The Marquis Mansion's Elite Class-Chapter 368

Madam Shen wasn’t as bold as Lady Wei, but she still followed her over to greet the two sisters-in-law of the Zong Family.

"Good day to you both," Xu Wan introduced Yan Suxue to her.

Arm in arm, they walked inside while chatting. "We’ve met before—I saw her when I visited your home. Back then, I wondered why Master Baili had taken in an adopted daughter. Now I see he must have known the whole story from the start."

In truth, when Baili Xi had taken Yan Suxue under his wing, he hadn’t known about Chancellor Yan’s wrongful accusations. He simply believed his merits outweighed his faults. But now that the truth had come to light, there was no need to dwell on Baili Xi’s original motives, lest it invite gossip.

So before Yan Suxue could explain, Xu Wan interjected, "Indeed, Master Baili is a man of great integrity."

Yan Suxue was slightly surprised but still nodded along with the young madam, offering a polite smile to the others.

The group of ladies took their seats, chatting merrily without a care for the whispers behind their backs. With their status, everyone had to maintain a veneer of courtesy.

Yan Suxue joined them in admiring the flowers and sipping tea, occasionally chiming in. Madam Shen praised, "Sister Yan is truly a lady of noble upbringing. Such grace in her every movement—it simply can’t be hidden. Thanks to your guidance in etiquette, even Yi Bai has become more refined."

Lady Wei laughed heartily. "You’re right! My Xinglu has also learned better manners, though his temperament remains unchanged. But that’s our family’s fault—we’ve never had a refined soul among us."

Xu Wan giggled. "Speaking of which, I thought you wouldn’t come today. Has Master Wei reconciled with Master Lü?"

Master Wei, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief and second-in-command of the Censorate, had once vied with Master Lü for the top position. But Master Lü had exposed a major mistake of his, costing him the promotion. The grudge had kept the Wei and Lü families from private interactions for years.

Lady Wei waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, please. My husband’s temper hasn’t cooled one bit."

The ladies burst into laughter. Xu Wan teased, "You’re so bold!" Few in the capital would openly admit their husband had a short fuse.

Leaning in, Lady Wei whispered, "Master Lü is getting old. He submitted his resignation to the Emperor a few days ago. See where I’m going with this?" She winked, unable to hide her smugness.

Xu Wan understood.

Master Wei was about to be promoted, while Master Lü was returning to his hometown. Today’s flower-viewing banquet was practically a farewell—no wonder even Lady Wei had shown up.

Straightening her posture, Lady Wei declared, "Our days ahead will be smooth sailing."

Her voice carried, drawing envious and jealous glances from the surrounding ladies.

Just then, Cui Zhi’s eyes lit up as she received a message from the maids. She leaned close to Xu Wan and whispered, "Madam, the Great General has arrived."

"What?" Xu Wan was stunned. "But today’s banquet was only for female guests."

Cui Zhi shook her head. "This servant doesn’t know either, but the household saw the Great General heading to the front hall. Master Lü personally went to greet him."

At the mention of Master Lü, Xu Wan understood. "He must be here to bid Master Lü farewell. No matter—ignore him." There wasn’t room in the carriage anyway; she still had to ride back with Yan Suxue.

As Cui Zhi stepped aside, Lady Wei overheard every word. She chuckled. "Little sister, I think the Great General is here for you."

Xu Wan: "How could that be? Don’t tease me." What kind of man would chase his wife to a flower-viewing banquet after just a short separation? Especially since Zong Zhao hadn’t been home for days—a little longer wouldn’t hurt.

Madam Shen agreed. "I think so too. Consider this: no other husbands came. Why would your Great General show up alone? Besides, he’s been away from the capital for years and has few friends. Master Lü is even older than the Old Marquis—what could they possibly have to discuss?"

Even Yan Suxue nodded. "I think the same."

Xu Wan: "..."

Stop putting ideas in my head, or I might actually believe it.

Though she brushed it off, Zong Zhao neither appeared nor sent word. The ladies moved on to other topics, but Xu Wan twisted her handkerchief absently, her thoughts in disarray.

As the banquet ended and the guests dispersed, their little group lingered. Only after everyone had left did Lady Wei rise and approach Lady Lü.

Years ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‍of estrangement had left their relationship tense. Lady Wei cut straight to the point. "Lady Lü, with your children still serving in the capital, why are you and Master Lü returning to your hometown?"

Lady Lü replied coolly, "If my husband stays, how secure would your Master Wei’s position as Left Vice Censor-in-Chief be?"

Lady Wei scoffed. "What nonsense. As if my husband forced him out. If Master Lü hadn’t resorted to tricks back then, who knows who’d hold that position now?"

Xu Wan and the others were stunned by Lady Wei’s bluntness. They flanked her, tugging at her sleeves to rein her in.

Lady Lü’s smile remained faint. "Compared to my husband, Master Wei is still young and inexperienced. If he couldn’t handle such a minor setback back then, how could he possibly lead the entire Censorate?"

Lady Wei was incensed by the blame-shifting. "You’re justifying your underhanded tactics now?"

Lady Lü said serenely, "What’s done is done. Before we leave, my husband asked me to relay a message to yours: ‘The Censorate oversees the officials, but it also earns their resentment. Serving the Emperor is like riding a tiger—Censor Wei should tread carefully henceforth.’ Please pass that along."

Lady Wei turned red with fury. "As if we didn’t know that already!"

Xu Wan and Madam Shen quickly pulled her back as Lady Lü departed without another word. freewёbnoνel.com

Fuming, Lady Wei ranted, "I shouldn’t have come today. That high-and-mighty attitude of hers—as if she’s handing over the Censorate out of generosity! That position should’ve been my husband’s years ago. Back then, every elder praised his meteoric rise, calling him a man of boundless prospects!"

Madam Shen and Yan Suxue agreed—Master Lü’s actions did seem unscrupulous.

But Xu Wan, who knew a bit more, felt a pang at the warning about "riding a tiger." Something about it felt more complicated than it seemed.

As they escorted the seething Lady Wei out, the banquet grounds were empty save for a few servants seeing off guests. Xu Wan and Yan Suxue helped the two ladies into their carriages before heading toward their own.

Then, lifting her gaze, Xu Wan saw the man she’d nearly forgotten.

Zong Zhao stood tall and straight in dark, fitted robes, his strikingly handsome face radiant under the blazing sun. His deep, steady eyes locked onto hers without wavering, piercing straight into her heart.