I dress up as a poor noblewoman, and I bring my whole family home with my literary talent.

Chapter 2: Being an Official
I returned to the brightly lit front yard. Before I even stepped into the hall, I heard a commotion across the street.

Song Lingyi stood under the eaves, watching a group of officials' wives surrounding the white-haired, graceful and elegant mother of the Shangshu as she walked out, and among the group of people laughing was the eldest lady of the Song family.

After traveling to Daliang for two months, she did not have a good impression of this nominal mother. She was domineering and mean at home, always talking about the Song family's former glory and lamenting its current poverty. However, she was unwilling to be frugal and overdrew the family's assets.

In order to not be outdone at today's birthday banquet, Madam Song dressed herself up like a magpie, wearing gold and silver all over her body and a golden hairpin as thick as a wooden stick behind her head.

But in the world of fame and fortune, it is not possible to maintain your reputation just by wearing gold and silver.

Just seeing Madam Song being excluded from the circle but still forcing herself to smile brightly made Song Lingyi sigh.

This is really hard for her, a mother who has always been arrogant.
Back at the table, the fourth sister Song Lingwan saw the fifth sister's blushing face and asked with concern: "Didn't you go out for some fresh air? Why is your face so red? Are you feeling unwell?"

The room was filled with the aroma of fine wine and delicious food, which masked the smell of alcohol on Song Lingyi. In addition, Song Lingwan had a stereotype that her fifth sister was timid and cowardly, and she never imagined that she was blushing because she drank secretly.

Song Lingyi shook her head and pretended to be sober and complained: "The heat is unbearable. It's still stuffy at night. I went out for a walk and got hot all over."

Before he finished speaking, some noble lady at the table mentioned that they wanted to go to Changchun Garden to cool off, which attracted a group of young girls who happily agreed with her and chattered in a noisy manner, making Song Lingwan and Song Lingyi in the corner seem a little out of place.

It was indeed out of place. Originally, no invitations were sent to the Song family for the Shangshu's mother's birthday party. However, Mrs. Song was concerned about her second sister, Song Xianglan's marriage, so she relied on her friendship with the Shangshu's wife when they were young, visited the family several times and tried hard to make her presence felt, and only then did she receive the invitation.

It is hard to say how much Mrs. Song loves the second sister.

The Song family had been a family of talented officials for six generations, but when it came to Mr. Song, the family fell into decline. When he was young, Mr. Song was a famous playboy in Chang'an. His grandparents passed away early, leaving him a huge fortune, but he only wanted to live off his wealth and did not want to take the imperial examination.

In his old age, he had achieved nothing and had developed a bad habit of gambling. None of his wife, two concubines and several mistresses could give birth to a son.

Everyone is saying privately that the aristocratic family that has been passed down for a hundred years is going to be in decline and extinct!
Mrs. Song attached great importance to her second sister's marriage, simply because she wanted her own daughter to marry a good husband, and for the Song family to benefit from it, so that she would have someone to rely on in her old age.

The eldest son of the Shangshu couple has reached the marriageable age. Today's birthday banquet is to celebrate his mother's 80th birthday and to meet a suitable noble lady in Chang'an City.

"Where is my second sister?" Song Lingyi looked around but couldn't see any trace of Song Xianglan.

"I haven't seen her for a long time. Who knows where she went?" Song Lingwan frowned, feeling unhappy. It was the first time for her and her fourth sister to attend such a banquet, but her second sister didn't even bother to take them out to meet new friends. Instead, she just left them aside as soon as they arrived.

Just at this moment, a maid came to invite the ladies to move to an open area to watch the fireworks show that was about to begin.

The hall soon became deserted, and when most people had left, the two sisters walked out arm in arm.

The fireworks are brilliant and dazzling

The fireworks of the Daliang Dynasty were certainly not as good as modern fireworks. Song Lingyi still remembers skipping classes with her friends to go to Disneyland when she was in her second year of high school. The fireworks show that night was quite luxurious and even became a hot topic on Weibo.

When the fireworks show was about to end, Song Lingyi saw Song Xianglan coming in late from the other end of the corridor. She seemed to have encountered something happy, and the corners of her mouth were raised all the way.

As the banquet came to an end, the guests said goodbye to the minister and his wife and the old lady, and got on the carriage to return home.

Mrs. Song led her three sisters and specially chose the moment when the Shangshu's mother finally had a chance to catch her breath to go forward and greet her.

"Old lady!" Mrs. Song called affectionately with a smile on her face, holding her second sister Song Xianglan in her hand.

The Shangshu's mother stood on the stone steps, wearing a dark red straight-collared gown with faint gold-thread patterns embroidered on it. Even the belt around her waist was made of five white jade pieces the size of pigeon eggs inlaid with gold, which looked particularly shiny under the candlelight at night.

Song Lingyi couldn't help but be dumbfounded

Not to mention the aesthetics of this lace-up, it is definitely worth the money!
The Shangshu's mother had a long face and a look of disdain, as if she was dissatisfied with everything. She had no impression of Madam Song, and it was only when the servants reminded her that she knew who the woman wearing gold and silver was who was almost better than her.

It is said that a lean camel is bigger than a horse. When the eldest lady of the Song family travels, her show is more important than her face.

"Your house is very lively today. My daughter hasn't had the chance to personally congratulate the old lady on her birthday." As she said this, Madam Song touched Song Xianglan's lower back with her hand.

Song Xianglan complained in her heart, but smiled stiffly and said, "I wish the old lady good health and longevity!"

Although the Shangshu's mother was dissatisfied with the way Madam Song dressed up, she was not angry with the youngster and responded with a gentle

Song Lingwan, who had been deliberately ignored by Madam Song from the beginning, stepped forward and bowed to congratulate her: "I wish the old lady to be as luxuriant as pine and cypress, evergreen year after year; and to be as strong as the stone of Nanshan Mountain, blessed with both happiness and longevity."

Compared to Song Xianglan's slightly perfunctory and indifferent attitude, Song Lingwan appeared much more dignified and decent. She also had a pleasing appearance, with a fleshy nose and full cheekbones. The older generation all loved girls who could obviously bring good luck to their husbands.

The five sisters of the Song family seemed harmonious on the surface, but they were actually fighting each other inside.

Song Lingwan believed that Song Xianglan was inferior to her in no other way except being the eldest lady's biological daughter, so why should she be superior to her in every way?

Her behavior in front of the Shangshu's mother was deliberately

"This little girl is very well-behaved." Sure enough, the old lady praised her.

The mansion was busy and she had no time to pay her respects to Song Lingyi, who was still behind her, so she returned to the hall surrounded by servants.

Song Lingyi, who had been rehearsing the poem in her mind for a few times, was suddenly ignored and felt quite happy and relieved.

On the way back home, the mother and her two daughters squeezed into the same carriage. The space was so narrow that they couldn't move their hands and feet.

The overloaded carriage squeaked all the way, which was quite embarrassing. Fortunately, there were only a few pedestrians at night, so there was no discussion about how "important" the person in the carriage was.

In family occasions, Mrs. Song no longer had to pretend to be virtuous. She looked at Song Lingwan with sarcasm and said, "You don't learn from the good, but just learn from your mother, who always wants to be in the limelight. Don't blame mother for being ruthless. The eldest son of the Lin family is a prime minister, how could he look down on a concubine's daughter?"

After hearing these sour remarks, Song Lingyi didn't dare to move her neck, but shook her head in her heart. Everyone can see who wants to be in the limelight today, and it doesn't matter if it's a legitimate daughter or a concubine's daughter. The Song family is still glorious and is a good match for a third-rank minister!
Being blamed, Song Lingwan hung her head and said nothing. Song Xianglan, on the other hand, pursed her lips and said sarcastically, "To become a prime minister, you must have the ability to become an official first."

Madam Song was confused by what she heard. She twisted Song Xianglan's ear as if she was disappointed with her son. "You know nothing! What nonsense are you talking about! Minister Lin is a senior official in the Ministry of Personnel, in charge of the appointment and dismissal of civil servants. He has countless students and a wide network of contacts in the court. How can it be difficult to find an official position for Master Lin? Do you think everyone is like your father, who has accomplished nothing in his old age?"

Song Xianglan covered her red ears, pouted and said nothing.

(End of this chapter)