Wen Zhu continued to comment contemptuously, with a hint of disdain in his tone.

"Indeed!"

The onlookers nodded in agreement, and there were whispers and echoes from the crowd.

"Xu Wan'er, you're going too far."

A woman who was watching said it bluntly.

"Your brother can't find a wife, right? Your family still wants to continue pestering Miss Xie. It's simply wishful thinking!"

Another friend followed suit and scolded.

"Mr. Xu, what you're doing is not like a decent person at all. I really don't know how your father raised him. It's totally shameful!"

Another person criticized it even more bluntly.

…

Most of the girls who gathered around were Xie Yulan's good friends, so they naturally stood on her side.

After Wen Zhu started talking, they all spoke up for Xie Yulan one after another, their voices filled with indignation.

Xu Wan'er was so angry at these words that her face turned red. Her eyes were like needles as she stared at Wen Zhu and said, "Who are you?! Is it your turn to speak here?! When did outsiders ever need to interfere in our Xu family's affairs? You are so nosy!"

Before Wen Zhu could respond, Xie Yulan stood in front of her, looking at Xu Wan'er with a determined look: "She's my friend, she can say whatever she wants. But I didn't invite you, so how did you come?! Have you also learned your brother's despicable tactics?"

"Of course it was your good sister Xie Yumei who asked me to come."

Xu Wan'er said proudly, with a provocative smile on her lips.

Xie Yulan's gaze slowly swept across the crowd, finally landing on Xie Yumei who was standing behind.

Xie Yumei, the girl who always stands aside with her head lowered and her eyes submissively lowered, is Xie Yulan's half-sister.

Seeing her sister looking at her with angry eyes, Xie Yumei felt a little timid in her heart. She whispered, "Sister Xu said she wanted to come and congratulate you, and begged me to take her into the mansion."

"What kind of sister is she to you? You're being bullied because of her."

Xie Yulan's voice was full of displeasure and blame, and she was obviously very dissatisfied with her sister's behavior.

Faced with the questioning, despite her fear, Xie Yumei still mustered the courage to speak in defense: "She...she is like a friend to me. Since you can become good friends with a concubine from an outsider's family, then I should also have the right to decide my own circle of friends, right?"

Hearing this, Xie Yulan felt a surge of inexplicable anger in her heart. "Haha, I think you are not behaving properly. You are a girl who has not yet married, and you are making friends with someone else's concubine. You are really bringing shame to our family!"

Another person present, Xu Wan'er, lost no time in interrupting and mocking him.

"Shut up!"

Furious, Xie Yulan turned to look at the girl who had always treated her with such condescension. "Whether someone can be my best friend depends on their inner purity, not just their social status. A self-righteous young lady like you, a government official, I wish I could stay away from."

Her tone was firm and powerful, with no sign of backing down.

However, facing Xie Yulan's intense reaction, Xu Wan'er didn't give up. Instead, she angrily questioned the people around her, "Which young lady in this world would be willing to lower her status to date a concubine of humble origins? Who could do that?"

After the words fell, the ladies and celebrities around looked at each other, looking a little helpless, and did not dare to directly express their support for either side.

At that moment, Xie Yulan straightened up and stood up. She spoke in a loud voice, "Why can't I get along well with so-called 'concubines'? Take Xu Qingshu, for example, who is often invited to important banquets and is very popular. Even women from prominent families are happy to have intimate conversations with her and share a table with her to enjoy delicious food. So, as the daughter of a mere court judge, am I not even entitled to this basic right?"

When she said this, she had already tightly grasped Wen Zhu's hand beside her, her eyes extremely determined.

Wen Zhu, who was originally worried that his appearance might cause unnecessary trouble to his friend, felt a warm current in his heart after witnessing Xie Yulan bravely defending him. He was so moved that he couldn't express it in words.

The visiting ladies looked at Wen Zhu carefully. Although she was a concubine, she did not have any flattering feeling at all.

In fact, Wen Zhu's dress is quite simple and elegant, giving people a fresh and elegant bookish scent.

Her eyes were as bright as mirrors, revealing wisdom and clarity; her manners were dignified and proper, revealing an innate nobility that was not comparable to that of ordinary people. It was not difficult to understand why she could move freely between the Wang Mansion and the Jiang Mansion.

"Send Xu Wan'er out quickly."

Xie Yulan gave these instructions to the maids around her.

A middle-aged woman with a rather sturdy build came forward and made a polite gesture of invitation.

Faced with this scene, Xu Wan'er's face was full of indignation and she stood there stiffly, not moving.

"You don't really want to wait for someone to carry you out?"

Xie Yulan asked this question to Xu Wan'er who was still standing stubbornly in the same place.

Finally, after a few seconds of silence, Xu Wan'er stomped her feet angrily and left the scene full of resentment.

Then, Xie Yulan turned to the group of noble girls around her, all of varying backgrounds and temperaments, and announced loudly, "No matter what, I will not sever my relationship with Xu Qingshu because of this, and we will continue to interact as before. If anyone here cannot bear to see me act this way, or cannot accept my good friend Xu Qingshu, then there is no need to force this friendship. Those who do not wish to continue may leave now. Let us part ways amicably."

As soon as the words fell, all the noble ladies present began to look at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and hesitation.

After a brief silence, someone finally broke it.

"Yulan, your friends are naturally our friends."

One of them was the first to express his attitude towards this matter.

Then more supportive voices rang out, "Indeed, Sister Xie, I believe you can judge what kind of people are worth making friends with."

"How could someone who is frequently invited to visit the Prince's Mansion and the Jiang Mansion not get along with us?"

As everyone expressed their positions,

"Thank you for your understanding and support. As for those who may not agree in their hearts but I don't have the courage to leave on the spot, there is actually no need to worry. Since you have chosen to stay, let's get along with each other. Sisters, please feel free to enjoy the refreshments."

Xie Yulan said this with a smile.

The noble girls then became active again and started a new round of relaxed and happy communication and interaction with each other.

Xie Yulan slowly walked towards Xie Yumei who was standing there looking a little embarrassed.