Since they were all on the same side, there was nothing to hide, so Jiang Ruoya directly asked someone to tell her what she had found out.
The subordinate responded and said, "Madam Hu does indeed want to use her daughter to climb up the social ladder to the Lu family. When she returned, she said she wanted her daughter to meet Young Master Lei at the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet a few days later."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ying asked, "Did they say what method they would use?"
When her subordinate shook his head, Jiang Ying understood and said, "I never expected someone to have such a thick skin."
She was ridiculed by her a few days ago, and today she was given a cold shoulder by Jiang Ruoya at the banquet. Even so, she still won't give up. It seems that the power of the Lu family is indeed very tempting to her.
There will indeed be a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet in a few days. In autumn, the nobles in the capital like to hold these banquets when they have nothing else to do. They bring their children to attend, which is like a social gathering, giving their children a chance to meet and get to know each other.
The Lu family is also among the distinguished guests, so they will naturally attend and bring their children along to broaden their horizons.
Jiang Ruoya said, "I'll go with you then and make sure the children are taken care of so she won't have a chance!"
As she spoke, she felt a pang of regret. How could she have made such a friend when she was so young? Her judgment was terrible!
Jiang Ying shook her head: "There are too many people and too many eyes in that kind of scene. Mother, you are still pregnant, so you shouldn't go, lest someone take advantage of the situation. As for Lei Zi, that's his business. They've all grown up and have to face these things on their own. I can't protect them forever."
Lu Baichuan thought so too. If his wife had to handle everything, she would be exhausted.
Mingze hugged Jiang Ruoya and laughed, "Don't worry about these things. None of the Lu family's children are bad. This is also an opportunity for them to grow. As elders, we can help them out in secret. We can't protect them forever."
Everyone could understand Jiang Ruoya's feelings; she was worried that the friends she made in her youth might cause trouble for the Lu family, so she wanted to help as much as possible.
However, the Lu family's children were not as weak as she thought, and even if it weren't for Madam Hu, there would be others, so they would have to learn to cope.
Hearing everyone say that, Jiang Ruoya finally felt relieved and wasn't as nervous as before.
After returning to the Lu family, Jiang Ying gathered all the children together and explained the current situation of the Lu family to them.
“Our family is a hot commodity right now, everyone wants a piece of it, especially you young kids, you’re the easiest targets. So be careful what you say and do outside, don’t give anyone a handle to use against you, and don’t get framed and cause trouble for yourselves.”
The younger children nodded as if they understood, and Jiang Ying let them go play on their own, leaving only Lianhua and Leizi behind so she could give them a few instructions.
"Don't worry, Auntie, I understand all of this. I won't let Lianhua suffer any injustice."
Lei Zi quickly stated his position, jokingly, Lianhua was someone he had gone to great lengths to win over, how could he bear to let her be bullied?
"Good to know, go ahead."
Jiang Ying waved her hand, signaling them to leave as well.
Lei Zi knew that Hu Shi had come to say bad things about Lianhua a few days ago, so after leaving, he held Lianhua's hand and kept saying nice things to coax her.
"Don't let people like that come to our door anymore, so as not to upset you."
Lei Zi knew the benefits of power; with power, one could do whatever one wanted. So he studied hard, waiting for next year's exam. He was determined to pass the exam and give Lianhua a proper title so that she wouldn't always be bullied.
Lotus smiled and said, "I'm not upset, you don't need to overthink it. I have so many things to do every day, how can I have the mind to think about those irrelevant people? Let's just do our own things, you don't need to take it to heart."
That's what they say, but only a useless man would let the woman he likes suffer. So even though Lei Zi didn't say anything, he was determined to make something of himself.
On the day of the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet, Jiang Ying took the children to the banquet. When they arrived, they were surrounded by a large entourage, and everyone was eager to get in front of her and say a few words.
Jiang Ying handled the situation with ease, occasionally glancing at the children. She noticed that Lianhua and Leizi were surrounded by quite a few people, while Hu's daughter, Cui Wanyun, was gathered around Lianhua.
Lotus had seen Cui Wanyun's portrait before, and recognized her at a glance today. She immediately perked up, not wanting the other party to take advantage of her when she wasn't paying attention.
"Sister Lotus, my mother has mentioned you before, saying that you are not only beautiful but also very capable, which is quite admirable. Seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed extraordinary. We should get to know each other more often in the future!"
When Lianhua heard her call her "sister," she felt as uncomfortable as if she had a fly stuck in her throat.
Logically speaking, since Hu Shi and Jiang Ruoya are good friends, Cui Wanyun should be of the same generation as He Jiuniang. How could she address her as a sister?
More importantly, Cui Wanyun is two years older than her, so how did she manage to ask for that?
"Miss Cui is joking. According to seniority, I should call you aunt."
Upon hearing this, everyone around couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh. Some of the bolder ones even said directly, "This is hilarious! Anyone with eyes can see that you're older than Lotus Girl. How dare you call her 'sister'?"
Cui Wanyun was shocked that Lianhua would be so disrespectful to her, making her lose face in front of everyone, and her face turned very ugly.
If it weren't for my mother's repeated instructions to first cultivate a good relationship with this little bitch, I wouldn't have to put up with this.
"You're so kind and insightful! I didn't even think of that! But we're about the same age, so let's not follow the seniority rule. We can address each other as we're older. I'll call you 'younger sister,' and you can call me 'older sister,' how about that?"
They came here and immediately tried to claim kinship; that's really shameless.
Lotus replied with a smile, "Since the seniority is here, we can't ignore it. Let's address each other as we should, so as not to be nagged by our elders."
She wanted to include the generational distinction, since Lei Zi was of the same generation as her, which would prevent Cui Wanyun from using any brother-sister tactics to approach Lei Zi.
Cui Wanyun also thought of this, and stomped her feet in anger. This bitch, she's so scheming!
After a few words, the people around changed the subject. After all, in everyone's eyes, Cui Wanyun had climbed up to the Lu family and even gained an aunt, so she was not someone they could easily offend.
Everyone was admiring the chrysanthemums in the courtyard; there were all sorts of colors and varieties, a truly abundant sight.
The men's side was more lively, with people composing poems and painting.
Although it was already autumn, it was still quite hot at noon. Servants brought everyone chilled drinks and snacks, and everyone took a bite and sighed with relief.
"Eating these things in this weather is so refreshing!"
Just as Lei Zi was about to speak, a young servant with an unfamiliar face stepped forward and whispered in his ear.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com