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

The next day, as usual, she went to Rongxi Courtyard to pay her respects. The Second Madam casually made up an excuse to keep Aunt Sun behind. Song Xi wanted to explain, but Aunt Sun pushed her away, so she had to leave with several glances back.

Meng Ruohua glanced at Song Xi silently, then left first.

The Second Madam and Concubine Sun have been at odds for over a decade. The fact that Concubine Sun has managed to protect her two children until now speaks volumes about her cunning. With the Second Madam's current methods, she can at most inflict some minor injuries on Concubine Sun.

Although Song Xi was worried, she didn't dare to say a word of pleading. The Second Madam was eager to find fault with her and prevent her from attending the banquet.

The three of them, mother and son, lived in the Lotus Courtyard. Everyone assumed that the Second Madam disliked Aunt Sun and deliberately refused to give Song Xi a separate courtyard. In reality, it was Aunt Sun who begged Song Chang, saying that she was worried about the child being so young. This dragged on year after year.

She went back to her room and started eating breakfast. She didn't dare to drink much soup or porridge, and only ate a jujube paste ruyi roll.

When it was exactly 7:00 AM, Song Xi dressed herself neatly and sent a maid to keep watch. After seeing Meng Ruohua go to Rongxi Courtyard, she estimated the time before going out herself.

As soon as you enter the courtyard, you see Aunt Sun standing with her hands hanging down on the porch. The temperature is extremely low on this winter morning, and standing in the shade of the porch, the cold wind blowing from time to time has made Aunt Sun shiver.

Song Xi couldn't bear to watch any longer and gritted her teeth as she went inside.

Inside, only Meng Ruohua was sitting at the lower end of the room drinking tea. As soon as she entered, she attracted everyone's amazed gazes.

Song Xi wore an amber and agate headdress, an orange brocade gown with begonia patterns, and peacock blue rhombus brocade trim on the cuffs and collar. She also wore a light blue pleated skirt with scattered flowers.

In the past, she would simply wear her hair in two buns, with thick bangs covering her eyebrows and eyes, so that at first glance only half of her face could be seen. Today, she had gathered her bangs up, revealing her smooth and full forehead. Her soft and shiny hair was loosely tied up, with delicate hairpins and pearl flowers peeking out from among the strands. Her dark hair was as smooth as silk and had a mirror-like sheen.

She bowed her head in greeting, lowering her eyes to avoid the Second Madam's gaze.

The second wife snorted coldly. After learning yesterday that Song Chang had bought this set of jewelry, she guessed it after a little thought.

Still dreaming of climbing up to the Wang family? Don't they know their place?!

Meng Ruohua remained seated quietly without changing her expression until she saw Song Xi's slightly apologetic gaze, at which point she smiled.

She didn't think anything of it; on the contrary, she was very happy.

Although amber and agate are not as valuable as red agate, this whole set would still cost at least three hundred taels. Moreover, the agate in this set is yellowish-red, which matches her orange begonia-patterned top perfectly.

It seems Aunt Sun put a lot of thought into it!

Meng Ruohua guessed correctly. Song Chang spent three hundred taels of silver to buy it, using not only his monthly allowance but also his personal savings.

In his eyes, these gold and silver ornaments were just inanimate objects, lacking the spirit of poetry and painting, and the elegance of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. But seeing the joyful expressions on Aunt Sun and her daughter's faces soothed the slight regret in his heart.

However, what Song Chang didn't know was that he was followed by the Second Madam's people as soon as he left the mansion yesterday, and everything he went and saw was reported to him. That's why the Second Madam made things difficult for Aunt Sun this morning. Of course, even if Song Chang hadn't bought the jewelry, the Second Madam would always find excuses to harass people.

Aunt Sun gritted her teeth and endured the cold winter wind without a trace of resentment in her eyes, which made Qi Mama, who was passing by, glance at her a few more times.

It turned out that Madam Qi had gone to Yuqing Courtyard to see how Song Tian's makeup was going. She knew it was almost time to leave and she couldn't dawdle any longer.

Before long, Qi's mother and Song Tian arrived at Rongxi Courtyard.

Tuanfu lifted the curtain to let Song Tian in, but Song Tian was quite different from her usual impulsive self; today she was dignified and elegant. She stood up straight and walked steadily, taking small steps as she went up the steps, even asking Qi Mama for a hand to help her.

The whole group of people became tense. She held her breath, afraid that she might blow Song Tian's headdress off with a single breath. Only after Song Tian, ​​with Qi Mama's help, stepped over the threshold and turned around the screen did she lower the curtain, as if lowering it too early would snag her clothes and headdress.

When Song Tian entered the room, Meng Ruohua's eyes were suddenly brightened, and she felt that the dark main room had become a bit brighter in an instant.

"Oh my son!" The second wife quickly got up to greet him. "You've dressed up so much, even your mother wouldn't recognize you."

He circled around Song Tian, ​​repeatedly praising how beautiful his daughter was.

Song Tian sat down smugly and raised her eyebrows at Song Xi next to her.

She heard about it from her mother yesterday, and seeing her mother's indignant expression, she felt even more determined to outshine Song Xi. Song Xi was already prettier than her; if she dressed up further, wouldn't she outshine her?

No one can be prettier than her!

If Wang Yuanzhi enters the backyard, the first person he'll see will be her!

Meng Ruohua took a closer look and saw that she was wearing six or seven gold and ruby ​​hairpins adorned with flowers, a beaded tassel necklace, a bright red silk gown with floral patterns, and a rose-purple pleated skirt.

Surrounded by pearls and emeralds!

Meng Ruohua smiled and praised, "Sister, your clothes are so elegant that people can immediately tell we come from a wealthy family!"

Nouveau riche or impoverished!

True ladies of high society never wear jewels all over their heads; they dress according to the occasion.

For a birthday banquet hosted by a family like this, the decorations should neither be so elaborate and dazzling as to overshadow the guests, nor so plain as to invite criticism or disdain.

She frowned slightly, thinking, "My sister's attire is too extravagant; I'm afraid it will attract gossip."

Those who stand out excessively will attract attention from others, whether positive or negative.

Song Tian nonchalantly raised her chin, revealing an arrogant expression, and glanced at Song Xi sideways, saying, "The Wang family is of noble birth, and all those who come and go are noble ladies, so of course we must treat them with respect. Do you think we should just casually bring a few broken beads? Wouldn't that be embarrassing!"

Meng Ruohua kept her mouth shut and stopped talking, but she couldn't help but think to herself how to deal with Song Tian if she caused trouble!

Seeing her so ostentatious, she was sure to attract many enemies. She glanced at Song Xi beside her; he was quiet and composed, clearly a sensible and well-mannered person.

The second wife looked at the three people in the hall with some envy; she actually wanted to go too. Since marrying into the Song family, she had often visited those noble and powerful families while the old master was alive, but she hadn't gone since.

She cursed Song Chang inwardly, then glanced up and saw Song Xi sitting there pretending to be well-behaved. Fuming, she gave them a few casual instructions and waved them away. She wasn't worried about Song Tian causing trouble; her woman was usually obedient and sensible, unless someone bullied her first. Besides, there was Meng Ruohua; as her sister-in-law, it was her responsibility to look after her sister-in-law when she took her out.

Each of the three brought a maid. Two carriages were arranged in the mansion. Meng Ruohua ignored Song Chen'an and went straight to the carriage when she saw him waiting on horseback at the door.

When they arrived, there was already a long queue in front of the Wang family's gate. They waited for half an hour before they could enter the mansion. Male and female guests were separated, and they parted ways with Song Chen'an as soon as they entered the mansion.

Gu Qiongfang smiled when she saw her from afar, exchanged a few pleasantries with those around her, and then walked over. She warmly took Meng Ruohua's hand and said with a smile, "You've finally arrived! Tonight I would have sent people to the mansion to arrest you!"

Meng Ruohua's eyes darted around, and she said unwillingly, "I don't believe Sister Gu has time to catch someone today!"

Gu Qiongfang gently stroked her cheek with her finger. "If I don't go and catch them, someone else will. You'll never guess who's coming today!"