You're the one who wants to marry a mistress, and I'm marrying someone else, yet you still

At this moment, Wu Xuanyi chimed in to ease the tense atmosphere: "Alright, we gathered here today to do good deeds together, and now that the problem is solved, that's good. Third sister-in-law, since you have this intention, go ahead and do it. We will all support you."

She wasn't saying this to help Lou Yao; she just felt there was no need to dwell on this matter and make a big fuss about it.

Lou Yao glanced at Wu Xuanyi gratefully, feeling that Wu Xuanyi had freed her from this awkward conversation.

She took a deep breath, rallied her spirits, and sent for an accountant and a respected senior official to oversee the banquet. Then she continued to preside over the feast, instructing everyone to begin their meal.

Everyone needed time to think about how much silver to spend, so no one was in a hurry.

Finally, it was time for the donation. Wu Xuanyi, as the representative of the Crown Prince's residence, inevitably took out quite a few silver notes. As the eldest wife of the Lou family, Shen Mengning naturally couldn't contribute too little silver either.

Although she disliked Lou Yao, she had to maintain the reputation of her husband's family. However, when she passed by "Xie Wanru", she actually stopped in her tracks.

"Wanwan, how have you been lately?"

Her voice was so pleasant that one couldn't help but want to listen to it a few more times, but "Xie Wanru" didn't dare to talk to her too much, because it would be easy for her to see through her if she spoke at close range!

"Ah."

Xie Wanru nodded in response. She tried to say as few words as possible so that Shen Mengning wouldn't notice anything amiss, but Shen Mengning felt that the girl was angry with her.

“Wanwan, I was wrong about what happened between me and your second brother, but I had no choice. He was in the northern border for many years and didn’t know the situation in Xuancheng. We are not a powerful family like the Shen family of Yong’an Marquis. My father was just an unknown minor official. Our family can’t compete with the Lou family.”

Her voice was extremely low, as if she were speaking only to "Xie Wanru".

Lin Qing, hidden beneath the light veil, immediately sensed the juicy gossip. Wanwan's second brother, Xie Yanlin? He actually had such a past with Shen Mengning?

She hadn't heard Wanwan mention it before, so she became curious and started listening.

Shen Mengning whispered that she and Xie Yanlin had little time together back then, and could only relieve their longing through letters. However, she did not receive a marriage proposal from the Xie family, but instead received one from the Lou family.

She met Lou Li at an ordinary banquet. She was indeed beautiful, which made Lou Li's heart flutter. Hearing that she had a entanglement with Xie Yanlin, he immediately asked Grand Tutor Lou to propose marriage.

Lou Li liked her, but he married her only to spite Xie Yanlin.

"I'm sorry, Wanwan, I shouldn't have told you this. I can't elope with your second brother. I have family, I have a younger sister. What would happen to her if I eloped? My current identity..."

Shen Mengning hesitated, her appearance charming, revealing a slight look of grievance that tugged at the heartstrings.

"Since you know you shouldn't say it, why did you say it? Madam Lou is being rather contradictory. You are a woman of the Lou family, and I am a woman of the Xie family. We can be friends, but I'm sorry, I don't need any more friends."

Lin Qing mimicked Xie Wanru's tone.

She and Xie Wanru had very similar personalities, so she responded by saying that Xie Wanru wanted to elope with her, but she refused.

Now that she's married to someone else and has a child, I don't know why I'm still trying to get close to her and hear her say that it's okay.

Wu Xuanyi then noticed that the two were talking. There were many people around them, and Shen Mengning was speaking softly. "Madam Lou, how many months along are you? Are you about to give birth?"

Wu Xuanyi stood up and asked, seemingly affectionately taking Shen Mengning's hand.

Her cover was excellent, giving no one a chance to get involved with "Xie Wanru".

Shen Mengning was caught off guard by Wu Xuanyi's sudden intimacy. She was not close to anyone from the Crown Prince's faction. Moreover, the Lou family had a daughter who married the Third Prince, and it was obvious to everyone that the Lou family was on the Third Prince's side. People from the Crown Prince's side were even less willing to get close to her.

But she quickly understood the other person's intention, which was to avoid making everyone feel awkward. So she looked at Wu Xuanyi gratefully and replied, "Yes, I'll be giving birth in a few months. I hope it's a healthy baby."

When she talked about her child, her eyes unconsciously revealed maternal tenderness.

Once the topic of children came up, almost every lady had a reason to chime in, and they all started chatting away. Shen Mengning didn't look at "Xie Wanru" anymore.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to her anymore, Xie Wanru secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Her retorts to Shen Mengning were almost subconscious reactions; she forgot that she was talking too much and whether Shen Mengning might notice.

After the donation ceremony, there was nothing else important to do. Ladies who had other matters to attend to could take their leave, while those who wished to stay could continue enjoying the song and dance performances.

As the shows unfolded one by one, the guests were once again immersed in the joyful atmosphere, temporarily forgetting the previous awkwardness.

This was the longest banquet Lin Qing had ever attended. She usually declined, but if she couldn't refuse, she would at least show up. She really didn't like talking to others about trivial things.

Moreover, some people say one thing but mean another, which is confusing and she can't handle it.

While she was deep in thought, someone suddenly patted her on the shoulder.

Lin Qing was startled and looked up to see Wu Xuanyi.

"What are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed. Were you startled by Shen Mengning's sudden approach? What did she say to you?"

Wu Xuanyi asked softly.

"Nothing, I was just wondering when this banquet would end. I'm a little sleepy."

Lin Qing replied.

Although they were all from the Crown Prince's faction, Shen Mengning's romantic entanglement with Xie Erge was a private matter, and she couldn't reveal it without his permission.

Wu Xuanyi took Lin Qing's hand and said gently, "Then let's go. It's not abrupt to leave now."

Lin Qing nodded gratefully. She was indeed not suited for this kind of occasion; her eyes lit up as soon as she heard she had to leave.

The two of them each sent someone to inform Lou Yao, and then headed towards the door. By sheer coincidence, they ran into Old Madam Shen scolding Shen Nianqing.

“I told you before you left that you were supposed to stay with me when you got here. Why did you try to compete with that Song family daughter? We both only donated five hundred taels, but you insisted on showing off and saying that our family donated a thousand taels!”

It seems that Madam Shen is really angry; she started lecturing people before even returning to the manor.

Shen Nianqing hung her head after being scolded. How could she know that the family couldn't even produce a thousand taels of cash? In the past, she could pawn some small things Xie Wanru had to get a thousand or eight hundred taels.

Moreover, this was a donation made in front of outsiders. How could the face of the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion be outdone by an unknown small family like the Song family?