Although Lady Nian probably wouldn't actually do anything underhanded to Hongli and Hongzhou in this situation, Lanqin still felt it was better to be prepared.

Geng Shi shared the same thought. After inquiring in detail, Geng Shi had her maid bring Hongzhou bathwater. His clothes were already soaked after shooting arrows for so long.

After Hongzhou finished washing up, Madam Geng pulled him close and said, "Hongzhou, you did well today. It was right of you to step back first at that time."

Hongzhou looked at Gengshi with suspicion. In truth, he hadn't been thinking about anything at the time, right? He had simply felt he couldn't shoot anymore, so he withdrew. It wasn't as complicated as Gengshi had imagined.

"Mother, are we going to the banquet tonight?" Hongzhou asked, his brows furrowing slightly.

“Your father has already sent someone to tell you, so of course we have to go. But before we go, your mother wants to make three rules with you,” Geng said solemnly.

"Please speak, Mother." Hongzhou composed himself and listened attentively.

"First, you must not run around in the East Courtyard; you must stay by your mother's side. Second, you must not eat whatever you want; you can only eat when your mother allows you to. Third, you must not argue with anyone, especially Hongsheng," Geng Shi said.

Upon hearing that it was these people, Hongzhou quickly nodded and said, "Mother, don't worry, I know."

Thus, the Fourth Prince's inner quarters, which had not seen a gathering for a long time, finally had their first gathering of the year because of Nian Gengyao's arrival.

As night fell, the women of the household dressed up, and those with children naturally brought them along. Only one person was throwing a tantrum in her courtyard. This person was Madam Wu. It turned out that Wu Ruyue had been stubbornly refusing to leave, and today, seeing there was a family banquet, she insisted that Madam Wu take her. Madam Wu refused, feeling that this was a banquet for the Fourth Prince to entertain Madam Nian, and that she should only take the Third Princess; her younger sister really shouldn't go. But Wu Ruyue insisted on going, truly giving Madam Wu a headache. In the end, Madam Wu finally agreed to take Wu Ruyue.

Once everyone had arrived at the East Courtyard, the family banquet was set up in the courtyard of the Nian family's main courtyard. The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers, and the figures of people in their robes and hair were in a flurry of color.

Fourth Prince and Nian Gengyao naturally sat in the main seats. Nian Shi sat down on the other side of Fourth Prince, and the two siblings surrounded him.

As a result, Lanqin found herself in an awkward position. It would be inappropriate for her to sit below Nian Gengyao, and it wouldn't look good to sit below Nian Shi either. Their status and position were equal, and there was no reason for them to sit like that.

The Nian family had arranged it this way intentionally, to embarrass Lanqin in front of the Fourth Master and the others.

Seeing this situation, the crowd didn't know where to sit and could only stand there at a loss.

“Shilan, you and your brother are very close, why don’t you sit over there? It’ll make it easier for you to talk. Leave this seat empty,” said the Fourth Master.

Upon hearing this, Madam Nian muttered reluctantly, but since the Fourth Prince had already spoken, she had no choice but to sit down to Nian Gengyao's left seat.

Lanqin knew that Fourth Master had helped her out of an awkward situation, so she quickly led everyone to sit down on both sides. In this way, Lanqin and Madam Nian sat facing each other, neither of them being superior to the other.

Lady Song and Lady Wu sat on Lanqin's side, while Lady Fucha and Lady Geng sat on Lady Nian's side. Lady Liu did not inform them that the Fujin (Prince Consort) was not coming, and neither was the Second Prince Hongshi.

"Your Highness, this cup is a toast to you. May Your Highness and Consort enjoy good health and happiness!" Nian Gengyao picked up the wine cup on the table, addressed the Fourth Prince, and then glanced back at Lady Nian.

This statement once again fueled the gossip among the crowd: it seemed that General Nian was placing his younger sister in the position of a princess consort!

Lanqin pretended not to hear, maintaining a smile on her face, and whispered to Hongli.

Seeing everyone silent, Fourth Master picked up the wine cup on the table and said, "Gengyao, we are gathered here today because of you. Let us all raise this cup together!"

A hint of displeasure flashed in Nian Gengyao's eyes, but he dared not show any displeasure to the Fourth Prince. He could only laugh and drink the wine in his cup with the ladies.

The opera troupe began to sing softly on the stage set up at the entrance, and everyone started talking amongst themselves.

Hongli and Hongzhou were exchanging glances across several tables, while several young girls started moving between tables, whispering among themselves.

The fragrance of various flowers floated in the courtyard, and Lanqin could only feel the rich aroma floating at the tip of her nose.

Lanqin would occasionally go to check on the Fourth Master, only to find him talking to Nian Gengyao.

Looking at Nian Shi again, her face was pale and she seemed to be feeling unwell.

As if sensing Lanqin's gaze, Nian immediately met Lanqin's eyes.

She seemed unwilling to lose face in front of Lanqin, so she immediately concealed the uncomfortable expression on her face.

He even glared at Lanqin deliberately. Lanqin could only give a wry smile and then looked away. It was none of her business if he cared about his pride.

At this moment, Wu Ruyue suddenly whispered a few words to Wu Shi, and then pulled her away from her seat.