Prince Rong had already stepped over the threshold and strode in, laughing heartily, "Today is the old lady's big day. I've come uninvited to ask for a drink. I hope the Duke doesn't mind?"

Yun Yue laughed heartily and said, "It is an honor for our humble abode that Your Highness would grace us with your presence!"

Prince Rong had a birthday gift presented, saying, "This is just a small gift, nothing more!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Yun Yue said, leading him to the main table. "Please sit down, Your Highness!"

He turned to Yun Tianbai and ordered, "Why don't you order a few more jars of June Wine?! The best kind!"

Do you really think he can't tell the difference between first-class and third-class June Wine?

Others may not know, but he knows it all perfectly well.

This June's Drunkenness is the strongest in alcohol content, and it's incredibly refreshing! Three years ago, his dear daughter secretly sent him three large jars of it; it was just so delicious! He would hide it away in the army camp and sneak a sip when no one was around. At most, he would share some with his second brother, but Yun Tianbai never got a share!

He also knew that the recipe for this June Intoxication was devised by his capable stepdaughter.

Why drink Zhuangyuanhong wine on such a joyous occasion! If we're going to spend money, it should be to help my stepdaughter earn money!

Yun Tianbai dared not delay and immediately ordered his servants to go and buy it.

He secretly groaned, wondering if he would have to pay for all the expenses of getting drunk in June out of his own pocket.

Upon Prince Rong's arrival, everyone exchanged pleasantries once again.

In less than half an hour, the staff of Fuxilou began to bring out new dishes, and June Drunkenness arrived quickly.

And so another round of toasts and laughter ensued, and the atmosphere became lively again, which relieved Yun Tianbai.

...

Over there, Su Youran, Yueyue, and several of her sisters were sitting at a table next to them.

Seeing that Yun Manyin had put down her chopsticks, Yun Manyan advised, "Second sister, although this Lotus Feast can't compare to the Golden Jade Feast, it's still quite good considering the days we spent in Sanyang Village."

Yun Manyin snorted, "Times have changed. If we keep remembering the hardships of that year, will we never be able to enjoy good food in the future?"

Yun Manyan's expression remained indifferent, showing no desire to argue with her.

Su Youran changed the subject, "Elder sister, your embroidery skills are now unparalleled in the capital. If there was any benefit to going to Sanyang Village that year, reducing my appetite was nothing compared to your embroidery skills!"

Yueyue joined in the fun, "Hehehe, that's for sure! Now all the clothes and embroidery in our manor have to be from your embroidery shop, Eldest Sister! I've heard that even the head nanny of the Imperial Needlework Bureau in the palace often comes to Eldest Sister to ask for needlework tips."

A sour voice rang out from the next table, "It's just a skill of serving people, what's so great about it? Even if the Yun family's embroidery shop earns a lot, what's so good about a woman who's always showing her face in public and reeking of money?"

The Yun sisters looked in the direction of the sound.

Su Youran didn't recognize the person who spoke, so she asked, "May I ask who this lady is...?"

Shi Wenxia then introduced her, saying, "She is the wife of the heir apparent of the Duke of England's mansion, Madam Jiang."

Su Youran suddenly realized, "Oh, so you're the wife of the Duke of England's heir!"

She turned to Yun Manwan and said, "Elder sister, it's fortunate that you went to Sanyang Village that year. Otherwise, if you had married that prince after the marriage agreement, you wouldn't have had a good life."

Madam Jiang retorted angrily, "You are nothing but a mere county princess, yet you dare to speak so arrogantly in front of me?"

Su Youran blinked. "Did I say something wrong? You've been to Renji Hall at least a hundred times, haven't you? You've been married for seven or eight years, and you still don't have a son or daughter. Unlike my eldest sister, who, even after observing three years of mourning, quickly had a son and a daughter. She's truly blessed with both a son and a daughter, a perfect family!"

Madame Chiang Kai-shek had indeed been married for seven or eight years without children, a matter that had always been a hidden pain in her heart. She had visited Renjitang, a clinic renowned for its gynecology and obstetrics departments, countless times, but each time she returned disappointed.

Now that Su Youran had pointed it out, she was naturally even more furious. "You're an unmarried woman, yet you keep talking about having no children. I really don't know who taught you such manners. Oh right, you're not originally surnamed Su. You're from the Jiang family, and your mother was a second-marriage woman. What kind of good daughter could a family like that raise?"

The elders at the main table immediately looked displeased upon hearing this.

Speaking of her mother, Su Youran also became angry, "You can criticize me if you want, but how did you involve my mother? Just because you have no children, does that mean I can drag the Crown Prince into it? Is it not your fault?"

Does that imply that the crown prince has a health problem?

Speaking of her son, the Duchess of Yingguo could no longer sit still and stood up angrily. "I originally came to the mansion to congratulate Madam Yun on her birthday because our two families have been friends for generations, and the old Duke of Yingguo and the old Marquis of Yun were brothers who fought side by side on the battlefield. Since you keep thinking about our marriage proposal back then, which was not even close to being finalized, in my opinion, we should avoid each other in the future!"

Who's thinking about it? Which one is thinking about it?

Yun Manyan was so angry that her face turned red, but she was afraid that if she tried to explain, it would only make things worse.

Old Madam Yun was so angry she almost got up, but Madam Su held her down and then slowly walked to the side of the Duchess of Yingguo. "Duchess, it's just a quarrel between our children. Is it a bit of an overreaction to sever ties between our two families? Besides, you said it yourself, the marriage proposal back then was barely a done deal. My Yun family suffered a disaster back then, and the marriage proposal fell through. Isn't that normal? Where does this talk of lingering feelings come from?"

The Duchess of Yingguo also stood up, her face filled with anger. "Does the Duchess of Pingguo mean that my Yingguo Mansion was opportunistic and only canceled the marriage proposal because your Yunhou Mansion was in trouble? Zhou Shi is no longer here, so I'm afraid you don't know. Let me tell you the truth, the reason the marriage proposal was canceled back then was because your eldest daughter and my heir's horoscopes were incompatible!"

Madam Su smiled nonchalantly, "That's exactly right! In the past, we rarely met in this vast capital city. Look at today, it's just a birthday banquet, and these younger generations start making a ruckus as soon as they meet. Isn't it because our two families are incompatible?"

With just a few casual words, she escalated the issue from two potential marriage partners having incompatible birth charts to two different ducal families having incompatible birth charts—that's really serious!

Could it be that the two great ducal mansions in the capital city are destined to never see each other again?

The British Duchess, naturally, couldn't bear such a responsibility, and angrily turned her head away, daring not to say another word.

The Duchess of England snorted coldly, "It's clearly just two young people who are incompatible, why drag the entire Duke's mansion into it?"

Su Youran asked with a smile, "When the young master's wife married into the family, their horoscopes must have been matched, right?"

That's a really hurtful thing to say.

If their birth charts are compatible, will they be married for seven or eight years but have no children?

Unfortunately, not only was she unable to conceive, but over the years she had arranged for the Duke of England to take in numerous beautiful concubines, none of whom were able to bear children.

But who can she reason with about this?