If the biggest event before the New Year was the Great Cold Plum Blossom Banquet, then the first grand event after the New Year was the Beginning of Spring Welcoming Flower Banquet. Of the twenty-four flower-signaling winds, this was the first after the New Year, and the first banquet of the spring was traditionally held at the home of Princess Wen. After all, she was a true princess, and her generation was truly high. It was said that the nobles in the palace would address themselves as her nephews when they met her.

Princess Wen had been married to He Lingshu for over forty years. He Lingshu had passed away, and since he had no children, he didn't keep the adopted son. Instead, he adopted a grown grandson, He Yunzhang, who is now quite famous among the princes of the capital.

However, it was said that the relationship between the grandfather and grandson was very distant. Princess Wen favored her granddaughter, born to her concubine's daughter, the domineering Xun Wenqi, known as Princess Xun.

Beijing's rules strictly separated men and women.

The He family had already set up a brocade curtain at the main gate and cleared the backyard for a place for carriages and horses to disembark. The sedan chair was carried into the backyard, and maids helped it down.

This time, the banquet was even more grand and luxurious than that held by Old Lady Cui. A red carpet stretched from the backyard to the Yingchun Pavilion, where the banquet was held. Because it wasn't yet the festival, everyone wore bright and colorful clothes, more dazzling than flowers.

They arrived in a hurry, so they had no time to carefully choose their clothes. They chose from among those prepared by Second Madam Lou. Qingyun wore a rosin-colored full-sleeved dress with hundreds of butterflies interwoven into the flowers. Her skirt was a white silk dress with gold brocade all over the place. Her hair was styled in a bun, making her look as radiant as a pearl.

In fact, Lingshuang had noticed from watching Xianyue's outfits over the years that Qingyun looked best in colors ranging from white to yellow to apricot pink, but not red. She wanted a light, warm look.

Xianyue, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. The brighter and richer the color, the better it looked on her, especially red. Whether it was apricot red, imperial concubine red, or the rich pomegranate or cinnabar red, she could hardly go wrong.

But today, for some reason, Second Madam Lou had prepared only light-colored clothes, so she had to choose a brocade dress. Feeling it was too plain, she simply tied her hair back in a bun and had Taoran pick a rouge-red camellia to pin on top. Paired with her red coral earrings, it looked elegant and graceful, and quite pretty.

Lingshuang never cared about these things; she wore whatever she had. The three sisters were all familiar faces at the banquet.

When she first met Princess Wen, she could tell she was a pampered and landed princess. Although she was seventy, she looked several years younger than Old Madam Cui.

Princess Xun, like a member of the family, rolled straight into her arms upon arrival, whispering jokes. Even Yuzhu and Bizhu were elevated to the throne of honor.

Furthermore, Princess Wen had a wide circle of friends, and many of her guests were elderly ladies, some of them even of high rank.

Ling Shuang sat beside Xianyue, hearing her whisper, "This is Madam Cui, Madam Cui's daughter-in-law."

"This is Lieutenant Li's second daughter-in-law."

"How do you know so much?" she asked Xianyue.

"I guessed," Xianyue said.

Ling Shuang knew she didn't want to say it, but watching them exchange pleasantries, she could tell the identities were indeed quite close to what Xianyue had said.

In reality, she knew many of them were here to take advantage of the opportunity to pick a daughter-in-law. While seemingly chatting with Princess Wen, they were actually glancing at the girls. This was when the benefits of being accompanied by a female elder became apparent. Princess Xun, needless to say, treated these ladies like family.

Huang Yuqin and Liu Zichan, who were close friends with Qingyun, were accompanied by their mother and exchanged pleasantries with the ladies.

Qingyun and her three sisters were also met by Third Lady Lou. Xianyue then sat back down, leaving Qingyun alone to engage in a lively exchange of questions with the ladies, naturally drawing praise.

Lingshuang noticed Xianyue's lack of enthusiasm and was a bit surprised. She asked, "Why don't you go and talk?"

Xianyue simply smiled and said, "Why should I? I'm not popular with the elders."

Lingshuang had a feeling she was speaking with a hidden agenda, but since she was full of twists and turns, and it was normal for her to get upset, she didn't press the issue.

Such a lively scene only made Cai Huan's pity even more apparent. The eldest madam of the Lou family had been a widow for years, burning incense and praying to Buddha all day, living like a shadow. Naturally, she wouldn't attend such occasions. It's no wonder Princess Xun and Yuzhu and Bizhu picked on her, knowing she had no backing.

Today was no different.

After a round of greetings, the ladies, as usual, went off to socialize and play cards, leaving the young ladies to play on their own, needlework, chat, and play chess. They quickly split into small groups.

Qingyun's group of gentle, needlework-loving, non-competitive girls had grown stronger. They all came from well-off families and had good dispositions. About ten of them sat at a round table behind a screen, working on various items they had brought with them, discussing patterns and needlework techniques.

A few ladies stayed behind, strolling around the living room, occasionally chatting with the girls and watching them work from behind.

When they were spotted, they smiled, their faces full of affection, as if they were looking at their own daughters.

"Of course everyone's so friendly now, but it's hard to say after we get married," Xianyue grumbled softly.

Lingshuang was amused by her.

"What's wrong with you today? Why are you so sour?" She leaned over to look at Xianyue. "Are you cold or hungry? If you're feeling unwell, it doesn't matter if we go back first."

"Don't keep thinking of using me as a raft to slip away early."

Xianyue immediately punctured her wishful thinking and, looking over at her, said, "Look, your good friend is in trouble."

Lingshuang looked over and saw that it was Princess Xun and her group playing Go. Cai Huan hadn't had the chance to sit at the table, but Yuzhu and Bizhu seemed to have changed their ways today. They forced her to the table and played with a girl in a green dress.

The others gathered around the chess board to watch the game. Princess Xun also sat at the side of the table, cracking melon seeds as if watching a show.

"We're not close friends," Ling Shuang said calmly. "I don't think she's particularly interested in being friends with me."

"That's perfect, let's watch the show." Xianyue also grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the plate and began cracking them. "Look, Xun Wenqi is up to something."

As expected, as the game became increasingly tense, the people watching grew nervous. Some leaned in to watch, others whispered and discussed the situation. But the sisters, Yuzhu and Bizhu, were the most unusual. They stood behind Cai Huan, seemingly deeply concerned about the game, their hands on her shoulders, yet they didn't appear to be concentrating on it.

When the situation became most tense, Bizhu suddenly stroked Cai Huan's hair. Cai Huan instinctively looked up at her, but Yuzhu, to her right, seemed to have placed something in Princess Xun's arms. Princess Xun continued to crack melon seeds leisurely, but a smile played on her lips.

After a game of chess, Cai Huan lost two pieces. The group was in a frenzy. Some were counting pieces, some were replaying the game, arguing over a single move, and some were pushing Cai Huan aside to play their own game. Amidst the chaos, Cai Huan felt around and exclaimed.

"My jade pendant is gone!" she said anxiously. "It was left to me by my mother. Has anyone seen it?"

Frantically, she began searching. She searched around, then on the table and under the floor, but couldn't find it. Seeing this, the girls around her stepped aside, most of them trying to stay out of the situation. Cai Huan had no maid to help her, so she had to bend down and look under the table alone. The players ignored her and didn't move. She could only humbly say, "Please move a little so I can look for my jade pendant."

"Are you sure you brought it with you?" one of the girls asked.

"I never take off this jade pendant. I even touched it when I came in. I've tied it to my skirt." Cai Huan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She showed it to everyone: "It's made of Xiuyan jade. It has a gold clasp, only this big, and it's carved with a small qilin."

"Oh, I thought it was something special. Turns out it's Xiuyan jade. What's the point of being so anxious?" one of the girls sarcastically said.

"This is something my mother left me." Cai Huan was so anxious that tears were streaming down her face. "Besides, it's something very personal. What if it gets out there..."