Chapter 634 - 597: Attending the Banquet (Part 1)

Chapter 634: Chapter 597: Attending the Banquet (Part 1)

Yun Cai immediately understood what Wen Wan was talking about.

The two legitimate daughters-in-law of the Lu Family, the first one being Grandma Lu, the current Heir’s wife.

As for the latter, she was the former Princess who several years ago voluntarily left the clan and went to Ningzhou to mourn the victims of a horrific mining accident.

The young maid thought for a moment, and said, "I heard people say that, back then, this Heir’s wife was originally granted marriage to the Lu Family by the Empress Dowager. However, the marriage was not initially intended for the eldest, but for the second master. Later, for some unknown reason, on the wedding day, the groom mistakenly became the eldest master. This was over twenty years ago, and I don’t know if it’s true or false."

Listening to this, Wen Wan’s thoughts stirred, and she smiled at her, "You even know about this?"

Yun Cai’s small face looked embarrassed, "I also heard it from others, I can’t really guarantee if it’s true or not."

"Of course, it’s not true," Wen Wan said decisively. "Since it was a marriage granted by the Empress Dowager, how could the Lu Family make such a blunder? Moreover, what was the status of the Su Family at that time? Even if Su Xiang wasn’t yet Su Xiang, Kunning Palace still had the Empress sitting there to hold the fort. If the groom was mistaken, could the Su Family be so afraid of the Lu Family that they would do nothing?"

"You are right, Madam." Yun Cai nodded in agreement, "Indeed, rumors can’t be trusted completely."

Seeing the little maid looking at her with such admiration, Wen Wan couldn’t help but find it amusing.

In fact, the matters between the Lu Family and the Su Family were told to her by her birth mother about two years ago. She said the original marriage granted by the Empress Dowager was intended for the second master Lu Xingzhou in order to completely break the former Princess’s heart and cut off her ties with Lu Xingzhou. However, the Empress Dowager underestimated Lu Xingzhou’s feelings for the former Princess, not expecting Lu Xingzhou to flee for his life on the wedding day. In the end, there was no other option but to accept the groom as the eldest master, Lu Pingzhou.

The reason why the Empress Dowager wanted to stop the former Princess from being with Lu Xingzhou was because she had an unknown past with the Old Marquis before entering the palace, leading her to turn love into hatred.

In summary, the grudges caused by the previous generation resulted in the tragedy of the next generation, which in turn affected the third generation, creating a long, drawn-out story.

In this story, Wen Wan played the role of the affected third generation.

...

Remembering the words the man told her during their parting, Wen Wan did not linger outside and, along with her servant, took the carriage directly back to the residence.

Upon entering Qingteng Residence, Wen Wan first went to the west wing to see Qi Bao.

Last night, Nanny Qin had covered for Nanny Qian, so the person on duty that morning was still Nanny Qin.

Nanny Qian, feeling guilty about last night, tried to switch shifts early in the morning, but Nanny Qin didn’t allow it, saying she’d watch over for another morning before going back to catch up on sleep.

Nanny Qian, grateful, carried the little master’s freshly changed diapers to the laundry room.

Currently, in the west wing, besides Nanny Qin, Song Jiao was also there.

She initially planned to pay her respects to her third aunt but was told by the servants that the Madam had gone to the cloth estate to check the accounts, so Song Jiao stayed in the west wing to play with the little baby.

Almost three months old, Qi Bao no longer needed to be swaddled. He was dressed in padded clothes and lay on a soft mat. Song Jiao tossed the cloth ball a short distance away. He reached out his small hand for it, but his short arms and clumsy nature couldn’t reach it. Frustrated, he looked at his big sister, who remained unmoved. Qi Bao sniffled sorrowfully, but Song Jiao still paid no attention, so he had to try reaching out again.

The little baby fussed for quite a while before barely managing to roll over. Once on the other side, he became lazy and stopped wanting the cloth ball, sucking on his fingers and playing by himself.

Song Jiao, not knowing how many times she had been amused by him that morning, tried to help him turn over several times. However, with the little baby’s lazy demeanor, being flipped back and forth, he eventually fell asleep.

When Wen Wan entered, Song Jiao was just complaining to Nanny Qin, "I used to hear the third aunt say that when Jinbao was three months old, he was very active. Even when he couldn’t turn, he’d kick his little legs and try hard. I see that Qi Bao doesn’t even want to try. Sigh, it’s worrying. It was hard enough to cure Jinbao of his laziness, and now there’s another even lazier one. Third Aunt will have to fret again."

Nanny Qin responded, "Fourth Miss is not even three months old yet, so the big girl is worrying too early. When the time comes, and her limbs have grown enough, with an adult guiding from the side, learning to roll over won’t be difficult."

Song Jiao sighed lightly again, "I hope so."

At this point, Wen Wan pulled back the curtain and entered, glancing at her, "You girl, how dare you speak ill of my daughter right in front of her? Be careful, when she grows up, she might not recognize you as her sister."

Song Jiao didn’t expect the third aunt to return suddenly. After being stunned, she quickly stood up and went over to hold her arm, acting coquettishly, "As long as the third aunt doesn’t tell, how would Qi Bao know?"

After speaking, she helped Wen Wan to the Arhat Bed to sit, served her tea personally, and then asked, "I heard from Linglong that the third aunt went to the cloth estate to check the accounts. How was it?"

"The people below are doing their jobs quite efficiently, nothing major went wrong. This year has already come to an end, so we can only hope for some good news next year."

In the first year of running the shop, they definitely lacked experience. After calculating the annual accounts, the profit wasn’t much after deducting various costs. But for Wen Wan, it was a good start.

Not intending to discuss too much about business, Wen Wan looked at the sleeping Qi Bao in the crib, her heart softening.

After watching for a while, she asked Nanny Qin, "Did she cry or fuss this morning?"

Nanny Qin truthfully said, "The Fourth Lady has been very obedient since she woke up. After she was full, the First Lady played with her for a while. She must have gotten tired and fell asleep not too long ago."

Wen Wan nodded and called Song Jiao to go back to the main room.

Song Jiao thought her third aunt was going to scold her for speaking behind her back about Qi Bao’s laziness and felt a bit uneasy.

Seeing this, Wen Wan chuckled helplessly, "I’m not going to eat you, why are you so nervous?"

Relieved, Song Jiao moved her embroidered stool next to Wen Wan, speaking in a flattering tone, "I always knew Third Aunt was the best, she’d never take issue with me."

Wen Wan poked her forehead gently, "Look at you. You’ve been with me for years, but all you’ve learned is how to talk sweetly."

Song Jiao giggled.

Wen Wan suddenly turned serious, "In a few days, the Duke Jing Mansion is hosting a birthday banquet. Your third uncle will attend, and I’m thinking of taking a few people. Do you want to go?"

Having stayed in the Capital for a while, Song Jiao knew attending such gatherings could only benefit her. Even though she’s already engaged, it wouldn’t hurt to experience the occasion.

So, as soon as Wen Wan finished speaking, Song Jiao nodded eagerly, saying she’d go.

After a while, she frowned and hesitated, "If Third Aunt only brings me, would Qi Qi be upset if she finds out?"

"Why would Qi Qi be upset?" Wen Wan took a sip of her tea, showing no outward sign of anger, but her tone grew heavier, "If she can take a leave from the Hongwen Academy, I’ll take her along too."

Taking a leave was naturally impossible. The end-of-year exams were coming up, and all the students were busy reviewing. Taking a day off now would set her back a lot. If Song Qi understood this, she wouldn’t sneak out just for a moment of fun.

Thinking of this, Song Jiao sighed silently, hoping her sister would truly find her way back and cause less worry for their parents in the future.

Later, Wen Wan secretly instructed Wei Qian to inquire about Su Yi. The result was that ever since the former Princess and Prince Consort went to Ningzhou, Su Yi seldom went out. The Lu family had tightly sealed internal news, revealing almost no clues.

Wen Wan deliberated the entire afternoon before approaching Song Wei for guidance when he returned.

Song Wei asked, "It’s clearly the Duke’s birthday, why do you want to give a gift to the Heir’s wife?"

Wen Wan was stunned, unable to answer for a while.

That night, as she lay in bed thinking it over, she realized her primary focus on the Heir’s wife came from having remembered the name Su Yi for a long time, even subconsciously disliking her.

Why give a gift to someone you dislike?

Wen Wan felt a sense of relief, deciding to embroider a Buddhist scripture with gold thread for the Duchess, while she prepared nothing for the Heir’s wife.

——

With the Imperial College not yet on holiday, Song Yuanbao couldn’t go. Wen Wan decided to bring Song Jiao and Jinbao instead.

Since being confined to school, Jinbao’s only joy was waiting for his brother to come home from lessons each day so they could play together. He was nearly cut off from the outside world.

Therefore, upon hearing he could attend a bustling event, the little guy was thrilled.

Early in the morning, he was dressed with the help of the servants and ran to Wen Wan’s room, asking when his parents would leave.

Just as Song Wei had packed the gift prepared for his mentor, Wen Wan and Song Jiao came out from the inner room, and the group boarded the carriage heading straight to the Duke Jing Mansion.

...

Years ago, after Lu Xingzhou married the Princess, the Lu family was stripped of military power, and the Old Marquis, often traveling, neglected family affairs, leading to the family’s decline.

Although the Lu family hasn’t regained their military power, their sudden elevation to nobility after such decline suggests significant weight in the Emperor’s eyes, so many came to celebrate the Duke’s birthday.

Su Yi was uninvolved, and today’s host was Lu Yanbin’s official wife, Mrs. Xiao Liu.

Mrs. Xiao Liu, coming from the same family as the Duchess’s family, personally came to greet the Song family upon their arrival and led Wen Wan, Song Jiao, and Jinbao to the inner courtyard.

The old lady liked peace, so the women dared not disturb her, thus they went to the Mingxiang Courtyard of the Heir’s wife, Su Yi.

The East Hall of the Mingxiang Courtyard was already occupied by many noblewomen. As Mrs. Xiao Liu led Wen Wan and the others inside, Su Yi, sitting in the main seat, looked up with a peculiar smile at the corners of her mouth, "Is that really Mrs. Song? At first glance, I nearly thought my sister-in-law had come back."