Wasn't it a great humiliation?
It's simply going too far!
The Prince of Ling arrived earlier than the others.
Concubine Jia wasn't much favored in the mansion, but her daughter, Wen Chengzi, was quite beloved by the Prince of Ling.
Naturally, he came to support her.
Everyone stood up.
Wen Chengzi was also very happy and stepped forward quickly. "Your child pays respects to Father."
The Prince of Ling nodded with a smile and motioned for someone to bring out the congratulatory gift he had prepared earlier.
As a father, he naturally had to bring something to support his daughter.
Wen Chengzi was also quite appreciative and coquettishly said, "I knew you'd remember your child. Thank you, Father."
After they were seated, Concubine Jia sat beside them and pretended to be surprised. "Your Highness has come. Could it be that Sister, the Princess, and Concubine Li have been held up by something? Why aren't they here yet?"
As she spoke, she motioned for the maid beside her to go and check.
The Prince of Ling didn't take it seriously. "Today is Zier's big day. What does it matter whether the others come or not? Her happiness is the most important thing."
"Your Highness is right. It was I who was being over - concerned," Concubine Jia echoed, using retreat as an advance.
The Prince of Ling didn't say more.
The Princess of Ling came first, but Wen Chengsi didn't follow.
It was understandable. He probably wouldn't care about such an occasion.
"I'm late," she said softly with a smile.
The Prince of Ling's expression was calm as he motioned for her to sit down.
Concubine Jia was unhappy but didn't say much.
"This is a gift for Zier. It's nothing too precious," the Princess of Ling motioned for the maid behind her.
On the tray was a complete set of headdresses and jewelry inlaid with pink gemstones. They were delicate and beautiful, and just looking at them, one could tell they were very valuable.
The gemstones weren't rare, but their color was. They were a delicate pink. Usually, one only saw the old - fashioned blue and green ones. Pink was quite rare.
Wen Chengzi was delighted and couldn't stop smiling.
"Thank you, Princess."
Concubine Jia's expression softened a bit.
When the Prince of Ling saw the gift, he vaguely remembered. "I remember this seems to be part of your dowry?"
The Princess of Ling replied with a gentle smile, "Your Highness has good eyesight."
"It's a pity..." The Princess of Ling recalled the past. "When I first came to Lingzhou, I lost one of the hairpins..."
Later, General Li, Concubine Li's father, was dispatched by the court to defend the border in Jingzhou and entrusted his young sister to the Prince of Ling's mansion.
She accidentally saw the hairpin in this set and liked it, so the Princess of Ling gave it to her.
Apparently, the Prince of Ling also remembered this.
Wen Chengsi appeared silently, unexpectedly following.
Noticing the people seated, the Princess of Ling smiled and deliberately turned her head without looking at him, instead speaking to the Prince of Ling.
"It's a pity I can't complete the set. Besides, I'm getting old and can't use such a delicate color. It's better to give it to Zier. It looks good on a young girl."
The Prince of Ling nodded.
After hearing this, Wen Chengsi remained silent, picked up the wine cup on the table, and drank it in one gulp.
There were many guests today. The Wang family was also on the invitation list. Since Wen Chengsi was engaged to Wang Wanyu, they naturally came.
Shen Shuyao happened to be sitting next to Wen Qianyue.
The two were chatting quite pleasantly.
"Your Highness, Concubine Li is unwell. She specially sent a maid to say that she won't disturb your pleasure."
"I see," the Prince of Ling didn't take it seriously. "Has a doctor been called?"
"Yes. The doctor said she caught a cold."
No wonder she caught a cold. It was snowing outside, and she was out there for so long. It would be strange if she didn't get cold.
After the maid left, the Prince of Ling noticed Wen Chengsi, who had been drinking silently, and was a bit unhappy.
"Your mother is sick, and you still have the mood to drink here?"
"What else should I do?" Wen Chengsi retorted.
He wasn't in the mood to think about what he should or shouldn't say.
Let it be.
"You unfilial son! What kind of attitude is this!" The Prince of Ling almost lost his temper.
"Your Highness," the Princess of Ling quickly spoke up. "The guests are still here."
Wen Chengsi seemed to have found another way to vent.
"Since Father is so concerned about Concubine Li, why does he still have the mood to drink here?" He said mockingly, finding it amusing.
The Prince of Ling was so angry that he slapped the table hard. The heavy sound echoed through the banquet hall.
The lively place suddenly fell silent. One could even hear a feather dropping in the air, and everyone didn't dare to breathe too heavily.
Some people who hadn't heard clearly just now looked at the people around them but didn't dare to ask.
Concubine Jia was so scared that she didn't dare to make a sound and motioned for her daughter to be quiet too.
"Unfilial son! Say that again!"
Wen Chengsi wasn't afraid at all and didn't even shift his gaze.
Word by word, he said, "Since Father cares so much about Concubine Li, why doesn't he go and visit her himself?"
The wine cup was suddenly thrown at him. Wen Chengsi turned his head slightly due to the force.
He briefly lost his sense of the outside world. There was only a buzzing sound in his ears, and blood flowed down his cheek one after another.
Wen Chengsi didn't care at all. He calmly took out a handkerchief to wipe it, as if the person injured wasn't himself.
Everyone was shocked. The Princess of Ling pursed her lips, held back her actions, and forced herself to sit still.
In such a situation, no one knew what to do.
"I don't understand," the Prince of Ling's voice was deep. "Concubine Li is your mother. Why do you hate her so much?"
He knew that his second son had always had a strange temper. He was neither close to him nor to Concubine Li, which really puzzled him.
Even if he, as a father, had done something wrong, why did Wen Chengsi hate his own mother so much?
Was it really true, as others said, that he was born with all his emotions sealed and was a heartless person?
"Since you don't know, why do you ask your child?" Wen Chengsi found it funny.
The Prince of Ling wanted to scold him again, but was stopped by the Princess of Ling.
"Your Highness, today is the Fourth Miss's big day. Even if you want to punish him, do it another day."
She said in a low voice, still maintaining a proper and elegant appearance.
Seeing her trying to smooth things over, Concubine Jia quickly said, "Yes, Your Highness. If you get angry with the Second Young Master today, it will ruin my daughter's occasion."
The Prince of Ling also knew that he couldn't let outsiders laugh at them.
He endured his temper and decided to deal with this unfilial son later.
"Haha, the Second Young Master is still young. Children have their own ideas. He'll be fine after he gets married," someone below tried to smooth things over.
"Yes, yes. Hey, I remember the Second Young Master is already engaged, right?"
"Yes, yes. She's right there at the banquet. Isn't that Miss Wang from the Wang family?"
Speaking of this.
Everyone's gazes unexpectedly converged on Wang Wanyu.
She blushed with embarrassment.
The matter was temporarily over, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Maybe having heard the rumor that there was an unpleasant incident at the banquet, Wen Chengen, who originally planned not to go out, rushed over.
Unfortunately, he was late and missed it.
He awkwardly said that he was late.
Wen Qianyue noticed that when he came, one of his arms seemed unable to move freely. After he took his seat, he didn't pick up any food but only used his left hand to hold the wine cup.
Wen Chengzi had been paying attention to Wen Qianyue. Seeing that she had been staring at Wen Chengen's arm, she also noticed something was wrong.
"Hey? Big Brother, what's wrong with your arm?"
Wen Chengen was startled. "It's nothing."
After saying that, he slowly stretched out his fingers to show that he was okay.
"I just noticed that the Heir Apparent seemed to be cautious in his movements. Are you injured?" Wen Qianyue asked doubtfully.