On the day of the Crown Prince's birthday.
Gu Yurong, dressed in her finest attire, carefully held the brocade box as she waited for the carriage to arrive at the mansion gate.
"Madam, will this plan work?" the maid, Magpie, asked worriedly. "What if the general finds out..."
"Don't worry, I'm confident."
Gu Yurong wrung out the handkerchief tightly.
Even with thick makeup, she couldn't hide her nervous expression.
"The Crown Prince's birthday celebration is handled by the palace, and all the gifts will be sent to the Treasure Pavilion. There are countless people presenting gifts today, and the Crown Prince will not have time to check them all and will not notice us."
She warned the maid in a low voice.
"Today's banquet is very important to me. Keep your mouth shut and make sure the general doesn't find out about this!"
Since marrying into the Song family, she has been a noble and dignified general's wife.
But now, in just half a month since Jiang Wan returned to the manor, she has suffered a series of setbacks, damaging her reputation and lowering her status in the manor.
With great difficulty, Song Ziyu agreed to take her to the banquet.
This is a golden opportunity for her to turn the tide, and she absolutely cannot afford to make a mistake.
Gu Yurong touched the gold hairpin on her head while pulling Song Lin aside and giving him instructions.
"Lin'er, you must behave well today. Have you remembered everything your mother taught you?"
"Today we have many distinguished guests at this banquet. You need to learn to be observant, perceptive, and sweet-talking..."
Song Lin was dressed in a newly made long gown, looking elegant and dignified, but his eyes were full of impatience.
Gu Yurong wanted to say more, but in the blink of an eye, she found Jiang Wan standing in front of the door.
Jiang Wan wore a brocade pear blossom dress, looking elegant and refined, with Song Yu, dressed in her best, following behind her.
When she saw the carriage bearing the insignia of the Eastern Palace stop in front of Jiang Wan, her face twisted even more.
Logically speaking, only one female member of the General's Mansion was allowed to attend the banquet, so it was not Jiang Wan's turn at all.
A few days ago, Princess Zhaohua gave an invitation to Jiang Wan in recognition of her charitable act of disaster relief, and even sent a carriage to pick her up.
Jiang Wan could have gone by herself, but she insisted on bringing that little brat Song Yu along.
How ridiculous!
An adopted son of the imperial family, a country bumpkin who has never seen the world, is he worthy of showing his face in front of noble people?
Could it be that Jiang Wan really expects him to compete with Lin'er for the position of heir?
On the carriage to the Eastern Palace.
Song Yu sat upright on one side, her small face slightly tense.
"Are you nervous?" Jiang Wan asked.
Song Jue said softly, "This is my first time attending such a grand banquet. I don't know how to behave."
At the Crown Prince's birthday banquet, distinguished guests filled the halls, while he was merely a lowly adopted son.
In the presence of those great figures, they are as insignificant as dust.
He was afraid of embarrassing his mother.
Jiang Wan patted his head: "How was the third chapter of 'The Gentleman's Decree' written?"
Song Jue replied in a soft voice, "A gentleman is neither obsequious to those above him nor disrespectful to those below him; he is neither humble nor arrogant, which is the way of moderation."
As he spoke, his eyes brightened, and he straightened his back even more.
"...Thank you, Mother, I understand!"
Jiang Wan smiled gently.
Song Jue was indeed intelligent; he understood immediately.
The carriage arrived at the East Palace quickly.
The East Palace was magnificent and filled with distinguished guests.
Jiang Wan had been away from the capital for three years and was not very familiar with the female relatives of nobles, but because she was a guest of honor of the princess, no one dared to ignore her.
With the introduction of Madam Sheng herself, she quickly became the center of attention.
Song Yu, who was standing next to her, naturally also attracted attention.
Seeing that he was well-behaved, polite, and had a graceful demeanor, he was praised by many for his youthful appearance and gentlemanly manners.
Even renowned upright officials in the court cast admiring glances at it.
On the other hand, let's look at Song Lin's side.
Following Gu Yurong's teachings, he only learned how to flatter and fawn, trying hard to befriend powerful and influential people, but was instead ignored.
Today's gathering is filled with powerful figures, and having grown accustomed to their sycophantic behavior, they naturally dislike Song Lin.
On the contrary, those who are humble and composed, like Song Yu, are more respected.
Song Lin was ostracized, and he also resented Gu Yurong.
When he was with Jiang Wan, she took care of everything for him, and everyone praised him as a promising young talent with a bright future.
How did it become like this?
Seeing Song Yu stealing the spotlight, Song Lin felt both jealous and angry.
Jiang Wan clearly likes him the most!
She would personally sew shoe soles for him, make felt hats, and brew medicine for him when he was sick, looking at him with such tender eyes…
He remembered how good Jiang Wan was to him and wanted to talk to her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, so he simply ran away in a huff.
Jiang Wan noticed his unusual behavior but pretended not to see it.
Having witnessed Song Lin's selfishness and cold-heartedness, she naturally wouldn't give him any more sincerity.
Now she has something else to do.
Jiang Wan's gaze swept over the group of beautiful women and finally landed on a noblewoman in a peach-colored dress.
This woman has a dignified and elegant appearance, but her eyes and brows reveal a fierceness, like a dark and venomous snake.
That was Song Ziyu's second older sister, Song Shuling.
Song Ziyu has two older sisters and one younger sister.
The eldest sister, Song Tingyue, was sent to a tribe for a political marriage many years ago. The second sister, Song Shuling, married a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Justice. The youngest sister, Song Jiaojiao, was in poor health and went to the capital with a wandering monk to cultivate in seclusion. She has not returned for many years.
The eldest daughter married far away for the country, and the second daughter married a vice minister of the Ministry of Justice. These were the reasons for the Song family's stable position.
In her previous life, Song Shuling often returned to her parents' home, and Jiang Wan treated her like an older sister.
However, after she returned to the manor, Song Shuling conspired with Gu Yurong, scolding her for being shameless and instigating Zhou to drown her in the pond.
Jiang Wan's eyes were icy cold.
She summoned Biluo and whispered a few instructions in her ear.
Soon after, Song Shuling received the news and looked at the maid beside her in disbelief.
"Are you telling the truth? Ziyu actually obtained such a treasure and wants to present it to His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"I heard it with my own ears from the maidservant beside Madam Jiang. It's a treasure that Madam Gu bought at Linglong Pavilion, worth three thousand taels of silver!"
Song Shuling's eyes widened, and after a long while, she gritted her teeth and said.
"Three thousand taels... Gu Yurong is really generous!"
No wonder she went back to her parents' home a few days ago to complain about being poor, but didn't get a single penny out of her; it turns out she spent it all on this!
That said, her husband was at a crucial time for his performance review and promotion.
If the General's Mansion can win over the Crown Prince, then she can hold her head high in her husband's family.
Song Shuling asked, "What about the treasure?"
"I heard that it should be sent to the Treasure Pavilion along with other people's congratulatory gifts."
"What?"
Song Shuling cursed inwardly, feeling disappointed and frustrated.
"That fool Gu family spent so much money, why not take this opportunity to curry favor with the Crown Prince? Wouldn't that be a complete waste?"
"He comes from a merchant background; he doesn't understand any of the rules of officialdom!"
Song Shuling's eyes darted around.
"Looks like I'm the only one who can help her..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com