Chapter 473: Attending Mrs. Su’s Birthday Banquet
Zhao Houming didn't have time to care about the little conflicts between his eldest brother and third brother. As long as the two of them didn't cause their mother any trouble, he didn't bother to care about them.
Zhao Lingmeng didn't want to care about the looks from the three brothers. They chatted for a while and had breakfast together, then Zhao Lingmeng sent all three of them away.
Zhao Lingmeng thought that her life in Yuanjing would be so peaceful, she could sleep until she woke up naturally every day and attend a few banquets that interested her.
But she never expected that someone would set their sights on her.
It started with the fiftieth birthday of the old lady at the residence of the Minister of Justice, Su Yuanbai. In that era, living to fifty years old without any pain or disaster was considered a long life.
Zhao Lingmeng was thinking that since she was in Yuanjing, it would not be a good thing to stay away from people for a long time. Just as she had this thought, the invitation for the Su family's old lady's birthday celebration was handed to her.
Moreover, the Su family, the Minister of Justice, had no conflicts with Zhao Lingmeng, so Zhao Lingmeng was willing to give them such respect.
It can be said that the Su family was able to invite Zhao Lingmeng because of the right time, place and people.
Since he had decided to go, Zhao Lingmeng asked someone to reply to the Su Mansion.
When the day came, Zhao Lingmeng went there with a simple packing. After all, they were going to a birthday party, not to cause trouble, so Zhao Lingmeng didn't plan to bring a large group of people with her.
But as the eldest princess, Zhao Lingmeng was accompanied by four female officials, even though she traveled light. She even brought along three martial artists: Dongyuan, Chunshui, and Chunmu. Then, Qiuyue wanted to go and see, so Zhao Lingmeng took her along as well.
Zhao Lingmeng brought so many martial artists with him, fearing any mishaps at the banquet. At such banquets, poisonings and drownings were common. "A gentleman does not stand beneath a precarious wall," this was Zhao Lingmeng's consistent principle.
In the end, it was proved that the Su Mansion really did not let her down for bringing so many people with her.
That day, Zhao Lingmeng brought her people to the Su Mansion. As soon as they sat down after being exempted from everyone's formalities, her three future daughters-in-law came over to pay their respects.
To be honest, Zhao Lingmeng's heart skipped a beat when she saw the three of them. Seeing the future wives of the eldest and second sons here, she was no exception. After all, their family backgrounds were quite good, so it was not surprising for them to attend a banquet at the residence of a first-rank official.
But Zhao Lingmeng was puzzled as to why the third son, Fan Houyang's future wife, was here. This was a birthday banquet being held at the residence of a First Rank official. And Yuan Xiangxuan's father was only a Fifth Rank official, working in a rather idle department, the Ministry of Rites.
The threshold for the Su family’s banquets couldn’t be this low!
Zhao Lingmeng's mind was in turmoil, but she remained calm as she called them up and asked the three of them to sit directly below her. This was also a gesture of support for them in front of everyone.
As soon as the three of them sat down, the differences between the young ladies became apparent. Yu Shuqi, the granddaughter of General Chengguo, was very cheerful and didn't seem too intimidated by Zhao Lingmeng. Instead, she immediately struck up a conversation with Zhao Lingmeng.
The second son's future daughter-in-law, Qin Xinxue, would occasionally interject a few words, but Yuan Xiangxuan just smiled like a wooden man the whole time.
Zhao Lingmeng could see her uneasiness, restraint, and even forced effort. Zhao Lingmeng took the initiative to bring her up twice, but she looked terrified each time. Zhao Lingmeng gave up. If she didn't stand up for herself in this kind of situation, no one else could help.
It's not like she has no solutions. If it was Zhao Lingmeng's daughter, she would definitely have a lot of solutions waiting for her. But since she was just a future daughter-in-law, she was too lazy to stretch her hands so far.
Sometimes marrying into a wealthy family isn't always a good thing. The constant strife and ambivalence surrounding her isn't something most people can handle. She still needs to be able to stand on her own two feet. Moreover, from Yuan Xiangxuan's perspective, even her own house is a den of wolves. If she doesn't gain control of her backyard before marrying, it will be difficult for her later years.
Afterward, Zhao Lingmeng focused on chatting with the people around her. However, she also kept the three of them by her side, not allowing them to wander around. This was actually a way of protecting them. If something went wrong in such an occasion, the marriage would most likely be ruined.
But even so, after the birthday banquet, when everyone was watching a play together, Yuan Xiangxuan's maid accidentally knocked over the tea.
The main reason was that at this time, the seats next to Zhao Lingmeng were occupied by high-ranking imperial consorts, including today's protagonist, Old Madam Su. Even Yu Shuqi, who came from a higher-ranking family, was seated several rows back, let alone Yuan Xiangxuan, who was of a lower status.
If she wasn't Zhao Lingmeng's future daughter-in-law, she probably wouldn't even be able to get a position. Being so far away from Zhao Lingmeng, Zhao Lingmeng couldn't take care of her.
Fortunately, Zhao Lingmeng asked Dong Yuan to pay attention to Yuan Xiangxuan in advance, so Dong Yuan noticed it when Yuan Xiangxuan's maid spilled the tea, and followed her quietly.
The result was exactly as Zhao Lingmeng had predicted; it almost went wrong. As soon as Yuan Xiangxuan entered, she was knocked unconscious by a handkerchief smothered by her maid. Dong Yuan, who had been watching the entire process, was completely baffled. This noblewoman hadn't even conquered those around her? This was truly bad news.
Dong Yuan complained in his heart, but he still had to do his work. He could only wait for the maid to leave, climb in through the window, and bring Yuan Xiangxuan out.
Meanwhile, Zhao Lingmeng's show was almost over, and everyone was starting to tip her. Zhao Lingmeng had never been interested in this kind of drama about infatuated men and resentful women, so she just put on a fake smile the whole time and didn't really watch.
When it was time to give out rewards, she randomly gave a reward to a young man. She felt that her behavior was also giving face to the Su family and just following the crowd!
Originally, Zhao Lingmeng thought that they could leave like this. After all, it was already late and it would be dark if they stayed any later.
As a result, Yuan Xiangxuan, the maid, knelt down in front of Zhao Lingmeng, knocking her head loudly! She kept asking people to save her young lady. Her young lady went to change her clothes and disappeared.
Zhao Lingmeng looked at this maid, not only did she not feel any sympathy for her, but she even looked at her as if she were a dead person.
Zhao Lingmeng heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Dong Yuan was gone. This daughter-in-law was chosen by her youngest son himself. No matter what, Zhao Lingmeng couldn't let anything happen to her until her youngest son gave the okay.
Although Zhao Lingmeng felt extremely unlucky, she still casually admired her newly painted nails and said, "Come on, where did your young lady change her clothes? Take me to see her!"
Zhao Lingmeng looked at the ladies around her who were eager to see the excitement and added, "Let's go and have a look together!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
