Chapter 7 Seeing is believing, Miss Wen...

The spring breeze is gentle, but the spring rain is bothersome.

The pattering raindrops drifted and mingled into the mud, creating puddles of water.

The sky over Shengjing City had been overcast for several days, but fortunately, as Princess Mingzhu's birthday banquet approached, the sun finally peeked through the sky.

Wearing a wide-sleeved jacket and a three-pleated skirt, Ms. Xiang looked radiant today.

She went on and on about the details that Wen Shizhen and the others should pay attention to, but paused when she saw Wen Lingzheng.

Remembering Old Madam Wen's instructions, Madam Xiang shook her head and gave up, saying no more.

The carriage swayed and rocked along the way, and Wen Lingzheng was drowsy.

Since the Qi family came from a merchant family, their dowry inevitably included shops and land.

Ever since Old Madam Wen returned all of Qi's dowry to her, she had been studying that messy account day and night for quite some time.

Wen Lingzheng sighed inwardly.

Qi died young, and she was still young at the time. The shop, left unattended, was like stale rice in a granary. Not only did it breed a large number of weevils, but now it was difficult to even maintain basic business.

Wen Lingzheng rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

She needs to find a proper way to get rid of the parasites as soon as possible, and most importantly, she must replace the manager with a trustworthy person.

A jumble of voices drifted through the curtains.

The coachman stopped the carriage to the side and turned to the mistress inside, saying, "Madam, we have arrived at the Grand Princess's residence."

Xiang responded and then led several young men and women off the carriage.

She handed the name card to the servant standing at the door, and the old woman who was leading the way came out from behind the door with a smile, leading the Wen family toward the banquet hall.

Princess Mingzhu's birthday banquet was arranged next to the famous lotus pond at the Grand Princess's residence.

Summer has not yet arrived, and the white lotus has not yet bloomed.

Only the swaying green shadows in the pond made the peach branches in the courtyard seem like mere embellishments.

The men's and women's seats were not in the same place, so the Wen family split into two groups.

Wen Lingzheng followed Xiang Shi into the hall.

People were coming and going in the hall.

Princess Yongqing had not yet arrived, so her son Chen Weize entertained the guests at the men's table, while Princess Mingzhu Chen Lingwen, the hostess of the banquet, took care of the guests at the women's table.

"Hideyuki?"

"It really is you!"

Suddenly, a figure blocked Xiang's path.

Wen Lingzheng paused in her steps.

She looked up and saw a woman wearing a front-opening, narrow-sleeved shirt with a small flower in her hair looking at Xiang Shi, their eyes meeting, with tears welling up in her eyes.

Seeing that Wen Lingsheng looked a little lost, Wen Lingzheng took a small step and leaned close to her ear.

"That's the wife of the Censor-in-Chief, Madam Wu."

Wu Kui, the current Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, has no sons, only three daughters.

The eldest daughter married the great Confucian scholar Liu Yong, the second daughter married into the Xiang family of the Minister's Mansion, and the youngest daughter was betrothed to Luo Ban, a trusted confidant of the late emperor and the Imperial Censor.

"aunt?"

Xiang's voice trembled slightly.

However, the banquet hall was crowded and noisy, so Madam Wu quickly stopped Madam Xiang and pulled her to sit down in a corner.

"You child!"

"It's one thing to quarrel with your father, but why haven't you sent a single letter to your aunt after all these years in Lin'an?"

As she spoke, Madam Wu sighed, "Why are you so stubborn?"

She lowered her voice: "She's just a concubine, and one who can't have children."

"It's just a matter of enduring it for a while! Why are you making yourself suffer like this..."

Perhaps thinking of her deceased second sister, Madam Wu couldn't help but feel melancholy.

Madam Xiang quickly interrupted Madam Wu's sigh.

"She lost three sons because of my mother, and her body is no longer suitable for having children. Now that my mother is gone, how can she let us siblings go?"

"Fortunately, my muddle-headed father only has one son, my elder brother, so he will never let that wicked woman harm him."

She smiled and said, "My little Zhen'er came along today! I'll bring him to show Auntie in a bit."

Madam Wu patted Madam Xiang's shoulder and smiled helplessly: "Alright, alright!"

Remembering the two girls who had accompanied her, Madam Xiang turned around and called Wen Lingsheng and Wen Lingzheng to her side, introducing them to Madam Wu.

“These are my daughters, Sheng and Zheng.”

“When I married her, Zhengjie was still an infant! Now she’s a grown woman.”

Pushed by Madam Xiang in front of Madam Wu, the wind blowing through the window ruffled the hair on Wen Lingzheng's forehead, making her slightly clearer.

"Good morning, Madam Wu."

Madam Wu had four sons but no daughters, and often lamented that she was not blessed with the ability to raise a girl.

Seeing two girls standing in front of her, who looked like little flower buds, she actually gave them both of her valuable bracelets.

"Little girls are so lovely!"

"He's polite and well-behaved, unlike my few unruly boys..."

Before Madam Wu could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a maid who rushed over.

The maid looked panicked, and even in the slightly chilly early spring, a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Wen Lingzheng heard the maid say in a low voice, "Madam Wu, you should go and see! Young Master Luo and the heir of the Yongchang Marquis are fighting again!"

A slight tremor ran through Wen Lingzheng's heart, and she couldn't help but frown.

Luo Xu, the fifth son of the Luo family.

Pei Lin's later deputy general?

Wen Lingzheng had a strong impression of Luo Xu.

In the autumn of the fifteenth year of Xuanren, the war in the northern border became critical, and the emperor urgently ordered Pei Lin to go on the expedition, but Luo Xu was unable to go due to mourning for his father.

Pei Lin's coffin was escorted back to the Dingbei Marquis's residence by this person.

Seven days after Pei Lin's mourning period ended, Luo Xu, upholding his will, led troops to the northern border to fight the enemy.

In the battle between the two armies of Xuan Nhán and Đại Việt in the seventeenth year of Xuan Nhán, he killed a Việt general to avenge Pei Rín by sacrificing his own life.

While Luo Xu was alive, he always took it upon himself to take care of the remaining elderly, weak, women and children of the Dingbei Marquis's mansion. Even after his death, his brother never stopped providing assistance to the Dingbei Marquis's mansion.

"What?"

Madam Wu tried her best to keep her voice down, but she still managed to disturb quite a few people.

Madam Xiang helped Madam Wu walk ahead, with Wen Lingzheng and Wen Lingsheng following behind.

As soon as the shadow of the moon gate came into view after passing through the covered walkway, the hustle and bustle of the courtyard reached everyone's ears.

"An Xiangru!"

"If you dare to say another word, I'll beat you up every time I see you!"

Luo Xu's voice was full of energy, echoing throughout the courtyard with its carved beams and painted pillars.

Madam Wu was so angry that her face turned black, and she hurried towards the courtyard.

Exhausted, Xiang Shi had no choice but to jog to catch up.

The courtyard was crowded with people. When the onlookers saw Madam Wu coming, they quickly made way for her.

At that time, Lady Bo, the wife of the Earl of Yongchang, had also arrived.

The two families hurriedly sent their servants to pull their young masters away, but they did not expect that the two young masters, who had grown up in luxury, would be so strong.

Instead of separating the young masters, they were dragged down by them.

The ground was muddy after the rain.

Even though the maids of the Grand Princess's residence had cleaned it, there were still some pebbles on the bluestone ground.

Luo Xu loved martial arts, and his greatest wish in life was to gallop across the battlefield.

Even though An Xiangru was half a head taller than him, he was still no match for him in a fight.

Seeing her son pinned to the ground with scraped cheeks, Madam Bo was both anxious and heartbroken. She pointed at Madam Wu and blamed her for failing to raise her son properly.

Realizing she was in the wrong, Madam Wu didn't bother with Madam Bo.

She pushed aside the servant who was sprawled out on his back, stepped forward, and grabbed Luo Xu by the back of his neck, as if she were about to lift him up.

"Rosh!"

"I'll count to three, are you going to let go or not?!"

The threatening words made Roche turn around.

But he showed no intention of letting go of An Xiangru.

He merely glanced at Madam Wu, his words laced with indignation: "That guy deserves to be beaten!"

"He's trying to curry favor with Yao Bohuai, but I can't be bothered with him."

"But he dared to smear Brother Pei behind his back! I was being lenient by beating him up!"

"Even if Mother hangs me up and beats me when I get home today, I'll accept it!"

Luo Xu suddenly broke free from Madam Wu's restraints and gave An Xiangru a good beating.

His fearless, almost reckless demeanor startled not only the servants but even Madam Wu, who dared not approach him again.

Wen Lingzheng glanced around and frowned.

Why hasn't anyone come to stop things from getting this bad? It seems there's more to it than meets the eye.

After a moment's thought, Wen Lingzheng emerged from the crowd, took out a pot of wine from the inner room, and poured it all over Luo Xu.

"Have you made enough of a scene?!"

The childish yet sharp voice, accompanied by a pot of invigorating wine, made Luo Xu turn around in astonishment.

"Wen Si..."

Upon seeing Wen Lingzheng, he was momentarily stunned, and even the pressure on his hands loosened slightly.

Taking advantage of this moment, An Xiangru, who had been pinned to the ground, quickly broke free.

Lady Bo, wife of the Earl of Yongchang, tenderly embraced her son, who was covered in wounds, tears streaming down her face. She insisted on sending Luo Xu to the authorities to seek justice for her son.

Even though Madam Wu apologized repeatedly and said she would personally deliver gifts to her residence, it was to no avail.

Wu Da Niangzi pulled the stunned Luo Xu behind her, and she was also annoyed.

Although she felt it was wrong for her son to hit someone, she couldn't stand Bo's behavior being so aggressive.

Moreover, she really looked down on people like the Yongchang Marquis's family, who would rush to kick their in-laws when they fell on hard times in order to prove their own innocence.

"Fighting among children is common, why take it to this?"

"Madam Bo, don't you even consider who caused this whole mess?"

"The assault was my fifth son's fault, and I will definitely bring him to your residence to apologize and compensate me."

"But if Madam Bo continues to be so aggressive, even if we take the matter to the emperor, the Luo family will not be afraid!"

Madam Wu was a generous and warm-hearted woman, and was highly regarded among the ladies of prominent families.

Her words drew agreement from many of the women.

Madam Bo was both ashamed and angry.

Although the Yongchang Earl's Mansion is an earl's mansion, the current Yongchang Earl is a mediocre person who only maintains a respectable appearance by relying on his ancestors' influence and the position of earl!

What about the Luo family?

He was a trusted confidant of the late emperor! Even the emperor treated Vice Minister Luo with great respect.

Knowing she was at a disadvantage, Madam Bo wanted to let things go, but Xiangru was still crying beside her. She was angry and felt ashamed.

Why are you all gathered here?

"How did the heir of the Marquis of Yongchang end up like this?"

Suddenly, a graceful and elegant figure emerged from outside the moon gate amidst the scattered crowd.

She wore an elegant crimson-purple ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a high and full updo, topped with a lotus crown.

Her skirt remained undisturbed as she walked, and her tassels did not tremble when she stood still, displaying the elegance of royalty.

Everyone hurriedly bowed and said, "Greetings, Grand Princess Yongqing."

"Today is the little girl's birthday banquet."

"Ladies, there's no need for such formalities."

Princess Yongqing seemed to be in a good mood.

She did not criticize Luo Xu and An Xiangru for disregarding the occasion and making a mess of Princess Mingzhu's birthday banquet.

Her gaze swept across the crowd and landed on Wen Lingzheng, the smile in her eyes making one feel dazed.

Seeing is believing.

"Fourth Miss Wen".

Although Princess Yongqing spoke with a smile, it was actually difficult to discern her true feelings of joy or anger.

Xiang's expression froze for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.

She curtsied to Princess Yongqing, her manners as impeccable as ever.

“My daughter is ignorant of etiquette and may offend the princess. Please forgive her.”

Wen Lingzheng also bowed respectfully to Princess Yongqing.

"Your Highness is too kind."

"I am not as good as the noble ladies in the arena, and I am not as gentle and dignified as my elder sister at home. I am truly ashamed and do not deserve such praise."

Princess Yongqing smiled.

She casually shifted her gaze, glanced at Wen Lingsheng beside her, and praised, "Fourth Miss Wen is brave and resourceful, and Eldest Miss Wen is dignified and polite. Madam Xiang is very fortunate."

Xiang Shi remained calm: "Your Highness is too kind."

Among the ladies of noble families, the shrewd and astute are the most numerous.

Princess Yongqing spoke only one sentence, and the way they looked at the people from the Wen family changed.

Madam Xiang and Madam Wu exchanged a glance and responded with calm, gentle smiles.

Wen Lingzheng's heart calmed down a little.

Recalling the probing look in Princess Yongqing's eyes, she took a deep breath.

While instructing the maids to tidy up the place, he invited the ladies and gentlemen to a banquet, and also thoughtfully instructed the maids to prepare clean clothes for the two gentlemen. He then invited a physician to examine An Xiangru's injuries.

Princess Yongqing's actions were impeccable.

Even An Xiangru, who had been shouting the loudest, quieted down and followed behind Madam Bo with his tail between his legs.

Wen Lingzheng took her seat behind Xiang Shi and lowered her eyes slightly.

Her fingertips nervously rubbed back and forth on her knees.

She had a vague sense of foreboding, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Zheng Jie'er".

Xiang's voice interrupted Wen Lingzheng's thoughts.

She looked up at Xiang Shi, and although she didn't say anything, her wary eyes inexplicably made Xiang Shi's heart skip a beat.

The words that were about to come out were swallowed back down, and Xiang felt a little annoyed.

Just then, amidst the clinking of glasses and the lively banquet, a female attendant hurried in from outside the hall.

"Reporting to the Grand Princess."

"Lord Dingbei has arrived."