“Yesterday, the shop sent over some milk candies. I gave some to Eldest Sister-in-law and Second Sister-in-law’s children. There are still some left, so I asked Yu Bai to save them for you.”
Jiang Lingyuan said.
Lu Yun laughed, “So I am competing with children for snacks now?”
Jiang Lingyuan casually replied,”How can that be considered competing? Naturally, you come first. I have plenty of different kinds of candy here.”
Normally, in the rooms she frequently stayed in, there was always a small snack box filled with various candies, preserved fruits, and dried fruits that she liked.
Speaking of which, she actually had quite a lot of snacks in her courtyard.
However, Lu Yun felt delighted because of her words, “Naturally, you come first.”
He did not think it was embarrassing for a man to like sweets.
Smiling, he said,”Other flavors of candy can be prepared as well.”
By now, the two of them had become much more relaxed and natural when interacting with each other.
After breakfast, Jiang Lingyuan and Lu Yun went together to the front courtyard.
While walking, Jiang Lingyuan stayed slightly behind him, but the two continued chatting along the way.
When the women saw Jiang Lingyuan again, their expressions were complicated.
Those with better sources of information had learned the very same day that Jiang Lingyuan had removed Nanny Jin, who had been acting arrogantly in Yilan Courtyard.
Those with poorer connections had gradually learned about it over the following days.
Although there were still some people who believed Jiang Lingyuan had only been pretending to be wealthy to show off, no one dared underestimate her methods anymore.
After all, she had only been married for less than a month, yet she had quietly dealt with Nanny Jin without making any fuss.
And now she was walking over with Lu Yun, chatting and laughing with him.
Clearly, she had already won Lu Yun over.
Her methods were truly impressive.
Jiang Lingyuan acted as if she knew nothing about everyone’s thoughts.
She stepped forward and exchanged greetings with everyone.
At this point, even Second Eldest Madam, who had always looked down on Jiang Lingyuan, showed her a smile.
…
Among the younger girls of the household, Fifth Miss Lu Xiaoyu and Fourth Miss Lu Xiaoyue, the legitimate daughter of the second branch, had always been close.
At this moment, they whispered together.
“Look at Fourth Sister-in-law’s clothes today. I asked around, they weren’t made by the household embroiderers, nor are they the fashionable styles popular in the capital. But they are really beautiful.”
Lu Xiaoyue also whispered,”Exactly. Even the hairpin she is wearing is so unique. I really want to ask Fourth Sister-in-law which shop made her clothes.”
…
Today, Jiang Lingyuan did not want to steal the bride’s attention.
Her clothing colors were elegant and understated, but there were still many thoughtful details.
She wore a lotus-colored long outer robe. The color and style seemed ordinary, and there was not even embroidery on it. However, the buttons were made from multicolored threads woven into bat designs. Once fastened, the buttons formed the pattern of Five Bats Bringing Longevity. Underneath, she wore a pale green skirt with decorative threadwork. Only the hem was embroidered with multicolored bats, once again forming the Five Bats Bringing Longevity design. Her drooping horse hairstyle was decorated with several pearl hairpins with curling ornaments.
Those were ordinary enough.
But the double-bat gold hairpin with gemstones and the triple-bat gold hairpin with gemstones, when placed together, also formed the Five Bats Bringing Longevity pattern.
Paired with the double-bat pearl earrings, the entire outfit looked exceptionally refined.
….
When Lu Xiaoyue and Lu Xiaoyu saw Jiang Lingyuan’s outfit, they thought it was exquisite and beautiful.
However, Fourth Eldest Madam and Sixth Miss Lu looked at her clothing and curled their lips. Although the design was clever, it did not appear to be worth much money. They assumed Jiang Lingyuan simply did not possess much wealth after all.
Fourth Eldest Madam even thought somewhat maliciously, ‘The Shen family had only been glorious for a brief moment. No matter how legendary Lady Ruyi was said to be, perhaps she was not as extraordinary as people claimed.’
While everyone had their own thoughts, Old Madam arrived.
Eldest Madam, however, did not come.
The matter involving Nanny Jin had affected her greatly, and she still had not recovered from it. She had no mood to attend a banquet.
Jiang Lingyuan had not expected this. But she found it rather amusing.
With Eldest Madam acting like this, it was truly difficult for others to respect her.
…
In the end, the people attending the wedding banquet were:
Old Madam, Second Madam, Fourth Madam, Eldest Young Madam Lu, Second Young Madam Lu, Jiang Lingyuan, and the legitimate daughters of the household, Fourth Miss, Fifth Miss, and Sixth Miss.
The men attending were Second Master Lu, Third Master Lu, Lu Yun, and Fifth Young Master.
After everyone boarded the carriages, Jiang Lingyuan had originally planned to ride with Eldest Young Madam Lu.
However, Fifth Miss Lu Xiaoyu suddenly climbed into the carriage and hugged Eldest Young Madam’s arm. “Eldest Sister-in-law, let’s switch carriages. Let me spend some time getting close to Fourth Sister-in-law.”
Eldest Young Madam Lu raised her eyebrows slightly. She did not know when this Fourth Sister-in-law had managed to catch her little sister-in-law’s attention. But she still smiled calmly.
“Goodness, Xiaoyu. Now that someone new has arrived, you no longer care about the old one?”
Lu Xiaoyu gave a mischievous smile. “How can the old compare with the new when the new is so pretty?”
It was obvious that the sister-in-law and sister-in-law relationship between them was very good.
Smiling, Eldest Young Madam Lu went into Old Madam’s carriage instead.
…
Inside the carriage, Jiang Lingyuan looked at Fifth Miss Lu and was also slightly surprised.
She had not expected Fifth Miss to come over.
“Fourth Sister-in-law, don’t feel restrained.”
“Actually, I noticed that your clothes and style are different from what is currently fashionable in the capital, yet they are especially eye-catching.”
“I wanted to ask which embroidery house made your clothes.”
Lu Xiaoyu asked with a straightforward smile. She was neither flattering nor arrogant.
This was clearly a young lady who had received excellent upbringing. Her manners were graceful, her bearing dignified, and her personality cheerful.
Jiang Lingyuan liked girls like this very much.
She replied,”My clothes are all made by the people around me.”
“I do not care whether they follow current trends. As long as I like them, that is enough.”
“I think the same way.” Lu Xiaoyu immediately agreed.
“For example, the sixteen-panel Xiang skirts currently popular in the capital. They are fine in winter, but there are still people wearing them in spring. I wonder whether they feel too heavy.”
Jiang Lingyuan nodded.
“For ordinary occasions, lighter clothing is actually better.”
“In spring, brighter colors can be chosen instead.”
Today, Fifth Miss Lu Xiaoyu wore a willow-green wide-sleeved outer robe embroidered with honeysuckle flowers using gold and silver threads.
She paired it with a goose-yellow pleated skirt.
The outfit was lively and bright, perfectly suited to her age.
Lu Xiaoyu immediately became more enthusiastic.
Playfully, she asked,”Exactly! So, Fourth Sister-in-law, can I have my maidservants ask your embroiderers for guidance?”
“What is there to object to?”
“I will have someone send the designs over later.”
Jiang Lingyuan did not hide anything.
Although she did not have many embroiderers around her, every one of them was highly skilled.
That was why her clothes were always so carefully made.
Lu Xiaoyu widened her eyes.
“Really? Is that alright?”
She had only expected to ask for some advice.
She had not expected Jiang Lingyuan to be willing to share the actual designs.
Jiang Lingyuan laughed, “Why wouldn’t it be?”
She actually owned an embroidery house, but it was located in Jiangnan.
In the capital, she only had fabric shops.
Lu Xiaoyu smiled. “Fourth Sister-in-law, you are different from what people say about you.”
“Fourth Brother marrying you is actually his good fortune.”
Jiang Lingyuan laughed, “If the other young ladies in the capital heard you say that, they would be heartbroken. After all, I married the person they all dreamed of.”
She also felt that Lu Xiaoyu suited her personality very well.
Perhaps they could spend more time together in the future.
Lu Xiaoyu gave a mischievous smile, “So, it seems you investigated my Fourth Brother?”
“Not only did I investigate him, I even secretly peeked at him.”
Jiang Lingyuan blinked.
Back then, she had hesitated about whether she should marry into the Duke of Yu’s manor.
The real reason she finally decided was because she saw Lu Yun’s face.
She had thought, ‘Why not marry Lu Yun, who has looks, talent, and family background? Wouldn’t that be better than anyone else?’