The Prime Minister's Beloved Wife : Volume 2

The Real Designer

A/N: Bonus Chapter!

In the receiving ceremony, the gifts were presented to the Matriarch based on the hierarchy of the nobles. The ones with the highest position would offer their present at the very beginning, followed by the others nobles in the descending order. Hence, the Lu family's turn was right after the royal family.

This year, the Lu house gifted bronze chariot and horses to Matriarch Gu which had been placed at the main entrance courtyard. The Gu family, being the hailing family of the Generals, were pleasantly surprised by the thoughtful present, which signified the bravery and gallantry of the Gu house.

Even though it was meant for his mother, Master Gu treated the present from his student, Lu Tong Xiao, with rare enthusiasm. It was also him, who had ordered for the bronze chariot and horses to be placed in the entrance courtyard where everyone entering the Gu manor could see at a glance.

One could see how important the Lu family regarded the Gu family, not only because Lu Tong Xiao was good friends with Gu Jin and Gu Sheng but also because he had been trained under Master Gu and regarded the man with the utmost respect.

However, unlike what Bai Yu Yan had expected, nothing happened during this receiving ceremony. Confused, she looked at Song Mei Lin who was smiling at her.

Her eyes held mirth as if she was playing the game of cat and mouse with Bai Yu Yan.

"Speaking of, Matriarch Gu's dress is extraordinary this year. Even the royal tailors in our palace will not be able to think of such a creative idea," commented the Empress as she ran her eyes through the long emerald cheongsam, "For Miss Song to be able to design something like this, Bengong will have to invite you to the palace to train our tailors."

After the receiving ceremony, the younger generation would go forward to greet Matriarch Gu and the royal guest which this year was the Empress and the Princess. It was a form of courtesy, which was not a formal ceremony, so the hierarchy really did not matter much. At this time, the ladies were chatting away about the gossips in the capital as they ate and drank.

"Mother, I will go and see around for a bit while you chat here. You know this is not my thing," seeing the direction of conversation An Ruo leaned towards the Empress and whispered in a low voice. To engage in the talks about the dress and jewellery, she found it rather distasteful and a waste of time.

The Empress' eyes stretched towards the far corner of the hall where Lu Tong Xiao was having a conversation with the Gu brothers while exiting the hall. She knew her daughter and what interested her very well, so she nodded her head with a warm smile at An Ruo, "Go but stay around. Better if you take a walk with someone who knows this place well so as to not get lost. Bengong will call you when it's time to leave."

An Ruo nodded her head with a smile and turned to leave without wasting a moment. Her pace increased as she walked towards the open door of the hall, seeing which, the Empress' eyes turned deep.

On the other hand, the topic of dress immediately brought forward everyone's attention. They had been wanting to know more about the unique dress that had never been worn in the capital before. All the new designs came from the ladies of the royal families so it was rare that someone outside had worn it first.

"Her Majesty is absolutely right. The design is impeccable. Even the silk is so well matched," a sophisticated looking woman put down the wine cup and remarked seriously.

"Miss Song, you have done an excellent job with this one. As soon as this banquet will be over, I am going to order this one lest you get busy with more orders," said a Madame looking at Song Mei Lin.