Lauren Brooks saw that Ms. Turner was not the least bit surprised, and knew that the old lady must have known long ago. After all, there were many people and much gossip in this marquis’s residence; whatever she did was hard to escape notice, so it was better to be honest. At this moment, she smiled and replied, “No matter how much effort I put into poetry and essays, I can’t compare to my sisters, so I might as well not waste the effort. Even if I write good poems, could I become a Li Bai or Du Fu? These days I’ve been reading Liu Hedong’s ‘Eight Records of Yongzhou’ and Meng Yuanlao’s ‘Dreams of Splendor of the Eastern Capital’—it feels as if I’m right there in the scene. As for those new notes and anecdotes, the language is novel and interesting, but after all, they’re historical tales, quite amusing to read. Old Madam, please don’t laugh at my lack of knowledge.”

“Enough, enough, as long as it’s not those harmful novels and storybooks, you can read whatever you like.”

These words made Ms. Turner smile, and Ivy Brooks could only join in, but while Ms. Turner wasn’t looking, she sneered mockingly at Lauren Brooks, who simply pretended not to see. Ms. Turner didn’t notice the little gestures between her two granddaughters behind her, but instead coughed lightly and said, “There’s word from the prince’s residence that this year they’ve invited more people than usual. Besides your eldest cousin’s Han State Duke’s family, and our old friends the Marquises of Dongchang, Yongping, and Baron Guangning, there are also the Duke of Ying, Marquis of Nanyang, Baron of Xiangyang, and several other families. I hear Prince Jin even sent invitations to other princely households. And this time, not only are the ladies invited, but there will also be a literary gathering at Prince Jin’s.”

As soon as Ms. Turner said this, everyone in the room showed different expressions. With the princess inviting so many ladies, it was clearly different from previous years. With so many young ladies of similar age gathered together, while the elders observed, quite a few marriages might be settled just like that. And for the men, to win Prince Jin’s favor was naturally a great thing. After all, the position of crown prince was still vacant, and Prince Jin was the top contender.

However, while enjoying the plum blossoms was one thing, Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Walker were not very enthusiastic about the literary gathering. The second branch had no sons, which was Mrs. Harris’s greatest worry. Fortunately, her husband Julia Brooks was still young, and there were plenty of concubines, so she could only sigh over this in the dead of night. The third branch had three sons, but the legitimate son was still very young, and Mrs. Walker was not willing to send the two concubine-born sons out to compete for face.

The two sisters-in-law exchanged a glance, and Mrs. Harris, who was seated on the first armchair to the lower left, respectfully asked, “Since that’s what you say, Old Madam, I’ll have to make proper preparations for the girls. But the boys are all still young, and the literary gathering is meant for scholars preparing for the imperial exams. It wouldn’t be meaningful for them to go. As for which girls should attend, I ask for your guidance.”

Ms. Turner glanced at her grandchildren below, then suddenly turned to Ian Brooks and asked, “Yan’er, do you want to go?”

Ian Brooks was sitting there, but in his heart he was thinking that for the Lantern Festival, rather than mixing with those boring people, it would be better to find a way to sneak out and see the lanterns, and it would be best if he could bring his sister along. It wasn’t until his second brother Claire Brooks nudged him with his elbow that he looked up in confusion, and only when Ms. Turner repeated the question did he come to his senses and shake his head.

“If I go, I’ll just be a foil for those pedantic scholars. I’m not going.”

As soon as he said this, everyone in the room burst out laughing. Ms. Turner teased him a bit, then looked at Claire Brooks and Henry Brooks and said, “You two are still young. It’s not a bad thing to go and have a look, but just as Yan’er said, being a foil for others is pointless. In the future, if there’s horse riding or archery, I’ll definitely let you go and gain some experience.”

Claire Brooks and Henry Brooks, one thirteen and the other fourteen, were not interested in literary matters to begin with, so they both agreed at once. The matter of the literary gathering was thus dropped, but the plum blossom outing still needed to be decided. However, every family had its own rules—even with many children, usually only three would go. So, apart from Lauren Brooks and her three sisters, the other two concubine-born daughters of the third branch, though eager in their hearts, dared not show it on their faces. Sure enough, Ms. Turner looked over each of her granddaughters, pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, “Let’s do it this way: each branch picks one. The eldest branch will be Lan’er, the second branch Bing’er, and the third branch Xi’er. That’s settled.”

With that, the matter was settled. Even though Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Walker each had their own dissatisfaction, they could only smile and agree. Sitting below, Yvonne Brooks gripped her handkerchief tightly, barely managing not to let her disappointment show. After chatting and laughing for a while longer, a daughter-in-law came to report the time, and Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Walker led the younger generation to see Ms. Turner off to rest, before returning to their own rooms.

Back at Zining Residence, Mrs. Harris called her two daughters into the east room of the main house, had her trusted maid Yuping keep watch outside, and then turned to Ivy Brooks and asked, “In the past, you sisters were always included in everything. What’s going on these days? Why is the old lady suddenly favoring Lan girl in everything?”

Ivy Brooks had always been doted on by Mrs. Harris, so she didn’t care about her mother’s stern face. She went up, grabbed her mother’s arm, and sat down beside her on the kang, then said irritably, “Who knows what’s up with the old lady? First she gave her an extra pair of gold hairpins that our eldest cousin gifted, then she’s been sending her this and that every day… And look at her, she’s just a hopeless case. Last time, the princess almost took Hongluo away, but she had to talk too much and ruined her own maid’s good fortune. Who knows how much Hongluo resents her now! Don’t be fooled by how nice she sounded today—every time there’s a plum blossom outing, there’s always a poetry contest. If she can’t come up with anything, she’ll really lose face!”