Salted Fish Lady Loves to Eat Melons

Chapter 68: Meeting the Wen Family at the Palace Banquet
In the carriage, Xiao Jin gently held Wen Qingwan's slender and soft hand. The warm touch between his fingers made her tremble all over.

After they got married, Xiao Jin also held her hand forcefully, but at that time her heart was as hard as iron and she felt nothing.

Now her mood has changed, and when that calloused hand holds hers it is like a spiritual communication.

She felt his power carving a vow in her palm: No matter when or where, we will stand hand in hand.

The deeper her feelings were, the faster her heart beat, which made Xiao Jin think that she was nervous and uneasy, which made him feel more pity for her.

He held her hand tightly and comforted her tenderly, "Don't be afraid, my lady. I'm here with you."

Wen Qingwan felt his concern and love, which made her heart warm, as if she had drunk a sip of sweet honey.

"With you here, I'm not afraid at all." She said softly, her voice gentle but firm, full of trust and dependence on Xiao Jin.

She looked at the gentle light flashing in her eyes, which made Xiao Jin couldn't help but want to get close to her and want to protect her forever.

At this moment, he felt that he could face any difficulties and challenges because he had her trust and dependence.

The surrounding environment seemed to become warmer, and the sunlight shone on the two of them through the car curtains.

The breeze blew gently, bringing with it the scent of roadside flowers and a fresh atmosphere, and their emotions deepened a lot at this moment.

His palms were covered in sweat and she could feel that he was nervous. She knew he was worried about her, which she found very novel.

She had lived in the palace for many years, and even sat on the throne of queen for many years, so she was really not nervous.

The couple didn't say anything else. The carriage moved slowly forward. Wen Qingwan lifted the curtain and looked at the passing scenery outside the window all the way.

Xiao Jin looked at her without blinking all the way. As long as he looked at her, infinite tenderness would arise in his heart.

He thought that the little girl was entering the palace for the first time and felt everything there was new and unfamiliar.

He decided that during this trip to the palace, he must protect the innocent little girl and let her feel his care and warmth.

The carriage stopped in front of the palace gate. Xiao Jinying got off the carriage from the back. She saw the golden tiles and glazed tiles of the palace sparkling.

Looking at the imperial palace standing before her, her eyes flashed with awe and longing.

When she saw the other young ladies traveling with her, although they were also dressed gorgeously, their clothes were not as exaggerated as hers.

They behaved very gracefully, and every step was graceful. Xiao Jinying finally felt a little nervous, "Sister-in-law, are you afraid?"

"Don't be afraid, sister-in-law, your brother is here!" Wen Qingwan said softly, looking at Xiao Jin with eyes full of dependence.

It was as if he was her heaven, which made Xiao Jin very happy. He thought that this was how his girl should rely on him.

He said softly, "Don't be nervous, my lady. Even if something goes wrong, your husband will fix it for you."

He then turned to Xiao Jinying and warned her in a serious and cold tone: "Sixteen, stay close to your sister-in-law and don't run around. If anything happens, your brother won't be able to protect you."

Xiao Jinying: ………

Wen Qingwan: ………

Xiao Jin walked forward holding Wen Qingwan's hand. She saw the imperial garden of the palace again. The flowers and trees were lush and it was still so beautiful.

This grand banquet held in the imperial palace was a Dragon Boat Festival banquet specially prepared for officials of the fourth rank and above.

The entire palace banquet hall was decorated with gold and jade, gorgeous and dazzling, with flickering candlelight, shining silverware, and various fragrances that made people feel happy. The officials were dressed in gorgeous official uniforms, and each of them brought their wives and legitimate children to find their own seats.

Everyone's face was filled with joy and pride. Being able to attend such a palace banquet was an honor and a symbol of status.

Xiao Jin is a first-rank marquis, and his position is relatively advanced. He left Beijing for the frontier at the age of twelve, and he usually behaves in a very arrogant manner.

So no one came forward to talk to them, and Xiao Jin was happy to be free. He took his wife to their seat and sat down to wait for the emperor to arrive.

When Wen Qingwan saw her father, her mother, and her two brothers appear in the banquet hall, she did not go over to greet them. After all, they were no longer related.

She sat down next to Xiao Jin in a graceful manner, while Xiao Jinying sat next to Wen Qingwan, her whole body trembling with nervousness.

Seeing that her sister-in-law was not nervous at all, Xiao Jinying hated Wen Qingwan even more in her heart. She hated that she was lucky enough to have her elder brother to protect her.

If someone had protected her like that, she definitely wouldn't have been so scared.

Wen Qingwan really didn't have time to care about Xiao Jinying. This was the path she had chosen and she had to finish it even if she had to crawl.

Wen Qingwan knew most of the people in the banquet hall, but only a few of them knew her. Minister Wen and Madam Wen had never brought her to any palace banquets.

Occasionally, she would bring a few legitimate sons and Wen Mingzhu into the palace. Wen Qingwan knew these people because she had been a queen in her previous life.

Most of the officials here knew that the wife of Marquis Weiwu was the biological daughter of Minister Wen, but Minister Wen broke off the engagement in a high-profile manner a month ago.

So everyone didn't find it strange to see Wen Qingwan sitting there calmly, but Wen Yanting was unhappy.

He said indignantly: "Dad, look, Wen Qingwan didn't even come over to say hello to you and mom when she saw you."

Before Wen Shilang could say anything, Second Brother Wen said sarcastically, "She is now the Marquis' wife, how could she recognize us?"

"Oh, I've never seen anything like this before. Didn't your Wen family break off the relationship in a high-profile manner? Why would the Marquis' wife come over to say hello?"

"That's right. It was your Wen family who proposed to break up the relationship. Why should they say hello to you?"

"I even doubt whether the Marquis's wife is your biological daughter." The wife of the Crown Prince of the Duke of Huguo's Mansion said disdainfully.

"You...how can you talk like that? Many people can testify that Wan'er is indeed my daughter who was born after ten months of pregnancy." Mrs. Wen's eyes turned red with anxiety.

Ever since she severed the relationship with her daughter, Mrs. Wen has been reflecting repeatedly that she has indeed neglected her biological daughter over the past sixteen years.

Since she got married, her heart has been on her husband. Later, when she gave birth to sons, she would give some of her love to them.

When she gave birth to a daughter, she also thought about loving her well, but her husband preferred Wen Mingzhu.

As long as she treated Mingzhu well, her husband would be happy. At the beginning, she was just acting for her husband to please him.

Later, she really liked Zhu'er. She lost her mother when she was born and she was also a concubine's daughter, so she knew how difficult it was to be a concubine's daughter.

Her biological daughter is a legitimate daughter, and although she does not have the favoritism of her mother, she is much better than a concubine's daughter.

Although she favored Zhu'er, she felt that her own daughter was not as lovely as Zhu'er.

But after all, she was her own daughter, so she forced her to learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting, hoping that she would find a good husband in the future.

She really wanted to do this for her daughter's own good, and would naturally spank her if she didn't study well. However, her daughter always looked at her with resentment.

(End of this chapter)