The Earl of Suiping's Residence Was on the Rise

Even a young lady from a prominent family would have specific rules and etiquette when hosting a small banquet for her close friends.

They had to write and send out invitations in advance and make many preparations for the banquet. For example, what tea and snacks to prepare, what dishes to order, and what activities to arrange for the girls when they arrived—all of this required careful planning.

Otherwise, if something goes wrong, they'll be seen as impulsive, incompetent, and bad at managing a household. This will greatly affect future marriage prospects.

If one of the ladies is unable to attend the banquet due to other commitments, the banquet will not be changed.

Otherwise, if you stand up your other girlfriends for someone who can't come, where do you put them? Who's more despicable than whom, just someone else's foil?

The old lady continued, "Here's what we'll do: tomorrow you go there yourself and tell them I'm ill. Miss Xi, who was tending to me, caught the illness and has been coughing ever since, so she really shouldn't come to the manor for the banquet. She's so young; although she's learned a few strokes of painting from Mister Kumu, it's nothing special. I really don't want to keep Miss Qi and the others waiting. Since it's a flower-viewing banquet, then let's hurry and start the banquet while the plum blossoms are in full bloom. I'm truly sorry that Miss Xi can't attend. Once she's better, you can bring her to apologize."

Upon hearing this, Lady Zhu wholeheartedly agreed, "Mother, you have the best idea. This is the best way."

The old lady sighed, "It's because our household has a low status that others don't respect us. Otherwise, how could they so disrespectfully force others to attend the banquet?"

"Isn't that right?" Lady Zhu sighed as well.

The child has achieved such success, but the family cannot protect her and she still has to face these problems. Lady Zhu feels extremely bad.

"Alright, the child is so capable, our family will gradually get better. Go and prepare the gift," the old lady said.

Lady Zhu prepared gifts and sent a visiting card to the Duke of Wei's Residence. The next day, she went to the Duke of Wei's Residence, explained the matter, and repeated the words the old lady had taught her, her attitude very sincere.

The old Duchess is still alive. She is kind, upright, and a very good person.

The old lady of the Earl of Suiping's Residence had pretended to have a stroke, and she had even visited her once.

Hearing Lady Zhu's words, she chuckled and said, "Miss Xuan must admire your Miss Xi very much, which is why she wanted to invite her to the banquet to get to know her. The child is sick; you could have just sent someone to let us know. Why did you need to come in person to explain? How could we feel at ease?"

After saying that, she inquired about the old lady Lady Tang's condition and asked someone to bring a ginseng root for Lady Zhu to take back.

Lady Zhu naturally declined, but the old Duchess insisted, saying it was for Lady Tang, and Lady Zhu, as her daughter-in-law, couldn't stop her, so Lady Zhu reluctantly accepted it.

As soon as Madam Lady Zhu left, the old Duchess sent someone to summon Qi Xuan and asked her, "You invited Fifth Miss Zhao from the Earl of Suiping's Residence's Mansion to a banquet, and asked Sixth Miss Zhao to deliver the invitation? What did you instruct Sixth Miss Zhao to say? Don't hide anything, tell me every single word."

When Lady Zhu came to visit, the old Duchess and Duchess, along with several ladies and the eldest daughter-in-law of the household, came out to entertain her. There were quite a few people sitting in the hall.

Qi Xuan was unaware that Lady Zhu was coming, and seeing this setup made her a little uneasy. Upon hearing these words, she knew where the problem lay.

Because the old Duke of Wei's Residence was a sensible woman and had very strict family discipline, Qi Xuan dared not hide anything and told her what had happened that day.

She knew she was wrong and explained, "I just really wanted her to come and play, that's why I said those things. Grandmother, I'm sorry, I was wrong."

"Hmph, it's clear they're not ungrateful. They knew, yet they still did such a thing. Do they think the Earl of Suiping's Residence is inferior to ours, and that we can disregard them and bully them at will?" the old Duchess asked with a stern face.

Qi Xuan was the daughter of the second wife. Upon hearing this, the second wife quickly stood up and said, "Miss Xuan wouldn't dare."

Qi Xuan lowered her head and said, "Granddaughter wouldn't dare."

The old Duchess knew that not only Qi Xuan, but also her daughters-in-law shared this thought.

If her daughter-in-law hadn't made such remarks in front of Qi Xuan, Qi Xuan wouldn't have dared to do such a thing.

She is ostensibly scolding her granddaughter, but in reality, she is giving her daughters-in-law a warning.

She glanced around the room at everyone and said slowly, "If it were before, your thinking wouldn't have been wrong. But now that Zhao Ruxi is here, anyone who underestimates the Earl of Suiping's Residence will suffer a great loss."

The second wife came from a good family and had a straightforward personality. Although she respected the old lady, she wasn't particularly afraid of her mother-in-law.

Hearing these remarks now, she was somewhat dismissive.

She said, "Mother, aren't you exaggerating? If Zhao Ruxi were a boy, I would believe you. But Zhao Ruxi is just a girl. What good is it if she's successful? She'll be almost fifteen after the New Year, and she'll be getting married within the next year or two at the earliest."

"Besides, no matter how talented she is, she's still just a painter. What good is being a good painter? Putting her aside, just look at Mister Kumu. If it weren't for the fact that he's the Emperor's cousin and has a deep relationship with him, probably very few people in the capital would even take him seriously."

The Duchess, however, had complete faith in her mother-in-law.

She said, "There must be a reason why Mother says that. Mother, please tell us about it."

The old Duchess glanced at the second wife. "As the Second Brother wife just said, the reason Mister Kumu holds such a high position is because of the Emperor's respect. Now, the Fifth Miss of the Zhao Family's paintings have caught the Emperor's eye and gained the appreciation of many people. Isn't that enough for you to take her seriously? Talented people are respected wherever they go."

"Because of her beauty and competence, I heard that the Heir of the Marquis of Pingnan once intended to marry Fifth Miss; the Peng Family also asked Eldest Sister to go back to her parents' home to propose marriage, but both were rejected. Who knows what kind of family she will marry in the future. A wife's status depends on her husband's; how do you know what heights she will reach in the future? Perhaps she will enter the palace as a concubine, or perhaps she will marry a prince; both are possible."

"Never underestimate a young man's potential; that's the saying. If she really marries, she'll still be a daughter of the Zhao Family. If anyone bullies her family, given how much her husband's family values her, they'll stand up for her before she even has to say a word. As for her younger brother, they'll definitely help him out."

"Have we not seen enough of the rise and fall of powerful figures in the capital? With such a capable person emerging, the Earl of Suiping's Residence is poised for a rise. Just wait and see. This is something I often teach you: don't judge people by their appearance. Who knows when they might gain power and turn around to help or retaliate against you? Being kind to others is beneficial to yourself—that's the principle."

Every single one of the younger generation in the room stood up to listen when the old lady mentioned the word "instruction".

At this moment, they all said, "Your daughter-in-law (granddaughter, granddaughter-in-law) have learned a lot."