The two sisters-in-law chatted all the way there, and by the time they got off the carriage, they had become much closer.
Seeing this, Fourth Miss Lu, Lu Xiaoyue, could not help but say, “You really were quick. Otherwise, the one sitting with Fourth Sister-in-law would have been me.”
Lu Xiaoyu laughed mischievously. “Of course! She’s my own sister-in-law.”
After Lu Yun got off the carriage, he subconsciously looked in Jiang Lingyuan’s direction. He saw that she and his younger sister were already chatting and laughing together. Even he did not notice that the corners of his lips had slightly lifted, carrying a hint of appreciation and pride.
Actually, this was something that should have been expected. After all, it was difficult for anyone who truly got to know Jiang Lingyuan to resist becoming close to her.
Of course, this thought was quickly proven wrong.
Lu Yun did not know just how much charm he possessed in the capital, nor did he know that he was the ideal husband candidate in the hearts of many young ladies. Therefore, it would have been strange if those young ladies could look favorably upon Jiang Lingyuan.
The group first went to the main hall. The men and women were separated. Jiang Lingyuan and the other female guests followed behind Old Madam, with only Eldest Young Madam Lu supporting her by her side. After all, when outside, Eldest Young Madam Lu represented the Duke of Yu Manor as its principal wife.
At the Qin family’s manor, Old Madam Qin had already been chatting with two other old madams, the Old Madam of the Duke of Rong manor and the Old Madam of the Marquis of Xuande manor.
When Old Madam Lu entered, she smiled and said, “It seems I have arrived late.”
Old Madam Qin laughed heartily. “Not late, not late at all. Seeing you bring such a group of fairies with you has already made me happy!”
Old Madam Lu said proudly, “Exactly! I have these fairies surrounding me every day, and I feel that I myself have become much younger. You already know the others, but today I have brought my new granddaughter-in-law to ask you all for a gift.”
Jiang Lingyuan had not expected Old Madam Lu to personally introduce her, but she did not lose her composure. She stepped forward with a smile.
“Greetings to all the old madams.”
Although Old Madam Qin was also surprised that Old Madam Lu would introduce Jiang Lingyuan so formally, she was experienced and naturally knew how to keep the atmosphere pleasant.
“She looks like a wonderful child. You truly are blessed. The granddaughters-in-law you have chosen are all enviable. Good child, there is no need to be so formal. Later, treat this place as your own home.”
“Yes.” Jiang Lingyuan smiled and accepted the greeting gifts given by the three old madams.
Whenever these noble ladies went out, they would always carry several gift pouches with them. Otherwise, situations like this could easily become awkward.
Old Madam Lu looked very pleased. “Exactly. Their marrying into our family is our family’s blessing. But congratulations to you as well, you now have another virtuous daughter-in-law entering your family.”
The old madams remained in the main hall chatting, while the madams went to the side hall.
After Jiang Lingyuan and the others went over to greet them, they followed the Second Madam of the Qin family to the back garden.
Here, young ladies like Fourth Miss Lu already had their own circles of friends and quickly gathered together.
Eldest Young Madam Lu and the others also had acquaintances. She pulled Jiang Lingyuan along.
“Fourth Younger Sister-in-law, come with me.”
Eldest Young Madam Lu was doing this out of kindness, and Jiang Lingyuan naturally would not refuse. Although she knew about the various families in the capital, she had not actually interacted with them before.
Eldest Young Madam Lu had excellent social connections.
As soon as she arrived, many people came over to greet her. She introduced Jiang Lingyuan to everyone. Those who were close with Eldest Young Madam Lu were generally not unreasonable people, so regardless of what they truly thought of Jiang Lingyuan, they remained polite on the surface.
Naturally, there were also people who deliberately tried to belittle her.
At that moment, Eldest Young Madam Hu of the Marquis of Cheng’en’s manor gave a mocking laugh.
“How strange. Why does the atmosphere seem different today? There’s a faint smell of countryside cow dung.”
As soon as those words were spoken, the entire area fell silent.
Jiang Lingyuan knew the remark was directed at her and was about to respond, but Eldest Young Madam Lu had already spoken.
“Oh? Eldest Young Madam Hu truly has broad experience. You even know what cow dung smells like. Could it be that you have eaten it before?”
Coming from a military family, Eldest Young Madam Lu’s words were never polite when she wanted to strike back.
Since Eldest Young Madam Lu had already spoken, Jiang Lingyuan naturally would not hold back either.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, what is the point of arguing with someone whose mouth can only spit out nonsense? From what Eldest Young Madam Hu means, is she saying that the Duke of Yu Manor’s atmosphere is unpleasant?”
Eldest Young Madam Hu’s expression immediately turned ugly.
Jiang Lingyuan glanced around and noticed that most people were watching with schadenfreude.
Actually, it was understandable.
When the current emperor was still the Sixth Prince, he had not been considered remarkable. No one had expected that the Sixth Prince would eventually ascend the throne. After all, his biological mother had only been a palace maid who was favored by the previous emperor while he was drunk. After his birth, he was raised by the Empress and stayed behind the Crown Prince.
Even the wife he married did not come from an impressive background, she was merely the daughter of a fifth-rank local official and lacked much experience.
But who could have predicted that the Crown Prince would suddenly die?
The court instantly became a battlefield of competing factions. The Sixth Prince gained the support of the Empress and her family clan, and in the end, he defeated the once-powerful Second Prince and Fourth Prince to become emperor.
When one person rose to glory, even their relatives benefited.
The Empress’s maternal family became arrogant overnight. Over the past two years in the capital, they had relied on their influence and offended countless families.
The reason Eldest Young Madam Hu dared to speak so rudely to Jiang Lingyuan was because her biological younger sister had taken a fancy to Lu Yun.
Unlike other young ladies, Eldest Young Madam Hu’s younger sister had been extremely bold. She had even directly stopped Lu Yun’s carriage and shamelessly told him to go to her family to propose marriage.
Eldest Young Madam Hu had actually thought this was giving face to the Duke of Yu Manor, not realizing that the entire capital had laughed at them.
Eldest Young Madam Hu nearly cursed out loud.
Third Miss Hu looked at her with disgust flashing in her eyes, but she had no choice but to step forward.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, why are you always so straightforward? Aren’t you taking medicine recently? Perhaps the medicine has affected your sense of smell, causing you to misunderstand. Eldest Young Madam Lu, Fourth Young Madam Lu, my eldest sister-in-law did not mean anything bad. Today is a joyous occasion, so let’s not make a scene.”
Her words made it sound as though Eldest Young Madam Lu and Jiang Lingyuan were the ones causing trouble.
Jiang Lingyuan thought to herself that she did not know what kind of person Empress Hu was, but this Third Miss Hu certainly had some clever tricks.
However, Eldest Young Madam Lu was not fooled.
“Today is indeed a joyous occasion. We came here happily to celebrate, but we never expected someone else’s dog to come over and bark.”
“Third Miss Hu, don’t say things like ‘she is just straightforward’ or ‘medicine affected her nose.’ We all know what happened. There is no need to pretend otherwise. I would also trouble Third Miss Hu to properly manage the dogs in your household. If they stop barking, naturally we will not need to make a fuss.”
Third Miss Hu’s expression changed as well.
Usually, when someone said such things at a banquet, others would let it go. But Eldest Young Madam Lu refused to back down. Still, she did not dare offend her and could only smile.
“Eldest Young Madam Lu must have misunderstood. Naturally, we would never do such a thing.”
“Ah Shu, you are still as fierce as ever. I like that about you. And your Fourth Sister-in-law actually dared to stand up for you. It seems your protection of her was not wasted.” A cheerful and straightforward voice came from afar.
Before Jiang Lingyuan could react, Eldest Young Madam Lu had already laughed.
“Changning, tell me, how long have you been listening?”