As the guests began to arrive in numbers, the banquet was nearing its commencement. Wang Youfu and Wang Qingchen took it upon themselves to usher the male guests to the main seats, while Madam Yang and Madam Zhang attended to seating the ladies in a separate area.

Wang Guifang, who had been deep in conversation with her daughter, felt a profound sense of relief upon hearing the wonderful news that her daughter was now Madam Shen. It was as if a heavy stone had been lifted from her heart, leaving her visibly lighter.

When it came time to take seats, Wang Guifang, considering her own condition, proactively declined a seat without needing prompting, planning to return home shortly and wait for Li Wu to bring her food.

The Old Madam breathed a deep sigh of relief upon hearing her daughter's decision. Her daughter’s life had finally settled into such comfort, and the Old Madam wished for no unexpected incident to disturb it.

However, the Old Madam was uneasy about letting Wang Guifang return alone and needed to arrange an escort. As soon as this thought surfaced, her granddaughter, Liu Qian'er, immediately volunteered to take her mother home. Fortunately, the Old Madam remembered that her granddaughter was no longer a mere girl but the respected Madam of the Shen Residence in town, so she ought to remain seated for the banquet. After initially refusing Liu Qian'er’s offer, the Old Madam paused, then ultimately called for Madam He to escort Wang Guifang back.

Wang Guifang was reluctant to impose on anyone, knowing the Wang Youfu household was already very busy; it seemed improper to take away someone who had come to help.

Finally, Madam Yang stepped in, stating that they were too worried to let Wang Guifang return alone. With that, Wang Guifang said no more, allowing them to arrange for Madam He to take her home.

After Wang Guifang departed, Liu Qian'er and the other women quickly took their places. Seeing that there was little left for the immediate Wang family members to manage, Madam Yang called over Aunt Wu, instructing her to oversee things and ensure no major oversights occurred.

Aunt Wu had always been employed by Wang Youfu’s household for various tasks, so she was intimately familiar with the specifics of arrangements. Moreover, with no major crises at hand, she was entirely capable of handling the situation.

“Rest assured and attend to the guests,” Aunt Wu guaranteed. “I will manage everything here; nothing will go wrong.”

Madam Yang trusted Aunt Wu’s competence, so she did not press further and went to attend to the female guests.

On the men’s side, the Old Master felt a mixture of elation and wistfulness seeing so many influential figures from town present for his second son’s gathering. If the elder branch and the third branch had heeded his advice and co-hosted this banquet with the second branch, they too could be holding court now, rather than merely assisting behind the scenes. He lamented the elder daughter-in-law's short-sightedness for missing the opportunity to mingle and build rapport with these prominent people, which would have made handling future town affairs so much easier.

In truth, the Old Master was mistaken in this thought. Though the third branch was not involved in hosting, the elder branch's three grandsons were assisting in receiving guests. The townspeople were certainly not fools; they knew the relationship these young men shared with the Wang Youfu household. With this understanding, when they needed assistance in town in the future, those people would naturally offer support, or at the very least, not cause unnecessary trouble. Thus, a portion of the Old Master's original objective had already been achieved.

The banquet naturally included certain set pieces, such as toasts and other ceremonial gestures, even encompassing the subtle art of guiding the flow of such gatherings. Fortunately, since achieving the juren degree, Wang Qingchen had attended numerous such banquets and handled this one with practiced ease.

Both the Old Master and Wang Youfu felt immense pride watching Wang Qingchen manage these formalities so effortlessly. They even entertained hopes that Wang Qingchen might advance further, achieving great renown in the official ranks.

It was not just the Old Master and Wang Youfu; the attending guests, upon witnessing Wang Qingchen’s poise, found their initial inclination to form connections with the family even more solidified. This young juren clearly possessed talent and handled matters without awkwardness. He was bound to make his mark in officialdom, making an alliance with the Wang family an excellent strategic choice now—lest they become too discerning later. Several households even began eyeing Wang Qingchen’s marriage prospects, aware that he was unmarried but uncertain if an engagement was already settled. Consequently, these families decided their wives should find an opportune moment to discreetly sound out the Wang family; if no engagement existed, they resolved to seize the chance quickly to propose their own daughters or nieces, thereby forging an even closer bond.

Setting aside the thoughts of the male guests, over with the ladies, Madam Tian had had no chance that day to establish relationships with the female guests from these families, leaving her distinctly unhappy. After shooting a sharp glare at Madam Yang, she heard a woman seated beside her inquire, “You must be part of the Wang family’s main lineage, correct?”

Upon hearing someone approach her, Madam Tian seized the opportunity. She immediately turned, smiling broadly, “Indeed, the juren is my nephew; he must call me Elder Aunt.”

The inquiring lady paused momentarily upon hearing Madam Tian’s reply before recovering smoothly. “Ah, the juren’s Elder Aunt. Forgive my lapse; I did not see you assisting with guests and failed to recognize you as being from the Wang family’s elder branch.”

Madam Tian felt a flush of heat rise to her face at the woman’s words, silently cursing Madam Yang. How could she be in such an awkward position if not for her?

Fortunately, the lady followed up with a smile, “But perhaps it is a good thing you aren't busy entertaining others; it gives us time to converse.”

Hearing herself considered important, Madam Tian felt both delighted and smug. See? Even if you don’t want me to shine, someone is still eager to curry favor with me!

With this thought, Madam Tian shot a provocative glance toward Madam Yang. Noticing Madam Yang hadn't looked over, she huffed softly before turning back to the lady with a smile, “Yes, this is perfect. I feel an affinity for you too; the moment I saw you, I felt a connection.”

The lady laughed in response. “Then this is timely! I feel a connection with you as well. We must have a good chat and get acquainted today.”

Madam Tian grew even more pleased. “Naturally, we must speak at length.”

Putting aside her irritation with Madam Yang, Madam Tian poured all her attention into conversing with the lady, inadvertently revealing a great deal of information.

...

“What? You mean our esteemed juren is not yet married?” the lady asked, feigning surprise.

“Yes, not only unmarried, but never even betrothed! Honestly, the second branch is quite strange; their son is already so old, and they haven't even considered finding him a match. Speaking of matches, my three sons are all settled. My eldest daughter-in-law, even when she was still a maiden, had a reputation for filial piety—I went to great lengths and pulled many strings to secure that match! And my second daughter-in-law was known for her virtuous nature; so many families sought her hand, but she ended up with ours…” As Madam Tian spoke of these matters, she grew increasingly animated.

However, the lady was clearly uninterested in the details, yet she listened with polite deference. After all, Madam Tian had revealed exactly what she wanted to know.

It turned out that today, not only were some of the male guests considering Wang Qingchen’s marriage prospects, but some of the female guests shared the same intention. Due to the crowd, they simply hadn't found an opening to ask. This lady, however, was exceptionally lucky; Madam Tian sat right beside her, and given Madam Tian’s unguarded nature, the lady easily extracted the desired intelligence.

Madam Tian continued to boast about her past achievements while the lady was already contemplating how she would urge her husband to approach the Wang family immediately regarding their daughter, hoping for a swift engagement. Whether the man’s family initiated the proposal or not was irrelevant; a juren this young was a rarity, so securing the engagement quickly was paramount, as a daughter’s happiness was far more important than vanity.

As a result of this conversation, the lady had secured an excellent son-in-law candidate, and Madam Tian had gained psychological gratification. Both parties were delighted. Madam Tian was even magnanimously deciding to let go of her grievance with Madam Yang, convinced she had found a new friend.

Over on the other side, Madam Yang was initially surprised to see Madam Tian engaged so eagerly with a guest, finding it unexpected given Madam Tian’s usual temperament.

Still, Madam Yang was content to see Madam Tian occupying herself; at least she wouldn't have to endure constant glares, and Madam Yang could finally relax.