Du Yunying’s eyes suddenly tightened.

She was truly eager to know what kind of person her fiancé was.

Mrs. Shi had mentioned his appearance was quite proper, but hearing others describe him couldn’t compare to seeing him in person.

Thus, upon hearing that Dingyuan Marquis Mansion had sent an invitation, Du Yunying found herself restless.

Yet now, Yunuo’s words had once again curbed her enthusiastic heart.

The Miao Family’s temperament would certainly not allow her to go.

In an instant, she couldn’t care whether she was embarrassed or not. She whispered, "Even if I can’t go, the two of you will surely attend, won’t you? Then let me know, so I won’t have to anxiously wait for half a year."

Du Yunluo couldn’t help but laugh.

That second young master of Uncle Chengyi’s Mansion wasn’t a monster, so why be so anxious?

Turning her head and seeing Du Yunying’s flushed ear tips, Du Yunluo refrained from teasing her and remained silent. It’s understandable that Du Yunying would feel uneasy going blindly into marriage.

Even Du Yunru, who was shyer than a paper-thin window, had snuck a peek at Shao Yuanzhou from behind a screen.

The feelings of young girls in love are similar; both Du Yunluo and Du Yunying were half a dozen of one and six of the other.

"Don’t worry, I’ll keep a sharp eye out for you if there’s an opportunity," Du Yunluo said.

Du Yunying, listening to her serious tone, felt even more embarrassed than if she were being teased. She responded vaguely, nodding and then left.

Yunuo watched her back and clicked her tongue, saying, "She blushes too."

Yunuo had other questions for Du Yunluo, so they quietly discussed the invitation, the garden, and the guests, and then Yunuo also left.

Only Du Yunluo remained in the study room.

She picked up a pen and carefully wrote scriptures.

Liao Family only returned in the afternoon.

Du Yunluo didn’t disturb her conversation with Mrs. Xia but just watched Liao Family leave with smiles, apparently in much better spirits than the previous days.

Lanzhi came to invite her.

Du Yunluo followed her to the Warm Pavilion, where Mrs. Xia reclined comfortably, her mood unreadable from her expression.

The underground fire dragon in the Warm Pavilion was burning fiercely, and Lanzhi added a bowl of red date tea for her.

Du Yunluo drank it in small sips.

Finally, Mrs. Xia said, "The Lady sent many apologies to Princess An Ran in the invitation, explaining that she was unwell at the palace gates and didn’t mean to slight the Princess. Unaware that the Princess was punished and confined for it, she specially invited the Princess to view the plum blossoms."

Du Yunluo lowered her eyes.

It was expected that Mu Lianhui would write something like this.

Princess An Ran had suffered humiliation due to Mu Lianhui’s refusal, and after being scolded and confined, her marriage date was set. Surely, the Princess held a grudge.

The stubborn Princess might not show Mu Lianhui any courtesy.

Her thoughts were simple; if she had refused once, she wouldn’t attend even if invited.

Even if the Old Master accepted the invitation, on the actual day, she might still make herself unable to attend. Would the Old Master really send an indisposed person to Wangmei Garden?

If one wishes to invite Princess An Ran, one must ensure she doesn’t scheme like this. Mu Lianhui must apologize first and stabilize the Princess’s mood to ensure she willingly attends.

To avoid complications, she didn’t invite Commandery Princess Hui.

When considering an apology, wasn’t the Commandery Princess also refused by Mu Lianhui?

Mu Lianhui was determined to have Princess An Ran attend, and by inviting both Uncle Chengyi’s Mansion and Uncle Enrong’s Mansion, it seemed the Empress Dowager and Imperial Consort supported this invitation.

Du Yunluo involuntarily tapped her fingers on the table.

If she were Mu Lianhui, how would she discuss this banquet with the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Consort?

Putting herself in that position, she somewhat understood.

Mu Lianhui’s excuse would be to let Princess An Ran meet the young master from Uncle Enrong’s Mansion, better than going in completely blind.

If she hadn’t refused Mu Lianhui, the Old Master wouldn’t have suddenly made up his mind, and the marriage wouldn’t have been so convoluted, leaving her uneasy.

The matter was somewhat related to her, so why not help things along? If a happy marriage results, it’s a merit, and if not, she would have at least tried.

Such words would naturally be agreeable to the gentle Imperial Consort.

The Empress Dowager was focused on matching Mu Lianhui with Li Luan, so she would be inclined to favor opportunities for them to spend more time together.

To make the plum blossom banquet’s purpose less abrupt, the Du Family, Jiang Family, and Tian Family were included.

Of course, these were the excuses given to the palace’s noblewomen. The true thoughts of Mu Lianhui were murky to Du Yunluo.

Yet being unclear, she had to attend the banquet.

Following Mrs. Xia’s guidance, Du Yunluo sent her reply, allowing all others to go except for Du Yunying.

Before they knew it, the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month arrived.

A snowfall had fallen two days prior, but by daylight, the sky cleared.

Yunuo’s cheeks turned rosy in the north wind, and she laughed, "Red plums after the snow are something special indeed."

Liao Family handed her a brand new bright red monkey-hair cloak, and cautioned, "You aren’t familiar with the other families’ girls, take care of Yunluo, follow the County Princess, and don’t cause trouble."

After receiving the invitation, Princess An Ran hadn’t stirred any further disturbances, the Old Master stopped punishing her. Aunt Liao’s situation improved, and Liao Family was in better spirits after returning, so Yunuo’s days weren’t spent cautiously anymore.

Liao Family gave many instructions, and Yunuo agreed to them all. Finally, she and Du Yunluo bid farewell to their elders and boarded the carriage.

After snow, horse travel wasn’t feasible, so the three brothers of the Du Family took carriages to the mountain outskirts.

This season, there weren’t many carriages heading up the mountain, and they departed early. When they arrived outside Wangmei Garden, few families were there ahead of them.

The brothers alighted at the front gate, while Du Yunluo and Yunuo went straight to the backyard.

As Du Yunluo stepped down, she lifted her eyes and saw two people conversing merrily at a moderate distance.

Mu Lianhui, in a lotus blue crane cloak, gracefully stood under the gallery. With a gentle smile, she walked a few steps forward when she saw Yunuo and Yunluo arriving, her pretty eyes smiling into crescent moons, leaving shallow dimples near her lips.

The other person, in a remarkably eye-catching bright red feather gauze snow jacket for the winter, had a graceful figure and turned slightly, her phoenix eyes sharp with defiance, none other than Princess An Ran.

Du Yunluo watched the two people quietly.

In a past life encounter, Mu Lianhui and Princess An Ran were already married ladies, with hairstyles befitting their status—a stark contrast to their present maidenly appearance.

Even so, they seemed familiar and evocative to Du Yunluo.

Yunuo, aided by Qian He, stepped off the carriage. Not recognizing Mu Lianhui, she first greeted Princess An Ran with a cheerful smile, "County Princess, you’ve arrived? Your snow jacket today is truly beautiful."

Princess An Ran’s gaze fixed coldly on Yunuo’s bright red monkey-hair cloak, sneering, "Cousin, I’ve never seen that cloak before."