The empress is pregnant, and the emperor's incense continues

As for Meng Wenyao's speculation about whether she was using some means to discipline the Xu family, now that she was sure that Miss Xu could not possibly become Mrs. Chen, what was the point of her disciplining the Xu family? She had no hatred towards them.

However, Meng Wenyao didn't really believe what she said.

"Liu Ruyan, I'm warning you. If you dare to touch Madam Xu's veil, I will definitely let Qianmo divorce you. Madam Xu is my guest, and we must respect them. No matter how much hatred you have in your heart, you must swallow it on that day."

Liu Ruyan was speechless. She had already said that she would not punish the Xu family, so why was Meng Wen Yao still shouting here, causing the maids outside to look inside frequently.

"Ma'am, I told you I won't do anything. If you don't believe me, just wait and see. If something goes wrong, you can blame me later."

After she finished speaking, she left without saying a word, leaving Meng Wenyao still there yelling, "This is my first time hosting a banquet, so everyone, please be alert. If anyone fails to take good care of the guests, I will punish you."

When Meng Wen Yao's cautious attitude was conveyed, some managers were making fun of her.

"You are young and inexperienced after all. It's just setting up two tables at home. Look how nervous your wife is."

A steward curled his lips and said, "It's no wonder that Madam is nervous. After entering the mansion, Concubine Liu has been doing Madam a favor. So many things have happened. Tomorrow's banquet will ask Concubine Liu to apologize again. I think she must be unhappy. It would be strange if she didn't make trouble. If you don't believe me, let's make a bet."

"Okay, I'll bet a penny that Aunt Liu will definitely cause trouble tomorrow."

"I bet two coppers that Madam will be able to hold the banquet smoothly tomorrow."

This banquet with only two tables instantly caused a sensation in the mansion. When the rumors reached Meng Wen Yao's ears, she smiled with satisfaction.

On the day of the banquet, in the afternoon, Chen Qianmo went to the Zhuang Mansion in person to pick up the Xu family.

Chen Qianmo entertained Xu Tongfu and Xu Bicheng in the front yard, while Meng Wenyao entertained Mrs. Xu and Xu Qinglian in the back yard.

When the guests had almost finished their visit, Meng Wen Yao heard from the servant that the elder had returned, and then she led everyone to the banquet in the garden.

Although the two families were old friends, in accordance with the principle of separate seats for men and women, several screens were placed between the two tables.

Meng Wen Yao led the female family members to their seats. After hearing Chen Yanqing's polite greetings from next door, Meng Wen Yao, as the hostess, also stood up and exchanged a few words.

"It is a great honor for Madam Xu to come to our house today. I hope you and Miss will not mind our simple meals."

Madam Xu then returned the gift: "Madam, you are too polite. We have been taken care of by your family since we came to the capital. We are very grateful."

After the greetings, Meng Wen Yao smiled and invited Mrs. Xu to take a seat.

"Has Madam ever been to the capital before?"

Zhuang Lanhe was stunned, then shook her head and said, "I am from Nanyang, and have been working in other places with my husband, and have never been to the capital."

Meng Wen Yao was a little skeptical of this. Zhuang Lanhe spoke the official language of the capital city very authentically, and it was not something that could be learned in just a short time.

Of course, it is not ruled out that he put in a lot of effort and studied hard before coming to Beijing.

She pointed at the dishes on the table and said with a smile, "Madam and Miss should try these dishes carefully. These are must-eat dishes for outsiders who come to the capital. Madam may have eaten them somewhere else. You can also try our dishes to see if they are authentic."

Following Meng Wen Yao's words, the maids quickly helped Zhuang Lanhe to prepare the dishes. She skillfully put the dishes under her veil without revealing her face at all, which made Meng Wen Yao quite disappointed.

"The dishes at your mansion are indeed better than those in other restaurants. I am so lucky to come to your mansion today."

Zhuang Lanhe put down her chopsticks and said a few more polite words. Meng Wenyao pretended to be pleased and replied, "If the food is good enough for the Madam and the Miss, the chef must reward you today."

Meng Wenyao said to Zhuang Lanhe in a friendly manner, "Madam, you are coming today. My husband has released Qianmo immediately. Please tell Lord Xu and ask him to persuade the elder not to send Qianmo away. Not only will the child suffer, but there will definitely be people who will blame me, the stepmother, for instigating this."

Zhuang Lanhe thought, wasn't it you who instigated this?

She also approached Meng Wenyao in a friendly manner and said sincerely, "Madam, don't worry. Lord Xu also likes Qianmo very much, so he will naturally not let him fall to this point. However, this is your family's affair after all, so Lord Xu may be more tactful in his dissuasion. If the elder still insists on letting Qianmo go abroad, you can tell me then and we will find a way."

These words were spoken with such sincerity that Meng Wen Yao felt that Zhuang Lanhe was just pretending to be nice to Qianmo. She smiled and nodded, and said a few polite words. Then she heard Lord Xu's voice coming from the other side of the screen.

"It's been almost 20 years since I last came to the capital. I didn't expect the capital to have changed so much. Back then, when we were studying with our tutor, there were several good academies in the capital. But this time when I came to the capital, I found that everyone sent their children to study at the Imperial Academy."

Chen Yanqing nodded and said casually, "After Master passed away, there were a few truly talented people in the capital. The academies they opened became worse and worse. Later, everyone sent their children to the Imperial Academy. After all, the Imperial Academy teaches directly, which is worse than the academies outside."

Xu Tongfu glanced at Chen Qianmo and gently reminded him, "Yes, it's better to study in the Imperial Academy. The best teachers and classmates are all in the capital, and you will have more company on your life journey in the future."

Chen Yanqing did not quite agree with this statement: "Having said that, the Imperial College now has a lot of second-generation rich people, and there may not be many students who really want to study. I heard that there is a college in Luoyang, which has achieved good results in the imperial examinations in recent years, and many people come to study there."

Now, not only Xu Tongfu, but also the people on the other side of the screen concentrated and listened to Chen Yanqing's words nervously, fearing that Chen Yanqing's next sentence would say to send Chen Qianmo over as well.

Xu Tongfu's palms were sweating from nervousness, and he tried his best to change Chen Yanqing's mind.

"I've also heard of the academy in Luoyang, and I've written to a friend in Luoyang to ask about it. To be honest, I've thought about sending my son there, but I heard from that friend that the reason why Luoyang Academy has become so famous in recent years is because the students there have been studying there since they were young. If we raise our children until they are teenagers and send them there, it will take two or three years just to adapt to their teaching environment. The children are grown up, and it's time for them to start studying. Delaying them for two or three years is like delaying an entire class, which is really not appropriate."

Chen Yanqing lowered his head in thought. Chen Qianmo hadn't taken an exam for several years. If he went to Luoyang, it would take him two or three years to adapt to the environment. He was afraid that he would not do well in the next imperial examination. He was not young anymore and was facing the issue of getting married. It was not appropriate for him to go out to study.