E'lan didn't realize that Heshen was referring to her being refused entry to the Fucha residence. "Of course, this princess is quite carefree!" The guests here were unaware of what had happened inside the Fucha residence. Xi Ying, who sensed the sarcasm in Heshen's words, glanced at E'lan with contempt and then said to the steward, "Take him away!"
After receiving the order, the butler grabbed Yan Ning's arm and pulled her down. Although Yan Ning was extremely unwilling, she had no choice but to comply, as she had not come here to cause trouble.
Fukang'an, fawned upon by the officials, did not indulge in drinking. When he came out for some fresh air, he saw the civil officials bustling about. Although the banquet at the Fucha family's residence was not as grand as that at the imperial palace, it was still not an occasion for ordinary people. The officials seated there all listened intently to the whispers and murmurs of those around them, and even with a table full of exquisite delicacies, they had no appetite for the food.
Fukang'an saw the figure being pulled by the steward from afar and stopped in his tracks. When the steward came to his side to greet him, he pulled Yan Ning, who was bowing her head, over.
When Yan Ning saw Fukang'an, she knew he would recognize her, so she quickly lowered her head. When Fukang'an grabbed her, she took the initiative to remove her beard.
When the steward saw Yan Ning remove her beard, his legs trembled uncontrollably. He was the steward of the front courtyard; the affairs of the back courtyard were generally managed by Xi Ying, and he was not allowed to enter the inner courtyard without orders. He had only glimpsed the new lady of the manor a few times when Yan Ning passed by the front courtyard, and even then, the crowd made it difficult to see clearly. Today, however, he saw it clearly: the steward's hand, which had just grasped Yan Ning's, was dripping with sweat, as if it had been washed.
"Alright! If you really cause trouble today, even your father won't be able to protect you!" Xi Ying said with a beaming smile, pulling E Lan along.
E Lan withdrew her hand from Xi Ying's and whispered in Xi Ying's ear, "Sister-in-law, are you afraid that everyone will find out about Yan Ning's existence? The old lady ordered that Yan Ning's matter be kept secret within the Fucha Mansion. Although there are rumors outside, since no one can see her now, they have to give up! Sister-in-law, you should pray for your own good fortune! If Yan Ning's identity had been exposed just now, I'm afraid Brother Kang would have no scruples anymore!"
After speaking, E'lan turned and returned to her seat, leaving Xi Ying with a beaming smile. The old lady disapproved of women showing their faces in public; if it weren't for the fear of Yan Ning's sudden appearance, she wouldn't have rushed out from behind the curtain and appeared among the officials.
Xi Ying gave a slight curtsy to the official beside her, then took Xia'er's hand and walked towards the curtain. After taking a few steps, fearing that Yan Ning would cause more trouble, Xi Ying changed direction and walked towards the kitchen courtyard.
Fukang'an tenderly touched the slight redness on Yan Ning's lips where the mustache had been torn off. Fearing that Fukang'an would think she was making trouble out of nothing, Yan Ning explained, "I just wanted to see what Ji Xiaolan and Liu Yong looked like!" Fukang'an didn't answer, but stared at Yan Ning thoughtfully.
Xi Ying witnessed Fukang'an and Yan Ning's intimate actions. Her nails dug deep into her flesh, yet her face remained beaming with smiles. "Madam truly cares for the General, even willingly disguising herself as a servant to see him!"
Hearing Xi Ying's words, Fukang'an's lips curled into a deep smile, and he took Yan Ning's hand and headed towards the banquet. Xi Ying quickly took a few steps and blocked their way, "Mother is in high spirits right now, General's actions will disturb Mother's birthday banquet!"
Fukang'an's smile turned cold. "You know what I'm going to do?"
Xi Ying's radiant smile vanished, replaced by a chilling expression. She clasped her hands together to hide her embarrassment. "I've been married to the General for so many years, and we have Delin. I know the General quite well!"
Upon hearing Delin's name, Fukang'an said nothing more, took Yan Ning's hand, and left.
Xi Ying gripped Xia'er's hand tightly and said firmly, "Let's go!" No matter what, Xi Ying was determined to hold onto her position. No matter how much Fukang'an favored Yan Ning, the old lady was still in the mansion. And for Xi Ying, since she couldn't hold onto Fukang'an, she could only rely on the old lady.
When Xi Ying arrived at the old lady's curtained area, she didn't see Yan Ning. Instead, E Lan was kneeling before the old lady, presenting her embroidered "Long Live the Emperor" painting. Xi Ying walked to her seat, but before she could sit down, the old lady stared at the embroidery and said, "Where did you go? The play is about to begin!"
Xi Ying stood up, her face showing difficulty, and replied, "Madam changed into a servant's outfit and served at the banquet! The general just took Madam away!" Xi Ying omitted the part about E Lan and Yan Ning's argument. She was in a difficult situation, besieged on both sides, and dared not offend E Lan again. She wanted to take this opportunity to curry favor with E Lan and join her in dealing with Yan Ning.
The old lady touched the "Longevity Without End" embroidery by E'lan. The embroidery depicted thousands of galloping horses, each carrying a "longevity" character, with the character outlined in half, symbolizing boundless longevity. She knew this wasn't E'lan's doing, but compared to Yan Ning, they could only curry favor with her to secure their place by Fukang'an's side.
The old lady knew that Yan Ning had been injured while making longevity cakes. However, Yan Ning was different from E Lan and Xi Ying; she had Fu Kang An's favor, and her job was to serve Fu Kang An well and guard against Xi Ying and E Lan's schemes. But Yan Ning focused her attention on how to be filial to her, and the old lady could only sigh inwardly that she was not ambitious enough to be the general's wife.
Xiang'er was no longer a significant force, and in order to maintain peace in Fukang'an's backyard, the old lady had no choice but to accept E'lan, allowing her to check and balance Yan Ning and Xi Ying.
"Get up! I appreciate your filial piety!" The old lady gestured for Li Mama to accept the embroidery, then pulled E'lan up. "Your entry into the household cannot be rushed!"
Seeing that the old lady was willing to bring up this matter, E'lan knew that she had hope again, and hurriedly nodded and said, "E'lan will follow the old lady's arrangements and will not dare to cause any more trouble!" The fact that E'lan married into the Fucha family was known to all the nobles in the capital. The noblewoman who accompanied her listened as if it were just private talk between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and covered half of her face with a forced smile without saying a word.
The old lady gave E'lan an approving look, picked up the tea that Li Mama handed her, and said nothing more. E'lan went straight to Xi Ying's side and sat down.
Seeing that the old lady was no longer paying attention to her, Xi Ying sat down with E Lan. Although Xi Ying's father had been demoted to the position of advisor in Uliastai, he had not suffered too much thanks to the prestige of the Fucha family. If news of Xi Ying's loss of favor with the Fucha family were to spread, the local officials would certainly no longer support her father.
E'lan, who grew up in a family of generals, also knew this. She dared to cause trouble for Yan Ning precisely because she had grasped Xi Ying's weakness, because Xi Ying was even more afraid of Yan Ning appearing in front of the guests than she was.
Xi Ying smiled broadly, but the earlier smugness was gone. She looked at E Lan and said with a smile, "Congratulations, sister, on regaining the old lady's trust!"
Ignoring Xi Ying, E Lan said to herself, "Yan Ning has already gone to Brother Kang's banquet! I heard from Father that there are military officers there who serve alongside your father!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
