Binding Spring Love

"Quickly summon the imperial physician."

Jiang's mother was terrified and panicked. Song Wan pulled her away, pointed to several rough-looking old women, picked up the old lady Jiang, and took her to the Pear Garden's side room.

After the physician administered acupuncture to the old lady, she slowly regained consciousness.

"Let Aunt Lin go back...back to Xiuyan Pavilion."

With tears welling in her eyes, Jiang's mother hurriedly nodded, "Don't worry, I will make sure she goes back to Xiuyan Pavilion."

With a weight lifted from her heart, Old Madam Jiang left behind her precious pearls and jade, dismissing Jiang's mother and Song Wan, telling them not to worry about her and to focus on the grand banquet at the manor. Jiang's mother and Song Wan left the room, both looking somewhat tense, but their thoughts were completely different.

"Wan'er..."

Song regained her composure: "Mother, please speak."

Jiang's mother looked troubled: "What should we do about Aunt Lin?"

Song Wan lowered her eyes and remained silent for a moment.

"Say something!"

Song Wan asked, "Does Mother know why Grandmother sent Concubine Lin back to Xiuyan Pavilion?"

"I know, Grandmother has always doted on you and can't bear to see you suffer. But this is a major matter for the Marquis's mansion, and I believe that compared to the future of the mansion, you won't care about this little grievance... right?"

Jiang's mother looked at Song Wan cautiously, feeling somewhat anxious.

She had managed the household finances and accounts of the Marquis's residence, and she knew all too well how much silver was in those accounts. Now that Jiang Xingjian had returned to the residence, the expenses for men traveling and making connections outside the residence were even greater. Moreover, the household's expenses had not decreased; on the contrary, since Jiang Xingjian's return, even more silver had been sent to the palace and the Eastern Depot.

After all, the Marquis's mansion still wanted to secure a substantive post for Jiang Xingjian.

She was so anxious that she couldn't sleep, and she even used up all her dowry, but it was just a drop in the ocean.

If the Marquis's mansion hadn't been in such dire need of funds, she wouldn't have promoted someone she looked down on, Lin Jiayue.

Jiang's mother sighed softly, "I know you're in a difficult situation, but you're not unaware of the Marquis's family's circumstances. Now that Lin Jiayue has a way to earn money, we should only be happy and have no reason to hold her back."

Song Wan lowered her head, swallowing the words she was about to say.

After a long while, urged by Jiang's mother, she said in a low voice, "I can't make a decision about Aunt Lin's matter. Mother, please decide what to do."

"I'm asking you because I'm having trouble making a decision."

"That depends on what Mother thinks is more important."

Whether Jiang Xingjian's reputation and the family traditions of the Marquis's mansion were more important, or the immediate financial gain, she couldn't make a decision and could only let Jiang's mother choose for herself.

"You're right. I'll have Aunt Lin make the preparations, and everything will proceed as usual."

Jiang's mother patted Song Wan's hand, then hurriedly left.

Jiang's mother couldn't possibly think that far ahead. In her eyes, Song Wan's temporary loss of face was less important than Lin Jiayue's firm guarantee that a large sum of money would be deposited that day. As for Old Madam Jiang, Jiang's mother had already made her decision.

When the old lady learns that today's harvest is equivalent to five or even ten years' worth of the estate's harvest, she will naturally calm down.

"..."

Song Wan stared blankly at Jiang's mother's departing figure for a long while.

"Miss, we have a guest."

Hengzhi leaned close to Song Wan's ear and whispered something. Song Wan went to the hanging flower gate to greet the women of the farewell residence.

When Madam Sun arrived with her daughter, she saw Song Wan chatting happily with Madam Lan, and standing beside her was a simply dressed lady whom she had never seen before.

Madam Sun stepped forward to greet them, and Song Wan introduced the three of them with a smile.

Madam Lan and Madam Bai also brought their daughters, and the girls were all very gentle and kind.

"There's a stage set up in the Begonia Garden, shall we go and take a look?"

Madam Bai smiled and said, "Very well, I haven't been to an opera for a while. I wonder which plays were performed today?"

Unlike the Sun and Lan families, the Bai family knew whose favor she owed to enter the Marquis's mansion. Moreover, Madam Bai was a shrewd and intelligent woman; upon arrival, she recounted what she knew about Song Fu.

Song Wanzheng was unsure how to thank her, but upon hearing this, she quickly said, "They should be singing 'Parasitic Grass' right now. If Madam Bai likes any of these, she can request a few later."

The group chatted and laughed as they walked toward the Begonia Garden. As soon as they entered the garden, they saw Lin Jiayue holding a set of rouge and face powder, going around to the richly dressed women and talking incessantly.

Seeing this, Madam Sun became curious and asked with a smile, "Whose daughter-in-law is that? She seems very lively."

Because of Lin Jiayue's attire, everyone assumed she was the principal wife of one of the Marquis's households. Although the others were impatient and felt that the Marquis's household lacked manners, they ultimately did not say anything.

Those who knew the Marquis's mansion knew that, apart from Jiang Yan, the other young men in the mansion were not yet of marriageable age, and they had never heard of Jiang Yan being married. So they whispered among themselves and inquired about Lin Jiayue's identity.

After asking around, no one knew which wife this person belonged to. Now that they heard Madam Sun asking about Song Wan, everyone perked up their ears.

Song Wan blushed as she watched Lin Jiayue enthusiastically promoting rouge and face powder, feeling a pang of embarrassment.

In her eighteen years of life, she had never heard of any aristocratic family acting in such a way. Even merchants, if they had read a few books, studied the Book of Rites, and understood shame, would not be so disrespectful to their guests.

After a long while, Song Wan finally said, "It's Concubine Lin from the manor."

"..."

Jiang Xingjian brought back a woman from outside, and she caused unrest in the mansion; everyone in the capital knew about it. Now, hearing Song Wan say this, they immediately understood Lin Jiayue's identity.

When the matriarch of a conservative household saw that the Marquis's mansion had sent out a concubine to cause trouble, her face immediately darkened considerably.

Furthermore, those who had carefully observed Lin Jiayue's attire and arrogant words and actions frequently cast pitying and tender glances at Song Wan.

After finishing her speech, Song Wan did not look up, but continued to greet the ladies as usual.

Lin Jiayue was so angry that her hands trembled when she saw that she had been busy for a long time and no one paid attention to her, but now that Song Wanyi had arrived, everyone was surrounding her.

The crowd acted as if they couldn't see her, taking their seats one by one and happily listening to the opera.

As soon as one act of the play ended, Eunuch Chang, the head eunuch of Yanqing Palace, came to deliver a message from Consort Jiang. He first praised Song Wan highly, and then bestowed upon her many fine items. Song Wan accepted them with a smile, thanked Eunuch Chang profusely, and then returned to the crowd.

Consort Jiang's gesture of giving her face was not to elevate Song Wan, but to let the Sun and Lan families know that the Marquis's mansion had the Fifth Prince Shen Qianshu behind it. Song Wan was well aware of this, and simply accepted those gifts and let it go.

The other ladies all knew what this was all about, so they offered a few simple compliments and then moved on. Only Lin Jiayue felt a pang of jealousy when she saw this scene.