Chapter 27
Wei Zhenlan, the legitimate son of the Wei family… How could it possibly be him?
Lady Lin rarely appeared in public, living a secluded life and almost never attending the gatherings held by the noblewomen of the capital.
Her only son, Wei Zhenlan, was famed for his gentle elegance and refined demeanor.
Aside from Eldest Brother, he was considered the most brilliant and upright young talent in all of Bianjing.
He and Su Zhan had both earned first-class honors in the same imperial examination session, both favored disciples of the Emperor, both with limitless futures ahead of them. Countless noble daughters in the capital dreamed of marrying him.
“What?” Su Xi cried out in shock. “How could Xue Ning possibly be worthy of Wei Zhenlan?”
Just then, Su Zhan happened to walk over and caught that exact sentence.
The man carried an overwhelming presence with him. He merely cast Su Qing a calm glance.
Su Qing immediately shrank back, lowering her neck like a frightened rabbit before darting behind Su Xi.
Su Xi forced a smile. “Fourth Sister has always spoken without thinking. Eldest Brother, please don’t take it to heart.”
Su Zhan rarely involved himself in the affairs of the inner household.
He had even less interest in the petty romances and emotional entanglements of young women.
He had intended to leave immediately, but after recalling Su Xi’s words, he paused.
“What were you talking about just now?”
Su Xi hurriedly replied, “N-Nothing…”
Su Zhan slanted her a glance, impatience faintly visible in his eyes.
Su Xi swallowed hard. She had always feared this elder brother of hers, who could intimidate people without ever raising his voice.
“We were only discussing Sister Xue’s family recognition banquet… It’ll be the end of October soon… We were thinking of preparing some gifts for her… We haven’t decided on anything yet…”
Su Zhan spoke flatly, reminding her of the part she had skipped.
“Wei Zhenlan.”
“Ah… Young Master Wei…” Su Xi let out a dry laugh. “I-I remembered now. Madam invited him to attend the banquet as well…”
Su Zhan stared at her steadily.
Su Xi clenched her hands so tightly her knuckles turned white.
She couldn’t understand the meaning behind his gaze. All she felt was an immense pressure bearing down on her from every direction.
He looked so severe she nearly burst into tears. Just as she was about to explain herself, Su Zhan suddenly withdrew his gaze.
The tension in Su Xi’s back instantly loosened, as though she had finally surfaced after drowning.
“I’ve heard of Wei Zhenlan’s reputation,” Su Zhan said lightly. “He’s a capable man. He’s currently serving in the Ministry of Rites.”
The girls of the inner residence knew little of official affairs outside.
They only knew Wei Zhenlan was handsome and accomplished; they had no idea what position he currently held or what he was truly capable of.
Su Xi quickly said, “No matter how outstanding he is, he still can’t compare to Eldest Brother.”
Su Qing eagerly chimed in, “Exactly! Eldest Brother is the most impressive of all. You became Vice Minister of Justice at such a young age. In another few years, you’ll probably enter the Grand Secretariat.”
His younger sisters revered him. Under normal circumstances, Su Zhan should have felt pleased.
Yet for some reason, hearing Xue Ning’s name linked together with Wei Zhenlan stirred an indescribable irritation in his chest, as though something were clawing at him from within.
Xue Ning truly wasn’t worthy of Wei Zhenlan.
Besides, the match might never even happen.
At that thought, his mood eased slightly.
He turned and glanced at Su Mai beside him.
Su Mai had always been courteous and proper. Seeing Su Zhan look over, he smiled faintly. “Why are you looking at me, Eldest Brother?”
Su Zhan frowned, not missing the flash of panic in Su Mai’s eyes.
Yesterday, after returning from the ancestral estate, Su Mai had brought gifts for every courtyard in the residence.
Except Qiyun Pavilion’s.
That one, he had personally withheld instead of sending it through servants.
Displeasure stirred in Su Zhan’s heart, and he couldn’t help but warn him coldly, “As a descendant of the Marquis Xuanyi Manor, you should focus on contributing to the family. Don’t waste your thoughts on trivial matters within the inner household.”
Su Mai’s handsome face instantly went pale.
Su Zhan spared him no further glance and left directly.
Xue Ning actually felt terrible.
She had caught a chill the day before, and when she woke that morning her head was spinning so badly she could barely stand. Only after drinking a bowl of medicine did she manage to get out of bed.
Even so, she forced herself to rise early and attend on the Old Madam at Wanshou Hall. Because of this, Madam Jiang had recently earned quite a bit of favor in front of the old matriarch as well.
“You must carefully review the account books from the shops before the year ends. As for the goods sent in from the estates, have people organize them properly. And the invitations from the various households—unless there’s a reason not to go, you should attend. There’ll be many social exchanges before the new year. Don’t neglect anyone.”
Madam Jiang acknowledged each instruction respectfully. Afterward, Old Madam Xie gave a few more reminders to Madam Liu and Madam Dong.
The masters of the second and third branches held no significant official positions. Since the old matriarch was still alive and the family had not formally divided households, both branches could only live by relying on the favor of the first branch.
Madam Jiang was virtuous by nature and treated the children of the other branches as though they were her own. Their food, clothing, and daily expenses differed little from those of the main household.
Old Madam Xie was very satisfied with her in most respects.
The only thing she disliked was how much attention Madam Jiang devoted to Xue Ning, an outsider by blood, even going so far as to hope Su Zhan and Xue Ning would become husband and wife.
Fortunately, Xue Ning herself had proposed recognizing Madam Jiang as her mother. Since then, Old Madam Xie had been in noticeably better spirits. She had even personally reviewed the guest list for the recognition banquet. Seeing several promising young heirs from excellent families among the invitees pleased her all the more.
The Marquis Xuanyi Manor already possessed immense wealth and status, but power was something no family could ever have enough of. The greater the prestige, the more allies one needed.
If turmoil ever arose within the imperial court, the great noble families could at least support one another.
As Old Madam Xie looked through the guest list, she had already begun making plans in her heart.
Su Zhan and the others arrived shortly after Xue Ning, and the hall quickly grew lively with conversation.
Princess Xiuning tugged at Su Zhan’s sleeve, asking him sweetly to bring her some famous pastries from the capital when he went out.
It was hardly a difficult request, and Su Zhan agreed to each one patiently.
He had not yet gone to court that morning. By the time he returned in the evening, he would no doubt bring her storybooks and sweets.
So it wasn’t that he didn’t know how to spoil a girl.
He simply had no patience for her.
Xue Ning lowered her eyes and stopped looking at the man and woman ahead of her.
She remained seated quietly in the corner, waiting obediently for everyone to finish greeting the old matriarch.
“Enough. I still need to visit the prayer hall shortly. You may all leave.”
“Old Madam—” Xue Ning suddenly spoke up, rising to her feet. “Princess Xiuning only recently arrived in the capital. During Mother’s birthday celebration, everyone was so busy that the princess was overlooked. Today, A’Ning realized she still hasn’t given the princess a proper welcoming gift.”
As she spoke, she smiled faintly.
“So I thought I would present this jade-phoenix gold hairpin to Your Highness instead. I wonder if the princess likes it?”
Princess Xiuning froze for a moment, finally pulling her gaze away from Su Zhan.
Hearing Xue Ning speak, Su Zhan lifted his sharp brows slightly as his eyes settled on her pale, composed face.
The others looked over as well, seemingly surprised that someone as quiet and withdrawn as Xue Ning would take the initiative to give someone a gift.
Old Madam Xie raised a brow. “Oh?”
With perfect courtesy, Xue Ning removed a brocade box from her sleeve and presented it to Princess Xiuning, maintaining a careful distance the entire time.
Princess Xiuning accepted the box and glanced at Old Madam Xie. After receiving her approval, she opened it.
Inside lay an exquisitely crafted gold hairpin.
The moment she saw it, she fell in love with the glittering ornament.
Su Zhan’s brows drew together slightly. The hairpin looked strangely familiar, though he couldn’t remember where he had seen it before.
“This hairpin is beautiful.” Princess Xiuning’s eyes lit up as her fingertips brushed over the lifelike jade phoenix carved into the gold.
A faint smile curved Xue Ning’s lips.
“Does the princess like it?”
