Chapter 323 Gilded Exterior

Chapter 323: All That Glitters Is Not Gold

Qi Shunying gave a bow, "Aunt, the child is still little, so I left him home with the wet nurses. I'll certainly bring him next time for you to see."

Meng Wan was still waiting nearby; this wasn't the right time to chat with her niece. Madam Qi took Qi Shunying's hand and gestured to Meng Wan, "We're honored Meng Fulang came all this way so early. Please, come in."

She then prompted her niece, "Shunying, have you greeted Meng Fulang?"

Qi Shunying couldn't figure out why her aunt was being so polite to Meng Wan. Remembering how her husband had brought up his grudge against Shuntian Prefect Song Tingzhou a few times, she said coolly, "We've already spoken."

Meng Wan noticed her frosty attitude but didn't think much of it. Song Tingzhou had made plenty of enemies since starting his official career—they could remember him, but there was no way he could remember all of them.

Madam Qi knew how to work a room; while chatting with her niece, she made sure not to leave Meng Wan out of the conversation.

The servant at the door kept coming in to make announcements. Some guests needed Madam Qi to come out and greet them herself, while others were shown in by the servants.

Today was the full-month celebration for Madam Qi's eldest son's first legitimate son, and they'd pulled out all the stops for this thing.

As Meng Wan walked in from the main gate, colorful silks and lanterns were hung all over the estate. The deeper he went, the more he could hear the opera troupe warming up their voices.

He'd heard that noble families in the capital only hired famous opera troupes for these events, and top-tier performers could run you over a hundred taels of silver a day.

Meng Wan remembered Song Tingzhou saying that the eldest master of the Count Chengen estate had blown through a good chunk of the family fortune. He wondered which troupe they'd hired today just to save face.

A dying camel is still bigger than a horse. Song Tingzhou had dirt on the Count Chengen estate, and that's the only reason Meng Wan knew they were all show and no substance—outsiders had no clue.

But for the sake of the count's reputation, they still had to throw a proper banquet.

The main hall was decked out in red silk with couplets celebrating the birth of a son. Meng Wan had Huang Ye take the full-month red envelope he'd prepared to the accounts office, then sat where Madam Qi arranged for him to sit.

Both the front and back courtyards were set up with square tables—sixteen in the old lady's courtyard, twelve in the main hall and side rooms, and twenty-plus out in the open areas of the main courtyard.

The tables in the old lady's courtyard were for the count's relatives. By rights, Meng Wan should've been seated in the main courtyard, but for some reason he'd been put in the old lady's courtyard—and at the very back table, no less.

The head table was all elderly aunts and grand-aunts. Meng Wan's table was all the younger wives from the Rong side.

Qi Shunying sat not far from Meng Wan. Meng Wan heard the people at her table calling her Shunying, so they must've been from Madam Qi's side of the family.

There were delicate pastries on the table—fancier than anything Meng Wan had ever seen in a pastry shop. A couple of them looked similar to the ones from the New Year's Day banquet, probably made by the count's own kitchen.

The banquet hadn't started yet. Meng Wan went up to pay his respects to the old lady, then came back to his seat and ran into an old acquaintance.

The moment Luo Jining saw Meng Wan, his face—which had been totally blank—lit up like he'd just picked up a signal. He glanced around, remembered this wasn't the imperial palace, and quickly swapped seats with the woman next to Meng Wan.

"What are you doing here?" Luo Jining stared at Meng Wan like he was afraid the guy might bolt.

Meng Wan had a string of southern red agate beads on his wrist—deep, rich crimson, like flames burning at full blaze. Every bead was a flawless brocade red, rich and pure with no trace of any other color, the shine subtle rather than flashy. He fiddled with the beads as he said to Luo Jining, "Why can't I be here? How did you get here?"

"My husband—that player—is a fourth-rank assistant general in the Five Army Camps, one of the three capital garrisons. Count Chengen's the commander of the three garrisons, right? Nie Hongfei's under him, so we came to pay our respects." Luo Jining talked about his husband like he was discussing a cousin—totally straight-faced and proper.

Meng Wan zeroed in on the key point, "The surname Nie? What's his connection to Duke Dingxiang?" No wonder Luo Jining had been seated in this courtyard too—was it because his husband's last name was Nie?

Luo Jining caught on, his handsome face suddenly wary. "What's it to you what relation he has to the duke? And you still haven't told me why you're sitting here!"

Seeing he couldn't get anything else out of him, Meng Wan said offhandedly, "I'm a neighbor of the Count Chengen estate. It's only right that I come to congratulate them."

"You live in the second ring? That loaded?" Luo Jining's train of thought successfully derailed.

Meng Wan clicked his beads together with a snap. "What, after all that time you put into the soap, you're broke?"

Luo Jining, who always kept up this polished image in public, had his face twist in annoyance. "My dear brother-in-law took it all to..." His expression changed as he clearly realized he had misspoken.

"To fund troops. Everyone knows that." Meng Wan said offhandedly.

"Cough, cough!" The young wife to Meng Wan's left choked on her tea.

What troops?! Isn't Luo Fulang's brother-in-law Prince Lian?

This, this, this!

She picked up her stool with both hands and quietly scooted away from the two of them.

Luo Jining gave a fake smile and ground out through clenched teeth, "What the hell are you talking about? You scared her off!"

Meng Wan turned and smiled at the young wife. His light green outfit softened the sharp impact of his looks, making him seem a few years younger and giving him a bright, sunny vibe. "Second Young Madam, don't mind me. I was just kidding."

The young wife was Madam Qi's second daughter-in-law, a few years younger than Meng Wan, and had only recently married into the count's family. The old lady at the head table kept an eye on the younger generation, her mother-in-law ran the household, and her sister-in-law had just had the first legitimate son. Her family wasn't as well-connected as her sister-in-law's, so she kept a very low profile in the count's household.

Now that Meng Wan had given her an out, she grabbed it fast. "No offense taken, no offense taken. Don't worry, Meng Fulang, I'm not the gossiping type. I won't go running my mouth."

Meng Wan kept smiling. A beauty's smile was like a flower in full bloom—it made anyone under that gaze drop their guard without realizing it. "Why talk about spreading anything? Even if nobodies like us talked about Prince Lian's business, no one would believe us. And even if someone did believe it, they'd go to Prince Lian himself—not to me, right?"

"Yes, yes." Cold sweat broke out on Madam Qi's second daughter-in-law's forehead. She turned her head, pretending to casually dab at it with her handkerchief, while her eyes scanned the tables for someone to swap seats with.

Even Luo Jining couldn't take it anymore. He lowered his voice and scolded Meng Wan, "How are you so sneaky?"

"Hm?" Meng Wan had mixed feelings about Luo Jining, but he couldn't deny he actually enjoyed talking to him.

There was a plate of pastries on the table Meng Wan hadn't seen before. He stared at it for a second, then pushed it over to Luo Jining. "Try this one. It's especially good."

"What's so good about something all sweet and sticky?" Luo Jining sounded a bit dismissive, but honestly, Meng Wan had always been cold to him, so having him suddenly offer food felt pretty good. He said he didn't like sweets, but he still reached out, grabbed one, and shoved the whole thing in his mouth.

The other ladies at the table nibbled their pastries daintily, using handkerchiefs as napkins and taking tiny little bites. Luo Jining, though—with his refined, jade-like looks and that classic noble-son vibe—totally lost all class when he ate, cramming the whole thing in one go.

"Good?" Meng Wan asked, genuinely curious.

Luo Jining swallowed, pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve, and wiped his mouth. "Not bad. The filling's some kind of flower—not too sweet, and it's got a nice fragrance."

Meng Wan stared at the pastry, tempted.

He took off his bracelet, picked up a piece of pastry, and deliberately pressed it against the beads for a moment—about three breaths. When nothing seemed off, he finally popped the pastry in his mouth.

Meng Wan didn't wolf things down like Luo Jining, but the pastries were small, so he finished one in two or three bites.

He finished and wanted another. He did the same thing and ate a second one.

Luo Jining, who'd been watching him the whole time, finally caught on. "You used me to test for poison, you bastard!"

Meng Wan wiped his hands and said flatly, "No, I didn't."

Like hell he didn't! How could anyone be this evil!

Luo Jining felt wronged. He genuinely wanted to be friends with Meng Wan, but all Meng Wan did was trick him and lie to him.

"Alright, alright. The troupe head just took the opera list to the head table. What do you want to hear? I'll put in a request for you." Meng Wan's tone was soothing, like some jerk who bullies you and then tries to make up for it with a treat.

Luo Jining said grumpily, "The opera picks are made by the old ladies at the head table and the count's family. When would it ever be our turn?"

Meng Wan carefully wiped his bracelet with his handkerchief. "How about a bet? In a minute, someone from the count's household is going to bring the opera list over. Wanna bet?"

Luo Jining was now beginning to realize that this fellow townsman of his was not quite ordinary. He frowned and said, "What are you pulling now?"

Meng Wan looked unfazed. "It's not what I'm pulling—it's who's out to get me."

A few days ago, Song Tingzhou had personally led men to raid the city's underground gambling dens, hauling in one batch after another. As luck would have it, he'd caught Rong Jiang, the eldest master of Count Chengen's manor, who had been keeping a low profile for a while and had just surfaced for some air.

If money ran out, you could send servants to pawn things off, but having the manor's eldest master thrown into the Shuntian Prefecture—that was a huge disgrace and a joke.

And judging by Song Tingzhou's stance, he was set on prosecuting him to the full extent of the law.

Rong Jiang had been caught in full view of everyone for colluding with the gambling den and privately lending money at interest. With witnesses and physical evidence all lined up, if sentenced, he'd face at least sixty lashes—and who knew what else Song Tingzhou would impose.

And this eldest son of the earl's family hadn't just committed some minor offense...

"Did you see with your own eyes that Song Tingzhou brought that girl back to the Shuntian Prefecture?" Madam Sun was frantic with worry in her own courtyard.

A servant bowed and scraped as he replied, "Madam, it wasn't just this servant who saw it—Shunzi and the others also witnessed it outside the manor."

This was trouble. Madam Sun's face darkened.

Colluding with gambling dens and privately lending money at interest—the worst he'd get was exile, and given the Rong family's status as an earl's household, no one would dare hassle them on the way.

But the gambling den's tactics were dirty as hell. That good-for-nothing man of hers couldn't get the money back, so he grabbed the man's daughter to drag her off to a brothel. The girl bolted out the door and threw herself into the river.

The river in early spring was freezing and fast-moving—she was gone in a flash.

Her brother, a man in his prime, had just gotten back from hauling sacks at the docks and witnessed the scene. A brawl broke out, and while the girl's father—a gambling, boozing, daughter-selling piece of trash—shrank back on the sidelines, unharmed, the gambling den's thugs went too far and beat the brother to death.

In the end, they cleaned out the family's valuables, pawned whatever was worth pawning, and warned the drunk not to say a word, and the debt was wiped clean.

When Rong Jiang left, he was still thinking what a waste of money, and what a stink it had stirred up. Little did he know this affair had sown the seeds of his ruin—the girl who jumped in the river hadn't died after all—and Song Tingzhou had actually found her!

The elderly women at the front table were eagerly selecting plays when Madam Sun suddenly came over to her mother-in-law, Old Madam Rong, and whispered in her ear for a moment. The old lady's upturned lips gradually flattened.

She coldly regarded her eldest daughter-in-law, who thought herself clever, knowing full well the woman had no real plan and had only come to her out of desperation.

But Da Lang was her own son, and in the beginning, it was his father who had done wrong, driving him further into despair. Old Madam Rong paused for a moment, then said, "Come inside with me for a moment."

Luo Jining, sitting not far away, had been watching the main table the whole time. "What does this mean? Why is Old Madam Rong leaving?"

Meng Wan remained composed, idly rubbing his cinnabar-red agate bracelet. "Why do you care if she leaves? It's her house—she can't run away."

Luo Jining felt his words carried some hidden meaning. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing at all—isn't someone coming out now?" Meng Wan's gaze swept over.

Madam Sun was walking over with the play list that the elders had already marked.

"Meng Fulang, we have many guests at home today. If anything is lacking in hospitality, please forgive us. The opera is about to begin on stage—please take a look and see if there's anything you fancy, and pick a play." Madam Sun said with unusual politeness.

Meng Wan curled his lips and took the play list from her hand. "Since Madam Sun is so gracious, I won't stand on ceremony."

Meng Wan raised an eyebrow at Luo Jining, a hint of triumph flickering in his eyes. "What do you want to watch?"

"Whatever you like." Luo Jining had only watched a couple of operas with others; most of the time he was either fending off Prince Lian's advances or trying to prove his worth so the man wouldn't dare act rashly.

Meng Wan said casually, "Then let's have *Fifteen Strings of Cash*."

Luo Jining, utterly bored, propped his chin on his hand and asked, "What's it about?"

Meng Wan thought for a moment. "Something about a gambler named Lou A Shu who loses everything at the gambling den, kills someone to steal fifteen strings of cash, and frames the man's daughter for it."

Madam Sun's eyelid twitched, and she squeezed out through her teeth, "An excellent choice, Meng Fulang."

Everyone else, out of courtesy, had picked auspicious plays—but that Meng had gone straight for her sore spot.

As noon approached, the earl's manor's newly one-month-old young master was brought out. A barber was invited to shave the infant's fetal hair, leaving only a tuft on top—this was called "longevity hair."

The shaved fetal hair was wrapped in red cloth and tied to a silver lock, symbolizing the shaving away of calamity and the keeping of fortune.

The earl's manor had held a grand full-month banquet; the one-year "grasp-the-articles" ceremony would likely be a smaller, family-only affair.

After the ceremony, the pastries on the table were cleared away one by one and replaced with appetizing cold dishes, followed by a succession of exquisite hot courses.

Sea cucumber, abalone, dried scallops—and the Rong family's chef made a particularly fine crucian carp soup.

Luo Jining looked disdainfully at Meng Wan, who was sneakily testing dishes with his battered bracelet. "Can you even still wear that thing? It's covered in grease."

Meng Wan took a sip of soup. "You don't understand—I've got twenty or thirty more at home." He didn't need to test every dish, after all.

Luo Jining's face twisted. If he wasn't mistaken, Meng Wan was wearing a Liangshan red jade bracelet, wasn't he? With that quality, one strand would cost at least two hundred taels—and he kept twenty or thirty of them just for testing food?