After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

"Madam, I'm so sorry. This box of pearls was originally intended as a betrothal gift for my son, but since this is my first time visiting the Duke's mansion, I brought it here to give to the Duchess." Madam Rong squatted down, politely declining the offer.

"Hmph, I thought you were all that capable. The richest man in the capital is nothing special." Cui Liyuan sneered. Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone present heard it, and the contempt in her words was obvious to everyone.

She was so envious, but they were all gone.

"Miss Cui is right. Our Rong family is just a merchant family, relying on money to buy what we need. The Marquis of Dingxi's mansion is a century-old family, and must be extremely powerful. If they want something, they only need to spread a word, and someone will surely offer them even better pearls to curry favor with the Marquis of Dingxi's mansion." Rong Yingluo's face turned cold, and her words made people want to cover her mouth.

"How dare you! Who gave you the audacity to speak ill of my Dingxi Marquis's residence like this?" Su Jingyan cursed angrily.

A merchant's daughter dared to accuse the Marquis of Dingxi's family of harboring rebellious intentions; she had truly gone too far.

"Madam of Dingxi, you are my mother's cousin, and by right I should call you aunt. We should be the closest of friends, but you and my cousin have been making sarcastic remarks about me and my Rong family since you came in. I don't understand. We've only met for the first time today, so where did this grudge come from? Please enlighten me, Madam." Rong Yingluo was fearless in front of so many guests.

Today, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is holding a flower-viewing banquet, marking the first time she and her mother have officially appeared in the capital's elite circles.

If she is weak and easily bullied today, who knows how many more similar scornful looks she will suffer in the future.

She has always believed that she will not offend others unless they offend her, but if they do offend her, then she will surely retaliate.

"You..." Su Jingyan was speechless.

"Jingyan, Liuli is too young and doesn't know any better. Don't take it to heart. I'll teach her a lesson later," Su Jingyi said, trying to smooth things over.

She had experienced Rong's sharp tongue many times and knew how formidable she was.

Today, she is the mistress of the house and cannot reprimand her daughter-in-law in front of so many outsiders, lest she become a laughingstock. The reputation of the Duke's mansion is more important than anything else.

"Madam of Dingxi, it's my fault for not raising my daughter well..." Madam Rong wanted to apologize on behalf of her daughter, but before she could finish speaking, Rong Yingluo stopped her.

"Mother, please sit down. You should know that the ladies and young misses of noble families are all taught by good teachers from a young age. From their speech and behavior to their way of dealing with people, they are far superior to us. Therefore, the Lady of Dingxi Marquis will not care about so many things."

This statement is a veiled criticism of the Lady of Dingxi for being born into a noble family.

Rong Yingluo helped Madam Rong to Madam Qi's side.

"Mother, this is Madam Qi, surnamed Zhao, the Empress's cousin, and also the mother-in-law of my best friend. This is the third young mistress of the Qi family, Ke Miaoran, the friend I told you about," Rong Yingluo introduced.

"Greetings, Madam Qi, Third Young Mistress." Madam Rong bowed respectfully.

"Madam Rong, you may rise." Madam Qi immediately helped her up.

"Aunt Ye, come, sit next to us." Ke Miaoran warmly led her to a chair.

Rong Yingluo gave Madam Qi and Ke Miaoran a grateful look before leaving to continue receiving other guests.

When all the guests arrived, Rong Yingluo finally learned which guests Su Shi had invited.

Prince Xuan and Princess Xiangyi were among those invited, as were the second son and third daughter of Princess Pingyang's household.

The wife of the second branch of the Gao family, the eldest son and the second daughter, Luo Yunqiu, the youngest granddaughter of the old prime minister and her mother, and the eldest sister-in-law and niece of Consort Cao.

Even Li Xuanye came.

The Su family invited so many people; no wonder they wanted to take advantage of the Rong family. This banquet must have cost at least three to four thousand taels of silver; what a lavish expense!

The purpose of the banquet held by the Gu family was to allow Gu Qingwan, the second wife, to take a liking to Gao Zhixian, the eldest son of the second wife of the Gao family.

This is not only a gathering for the Gu family to get along with other families, but also an occasion to provide matchmaking opportunities for each family.

After the guests paid their respects to Su Jingyi, they each went to visit their friends at the Gu residence.

At this point, there is basically no longer a distinction between men and women.

Every gathering in Beijing is an unwritten rule, a matchmaking event.

Rong Yingluo has made a note of many important people in the capital today.

These nobles merely nodded to her; few were willing to speak to her further. Moreover, she overheard some young ladies saying in private that she didn't act like a proper young mistress of a noble family, daring to openly challenge the Lady of Dingxi Marquis, and that she was vindictive and that such a person was not worthy of speaking to them.

Rong Yingluo listened to these rumors without feeling anything.

Those who don't approve of her are just jealous of her quick wit.

Rong Yingluo found Ke Miaoran.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were showing Madam Rong around the Gu family's garden.

"Liuli, I haven't seen so many varieties of flowers in a long time. Thanks to the Gu family, I've really had my eyes opened today," Ke Miaoran exclaimed.

"You're not benefiting from the Gu family's good fortune, but from the Rong family's. Seven or eight out of ten of the flowers in this garden were bought and delivered by my father, just to make the Gu family's flower-viewing banquet live up to its name." Rong Yingluo said proudly.

"The Duke's mansion is truly fortunate to have married you; the Rong family has brought them immense honor. The box of pearls that Aunt Ye gave them was quite valuable; the Rong family is truly generous." Ke Miaoran thought of those thirty pearls, which had dazzled countless people.

"If the Third Young Madam likes it, I'll have someone send a box to your residence later," Madam Rong said with a smile.

The third young mistress is my daughter's only friend, and she protects her so much. My family should help my daughter strengthen this relationship.

"Madam Rong, you're too kind. There's no need to see us off. We'll buy it at the price." Madam Qi immediately declined.

The daughter-in-law is still grateful to Mrs. Gu, so how could she possibly accept more of her good things?

"It's nothing. Dongyue Kingdom is located by the sea and is rich in pearls. My master has a good relationship with a royal merchant in Dongyue Kingdom, so it's relatively easy for him to obtain these pearls, and the price isn't high either."

However, such things are generally controlled by the royal family of Dongyue Kingdom and are not easy to buy on the market. Madam Rong described the Dongzhu as both easy and difficult to obtain.

She sent it back to the Qi family, and it had an even better effect.

"Then thank you very much, Madam Rong." Madam Qi no longer declined.

The Empress's birthday is after the New Year, so it's a good time to give her some gifts as birthday presents.

As the four strolled around, Rong Yingluo introduced the Gu family's garden to everyone, revealing her understanding of feng shui in her words.

"The Gu family's garden is a good place, where the wind gathers and energy is concentrated. It is also a natural 'gourd formation'."

The moon gate leading in from the main entrance is shaped like a gourd, narrow and deep, swallowing only gentle air that neither rushes in nor dissipates.

The winding stream in the middle meanders three times before entering the pond, just like the waist of a gourd. As the water flows slowly, the air settles down.

As for the artificial hill behind," she raised her chin and pointed to it, "it has a gourd-shaped bottom and a solid end, steadily embracing all the blessings of the garden."

In such a configuration, the impure air that enters is dispelled, while the pure air that remains nourishes people, ensuring that three generations produce great generals and five generations enjoy lasting prosperity.

Rong Yingluo spoke eloquently, leaving Lady Qi and Ke Miaoran astonished.

"Wow, I never imagined that Sister Rong was a feng shui master. Where did you learn that from?" Ke Miaoran listened to these words and felt it was all very mysterious.

Rong Yingluo felt she had gotten a little carried away in front of her good friend, and said with an embarrassed smile, "I like to read all sorts of books, including those about feng shui."

"Madam Gu, how about I invite you to the Zhao residence another day to take a look at the feng shui of my family home?" Madam Qi's eyes lit up.

My father has mentioned many times whether the Zhao family's feng shui is bad, offending the Empress and causing the Second Prince to go missing.

Hearing Mrs. Gu speak so profoundly today, perhaps this is the possibility.