Chapter 307: Fighting

Lady Anping did not receive the invitation from the Regent's Palace, and did not take it seriously at first. She just thought that the maids were not careful enough to send the invitations one by one, and maybe they were slow. The Li family of Anping had an extraordinary status in the capital and was a staunch royalist. When the young emperor ascended the throne, Lu Jing was the regent. Although he had a feud with the Li family, Li Xueying was dead, and both sides had a tacit understanding to forget the unpleasantness.

Whether it is the Lu family or the Li family, each other will be invited to all the banquets, and there will no longer be any unpleasant things on the surface. Lady Anping also knows that she has to protect her sons' future. The Lu family is no longer what it used to be, and she cannot offend them.

The Regent Princess hosted a banquet, and Lu Jing was not at home, so all the guests were female. The Lady of the Marquis of Anping had prepared all the gifts, and she also planned to have a good relationship with the Princess.

Who knew that the invitation never arrived.

The maid beside her asked worriedly, "Madam, will the princess not invite us?"

"How is it possible? It's been so long since Xueying's incident, and the Lu family invited us to their banquet. The princess came from Huainan and has never had any feud with us. The prince doesn't seem to care about the affairs of the inner house, so why didn't he invite us? Maybe he will send it to us later!"

Although Lady Anping was confident, she was also worried. She sent people to inquire, and found out that several ladies whose status and position were lower than that of the Li family had received invitations. Lady Anping became anxious.

She didn't have the courage to reach out to the palace to get information. First, Su Qingwan and Lu Jing were very strict with their rules, and the servants in the palace didn't dare to spread the news. Second, only Qingyun and Tingting knew about this matter, and no one else knew about it. These two were famous for protecting their master. Third, Su Qingwan didn't come to Beijing for a long time, and the place she interacted with the most was the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion.

The wife of the Marquis of Anping seldom interacted with the wife of the Marquis of Ningyuan and was on bad terms with the Lu family. It was extremely difficult for her to get any information now. She knew that if she could not get an invitation and could not go to the palace, she would be gossiped about by the ladies and nobles in the capital. In the future, when there were banquets for the Regent Princess, the host would not invite the Marquis of Anping's Mansion.

Lady Anping was forced to ask Zhang. In fact, she wanted Zhang to pass on the message and ask her daughter-in-law what was going on. Zhang knew it very well and could only pretend to be dead.

If she were an ordinary daughter-in-law, she would tell Su Qingwan not to offend anyone. The Li family is very powerful. Even if Lu Jing is the regent, there is no need for her to offend anyone as she is the Princess of Huainan. The Earl of Anping and his sons all have military power in the army.

But Zhaolan is dead!

Once she thought of the fact that Zhaolan was dead, killed by Li Xueying, Zhang could not bear to dissuade her. She also felt that Su Qingwan was the kind of person who knew what she wanted and was thorough and determined in doing things. There was no need for her to get involved and she could only pretend to be dead!

The banquet at the palace was held with great fanfare. The wife of Marquis Ningyuan and General Chen's family were the first to arrive, and General Chen brought his daughter-in-law, Lu Yunyan.

Lu Yunyan and Lu Yunshu were born of the same mother, both were very calm and gentle, but they were very different in nature. Su Qingwan had only seen Lu Yunyan once in the Lu family in the past year when she pretended to be the elder sister. Even though Lu Yunshu broke off the engagement, she did not return to support her sister. But it was not true to say that she did not care about Lu Yunshu and her aunt. She often heard Lu Yunshu say that her sister had sent someone to deliver something again. Lu Yunyan cared about her aunt and her younger sister and brother, but she rarely returned to the Lu family.

Madam Chen often brought her to banquets and loved her like her own daughter. She was favored by Madam Chen even more than the eldest daughter-in-law. Although the lady of the general's family had a bad temper, she was straightforward and would never stop her from returning to her parents' home.

For some reason, Lu Yunyan seldom went back to her parents' home. Su Qingwan liked Lu Yunshu very much. She could guess Lu Yunyan's personality from her words and deeds: she was quiet, gentle, but also stubborn.

Although they had only met a few times, Lu Yunyan was not surprised at all when she saw her face. Even Madam Chen greeted her with a smile. Madam Chen had obviously met Xie Zhaolan before, and she held Su Qingwan's hand and said with a smile that the feng shui of Huainan was really nourishing and produced such a beautiful woman. She praised Su Qingwan to the point of praising her to the fullest and did not even mention that she was Xie Zhaolan.

Lu Yunyan also greeted Su Qingwan with a smile and a gentle attitude. She looked somewhat similar to Lu Yunshu, so Su Qingwan felt favorable towards her and personally led her into the inner courtyard.

Madam Hou and Chen Lanzhu, Madam Chen and Lu Yunyan are all very familiar with each other. The two families have close ties and are almost married. Their husbands and sons are now on the battlefield in Huainan, so they have a lot to talk about.

Madam Hou whispered, "Xiaowu, if anyone embarrasses you at the banquet today, tell us and we will support you."

"Okay, thank you, aunt!" Su Qingwan responded with a smile. She felt that she was not so useless that she needed her aunt's support.

Gradually, more and more guests came. Several girls from the Lin, Zhang and Lu families all arrived. They were half-hosts and helped to entertain the guests. Lu Yunshu even volunteered to follow Su Qingwan, and Su Qingwan did not refuse. Her marriage was also settled and would be held at the end of the year. It was a very good marriage, as the Lin family had never treated the concubines badly.

Chen Lanzhu also came to join in the fun. She and Lu Yunshu were not familiar with each other originally, but because of Su Qingwan, they became close friends. They also frequently interacted during the time when Su Qingwan returned to Huainan.

Some ladies had seen Xie Zhaolan but had never heard of the rumors, so they were startled when they saw Su Qingwan. If Su Qingwan had not been dressed elegantly and greeted the guests like a host, others might have misunderstood that the wife of the eldest young master of the Lu family was helping to greet the guests.

In particular, several ladies who did not have close ties with the Lu family were extremely shocked. They had more or less heard the rumors about Lu Jing and Xie Zhaolan.

There was a time when the scandal of uncle and sister-in-law committing adultery spread throughout Kyoto. Although it was silenced by the Imperial Guards, everyone discussed it in private. No one expected that Lu Jing's princess... would look exactly like Xie Zhaolan.

They all had doubts in their hearts. The family tradition of the Lu family... was really bad. Could it be that the eldest sister-in-law really divorced and married the younger uncle? This was too... outrageous and unheard of. How could Huainan agree to it?

Although the ladies were doubtful, they were steady and worldly-wise. Su Qingwan was the host and they were the guests, so they would not lose their composure. However, a noblewoman who was close to the Li family blurted out, "Aren't you Xie Zhaolan? You have divorced Lu Feng, so why are you still in the Lu family?"

When her mother wanted to stop her, it was too late. She was extremely annoyed and said, "Princess, my daughter is young and ignorant, and her words are rude. Please don't argue with her."

"She is obviously..."

Her mother pulled her urgently and twisted her arm. She was angry but could not say anything. She stared at Su Qingwan unwillingly. Su Qingwan recognized her. She had seen her in Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion.

Su Qingwan chuckled and said, "It's okay. I look similar to the former wife of the Lu family's eldest young master, and many people have mistaken me for her. I am the Princess of Huainan and also the Regent Princess. I hope you will be careful with your words and actions."

The lady said yes repeatedly and took her daughter to the banquet. Chen Lanzhu and Lu Yunshu were a little worried. Chen Lanzhu said, "This man is Li Xueying's best friend. He will definitely ruin your reputation when he goes back."