Chapter 377: The Foolish Unlucky One

The noble ladies were busy inquiring about Gu Xixi's background.

They didn't even have time to drink the appetizer tea on the table.

Dou Rongshan sat in an inconspicuous corner, chewing a piece of perilla peach preserve, occasionally letting out a soft, cold snort.

These idiots!

They had even guessed things like a certain county princess from Jiangnan or a princess returning from her fief.

Once they learn Gu Xixi's true origins, they'll surely be shocked enough to drop their jaws!

(Dou Rongshan seemed to have forgotten that she herself had once been among those idiots.)

He Jinglan glanced around, raised her voice, and said, "Thank you all for honoring this banquet with your presence."

"Before we drink, I'd like to first introduce this close friend of mine."

She intended to introduce Gu Xixi openly, without waiting for others to come ask.

The female guests' section fell silent instantly, everyone staring up in unison.

Gu Xixi smiled at He Jinglan, "Let me say it myself; it's just a few words."

He Jinglan smiled and agreed.

Thus Gu Xixi gave a brief self-introduction—where she was from, what her family did, and what she herself did.

In three sentences she finished quickly.

The hall fell into dead silence.

As if they needed time to confirm she wasn't joking.

Although one couldn't know what each person thought, several noble ladies already showed undisguised contempt.

"A commoner girl? Or a farm girl from the rural northwest?"

"Her livelihood is… farming?"

The women's laughter was especially grating.

Someone glanced at Gu Xixi as if seeing something dirty, covering mouth and nose with a handkerchief.

"Oh dear, Miss He says she's a friend; surely you're not just teasing us, are you?"

"These days the trendy female entertainers specialize in showing up at banquets to be amusing and lively."

"I wonder how much silver Miss He spent to invite this one? She's also young and pretty."

Several noble ladies covered their mouths and chuckled softly.

Of course, aside from them, most people present still maintained decorum.

Dou Rongshan furrowed her brows, shook her head sympathetically, and sighed.

These people really are…

Isn't it fine just to live?

Yet they insist on provoking people they can't afford to offend, and in doing so they bring a whole crowd upon themselves.

At this moment, the hostess of the day, He Jinglan, no longer had a smile on her face.

Meanwhile, on the male guests' side, An Qinghe lowered his head slightly, playing with a dagger, his gaze like that of someone looking at a freshly slain wild wolf carcass in the desert.

The newly minted Top Scholar, meanwhile, had a displeased look and a grim expression.

The rest of the people still weren't clear on what was happening.

It was only when they suddenly saw the Regent Prince set down his tea cup, and the sudden surge of his oppressive aura made them dare not meet his gaze.

Returning to this side of the screen.

Gu Xixi lightly pressed the back of He Jinglan's hand—just a few superficial maids, something she could handle herself.

"May I ask, do you all look down on farmers?"

The few noble ladies who had started the trouble glanced at each other.

A lady in pink said, "Yes, we look down on them—so what?"

"Do you even know what 'matching families' means? What place is this? Who here doesn't have parents of prominent status? At the very least, they're all from official or aristocratic families."

"Unlike you, whose father is just a village landlord."

"Even if you dress up splendidly today, a hen wearing phoenix feathers can never become a phoenix!"

He Jinglan leaned close to Gu Xixi's ear and said, "This is the daughter of Imperial Censor Zhao."

"Her father came from humble origins, passed the imperial examinations, and has lived in the capital for some years, yet he truly believes himself to be of noble blood, a distinguished clan."

Gu Xixi smiled, looked at the lady in pink, and said, "It seems His Majesty still lets you eat too well."

The lady in pink frowned, "What are you saying? How dare you, of all people, mention the Emperor!"

Gu Xixi stared at her, eyes slightly cold, "His Majesty values agriculture, not hesitating to personally go to the city gates to guide the people in eliminating locusts."

"The Empress, acting on the Emperor's direct order, with the Minister of Revenue at the helm, has had the Revenue Ministry officials spend the past half-month going deep into the fields, working alongside farmers, solely to eradicate the locust plague and safeguard this summer's grain supply in the capital region."

The lady in pink stared, stunned, "How can a commoner girl like you presume to discuss such major court affairs?!"

Gu Xixi gave a cold laugh; this woman was insisting on jumping out to be the one who sticks her neck out.

Then she wouldn't hold back in killing a chicken to scare the monkeys.

"Someone like you, with an empty head, only knows how to follow trends, spending your days full and idle, certainly wouldn't understand the importance of farmers and grain to a nation."

"But I never expected you to be so stupid that you can't even understand my well-meaning reminder."

The lady in pink flushed with anger, eyes wide, "You! You dare to spout such vulgar nonsense, rude and uncultured!"

Gu Xixi cut in, voice cold, "Judging people by background, it's you who are first rude and uncultured!"

She gave a half-smile as she swept her gaze downward, "These days the Imperial Court values farmers, yet Miss Zhao despises us at every turn. It seems she's dissatisfied with the Emperor and the Revenue Ministry's policies."

The lady in pink turned pale with shock, stammering, "You! You don't go spitting blood and accusing people."

"I… I only said it about you, and didn't mention anyone else!"

Gu Xixi said lightly, "The censor is a remonstrant official, and should be upright and just. The censor monitors the state for the sake of the country and speaks for the people; Miss Zhao's ideas, could they not all come from your father's teachings?"

The several young ladies who had originally been looking for trouble together all lowered their heads, avoiding Gu Xixi's gaze.

Having been exposed to it since childhood, even the dullest should now be able to read between the lines.

The emperor values farmers; this attitude is mirrored from top to bottom.

Who at this juncture openly vilifies farmers, if not acting against the emperor's established policy?

Moreover, there are rumors that the one who proposed the anti-locust plan this time is not someone from the court.

He Jinghui is the emperor's personally appointed new Minister of Revenue.

All agricultural affairs nationwide fall under the Ministry of Revenue, and He Jinghui and his colleagues have recently been busy with locust eradication.

This Gu Xixi is permitted to stay in his household and is treated as an honored guest.

Who knows if it isn't related to this matter?

The girl in pink looked left and right, saw no one to help her, and flew into a rage.

"With just a few words from you, you also want to slander my father!"

"Someone as lowly as you..."

At that moment, the central screen collapsed with a bang.

Everyone was startled.

All that could be seen was a bronze flying crane incense burner rolling on the ground.

He Jinghui leaned toward Mu Nan Zhao's side and said, "This is a gift someone gave me; if you break it, you'll have to compensate me."

Almost at the same time, two people stood up.

An Qinghe: "Open your dog eyes wide and see clearly; just because you're a worthless rice worm, do you dare look down on Gu Xixi?"

Jiang Mingyuan: "Coming to the He manor for a banquet, yet you insult the He manor's honored guests; a family of scholarly tradition has produced such a vulgar, tasteless fool—what fine upbringing the Zhao censor has!"

After they finished speaking, they glanced at each other, each showing approval.

After the screen fell, the male and female guests on either side could now see each other.

Under everyone's gaze, Miss Zhao's face turned as red as dripping blood.

She supported herself with her maidservant, her body swaying as if about to collapse.

Being labeled a "vulgar, tasteless fool" by the newly minted top scholar also amounted to a satire of the Zhao family's upbringing.

From today onward, she will inevitably become the laughingstock of all the young ladies in the capital, with no chance of redemption.

Dou Rongshan ate her red bean flaky pastry while shaking her head and sighing, "This poor wretch truly deserves it!"

Considering how lively she was jumping about, the fact that Gu Xixi didn't give her any medicine already counts as restraint.

Moreover, there is Gu Xixi's blue-eyed follower, as well as his cousin who just placed first in the imperial examinations.

Which one of them is easy to provoke!

But there is still an extremely... hard-to-provoke character who hasn't made a sound.

Dou Rongshan half-covered her face with her sleeve, stealing a glance at the male guests' seats opposite.