Binding Spring Love

This summer has been scorching, and several elderly ladies of the Duke's family in the capital have passed away due to illness.

But receiving the news of the sudden death of Jinxiang Bo's eldest daughter-in-law still made Song Wan very sad.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Jinxiang Earl was only five or six years older than her. Before she got married, she had even gone to the Song residence to deliver lanterns to her. Although the two were not close, they had some relationship.

Upon receiving the news, Song Wan hurriedly instructed the servants in her household to prepare for the roadside memorial service and other related matters.

"Is Grandma busy? Is there anything Yue'er can do to help?"

Lin Jiayue walked in with a smile, carrying a plate of mixed fruit shaved ice. After placing the plate in front of Song Wan, she said with a smile, "I was busy arranging a marriage for my third sister the other day. Although this family is not as wealthy as the Lan family, they are from a proper official family and their social standing is much higher than that of the Lan family."

"I wonder which manor Aunt Lin mentioned to Third Sister?"

Song Wan didn't even look up, and casually asked a question to Lin Jiayue.

Jiang Jing's marriage to the Lan family fell through, and she refused to find another husband for Jiang Jing, so the matter fell to Jiang's mother. But Jiang's mother was still ill and had to help the household hide from Old Madam Jiang that Jiang Xingjian had gone to the Imperial Garden Supervisor, so how could she have the time to take care of a concubine's daughter?

Upon hearing that Song Wan was indifferent, she simply passed the matter on to Lin Jiayue.

Although Jiang's mother disliked her, she harbored some resentment ever since Song Wan contradicted her in Jiangxiang Courtyard that day. Now, her intention to promote a concubine was also a way of giving Song Wan a warning, letting her know who really held the reins in this household.

Although Jiang Xingjian was unhappy that Lin Jiayue took the lead in handling this matter, how could he, an outsider, interfere in Jiang Jing's marriage? Helpless, he could only repeatedly remind Lin Jiayue to be careful in everything and to ask Song Wan for advice on anything she didn't understand.

This one sentence bothered Lin Jiayue for a long time.

But she hadn't done the previous things well and felt guilty, so she had no choice but to agree.

But when she was in front of Song Wan, she couldn't lower her head.

"It's the residence of Grand Secretary Chen of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. His son is only three years older than my third sister. Given their age and family background, they're quite a good match. What do you think?"

The Chen family...

Song Wan frowned upon hearing this.

The Chen family was quite prestigious in the capital, had a decent family tradition, and had always followed the path of upright officials, so they were originally a good family.

But things are less certain when it comes to Lord Chen's generation.

Song Wan was not familiar with Lord Chen, but she knew a little about Madam Chen.

One year, on Song's mother's birthday, Madam Chen visited the Song residence and took away a set of gold ruyi ornaments. The gold ruyi was not large, but its craftsmanship was extremely exquisite. It was said that Su's uncle had acquired it from Ryukyu at a high price. Originally, she only intended to display it on Song's mother's birthday to show off to the guests, but unexpectedly, after the guests left, the ornaments were lost.

Much later, her uncle found it at a pawnshop in the capital. After asking around for many days, he learned that it had been pawned by Madam Chen.

Since they hadn't caught the thief red-handed, the Song family could only suffer in silence.

What Song Wan remembered for so long was that her mother couldn't afford to pay the money back then and cried for more than half a month. In the end, her father took out silver from the public funds to make up for it.

Madam Chen was greedy for small gains. Later, after much investigation, Song's mother discovered that Madam Chen had a habit of taking shortcuts and was not only dishonest but also had gathered a group of people to lend money at exorbitant interest rates in the capital. Although they did it discreetly, nothing stays secret forever, and those with good connections had heard about it.

Ordinary people would avoid such a family like the plague, but Lin Jiayue somehow ended up in it.

Putting down her pen, Song Wan asked, "Have you found out anything about the character of the Chen family?"

"certainly."

Lin Jiayue smiled brightly, "Madam Chen is a distinguished guest of Huanyanzhai. She is a cheerful and generous person. We hit it off immediately and became like old friends. Third sister will definitely not be mistreated after marrying into the Chen family."

"If you are worried, you can go and see Madam Chen in person when she comes to the manor. I have arranged for her to come to the manor to admire the flowers the day after tomorrow."

"I just don't know if you can stand someone so carefree. After all, you... are quite fond of affectation."

With one foot on a small stool, Lin Jiayue leaned against the doorpost, smiling as she looked at Song Wan.

For some reason, she just didn't like the other person's aloof and pretentious manner.

Song Wan is perfect, but this perfection disgusts her.

She was also very dignified, so dignified that every step she took was the same, as precise as if it had been measured.

She never lost her composure; Lin Jiayue had never seen Song Wan ever lose her temper. When her husband, widowed for six years, brought home his beloved, she remained expressionless. When she and Jiang Xingjian were deeply in love, she also remained expressionless.

Even when Jiang's mother, Jiang Xingjian, ignored and insulted her, she remained unresponsive, like a piece of wood.

This false and understated elegance, this haughty demeanor that everyone perceived as the bearing of a well-bred lady, only disgusted her.

Just like her casual remark, "Have you found out clearly?", it can easily ignite people's anger.

This posture made it seem as if Lin Jiayue was born inferior to Song Wan, which was unsettling.

"Just find out the details."

Lin Jiayue sneered: "I thought you were going to talk about how bad the Chen family was, after all, you said so firmly that you would no longer look for a husband for your third sister, making it seem as if the Marquis's mansion could not function without you."

Song Wan raised her eyes and saw Lin Jiayue's completely unruly demeanor, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly.

Looking down at the eulogy she had written for the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marquis of Jinxiang, Song Wan suddenly had an idea.

She ignored Lin Jiayue and continued with her own affairs, completely disregarding Lin Jiayue's provocation. But the more she did this, the angrier Lin Jiayue became, biting her lip hard in silent resentment.

After Song Wan finished writing the eulogy, he picked it up, blew on it to dry it, folded it up, and put it into a white envelope.

"Send these two invitations to the ceremonial office, and then give the items needed for the roadside offering to Granny Liang, so that someone can make the arrangements according to these instructions."

"You want me to run errands?"

Song Wan held the invitation in her hand and said with a faint smile, "It seems you've never understood the facts."

"No matter if Consort Jiang or the Marquis has your backing, you can only be arrogant and domineering in front of the servants of the Marquis's mansion."

"Once you step outside the gates of the Marquis's mansion, you will forever be that shameful concubine who has been defiled and illicitly slept with others."

"You're only able to arrange a marriage for my third sister today not because of your exceptional talent, but simply because I'm too impatient to deal with this matter. What's there to be proud of?"

"Regardless of whether it's a celebration, funeral, or festival, the visiting cards from the other residences can only be sent to me, and I will respond and handle them on behalf of the Marquis's residence. You don't even have the right to glance at them, let alone participate in these matters."

"It may seem glamorous, but it's all just an illusion. It's truly pathetic that you spend your days embellishing your image and weaving a pipe dream."

Song Wan's tone was gentle and calm, revealing no hint of anger. Her calm indifference made it seem as if she were stating a trivial matter, yet it was enough to utterly shatter Lin Jiayue's composure.

That's how it is. No matter how she behaves in front of Song Wan, she will always be made to look like a clown.

The color drained from her face to her feet in an instant. Lin Jiayue felt a chill run down her spine, as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water. The cold made her want to overturn the table in front of her and tear off the calm mask on Song Wan's face.

But she couldn't; the more out of control she became, the more of a joke she would appear.

Suppressing her rage, Lin Jiayue snatched the name card from Song Wan's hand with a forced smile: "Fine, I'll deliver it for you."

Seeing her turn and leave, Song Wan said to Hengzhi beside her, "Have someone keep an eye on the funeral parlor to see when Lin Jiayue goes to deliver the eulogy, and whether she has searched for anyone else. Also, find out on which day the roadside memorial service will be held, and what kind of mourning attire is being prepared in the list of items sent for the roadside memorial service."