Before dawn, Xu Wanying had already gotten up and dressed.
When she reached the carriage and met up with Cen and the others, she noticed that none of them looked well. Even Cen, who was used to getting up early, seemed listless.
"Where is Jiang Chengyi? Go and call him." Madam Cen waved her hand impatiently.
The maidservant immediately obeyed and left, then quickly returned and whispered, “Madam, Fourth Master said that the Wei family sent him an invitation, which said that he would arrive an hour and a half later than you. It was because Master Wei and Madam Wei were considerate of his weak health and wanted him to sleep a little longer. You go first, and he will go later.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Cen's expression remained unchanged; she simply flicked her sleeve and led the group into the carriage.
Xu Wanying and Li Chunlan, sisters-in-law, rode in the same car. After they were seated, Li Chunlan couldn't help but start complaining.
"Ha, no wonder he's their own son, they can't spoil him enough, he's always tormenting others. I want to see what kind of flowers the Wei family has prepared that we need to go and admire them so early in the morning!"
Xu Wanying didn't complain at all; instead, she rubbed her hands together, a hint of excitement on her face.
"Sister-in-law, please calm down. Today, the Wei family will definitely have more than just flowers to enjoy; there will be other exciting things to see and appreciate as well."
As she was speaking, she suddenly heard a clear children's rhyme coming from outside the car: "Throwing oneself into a lowly position to become a fish eye, scheming to exchange for a pearl. Truth and falsehood are intertwined, busy to and fro, all in vain..."
Xu Wanying immediately lifted the curtain to listen more closely, but a speeding carriage passed by behind them, nearly hitting the group of children, and the nursery rhyme came to an abrupt halt.
She sighed, feeling a little regretful, but since they were on their way, she couldn't stop now. She would have her servant inquire later.
When the Jiang family arrived, they greeted Cen Jie and her daughter. Both groups exchanged polite greetings.
When Wei Jiao met Xu Wanying's gaze, she immediately straightened her head and raised her hand to touch the sapphire peacock hairpin in her hair.
This peacock hairpin is extremely elaborate and luxurious, with several sapphires set as peacock tail feathers, making it very dazzling.
Xu Wanying smiled on the surface, but inwardly she was thinking: [System, if I tell her now that broken diamonds aren't worth much, will she get so angry she'll jump up and down?]
System: [Host, be kind.]
Xu Wanying scoffed: "Forget it, I'm waiting to see the show, so I won't provoke her."
The Wei family had clearly made ample preparations for this flower-viewing banquet, with ice sculptures of flowers displayed in the courtyard.
"The invitation asked everyone to come early so that we could see these ice flowers in the garden. Later, when the sun gets higher, these ice flowers will have to be moved to a shady corner, where they won't look as good as among these colorful flowers!" Cen Jie explained softly.
The guests were full of praise, saying that Madam Wei had a clever idea. Cen Jie raised her eyebrows slightly, with a hint of pride in her expression.
The flower-viewing banquet was halfway through when the male guests finally arrived.
Of course, they wouldn't disturb the female guests in the backyard; they would simply present them with a few poems from time to time, all of which were exquisitely written and received much praise.
Jiang Chengyi's poems were also included, and the guests praised him to the skies.
"Like father, like son, Madam Hou, you have truly given birth to a fine child for the Jiang family."
"Yes, look at the poem that Fourth Master Jiang wrote, it's absolutely superb, he'll definitely be a great poet in the future!"
Although Cen Ying had a smile on her face, each of these compliments felt like a knife piercing her heart.
She knew better than anyone the true extent of this wretched child's literary talent.
The poem in front of me looks alright, but it's by no means amazing. If it weren't for the halo of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness, it wouldn't have received such high praise.
Furthermore, even a poem that is not particularly impressive could not have been written by Jiang Chengyi alone; it must have been polished by Wei Xian, who may have even personally guided him in writing it.
Jiang Chengyi, the fake young master, is admired and envied by everyone, while her real son is still hiding in Jixiang Pavilion, completely ignored by everyone.
Looking at the poem, Cen Ying wanted nothing more than to tear it to shreds, but she restrained herself and casually dealt with the people around her.
Only occasionally would she glance at Granny Yan beside Wei Jiao, and only after Granny Yan had persuaded Wei Jiao to leave would she look away.
No rush, her net is already set, she can destroy it all in a few moments.
"Granny, has my cousin arrived?" Wei Jiao asked in a low voice as she walked out of the flower hall.
"He's been here for almost half an hour, and the master has been talking to him the whole time. He even took him to the study, and he just came out of the study now. This old servant has arranged for someone to wet his clothes, so now is a good time for him to be alone with his master!"
The master and servant walked to a secluded courtyard. There were not many people there, but the courtyard was kept clean and tidy, and it was a place for guests to rest.
A young maidservant from the Wei family was guarding outside the courtyard. When she saw Granny Yan coming over, she immediately bowed and quickly walked away.
"Miss, please go in. Young Master is inside." Granny Yan patted the back of her hand.
"Granny, I'm a little scared." Wei Jiao hesitated again before going in.
After all, this was completely contrary to the education she had received since childhood. What she was about to do was not only unconventional but also shameless, and she would be condemned and cursed behind her back.
“Miss, think about Li Chunlan and Xu Wanying. Both of them were looked down upon, but after marrying into the Marquis’s mansion, they were transformed into people who were fawned over by everyone. Don’t you want to be so glamorous?” said Granny Yan.
Upon hearing this, Wei Jiao's worries vanished instantly, and she became full of confidence.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
