Chapter 373 Arrogance

Chapter 373: Overbearing

The banquet hosted by Princess Qin was set for three days later, and regardless of its purpose, she had a legitimate reason—Prince Qin had become a grandfather.

As a prince who had been excluded by the late emperor from the start, he had neither the late Crown Prince's wisdom and decisiveness nor Prince Lian's ruthless cunning. Instead, he'd hightailed it to his fief early to live the good life.

Over the years, he couldn't compete in anything else, so he could only win on the child count. He was only a dozen or so years older than Prince Lian and the current emperor, yet his eldest son had already popped out a kid.

"Congratulations, Your Highness, on the birth of your eldest grandson." Meng Wan showed up with his eldest son, Chu Ci, who'd just gotten back.

Prince Qin's mansion was built in the outer ring of the city beyond the palace walls, and it was sprawling. Naturally, the princess wasn't at the gate herself to greet guests. For an occasion like this, ceremonial officers greeted guests at the entrance and handed out congratulatory gifts.

After Meng Wan got his gift, the steward escorted Chu Ci to the front courtyard where the male guests were, with Xue Sheng and Bie Zhi tagging along. Meng Wan, meanwhile, was led by the princess's maid to the inner quarters to see her.

Princess Qin, decked out in fancy jewels and pearls, couldn't hide how exhausted she was. She forced herself to respond, "You're too kind, Meng Fulang. Thank you for coming. Today's spread is modest, but I hope you have a good time."

Meng Wan handed over his gift wrapped in red silk, sounding apologetic. "My husband's been swamped with official duties lately and just can't get away. I hope His Highness Prince Qin and Your Highness will understand."

He wasn't kidding. The court was short-handed, and Song Tingzhou had been "specially" promoted by the emperor to take over the Second-Rank Vice Minister of Justice post that Zeng Shiqi used to hold. But he still kept his job as Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture.

On top of that, the spring imperial exam was about to kick off. As expected, Lord Ran, the Minister of Personnel, would be the chief examiner. The other three—Wang Zan from the Censorate, Li Liansong from the Hanlin Academy, and Vice Minister of Justice Song Tingzhou—would serve as deputy examiners.

Everyone had seen Lord Ran's appointment coming, but the other three got the nod out of nowhere. Song Tingzhou had left for the morning court session yesterday and never came back, totally catching Meng Wan off guard. By the time he'd packed up some clothes and sent them over to the exam hall, the gates were already locked. Meng Wan was pissed but couldn't do a damn thing about it.

I mean, the emperor wouldn't let his ministers freeze to death, right? The palace should've provided clothes and charcoal.

But you can't defy an imperial order, and the metropolitan exam was a big deal. Song Tingzhou would probably miss Chu Ci's wedding next month.

Meng Wan didn't come right out and say Song Tingzhou was off being an examiner at the exam hall, but news of something as huge as the metropolitan exam had already made the rounds to everyone in the know by last night.

Prince Qin was a nobody now with zero real power, stuck in the capital with his whole family on edge. He didn't dare cross Meng Wan either. When Princess Qin heard him bring up Song Tingzhou, her smile got a bit fawning. "His Majesty's orders are top priority. No need to be so formal, Meng Fulang. Just you showing up with your son already does us a huge honor. I hear your eldest is getting hitched too?"

Since she'd brought it up herself, Meng Wan had to respond politely. "The Imperial Observatory picked the eighteenth of next month. If Your Highness is free, I'd be bold enough to send an invite to your place."

Princess Qin jumped right on that. "The eighteenth is a fine day. I've got nothing going on at home anyway—I'll definitely come to beg for a glass of wedding wine."

They traded a few more pleasantries, and then Princess Qin went off with her daughter-in-law to schmooze the other guests. As a high-and-mighty princess, she could've just sat in the main hall and let people come pay their respects, but here she was working the room and sucking up to everyone—clearly desperate.

Meng Wan was seated at a table with wives and husbands he knew. Lady Gu and Lady Zhu—Lord Kou's wife—were both there. Everyone said their hellos, and not long after, Nie Zhiyao showed up and sat at the table for earls and marquises.

The two caught each other's eye and smiled. Since the banquet hadn't started yet, Nie Zhiyao came over to shoot the breeze with Meng Wan.

They talked shop about the Cotton Mill, and every now and then another wife who owned a store would chime in.

Lady Gu's gentle smile was warm and familiar. "Ru Niang's been loving hanging around the Cotton Mill lately. You've given her something to keep her busy, Meng Fulang. When she comes home, it's not just her siblings—even my old mother-in-law got one of the dolls she made."

At the New Year's Day banquet, the Empress had been super gracious to her, singing Ru Niang's praises for being clever. The Empress had personally handed her an olive branch, and Lady Gu naturally grabbed it.

As the mother of the nation, whatever the Empress said carried weight. At the very least, nobody would badmouth Gu Zhiru out in the open anymore. Lady Gu was already happy with that, and lately her daughter seemed to be pulling out of her grief and perking up. Lady Gu was deeply grateful to Meng Wan for this.

"Ru Niang's designs are quite good. Selling me just the designs is actually her losing out. If Lady Gu approves, I could give her a ten percent share of the Cotton Mill and let her be a young master." Meng Wan's words were surprising.

Lady Gu's first instinct was to refuse. "She's just a child..." She held the conventional views of ladies in the capital—that a young woman should stay home before marriage, learning household management, flower arranging, incense burning, and tea brewing. But then she remembered hearing that Meng Wan's business had reached the Ministry of Revenue, surpassing even the imperial merchants, and even her husband praised him repeatedly. The words of refusal died in her throat.

The idea of letting her daughter, raised in the inner chambers, go into business seemed like a fantasy. Even she found it absurd, and she trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

"Why not ask Ru Niang what she thinks when you return home, Lady Gu?" Meng Wan said casually, then moved on to another topic. "My eldest son is getting married next month, and I haven't found a suitable All-Blessed Lady. Ru Niang and I are on good terms—would Lady Gu be willing to dress my son's husband for the ceremony?"

An All-Blessed Lady needed to be a woman with both parents and in-laws alive, a harmonious marriage, and both sons and daughters—the more family members, the better. The Gu family's reputation had suffered somewhat due to Gu Zhiru's matter, so Meng Wan's willingness to invite her to serve as All-Blessed Lady at this time was truly help in times of need. How could Lady Gu refuse?

She smiled with genuine warmth. "As long as Meng Fulang doesn't mind my clumsy hands, I'll gladly make a fool of myself."

The atmosphere at their table was pleasant, and everyone was courteous to Meng Wan. But not all guests were so kind and well-mannered.

"Is this the standard of the Prince Qin residence? Nothing impressive."

This arrogant remark drew the attention of everyone nearby.

It was only around seven in the morning. Prince Qin's family had taken the child to the ancestral hall to burn incense, kneel in worship, read the eulogy, and inform the ancestors of the family's new addition, leaving the second daughter-in-law to entertain the guests.

Prince Qin's legitimate second son had been enfeoffed as a commandery prince. This commandery princess had never had a good temper even before marriage. Upon hearing this, she turned around and nearly started an argument, only being held back by two young wives she was acquainted with.

Meng Wan looked toward the seating area on the other side and asked, "Who's speaking so arrogantly?" Even if Prince Qin had lost power, he was still a prince of the blood, the emperor's own elder brother, legitimate royalty. If not for the emperor's strong hand and less-than-warm attitude toward him, saying such things at his banquet could warrant arrest.

"Why not go see for yourself?" Fang Jinrong had arrived at some point. Meng Wan only heard his excited shout before the man dashed forward. All the wives and husbands present observed proper decorum in their movements, but he alone jumped around without a care, completely indifferent to others' gazes, doing as he pleased.

Fang Jinrong returned quickly, dragging a chair over to sit beside Meng Wan. Lady Gu was startled for a moment, then smiled and shifted aside.

Meng Wan could only offer an apologetic smile to the lady. Even First Master Fang couldn't control his own son, so Meng Wan certainly couldn't. "You could sit on Yao Geer's side instead—why crowd Lady Gu?"

Fang Jinrong knew he was in the wrong, smiled, and greeted Nie Zhiyao before quickly changing the subject. "Guess who was speaking just now?"

Meng Wan was actually curious too. "Who?"

Fang Jinrong scratched the tip of his nose. "I heard people at that table discussing it—apparently it's the second sister-in-law of Consort Rong from the palace."

Consort Rong?

Meng Wan and Nie Zhiyao beside him simultaneously turned their gaze to Lady Gu. During the latter half of the New Year's Day banquet, Meng Wan had been in the main hall. Later, Nie Zhiyao told him that Consort Rong and the Empress had shown signs of opposition, using the Gu family as a pretext to spar verbally during the palace banquet—quite a spectacle back and forth.

If the Empress was backed by the nobility and military officials, then Consort Rong could be called a representative of the pure-stream commoner class. Her elder brother Shen Chongshan had risen through his own efforts, step by step, from an obscure second-rank jinshi to the current Salt Transport Commissioner of the Lianghuai region. Though only a third-rank official, he oversaw more than thirty salt fields across Jiangsu and Anhui, wielding considerable power.

Shen Chongshan had always claimed his ancestors were a fallen noble clan. But after the new emperor ascended the throne and appointed him to oversee salt transport, he immediately changed his tune, saying his family were merely poor farmers, that they were only a branch of that fallen clan, and that his parents were simple peasants tilling the fields.

Previously, one couldn't tell if his words were true or false. But after Consort Rong entered the palace, the Shen family's conduct upon visiting the capital revealed their true character.

Nie Zhiyao took a sip of tea from the table and lowered his voice. "The Shen family certainly dares to speak, but if they keep running their mouths like this, they'll bring disaster upon themselves."

Meng Wan's tone was languid as he picked up the thread. "Though the Prince Qin residence has fallen from favor, they're still imperial relatives. Today is a celebration, and this Second Madam Shen is showing such disrespect to the Prince Qin household—is she new to the capital and trying to show off in elite circles?"

Unfortunately, her methods were too crude. She'd both offended people and made herself a laughingstock.

"When can we leave?" Fang Jinrong asked with slight boredom. He had come purely to go through the motions, caring nothing for these connections and relationships.

Meng Wan patiently explained the upcoming schedule to Fang Jinrong. "In a moment, there will be the bathing ceremony. After that, the feast begins. During the meal, they'll bring the child out to greet the guests. Once we've seen the child, we can all take our leave together."

He raised his hand, and Huang Ye behind him stepped forward, handing him two palm-sized wooden boxes. Meng Wan took them and casually passed one to Fang Jinrong. "Here, I prepared this for you. Give it to the child when it's time to present gifts."

"Thanks!" Fang Jinrong took it. Inside was an uncarved jadeite of excellent quality. He glanced around and saw that indeed, every lady's maidservant or page behind them was holding gift boxes of various sizes. Only he had come alone, without even a servant.

The bathing ceremony took place at around nine in the morning. Some guests rose and went over—all relatives of Princess Qin. Guests like Meng Wan didn't need to attend; they just waited for the feast to begin.

Musicians from the Music Bureau played elegant tunes, and a stage had been set up in the courtyard center, where a puppet show was being performed.

Meng Wan wasn't interested. He and Nie Zhiyao preferred listening to storytelling. But the performance did manage to keep Fang Jinrong entertained, allowing him to sit quietly and watch the puppets.

After the puppet show came an acrobatic performance, and shortly after it began, the feast was served.

Meng Wan was very careful about eating outside. Anything that went into his mouth, he would secretly test for poison. He did this discreetly and ate sparingly, so no one noticed.

As a result, Jin Rong, that careless fellow, casually pulled out a thin pale-pink needle, picked a few dishes that seemed to suit his taste into his bowl, and went down the line poking each one, leaving everyone at the table dumbfounded.

While poking, Jin Rong even thought to explain, "Bear with me, everyone. I've been poisoned before, so I'm just being cautious."

Nie Zhiyao had already returned to his seat. Meng Wan choked down the food in his mouth and tugged at Jin Rong's sleeve, "Can't you at least hide it with your sleeve?" He's always doing stuff that ticks people off. Luckily, the Commandery Princess wasn't nearby, or else she'd be glaring at Jin Rong as well as Madam Shen the Second.

"What's the big deal? Don't the nobles have food tasters too?" Jin Rong carefully put away his little pink needle. It was crafted by a friend of Ge Quan's, each one lasting three years, and he had a whole box of them at home.

"You gotta tone it down when you're out, not show off..." Meng Wan's words trailed off as he met Jin Rong's fearless expression. Fine, this guy had always done exactly as he pleased.

Though the ladies and gentlemen at the table had witnessed the spectacle, since they all knew Meng Wan to some degree, not one of them made a fuss.

Before long, Princess Qin emerged holding her eldest grandson, the son of her legitimate son. She was clearly overjoyed, going table by table to present return gifts for the full-month celebration.

First came Nie Zhiyao's table, then it was Meng Wan's turn. Meng Wan kept a close eye on Jin Rong, watching him hand over the "meeting gift" properly and receive the return gift smoothly, only then relaxing and offering his own congratulations.

After their table finished, accompanied by several relatives, Princess Qin carried the child to the next table.

After circling halfway, trouble broke out again at Madam Shen the Second's table. Meng Wan heard voices rising louder and louder, and the next moment Jin Rong set down his chopsticks and hurried over.

This time the commotion was bigger—not just Jin Rong, but many others stood up. Most went over under the pretense of connections to watch the excitement, while a few were actually related to Prince Qin or the Shen family by marriage; those were genuinely worried about a fight breaking out.

On one side was a newly favored official family, with Consort Rong currently basking in imperial favor; on the other was the emperor's elder brother, orthodox imperial kin. Though Prince Qin's household had lost its former glory, its foundations ran deep...

Meng Wan's clear dark eyes flickered, and he too rose and made his way toward the scene of the disturbance.

"May I ask where the Prince Qin's household has failed in hospitality, that Madam Shen the Second feels compelled to make cutting remarks again and again at the banquet?" Princess Qin's expression had been sour to begin with, and now, angered, her face flushed red beneath the pallor, her eyes blazing with fury.

Her two daughters-in-law—one the Heir's Consort who had given birth a month ago, the other the Commandery Princess—stood nearby with grim expressions, facing off against a woman in her thirties at the table.

Madam Shen the Second was a slightly plump woman with a darker complexion, an ordinary-looking sort. She was decked out in a purple satin gown, adorned with as many hairpins, pearls, and gold ornaments as she could pile on, with two thick gold bangles on each wrist. At this moment, she was raising her rough-tipped finger, pointing at the child in Princess Qin's arms.

Her voice was shrill, dripping with undisguised contempt, "The hospitality at Prince Qin's household is indeed mediocre—why isn't there even a bear paw dish on the table? I was merely stating the truth. After all, this child looks thin and shriveled, with not a shred of royal dignity about him. Can't a person even speak their mind? You're quite the tyrant, aren't you, Princess?"