My wife wants a divorce; if she ruins my life, I'll leave.

The morning breeze was cool, and dewdrops slid down the verdant leaves, dampening the hem of her flowing skirt.

Yu Ye and Shan Hu exchanged glances until they entered the gates of Qingfeng Courtyard before voicing their questions.

"Did the Second Young Mistress prepare her speech for today yesterday?" Coral asked. Yesterday, the Second Young Mistress seemed very confident of victory.

"No."

It was prepared when we received the ledger!

Yu Ye recalled yesterday's events and a sudden realization dawned on her. They must have prepared a plan when the accounts were empty; no wonder they were all anxious, except for the Second Young Mistress who wasn't worried at all.

She gave a knowing look and followed behind Meng Ruohua with a mysterious smile.

Hearing the commotion, Madam Lin quickly put down her work and came out. "Second Young Mistress is back? The food is ready, shall we set it out?"

Meng Ruohua allowed her to direct and arrange things without revealing her feelings at all.

According to the timeline I remember, Shen Yunlan stayed at the Song family's house after returning to the capital at the end of this year. The following year, they bribed Pearl to put drugs in her food and bribed Lin Mama to copy her dowry list. The two sides worked together to steal a lot of her dowry. It wasn't until the year after next, when her father and brothers were framed, that these people revealed their true colors.

No rush, no rush, we'll get it back eventually!

Time passed quickly, and the day for the banquet soon arrived.

Meng Ruohua finished her household chores early in the morning before getting dressed and going to Rongxi Courtyard.

Before even entering the door, I could hear a burst of laughter and cheerful chatter.

"Among all the people in the room, only Ruyi knows how to talk."

"I am only telling the truth. It is the Third Miss who is naturally beautiful."

Without a doubt, it's a compliment that truly touches the heart.

A young maidservant had already gone in to report, and when Meng Ruohua approached, she quickly lifted the curtain and led her inside.

As you enter the room, a sweet fragrance wafts on the breeze and hits you right in the head.

Meng Ruohua subconsciously held her breath, and after a moment, she smiled and said, "Third Sister, you look absolutely stunning in this outfit."

Song Tian was wearing a gold and pearl dragonfly headdress, a red gold peony and coral necklace, a brocade jacket with a hundred flowers and flying saucers, and a honey-colored brocade pleated skirt with a dark pattern.

Song Tian raised an eyebrow and asked expectantly, "Sister-in-law, how do I look today?" She then straightened up and swayed her hair ornaments from side to side to show them off.

"Madam and Third Sister have always had good taste. Third Sister looks radiant in this outfit; anyone would take a second look."

You can't blame her for being hypocritical and telling lies; nobody likes to hear the truth!

Song Tian was overjoyed by the praise and affectionately told Meng Ruohua about the fun she had in buying jewelry.

"We went to the Treasure Pavilion, and the manager said that this set of pearl headdresses was newly made, and there was only one set in the entire capital."

Meng Ruohua examined it carefully. The pearls were about the size of soybeans, not large, but round and lustrous. The craftsmanship was also ingenious, making it a rather good set of jewelry.

Looking at Song Tian, ​​who was seeking praise, Meng Ruohua readily complimented, "I was wondering why it was so novel. It turns out there's only one like it in the entire capital!" A subtle glint flashed in her eyes as she continued, "One of these days, sister, you should accompany your sister-in-law to take a look."

“Okay!” Song Tian readily agreed, then added with a quick glance, “I can’t go for nothing, my sister-in-law has to buy me something as a reward.”

Meng Ruohua smiled knowingly, "No problem!"

Seeing that Meng Ruohua was so easy to talk to, and remembering that her dowry was so generous, with two large boxes full of jewelry and headdresses, Song Tian became even more blunt and made her demands, "One piece is not enough, I want three!"

She looked up and glanced at the Second Madam, who was seated at the head of the table. She saw the Second Madam admiring Song Tian's sweet face with pride in her eyes. When she heard that she was going to give Song Tian jewelry, the Second Madam nodded approvingly at her.

This mother and daughter really think they're easy targets!

Meng Ruohua looked at her with a half-smile, and only after she guiltily looked away did she reply, "Okay."

Perhaps sensing the awkward atmosphere, the second madam quickly changed the subject and urged them to leave, saying, "Don't be late."

Meng Ruohua remained noncommittal, and together with Linglong, Song Tian, ​​and Qingping, they rode in a carriage to the Marquis of Wu'an's residence.

Third Young Mistress Li Furong greeted people at the second gate, and upon seeing Meng Ruohua, she smiled and came forward to greet her.

"Finally out the door! Staying cooped up in the mansion..." She chuckled as she took Meng Ruohua's arm, but then swallowed her teasing remark, remembering that Meng Ruohua had a little girl with her.

"Miss Song is here too. It's been a while." Li Furong looked her over carefully. "You've grown up even more. I'll have your sister-in-law introduce you to everyone later."

The thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girls must be shown to those ladies.

These banquets are nothing more than a means of matchmaking. Do they really come all this way just to see a few pretty flowers? Everyone has one!

Today's banquet at the Marquis of Wu'an's residence is also for the old lady to arrange a marriage between the unmarried fourth young master Zhuang Cheng and the third young lady Zhuang Yin.

The old lady loved lively gatherings. Counting on her fingers, she found there were quite a few eligible unmarried young men and women in the capital. So, she excitedly invited her daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law to a banquet to help them find their destined partners, which would be a good thing to accumulate blessings.

Therefore, the Marquis of Wu'an's residence was exceptionally lively today, with invitations extended to all the families who frequently visited from the capital. Originally, the Song family and the Marquis of Wu'an's residence had no connection, and Song Chang's official rank was low, so he was not originally on the invitation list. It was only after Li Furong sent a separate invitation to Meng Ruohua that Song Tian was brought along.

Meng Ruohua pushed her away, "You have many guests at your residence today, so you don't need to stay with me. Just go do your own thing. I'll go and pay my respects to Old Madam Zhuang myself."

I've been to the Marquis of Wu'an's residence several times since I was a child, so I know the people and the way. There's really no need for my friend to accompany me on a wasted trip.

Li Furong didn't stand on ceremony and readily agreed with a hearty laugh, "I'll come find you when I have some free time; it's been three to five months since we last saw each other!"

"Okay, go and do your work."

Li Furong pointed to her head maid, Tao'er, to lead the way, gave her a few instructions, and then went to the door to greet the guests.

Tao'er had been with Li Furong since childhood and was also familiar with Meng Ruohua.

They chatted along the way and soon arrived at the old lady's courtyard.

Before even entering, one could hear the sounds of laughter and chatter inside. A maidservant noticed and quickly lifted the curtain to invite them in.

Madam Zhuang sat in the main seat, listening with a smile to the jokes told by the ladies.

"Ruohua is here!" Li Furong's mother, Wang, greeted her warmly.

Meng Ruohua smiled and responded, then went forward to greet Old Madam Zhuang, and the two exchanged pleasantries for a while.

After recognizing the people, Madam Zhuang told the young wives and girls to go play in the garden, "Don't stay cooped up inside."

Meng Ruohua introduced Song Tian to Li Furong's younger sister, Li Jingke, saying, "Tian'er doesn't go out much, so please take good care of her, Sister Jingke."

"Don't worry, Sister Hua, I will definitely not let anyone bully Sister Tian."

Li Jingke is fourteen years old and has a cheerful and generous personality. She and Song Tian have played together several times and she knows Song Tian's personality to some extent. Although she is a bit willful, what young lady is not willful?

Moreover, Sister Meng is not the same as before she got married, so she always has to be more understanding and helpful. She also gave Sister Meng a break for half a day, so she readily pulled Song Tian away, saying, "Sister Tian'er, let's go see the chrysanthemums."

Just after seeing Song Tian off, Meng Ruohua hadn't even turned around when she heard a reproachful voice: "You've finally shown yourself!"