This son-in-law is wicked in a good way!

The Left Prime Minister's face turned cold, and his voice carried the premonition of an impending outburst.

"Could it be that he, a son-in-law who lives with his wife's family, dares to skip my birthday banquet?"

Does he even respect me anymore?!

Lu Ruoxue quietly stepped aside, her face showing some suspicion. She wondered if the Zhang Ping'an her father mentioned was the same person she knew.

Lu Qingyin stepped forward calmly.

She notified Zhang Ping'an in advance to come over in order to deal with this possible situation.

Therefore, she is not panicking now.

"How could he not attend Father's sixtieth birthday celebration? However, knowing his lowly status in front of all these esteemed officials, he sat a little further away."

After saying that, he turned around and looked at Zhang Ping'an in the corner of the gate.

"Ping An, hurry up and wish your father a happy birthday!"

Zhang Ping'an sighed helplessly and had no choice but to stand up and walk over, standing a step behind Lu Qingyin.

Lu Qingyin handed a birthday gift to Zhang Ping'an, giving him a warning look, implying that he shouldn't mess things up.

Zhang Ping'an bowed respectfully: "May Prime Minister Lu enjoy boundless happiness and longevity!"

Lu Chongyang gave a cold laugh and drawled, "You've put in the effort!"

Anyone could hear Lu Xiang's dissatisfaction with his son-in-law.

I knew this old man would give me the cold shoulder, but I'll let it slide since it's your birthday today.

After offering birthday wishes, Zhang Ping'an turned around and prepared to return to his seat and lie low.

But then Sun Guihua suddenly stood up and said with a smile, "Miss, won't you introduce your husband to everyone?"

"With the young lady's beauty and talent, the husband she chooses must be an outstanding young man."

Zhang Ping'an glared at him. Damn it, you talk as if you don't know me!

He knew very well that Sun Guihua was trying to use this opportunity to cause trouble.

Guan Tianyou, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, immediately chimed in, "Yes, Miss Lu, please introduce him to us! I'm also very curious about this young master's background, that he could possibly be worthy of the daughter of the current Left Prime Minister."

Not only Zhang Ping'an understood that these two were up to something, but everyone present knew exactly what was going on.

However, everyone is waiting for the Left Prime Minister's attitude.

When they saw the Left Prime Minister's faint, cold smile and his failure to stop Sun Guihua and Guan Tianyou, everyone immediately understood the Left Prime Minister's attitude.

A decision was made immediately: to appease the Left Prime Minister!

"That's right, Miss, please introduce me!"

The crowd joined in the commotion.

Lu Qingyin frowned slightly, secretly rolling her eyes at her father with a resentful look, as if blaming him for being too petty, wanting to humiliate Zhang Ping'an in public today because of yesterday's unpleasantness.

No matter what, he was her husband in name only, and their fates were intertwined.

But since her father wouldn't speak up, she could only introduce Zhang Ping'an to everyone.

But Zhang Ping'an was just a tool for her to wash. After they got married, she never had any in-depth conversations with Zhang Ping'an, and she didn't know anything about him. She had no idea what merits Zhang Ping'an had that were worth introducing.

However, it's not entirely without merit.

She knew that Zhang Ping'an did have some commendable qualities.

"Since you gentlemen are interested, I will give you a brief introduction."

"Zhang Ping'an, the fourth son of Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Revenue."

Those who knew Zhang Ping'an's background, such as Sun Guihua, remained calm and composed. Those who didn't know Zhang Ping'an's identity immediately turned to look at Zhang Xuanling.

It turns out he's the fourth son of Vice Minister Zhang's family; he's certainly worthy of the Left Prime Minister's daughter.

"Heh, what fourth young master? He's clearly an unwanted pawn. Otherwise, why would Lord Zhang send him here to bring good luck?"

Someone whispered a mocking remark.

"I see. It seems this fourth young master is not living up to his reputation!"

The gazes of the crowd toward Zhang Ping'an were immediately filled with disdain.

It was common knowledge that Lu Qingyin had been suffering from illness for many years, and eventually news spread that she was critically ill.

What favored son would be willing to marry a dying person to bring good fortune?

One can imagine how Zhang Ping'an was treated in the Zhang family.

Many people turned their gaze to Zhang Xuanling, wanting to hear his attitude.

But Lord Zhang Xuanling, today, had his head bowed and eyes lowered, looking like an old monk in deep meditation.

The two officials sitting next to him, one of whom was Lu Qian, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, who usually enjoyed gossiping about Zhang Xuanling, immediately nudged him with his elbow when he had such a good opportunity.

"Lord Zhang, isn't Zhang Ping'an a son born of a concubine? Otherwise, why would you be willing to send him to the Prime Minister's residence to bring good fortune?"

Zhang Xuanling pulled his arm back and remained silent.

In her heart, she sent her greetings to all of Lu Qian's female relatives.

Zhang Ping'an cursed the female relatives of these families a hundred times in his heart.

Of course, this also includes Lu Qingyin's hundred repetitions. He felt that Lu Qingyin did it on purpose, deliberately bringing up the very thing he didn't want to talk about.

Seeing this, Lu Qingyin frowned slightly. Her original intention was to use Zhang Ping'an's position as Vice Minister of Revenue to elevate his status.

Unexpectedly, his cleverness backfired, drawing ridicule from everyone.

However, since everyone was whispering, she couldn't openly refute them, so she could only immediately change the subject.

"My lords, my husband's talent is indeed remarkable."

"You've all surely heard of that poem about plum blossoms that's recently become famous in the capital, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately stopped talking and was slightly taken aback!

An elderly scholar from the Hanlin Academy, his hair and beard both white, immediately asked solemnly, "Is the poem about plum blossoms that the young lady is referring to?"

Lu Qingyin smiled and nodded: "Exactly."

The old scholar was immediately startled: "Could it be that the poem about plum blossoms was written by Young Master Zhang?"

Lu Qingyin's smile immediately brightened: "That's right."

Unexpectedly, the old scholar suddenly became indignant and cursed, "Hmph, such an excellent poem about plum blossoms was given to a courtesan in the brothel! What a waste!"

"I've been searching for the author of this poem all along, just wanting to give him a piece of my mind and vent my anger!"

After saying that, to Lu Qingyin's astonishment, the old scholar turned to look at Zhang Ping'an, who had an innocent look on his face, and started cursing.

"Young Master Zhang, as a loyal supporter of the Plum Blossom Party, I am overjoyed to see this masterpiece of Plum Blossoms appear and shock the literary world."

"But then I heard that you actually used this excellent work, which uses objects to express one's aspirations, to serve tea... I was so angry that I vomited blood on the spot."

"With such talent, why would you choose to degenerate?"

"A perfectly good poem, just ruined like that!"

After finishing his tirade, the old scholar shook his head and sighed with obvious remorse.

The others also glared angrily at Zhang Ping'an, especially the members of the Mei Party, who looked at Zhang Ping'an as if he were their own good-for-nothing grandson.

"Hmph, so depraved! Thank goodness he's not my son, or I'd break his third leg!"

Zhang Ping'an was on the verge of tears: Seriously, are you guys being polite?

You're unhappy that I gave it to the courtesan? You think it's a waste if I give it to you?

You scholars judge people solely by your words!

Can't you consider the feelings of those girls in the brothel?

We all make a living by talking, so why are you being so hypocritical?