“Quickly summon the manor physician.”

Jiang’s mother was frightened into a panic. Song Wan pulled her aside, pointing at several rough-work matrons to carry Old Madam Jiang and send her to a side room in the opera garden.

After the manor physician administered acupuncture to the old lady, Old Madam Jiang finally came to gradually.

“Have Concubine Lin return… return to Xiuyan Pavilion.”

Jiang’s mother’s eyes brimmed with tears as she hurriedly nodded. “You can rest assured, old lady. This daughter-in-law will have her return to Xiuyan Pavilion.”

With this great burden lifted from her heart, Old Madam Jiang kept Baozhu and Feicui at her side and dismissed Jiang’s mother and Song Wan, telling them not to worry about her—the manor’s grand banquet was more important. Jiang’s mother and Song Wan left the side room, both with somewhat tense expressions on their faces, though their thoughts ran in completely opposite directions.

“Wan’er…”

Song Wan came back to herself. “Mother, please speak.”

Jiang’s mother looked troubled. “What about Concubine Lin’s situation… what should we do?”

Song Wan lowered her eyes, not speaking for a moment.

“Say something.”

Song Wan said, “Does Mother know why Grandmother wanted Concubine Lin to return to Xiuyan Pavilion?”

“Of course I know. The old lady has always doted on you and couldn’t bear for you to suffer grievances. But right now this is a major matter for the Marquis’s manor. Mother believes that compared to the manor’s future, you won’t mind this little bit of grievance… right?”

Jiang’s mother looked at Song Wan carefully, feeling somewhat anxious in her heart.

She had managed the Marquis’s manor’s household accounts and ledgers before—she knew all too well how much silver was in those accounts. And now that Jiang Xingjian had returned to the manor, the expenses needed for a man to move about and manage connections outside were astronomical. Yet the original household expenses hadn’t decreased at all. On the contrary, since Jiang Xingjian returned, even more silver had been sent to the palace and to Dong Chang.

After all, the Marquis’s manor still wanted to secure an actual position for Jiang Xingjian.

With all this coming and going, she was so anxious she couldn’t sleep. She had even filled in all her own dowry, yet it was still a drop in the bucket, not worth mentioning.

If the manor’s deficit weren’t so large, she wouldn’t be elevating Lin Jiayue, whom she looked down upon.

Jiang’s mother sighed deeply. “It’s not that Mother doesn’t understand your difficulties, but you’re not unaware of the Marquis’s manor’s circumstances. Now that Lin Jiayue has found a way to earn silver, we can only be happy about it—there’s no reason to hold her back.”

Song Wan lowered her head, ultimately swallowing the words in her mouth.

After quite a while, under Jiang’s mother’s urging, she finally said quietly, “Wan’er isn’t in a position to decide about Concubine Lin’s matter. Mother should decide what to do.”

“I’m asking you precisely because I can’t make up my mind.”

“Then it depends entirely on what Mother considers more important. Of two evils, choose the lesser—Wan’er cannot make this decision.”

Whether Jiang Xingjian’s reputation and the Marquis’s manor’s family traditions and future path were more important, or whether the immediate short-term silver income was more important—she couldn’t make this decision and could only let Jiang’s mother choose for herself.

“You’re right. I’ll have Concubine Lin prepare, and everything will proceed as planned.”

Jiang’s mother patted Song Wan’s hand, then hurriedly left.

In Jiang’s mother’s heart, she naturally couldn’t think that far ahead. In her eyes, Song Wan’s temporary loss of face versus Lin Jiayue’s firm guarantee that today would bring in a large sum of silver—naturally the latter was more important. As for Old Madam Jiang, Jiang’s mother had already made her decision.

When the old lady learned that today’s gains equaled five or even ten years of estate income, she would naturally calm her anger.

“…”

Song Wan looked at Jiang’s mother’s departing figure, standing dazed for quite a while.

“Miss, guests have arrived.”

Heng Zhi leaned close to Song Wan’s ear and spoke quietly. Song Wan went to the hanging flower gate to welcome the female family members from other manors.

When Madam Sun arrived with her daughter, she saw Song Wan conversing happily with Madam Lan, with another lady in simple dress whom she had never seen before standing beside them.

Madam Sun stepped forward with greetings. Song Wan smiled as she introduced the three to each other.

Both Madam Lan and Madam Bai had brought their own daughters. All the young ladies had gentle temperaments.

“There’s an opera stage set up in Haitang Garden. Shall we all go take a look?”

Madam Bai smiled. “Wonderful! I haven’t listened to opera in some time. I wonder what plays are being performed today?”

The Bai family couldn’t compare to the Sun and Lan manors. She knew whose favor she had to thank for being able to step into the Marquis’s manor. Moreover, Madam Bai was also tactful and intelligent. As soon as she arrived, she gave a general account of what she knew about Song Fu’s matters.

Song Wan didn’t know how to thank her properly. Hearing these words, she hurriedly said, “Right now they should be performing ‘Parasitic Grass.’ If Madam Bai has any favorites, just request a few later.”

The group chatted and laughed as they walked toward Haitang Garden. Just as they entered the garden, they saw Lin Jiayue holding a set of rouge and powder, making her way one by one toward the richly dressed female family members. She held the rouge while talking endlessly about something.

Seeing this, Madam Sun was somewhat curious and asked with a smile, “Whose daughter-in-law is that? She seems quite lively.”

Because of Lin Jiayue’s dress and accessories, everyone assumed she was the legitimate wife from one of the Marquis’s manor’s branches. Earlier, though they found it tiresome and felt the Marquis’s manor lacked propriety, they ultimately hadn’t said anything.

But those who understood the Marquis’s manor knew that aside from Jiang Yan, the other young males in the manor hadn’t reached the age to take wives, and they had never heard that Jiang Yan had married. So they whispered and asked around about Lin Jiayue’s identity.

However, after everyone asked around, no one knew which branch’s daughter-in-law this person was. Now hearing Madam Sun ask Song Wan, every single person pricked up their ears.

Song Wan looked at Lin Jiayue enthusiastically promoting rouge and powder, her face flushing red, actually feeling somewhat ashamed and embarrassed.

She had lived for eighteen years and had never heard of any aristocratic family behaving this way. Even merchant families, as long as they had read a few books and understood the Book of Rites and knew shame, would not impose upon guests so presumptuously.

After quite a while, Song Wan finally said, “That’s Concubine Lin from our manor.”

“…”

Everyone in the capital knew that Jiang Xingjian had brought back a woman from outside and caused discord in the manor because of her. Now hearing Song Wan say this, they immediately understood Lin Jiayue’s identity.

Those mistresses from conservative families saw the Marquis’s manor letting a concubine out to make a spectacle, and their faces immediately darkened severely.

Those who carefully observed Lin Jiayue’s dress and arrogant words and behavior cast looks of pity and sympathy toward Song Wan again and again.

After speaking, Song Wan didn’t raise her head, only continued greeting the various madams as usual.

Seeing that after working hard for so long no one paid her any attention, yet now that Song Wan had arrived everyone gathered around her, Lin Jiayue was so angry her hands trembled.

The crowd, however, acted as if they couldn’t see her at all. One by one they took their seats and happily began listening to the opera.

Just as one act concluded, Chief Eunuch Chang from Yanqing Palace came to convey Consort Jiang’s oral decree. First he praised Song Wan thoroughly, then successively bestowed quite a few fine items. Song Wan smiled as she received them, thanked Eunuch Chang profusely, and only then returned to the crowd.

Consort Jiang’s gesture of giving her face wasn’t to elevate Song Wan, but to let the Sun and Lan manors know that behind the Marquis’s manor stood Fifth Prince Shen Qianshu. Song Wan understood this clearly in her heart—once she received those items, that was the end of it.

The remaining madams from various families more or less understood what this performance was about. After simple compliments they dropped the subject. Only Lin Jiayue, watching this scene, felt extremely bitter in her heart.