Meanwhile, Mei Qingxue was playing with a little Tibetan mastiff in her yard and almost missed the time to get dressed.
"Miss, you've been playing for quite a while. Please go back to your room and change your clothes first. There are already quite a few guests outside," Yue Ru said softly as she took out the stick Mei Qingxue had thrown from the little mastiff's mouth and glanced at Mei Qingxue, whose forehead was already beaded with sweat.
Mei Qingxue took a look at the little mastiff wagging its tail vigorously in front of her and then turned around and walked into the room. She had been "bonding" with this little mastiff for quite a few days, and it seemed that the effect was quite good.
Yue Ru placed the pre - rain Longjing tea on Mei Qingxue's table and then said, "Miss, today is the eldest young master's birthday. What are you going to give to the eldest young master?"
Mei Qingxue rolled her eyes at her. This girl was really gossipy and actually tried to get information from her!
Looking at Yue Ru with a half - smile, Mei Qingxue picked up the jade porcelain teacup on the table and took a small sip.
Seeing this, Yue Ru stuck out her tongue and stopped talking.
Although she didn't answer Yue Ru, Mei Qingxue had actually been troubled about this birthday gift for quite a few days. Her elder brother had been so kind to her. Whenever she saw the look of guilt in Mei Haoxuan's eyes, her heart ached. Such a good elder brother, she really couldn't bear to make him sad again. So, what should she do?
She knew that Mei Haoxuan was a man of both civil and military talents. His greatest ambition was to go to the border to defend the territory! But because he blamed himself for not protecting "her" well and making "her" unable to speak, he had been staying in the capital. Mei Haoxuan was a royal bodyguard, a position that seemed enviable but was actually not as glorious as it appeared on the surface!
Mei Qingxue was in a dilemma. Should she really do that? In fact, she already had a vague plan in mind.
"Miss, you can't dress as simply and elegantly as usual today. It's the eldest young master's birthday today. You should dress more beautifully!"
Mei Qingxue nodded with a smile. She really should dress beautifully today. She was going to give her elder brother a big surprise!
The dress Yue Ru chose for Mei Qingxue was a green silk dress embroidered with small hibiscus flowers. The long skirt with golden - embroidered hems just covered her rabbit - fur brocade shoes. A pearl - inlaid gold hairpin was slantingly inserted into her drooping hair. Her small face, without any makeup, was still as beautiful as a lotus emerging from the water.
"Miss, the guests tonight will surely be charmed by you if they see you like this!" Yue Ru always knew that her miss was a beauty, but she never expected that her miss would be so stunningly beautiful after a little dressing up that one couldn't take their eyes off her!
Mei Qingxue was amused by Yue Ru's silly look. She shook her head and walked out of the room on her own. Maybe, after tonight, some things would change. Let nature take its course!
"I heard that the second young lady of the prime minister's mansion is a fool!" In a large garden not far from the banquet hall, several teenage girls were huddled together, whispering something.
"How could that be? I saw her when we were children. She seemed to be a nice person. How could she be a fool?" Another small and cute girl in a light - blue blouse and a matching long dress stared at the girl in the cyan long dress in disbelief.
"If she's not a fool, why does she stay in her boudoir all day and never go out to meet people?" the girl snorted disdainfully.
"I don't know if she's a fool or not, but it's absolutely true that she's a mute! A little mute isn't worth all your fussing about. It's really beneath your dignity!" The girl who spoke had thick eyebrows and big eyes. She was about thirteen years old, wearing a red tight - fitting top and a long dress that covered her boots. Anyone who often attended banquets could tell at a glance that she was Su Shangqing, the youngest daughter of the Minister of War.
Since childhood, this girl had been doted on by the Minister of War. She was domineering both at home and outside, which had offended many people. But everyone didn't argue with her because of the Minister of War's face. It was precisely because of her personality that she became a leader among children of the same age.
Sure enough, as soon as Su Shangqing spoke, the others didn't dare to say anything more and obediently shut their mouths.
"Look, isn't that the birthday boy today, Mei Haoxuan, the eldest son of the prime minister?" Just as the girls were feeling bored and about to return to their elders, Mei Haoxuan in a dark - blue long gown appeared in front of everyone.
"Master Mei is really handsome!"
As soon as this was said, the little girls all blushed shyly and lowered their heads, but they were reluctant to take their eyes off Mei Haoxuan. This look of wanting to look but being too shy showed their girlish charm.
However, it was precisely because of this that they didn't notice the slight frown on Mei Haoxuan's brow. As a person who had practiced martial arts since childhood, Mei Haoxuan had excellent hearing. So he had heard their conversation clearly. At that moment, he really wanted to go up and throw those people out, but reason told him he couldn't. But in his heart, he felt heartache for his younger sister being gossiped about behind her back.
"Your servant pays respects to the eldest young master."
"Get up."
Just as Mei Haoxuan was about to step into the banquet hall, Mei Qingxue and Yue Ru also arrived at the banquet hall.
Mei Qingxue stepped forward and without caring about the outsiders' gazes, she took Mei Haoxuan's arm and rubbed against him affectionately. The smile on her face was even more brilliant than the blooming flowers in the large garden.
Mei Haoxuan saw Mei Qingxue's smiling face, and a hint of sadness flashed across his eyes. Such a beautiful girl couldn't speak... But soon a gentle smile appeared on his face. He lovingly scraped the tip of Mei Qingxue's nose, and the two walked into the banquet hall hand in hand.
The host and the guests took their seats one after another. Since it was a family banquet, everyone didn't seem so restrained.
"Today is the birthday banquet of my eldest son. Everyone, please don't be so formal. Just feel free. Serve the dishes."
At Mei Zhenguo's order, the waiters filed in one by one, and delicious dishes were placed in front of the guests' tables.
"Master Mei is really a talented and handsome young man. My younger sister has been practicing the piano at home for quite a while since she knew she was going to attend the young master's birthday banquet today. She just hopes to play a piece for the young master today," said a former student of Mei Zhenguo, who now held a fifth - rank official position in the court. It seemed that he had his eye on Mei Haoxuan today.
Mei Qingxue raised her willow - leaf eyebrows. This should be a disguised blind date! It was really pitiful for her peerless elder brother. He was only sixteen years old and still a minor, but he was already being targeted.
"Miss Lin is willing to play a piece for Haoxuan. Haoxuan is truly honored."
After these words, a girl in a light - yellow gossamer long dress, with baby fat on her face and a faint blush on her cheeks, gracefully walked into the banquet hall.
After paying her respects, the girl sat down in front of the well - placed guqin. Her slender fingers deftly plucked the strings, and immediately a piece of music with a low tone but lively notes flowed out from between her fingers.
Mei Qingxue watched the girl playing the piano with bright eyes. It really seemed that she had practiced for quite a while. She was very familiar with the piece, but the whole piece seemed to be missing something very important, so the whole piece was like a spirit that had lost its vitality and couldn't make people fascinated.
Once there was one person performing, there would surely be others. Sure enough, after the girl finished playing, other girls took over, which actually saved the performances of the singers and dancers that Mei Zhenguo had originally prepared!
However, all these girls could perform were singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments. There was nothing new. So as she watched, Mei Qingxue couldn't help but feel a little sleepy.