Chapter 138

Chapter 140: The Wedding Banquet (Part 2)

People always find it easier to accept those of their own social class.

Madam Huang's remark, "They are all wastrels," immediately made Lady Lin feel closer to Eleven Miss. She inquired about her usual pastimes at home, whether she enjoyed listening to opera, and whether she thought Geng Changsheng from the Changsheng Troupe or Bai Xixiang from the Jiexiang Society sang better. With Madam Huang adding to the conversation, the three of them chatted and laughed warmly, becoming quite intimate.

The elder madam, walking ahead, glanced back and, reassured, started chatting with Madam Huang about how Shandong and Yanjing differ in marrying off daughters.

The dining area was a small flower hall with five or six tables arranged. Only the eastern side was occupied by two women and a younger woman accompanying them. One was in her fifties, wearing a dark brown brocade robe with gold floral patterns, her black hair styled in a round bun, adorned with a gold Guanyin hairpin, and her expression was quite stern. The other was in her forties, dressed in a sapphire blue peony-patterned brocade robe, her hair styled in a peony bun, wearing a gold phoenix hairpin with a pearl and a ruby ring, her smile carrying a hint of cautiousness. A woman in her early twenties accompanied them, wearing a bright red embroidered skirt with gold branches and green leaves. Though ordinary in appearance, her demeanor carried a hint of arrogance, making her seem unfriendly.

Lady Lin immediately whispered, "See that woman in the bright red embroidered skirt? That's Yang Shi, the third daughter-in-law of Miss Tang."

Eleven Miss was slightly surprised.

She wasn't surprised to encounter the daughter of Marquis Jianning here, but rather by the hint of caution in Lady Lin's tone.

It was only their second meeting and their first real conversation... Fate can be quite strange!

As they marveled, the three women looked over. The woman in her forties immediately stood up and greeted them with a smile, "You're all late!"

Madam Tang and the others greeted her, "Madam Li!"

The elder madam beckoned to Eleven Miss, "Come, meet Madam Li, the wife of General Li from Shanxi."

Eleven Miss hurried forward to curtsy to Madam Li.

Madam Li returned the gesture, saying, "This is too kind. Back then, it was Lord Xu who saved my husband..."

"This isn't a grand hall for handing out awards," the elder madam interrupted with a smile, "Madam Li, you're being too polite!"

As they spoke, the fifty-something woman and Yang Shi, the third daughter-in-law of Miss Tang, approached.

"I've long heard that Lord Xu married a virtuous and beautiful woman, but I didn't expect her to be so stunning!" The fifty-something woman smiled as she looked Eleven Miss up and down, "Lord Xu is indeed fortunate!"

Eleven Miss couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed.

Before marrying Lord Xu, she was just an unknown girl from Yuhang's countryside. When had she ever been praised for her virtue and beauty? This woman's compliments were over the top!

The elder madam, however, just chuckled and then said to Eleven Miss, "This is Madam Liang, the wife of the Grand Secretary of the Huagai Hall and Minister of Justice."

Eleven Miss curtsied to Madam Liang.

Madam Liang quickly took her hand, "Lord Xu and my husband are like brothers, so no need for formalities."

"Oh!" Yang Shi suddenly covered her mouth and laughed, "Poor my brother-in-law, he's got a new aunt now."

Eleven Miss was confused.

The elder madam explained with a smile, "The second sister of Miss Tang's third daughter-in-law is the third daughter-in-law of Madam Liang."

Eleven Miss suddenly understood.

Madam Liang's eyes flashed with displeasure, but she laughed it off, "I was just worried about having to give a gift."

Everyone laughed, smoothing over Yang Shi's abrupt comment.

The Tang family's fourth daughter-in-law methodically seated everyone.

The elder madam, Zheng Tai Jun, Madam Huang, and Lady Lin sat at one table; Madam Liang, Madam Li, Lady Gan, and Lady Qiao sat at another; Lady Lin, Madam Huang, and Eleven Miss sat at a third table. The hostess invited Miss Tang's aunts and uncles, and after exchanging greetings, Madam Tang sat with the aunts at one table, while the uncles sat at another. With five tables filled, Eleven Miss's table had one empty seat. The Tang family's fourth daughter-in-law smiled at Yang Shi, "You can sit here too!"

Yang Shi smiled and was about to take her seat when a young maid rushed in: "Madam Zhou from the Princess's household has arrived!"

Upon hearing this, the fourth lady of the Tang family hurried out to greet her. Seeing this, Yang Shi also followed.

Lady Huang the Third explained to Eleven Miss: "The Princess's husband is surnamed Zhou. The Princess is advanced in years, so it is her daughter-in-law, Madam Zhou, who handles social engagements. She is the eldest daughter of Lord Wang Rao of Zhennan."

Eleven Miss had a sudden insight and whispered: "Is she related to Lord Wang, the Provincial Administrator of Fujian?"

Lady Huang the Third was slightly surprised: "Indeed, the Zhennan Wang family has a branch that produced a Provincial Administrator of Fujian. So you know her?"

That must be it.

The one who proposed the marriage for Ten Miss.

That Lady Wang and Ten Miss's sister-in-law, Madam Jiang, are very close...

She knew these families were intricately connected, but the complexity was such that she couldn't help but feel secretly relieved—if the elder madam hadn't reconsidered and decided to bring her out, it would have taken her three to five years to figure out these relationships on her own.

Eleven Miss shook her head: "I know Lady Wang, the wife of the Provincial Administrator!"

Lady Lin the Elder was puzzled and was about to ask for details when the fourth lady of the Tang family and Yang Shi walked in, flanking a woman in her thirties, dressed in a red silk butterfly and grape-patterned jacket.

Zheng Tai Jun, the elder madam, and the other senior ladies stayed seated, while Lady Gan, Lady Li, and the other younger ladies stood up to greet Madam Zhou.

Madam Zhou was exceptionally vivacious, curtsying and offering unique greetings to each person—inquiring about Zheng Tai Jun's health, asking the elder madam about Dan County, asking Lady Lin when Fifth Miss Lin Mingyuan would marry, teasing Lady Liang about harvesting the wheat after cutting the barley, and joking with Lady Gan about not sitting with her in-laws, asking if she was shy... She single-handedly enlivened the atmosphere significantly. Eleven Miss couldn't help but secretly admire her. Detecting the subtle hints in Madam Zhou's words, she whispered to Lady Lin the Elder: "Who are Lady Gan's relatives by marriage?"

Lady Lin the Elder smiled: "Lan Ting is betrothed to the eldest son of Lord Liang!"

Eleven Miss was surprised: "When did this happen?"

"This March!" Lady Lin the Elder smiled, "Previously, the Liang family had been pursuing Lan Ting's hand in marriage, but the Gan family wanted to marry Cao E first before discussing Lan Ting's marriage. Who knew that in June, the Jiang family's patriarch passed away, and the Jiang family wanted to complete the wedding within a hundred days. But Fujian is thousands of miles away, and it was midsummer, so it was a bit rushed. The Gan family opted to delay Cao E's marriage until the three-year mourning period ended. Thus, they prioritized Lan Ting's marriage. Speaking of which, Lan Ting is not young anymore. The elder madam of the Liang family has been ailing, and if something were to happen, Lan Ting would face another three-year wait. She has two younger sisters who are also on the verge of engagement!"

Eleven Miss's mind raced, barely grasping the situation: "You mean, Miss Third of the Gan family is set to marry into the Jian'an Jiang family, renowned for 'four scholars in one generation and two grand councilors in two generations.' And Miss Seventh of the Gan family is engaged to the eldest son of the Liang family."

So, Miss Third of the Gan family is now connected to Lady Qiao?

How intricate!

"Yes!" Lady Lin the Elder nodded, glanced at Yang Shi, and then winked at Eleven Miss: "The Yang family wanted to marry their second daughter to the eldest son of the Liang family, but he was already engaged to Miss Seventh of the Gan family, and the second son was engaged to the second daughter of Huang Yu, the Judicial Commissioner of Zhejiang. So the Yang family's second daughter married the third son of the Liang family." She smiled, pursing her lips.

Eleven Miss understood.

Whether in great families or small households, the eldest son and his wife are the models for the family, the pillars of the household, so the cultivation of the eldest son and the selection of his wife are done with great care. The Liang family's actions clearly showed they did not want to marry into the Yang family... She thought of Lan Ting's innocence, intelligence, and generosity, and it was no wonder the Liang family had been seeking her hand.

She smiled and winked at Lady Lin the Elder: "I see, I see!"

Lady Lin the Elder smiled with narrowed eyes.

Eleven Miss suddenly felt that Lady Lin the Elder was also a very interesting person!

The second son of the Liang family married the second daughter of Huang Yu, the Judicial Commissioner of Zhejiang... She remembered that for the elder madam's birthday, the eldest lady wanted to send a hundred-longevity screen, and Fifth Miss wanted a sandalwood base for the screen. The Luo family had a piece, but because of Lady Huang's mother's birthday, Luo Zhenxing had taken it to carve a statue of the God of Longevity... In the blink of an eye, two years had passed. Her life had also undergone earth-shaking changes.

Speaking of which, she still owed Lan Ting a favor—when Lan Ting learned that she had become Lord Xu's second wife, she had subtly advised her to read more Buddhist scriptures, hoping she could find peace of mind and overcome all suffering. Unfortunately, she had been too preoccupied at the time and dared not interact much with Lan Ting. This had always been a regret in her heart.

As she pondered, the elder madam beckoned her.

Eleven Miss quickly left her seat and went to the elder madam.

"Madam Zhou, this is our fourth daughter-in-law." She then pointed to Madam Zhou and said to Eleven Miss, "This is the daughter-in-law of the Princess's residence, a capable woman of Yanjing, Madam Zhou."

Eleven Miss half-squatted to perform a curtsy, and Lady Zhou promptly returned the greeting, saying to the elder madam beside her, "I was wondering who this is, so graceful and lovely. I hadn’t seen her before, but it turns out she’s your fourth daughter-in-law."

Yang Shi chimed in, "Don’t you think she looks a bit like Song Jieyu?"

Lady Zhou, as if she hadn’t heard, continued speaking to Eleven Miss, "We live in the same alley, right next to Lotus Lane. Feel free to drop by anytime. The Marquis, my husband, and Prince Shun all grew up together and are very close. No need to stand on ceremony."

Eleven Miss quickly glanced at the elder madam, who nodded slightly, so she smiled and called out, "Sister."

Lady Zhou immediately responded with a smile, then turned to the fourth lady of the Tang family and said, "Don’t worry. I’ll squeeze in at the table with the fourth daughter-in-law."

The fourth lady of the Tang family protested, "How can that be?"

"Do you think I’m here just for the food?" Lady Zhou teased. "I just want to be part of the fun. There’s no shortage of food and drink anywhere." Without waiting for the Tang lady’s response, she asked Eleven Miss, "Where are you sitting? Since it’s our first meeting, we should have a good chat." She then addressed the elder madam and the others, "I should have arranged the table properly, but since my mother-in-law isn’t here today, I’ll take the liberty of playing the big sister to the fourth daughter-in-law."

This made the ladies burst into laughter.

Zheng Tai Jun, rarely in a teasing mood, joked, "I’ll tell Princess Fucheng Chang about this tomorrow!"

Lady Zhou grabbed Zheng Tai Jun’s sleeve and wouldn’t let go, saying, "I’ll bring some preserved fruits to visit you tomorrow," which made Zheng Tai Jun laugh and tap her forehead, saying, "Go on, go on, so you don’t stir up trouble here."

Everyone laughed again.

She then took Eleven Miss by the hand and guided her to her seat.