That night, the usually quiet Lian Hua courtyard was unusually lively. After the arrival of the princess, the women in the room did not stop chatting for a moment.

  Not long after, the crown prince and his wife arrived together, and the sound of men's gentle voices filled the room, mixed with the clear and crisp voices of women advising them. Soon after, the second master and his wife rushed over to join them, and before long, the king also arrived at the courtyard, lingering for a moment before slowly walking into the room.

  Jiang Wanru and Ji Yan stood cautiously in the secluded part of the courtyard, watching as these people entered the room. Although they couldn't hear the voices of the people inside clearly, they could tell that they were all trying to persuade Lian Hua. Jiang Wanru and Ji Yan couldn't move any further away or get closer to the room. The two of them shivered with cold, and could only walk back and forth in place, rubbing their hands together for warmth.

  As the night grew deeper, Wang Ye and his wife left with the accompaniment of Second Master and his wife. The Crown Prince and his wife stayed for a while before leaving the room door. The people standing quietly in the courtyard finally began to move their hands and feet.

  Jiang Wanmu said softly to Jiyuan, "You go back to your room and rest." Jiang Wanmu looked at Jiyuan's worried face and hurriedly added a few words in a low voice, "It's all right, you go to sleep. Tomorrow when you wake up, no one will remember what happened tonight."

  After Jiang Wanru left in a hurry, she stood still for a moment before seeing the housekeeper looking around outside her room. She then walked towards the door. The housekeeper saw Jiang Wanru and let out a sigh of relief, saying: "Third Master wants to talk to you." Jiang Wanru looked at the housekeeper with a foolish expression, but after seeing her nodding in confirmation, she could only stiffen her back and walk into the room.

  Jiang Wanmu entered the room and saw Lianhao leaning against the couch with a wronged expression. Jiang Wanmu thought she must have misjudged Lianhao's expression due to her own sudden movement from darkness to brightness. She immediately shifted her gaze to the half-open window, only then realizing that apart from the faint smell of wine in the room, there was no other unusual odor.

  Jiang Wanmu walked over and gently closed the window, thinking that since there was no wind tonight, only a small gap remained for ventilation. She turned her head to look at the charming man on the bed, seeing the look of grievance in his eyes, and took a few steps closer to the bed before bowing to him and asking: "Third Master, would you like me to pour you a cup of water?" Lian Hao shook his head slightly, indicating for Jiang Wanmu to come even closer.

  Jiang Wanmu hesitated for a moment, then approached the bed as he indicated. After she passed by, she pulled up some of the fallen quilt on Lian Hao's body and said softly: "Third Master, it's late at night, you still have to get up early tomorrow, so rest early." However, Lian Hao sat up halfway around the quilt at this time, looking at Jiang Wanmu's retreating figure. He quickly reached out to grab Jiang Wanmu's arm and asked: "Wanmu, tell me, what is the use of those artificial women who are coming?"

  Two women stood under the window, listening to the conversation in the room. They exchanged a glance, both thinking that this night was endless and boundless, even though they couldn't go to rest yet. They could only follow the queen's orders, waiting under the window to listen to the whispers of the people inside. The person asking questions had a clear and pleasant voice, and anyone with a willing ear could hear what was being said clearly on this quiet night. Jiang Wan's cold voice rang out: "Men like you always need several women as decorations in the room. It's better to choose beautiful ones than ugly ones, not to mention they can also help you relax your mind and body."

  The two maidservants understood the meaning behind Jiang Wan's words. If it weren't for the woman's calm and even tone, they would have thought she was mocking someone. Inside the house, Jiang Wan was being pulled by Lian Hao and couldn't move. Her anger suddenly flared up, and she blurted out those words directly. She had thought that Lian Hao would scowl, but instead he burst into laughter, clapping his hands and exclaiming: "Wan, you're really interesting! Unfortunately, I think they're obstructing my view, too wooden, too cunning, with too many thoughts in their eyes. Are there a few women who are more beautiful than my mother? Haha, this is the first time I've heard someone say something like that, it's refreshing."

  Jiang Wanru impatiently pulled her arm, deep into the night she had no interest in talking nonsense with a drunkard. She coaxed him saying: "Third Master, things that annoy you can be placed where they are not often seen, and things you like can be kept close by. Now let go of my arm, get some rest, tomorrow when you wake up, nothing will have happened." Lian Hao however continued to hold her arm, saying: "Wanru, keep me company and talk with me, in the past you never spoke as much as tonight, nor treated me as well as tonight."

  Jiang Wanting heard this and was so angry that she wanted to grab the teapot on the table and smash it, blaming herself for talking too much because of her late sleep. She should not have said those words, and now she regretted it. Jiang Wanting remained silent, letting Lian Hao swing his arm around hers. Lian Hao smiled slightly and looked at Jiang Wanting, saying: "Wanting, you are more beautiful than the women outside, and your temperament is better than theirs. You just didn't have good parents or a good family, so you had to learn to obey others in everything."

  Lian Hao let go of Jiang Wanru's hand, raised a finger in front of his own eyes and shook it, saying: "Wanru, this won't do. Being kind will only lead to being taken advantage of. Look at how you're considered the foolish young lady in the Jiang household, and the bullied daughter-in-law in the Wang household. I've never seen you truly smile before... no, I have seen you smile once. Wanru, with your temperament, how can you survive in the Wang household? I need to think of a way to settle you down properly." Lian Hao's eyes became distant as he gazed at Jiang Wanru and said: "Wanru, let's talk."

  Jiang Wanru listened to Lian Hua's words and finally understood that the person in front of her was not someone who completely lacked a conscience. She smiled slightly and coaxed him, saying: "Alright, Third Master, lie down on the couch, close your eyes, and we'll talk slowly." Lian Hua heard Jiang Wanru's words and slowly lay down on the couch, closing his eyes and muttering to himself: "Wanru, let's talk." Jiang Wanru responded with a "yes" while busily helping him pull up the quilt, and soon Lian Hua's breathing became calm.

  Two women stood under the window, waiting until the candles in the house went out. The two of them quietly left and exchanged a glance when they were at a distance. One of them said: "Third Master and Madam spoke in low voices, I didn't hear clearly what was said after that, did you?" The other woman smiled and glanced at the speaker, saying: "I'm older than you, my ears aren't as good as yours every day, if you didn't hear clearly, how could I understand? Third Master is drunk, what he says is also drunken talk. Madam doesn't like to speak normally, it's natural that she would go along with Third Master." The two of them parted ways, understanding each other tacitly.

  Jiang Wanmu woke up early in the morning, saw the neatly arranged bedding on the couch, thought of Lianhao's drunken words last night, and shook her head lightly as she entered the side room. Jiang Wanmu changed into a cotton-padded robe, came out to see the auspicious words in the house, looked at the breakfast on the table, saw that there was no one else in the house, stretched out her hand to pick up a pastry, stuffed it into Jiyuan's mouth, and stood by the table to eat quickly. After the meal, Jiang Wanmu and Jiyuan worked together to put away the bowls and chopsticks and sent them out of the room. When Jiang Wanmu left, she locked the inner room as usual.

  Two busy women in the yard saw the cotton-padded clothes on Jiang Wanru and Ji Yan, moved their mouths but didn't say much.

  Jiang Wanru and Ji Yan quickly exited the right side gate of the Wang Fu, where they hailed a horse carriage on the roadside. Only after boarding the carriage did the two let out a sigh of relief. Along the way, the two were silent, rushing to the courtyard of the fabric store on South Street. Seeing the joyful faces of the people in the courtyard, the two revealed relaxed smiles on their faces.

  No need to mention the auspicious words of a family's joy, no need to mention Fang Zheng and Bi Lu's shy expressions, nor is it necessary to mention the people in the courtyard, full of blessings for the newcomer. The engagement ceremony ended quickly, and Jiang Wanru hurried to Dong Street after lunch to attend to her own affairs. It wasn't until dinner time that she rushed back to join everyone for a meal together, listening to both families discuss preparations for Fang Zheng's wedding. At this point, Jiang Wanru took out a 100-tael silver note from her pocket and handed it to Fang Zheng, saying: "Congratulations. We can't let Bi Lu down, take this note and tidy up the courtyard nicely, so that when the time comes, we can welcome the newcomer."

  In the midst of his parents' opposing voices, Fang Zheng accepted the silver note with a big smile and said: "Miss, since you've bought this courtyard, I'll take the opportunity to renovate it thoroughly." Jiang Wanru smiled and said: "You're in charge, replace all the furniture inside your new house with new ones. If the silver isn't enough, tell me and I'll make up for it." Fang Zheng's mother immediately intercepted her son who was about to speak, saying: "Miss, how can we let you spend money on our son's wedding?"

  Jiang Wan smiled and said to her: "I regard Fang Zheng as my own brother, the woman he marries is knowledgeable and experienced, without mentioning how well we treat her, at least on the surface we should be able to hold our heads up in front of others." Fang Zheng chuckled and intercepted his mother who was about to speak again, smiling and saying: "Mother, if it were someone you had chosen for me, Miss would not have been so generous. Now it's because my son has good taste, Miss is happy and rewarding me." Fang Zheng's mother blushed as she glanced at Jiang Wan, seeing that she and Ji Yan were already preparing to leave.

  Jiang Wanru and Jiyuan were on their way back when Jiyuan said, "Miss, you're being too extravagant. That silver can be used for many things, and even if we were to renovate the entire estate, it wouldn't cost that much." Jiang Wanru shook her head lightly and replied, "My brother is right. If the woman he's going to marry isn't good enough, I wouldn't have spent so much either. My brother has good judgment, and he's not someone who wastes money carelessly." Later, after the estate had been renovated, Fang was getting married, and he returned the remaining 50 taels of silver to Jiang Wanru, saying, "Miss, you can keep this unused silver. It's also hard-earned money."

  Jiang Wanru smiled and took it over. According to Ning Chao's customs, on the first New Year after marriage, the bride's family would give a large red envelope to the newlyweds as a sign of recognition from the husband's family. Jiang Wanru, as the bride's family member, wrapped up the 50 taels of silver and handed it to Bi Lu, saying: "This is your first New Year in your husband's home, I wish you all the best, may everything go smoothly and according to your wishes, and may you soon give birth to a noble son or daughter."

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