Chapter 209 Lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own foot
The Marquis of Wanning only rose to the rank of marquis because of his daughter.
He had no power or influence, and was already living in constant fear.
She was afraid of holding her daughter back.
This birthday banquet was also intended to boost the Zhang family's reputation, regardless of how much face it would bring to the Empress.
At the very least, we can't just leave people untraceable like before.
Zhou Congxian, however, turned the banquet upside down.
The food that had already been prepared in the kitchen was not served because of his words.
Now, he wants to just take full responsibility and move on.
Marquis Wanning was so angry that his face turned from green to white.
He felt that everyone's eyes were on him.
Zhou Congxian is a high-ranking official by His Majesty's side, so he can act recklessly. These people are just watching the spectacle of Marquis Wanning!
"Lord Zhou has come to offer his birthday wishes today, and I, Zhang, will treat him to fine wine and food."
"If you wanted to see my family make a fool of themselves, now you have. A single joke has turned my birthday banquet into a complete mess!"
The moment Song Jiyun lowered his eyes, a smile flashed across his eyes.
Madam Zhou was so angry that she almost fainted.
It's clearly Jiang who's targeting Yun'er because she's backed by the Meng family!
Now that the truth has been revealed, Xian'er is going to bear the blame for her. He is disregarding the reputation of the Duke of Ying's mansion!
Old Madam Zhou glanced at the growing crowd of onlookers.
All the prominent families in the capital are here!
She pointed a trembling finger at Zhou Congxian, "You're not a three-year-old anymore, you should know the consequences of saying these words!"
Zhou Congxian met his grandmother's gaze. "Grandmother, you are protecting Miss Song, but I don't trust her."
"My grandson would rather bear the infamy."
Song Jiyun nearly ground his teeth to powder.
Immediately, she raised her head with teary eyes, "Your Highness, my brother deserves his punishment for his mistakes. I am a member of the Song family and should be punished as well."
"I am spared by the grace of His Majesty."
"Jiyun has never forgotten the crimes of the Song family. It is already a great fortune that I can accompany the old lady to the Marquis's birthday banquet today."
"Jiyun, how dare you do such a thing!"
Her voice trembled with sobs, "Even if... even if the Crown Prince doesn't trust me, Jiyun will not admit it!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present couldn't help but sigh at how glorious Song Yitang had been back then.
The Song family only has this one little girl left, how could she be so bold?
It was on the very day of the wedding between the Zhou and Song families that the Song family's property was confiscated, and all the officials who went to the Song family to offer their congratulations were arrested!
Among them were many powerful families, and many families with less direct involvement were released after the Emperor confiscated a year's salary.
While watching the play, Prince Zhou frequently glanced at Miss Meng.
Now they're protecting each other like this...
Thinking of this, some people's expressions changed.
You should know that Song Jiyun almost became the wife of the Zhou family's heir back then...
Zhou Congxian is probably suppressing his old flame for the sake of his new love...
Meng Shilan did not miss the smugness in Song Jiyun's eyes.
Compared to before, Song Jiyun is no longer so radical.
She was testing the waters step by step.
She was testing how far Old Madam Zhou could protect her.
She was also testing the waters to see how these ladies viewed her, the only remaining orphan of the Song family.
The rumors surrounding today's events, whether about Zhou Congxian or about her.
Song Jiyun won.
Meng Shilan stepped out from behind Zhou Congxian.
"Miss Song, are you saying I deliberately framed you?"
She gave a soft "heh" sound. "A few days ago, when Princess Yalan and I were having tea at the Water Garden, the princess said something."
She paused, then glanced at everyone before finally fixing her gaze on Song Jiyun.
“I think that makes a lot of sense, and it would be perfect to give it to Miss Song now.”
"Your Highness said, 'The roc spreads its wings for ninety thousand miles, why should it care about the chirping of sparrows under the eaves?'"
She is now the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, while Song Jiyun is merely a relative of a disgraced official living under someone else's roof.
Frame her?
She overestimates herself.
A mocking smile played on Meng Shilan's lips.
She then slowly bowed to Madam Zhang, saying, "Please forgive me, Madam. It was my fault for not checking properly today, which caused Sister Yu Ning to disturb you."
“I never hide my past, and it is precisely this past that makes me so wary.”
She gave a bitter smile as she spoke, "Even with all my vigilance, I almost lost my life at the Princess's Spring Banquet."
yes.
Even at the Princess's spring banquet, someone dared to sneak in and frame Miss Meng.
Moreover, he was merely the Marquis of Wanning, a title without real power.
The kitchen staff for banquets were all hired from outside, and they were riddled with problems.
It's perfectly normal for Miss Meng to be so wary.
Madam Zhang's expression softened. "It's not your fault. It's right to be cautious."
"With so many people here, it would be a real sin if something were to happen to us."
Marquis Wanning is now also thinking about the Spring Banquet.
I heard that Lord Yang is still lame and always travels by sedan chair.
The youngest grandson of the Yang family finally managed to return to the Imperial Academy, but he was so frightened by the mischievous boys there that he wet his pants in front of everyone. He went home crying and never went to school again.
Madam Zhang saw her husband's expression. He had just publicly reprimanded Zhou Congxian, and now he was determined not to lose face.
She stepped forward and said, "Nephew, please don't be offended. The Empress Dowager Yue asked about the preparations for Grandmother's birthday banquet."
"The mansion is small, and your aunt has put in a lot of effort to ensure that everyone leaves satisfied."
"Unexpectedly, something went wrong at this crucial moment..."
In short, this brought them closer and saved face for the Marquis of Wanning.
Everyone present was shrewd and astute.
In today's matter, everyone has their own backing.
They watched the spectacle, but once they left that door, no one could say anything about it.
Zhou Congxian clasped his hands in a fist salute, "These kinds of mishaps are minor matters; what I'm afraid of is that some unscrupulous people have infiltrated."
He grabbed the servant with one hand and lifted him up.
"I have served in the capital's judicial office for many years, so I will leave such trivial matters of interrogation to the junior."
"Please, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy another performance."
The servant was taken away, his face ashen.
"Miss Song, save me!"
As soon as those words were spoken...
Song Jiyun's expression changed.
What was originally a decisive situation for her has now turned into her shooting herself in the foot!
She gritted her teeth, then looked at Madam Zhou with reddened eyes, "It's my fault, it's my fault that I dragged the young master into this..."
Old Madam Zhou grasped her cold, calloused hand.
There's still something she doesn't understand.
The reputation of each household is important, but her poor Yun'er is not.
Seeing Madam Zhou's reaction, Song Jiyun felt relieved and fell silent, saying no more.
The interrogation yielded results quickly.
Only one soup contained some laxatives; the other dishes were fine.
Only then did the steward of the Zhang family order the servants to bring the dishes to the table.
The banquet at the Marquis of Wanning's residence has ended.
As soon as Meng Shilan got into the carriage, Zhou Congxian shamelessly squeezed in.
She turned her head away with a cold expression.
"Young Master Zhou has gone to the wrong place."
Zhou Congxian can only live as a rogue now.
In this dynasty, filial piety is paramount. As long as Old Madam Zhou is willing to protect her, no one can do anything to Song Jiyun now.
"I miss Fu'er. Let's go back and see Fu'er together."
Meng Shilan turned her head and glared angrily, "If you dare to involve Fu'er in this, you'll never see her again!"
Zhou Congxian immediately raised his hands, "Fu'er is also my precious child, how could I involve her!"
"No one, not even my parents, can harm her in the slightest!"
The carriages of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion had already gone quite a distance.
The British Duke's carriage was still waiting at the same spot.
Madam Zhou: "Why hasn't the young master arrived yet?"
The driver swallowed hard. "Reporting to the Old Madam, the Heir Apparent... has departed in the Duke of Zhenguo's carriage..."
He wondered why the old lady hadn't ordered the carriage yet; it turned out she was waiting for the young master.
Madam Zhou's face darkened instantly, and she felt a lump in her throat, unable to breathe.
Song Jiyun immediately looked at her with concern and tried to soothe her, saying, "Grandmother, please don't get angry. It's not worth ruining your health!"
It took Madam Zhou quite a while to catch her breath.
"Walk!"
Although the matter of the Marquis of Wanning's residence wouldn't become a big deal in the capital, the Zhao family of the Duke of Ying's residence still found out.
She was supposed to attend today's banquet.
She caught a cold last night, so only Old Madam Zhou could go.
Unexpectedly, this one time caused an accident.
She disliked Song Jiyun from the very beginning, but the old lady protected him, and Xian'er insisted on marrying him himself.
After the Song family ran into trouble, they thought they could finally get rid of this marriage.
In the end, the old lady still insisted on protecting her!
They've been protecting him all along, but now they've caused such a huge mess at the Marquis of Wanning's residence!
Zhao asked, "Has Xian'er returned?"
"I heard from the servant that they went to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion," she said to her mother.
Zhao breathed a sigh of relief.
Now, the Jiang family... Meng Shilan is far superior to Song Jiyun in terms of both status and intelligence.
The old lady has protected Song Jiyun for so long, isn't it all because she's a member of the Song family?
As people get older, they become less clear-headed.
Who remembers that the old lady was once a cousin of the Song family? They only know her as the old lady of the Zhou family!
Now only Xian'er is the face of the Duke of England's mansion.
An arrogant and domineering orphan girl, whom I protect and protect, is still an ungrateful wretch!
Zhao coughed lightly twice, her expression darkening.
"Find a fault and send Song Jiyun away."
She paused for a moment, then said, "Take it further away!"
Over the years, Song Jiyun has experienced the death of his mother, the beheading of his brother, and the confiscation of the Song family's property.
Her older brother used to be her support.
She can be flamboyant and unrestrained.
Now she has no one to rely on.
She buried her hatred and resentment deep in her heart.
If she had the same mindset two years ago, she probably wouldn't have been so enthusiastic about it all.
She could also see through Zhou Congxian's leniency towards her; it wasn't out of love, but rather a scheme to get closer to her brother.
Song Jiyun paid the highest price to truly grow.
Therefore, Zhao wanted to find fault with her.
She immediately understood what Zhao meant.
Since no one wants her to have an easy time, she'll make everyone else suffer!
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