Chapter 201

Chapter 201: Growing Up The room fell silent, leaving only the sound of Song Shulan's heavy breathing after his outburst. One breath after another. Cui Lingrong turned and left the study without giving Song Shulan a response. A moment later, Qingshan entered and said, "My Lord, the Eldest Young Madam said... said it's up to you." "Then do it—do it lavishly!" Song Shulan knew he was being stubborn, but he felt deeply dissatisfied. That sense of ease and control over those around him, so different from before, had vanished completely. Qingshan cautiously advised, "My Lord, the Eldest Young Madam does make some good points." "She has her points, but don't I have mine?" Song Shulan shot him a glare. "Do as I say—send out the invitations!" Song Shulan had just been promoted, and with the Rong Prince Mansion backing him, every invitation he sent out received a response. As for Cui Lingrong, since Song Shulan insisted on holding the banquet, she could only follow protocol and arrange it. On the day of the banquet, Cui Lingrong dressed and groomed herself early in the morning. When she arrived at the front hall, she found County Princess Rongjia already there. Without needing to think twice, she knew exactly what County Princess Rongjia intended. She wanted to compete for the position at Song Shulan's side. "Nanny Qiu, go tell Yu-jie to come and stay with me." Cui Lingrong intended to introduce Yu-jie to some people. Soon, guests began arriving one after another. The Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion had not hosted a banquet in a long time, and many people came today. Cui Lingrong calmly remembered each person's preferences and status. Unlike Cui Lingrong's ease, County Princess Rongjia did not know many people's identities, or the changes in their statuses and official positions. She never bothered with such matters and certainly never remembered ordinary people. So when many came before her, she could not address them properly and could only respond with a smile. The guests had eyes to see—especially with Song Shulan and County Princess Rongjia standing on the left, and Cui Lingrong and Yu-jie on the right. The contrast made it clear at a glance who had the bearing of a true mistress of the household. Soon, Yuan Mingzhu arrived. After giving birth to her daughter, she had filled out considerably. She went straight to Cui Lingrong and said, "I've been looking forward to seeing you for days. You must make time to see me later." Then she leaned close to Cui Lingrong's ear and whispered, "County Princess Rongjia loves to show off, doesn't she? Let her do it—if she messes up, it's her and Song Shulan's face that gets lost. You spend more time with me, got it?" Cui Lingrong smiled. "Understood. Yu-jie, take your Aunt Yuan to her seat. She's good at socializing—better with words than I am." "That's true." Yuan Mingzhu took Yu-jie's hand. "Come on, Yu-jie, I'll introduce you to more people." Yuan Mingzhu was articulate and outgoing, and she quickly got Yu-jie laughing and chatting with several acquaintances. It was quite a while later, when most guests had arrived, that Cui Lingrong finally saw Lou Wanxian arriving late. By then, Song Shulan and County Princess Rongjia had already gone into the courtyard with Prince Rong and his wife. Lou Wanxian apologized profusely to Cui Lingrong, explaining that her sedan chair had broken down halfway, which was why she was late. "It's no trouble. Your coming at all does me honor. I'll have Nanny Qiu take you to your seat. I have a good sister with a wonderful disposition—she's sure to get along with you." Cui Lingrong was referring to Yuan Mingzhu. Nanny Qiu made a gesture of invitation, then led Lou Wanxian to Yuan Mingzhu and respectfully introduced her. "This is Madam Zeng. The Eldest Young Madam instructed that Second Young Madam Jiang should introduce her around." Lou Wanxian had been very nervous—her status was not yet sufficient to attend a banquet at the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, and the guests present outranked her. But Lady Cui had shown her full respect, without any hint of looking down on her. Yuan Mingzhu understood it was her good sister's instruction and immediately warmly pulled Lou Wanxian to sit beside her. "I find you very familiar, sister. Have we met somewhere before?" Lou Wanxian said no. "Perhaps it's because I'm the County Mistress's cousin—we share some resemblance?" She openly stated her relationship with County Princess Rongjia. Since this was Lady Cui's good sister, she wanted to clarify things upfront—if Yuan Mingzhu discovered it later, it could easily cause misunderstandings. By saying it outright, she also showed that Cui Lingrong was aware. Since Cui Lingrong knew and was still willing to associate with Lou Wanxian, Yuan Mingzhu sensed there was more to the story. Her curiosity was strong, and since it involved Cui Lingrong, she pulled Lou Wanxian into quiet conversation. To outsiders, they appeared to be getting along intimately, and soon people grew interested in Lou Wanxian and came over to chat. While they laughed and talked on their side, County Princess Rongjia not far away was greeting Old Madame Song with her parents. It wasn't until laughter came from across the pond that she turned to look. Prince Rong and his wife also looked across, seeing Yuan Mingzhu and several other ladies, along with Yu-jie, laughing together. Especially Yuan Mingzhu's laughter—it was clear and piercing. "No manners!" County Princess Rongjia sneered. When she turned back, she noticed her father squinting at the scene. "Father, who are you looking at?" Prince Rong didn't remember Lou Wanxian, as he had only seen her when she was very young. He asked, "Who is that?" "Who else could it be? That Lou woman." County Princess Rongjia was unwilling to acknowledge Lou Wanxian as her cousin. "Look at her shabby appearance, how dare she show her face here! Chen De's Wife, go ask who invited her. Don't tell me she's lying and claiming I sent her an invitation?" In County Princess Rongjia's view, Lou Wanxian had likely come relying on her status as her cousin, and she wanted to have her thrown out. Chen De's Wife had just left when Prince Rong frowned slightly. "She looks quite familiar to me. What is her status?" Princess Consort Rong then said, "She is the daughter of my half-sister." "So that's it. I was just saying she resembles someone—turns out she resembles you." Looking at the Princess Consort, then at his daughter, Prince Rong casually made a joke. "If I didn't know better, I'd think she was our daughter." But since she was the daughter of Princess Consort Rong's half-sister, it made sense. After all, the two sisters looked quite alike. Princess Consort Rong said disdainfully, "Your Highness, what nonsense are you speaking? How could we have a daughter like that? Just look at her—clearly lacking in upbringing, unfit for polite society!" County Princess Rongjia also said, "That's right, Father. Aren't you afraid of hurting my feelings by saying such things?" "I was just making a casual remark. Why are you two taking it so seriously?" Prince Rong said he was going to greet the other guests and walked off. Before long, Chen De's Wife came over, saying that the Eldest Young Madam had invited Lady Lou over. "It's her again!" County Princess Rongjia gritted her teeth. "That wretch Lady Cui always loves to make me unhappy!" Princess Consort Rong quickly signaled her daughter with her eyes. "Mind your image. Don't let anyone see you like this!" County Princess Rongjia pursed her lips and forced a smile. Her mind turned, and she called Chen De's Wife over to whisper a few instructions. "Remember, do it quietly." If they wanted to spite her, then she would make Lou Wanxian a public laughingstock. Let's see how Lou Wanxian could ever dare to attend banquets again! However, Chen De's Wife watched for quite a while but never found an opportunity, because Second Young Madam Jiang kept Lou Wanxian by her side the whole time. Following Cui Lingrong's instructions, Yuan Mingzhu kept Lou Wanxian and Yu-jie on either side of her, until a maidservant bumped into Lou Wanxian, spilling tea all over her clothes. "Forgive me, madam. This servant didn't mean it. Why don't I take you to get cleaned up?" The maidservant knelt on the ground as many madams and young ladies looked on. With so many people watching, no one could lose their temper. Lou Wanxian nodded awkwardly. It was then that Song Yu spoke up to stop her. "Which part of the household do you serve in? I don't recall ever seeing you before." "This servant..." The maidservant was momentarily at a loss. She was from the outer courtyard, and at an occasion like this, it wasn't her turn to serve. "My mother is strict with her staff and examines each one's competence individually. And since I've been learning household management from her these past days, I've never seen you." Song Yu adopted her mother's manner of handling affairs, carrying herself with considerable authority. Many of the madams and young ladies watching Song Yu felt admiration in their hearts, thinking that the daughter Lady Cui had raised truly possessed the bearing of a great household, handling matters as properly as Lady Cui herself. The maidservant was again left speechless. Song Yu sensed something was amiss but did not make a scene in public. "Today is the Marquis's banquet for honored guests. Qiutang, take her to find Nanny Qiu. I won't interrogate her further, so as not to spoil everyone's enjoyment." She then looked at Lou Wanxian. "Madam Zeng, please come with me. This servant's incompetence is truly a failure of the Marquis's hospitality. I'll take you to change your clothes." She followed her mother's way of handling matters—not blowing things out of proportion while showing full respect to the guest. This incident demonstrated the skills Song Yu had been learning these past days. Yuan Mingzhu had been about to speak up, but in the end found her intervention unnecessary. She felt gratified and praised Song Yu repeatedly to the others. And so, County Princess Rongjia's scheme did not succeed. Chen De's Wife watched anxiously from a distance and could only return to discuss other plans with the County Princess. But at this moment, no one knew that Zhuqing, taking advantage of the busyness at the Marquis's household, had secretly slipped out of the courtyard.