The next day.

The concubines all arrived at the Hibiscus Courtyard on time.

It came earlier than usual.

Even Zou Shuang'er, who is usually the last to arrive, arrived half an hour early.

Ye Lanyin rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked to the main hall. When she saw the five people standing in neat rows, she was slightly taken aback.

"Greetings to the Madam." Everyone curtsied in unison.

Ye Lanyin immediately put on a smile and walked to the main seat, "My sisters have arrived very early."

Lingwei couldn't contain herself and said eagerly, "Madam, knowing that you are going to teach us how to manage the household, we dared not slack off and arrived a short while ago."

"Yes, Madam, have I disturbed your rest?" Zhiyan asked with a smile.

Ye Lanyin's beautiful peach blossom eyes swept over the crowd, as if she were trying to capture something, or perhaps just looking around casually; her voice carried a touch of tenderness.

"No, then let's begin. Listen carefully today, starting tomorrow, you will need to prepare the banquet yourselves."

"Yes, madam."

"First, let me tell you about the banquet guest list. This list includes not only the Marquis's family, the Master's people, and the Old Madam's people, but also the two newlyweds. We need to discuss with them who they want to invite. All of these need to be registered one by one."

"At that time, all the gifts brought by the guests need to be written down so that we can reciprocate when we attend their wedding banquet in the future."

"Yes, madam."

"In addition, the seating arrangement for guests on the day of the banquet is also important. It needs to be arranged according to their status, so don't get it mixed up. You only need to prepare three to five tables in advance."

"Yes, madam."

"As for the food at this banquet, I have the recipes on hand. You can prepare according to them."

"Find someone yourself to buy the groceries."

As she spoke, Ye Lanyin asked Hua Xin to show them the menu.

The concubines eagerly crowded closer to take a look, jostling each other, until they finally spotted it.

Zou Shuang'er, who couldn't squeeze in behind her, was left standing there somewhat awkwardly.

Ye Lanyin glanced at her and sneered inwardly.

…

And so, Ye Lanyin spoke to the group for nearly two hours, finally finishing her account of the banquet.

Seeing that the group seemed to know a lot, she nodded slightly.

"It seems you've all taken it to heart."

Yu Shuang said with a smile:

"Madam, if it weren't for your teaching, we wouldn't have been able to learn so quickly. It would take ordinary people several years to learn. We are grateful for your kindness in teaching us everything."

"If one day we can help you, it will be our blessing."

Shuxue glanced at Yu Shuang lightly and said leisurely, "Yes, Madam, although I come from a family of courtesans, I have heard many high-ranking officials and nobles mention some things about it."

"The eldest son will be getting married soon, and it is truly my honor to be able to organize such a grand wedding banquet."

Lingwei looked at Shuxue, her eyes full of dissatisfaction.

"Shuxue, Madam has made it clear that all of us concubines were involved in managing this wedding banquet. If we're talking about good fortune, it's naturally all of us who have gained Madam's favor. How come it's all yours alone?"

Zhiyan smiled and tried to smooth things over.

"Sisters, we have now learned some of the principles of managing a household. There is still much to learn in the future. I see that Madam is tired, so why don't we go back first?"

Upon hearing Zhiyan's remark, Lingwei rolled her eyes at Shuxue in annoyance.

Seeing that Ye Lanyin's eyes were a little sleepy, everyone realized that more than two hours had passed, and they immediately stood up.

"Madam, we will take our leave now."

Ye Lanyin watched them finish arguing and nodded with a smile.

"Go back now and study today's lessons carefully."

"Yes, madam."

The concubines were walking back.

Zhiyan recalled Ye Lanyin's words today. Could it be that she wanted to use the eldest young master's wedding banquet to select one or two people to take charge of the family?

Judging from Madam's performance today, she seems to be truly exhausted from managing the household.

“Oh, I’ve never seen such a good mistress, even better to us than the master,” Shuxue said lightly.

Yu Shuang walked ahead and said, "Yes, today she passed on more than ten years of knowledge to us. Isn't that treating us like sisters?"

Lingwei said in a slightly arrogant tone, "How could she not fawn over us?"

“She’s already in her thirties, while we’re only in our twenties at most. The Marquis’s mansion might not even be in her hands in the future. The way she’s treating us is a way of leaving herself a way out in advance.”

Shuxue smiled, brushed a stray hair from her forehead, and nodded in agreement:

"That's right. If you ask me, the relationships she can manage with a little money are much better than some people trying to please the master."

Zou Shuang'er followed behind the group, and couldn't help but shiver twice.

It wasn't that she was afraid, but that now that she and her family were finally able to reunite, she couldn't go out anymore.

Otherwise, she would have nowhere to go and would be insulted by others without any recourse.

Here, she could seek help from the master if she was wronged.

“You lowly concubine Zou, don’t you think so?” Lingwei suddenly moved closer to her and asked her contemptuously.

"I don't know." She quickened her pace.

Her son is about to get married, and she will soon be related to the second-rank general's family by marriage. She wants to drive Ye Lanyin away and become the mistress of this noble family.

Otherwise, she would be tortured to death by these people, and she would lose Shiming, and even Shixuan would despise her.

A daughter is destined to marry out of the family; once married, she is like water spilled from a cup—she cannot be without support.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!