The house was full of guests and their laughter. The women all gathered together to view how simply the mansion had been decorated. However, when they looked closely, they found that the furniture and the decorations were all extremely expensive and delicate. The room gave people a comfortable feeling with a modest luxury style. The tea wares on the table were all made of light pink lotus-jade porcelain, looking neat and exquisite, according with the spring times.

The maids who served the tea and snacks wore the same white dresses with green flower patterns and brocade belts in different colors. They walked slowly and spoke decently, not even daring to take glances at the guests.

After the women guests looked around this place, they all praised Minglan inwardly and stopped underestimating her. These women thought, ‘After all, she’s from a scholar’s family. Though she is an illegal daughter, she knows how to set strict rules. As young as she is, she still manages to handle the family affairs neatly without any help from the elders in her family.’

And due to their appreciation to Minglan, they started to think highly of Wang shi too. A few noble madams walked over to chat with Wang shi right away. Wang shi who had learned a lesson from her interactions with Junzhu Pingning already knew how to deal with those noblewomen. She was neither too humble nor pushy while talking and behaved with grace.

After Minglan had led Old Madam Lu who was the eldest guest among all ladies and madams and also the latest one to arrive to sit on the seat of honor, she went to greet other guests. As Minglan saw Little Shen shi who was sitting in the corner, she walked over and expressed her thanks, “I wouldn’t know what to do today without you. Thank you so much.” On these words, Minglan poured a cup of tea for Little Shen shi whose mouth was parched because of the excessive talking.

Little Shen shi took over the tea cup naturally and said with a smile, “It’s my pleasure. Talking is easy for me. I’m a country girl who don’t know about poetry or literature. Those rules that you ladies have to obey don’t fit me so well. I just hope you won’t turn your nose up at me in the future.”

“Why did you say that?” Minglan glanced at the guests in the room, finding Zheng Jun’s wife, who was also Little Shen shi’s eldest sister-in-law was talking with Countess Shoushan. Then, with something dawning on her, she turned back and said smilingly, “You are Empress Shen’s sister and married into the Zheng family. I’m only afraid that you would turn your nose up at me. Come here, you have introduced so many people to me. Let me introduce you to my sisters.”

Having looked at Madam Zheng, Little Shen shi followed Minglan quietly to greet Countess Shoushan. As they met each other, Minglan gave her obeisance with a smile, saying, “Aunt, it’s been so long I haven’t seen you. My Eldest Sister said that you paid a visit to your hometown. How was your trip?”

Countess Shoushan was a straightforward woman. With a beaming smile, she said, “Everything’s fine. I just wanted to finish the business back in my hometown while I am still healthy. Who knows if I will be able to walk when I get older. Little did I know that you would be a married woman when I came back. It’s such a shame that Wenying couldn’t attend your wedding.”

Yuan Wenying who stood next to her held Minglan’s arms and said, “Tell me, how are you planning to make it up to me?”

Minglan poked Yuan Wenying’s forehead with her index finger and teased, “You, how dare you confuse right and wrong. You are the one who have missed my wedding! And I’d like to hear how you are going to make it up to me!”

Little Shen shi looked at the woman beside Countess Shoushan and said in a low voice, “Eldest Sister-in-law.”

Madam Zheng was around thirty-three or thirty-four years old, decorous in appearance, looking a bit domineering. As she heard Little Shen shi’s greeting, she only nodded slowly and replied, “Why didn’t your sister-in-law from your parents’ family come today?” She was taking about Zhang shi, Marquise Weibei’s wife.

Little Shen shi lowered her head, saying, “My brother said that she couldn’t come today because she didn’t feel so well.”

Madam Zheng glanced at Little Shen shi with a fierce look in her eyes while saying in a flat tone, “Your aunt is there. Let’s greet her together.”

Little Shen shi answered her right away with a cheerful look on her face. Having smiled to Minglan gratefully, she and Madam Zheng excused themselves and went to the other side of the room.

Minglan, Yuan Wenying and Countess Shoushan looked at each other with different looks on their faces. Yuan Wenying was the first one who started to talk. She exhaled and said, “What a tough sister-in-law! She’s even more commanding than my mother-in-law.”

Countess Shoushan said slowly, “There’s something you don’t know. Old Madam Zheng is a very frail woman and hasn’t handled their family affairs for a long time. It’s said that Zheng Xiao was nearly raised by his sister-in-law. So that woman is more like his mother.”

Minglan shook her head and commented, “Even as a mother-in-law, Madam Zheng seems a bit too fierce.”

Yuan Wenying echoed quickly, “Truly, indeed.”

Countess Shoushan goggled at them and said, “You two naive girls. What do you know about the feelings of being bullied by your mothers-in-law!”

Minglan shrank her neck and grinned, saying, “I don’t buy it. Let’s forget about me. My sister Wenying truly is a lucky girl. Her mother-in-law is her aunt who treasures her the most. How’s it possible for her to be bullied?”

“This girl does have a glib tongue!” Yuan Wenying pulled at Countess Shoushan’s sleeves like a spoiled child while glaring at Minglan. Countess Shoushan chuckled and dragged both of them toward her to hug them gently, saying, “All right, all right, you both are lucky girls!” After they chatted and laughed for a while, Countess Shoushan sighed, “Actually it’s all Shen family’s fault. Although they haven’t treated Zhang shi too bad, they have shown too much favor to Concubine Zou. I’m afraid that Zhang shi didn’t come today because she was irritated again.”

Minglan asked confusedly, “What does that have to do with Zheng family?” Why had Madam Zheng given Little Shen shi the long face?

Having confirmed that there was nobody else around them, Countess Shoushan said, “Duke Ying used to be a commander. Also, his family has a powerful background. Anyone who has taken office in the army would have made contacts with Duke Ying’s family. Let alone that Old Duke Ying saved Old Master Zheng’s life once.”

Minglan understood her words right away. She raised her head to look at Little Shen shi and Madam Zheng, sighing softly, “You have mentioned that the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother in their family. I heard that Second Madam Zheng was raised by Zou shi, who was Empress’s Brother’s deceased wife. The two women were in a close relationship.”

Everyone was tied by love. Everyone had their own difficulties. Hearing Minglan’s words, Countess Shoushan also sighed and shook her head. At the moment, something crossed in Yuan Wenying’s mind. With her eyebrows raised up, she couldn’t help saying, “Not only that, actually…”

Before she could finish her sentence, a noble woman who was around forty or fifty walked over to them. This woman had a plump figure with a chubby face. The dark purple coat embroidered with coin patterns she wore and the jades and pearls on her hair showed her extravagant tastes. Minglan approached her right away and gave her obeisance, “Madam Gan.”

Madam Gan, radiant with smiles, held Minglan’s wrist and said intimately, “My girl, look at you, you are thinner than before. You must be exhausted! Why didn’t you ask for help from us? I don’t know about others, but I am willing to help as long as you ask! You are so capable. Look at this room, this garden, wow…”

Madam Gan had a loud voice but liked to talk in a sharp tone. Once she started to speak, all the people in the room could hear her words. Right now, she kept praising about everything inside and outside the room while holding Minglan’s wrist– Although Minglan had accepted lots of compliments before, she still couldn’t bear being praised like that. At the moment, she only felt her ears buzzing and her blood freezing.

In the meantime, Madam Gan still couldn’t stop talking and cottoning up with Minglan. Minglan couldn’t help but wonder since when she was so close to this woman.

While Madam Gan was speaking, she touched Minglan’s hair as if she was a kind elder. Minglan tried her best to endure the discomfort and maintain the smile on her face. She would like to see what tricks this woman was going to play.

Madam Gan gave an extravagantly colorful speech for half a quarter. Normal people would already be overwhelmed by her words. However, Minglan, neither joyful nor angry, only lowered her head with a smile. Every time Madam Gan made a long speech, Minglan only replied two or three words. Moreover, as indifferent as Minglan sounded, she spoke in a gentle and reverent tone without any disrespectful attitude. Madam Gan, gradually losing her patience, changed the subject all of a sudden, “… If you run into any difficulties, you can come to me for help. After all, we can call us families! Eh… How’s my foster daughter, Fengxian, doing here?”

Minglan got alarmed right away and snorted secretly, ‘Finally’. Then she smiled and replied, “She’s fine.” Still a short answer.

Madam Gan paused, holding back her anger, and then said smilingly, “Wow, I have run into a girl who cherishes her words as gold.”

Minglan still remained silent with a smile.

Madam Gan gritted her teeth. She had thought that a new married woman like Minglan should be easy to be fooled with. But now, Madam Gan only felt that all her efforts were in vain. No matter what she said, Minglan only replied her with a nonchalant attitude. Then Madam Gan had to say, “My foster daughter used to be a lady from an official’s family. But she was down on her luck. Now that she already became a member of the Gu family, she finally got rid of her miserable life. Please take care of her for me!”

Minglan still replied with a smile, “Of course I will.”

Madam Gan got a bit dejected, but she still tried to maintain her smile, “Fengxian knows how to read and has also learned a bit poetry. Of course, she can never be compared to you in that. If she does anything wrong, don’t hesitate to punish her. Don’t be afraid that I would be offended! But if you two can get along well with each other, you will also have someone to help you deal with the family affairs, right?”

Minglan lowered her gaze while saying in a soft and shy voice, “You are right.”

Madam Gan glared at Minglan for a long while. Finally, she couldn’t keep the smile on her face. She raised her voice while saying angrily, “Look how busy you are today. As an elder, I really couldn’t bear to see you being so tired. Why don’t you call Fengxian out and let her help? I’d like to meet her too.”

After she had said that, the laughter and noisy conversation around them suddenly died down. Though not all the people in the room were able to hear their conversation, a few bunches of women guests had been listening to them the whole time. Minglan could feel lots of eyes fixed on her right now. Those women pretended that they didn’t care about what was happening here, but actually paid great attention to what would happen next.