After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

Seeing this, Princess Yongning not only didn't blame them, but instead clapped her hands and chuckled, breaking the deadlock:

"Alright, alright, it's just a minor detail. Miss Jiang is quick-witted and straightforward. Today is for enjoying the flowers, so why bother with formalities?"

"Madam Jiang, your daughter is quite straightforward."

With a single sentence, she both gave Madam Wang a way out and defined Jiang Dusheng's words and actions as "frankness," thus lightly letting the matter drop.

Song Suya quickly thanked the princess for her leniency, but her heart was pounding.

She hadn't expected her daughter to have such courage...

Jiang Dusheng lowered her eyes, as if those words had not come from her own mouth.

Princess Yongning smiled and glanced at Jiang Dusheng again before turning around and leading everyone toward the flower hall where the banquet was set up.

The dissipating soul still clung to her side, completely unresponsive to the little incident that had just occurred.

Jiang Dusheng moved towards the flower hall with the crowd, Meng Xueyan's spirit floating beside her, whispering worriedly:

"Miss Jiang, the way you spoke of Madam Wang just now... As far as I know from her life, she was not a magnanimous person; she was always vindictive."

"The censor's pen and tongue are the most formidable. If she whispers in Censor Wang's ear, it might be detrimental to Lord Jiang."

"It's alright." Jiang Dusheng chuckled lightly, the smile as faint as floating ice, not reaching his eyes. "Anyway... I don't like my cheapskate father either. If he gets a headache because of this, I might be able to have some peace and quiet."

The indifference and detachment in her tone left Meng Xueyan speechless for a moment.

Just then, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and grabbed Jiang Dusheng's sleeve with considerable force.

Jiang Wanqing had returned to the front at some point, with Granny Zhao following behind with a helpless expression.

Her almond-shaped eyes were fixed on Jiang Dusheng, filled with a mixture of grievance, vigilance, and a hint of barely perceptible fear.

She lowered her voice and questioned, "Sister, what were you and Brother Yanzhao talking about over there just now?"

Jiang Dusheng lowered his eyes, glanced at his cuffs which had been crumpled by his grip, and without much emotion, forcefully pulled the sleeves back and smoothed them out.

Then, he looked up at Jiang Wanqing, his tone tinged with surprise:

"Huh? You weren't fooled by his few words and came to ask me? You're a little smarter than I thought."

These seemingly complimentary but actually sarcastic words made Jiang Wanqing's cheeks flush red.

She bit her lower lip, trying to maintain her composure. "Sister, my marriage to Brother Yanzhao is already a done deal between our two families. Father and Mother have both given their approval. You...you shouldn't get any closer to him, it will only cause unnecessary gossip."

"Heh." Jiang Dusheng chuckled upon hearing this, but there was no warmth in his laughter. "Then I take back what I just said. You're still pretty stupid."

"You!" Jiang Wanqing's eyes instantly reddened even more, and she was about to explode.

Jiang Dusheng's gaze calmly fell on her face as he continued:

"For the sake of our blood ties, I'll give you a piece of advice: break off your engagement with your brother Yanzhao as soon as possible. He is definitely not a good match for you."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her face. Jiang Wanqing's eyes widened suddenly as she looked at Jiang Dusheng in disbelief, her gaze then turning to shame, indignation, and suspicion.

"I knew it! I knew you weren't up to any good by suddenly coming back! You're after Brother Yanzhao! Don't even think about it! I... I'm going to tell Mother!"

Her voice was choked with sobs. After she finished speaking, she no longer cared about her manners. She stomped her foot hard, turned around and ran in the direction where Song Suya was, leaving Zhao Mama to chase after her in a panic.

Jiang Dusheng watched her run away, shook his head, and muttered to himself, only Meng Xueyan beside him could hear:

"The Buddha is compassionate, but he cannot save fools."

Meng Xueyan looked in the direction where Jiang Wanqing had disappeared and sighed softly:

"Miss Jiang is deeply in love with that Prince Chu. She probably won't listen to your bluntness and might even resent you."

"Let her be." Jiang Dusheng said indifferently, his gaze already fixed on the people gradually taking their seats in the flower hall. "Stubborn to the end, she will reap what she sows. I will only remind you once."

Jiang Dusheng stepped into the flower hall, where Princess Yongning was already seated in the main seat, and Princess Zhaohua sat down next to her.

Princess Yongning keenly noticed the slight commotion on Jiang Wanqing's side, but only glanced at it with a smile and did not ask any questions. Instead, she exchanged pleasantries with the noble ladies around her.

Meng Xueyan's mother, Zeng Yanran, was placed in a position that was neither too close nor too far from the main seat.

She sat alone, with no other ladies she was close to approaching her to chat, making her appear exceptionally lonely.

She lowered her head, staring at the gleaming porcelain plate in front of her, her shoulders slightly slumped.

Meng Xueyan's soul followed Jiang Dusheng's gaze and saw her mother looking so lonely, haggard, and forlorn. A wave of yin energy rippled around her, revealing intense sorrow and heartache.

"Let the banquet begin!"

As the master of ceremonies announced the order, the maids filed in, presenting a continuous stream of delicacies.

The sound of string and wind instruments filled the air, seemingly silencing the earlier minor incident, and the atmosphere gradually returned to one of laughter and conversation.

As the banquet progressed, the atmosphere gradually became more lively.

The melodious sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, and amidst the clinking of glasses, noble ladies chatted softly, discussing the latest fashions and interesting anecdotes from Changling City.

Princess Yongning was witty and charming, never overly enthusiastic nor neglecting any of the guests.

Ever since Jiang Dusheng publicly "reminded" her, the censor's wife had been keeping a gloomy face. Occasionally, she would whisper a few words to the lady next to her, but her gaze would often fall in the direction of Jiang Dusheng.

She had been holding back her anger for a long time, and seeing Jiang Dusheng sitting calmly at the table with an indifferent expression as if nothing had happened, she became even angrier.

Finally, after the censor's wife and the wife of the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who had always been on good terms with her and knew some old stories, exchanged a glance,

Holding her handkerchief, she casually raised her voice and laughed, "Speaking of which, the young ladies in this garden today are all so beautiful and delightful to behold. Madam Jiang, your two daughters are especially outstanding."

She abruptly changed the subject, her gaze landing on Jiang Dusheng with a half-smile, "Especially Miss Jiang, with such beauty and bearing, it's such a pity she was hidden away in a Buddhist temple. I imagine... the threshold for marriage proposals must be worn down by the crowds by now, right?"

She paused deliberately, noticing that everyone's attention had been drawn to her words.

Song Suya, in particular, showed a slight change in expression.

Chu Yanzhao, who was sitting in the men's section, also stopped talking to the person next to him and looked over.

Madam Wang sneered inwardly, and said in a reminiscent tone, "Oh dear, look at my memory, I suddenly remembered an old story."

"Many years ago, weren't Miss Jiang and the heir of Prince Chun betrothed since they were still children? Or was it just a verbal agreement between the two families' elders?"

"It was quite a story back then! It's just a pity that later... alas, times have changed, and things are no longer the same."

Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but just loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.