Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 307 Fighting
Lady Anping didn't receive an invitation from the Regent's Palace, and initially didn't think much of it, assuming that the invitations were being delivered door-to-door and the maids weren't meticulous enough, perhaps making the delivery a little slow. The Li family of Anping held an extraordinary position in the capital, being staunch royalists. Although the young emperor had ascended the throne and Lu Jing was the Regent, and although they had a past conflict, Li Xueying was dead, and both sides tacitly agreed to forget the unpleasantness.

Whether it's the Lu family or the Li family, they will invite each other to all the banquets. There will be no more unpleasantness on the surface. The Lady of Anping also knows that she must protect her sons' future. The Lu family is not what it used to be, and she cannot afford to offend them.

The Regent's Consort was hosting a banquet, and since Lu Jing was not at home, it was all female guests. The Lady of Anping had prepared all the gifts and planned to have a good relationship with the Regent's Consort.

To everyone's surprise, the invitation never arrived.

The maidservant beside her asked worriedly, "Madam, what if the Princess doesn't invite us?"

"How could that be? So much time has passed since Xueying's incident. The Lu family invited us to their banquet. The Princess Consort came from Huainan and has never had any grudges against us. The Prince doesn't seem to be involved in matters of the inner quarters, so why wouldn't he invite us? Perhaps the gifts will arrive later!"

Although Lady Anping spoke with certainty, she was also uneasy. She sent people to inquire and found that several ladies of lower status than the Li family had received invitations, which made Lady Anping anxious.

She didn't yet have the power to reach into the Prince's residence to gather information. Firstly, Su Qingwan and Lu Jing were both extremely strict with the rules, and the servants in the mansion dared not spread rumors. Secondly, only Qingyun and Tingting knew about this matter; no one else was aware of it, as these two were known for protecting their mistress. Thirdly, Su Qingwan hadn't been in the capital for very long, and her most frequent visits were to the Ningyuan Marquis's residence.

Lady Anping and Lady Ningyuan had little contact and were at odds with the Lu family. Now, it would be even more difficult for her to get information. She knew that if she couldn't get an invitation and go to the Prince's Mansion, she would be gossiped about by the ladies and noblewomen in the capital. In the future, the host family would not invite the Anping Marquis's Mansion to any banquets hosted by the Regent's Consort.

Left with no other choice, Lady Anping had to ask Zhang Shi for information, hoping that Zhang Shi would pass on the truth and ask her daughter-in-law what was going on. Zhang Shi knew the truth perfectly well, but could only pretend to be dead.

If she were an ordinary daughter-in-law, she would tell Su Qingwan not to offend anyone. The Li family is very powerful. Even if Lu Jing is the regent, she, as the Princess of Huainan, has no need to offend anyone. The Earl of Anping and his sons all have military power in the army.

But Zhaolan is dead!
Once she thought of Zhaolan's death, killed by Li Xueying, Zhang couldn't bear to dissuade her. Moreover, she felt that Su Qingwan was the kind of person who knew what she wanted and acted carefully and decisively, so she didn't need to get involved and could only pretend to be dead!
The banquet at the Prince's Mansion was a great success. The Lady of Ningyuan Marquis and General Chen's family were the first to arrive. General Chen brought his youngest daughter-in-law, Lu Yunyan.

Lu Yunyan and Lu Yunshu were twins, both composed and gentle, yet fundamentally different. Su Qingwan, who had been impersonating her sister for a year, had only seen Lu Yunyan once at the Lu family home. Even with Lu Yunshu's annulment of her engagement, she hadn't returned to support her sister. However, it wouldn't be accurate to say she didn't care about Lu Yunshu and her aunt. She often heard Lu Yunshu mention that her sister had sent things over. Lu Yunyan cared deeply for her aunt, sister, and brother, but rarely returned to the Lu family home.

Madam Chen often brought her to banquets and doted on her like her own daughter. She was even more favored by Madam Chen than the eldest daughter-in-law. Although the wife of a military family had a fiery temper, she was also straightforward and would never stop her from returning to her parents' home.

Lu Yunyan rarely returned to her parents' home, and no one knew why. Su Qingwan liked Lu Yunshu very much. From Lu Yunshu's words, Su Qingwan could glean Lu Yunyan's personality: quiet, gentle, and also stubborn.

Although they had only met a few times, Lu Yunyan was not surprised at all when she saw her face. Even Madam Chen greeted her with a smile. Madam Chen had clearly met Xie Zhaolan before, and while holding Su Qingwan's hand, she smiled and said that the feng shui of Huainan was truly nurturing, producing such a great beauty. She praised Su Qingwan to the skies, without mentioning a single word that she was Xie Zhaolan.

Lu Yunyan greeted Su Qingwan with a smile, her attitude gentle. She bore a resemblance to Lu Yunshu, which Su Qingwan found endearing, and she personally led her into the inner courtyard. The Marquis's wife and Chen Lanzhu, as well as Madam Chen and Lu Yunyan, were very familiar with each other; their families had a close relationship, practically on the verge of marriage. Their husbands and sons were currently on the Huainan battlefield, giving them much to talk about.

Lady Hou whispered, "Xiao Wu, if anyone makes things difficult for you at the banquet today, just tell us, and we'll stand up for you."

"Okay, thank you, Auntie!" Su Qingwan replied with a smile. She felt that she wasn't so useless that she needed her aunt to back her up.

Gradually, more and more guests arrived. Madam Lin, Madam Zhang, and several young ladies from the Lu family all arrived. They were practically hosts, helping to entertain the guests. Lu Yunshu even volunteered to go with Su Qingwan, and Su Qingwan didn't refuse. Her marriage was also arranged, and she would get married at the end of the year. The marriage was arranged very well, as Madam Lin had never mistreated her concubine daughters.

Chen Lanzhu also came to join in the fun. She and Lu Yunshu were not originally familiar with each other, but because of Su Qingwan, they had a close relationship. They also had frequent contact during the time when Su Qingwan returned to Huainan.

Some of the ladies who had met Xie Zhaolan but had never heard of her were startled when they saw Su Qingwan. If Su Qingwan hadn't been dressed so elegantly and greeted the guests like a hostess, others might have mistaken her for the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family helping to welcome guests.

The ladies, especially those who didn't have much contact with the Lu family, were extremely shocked, as they had all heard rumors about Lu Jing and Xie Zhaolan.

For a time, rumors of an affair between an uncle and his sister-in-law spread throughout the capital. Although the Imperial Guards silenced them, people still talked about it in private. They never expected that Lu Jing's princess consort would look exactly like Xie Zhaolan.

They all had doubts in their hearts. The family style of the Lu family was really terrible. Could it really be the eldest sister-in-law and the divorced younger brother? That was too... outrageous and unheard of. How could Huainan agree to it?

Although the ladies had their doubts, they remained composed and worldly-wise. Su Qingwan was the hostess, and they were the guests, so they naturally wouldn't lose their composure. However, one of the noble ladies who was close to the Li family blurted out, "Aren't you Xie Zhaolan? You've already divorced Lu Feng, so why are you still in the Lu family?"

Her mother tried to stop her, but it was too late. She was extremely annoyed and said, "Your Highness, my daughter is young and ignorant and spoke rudely. Please don't take it to heart."

"She is clearly..."

Her mother grabbed her urgently and twisted her arm. She dared not speak out in anger, and stared at Su Qingwan with resentment. Su Qingwan recognized her; she had seen her at the Ningyuan Marquis's residence.

Su Qingwan chuckled and said, "It's alright. I look similar to the former eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family, and many people have mistaken me for her. I am the Princess of Huainan and also the Regent's Consort. I hope you will be careful with your words and actions, young lady."

The lady repeatedly agreed and took her daughter to the banquet. Chen Lanzhu and Lu Yunshu were both a little worried. Chen Lanzhu said, "This person is Li Xueying's best friend. He will definitely ruin your reputation when we get back."