Chapter 423: Chapter 419: Family Recognition Banquet Chapter 423: Chapter 419: Family Recognition Banquet Chun Jing Garden was a piece of Ming and Qing Dynasty architecture, with a large stone lion standing guard on each side of its gate, giving it an imposing presence.
Above the gate hung a plaque with the words “Chun Jing Garden” inscribed in golden characters on a blue background. The words were written in a dragon and phoenix dance script, lending the sign a unique elegance.
This garden was a private villa belonging to the Gu Family, and served as a venue for hosting important guests. Knowing that the Huang Family intended to hold an adoption banquet for Huo Sining, Mrs. Gu suggested lending Chun Jing Garden to the Huang Family for the event.
Indeed, in the Imperial Capital, Chun Jing Garden was a place of exquisite taste, and naturally, the Huang Family wouldn’t refuse such an offer, gratefully accepting the favor from the Gu Family.
Mrs. Gu wasn’t particularly concerned; she was quite fond of the child Huo Sining. Now that Huo Sining had been inducted into the Huang Family’s ancestral temple, she was effectively part of them. Once her son married Huo Sining, they would all be one family, hence the affairs of the Huang Family were the affairs of the Gu Family. If there was any help she could offer, she would not hesitate.
The banquet was set to start at six-thirty, but by six o’clock, so guests had already begun arriving in succession.
Liang Junqi and her sister-in-law, Liu Manshu, also arrived at Chun Jing Garden together. Since guests with invitations were allowed to bring one person, Liang Junqi entered the venue without any issues.
The An family, in the Imperial Capital, held a similar status to that of the Huang Family, and many of the guests invited were from hereditary families and noble houses closely related to the Huangs.
Many noblewon arrived with their sons and daughters for the evening banquet. Liu Manshu initially planned to bring her own daughter, but she was quite busy recently and didn’t have the ti to attend the banquet.
Liu Manshu was prepared to attend the banquet alone when unexpectedly, in the afternoon, Liang Junqi ca to her door, pleading for her to take her along.
Liu Manshu was vaguely aware of so grievance between the Huang and Liang Families, but she didn’t know the particulars.
Liang Junqi was only in her teens, so naturally, Liu Manshu assud that whatever enmity existed between the Huangs and Liangs should not involve the children of the next generation. Without giving it much thought, she agreed to Liang Junqi’s request and took her to Chun Jing Garden.
As soon as Liang Junqi entered Chun Jing Garden, her eyes were busy, inspecting her surroundings, seemingly in search of sothing.
Liu Manshu was preoccupied with mingling amongst the noble ladies and didn’t keep watch over Liang Junqi, who slipped away unnoticed and disappeared from the banquet hall.
The person Liang Junqi was seeking was none other than Huo Sining.
Although she had only t Huo Sining once, Liang Junqi had a good mory and recalled clearly what she looked like.
Whether it was sheer luck or sothing else, Liang Junqi stumbled into the rear courtyard of Chun Jing Garden by mistake. While she didn’t find Huo Sining, she did spot Heitan, tied up with a dog chain on the lawn of the rear corridor.
As it happened, the Huang Family were all at the banquet, leaving no one at ho, and Huo Sining didn’t feel at ease leaving Heitan alone. Gu Xu then suggested bringing the little fellow to Chun Jing Garden, where there was a particular lawn in the backyard for Heitan to frolic to his heart’s content.
Normally, the backyard was locked, and few ventured there. And with Heitan chained, there was no need to worry about him running around and potentially biting soone.
However, Huang Xiaoyi was accustod to showing off. With a few of his buddies also attending the banquet, he couldn’t help bragging to them about his cousin’s pet dog, revealing it to be the Tibetan Mastiff King. The other boys imdiately looked on with admiration.
Caught up in self-conceit, Huang Xiaoyi pleaded with his future brother-in-law to unlock the backyard gate. Leading a bunch of boys, they ran to the backyard to observe the Tibetan Mastiff. When the dinner began, the group rushed out, but they forgot to lock the backyard door behind them.
Seeing Heitan lying in the bushes, Liang Junqi’s eyes lit up instantly.
Liang Junqi ca to find Huo Sining precisely because of the Tibetan Mastiff matter, and last night she had accidentally overheard her grandmother talking with her father in a room and discovered an earth-shattering secret: Huo Sining actually had a blood relation to the Liang Family. Apparently, she was the posthumous child of a great-uncle she had never t, making her Jun Qi’s cousin.
Liang Junqi had wanted to cozy up to Huo Sining to get her to give her the Tibetan Mastiff King, but considering Huo Sining’s insistent attitude before, Jun Qi felt it was unlikely that Sining would give Heitan to her.
However, Liang Junqi had a strong desire to possess the Mastiff King, and now that she saw Heitan alone in the backyard, she was suddenly struck with another idea.
If she couldn’t obtain it by asking openly, then she would use a different thod.
At six-thirty, guests began to arrive one after another, and everyone was led by the receptionist to their respective seats and sat down.
Shortly after everyone was seated, Mrs. Gu and Mr. Gu entered the banquet hall hand in hand, imdiately causing a stir among many guests in the hall.
“Why are the Gu Family people here?!” Gossip-loving ladies couldn’t help but gather together and discuss.
“Don’t you know? I heard the Huang Family’s newly acknowledged grandniece is the girlfriend of the Gu Family’s younger son!”
“I thought it was just a rumor, but it turns out to be true. Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu have both attended, which seems like they’ve already approved of the girl.”
“She’s not even part of the family yet, and she has already gained the favor of the Gu Family. It seems this girl is quite capable.”
“The Huang Family really struck it rich this ti. By acknowledging a grandniece, they’ve connected with the Gu Family. In the future, those of the Huang Family will likely still have room to rise, we can’t compare to them.”
There were those who envied, those who were jealous, and even those who spoke sourly—when a group of won ca together, there was naturally no shortage of gossip and talking about family affairs.
“How can a grandniece enter the Huang Family’s ancestral family tree? This is so strange.” So not in the know couldn’t help feeling puzzled.
“Don’t you know? The Huang Family’s youngest daughter was supposed to marry into the Liang Family to beco the mistress of the house, but then the head of the Liang Family took a concubine, and the Huang’s daughter broke with the Liang Family and then established her own family, so to speak, and beca a branch of the Huang Family.”
Seeing the puzzled look on another’s face, imdiately a few ladies in the know gathered to discuss.
“The Liang Family? You an the one in alliance with the An Family?”
“Which other Liang Family could it be? Many people knew about this back then; the first wife left with nothing, and the mistress strutted in with her children, so arrogant.”
“There was such a scandal? Oh my, you’ve scared . Recently, I heard soone ntion that the Liang Family has a son who is handso and talented, and still single. I was planning to find soone to inquire about him, thinking of proposing a match for my own daughter. It’s lucky I didn’t ask.”
“Well, you’d better be careful. A crooked beam leads to a skewed house—such a family, it’s better not to marry into. Those accustod to shalessness will end up harming you in the end.”
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