Chapter 20 Touching the clear moonlight in Danxiang Garden, if not for Shen Lang's convenience, then recruiting a worthy man or bestowing a reward...

"I put it on but don't want to go anymore. You, me, and the food vendors, the chefs, and the customers downstairs—it's all a pity."

Li Changling leaned over the railing and said, "That's true. Since you're not going, I won't go either."

"Why are you here with me? You like me a lot too." Wang Yan couldn't look at anyone downstairs, and didn't know where to look, so she turned to look at Li Changling.

"Yes, you like it even more than I do. Is it that you don't want to go, or that you shouldn't go?"

Li Changling's words made her heartstrings tremble.

"Although I do not approve of the two of you having too much involvement, your attendance at the banquet today is merely fulfilling your duty as the second host, and does not represent your father or the Wang family, but only yourself."

Although they didn't grow up together and he was nominally her cousin, it was unclear whether he or Wang Zhen understood her better.

"I've heard that people from Mingyue Tower will also be going. We—"

Wang Yan immediately pulled Li Changling downstairs, saying, "We can't let ourselves be outdone!"

They were still too late. When they arrived at Danxiang Garden, everyone had already moved from the garden to the banquet hall. The guests took their seats one after another, and Wang Yan saw Lady Jinyi as soon as she entered.

Today, Shen Minghuai, dressed in a light cloud-colored brocade robe with crane and deer patterns, walked side by side with He Fan. The composure in his every move was in no way inferior to that of Shen Fu, who had been a prefect for nearly ten years in the officialdom.

Wang Yan had never felt that he was so suited to be an official, as if he were born for that officialdom. Such a person, yet he thought of escaping. That day he said he had no right to choose, but in truth, he had long since been unable to escape. He and she were ultimately destined to be apart.

Unlike the capital, where four departments and six bureaus handle all matters related to banquets of all sizes, Shen Minghuai's request that day was merely for the arrangement of tables and chairs, food and drinks. In the entire city of Yangzhou, apart from Linjiangxian and Mingyuelou, there were only two places available.

This flower-viewing banquet not only brought in a fortune, but also enhanced the reputation of his restaurant in Yangzhou. How could Wang Yan let such an opportunity fall into the hands of Mingyue Tower for nothing? Besides, the banquet venue wasn't at Linjiangxian; only busybodies would think that way.

After the banquet began, Shen Minghuai was constantly engaged in social interactions, surrounded by local wealthy businessmen and a few powerful figures. The young man, who had not yet reached adulthood, always wore a gentle smile, but standing among the crowd, his seemingly innate ability to strategize and plan added a touch of intimidation to him.

Since it's called "flower appreciation," it's not very formal. Apart from the exchange between the chief and the superiors, most people just wander around with wine glasses in hand.

Wang Yan sat at the last seat, toasted He Fan, then Shen Minghuai, before walking towards Shangguan Yu, unaware that the gazes of those behind her followed her several times. Few knew her identity; she had intended to keep a low profile, but had forgotten that she had come with a celebrity from Yangzhou.

A man in brocade robes and wearing a jade crown blocked her way. "I have never seen this lady before. Would you do me the honor of offering her a cup of wine?"

“Cousin, don’t stand on ceremony with her. This is the second owner of Linjiangxian that I told you about.” Xie Yu clinked glasses with Wei Lun and drank it all in one gulp.

"Is the lady the second mistress of Linjiangxian? Then who is she to Young Master Li—" Wei Lunxuan searched for Li Changling's figure at the table.

“Young Master Li is her cousin, Wang Yan. It seems you do know some manners. Where did you find a tailor to make this outfit overnight?” Xie Yu could tell at a glance that the clothes were not made in Yangzhou.

Wei Lun had only thought he and Wang Yan were business rivals, but he hadn't expected them to be so close. Xie Yu told him that Wang Yan was the daughter of the Minister of Revenue. He was about to ask where her parents and brothers were when they disappeared. Instead, Yang Jingzhe arrived with a cup.

"Xie Yu, who are you looking for?"

"Who can I turn to? Let's drink."

Xie Yu put his arm around Yang Jingzhe and headed towards the garden. Wei Xu, who had somehow managed to escape, came looking for Wei Lun.

"What does Third Brother think of Wang Yan?"

Wei Lun looked closely at his fifth sister and said, “Her father is the Minister of Revenue. No matter how outstanding your third brother is, this marriage will be difficult to arrange.”

Wei Xu half-closed his eyes. "Third Brother, stop daydreaming. That's not what I'm asking about."

"Then you are—" Wei Lun then noticed that Wei Xu's gaze was fixed on the person in charge of the banquet.

"The Shen family's prestige is even higher than the Wang family's; Fifth Sister, stop daydreaming."

Wei Xu did not back down at all, "I can be your concubine, but is Third Brother willing to be your son-in-law?"

"Pah!" Wei Lun snapped, "A true man would never be associated with the term 'son-in-law'!"

Wei Xu glanced at him and said, "Keep your voice down. Even if you become a concubine after marrying into the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, you will still be better than your elder sister."

Wei Lun asked in bewilderment, "You and your eldest sister have been comparing yourselves since childhood, and both of you are wives of the Wei family. What is there to compare?"

"Am I the one who should compete?" Wei Xu said in a deep voice. "If I don't fight for my place in this world, how can I gain a foothold? Third Brother, as a man, would not understand."

After saying this, the two parted on bad terms and returned to their respective seats. Meanwhile, two other people quietly left their seats from the other side.

"If my sister hadn't sent your maid away, I wouldn't have been able to say a single word to her," Wang Yan said affectionately.

Shangguan Yu let her hold his arm indifferently, saying, "If the prefect hadn't been there, I wouldn't have had the chance to see Lady Wang."

“Calling me ‘Madam Wang’ sounds too formal,” Wang Yan said, feigning annoyance, then smiled again. “How about we address each other as sisters?”

"Madam Wang is a noble lady from the capital. I'm afraid my sister wouldn't dare to curry favor with her so easily." Seeing that no one was around, Shangguan Yu stopped.

“My father merely holds a minor official position in the capital; he wouldn’t dare call himself a nobleman. It’s the one living in the palace who is.” Wang Yan climbed the steps alone, heading towards the pavilion. “Don’t worry, she won’t be back anytime soon. This is my first time here too; why don’t I come up and take a look?”

Shangguan Yu slowly ascended the pavilion, where she could indeed overlook the entire garden. Red lanterns flickered, green leaves swayed like plates, and a refreshing fragrance filled the air. Upon seeing this scene, she felt as if she were asking herself, "In which celestial palace am I?"

"Fortunately, it's quiet here, unlike Madam Wei's place, which is too noisy."

Wang Yan didn't know Wei Xu at first, but to her surprise, the first person to toast her was Wei Xu.

Shangguan Yu didn't even glance at her, saying, "Madam Wei is easygoing and naturally has a good reputation."

Wang Yan followed her gaze and, unsurprisingly, saw Zhu Yao. "I think having too many friends isn't necessarily a good thing; most of them are insincere. If you only have one, someone you can truly trust, that's enough."

Shangguan Yu was much more well-behaved today than he had been the previous two times.

"Sister sees things very clearly."

Wang Yan then turned his gaze back to Wei Xu, "Swans surround her, and orioles and swallows flock around her; we little sparrows are truly envious." But the red lotus seemed to have other thoughts on her.

This was the first time Shangguan Yu had looked at her directly today, but her expression was extremely distant. "Why should you lower yourself, sister? It's hard to say that those people are truly sincere."

Wang Yan seemed to be staring a hole through that group of people. "Yes. It's nothing more than valuing her family background, or her beauty, or both. Everyone is the same. They'll offer a word of concern when she's sick, but if something unexpected happens in the future, they'll probably run away faster than anyone else."

Shangguan Yu was slightly displeased, "Those who treat others with sincerity would not act like this."

Wang Yan continued, "But how many people truly understand my feelings? When I pass away, I only hope that two or three close friends will come with flowers and leave with smiles, and tell me about the affairs of this mortal world, regardless of joy or sorrow. My loved ones must come, otherwise I will be so sad. I hope that when that day comes, I will have no regrets, and that I will not die with resentment."

Shangguan Yu said with a half-smile, "Sister, you're still so young, why are you talking about this?"

Wang Yan smiled back, "But some things, if we don't make them clear now, we might not have the chance later. You know that Madam He's feelings for Meng Shu are genuine, right?"

Shangguan Yu pursed her lips and remained silent.

"We can offer some assistance with your matter with Zhu Yao. If the He family truly threatens you, we will certainly lend a hand. You have met the young master who presided over the banquet today, and you should be able to judge whether he is capable of doing anything to your advantage. Moreover, if there is any violation of etiquette or law, the prefecture will not tolerate it. We are also acquainted with Prefect He, so you can tell us any unspeakable difficulties you may have."

For the first time today, Shangguan Yu looked at Wei Xu and said without any reason, "How can Fifth Sister Wei compete?"

Wang Yan was completely bewildered. "Compete? What is there to compete for?"

Shangguan Yu didn't mention Wei Xu again, but only asked, "Why did you help him?"

"Because he wanted to see the person he loved one again."

Shangguan Yu abandoned all politeness and coldly retorted, "Love? You're nothing but a performer."

Wang Yan had thought that appealing to emotions would be easier. Now that she and Meng Shu were in the same boat, she should help her out no matter what. "Perhaps you have misunderstood."

"Misunderstanding? Does he remember even a fraction of the kindness my sister showed him?! If it weren't for him—" Shangguan Yu stopped there and asked about something else. She thought Wang Yan had helped him because he had received a favor from him.

“He didn’t offer any benefits; we just suspected that there was something fishy about Madam He’s death,” Wang Yan told her, only revealing half of the truth.

Shangguan Yu suddenly glared at her, then hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Wang Yan grabbed her wrist. "You noticed too?!"

Shangguan Yu twisted her sleeves, but finally relented, "I'll trust you this once. The day after tomorrow, there will be a Buddha bathing ceremony at Daming Temple. I'll be staying nearby that night. You must come quietly."

Wang Yan straightened her clothes for her. "Of course."

Shangguan Yu quickly returned to her seat, while Wang Yan turned and went to the garden. She had only taken a few steps when she saw Zhu Yao standing there, as if he had been waiting for her.

"Don't worry, I'm not sick."

Zhu Yao breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for? You're too kind," Wang Yan said jokingly. "Just come and bring more blessings to Linjiangxian in the future."

Zhu Yao readily agreed, "Alright! By the way, are you acquainted with that Lady Wei?"

"This is the first time we've met. What's wrong?" Wang Yan was even more confused. What exactly did Shangguan Yu mean by those words?

The two walked together toward the peony bushes. Zhu Yao casually said, "Nothing much. It's just that she came to ask about your relationship with me, and then went to ask Shangguan. Maybe she wants to be friends with you."

"Make friends with me?" Wang Yan recalled that when Wei Xu greeted her earlier, he was full of curiosity and scrutiny, but she didn't feel any sense of closeness.

Zhu Yao suddenly stopped and muttered, "Isn't that Envoy Yang? He never participates in banquets like this, but he's here today."

Wang Yan looked towards Shen Minghuai and saw his imposing figure standing there, with a woman's hand on his arm.