851 Animosity

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After one o'clock in the afternoon, people from the eight great patrician families started entering the palace in succession.

At the same time, the people from the Luo Family Troupe were also let in from the side gate to prepare for the start of the opera at 1:30.

Everyone was smoothly making their way toward Clearwater Fine Park. When the madams with mandates heard that the Luo Family Troupe had been invited this time around, they instantly became a bit more interested.

On the other hand, since the noble ladies didn't really like watching operas, the elders had the maidservants follow their misses as they strolled about Clearwater Fine Park on their own.

Recently, the Luo Family Troupe had become all the rage in the capital. This was particularly so during the new year, when all the great patrician families wanted to hold banquets, which couldn't dispense with hiring a theatrical troupe to put on a show with operas and acrobatics .

Those smaller patrician families weren't even able to invite the Luo Family Troupe.

Qiao Mu naturally didn't have much interest in watching operas, and when she queried Wei Ziqin for her opinion, Wei Ziqin also shunned it. "Being born in a village, Mom can't stand this kind of sentimental nonsense where they fuss about imaginary illnesses."

Besides, Wei Ziqin wasn't so dumb as to insist on sitting among that group of noble ladies. She would most likely be disdained anyways, so why bother butting in on their fun?

"Then Mom can come with us back to the Eastern Palace to rest for a while." Last night, she didn't sleep well from the noisy firecrackers going off the entire night, so she wanted to go take an afternoon nap at the Eastern Palace.

As the trio were headed towards the outside of the Brilliant Sun Hall, they soon encountered three others before they could walk too far.

The moment Wei Ziqin saw them, she recognized the older woman as the madam of the Royal College's assistant chancellor, née Zhuang.

Meanwhile, the two females behind her with gentle and refined bearings were the eldest prince consort Shu Quan and the Shu Family's fourth miss Shu Hui.

These two daughters were what Madam née Zhuang took the most pride in for all her life. The eldest was able and virtuous, and after getting married to the eldest prince, they made an affectionate couple that treated each other with mutual respect.

This younger one was even more beautiful, not to mention that she was modest and courteous, sweet-tempered and filial. Ever since her coming-of-age hairpin ceremony, the matchmaker had worn out the doorstep with offers of marriage, exemplifying the saying that a family with a perfect daughter would be sought after by a hundred families.

Shu Hui was 18 this year and of marriageable age. Recently, there were even signs that Her Majesty the Queen was picking her as a daughter-in-law.

If the Shu Family's fourth miss became conferred as the crown prince's side consort, it would be a colossal benefit to the Shu Family.

Nominally speaking, she would be merely a side consort, but that was still the crown prince—the person that the king, the queen, and even the queen dowager doted on dearly.

Besides, even now, the crown prince hadn't gotten intimate with anyone yet, so their family's fourth miss would be in a favorable position to seek favor after entering the Eastern Palace. With her intelligence, was it even possible for her not to obtain favor?

The Shu Family trio was just preparing to head to the opera theater in Clearwater Fine Park. They didn't expect that they would bump into the Qiao Family trio that just so happened to come out along the way.

Madam Shu's expression instantly turned a bit unsightly.

A few days ago, the crown prince consort had turned down her eldest daughter's invitation to her banquet to admire the plum blossoms. This made her very displeased, and she even scolded the crown prince consort so many times in her heart for not giving a sh*t even though they extended a welcome. Although Quan'er had tried calming her down, she was still a bit incensed.

Furthermore, during the noon banquet earlier, she had personally "scrutinized" the eldest Miss Qiao's behavior. It made her even more certain that this young lady had come from a country village of commoners, which was why she miserably failed to see the larger picture.

Thinking of how such a little lass would be trampling her well-educated, sensible, and graceful younger daughter underfoot, she was unconvinced no matter how she thought about it.

If it weren't for the king suddenly issuing a royal edict, conferring the eldest Miss Qiao as the crown prince consort, it would still be unknown whom this position of crown prince consort belonged to.

Seeing that her mother had raised her head up high like a gamecock, intending to walk directly past the trio from the Qiao Family, Shu Quan hastily pulled her mother's sleeve before affably giving Qiao Mu a salute. "Crown Prince Consort. Madam Qiao, Second Miss Qiao."