The members of the three branches got into three carriages outside the Jing Guogong Residence, with only Zhao Huanxi riding a horse, following beside Yin Furen’s and Xu Nian’an’s carriages.

Yin Furen lifted the carriage curtain and saw her son outside, looking radiant and full of energy. Feeling delighted, she turned to Xu Nian’an and said, “I have an estate in Lingji Village with a hill covered with apple trees, jujube trees, and orange trees. It’s the season when the fruits are ripening. Since Huanxi is on holiday now and the weather is gradually cooling down, why don’t you two take Luochen there for a few days of fun?”

the types of apples that were historically grown in China differ from the modern varieties that are common today. Historically, China had indigenous apple species, such as Malus asiatica and Malus prunifolia, which are small and tart compared to the sweeter, larger varieties that are now widespread.

Xu Nian’an replied, “Sanlang said he wanted to host Qian Ming and the others. In another seven or eight days, my fourth sister is getting married as well. Perhaps it would be better to take care of these matters first.”

Yin Furen frowned and said, “He’s been at the Imperial Academy for so long, why does he still only have Qian Ming and the others as friends?”

Xu Nian’an knew she disapproved of Qian Ming and the others for being frivolous, so she said, “As the son of a noble family, Sanlang is bound to associate with such people. As long as they don’t harm Sanlang, Mother need not worry too much. If you wish for him to make new friends who could be beneficial to him, that would require placing him in a different environment. At the Imperial Academy, it’s difficult to break down the barriers between the Gongjian students, the Yinjian students, and Juanjian students, as they each form their own cliques due to their different backgrounds.”

贡监 (Gòngjiàn): These were students who were recommended for their academic achievements. They typically came from the scholar-official class and were recognized for their scholarly abilities, allowing them entry into the Imperial Academy. "贡" means "tribute," indicating that these students were selected based on their merit.
荫监 (Yìnjiàn): These students were admitted to the Imperial Academy due to their family background, often because of the contributions or services of their ancestors. The character "荫" refers to "shade" or "protection," implying that these students were benefiting from their family's status or contributions to the state. This was a form of hereditary privilege.
捐监 (Juānjiàn): These were students who gained admission by making donations or paying fees. "捐" means "donate," indicating that their entry into the academy was purchased rather than earned through merit or lineage. This was a way for wealthy families to secure an education and potential government position for their children.

Yin Furen sighed and said, “Am I not aware of that? It’s just that I am feeling unwilling.”

Both are well-established Guogong families, and the Ying Guogong Residence and the Jing Guogong Residence are not far apart, so it only takes a short while to get there.

Jing Furen, the legitimate daughter-in-law from the first branch of the Ying Guogong Residence, is also a beauty with enduring charm. At first glance, she resembles Yin Furen somewhat, but upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that they have entirely different temperament. Yin Furen is dignified and serene, while Jing Furen is shrewd and perceptive.

The men went to the front courtyard, while the female followed Jing Furen to the Flower Hall in the back garden to pay their respects to Zhang Lao Taijun.

With many people gathered here with Zhang Lao Taijun, the arrival of the female from the Jing Guogong Residence inevitably caused another lively scene.

Today, Zhao Shuxian’s outfit of gold-woven peacock feather zhuanghua gauze was truly stunning and eye-catching. As soon as she appeared before everyone, the attention of all the young ladies and madams was drawn to her.

妆花纱 (zhuānghuā shā): Zhuanghua gauze. This is a complex, high-end silk weaving technique (often associated with Nanjing cloud brocade) where colorful floral patterns are woven into the fabric. It was extremely expensive and labor-intensive.

She felt that she had finally outshone Xu Nian’an in terms of appearance and was very pleased with herself.

After the younger generation had completed their greetings, Zhang Lao Taijun invited them to sit down. She then turned to Lu Lao Furen with a smiling expression and said, “This Zhao Guniang must be the fiancée of your precious grandson?”

Lu Lao Furen looked at Zhao Shuxian, who was being shown to her seat by the maid, and nodded in agreement.

Zhang Lao Taijun said, “This little girl is so pretty and charming. She is very likable.”

Lu Lao Furen forced a smile.

The zhuanghua gauze on Zhao Shuxian looked like it was a gift bestowed by the Emperor. Yin Furen hadn’t worn it, Xu Nian’an hadn’t worn it, and neither had her sister-in-law. So why was Zhao Shuxian wearing it? What was the point of being so ostentatious at someone else’s gathering? Is this not the guest outshining the host?

Lu Lao Furen was deeply displeased.

Zhao Shuxian, whose vanity was extremely strong, did not notice anything amiss and assumed that others were simply jealous of her zhuanghua gauze. After sitting down, the praise from the surrounding young ladies only made her feel even more elated and out of touch with reality.

After a short while, Ding Guogong Furen arrived with several of her legitimate daughters-in-law, but Zhao Jiazhen was not among them.

Xu Nian’an tilted her head and asked Lady Yin softly, “Mom, why didn’t San Jiejie come?”

Yin Furen replied, “She sent someone yesterday to say she hasn’t been feeling well lately, so she won’t be coming today.”

Xu Nian’an nodded and thought to herself: Could it be that it coincides with her little days?

小日子 (xiǎorìzi): A common Chinese euphemism for a woman's menstrual period (similar to "that time of the month").

Although Yin Furen was dissatisfied with Zhao Jiazhen’s absence, she still needed to maintain appearances. When Ding Guogong Furen greeted her, Yin Furen had no choice but to go over and converse with her.

Once the female members of the Duan family arrived, the atmosphere around Yin Furen became even livelier.

Seeing Xu Nian’an sitting alone among the female relatives, Zhao Jiashan intended to go over and keep her company. However, she was pulled aside by a lady from another family she knew to have a chat, so she had to give up on her intention.

The Wu Family did not send anyone. Wu Laoyé, a fifth-rank judge of the Jingzhao Prefecture, had no familial or old ties with the Zhang family, so it is likely that the Zhang family did not extend an invitation to them.

Xu Nian’an chatted for a while with the Second Branch’s Da Nainai, Mei Shi, and then turned to pick up the tea cup beside her. Unexpectedly, she heard a somewhat jarring voice next to her.

“Pregnant women should better avoid drinking chrysanthemum tea.”

Xu Nian’an looked up and saw a young woman, about her age, dressed in a flamboyant and wealthy manner, with a hint of harshness in her expression, glaring at her arrogantly from a short distance.

Her sudden remark was indeed abrupt, and all the surrounding ladies and madams turned to look.

Yin Furen frowned slightly, Nian’an was pregnant? She was unaware of how outsiders could have known about it.

Xu Nian’an did not recognize the woman and turned to Mei Shi beside her, asking, “Who is this person?”

Mei Shi whispered, “This is Liao Furen, Chen Guogong’s Shizi Furen.”

世子 (Shizi) is the title for heir apparent, hence Shizi Furen is referring to his wife.

Xu Nian’an raised her eyebrows slightly. She is Zhu Zhifu’s wife? No wonder she seemed displeased with her.

Amidst the gaze of everyone, Xu Nian’an set down her tea cup and smiled at Liao Shi, saying, “Liao Furen, greetings. Were you speaking to me just now?”

Liao Shi replied, “Naturally.”

“Then Liao Furen must be mistaken, I am not pregnant,” Xu Nian’an said.

Liao Shi was surprised and said, “What? You’re not pregnant? You’ll be nineteen after the New Year, right? At such an age, others would have already given their families an heir. What’s going on? Could it be that you’re unable to conceive?”

Yin Furen’s face darkened.

Zhang Lao Taijun signalled her second daughter-in-law with a glance, indicating that she should smooth things over.

Others had heard of the conflicts between the Zhu and Zhao families and understood that Liao Shi was deliberately causing trouble for the Zhao family’s daughter-in-law. However, since Consort Zhen was favoured, few were willing to confront Liao Shi directly, despite her arrogant behaviour.

Zhang Er Taitai (the one Zhang Lao Taijun signalled before) had prepared her response and was about to speak when Xu Nian’an gently said, “Liao Furen must be joking. My marriage to my husband has been relatively short, and since he has recently been focusing on his studies and dislikes distractions, I naturally haven’t had the fortune of having as many children as Liao Furen. Ah, I heard that a few days ago Liao Furen was blessed with another son. Congratulations!”

Xu Nian’an’s remarks made the ladies and madams who were aware of the internal issues of the Zhu family struggle to keep from laughing. Considering that laughing out loud might be seen as impolite, they each pretended to cough, sipped their tea, and tried to suppress their amusement, their faces contorted in the effort.

Who doesn’t know that the Cheng Guogong Shizi Zhu Zhifu was frivolous and lustful. The number of illegitimate children in the household far exceeded that of the legitimate ones. For Liao Shi, as the legitimate wife, isn’t this exactly ‘more children, more blessings’? Just a few days ago, Zhu Zhifu’s seventeenth concubine gave birth to an illegitimate son, which could indeed be seen as ‘joyfully welcoming a remarkable child’, right?

Liao Shi didn’t need to turn around; just from the sounds, she knew that everyone around her was silently laughing at her. Her face, which was still somewhat pretty, instantly turned crimson. Moreover, since Xu Nian’an’s remarks seemed to be complimentary on the surface, she didn’t know how to refute them.

Yin Furen, feeling relieved, glanced at Cheng Guogong Furen, who was sitting next to Liao Shi with a distressed expression, before turning back to continue her conversation with Duan Furen.

At this moment, a maid suddenly sneaked into the Flower Hall, acting suspiciously as she whispered to each of the women present.

Zhang Family’s Er Taitai, noticing from her attire that she served in the front courtyard and finding her behaviour rather improper, asked loudly, “Who is it that has entered?”

The little maid was startled and quickly came forward to bow, saying, “Replying to Er Taitai, Nubi is Xiaoyue, who serves in the front courtyard.”

“What are you sneaking around for?”

Xiaoyue replied, “It’s because Xi San Yé from Jing Guogong Residence sent Nubi to the back courtyard to find Xi San Nainai.”

Everyone turned to look at Xu Nian’an.

Xu Nian’an maintained a polite smile on her face, but in reality, she just wanted to hold her forehead.

In Chinese, this gesture is often used to express a feeling of exasperation, frustration, or helplessness. It's similar to the expression "facepalm" in English

“What did he send you to find Xi San Nainai for?” Yin Furen asked.

Xiaoyue replied, “Xi San Yé asked Nubi to tell Xi San Nainai that… that…”

“Just say it directly,” Yin Furen said, as in front of everyone, she couldn’t ask a servant of Ying Guogong Residence to go and whisper it only to Xu Nian’an.

Xiaoyue hesitated for a moment, unable to come up with a solution. Finally, she closed her eyes and loudly said, “Xi San Yé said he heard that both the mother and wife of Zhu Shizi from Cheng Guogong Residence are also attending. He told Xi San Nainai not to be afraid. If they dare to bully her, he will go beat up Zhu Shizi to vent her frustration!”

As the words fell, the entire hall was silent.

After a while, someone couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.

Liao Shi, irritated, turned her head, but before she could identify the first person who laughed, everyone around her had already joined in the laughter.

As the one managing the household, Zhang Family’s Er Nainai absolutely could not laugh at this moment. She restrained herself so much that veins bulged on her neck and, with a stern face, said, “Understood. You may go.”

Xiaoyue quickly ran away.

Zhang Lao Taijun was worried that the situation might become too awkward for the Zhu family’s mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. She repeatedly instructed the maids to serve tea to the young ladies and madams.

Cheng Guogong Furen, recalling her son who was still at home recovering from his injuries, found it hard to swallow her anger. She looked at Xu Nian’an and said coldly, “After all, he is from a prestigious family. Constantly showing off with violence and killing, it’s really a disgraceful way to behave!”

Upon hearing this, everyone felt disdain. The fact was, although he had shown off with violence, he had only targeted her son. What about her son? Over the years, many young men in the capital had been bullied by him. Now, she had the audacity to criticize others? It was simply that she had encountered a nemesis. Unable to win in a fight, she could only try to gain some advantage with her words.

Xu Nian’an met her gaze and said, “The Zhao family has always been known for their bravery, having earned their titles through battles and bloodshed alongside the founding emperor. The fierce nature of Sanlang is inherited from his ancestors; it is in his blood and nature. There’s really nothing that can be done about it. I apologise if it has caused Furen any discomfort.”

As soon as these words were spoken, someone immediately spat out their tea.

Although both families are Guogong families, the Zhao family is a genuine founding duke, whereas what is the Zhu family? The levels are simply not the same.

What on earth happened with the Zhu Family’s mother-in-law and daughter-in-law today? It’s as if after getting slapped on the left cheek, they offered their right cheek to continue getting slapped. It’s truly laughable!

Seeing the Zhu Family’s mother and daughter-in-law turning pale from being ridiculed, yet unable to retort, the madams and young ladies in the hall who were already unfavourable towards them felt immense satisfaction.

As the host, Zhang Family’s Er Taitai was quite annoyed. She thought: If the Zhu Family has a grudge with the Zhao Family, why not resolve it elsewhere? Why engage in a war of words here? It’s only right that they’re being ridiculed for their provocations. They’re truly annoying!

She was about to stand up and smooth things over when she heard a commotion outside the hall. It was Jing Furen, who had brought Qingshou Junzhu and Qingxiang Junzhu with her.

The princesses held high status, so Zhang Lao Taijun also personally went to welcome them, and all the women in the hall naturally stood up as well.

Ning Furen, upon seeing the two Junzhus enter, slightly narrowed her eyes.

Very well, this is perfect. Zhao Shuxian and Qingxiang Junzhu are wearing the same outfit!