Xinghui, accompanied by his eldest son, entered the mansion a few days later at noon.
On this day, Madam Song and Lanqin dressed up nicely, because when meeting their future son-in-law, the mother-in-law had to put on a show of authority.
Song specially took out a purple-gold double-breasted jacket and skirt that she usually dared not wear. Her skin was as delicate and fair as jade, and wearing this outfit perfectly highlighted her noble elegance.
Her hair was styled in a soft, updo, with a gold and gemstone hairpin on each side. The lotus-shaped hair ornament in the middle was a truly exquisite piece. A large pearl was also pierced on the swallowtail at the back, with tassels hanging down. She also wore fine white jade earrings, making her look incredibly beautiful.
"Sister, you look so beautiful today!" Lanqin couldn't help but praise Song Shi upon seeing her.
“My younger sister looks good too. This light orange outfit brings out her lively and playful nature. My older sister is too old to wear this color anymore,” Madam Song said with a smile.
Lanqin dressed simply that day, in a plain satin jacket and skirt with minimal embroidery except for some orchids on the collar and cuffs. She wasn't the main character, so why dress so extravagantly? Let the real mother-in-law stand out.
Therefore, Lanqin simply combed her hair into a double bun, adorned each side with some soft silk flowers, and added a few small hair ornaments. She also wore only pearl earrings, which was considered appropriate.
"Let's go see the son-in-law!" Lanqin joked.
So the two of them, each supporting a maid, went to the main courtyard.
Xinghui and his eldest son, Alina, were already sitting and talking in the main room.
When Fourth Master first took a look at Ah Lin, he felt a little uncomfortable. This child was only thirteen years old, but he looked rather...
The Fujin kept chatting with Xinghui and her nephew, while the Fourth Prince remained silent with a sullen face.
A maidservant came in to announce that Madam Song and Madam Niu had arrived.
The Fujin frowned slightly, thinking to herself: Why is she here too? She glanced cautiously at the Fourth Prince, and seeing that he had no expression, she could only nod and let them in.
As soon as Madam Song and Lanqin entered, the Fourth Prince was somewhat stunned. Not only that, even his wife, Xinghui, and the others stared at them intently.
Madam Song was indeed well-dressed today. The noble and aloof purple, with a hint of metallic luster, brought out her inherent cold and proud temperament.
Although Lanqin didn't put much effort into dressing up, the fabric of her clothes was the finest of all tribute items. Although the style was simple, it looked incredibly beautiful on her.
Perhaps this is what they call understated luxury.
The Fujin (principal wife) was naturally dressed in bright red today; after all, she was the mistress of the house, so red was her natural attire. In comparison, hers looked much older.
Song Shi and Lan Qin greeted the Fourth Prince and his wife, and then bowed to Xing Hui before sitting down opposite Xing Hui and Lin A Lin.
"Lin'er, greet the two princesses!" the Fujin (princess's wife) reminded her.
Lin Alin stood up, curtsied to Madam Song and Lanqin, and said, "Greetings, both princesses. Aunt, may I ask which of these two is the eldest princess's birth mother?"
Lin Alin is quite a big and burly man, inheriting Xinghui's appearance and also having a deep voice.
As soon as Song entered, she caught a glimpse of it and felt a pang of unease. Lanqin naturally saw it too, thinking to herself: Compared to Da and Abi, this eldest son is indeed far inferior.
As a result, Lin Alin said something that completely put the Fourth Master's mind at ease: "Aunt, these two are so beautiful, I suppose the eldest princess is also beautiful. Lin'er thanks Aunt."
Fourth Master's face darkened, and he stood up abruptly, coldly saying, "That's enough for today. The eldest princess's marriage can be discussed later!" After saying that, he ignored everyone's reaction and strode away. "Niu Shi, come out here. Nian Xue, take good care of your master."
The two walked away in full view of everyone.
"Master, please slow down, I can't keep up." Lanqin helped Nianxue follow behind the Fourth Master.
Fourth Master stopped and turned around to walk to Lanqin's side.
"Master, please don't be angry. Our eldest princess hasn't been married yet." Lanqin saw that he looked unapproachable and knew that he was unhappy.
"They're worlds apart from Da and Abi. They have no respect for their elders and say such things. How did the Fujin choose such a person!" the Fourth Prince said angrily.
“Our eldest princess is gentle and mild-mannered, I’m afraid she’s not suited for this kind of relationship. Master, when choosing a son-in-law for our princess, you should also choose someone whose temperament matches hers and whose appearance is suitable, otherwise it could ruin the child’s life.” Lanqin couldn’t help but speak up for Song Shi.
Fourth Master nodded, took Lanqin's hand, and sat down in the corridor. He was worried that she had walked too fast and might have gotten tired.
"Lan'er is absolutely right. That Lin Alin looks coarse and doesn't seem to be very bright. How could Xinghui have such a son?" Fourth Master said.
"Anyway, I don't think she's very suitable for the eldest princess. If you're so kind as to put in the effort, please look around the capital more often," Lanqin said.
"It's only right that I take care of my daughter," Fourth Master said, rubbing the back of Lanqin's hand.
Meanwhile, with Fourth Prince and Lanqin leaving, the Fujin was extremely embarrassed. Madam Song also rose, curtsied to the Fujin, and took her leave. Only Xinghui and Lin Alin remained, all three of them sitting there with dark expressions on their faces.
"Father, Aunt, what did Lin'er say wrong?" Lin Alin was still a little confused as to why Fourth Master had such a dark face and why he left like that.
"Xinghui, how did you raise your son? To say such foolish things is a disgrace to the Ulanara family," the Fujin said fiercely. Then she turned to Lin Alin and said, "That's your future mother-in-law. How can you, a junior, utter such frivolous words about a beautiful woman?"
Xinghui was also discouraged. How could this eldest son be neither good at literature nor martial arts? He was far inferior to the second son.
"Don't just blame him, otherwise Da and Alai..." Xinghui still really wanted to become in-laws with Fourth Master.
"Give up on this idea! Why didn't you suggest letting Da and Alai come from the beginning? Now that Lin'er is no longer capable, and now you're bringing in the second son, how awful will that sound if word gets out?" The Fujin was so angry she wanted to kick the father and son out immediately.
After Xinghui and his son left, the Fujin was still indignant and said to Li Mama, "I'm afraid the master will think that I am deliberately preventing the eldest princess from having a good time!"
Granny Li said, "We never expected the young master's eldest son to be like this, it's really..."
The wife said, "It was Niu Shi who came up with the idea. Otherwise, if we hadn't met, things wouldn't have turned out this way on the wedding day. Now that she's already married into the family, it's not really something the master can say."
Li Mama said, "We originally wanted the eldest princess to marry into the Ulanara family, which would have been beneficial to the Fujin. But now that things have turned out this way, it's no longer easy to choose a husband for the eldest princess."
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