Chapter 716: Chapter 678: Birthday Banquet (7th Update)

After the first month passed, the weather gradually became warmer. Wen Wan changed out of her winter clothes and donned light spring garments. The West Courtyard started renovation, and it became quite noisy during the daytime. Thus, Second Lang’s wife simply brought Song Duobao to the East Courtyard to help Wen Wan prepare for Old Song’s birthday celebration.

While they were busy, news came from the palace that Consort Qing had given birth to a prince. Emperor Guangxi was overjoyed and ordered a grand palace banquet to be held on the prince’s one-month birthday, inviting all officials to celebrate together.

This was Emperor Guangxi’s third prince, named Zhao Huan.

During the one-month banquet, Wen Wan accompanied Song Wei to the palace where they saw the imperial family’s prince. He was white, plump, and very cute.

At that time, Empress Qi was holding him. From Wen Wan’s angle, she happened to see Empress Qi’s hand suddenly tremble for some unknown reason, almost dropping Zhao Huan to the ground. Fortunately, Wen Wan immediately alerted Mrs. Ye, Mrs. Yu, who, ignoring the many people present and the manners, swiftly moved in front of Empress Qi, successfully catching the prince before he fell.

The palace attendants and eunuchs were shocked by this scene, with some timidly crying out in surprise.

The noblewomen all turned pale with fright.

Even Empress Qi herself was visibly shaken with terror. She hadn’t meant to harm the child, but suddenly, she had no strength in her hands. She suspected someone had plotted against her. However, the incident unfolded right under everyone’s eyes, and she couldn’t explain it even if she had a hundred mouths.

As everyone was tensely waiting for Emperor Guangxi to become enraged, he said nothing, merely gave a cold laugh. His gaze on Empress Qi turned meaningful, and not long after the banquet began, he left with a sweep of his sleeve.

This behavior, being more terrifying than anger, led everyone to speculate whether Empress Qi would fall out of favor because of this, and whether the Crown Prince would be implicated.

The one-month banquet ended in a sour atmosphere.

On the way home, Wen Wan told Song Wei that she saw Empress Qi wasn’t intentional, seeming instead to be caught in a trap.

Song Wei reassured her not to worry, saying that matters within the palace would be dealt with by others, and she only needed to focus on arranging the elder’s birthday banquet.

Wen Wan knew her husband forbid her from meddling in such affairs for her own good, yet she sensed a subtle change in the court since the Crown Prince returned from the south.

Song Wei belonged to the Crown Prince’s faction, meaning if anything happened to the Crown Prince, he would be involved too.

Therefore, Wen Wan harbored a worry she couldn’t help with, and could only temporarily focus her mind on preparing for her father-in-law’s birthday celebration.

...

When sending invitations to the various mansions, Wen Wan specifically entrusted her trusted servant Kankan from her courtyard to deliver the one for Kangding Bo Mansion.

That day, Lady Kang Ding, Mrs. Yao, was accompanying several dignified ladies in the garden when a little maid rushed over, clutching a large red invitation with gold leaf patterns.

Kangding Bo Mansion, despite having little reputation in the Capital, was home to Mrs. Yao, a woman well-known for her virtues, often receiving invitations from various mansions for banquets.

That very morning, there were already two invitations sitting in her room.

So, upon seeing the maid’s item, she wasn’t particularly moved and asked, "Why not place it in my room?"

The maid, noting the presence of other ladies, dared not speak loudly. Leaning close to Mrs. Yao, she whispered, "Madam, this is an invitation from the Song Mansion."

"Song Mansion?" Mrs. Yao hadn’t reacted yet, "Which Song Mansion?"

The maid lowered her voice even more, "The one the Princess Yong’an married into."

At these words, Mrs. Yao was stunned, and it took her a moment to regain her senses. She took the invitation from the maid’s hands and opened it to see that it was an invitation for Kangding Bo Lady to attend the Song family elder’s birthday celebration in three days.

Upon reading the invitation, all her earlier delight in flower viewing dissipated. She casually found an excuse to send off her companions and ordered the maid, "Go fetch the Princely Heir."

...

As soon as Li Run entered the garden, he noticed his birth mother with a worried expression. Taking a few steps closer, he asked curiously, "Mother, Minmin said you were looking for me. Is there something you need?"

Mrs. Yao pointed to the gold-trimmed invitation on the stone table, "Take a look at this."

Li Run hesitantly walked over, glanced down, and upon realizing it was an invitation from the Song Mansion, his expression subtly changed, "The Li family and the Song family have always had no relations. Why would they suddenly invite us to the elder’s celebration?"

"Perhaps the intention isn’t as it seems," Mrs. Yao said with a somber expression, "That Mrs. Song came to our mansion once before and personally saw Ruru’s state of forgetfulness. I thought they had let it go over the two years of silence. But now that the invitation has arrived, I have a bad premonition that something might happen."

Li Run said, "Since you’re uneasy, just find an excuse to decline."

Mrs. Yao sighed, "If they’re after Ruru, declining today might only delay the inevitable, and another invitation will follow. Eventually, I’ll have to meet them. I called for you to ask if Ruru should come along."

Li Run, somewhat reluctant, said, "Didn’t Ruru forget everything? Why take her? If they recognize her and insist she returns while she only acknowledges you as her mother, what then?"

What worried Mrs. Yao most was exactly this. She already treated Li Huairu as her own daughter. She wouldn’t give her away even if her real parents came.

Thinking this, Mrs. Yao seemed to reach a decision and said, "I’ll go alone. Ruru will stay home."

——

Song Mansion.

For the first time, Princess Yong’an’s father-in-law was holding a birthday banquet in the Capital, and as one might expect, the arrangement was grander than Qi Bao’s one-month banquet. With the expansion of the mansion, many maids, matrons, and footmen were added. Today, there was no shortage of help. Assignments were given to those handling guests’ carriages and sedan chairs, those standing at the entrance to greet guests, and those serving in the hall or kindling fires in the tearoom, with each area staffed with five to six people, be they maids, footmen, or matrons.

Everyone was arranged methodically by Wen Wan, and despite the many guests, everything proceeded smoothly.

Wen Wan was in the garden entertaining some distinguished noblewomen, keeping an eye out for the arrival of Kangding Bo Mansion’s carriage.

After some time, Kankan ran over to her side, quietly informing her that the carriage from Kangding Bo Mansion had arrived.

Wen Wan’s eyes slightly shifted, and she excused herself from the noblewomen, saying she had some matters to attend to.

Following Kankan, she encountered Mrs. Yao at the Hanging Flower Gate.

Mrs. Yao was accompanied by only two maids and no one else.

Wen Wan smiled and asked, "I heard the Madam loves the Fifth Miss dearly, never leaving her side. Why didn’t you bring her today?"

Mrs. Yao replied coolly, "Ruru has a chronic cough that often flares in the spring and autumn. She was coughing a lot before I left, so I decided not to bring her."

After returning with an illness and since developing a persistent cough, every remedy had been tried without success. It recurred every spring and autumn.

Not seeing Sanyang, Wen Wan felt somewhat disappointed. She had sent the invitation purposely for that girl.

Expecting Sanyang to appear and perhaps cause some disruption, yet with her absence, Wen Wan’s worries seemed to have been futile.

With no sign of Sanyang, Wen Wan couldn’t help but feel a bit downhearted.

Song Qi hadn’t gone to the Hongwen Academy today, and she recognized Mrs. Yao because she had once met the Heir of Kang Ding, Li Run.

Last year, when Song Jiao had a look at Liang Jun during the Shangsi Festival, it was also when she happened to see Mrs. Yao sending Li Run to the Imperial College.

Later, Song Qi often saw Mrs. Yao there when she visited the Hongwen Academy, which is how she knew that Mrs. Yao and the Heir, Li Run, were family with Sanyang.

Keeping quiet about this was the biggest secret Song Qi held in her heart, and seeing Mrs. Yao at this moment left her standing stiffly facing away, filled with tension.

Kankan noticed her and said, "Second Lang."

Wen Wan looked towards the voice and saw Song Qi standing with her back turned and asked, "What are you doing standing there?"