Chapter 328 Praise
"You two are very lucky to have married into this family, and your husbands are so capable. Your whole family must be very impressive."
Su Yindi was flattered and felt incredibly proud to be the center of attention.
Liang Lan was also happy, but she was a little nervous in such a setting for the first time: "Your Majesty, you flatter us. We are just benefiting from our husbands' good fortune."
Seeing the two people's behavior, it was clear they came from the countryside. Some people couldn't help but chuckle softly, their laughter carrying a hint of disdain and mockery. Liang Lan, being so sensitive, naturally noticed this and dared not say anything more.
Su Yindi didn't notice that she was still smug and even fantasizing that one day she could be like these ladies and young women.
The old lady arranged seats for the two of them. Su Yindi was very happy, while Liang Lan glanced back at Jiang Mi in the corner. She hesitated whether to call Jiang Mi over, but felt that it was not proper to do so.
Beside them stood a simply dressed woman. She glanced at Liang Lan and Su Yindi, then leaned over ingratiatingly and asked, "You must be the wives of the top scholar and the third-ranked scholar, right? This year's top three have a pair of twins, which many people envy. We're all wondering if these two gentlemen already have wives. If not, I'm afraid many daughters would be vying to marry them."
Another lady added, "Yes, this is unprecedented. It's truly enviable. You two look so young, and I've heard that your husbands are both very handsome and talented. You must be very happy, right?"
Su Yindi lowered her head shyly, while Liang Lan was somewhat displeased, feeling embarrassed to have her private affairs brought up in front of so many people.
"It's alright, we've been married for many years, like an old married couple." Su Yindi said with a smug look on her face. She looked at the two ladies and asked, "By the way, what are your names?"
"This is the wife of the Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. My husband is the Director of the Imperial Academy. He and your husband serve in the same court. Please take good care of us in the future."
Su Yindi and Liang Lan didn't understand these official titles very well, and they were completely confused when they heard them. They felt as if they were not as capable as their husbands. Su Yindi didn't show any reaction on her face.
Liang Lan was a little worried, so she tugged at Su Yindi's clothes, telling her to talk less.
Jiang Mi saw that the two of them had integrated into the group, although they were a little uncomfortable. But they would have to adapt sooner or later, since their second and third brothers would be getting higher and higher in rank, and they would have to face such occasions more often in the future.
She quietly walked out alone and bumped into Huo Ran when she looked up. He was accompanied by a woman who was neither Princess Chongyang nor Liu Zijun or anyone else. She looked a little older, but she didn't seem to be Huo Ran's elder.
Jiang Mi simply gave a curtsy and walked away. Huo Ran was stunned for a moment. He subconsciously wanted to grab Jiang Mi, but luckily he remembered where he was, otherwise he would have made a fool of himself.
"That girl is quite beautiful. In all my years in the capital, I have rarely seen such a beautiful woman. She is truly rare. I wonder whose daughter she is. If she is of good status, it would be nice for her to marry your brother."
Upon hearing this, Huo Ran's face immediately turned extremely ugly. The person next to him was none other than his own father's young wife, who was only about ten years older than Huo Ran. Standing next to Huo Ran, they didn't look like elders, but more like siblings.
"Huo Cheng is so young, how can he get married? You're dreaming."
Madam Huo was stunned for a moment. Although Huo Ran rarely paid attention to her and basically never spoke to her, this was the first time he had ever talked back to her like this.
"I was just saying, I think it's rare to see a woman this beautiful. Why are you angry?" Madam Huo seemed to have sensed something, and glanced back at the direction where Jiang Mi had disappeared. It seemed she would have to have someone investigate the woman's identity when they got back.
"I'm not angry, but it's not really appropriate to make fun of a strange woman like that, is it?"
Mrs. Huo said somewhat aggrievedly, "I was just saying it casually. Your younger brother is still young, so naturally we should talk about your marriage first. Just now I saw Miss Liu staring at you with wide eyes. It's such a good marriage, but you just don't agree."
Huo Ran became even more impatient. He went into the main hall, first to pay his respects to the old lady and wish her a happy birthday. Madam Huo had no choice but to follow him in.
The old lady was overjoyed when she saw Huo Ran and quickly beckoned him over: "Oh my, isn't this Huo Ran? I haven't seen you for a while. You've grown taller and stronger, and you're so handsome. I wonder which girl will be lucky enough to marry you in the future."
Upon hearing this, everyone else laughed along. Madam Huo quickly seized the opportunity to interject, "His Majesty is interested in the eldest daughter of Prime Minister Liu. I think that girl is quite good, and her status is a good match for our Huo Ran."
However, these people seemed to turn a deaf ear to Madam Huo's words. Everyone knew what kind of person Prime Minister Liu was, and Liu Zijun was usually arrogant. Everyone liked the Liu family.
Huo Ran turned around and saw Liang Lan and Su Yindi. Su Yindi was about to greet them when Liang Lan stopped her. She asked unhappily, "Why are you stopping me? It's not easy to run into someone we know. Hurry up and say hello. Huo Ran is such a high-ranking person. We should definitely try to curry favor with him. That way, the people around us will think we have a good relationship with Huo Ran and they will definitely try to curry favor with us too."
Liang Lan frowned and said, "Don't do that. I don't need anyone to flatter me. Besides, what you're doing is vain and fake. And our relationship with Young Master Huo is just so-so. Don't say anything."
Seeing Liang Lan's timid and hesitant appearance, Su Yindi secretly rolled her eyes. She thought to herself that Liang Lan was too cowardly and could not accomplish anything great in the future. She felt very disgusted with her.
Huo Ran pretended not to see the two of them. If he exposed their relationship, his affair with Jiang Mi would also be exposed sooner, which would be a loss.
Seeing that no one was responding to her, Madam Huo felt a little uncomfortable. She twisted the handkerchief in her hand, but on the surface she didn't care. Over the years, she had been ignored like this, and her husband was bedridden for many years and couldn't help her much. As long as she could hold on until her husband died, she would be in charge of everything in the family after that.
Su Yindi glanced at Madam Huo and immediately made up her mind. She quietly stepped forward.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
