The saying "the greatest villains often appear loyal" probably applies to Ke Shanlong. He had done all sorts of things, yet always seemed to stay out of trouble, leaving others with no way to deal with him.
Before the 15th day of the lunar month, many mansions held banquets. It was a form of competition. The number of guests was directly proportional to the host's prestige in the capital.
Of course, there were different social circles. First came the royal family and relatives of the emperor, followed by the hereditary families with titles like dukes, marquises, and earls, and then the powerful officials in the capital...
These relationships were intricate and mutually restrictive, ultimately manifested in the banquets for the ladies in the backyards.
Early in the morning, Mu checked the preparations for the banquet. The banquet in her mansion should be the best among those held by powerful officials.
"General Xiao will come today. You all behave well. Whoever wins General Xiao's favor, I'll prepare the dowry myself," Mu said, looking at the concubines' daughters.
She had only given birth to Ke Jianxun, the legitimate son. The rest were all the concubines' sons and daughters born to Ke Shanlong and other women. Some of them didn't even have names she could remember.
"Yes," the young ladies curtsied, knowing this was their chance to turn their lives around, to leave the Ke family and marry into the general's mansion in style.
As soon as Mu finished her preparations, guests started to arrive. Before long, Mu noticed something was wrong. The ladies who came this year had brought all their eligible daughters. Some even came uninvited, all dressed up beautifully.
After inquiring, Mu found out that the news that General Xiao was coming to their mansion had spread throughout the capital. It was estimated that these people were all here for General Xiao.
Upon learning this, Mu gritted her teeth tightly. She had threatened Sang Sang for so long to invite General Xiao, but now others were going to benefit.
But the situation was already like this. Mu had no choice but to receive the guests with a stiff upper lip.
As noon approached, all the guests had arrived, but General Xiao and his wife were still missing.
"Madam Ke, could it be that General Xiao isn't coming?" a lady asked disappointedly.
"The Xiao Mansion replied that they would definitely come," Mu said, but she was also a bit worried.
Now that everyone knew General Xiao and his wife were coming, if they didn't show up, where would she put her face?
Just as everyone was eagerly waiting, a carriage finally arrived late. Xiao Jinghan helped Yi Qing out of the carriage. Yi Qing reached out her hand and led Shuang'er on one side.
Sang Sang followed behind with her head down.
She was dressed very brightly today. A long dark red robe accentuated her figure perfectly. Although she was no longer young, her mature charm was even more alluring.
Mu showed a hint of satisfaction when she saw Sang Sang. This bitch had been unruly before, but unexpectedly, she was a bit useful after leaving the Ke family.
"General Xiao, Lady Xiao," Ke Shanlong bowed and saluted, looking straight ahead as if Sang Sang didn't exist at all.
"I'm Mu, a subject's wife. Greetings to General Xiao and Lady Xiao," Mu curtsied.
"Why are there so many people?" Yi Qing pretended to be curious and looked at the people in front of her.
"We heard that Lady Xiao was coming, so we all came to join the fun," a noble lady said hurriedly, but her eyes were secretly sizing up Xiao Jinghan.
Yi Qing suddenly realized, "Oh, so you're here to watch the fun."
Mu felt a bit embarrassed. "General Xiao, Lady Xiao, please come inside."
"No need," Yi Qing stood at the door. "I bought a maid from a human trafficker. This maid insisted that she was Lord Ke's daughter. I thought this was not a small matter, so I came to ask Lord Ke."
Mu's face changed drastically. Of course, she knew that Shuang'er was a daughter of the Ke family. Otherwise, how could she threaten Sang Sang?
"Here, this is the receipt from the purchase," Yi Qing took it out. "If she is really Lord Ke's daughter, please return the silver to me. If not, I'll be relieved. This matter needs to be clarified. Otherwise, it's not good if people start gossiping."
Yi Qing was openly embarrassing the Ke family like this, but Ke Shanlong remained calm.
"All my children of the Ke family are well in the backyard. How could such a thing happen? Lady Xiao must be mistaken," Ke Shanlong said firmly.
People were originally a bit skeptical, but seeing Ke Shanlong so certain, they believed him.
"I also think she must not be a daughter of the Ke family. But..." Yi Qing stepped aside and let Sang Sang come forward. "Some people said that she used to be a maid in the Ke family, and this daughter was born to her. I believe the Ke family would never do such a cruel thing as driving away the mother after the child was born. But rumors are powerful, so I still need to confirm."
Although Sang Sang was good-looking and had a devilish figure, Ke Shanlong had little impression of her. "Since Lady Xiao has said that the Ke family would never do such a thing, then she must not be from our family."
"It's good to clarify this matter. Otherwise, people will talk nonsense, and misunderstandings will arise," Yi Qing said with a smile.
This Ke Shanlong really surprised her. She thought he would try to defend himself, but unexpectedly, he directly denied everything. This was a choice that was good for everyone.
The key was that Ke Shanlong didn't care about Sang Sang, nor about a daughter he didn't even have an impression of.
"Lady Xiao is right," Ke Shanlong bowed.
To others, it seemed that Sang Sang and Shuang'er really had nothing to do with the Ke family, and it was reasonable for Yi Qing to come and ask after hearing the rumors.
But some shrewd people immediately understood what was going on. If Lady Xiao really wanted to do good for the Ke family, how could she bring people to ask in such a situation? Whether this matter was true or false, the Ke family would be extremely embarrassed.
Yi Qing came today only for Sang Sang's matter. But when she saw many young ladies in the crowd dressed up beautifully, their intentions were as obvious as daylight.
Trying to seduce her man. They should really weigh themselves first.
She glanced at Xiao Jinghan. "General, young ladies are really nice. They are all so charming, each more beautiful than the other."
"None of them can compare to my lady even a little bit," Xiao Jinghan knew Yi Qing was being petty again, and he was happy to cooperate.
"What if a lady offers herself to you?" Yi Qing said coquettishly.
"Cut her head off," Xiao Jinghan said coldly.
As soon as these two words came out, those beautifully dressed young ladies unconsciously shrank their necks. They felt a chill on their necks.
"Killing people is against the law," Yi Qing pretended to be dissatisfied.
"Anyone who dares to seduce this general will have their whole family executed," Xiao Jinghan said.
This time, even the noble ladies' necks started to feel cold. They only saw Xiao Jinghan's status but forgot that he was the god of war in the Great Jin Dynasty who could stop children from crying at night.
"Don't scare people like this," Yi Qing looked scared.
"I mean what I say," Xiao Jinghan looked at Yi Qing firmly.
Ke Shanlong finally understood what Xiao Jinghan meant. First, he embarrassed the Ke family, and then he took the opportunity to warn those with ulterior motives at the Ke family's banquet. It was really like borrowing arrows to shoot the vulture.
But he lowered his head and stood there, allowing General Xiao and Lady Xiao to warn them.
"What if it's a marriage bestowed by the emperor?" Yi Qing raised the difficulty level.
Everyone pricked up their ears to hear how Xiao Jinghan would answer. No matter how powerful Xiao Jinghan was, he wouldn't dare to go against the emperor's order.