His impression in Madam Lin’s heart wasn’t very good.

The young man on horseback silently sighed, calmly greeting Lin Shi: “Is Madam Lin going to Wuning Marquis Manor?”

Lin Shi quickly adopted a proper expression and nodded: “Is the heir also going there?”

“Yes.” Through Lin Shi, Qi Shuo could only see the young lady’s vague silhouette and the pale green hem of her garment.

The corners of his lips couldn’t help lifting.

Lin Shi faced the full impact of his smile and couldn’t help looking a couple more times, thinking to herself that whatever else could be said about this child, he was truly handsome.

“The princess consort didn’t come?”

“Mother has some matters to attend to, so she asked this junior to go in her place.”

“The heir is truly filial. The princess consort is fortunate.” Lin Shi casually offered praise.

Qi Shuo smiled modestly: “Madam Lin is even more fortunate—Second Miss Lin is sensible and considerate.”

Lin Shi instinctively blocked the view of her daughter in the carriage, thinking to herself that this young man had rather sharp eyes.

Qi Shuo acted as if he hadn’t seen Lin Shi’s movement at all, cupping his hands: “I won’t disturb you any longer. This junior will go ahead first.”

The young man gave the reins a shake and his fine horse galloped away.

Lin Shi lowered the carriage curtain and sighed: “What a pity.”

“A pity about what?”

Lin Shi had never put on maternal airs in front of her daughters. She sighed: “What a pity that Prince Jing’s heir was born with such fine looks, yet his body won’t do. If his health were better, when they came to propose marriage back then, we might have considered it.”

Hearing these words, Lin Hao felt inexplicably awkward: “Mother, that’s all in the past. There’s no need to bring it up.”

At the time, she had avoided that marriage prospect like a viper because she knew of Prince Jing’s manor’s tragic ending and didn’t want to drag her family into it. But now that the physiognomist Fang Chengji who had whispered in the Crown Prince’s ear was dead, whether Prince Jing’s manor could avoid disaster had become unknown to her.

Perhaps things would be different—

“Ah Hao?” Seeing her daughter suddenly lost in thought, Lin Shi called out.

“Ah?”

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing. Have we arrived at Wuning Marquis Manor?” Lin Hao pulled back her wandering thoughts and skillfully changed the subject.

“We have arrived.” As soon as Lin Shi finished speaking, the carriage stopped.

Mother and daughter descended from the carriage and were led inside by waiting maids.

Quite a few madams had just arrived and were greeting one another.

Lin Shi had always been out of place in this circle. Back when Old General Lin was still a duke, she too had experienced being surrounded by people, but later when Old General Lin offended the Emperor, those who had gathered around dispersed. After Old General Lin passed away and Lin Shi severed ties with Wen Rugui, the subtle coldness and contempt only increased.

Yet now, seeing Lin Shi, these madams couldn’t afford to be negligent.

No matter how much they disapproved of Lin Shi’s words and actions, she was now related to the imperial family by marriage. To show disdain for the Lin family—wouldn’t that be slapping the imperial family’s face?

These madams greeted Lin Shi proactively while inwardly grumbling: Lin Wanqing was truly blessed to have given birth to such an accomplished daughter.

The only consolation for the madams was that Prince Wei was a mountain of a fat man. Though Miss Lin becoming Prince Wei’s consort seemed glorious, the reality would be known only to those involved.

Ha, good fortune couldn’t all go to Lin Wanqing.

Just then, Prince Wei arrived.

“Your Highness, please come inside.” The marquis manor’s steward’s call drew everyone’s attention.

Wuning Marquis Manor had separate entrances for male and female guests. Though there was some distance, the madams still recognized at a glance that the ball that had shrunk by a size was Prince Wei.

Huh, why had Prince Wei lost weight?

People thought their eyes were playing tricks. For a moment they even forgot their composure—some rubbed their eyes, others craned their necks.

Prince Wei had truly lost weight. They could actually make out somewhat refined features.

At this rate, Prince Wei could slim down into a handsome gentleman!

This discovery was like having a barrel of aged vinegar splashed over the assembled madams—they were soured through.

Good fortune really had all gone to Lin Wanqing.

They instinctively looked toward Lin Shi.

Lin Shi lifted her chin slightly, puffing out her chest as she strode inside. Lin Hao walked beside her and nearly couldn’t keep up.

The matter of Prince Wei losing weight undoubtedly became a topic of private conversation among the madams and young ladies at the birthday banquet.

Another matter the noble ladies wanted to discuss was the absence of Second Miss Tang Wei from Wuning Marquis Manor. However, being overheard in this setting would be troublesome, so everyone discussed Prince Wei with even more enthusiasm.

The Wuning Marquis’s wife wore a head full of jeweled hairpins, her brocade garments luxurious. On such an auspicious day as her birthday, countless people came to offer congratulations, yet she couldn’t hide her melancholy.

She’d heard from her eldest daughter that the Crown Prince’s heart had been captured again by Imperial Concubine Sun. Her second daughter, because of her ruined face, couldn’t appear before others even on such an important day as her mother’s birthday.

The past half year had been tremendously unlucky. She wanted to go burn incense and pray to Buddha again, but now carried psychological shadows from it.

Still, she was unwilling to let outsiders see her as a laughingstock and rallied her spirits to manage the occasion.

As the banquet neared its end and the strings and woodwinds stopped, the Ruyi Troupe took the stage.

The Crown Princess rarely returned to her maternal home. Seeing her mother in low spirits, she picked something pleasant to say: “Mother, where did you engage this acrobatic troupe from? They’re quite good.”

This wasn’t entirely just to please the Wuning Marquis’s wife—everyone in the Ruyi Troupe possessed exceptional skills, making them highly entertaining to watch.

The Wuning Marquis’s wife was gratified, smiling: “Your younger brother insisted on engaging an acrobatic troupe. I originally thought it would be too noisy, but unexpectedly they’re rather good.”

The Wuning Marquis’s wife had borne two daughters and one son. Her only son, the middle child, was named Tang Hua.

If the eldest daughter Tang Qiang, who had become Crown Princess, was the pride of the Wuning Marquis couple, then Tang Hua was their true precious treasure.

The surrounding madams, hearing this, all offered praise: “The young marquis is truly filial.”

Some even asked: “How old is the young marquis now? Should we be discussing marriage prospects for him?”

The Wuning Marquis’s wife temporarily forgot her melancholy, the corners of her lips curving with satisfaction as she said modestly: “He hasn’t even been capped yet. There’s no rush for marriage.”

Everyone fawned over her for quite a while before their attention was drawn to the young man performing ribbon dancing.

The rosy-lipped, white-toothed young man looked nothing like someone from an impoverished background making a living through performance. Two red ribbons danced flowers in his hands.

The person was pleasing to look at, and the flying red ribbons were beautiful too. They complemented each other, making it impossible to look away. Even some noble ladies quietly blushed.

Suddenly one red ribbon flew out, its end actually curling around a fresh flower.

That flower was delivered right in front of Lin Hao.

Lin Hao was startled and looked toward the young man.

But the young man didn’t glance at her even once. Another flower was curled up by a red ribbon.

“Ah—” Quite a few noble ladies cried out, anticipating a small pleasant surprise.

At other times, such outcries would be quite improper, but in this setting they didn’t seem out of place.

The Wuning Marquis’s wife grew even more satisfied, glancing at the radiant Lin Shi.

What was there to show off about? Even if Prince Wei slimmed down, he was merely an idle prince. How could he compare to the Crown Prince whom Qiang’er had married?

If comparing sons—the Wuning Marquis’s wife smiled silently.

There was no comparison at all. Lin Wanqing didn’t even have a son.

The madams’ focus on the performance and the noble ladies’ exclamations all indicated that engaging the Ruyi Troupe had been the right choice, thereby demonstrating her son’s filial piety and capability.

From the male guests’ area up front, exclamations and cheers could faintly be heard.

Hearing the commotion, the Crown Prince asked Tang Hua: “What’s the situation over there?”

Tang Hua hastily replied: “To make Mother happy, your subject engaged an acrobatic troupe to add to the festivities.”

“An acrobatic troupe? That sounds more interesting than watching opera. Have them come perform over here.” The Crown Prince said casually.