"Lady Jiarou? Which Lady Jiarou?" Mrs. Zhen was taken aback upon hearing this and scrutinized Du Yunluo up and down.

Mrs. Zhen was well aware of the social circles her dear Nannan was involved in.

Apart from Shi Qingyu, with whom she became close because of Du Yunru, it was hard to find another similar friend.

None of the girls from any "so-and-so official’s family" were her friends, let alone any Commandery Princesses, County Princesses, or Ladies.

In this family, the only one familiar with titled young ladies was Du Yunnuo, who had a County Princess cousin. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

However, apart from obligatory visits during festivals, how would that relative ever send an invitation to Du Yunnuo? It’s usually Aunt Liao sending invitations to the Liao Family, and then the Liao Family taking Du Yunnuo along.

Therefore, no matter how much Mrs. Zhen thought about it, she couldn’t recall anything.

Seeing this, Du Yunluo explained, "The eldest young lady from the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, Lady Jiarou, has just returned to the Capital with the Imperial Consort."

"Oh, it’s her!" Mrs. Zhen suddenly realized, then her expression turned serious, "Why would she invite you? You mentioned siblings; does that mean Princely Heir’s brothers would be there too?"

Du Yunluo felt secretly embarrassed; she’s met Mu Lianxiao before, but Mrs. Zhen was worried that she would embarrass herself in front of him.

Hmm...

Truth be told, she really had embarrassed herself every time.

Once, she twisted her ankle and fell, staring at him dumbly from the ground. Another time, she cried in front of him with her hair all disheveled.

Honestly, she had no shred of dignity left in front of the Princely Heir.

However, Du Yunluo didn’t dare to tell Mrs. Zhen this, fearing she might actually beat her up.

Du Yunluo didn’t argue over such details with Mrs. Zhen but instead listed all the mansions, both the Prince and Elder Mansions and the official ones that were invited.

Mrs. Zhen was left speechless: "Can such banquets be hosted this way? Forget about the others, but having Princess An Ran alone is enough to give you sisters a headache."

Du Yunluo blinked.

Isn’t that the truth?

Princess An Ran had her heart set on Mu Lianxiao, who was now Du Yunluo’s fiancé. The sincere son of Uncle Chengyi Mansion, chosen by the Old Master, ended up with Du Yunying, leaving Du Yunnuo, the cousin, caught in the middle, without a place.

Moreover, among the male guests, one quickly resolved the tangled mess to avoid Princess An Ran by securing Du Yunying, the legitimate son of Uncle Chengyi Mansion. Another was inexplicably blocked by the Old Master and couldn’t escape the son-in-law of the Enrong Mansion. Just thinking about it gave Du Yunluo a headache.

Is this a plum blossom viewing?

It’s more like playing tricks on people!

It’s unclear what those esteemed ladies in the palace were thinking, allowing Mu Lianhui to invite guests in such a manner.

"So, Sister-in-law has to go to the Duke Jing Mansion to inquire?" Mrs. Zhen asked after hearing this.

Du Yunluo nodded, "We can only trouble Fourth Aunt with it. We certainly can’t reach households of other people."

Mrs. Zhen nodded slightly.

At dinner, Du Huaili hadn’t returned due to social engagements with colleagues, leaving Mrs. Zhen dining with her two children in Qinghui Garden.

Upon hearing he was also on the invitation list, Du Yundi was surprised but felt it made sense.

Du Yunluo didn’t know much about the officialdom, so when she thought of that rather unexpected household on the guest list, she asked Du Yundi, "Brother, are you aware of Mr. Duan from the Ministry of Rites? His family also received an invitation."

"I know him; Duan Guanqing was my schoolmate," Du Yundi said, frowning slightly as he thought, then added, "Duan Guanqing is the only son of Mr. Duan. You’ve also seen him at Fa Yin Temple. He’s quite close with the Princely Heir."

Fa Yin Temple?

Du Yunluo was surprised.

That day at Fa Yin Temple, all her attention was on Mu Lianxiao; she didn’t bother to notice others’ names or surnames.

However, as Du Yundi brought it up, Du Yunluo vaguely recalled a bit.

That day, Mu Lianxiao was at Fa Yin Temple with a group of friends, and she remembered one wearing black and another in brocade clothes jokingly teased the Princely Heir a bit.

Perhaps...

"The one in brocade clothes?" Du Yunluo remembered, he had a pair of amorous eyes and a kind smile.

Du Yundi smiled and nodded.

Du Yunluo pursed her lips, thinking that someone who could jest with Mu Lianxiao must have a good relationship with him.

Thus, it also explained why Mr. Duan’s family received the invitation.

With the female guests being entertained by Mu Lianhui, the male guests naturally were left for Mu Lianxiao. Given Duan Guanqing’s closeness with Mu Lianxiao and being a schoolmate of Du Yundi, having familiar faces together undoubtedly eased many inconveniences.

The next morning, the Liao Family set off for the Duke Jing Mansion.

In Lianfu Garden, Du Yunluo was transcribing Buddhist scriptures. Du Yunnuo didn’t follow the Liao Family but instead turned around to find Du Yunluo, and before saying anything, Du Yunying also entered.

Quite a rare sight.

During normal consultations, these two sisters would always seek her out in Anhua Courtyard; rarely would they voice anything in Lianfu Garden. Their urgency today was evident.

Upon some thought, it wasn’t hard to understand.

The Liao Family wouldn’t be gone long. Du Yunnuo wasn’t free until their return, and Du Yunying, watched closely by the Miao Family, hadn’t been anywhere other than Lianfu Garden to pay her respects these days.

Du Yunnuo glanced at Du Yunying, and both had a tacit understanding.

Du Yunying didn’t have much time and was too lazy to compete in patience with Du Yunnuo, heading directly to the table, whispered and asked Du Yunluo, "Did the Lady really send an invitation? Inviting us to view plums? And, and they invited Princess An Ran..."

Pfft.

Du Yunnuo couldn’t help but laugh, "Third Sister, it seems you are less concerned about the County Princess."

Du Yunying blushed with anger and annoyance, glaring at Du Yunnuo, who merely smiled, not caring about the impotent look.

Putting down the pen, Du Yunluo’s gaze slowly swept over the two before nodding, "We have indeed been invited. It’s said they also sent an invitation to Uncle Chengyi Mansion, but whether the second young master will attend, I can’t be sure. Besides, though there may not be elders blocking us, whether or not we will see those young gentlemen, I can’t say for sure either."

Du Yunying, having had her thoughts read, was even blushing to her ears.

"Nevertheless, even if there’s no chance to converse up close, surely there’s an opportunity to see from afar, isn’t there? Otherwise, Lady Jiarou would only invite young ladies; why bother inviting the young gentlemen for?" Du Yunnuo softly whispered.

Du Yunying couldn’t say yes, nor could she say no.

Du Yunluo lowered her gaze, thinking that with Mu Lianhui’s nature, she could indeed do such a thing.

Though Du Yunluo would be happy to see Mu Lianxiao, thinking about the complicated relationships among the young men and ladies attending, she felt the matter was troublesome.

While she could see Mu Lianxiao, Princess An Ran could as well; Du Yunying would also see her fiancé, along with the young master from Enrong Bo Mansion. Is it any less than a lively scene?

However, come to think of it, Mu Lianhui wouldn’t dig a hole for herself. If something went awry at the plum blossom feast, she wouldn’t be able to account for it to the Imperial Consort.

Seeing Du Yunying and Du Yunluo both remain silent, Du Yunnuo sighed, "I’m fine, but Third Sister, I know you just want to see what your fiancé looks like and have no other intentions. But will Second Aunt really let you go to Wangmei Garden?"