legitimate daughter of the Lu family. She has neither status nor position, yet she dares to sneak into a Spring Banquet. She is simply asking for trouble."

"What kind of legitimate daughter of the Lu family is she? The only legitimate daughter of the Lu family is our Lu Xiao."

Lu Xiao, the leader, is the legitimate daughter of the Lu family, that is, the daughter of the current Madam Lu.

"Disrespecting one's parents is punishable by being kicked out of the house. If it were in my house, one would have been beaten to a pulp and left to fend for oneself. How could one be parading around like this?"

Yang Jianwu was so angry she wanted to slap them across the face.

Lu Xiao pretended to wipe away non-existent tears, "Don't say that, my sister is already suffering enough from being kicked out of the manor..."

"Xiao'er, you're just too kind, that's why you get bullied by Lu Qiao. If it weren't for her being the legitimate daughter, she wouldn't have been one of the 'Two Beauties of the Capital' back then!"

“This kind of person is not worthy to attend the Spring Banquet with us and should be driven out with sticks.”

Damn, this is a classic dialogue between a green tea b*tch and her best friend. Could it get any more disgusting?!

"A bunch of chattering clowns, do they think we, Joe, are left without anyone to look after us?!"

Yang Jianwu rolled up her sleeves, ready to step forward to argue, but Lu Qiao stopped her in time, saying, "They're just some insignificant people, why bother with all that effort?"

"Heh~ Who do we have here? Isn't this Lu Qiao?"

"You heard what we just said, didn't you? You really are a child without a mother's teachings, you don't know any manners at all."

"Stop trying to be a good person. In my opinion, it's not that you don't want to put in the effort, but that you're self-aware!"

Yang Jianwu clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the excessive force, and his nails digging deeply into his palms.

With her exertion, the bones in her fist emitted a chilling creaking sound.

"If you can't speak properly, I don't mind teaching you!"

If it can be resolved with force, there's no point in wasting words; bloodless victory is never satisfying.

Lu Qiao was no pushover either. Her friends had stood up for her, and she couldn't just stand by and let others bully her.

"The best courtesy is to mind your own business, and besides, I don't have the habit of arguing with fools."

"Sister, how could you say that..."

Lu Xiao was at a loss, holding a handkerchief to her lips, looking like she had been bullied.

"Sister, did you come to the Spring Banquet hoping to win the favor of Prince Ning and win back Father's heart?"

If that's the case, I won't argue with my sister. Why humiliate us like this... Waaah...

Yang Jianwu slapped Lu Qiao's hand in an exaggeratedly disappointed manner.

"Qiao'er, it's because you're too kind that you get bullied by Lu Xiao. If it weren't for her mother's skill in bed, she wouldn't have any of the affection Lu Shangshu has for her!"

Lu Xiao blushed after being rebuked, "You!"

The other daughters didn't look good either. They were all pampered at home and would never act like "shrewish women cursing in the street."

"You're so vulgar!"

"That's right, birds of a feather flock together."

Yang Jianwu looked completely indifferent.

"Is this vulgar? Do you want to hear something even vulgar?"

Yang Jianwu pointed at the group and unleashed a barrage of attacks, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Lu Xiao was trembling with anger. "How can you have such a bad temper? We don't even know each other, why are you cursing at us!"

"My temper varies from person to person; whatever kind of person you are, that's how I'll treat you!"

Finally, Yang Jianwu added with a fake smile, "I forgot to tell you something: when I praise someone, I might be insincere, but when I scold someone, I'm absolutely sincere!"