Commandery Princess Luochuan couldn’t help but glance at Qi Yuan again.
In fact, she had been feeling annoyed for quite some time.
Anyone with eyes could see that Feng Caiwei was truly capable. But these days, at nearly every banquet, she stole the spotlight from everyone.
So much so that even Zhou Wangfei kept nagging at home, saying things like, “If only you had one-tenth of what Miss Feng has…”—over and over, unbearably annoying.
What made it worse was that every time Feng Caiwei amazed everyone, she would always act modest, saying things like, “I’m really not that remarkable. It’s only thanks to all the sisters being so gracious to me.”
Or, “It’s nothing, really. I just don’t have many hobbies, so I read a few more books than others.”
It was driving Commandery Princess Luochuan mad.
Now even looking at Qi Yuan felt much more pleasing to her eyes.
What’s the point of all these skills for noblewomen anyway?
Remembering the recipe and name of every pastry, recognizing the appearance of every famous flower…
What’s so impressive about that?
How did it become something worthy of being praised to the heavens?
Still, when thinking about how Feng Caiwei could even master this sort of thing, Luochuan had to admit—if given the household to manage, she was probably quite competent at that too. This left her even more frustrated.
But what could she do?
Feng Caiwei was the grand-niece of the Empress herself, and most likely the future Imperial Grandson Consort. Of course her fame would be overwhelming.
Fine. Let her be famous. She was born extraordinary, after all.
Luochuan let out a heavy sigh.
At that moment, a little maid came over and whispered a few words to Feng Caiwei. Feng Caiwei’s smile grew even more gracious as she announced, “Well then, everyone, the earlier little spat was just a joke. The birthday banquet is about to begin. Please come take your seats.”
With a few light words, she neatly smoothed over the tension from the earlier fight between Wang Chan and Wei Qingyang.
Everyone stood up to follow.
Wang Chan quietly squeezed Qi Yuan’s hand and followed at the back of the crowd, unable to hold back her admiration. “Ah Yuan, you were incredible! If you hadn’t shown up in time, I would’ve died of embarrassment!”
That Wei Qingyang really is a loyal attack dog for Feng Caiwei—always ready to sing her praises or drag others down. Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow just in time to see Wei Qingyang glance back and glare at her viciously.
Qi Yuan nearly laughed aloud.
It had been a long time since she’d seen someone this brazen.
The banquet in the garden had already been set up, and tea was being served first.
Even the tea was something Second Madam Qi had never seen before. She couldn’t help but glance at Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan smiled slightly. “Seems like today’s banquet was fully arranged by Miss Feng.”
As expected, every dish that followed wasn’t something typically seen at birthday banquets among noble families.
While most could guess what the food was based on appearance and taste, very few could name the dishes outright.
Before long, there was some commotion from the men’s side. Someone seemed to be asking something urgently, and soon a maid came over to inquire with Madam Feng.
Madam Feng smiled and waved it off. “All of this was prepared by little Caiwei. Her mother has been unwell, so she’s managed the household since she was young. If anything’s not to your liking, I hope you’ll be forgiving.”
Not long after, another maid ran over from the bridge, quietly saying, “Madam, Nanan County Prince is asking—what is that translucent, snow-like dessert on the table?”
Nanan County Prince!
Madam Feng’s smile stiffened slightly, but before she could answer, Duchess Cheng suddenly clutched her stomach, her face turning pale, and cried out in pain.
Everyone jumped in shock. Several ladies close to her rushed over, anxiously asking what was wrong.
But Duchess Cheng couldn’t even speak. She just held her abdomen, drenched in cold sweat.
Madam Feng’s face changed drastically. She quickly ordered, “Send for a physician, quickly!”
How could this happen?
She had only come to attend a banquet—how could she suddenly collapse like this?
Second Madam Qi was terrified, frozen in panic, not knowing what to do.
Qi Yuan, however, had already stepped forward quickly. She knelt beside Duchess Cheng, pried open her eyelids for a look, then glanced at the dishes on the table. Without another word, she forced the woman’s mouth open and pressed her chopsticks against the roof of her mouth.
Duchess Cheng instantly retched and vomited a large amount of food.
Everyone recoiled instinctively.
Wei Qingyang shrieked, “Qi Yuan! What are you doing?!”
Qi Yuan ignored her, continuing until the Madam had thrown up everything she could. Then she handed her over to the ladies nearby and ordered, “Give her some clean water to drink.”
The men’s and women’s sections were only separated by a lake. The moment something happened on this side, the men noticed immediately.
Duke Cheng himself couldn’t hold back any longer. He rushed to the bridge and called over, demanding to know what had happened.
Feng Caiwei also furrowed her brows, looking worried as she said to Qi Yuan, “Miss Qi, you don’t even know what’s wrong with her. How can you act so rashly…”
Rashly?
Second Madam Qi hurriedly defended her, “Ah Yuan was afraid she ate something wrong. That’s why she helped her vomit…”
Wei Qingyang sneered. “Oh? So you’re saying the banquet food from Chengen Marquis’s household is tainted?”
Second Madam Qi immediately shut her mouth. How could you say that out loud?
Qi Yuan remained calm and turned to Feng Caiwei. “Miss Feng, you’ve read so many books. Since even the tea today is Five-Red Decoction, surely you’ve read medical texts too. Don’t you know that Buddha’s Hand Almonds and Sweet Corn Licorice Soup cannot be eaten together?”
Feng Caiwei’s expression changed instantly.
Duchess Cheng, still pale and weak, finally began to breathe more steadily. Despite her condition, she managed to whisper a thank you to Qi Yuan.
Madam Feng felt a loud buzz in her head, nearly dizzy.
She had never imagined something like this would happen at her birthday banquet.
How?
They had checked the menu countless times. How could there be incompatible ingredients?
The other ladies glanced uneasily at the dishes on their tables. For a moment, no one dared to move their chopsticks.
Just earlier, everyone had been marveling at how unique the banquet was, praising how innovative the dishes were.
And knowing that the entire menu was designed by Feng Caiwei herself, they had admired her even more. Such a young girl, yet capable of managing a grand banquet with such creativity—truly impressive.
But now…
They suddenly felt it wasn’t so bad to just let the kitchen staff handle cooking. No need to mess around with obscure recipes from ancient books.
Because if it causes something like this… it’s really not worth it!
Wei Qingyang finally frowned and broke the silence. “The doctor isn’t even here yet. Miss Qi, don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions? What if it’s not that?”
Qi Yuan turned her head, looking at her coldly. “If you think it’s not, Miss Wei, feel free to finish that plate of Buddha’s Hand Almonds in front of you. Then you’ll know.”
Wei Qingyang was instantly rendered speechless.
The banquet, which had started with joy and laughter, ended with barely anyone touching the food.
Even though the Feng family scrambled to fix things—calling a physician to the back courtyard, removing all Buddha’s Hand Almond dishes, and swapping in more familiar food—no one really had the appetite.
Madam Feng was so furious her face turned white. She had planned everything down to the smallest detail… but never imagined something like this would happen at her own birthday banquet.
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