Binding Spring Love

After singing in the Begonia Garden for most of the day, the guests who came to attend the banquet today finally arrived one after another.

Song Wan and Jiang's mother invited the female relatives to dine at Luling Courtyard, but they all froze at the entrance as soon as they entered the courtyard.

The vast courtyard was devoid of any tables or chairs. At the front stood a large platform, piled high with flowers and adorned with red brocade scrolls bearing the inscription "Huanyanzhai" in bold characters. A row of long tables was placed in front of the platform, laden with luxurious and expensive cosmetics.

On the left and right sides of the courtyard, there were rows of long tables, laden with all kinds of delicacies and snacks, which looked quite spectacular.

Song Wan looked at Lin Jiayue, who was standing in the center of the stage with a happy expression, and pursed her lips slightly.

Hengzhi was startled by the scene in the courtyard and immediately said, "Is this how Aunt Lin manages the household affairs? This is utterly absurd."

Song Wan glanced back at her, and Hengzhi lowered her head, saying, "It was this servant who overstepped her bounds."

Song Wan knew that Hengzhi deliberately revealed in front of all the ladies in the capital that Concubine Lin was in charge of the household in order to extricate herself from the situation.

Song Wan lowered her eyes and said apologetically to everyone, "It's because Wan'er didn't manage the household properly that this farce happened."

Upon hearing this, Jiang's mother seemed to only then realize what was happening, and hurriedly pressed her forehead, saying, "What a misfortune for our family, what a misfortune for our family..."

Even if Jiang's mother wanted money, she never expected Lin Jiayue to be so unseemly.

What is going on here? Not only are the dishes for the banquet laid out in the open air, but there aren't even any chairs? Could it be that Lin Jiayue's promise of a large sum of money coming in today is just a way for these ladies to buy her cosmetics in order to get a chair and a bite of hot food?

The thought had barely crossed her mind when Jiang's mother felt her face burning.

How could that little harlot have the nerve to do such a thing?

The thought of the disdainful looks from everyone later made Jiang's mother feel dizzy, so she closed her eyes and pretended to faint.

She is absolutely not capable of bearing the responsibility for such a shameful incident.

Today's banquet is attended by the matriarchs of various prominent families in the capital, most of whom have managed their households their entire lives. How could they not see through Jiang's mother's intentions? One by one, they suppressed their disdain and pointed at the maids beside them to help, while they themselves stood at the courtyard gate and did not take another step forward.

When Lin Jiayue saw Jiang's mother faint as soon as she entered the courtyard, she hurriedly ran to the crowd.

After having her maid summon the family physician and seeing Jiang's mother off, Song Wan curtsied to everyone and said, "Today, I, Wan'er, have failed to entertain you all well. My mother is unwell, so let's adjourn this banquet."

"Song Wan, what are you talking about?"

Lin Jiayue frowned and glared at Song Wan when she saw that her press conference had been ended before it even started.

She wrote countless drafts for today's press conference, carefully considering every word. She even meticulously selected the products for today's event, and prepared an auction for the store's prized possessions. Now, however, Song Wan's single sentence has wiped out almost half a month's worth of hard work.

"presumptuous."

Before Song Wan could speak, an old woman leaning on a gilded agate cane spoke sternly: "How does Lian Jin manage the Marquis's mansion? How dare a concubine of such lowly birth yell at her master? After Qingzhou's passing, is this how she tarnishes the Marquis's mansion's reputation and order?"

Lianjin was the maiden name of Madam Jiang, while Qingzhou was the courtesy name of the old Marquis.

When Song Wan saw the old woman addressing Madam Jiang in this way, she knew that she must be the old matriarch of the Duke of Yuan's mansion, and the great-aunt of the old Marquis.

"Grand Aunt, please calm down. It's not worth harming your health."

The old woman glanced at Song Wan, feeling displeased.

The three generations of mistresses of the Chengyang Marquis's mansion were all useless, allowing this worthless person to swagger around, which was a disgrace to the Jiang family.

The more the old lady of the Yuan State Duke thought about it, the angrier she became. She slammed her cane down heavily and turned to go back home without looking back.

Seeing this, the women smiled apologetically at Song Wan, offered a few words of comfort, and then left one after another. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they were all gone. Lin Jiayue tried to stop them several times but failed. Just as she was about to rush towards Song Wan, Song Wan had already left Luling Courtyard with Hengzhi.

As soon as she was discharged from the hospital, Song Wan said, "Go find a few maids..."

She whispered a few words in Hengzhi's ear, and Hengzhi nodded and hurriedly ran out.

After the women had all left, Jiang Xingjian in the outer courtyard also looked pale and ashen.

"The three guests represent the three luminaries, and the four seats represent the four seasons. The host is the most honored guest, so the guest is seated in the northwest..."

"Guests are treated with righteousness, and hosts are treated with benevolence; therefore, they sit in the southeast."

"The rules of propriety are established by nature. There are fixed rules for where the host and guests sit and move. How can you, Jiang Xingjian, discard and abandon these ancestral rules? Today, all the guests are of all ages. Do you intend for Lord Song, who is over 60 years old, to stand and fight for food with my great-grandson? What kind of behavior is this?"

"Jiang Xingjian, you've gone too far!"

After a furious outburst, the Imperial Censor Fang stormed off, followed by a middle-aged man with a forced, insincere smile.

"The Marquis of Chengyang has quite the airs; I admire him."

After the man left, an old man with a full white beard stepped forward: "I do not ask for the world to be blessed with long-term prosperity and obedience, or for the ruler to be benevolent and the ministers to be loyal, but a family like the Marquis of Chengyang should at least know how to write the four characters of propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame. Marquis Jiang, you should take good care of yourself."

Song Lan'an and his son Song Fu stood at a distance. Song Lan'an, with a stern expression, said coldly upon seeing this scene, "What a pity for Wan'er."

Song Fu looked at Jiang Xingjian with a cold expression and an unfriendly look.

One by one, the male guests who came to the banquet left with cold faces. Only after leaving the Marquis's residence and reuniting with their female relatives did they begin to curse.

After being severely reprimanded by Lord Sun, Madam Sun held her handkerchief and whispered, "The Marquis and his wife knew nothing about what happened today. It was all caused by that concubine they brought back from their residence."

"They're just lowly, insignificant people who can't be brought to the table. Not only are they short-sighted, but they've become arrogant as soon as they gain a little power."

Lord Sun said, "How could Song Lan'an's daughter not even be able to handle a concubine? And let her act so recklessly? That Jiang Xingjian is also a good-for-nothing. I do not agree to Xiuxiu's marriage to the Marquis's family. No matter how rich and powerful such a family is, I will not marry into it."

"It's become such a mess, it's shameful."

Upon hearing this, Madam Sun hurriedly explained, "I'm not arranging this marriage for the Marquis of Chengyang's family. Besides, didn't you say before that Jiang Yan is a talented man and a perfect match for Xiu Xiu?"

Seeing that Lord Sun remained silent, as if weighing his options, Madam Sun sighed softly: "And today's matter cannot be blamed on Song Wan. It's not that she's incompetent, it's just that..."

Lady Sun pointed to the roof of the carriage: "Who in the palace is so troublesome?"

"Concubine Jiang?"

"Yes, when I came out just now, I heard a few maids from the Marquis's residence whispering among themselves, saying that if it weren't for Consort Jiang's support, how could that concubine dare to be so arrogant?"

Lord Sun's eyebrows shot up: "What a fool! With such a mother, the Fifth Prince will never amount to anything."