She got pregnant after the swap marriage, and the scumbag's family regretted it so much they cr

Lu Huan did not answer, but instead gestured to Gao Yan with her eyes that it was time to present the congratulatory gift.

Then he urged Lu Ruyi, "Where's the congratulatory gift you prepared? Write it down and hurry inside. Are you going to stand here like a doorman?"

Lu Ruyi instinctively reached up to protect her sleeve, "I want to personally deliver this gift to Xin'er!"

Lu Huan secretly rolled her eyes. Sometimes she really didn't understand what Lu Ruyi was thinking.

Since it's a wedding gift for the bride, why not go to the Chen family to add to Chen Xin'er's dowry, instead of coming to the Du family?

She looked at Butler Du and asked, "Is there a problem with the invitation?"

"No, no..." Before Du Shan could finish speaking, a middle-aged woman walked up from behind Lu Huan and the others.

Du Shan immediately put on a smiling face, "Isn't this Sister Dai Mei, who serves Madam Di? And...where is Madam Di?"

His fingers twitched slightly, and the servants and maids waiting nearby immediately stepped forward and said to Lu Huan and the others, "Young master and madam, please follow me."

Lu Ruyi looked longingly towards Du Shan and complained softly, "It's all my sister-in-law's fault! Usually when I come here, Uncle Du personally leads us to the backyard!"

"You said it yourself, it's a weekday." Lu Huan chuckled and followed behind the maid.

The front yard and the back yard are in two different directions, and they hadn't walked far before they had to part ways.

Gao Yan was reluctant to part, and added, "After the ceremony, let's go back! I want to take you somewhere!"

Lu Huan's eyes sparkled. Although she was curious about where Gao Yan would take her, now was not the right time to ask.

Once the servants from the Du family were out of sight, Lu Ruyi said sourly, "Didn't you promise Mother that you wouldn't let outsiders laugh at Brother Zhongbao?"

Lu Huan retorted, "What, is someone specifically watching us to see if we left together? Or did your sister-in-law forget to bring any money and not even have enough to hire a carriage?"

Lu Ruyi glanced at the maid in front of her, "How could there not be! Don't talk nonsense!"

When Lu Huan came to the Du family to collect things before, he thoroughly explored the area.

She discreetly surveyed her surroundings and asked calmly, "This doesn't seem to be the way to the main courtyard!"

Lu Ruyi turned around impatiently, "The Du family patriarch is still here, how could the Third Young Master be staying in the main courtyard!"

The maid who was leading the way was initially a little flustered, but after hearing Lu Ruyi's answer, she straightened her back a bit.

"What this lady says is quite right. There are too many guests attending the ceremony today, and the main courtyard is not enough to accommodate them all, so we have prepared several guest rooms to serve them!"

Don't worry, once the bride arrives, arrangements will be made for all the ladies to attend the ceremony!

Lu Ruyi raised her chin. "Exactly! Lu Huan, don't you think you're worrying too much?"

Lu Huan smiled slightly and said nothing more.

The three of them quickly entered a small courtyard.

The courtyard was carefully decorated, with red ribbons tied to the trees and bonsai.

A makeshift stage was set up in the courtyard, where a clown was singing "Zhaojun's Departure from the Frontier" in a low voice.

The covered walkways on both sides are covered with thick felt on three sides, with only the side facing the courtyard open.

In the private room that had been partitioned off, there were many charcoal braziers burning.

That way, even if you sit in the yard, it won't be too cold.

When Lu Huan and her group walked in, some of the cubicles were already occupied.

The maid did not lead the two into the main room, but instead walked towards the veranda on the right.

Lu Ruyi glanced at the cold dishes and fruit platters on the table, some of which were covered with a thin layer of frost.

She frowned. "It's freezing here! How can anyone sit here!"

The people in the private room across the way immediately looked over, and even the guests on both sides secretly peeked at Lu Ruyi through the gaps in the felt.

Lu Huan uttered four words, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

After speaking, he slowly walked in and sat in the corner.

"You're the most polite one!" Lu Ruyi stamped her foot and followed behind Lu Huan.

She was just more sensitive to the cold than Lu Huan, so she grabbed two charcoal braziers and placed them beside her.

Lu Huan wore a small silk undergarment close to her skin, not feeling cold at all, so we just let her be.

On the other side, Du Shan personally escorted Dai Mei to the second gate.

Throughout the journey, Dai Mei remained tight-lipped. Du Shan tried to get information from her indirectly for a while, but couldn't get any answers.

He could only subtly shake his head at the old woman by the second gate, implying that the visitor was up to no good.

The old woman's heart skipped a beat. She sent a maid to deliver the message first, while she herself greeted the maid with a smile.

"Sister Dai Mei, please come in with me! You are representing Madam Di today, so you are naturally a distinguished guest of our Du family!"

"I am merely a servant girl by the side of the Prefect's wife, and I am only slightly favored by her. How can I be considered a distinguished guest!" After entering the inner courtyard, Dai Mei finally spoke a little longer.

The main courtyard was also filled with a joyous atmosphere.

Unlike the courtyard where Lu Huan and the others lived, the private rooms inside were separated by the finest silks and furs.

If Lu Huan were here, she would definitely recognize that Zou Chu's wife was also sitting among them.

He was enthusiastically introducing to the ladies around him that these furs were all from the Zou family, and had just been brought back from the north.

Dai Mei silently memorized the decorations in the main courtyard.

Inside the main room, Dewey's mother, Madam Liao, the matriarch of the Dewey family, was beaming with joy and triumph.

The woman her son is marrying today is the only daughter of the Chen family patriarch, someone who is far superior to the wives of those illegitimate sons!

The maidservant whispered something in her ear.

Her smile froze, but she didn't take it seriously.

Today is a joyous day for the Du family. The Prefect's family and the Du family have no blood feud, so why would anyone disregard the dignity of the host family and cause trouble?

She dismissed the maid and then said to the ladies beside her, "The personal maidservant of the Prefect's wife has arrived. I'll go and greet her!"

"She's just a servant, why are you giving her so much face!" someone said, but it was quickly drowned out by the flattery of the other women.

Liao wanted to see who was speaking, but she couldn't anymore.

She composed herself and said, "What brings you here! If Madam Di is so busy, she could have simply sent someone to deliver the message. There's no need for you to come all the way here in person!"

Dai Mei gave a half-bow. "Madam has something she would like me to convey to you. Is it convenient for you?"

Liao said confidently, "What's inconvenient about that? Everyone here is an insider!"

Dai Mei smiled slightly, "In that case, I will speak frankly."

Our lady said that the merchants in the city have been behaving increasingly recklessly lately. There have even been cases of favoring concubines over wives and promoting concubines to the rank of principal wife.

Previously, on the second day of the second lunar month, at the Dragon Head Festival banquet, the Princess Consort of Yan said, "It's one thing for ordinary merchants to behave this way, but officials must not do so."

Liao felt extremely pleased.

Wasn't the head of her household a man who favored his concubine over his wife, having two illegitimate sons before she even gave birth to Dewey?

Now that the Princess Consort of Yan has spoken on her own, let's see if that old man still dares to favor those two illegitimate sons!

Lady Liao even thought that with these words in mind, it would be better if the Prefect's wife didn't come!