The ladies and young women had actually seen He Jiuniang long ago, and they had been waiting for her to come over and chat with them, and to inquire about her identity. But He Jiuniang had no intention of coming over at all.

The sun was so strong outside that they couldn't stand it, so they all headed towards the pavilion.

"Whose wife is this? I've never seen her before."

The speaker was a rather plump lady, surrounded by others who seemed to be of high status.

He Jiuniang tried hard to recall the little notebook Jiang Ruoya had given her, and finally guessed her identity.

This must be the wife of the militia commander of Jingzhou City. Her surname is Huang, but her husband's name is Li Yong, so everyone respectfully calls her Madam Li.

The militia commander of Jingzhou City is a fifth-rank military officer, which is a relatively high-ranking local official position. He also has military power, so it's no wonder that this Lady Li has so many people supporting her.

As He Jiuniang was sizing them up, they were also sizing her up. They noticed that she was not only beautiful but also had a great figure, and they were immediately a little jealous.

He Jiuniang smiled faintly and replied, "My husband's surname is Lu."

Surname Lu?

The crowd looked at each other in bewilderment. They hadn't heard of any new official named Lu recently. Could he be from some humble, unremarkable family?

But seeing what she and her two maids were dressed and wearing, no one dared to say anything contemptuous.

The dresses they wore were all the latest products from Jiayuan Pavilion, especially the light green long dress worn by He Jiuniang, which had a unique design and was the only one worn throughout the entire event. It not only made her skin look fairer but also accentuated her figure.

Jiayuan Pavilion is the name of the Lu family's clothing store. After officially cooperating with Cheng Xuewei, the store was named Jiayuan Pavilion.

Many of them took a liking to the dress and asked their servants to buy it, only to be told that the dress had already been sold and was still in the shop because some minor details needed to be polished.

The dress made by Jiayuan Pavilion was not cheap; they had to grit their teeth to afford it. They wanted to see who had bought it, but they never expected it to be worn by this unknown yet exceptionally beautiful woman.

What's most infuriating is that she looks so good in it, it's like it was tailor-made for her.

What they didn't know was that this was indeed custom-made for He Jiuniang. She hadn't initially planned to wear it herself, but upon learning that she was attending a banquet, she placed an order early on and even made some alterations herself, having the tailor in the shop modify it.

"So it's Madam Lu! I've never seen her before; I thought I'd come to the wrong place!"

Madam Li sat down with a smile, but what she said was not pleasing, and the others gloated along with her.

He Jiuniang wasn't angry. She said, "How could I have gone to the wrong place? I was brought here by Miss Biyu. Even if you went to the wrong place, I couldn't have gone to the wrong place."

The maid who brought her here was named Biyu. If she were just an ordinary maid, there would be nothing to say, since everyone is led by a maid when they come in. But this Biyu is a maid who serves in the room of the prefect's wife. Her status is different, and so is the meaning she represents.

The person who could be personally escorted by the maidservant of the prefect's wife must be a distinguished guest of this mansion.

Everyone looked at each other, feeling somewhat embarrassed for Madam Li. After all, when Madam Li arrived, she was only led in by an ordinary maid. Did this mean that Madam Lu's status was higher than Madam Li's?

Some people only had this idea, while others had already started to act. Originally standing next to Madam Li, they immediately moved closer to He Jiu Niang upon seeing this, and said with a smile, "Then we misunderstood. Madam Lu is really beautiful. This dress must be a top-quality item from Jia Yuan Pavilion, right? It suits you perfectly!"

No matter what circle you're in, there are always people who will change their tune depending on the wind. He Jiuniang looked at Madam Li with sympathy, then looked at the lady who had taken the initiative to befriend her, and replied, "Yes, it's because I'm here to attend the prefect's wife's banquet and meet with all the ladies, so I have to dress presentably and not be as casual as usual."

He Jiuniang's words were meant to be modest, but others didn't hear them that way. They thought that He Jiuniang was just putting on an act in front of them, and who knew how frugal she was in private!

But this was just something he thought to himself. The fact that the prefect's wife's maid came to greet her personally meant that she had some status. Even if her husband's family wasn't very powerful, they might still be related to the prefect. Everyone here was shrewd, so naturally no one would say anything too blatant.

Madam Li chuckled upon hearing this and deliberately said, "Sister Lu, that's not quite right. Although we are just women of the inner quarters, we represent our husbands' reputation. Even if we're not here for a banquet, we should still dress ourselves up nicely and not be stingy with money. These are all about appearances!"

These words were spoken with great sincerity, almost as if they were telling He Jiuniang, "If you don't have any money, I can lend you some."

He Jiuniang found it amusing and followed up with a touch of sadness, saying, "I understand what Madam Li is saying, but our family has only been in Jingzhou City for a short time, and we really didn't know that prices in Jingzhou City would be so high. This dress I'm wearing costs several dozen taels, enough for our whole family's food for several months. I was really heartbroken when I bought it! Madam Li is so kind. Your family has been rooted in Jingzhou City for many years, and Lord Li has a distinguished reputation, so you can naturally benefit from it as well."

This was a direct attempt to plead poverty, which amused all the ladies and young women present.

Since ancient times, no one has ever been willing to say that they have no money in front of so many people. People like them, no matter how poor they are, must put on a show of being very rich, and never lose face.

This Mrs. Lu doesn't seem to be all that great!

The only two people present who knew the truth, Yueyan and Yueshu, could hardly contain their laughter. They lowered their heads and gritted their teeth, determined not to laugh out loud and embarrass the lady, so that they would have no chance when it came to selecting the head maids.

These ladies are really funny. Right now, you might think their wives are poor, but if you knew their wives' true identities, wouldn't you be shocked?

Regardless of what will happen when they find out, they don't know for now. They all covered their mouths and laughed at He Jiu Niang, thinking that this woman only had a pretty face and no brains. After saying such things, she would probably be scolded by her husband when she got back.

She's made all men lose face!

Some even questioned He Jiu Niang's identity. Given her beauty, was she really the first wife? Or was she some concubine who had risen to power? Or was she simply a case of Lord Lu favoring his concubine over his wife?