I really don't want to take shortcuts anymore

Yu He was somewhat unhappy after being rebuked by Master Mo in such a sarcastic tone. But what the other party said was reasonable and he could not refute it, so he could only force himself to swallow his anger and make up for it by saying, "Nephew Chu is right. I am grateful for your kindness all the time. Let's not talk nonsense. Since my niece-in-law has such talent, how about you make the judgment for me today?"

"Puchi!" Several young ladies in the hall couldn't help laughing out loud.

"What's so funny about what I said?" Yu He's face darkened instantly.

The young ladies who had just laughed looked at each other, and one of them, tall and slender, stood out and said loudly, "The prince has been away from Xijing for a long time, and I'm afraid he believed the rumors by mistake."

As she spoke, her pair of black eyes glanced at Luo Qianhuai and said with a smile: "This Madam Jing... no, the newly-minted Madam Xianghou, her expertise is not the talent of an ordinary girl, but some half-baked medical skills. I heard that she is often seen in public, treating the peddlers and hawkers!"

As soon as she finished speaking, most of the young ladies present elegantly covered their faces with their sleeves and laughed softly.

"Oh?" The smile on Princess Changzhou's face faded: "It turns out that she is a street doctor...Your Majesty probably chose her for the health of Marquis Xiang."

She herself was born into a prominent family in Changzhou. Although she could not be compared with the powerful people in Xijing, she attached great importance to her birth and bloodline in her bones. She looked down on ordinary people from the bottom of her heart, let alone a lowly and low-class doctor.

Luo Qianhuai didn't care about these sarcasms at all. She peeled a roasted green clam while thinking about the system's task, and her face was calm and indifferent.

In Yu He's eyes, this look was so pitiful that he became even more itchy. He even forgot about Mr. Shen's reminder and Zhang Jianzong's threat.

"Mother, you're probably worrying too much. With Madam Jing's appearance and figure, I don't think you can find many like her even if you search the entire Xijing. Even if she was a doctor, so what? In my eyes, she is much better than the ladies present here!"

These words were so rude and disrespectful that not only did Master Mo frown secretly, but the ladies present also felt offended.

However, none of them blamed Yu He, and they all focused their resentful gazes on Luo Qianhuai.

Even though the Princess of Changzhou was not very worldly-wise, she knew her son's character and understood the hidden meaning of his words.

The son certainly could not have done anything wrong. The one who was wrong was definitely that restless and seductive woman. Her own husband was a sickly man, so she wanted to seduce her own son? She was just dreaming!

Just as she was about to speak, Luo Qianhuai had already held down Mr. Mo who was about to explode, cleaned his hands with a silk handkerchief, and spoke first:

"Princess, Prince, and all the young ladies. No matter what the reason was for His Majesty to appoint me as the wife of Marquis Xiang, this matter has been decided. There is no point in delving into it. If we speculate recklessly, it will hurt His Majesty's sincere love for Marquis Xiang. Today is an auspicious day, and it is rare for so many famous beauties to gather here. It is better to get back to the main topic of today as soon as possible."

When she spoke, her expression was calm and clear, which naturally attracted everyone's attention. In addition, her voice was not loud but clear and pleasant, which easily made people like her.

The young ladies who laughed earlier were not invited to attend the Spring Banquet of the Huo Mansion. It was the first time for them to see Luo Qianhuai in person. Seeing her elegant appearance and more coherent speech than the Princess of Changzhou, how could she look like the vulgar girl born in the countryside as rumored? They couldn't help but feel a little annoyed for a while.

"Just now, the princess proposed to play the game of passing the flower to the drum, and each beauty would show her talent. This suggestion is very good." Luo Qianhuai continued with a smile: "I am honored by the prince to let me be the commentator..."

She paused, and her eyes swept over the eight young ladies one by one. They were all looking at her, and many of them had already guessed what she was going to say next, which was nothing more than admitting that she was not talented enough and was not worthy of the title. They could not help but show a look of understanding in their eyes - but soon, this understanding turned into astonishment.

"The Marquis and I have boarded the ship today, and we are fortunate to have witnessed such an elegant event as the Crown Prince's selection of concubines. It would be too rude to stay out of it and refuse to accept the invitation. In this case, I will reluctantly take the liberty of commenting on the talents of the young ladies."

"Good, good!" Yu He clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Madam Jing's personality is really straightforward, which suits my taste very much. She is not like those pedantic people who are obviously happy in their hearts but insist on pushing it away!"

Although he was delighted, Princess Changzhou and the other young ladies were inevitably a little uncomfortable.

The tall and dashing young lady from before, who was from a military officer family and whose father was the Changle Palace Guard with a rank of 1,000 stones, could not keep her words to herself and could not help but speak again: "I wonder what kind of talent Madam Hou is good at that you are so shameless as to want to comment on it for us?"

These words hit the heart of all the young ladies present. They sat up straighter, with sneers and ridicule on their lips, waiting for Luo Qianhuai's answer.

Luo Qianhuai had been prepared for this situation. But before she could say anything, Mr. Mo spoke first in a calm voice:

"My wife is naturally gifted and virtuous, otherwise His Majesty would not have chosen her from among the many noble ladies in Xijing to be given to me. My wife would not have bothered to do such trivial things as evaluating talents, but she reluctantly agreed to it because of the favor of the princess and the prince. If you ladies are worried that your talents are shallow and cannot be appreciated by my wife, you'd better withdraw as soon as possible and don't waste the time of the princess, the prince, and my wife and me."

Luo Qianhuai smiled and squeezed Mr. Mo's hand under the table.

This guy is still as sharp-tongued as ever, but when the target of his sharp tongue becomes other people, he feels quite comfortable.

While she felt in a very good mood, the other ladies were feeling just the opposite.

Naturally, it was the first time for them to meet Xiang Hou. They did not expect that although this man had disabled hands and feet, he had a sharp tongue. With just a few words, he blocked all their rebuttals.

First, he brought up His Majesty's case, saying that Madam Jing's talent and virtue were unparalleled in the world. What, you don't agree? Then why didn't His Majesty choose you? In short, His Majesty has the best vision, and no one can say that the person he chooses is without talent or virtue, otherwise it would really be a question of His Majesty. If it is spread out, even the family may be implicated.

That would have been fine, but he even went so far as to praise Lady Jing to the skies, saying that their unwillingness and disdain were all expressions of shame and inferiority. He even directly told them that if they were afraid of making a fool of themselves, they could withdraw and not waste everyone's time. He simply blocked all the ways out they could think of!

Originally, several young ladies, led by Tong Lianniang, had exchanged silent glances with each other, and were prepared to refuse to show their talents on the grounds that Madam Jing was vulgar and unqualified to comment.

In this way, he could naturally turn down this unreliable marriage and at the same time give an explanation to his family.

But now that Xiang Hou had just said that, this idea would definitely not work. After all, no one wanted to be labeled as having little talent and become the laughing stock of the official family in Xijing.