The reason, why Shen Zhongting's early 3-year recall was because of her, who asked for help from her father. Her father used a large amount of money to bribe the Chief of Staff of the Department of Administration and also sent someone to bring an old painting to the royal teacher Fang, who served as the head of the Royal Graduate Office. Thus, when Shen Zhongting was summoned back from the border to assume a fourth-level noble position at the Royal Graduate Academy, the royal teacher offered no objections. He even entrusted Shen Zhongting with the task of teaching arithmetic to the children of court officials, from the sixth level and above, at Da Cheng’s Royal College.

Before this, Shen Zhongting's noble career had begun as a sheriff in a remote border town, a position equivalent to a seventh-level nobleman.

That position was obtained from his perseverance in successfully taking the Jin Zhi graduate exam two years ago. (The Jin Zhi examination was an examination in front of the emperor. Currently, it is comparable to the national level.) However, the position of prefect in the city of Fuling, which was full of desolation and far from the royal court, had few opportunities for advancement in the royal court.

Now, he has been promoted to a fourth-level noble. If he would like to hold a tea ceremony for his beloved openly, it is not considered to be unconventional. However, it risked becoming the subject of gossip, especially if the woman wasn't from a noble family.

According to custom, ‘Married through the front door is the main wife, accepted through the side door is the concubine.’ The grand wedding ceremony, with bows to heaven and earth, was reserved solely for the main wife. For the concubines, a simple pink palanquin carried by four bearers through the side entrance would suffice, they could only bow before the groom's ancestral tablets and kneel to serve tea to the main wife. This tea ceremony marked the conclusion of their less formal acceptance into the household.

Thus, tea ceremonies were typically private affairs, with grand displays reserved for high-ranking nobility.

Organizing a tea ceremony for Li Lianshuang by inviting guests to attend the ceremony is considered to be the ultimate honor for her. However, Shen Zhongting was only a fourth-level nobleman, not a great nobleman, so Meng Zhilu was sure that no guest would want to become a clown for the people of the capital to laugh at. But if no one shows up for the party, her plan won't come to fruition. her plan would fail. She needed those guests to witness the Shen family's humiliation and spread the word of it throughout the capital.

‘From now on, Prepare for your downfall,’

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Meng Zhilu vowed silently in her heart, then turned into the inner chambers, towards her study's table. Her cold eyes gleamed with resentment. Amid the atmosphere in the house that was so silent and looked terrifying. Her shadow reflected in the sunlight stretched along the corridor balcony. It looks like the shadow of a demon whose fury spreads like flames. From now on, she will not let Li Lianshuang live in peace. Of course, she will do everything in her power to destroy this shiting couple.

Meng Zhilu picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and began compiling a guest list for Li Lianshuang's upcoming tea ceremony. Over two hundred families from across the capital would be invited in the next month. A sly smile curved her lips. She would turn that ceremony into a scandal that would reverberate throughout the capital. Let them all watch

…

The next morning, Meng Zhilu awoke refreshed and in high spirits. After attending to her personal needs, she proceeded to the dining hall for breakfast, which was prepared to the next door.

She swept her eyes at each dish that was beautifully laid out on the plate. There are eight side dishes to eat with hot porridge, as well as eight mixed grains of porridge, porridge on the side of sorghum, eaten with sweet bean soup, and rice milk for her to choose from. As for dessert, it is stewed pear with jujubes to combat the heat. All the food was sending smoke billowing, its enticing aroma filling the air.

Despite her fondness for food, Meng Zhilu exercised restraint. Each meal was meticulously prepared with a variety of dishes. She sampled a few bites from each plate, savored a few spoonsful of soup, and declared herself satisfied. Setting down her chopsticks, she addressed the servants waiting attentively behind her. “I'm full now. Please enjoy the rest.”

Typically, the servants' meals were prepared separately from the master's and consisted of simple fare. Breakfast was Mantou (steamed buns) with millet porridge and pickles. Dinner was usually steamed millet with bits of meat. Leftovers from the master's table, without explicit permission, were returned to the kitchen for disposal. Servants were forbidden to consume them.

However, Meng Zhilu consistently shared leftovers with the household staff, earning the gratitude of those who served in the dining hall.

Having eaten her fill, Meng Zhilu returned to the main hall to address Shen Zhongting’s concubines, who had come to pay their morning respects. They knelt in unison, except for Li Lianshuang, who was absent. Until the tea ceremony, she remained an outsider, exempt from morning and evening greetings and from serving the main wife during meals.

Li Lianshuang remained comfortably ensconced in the Wei Feng House, free from any duties. This was her sole advantage for the time being.

As Meng Zhilu entered and seated herself in the hall's main chair, the ten concubines kneeling before her bowed their heads in unison. “We, your humble servants, greet Huyin, Good morning.”

Their greeting was complete, they remained motionless, awaiting further instruction.

“Rise.” Meng Zhilu permitted them to stand. Unlike many other families, she did not insist they remain kneeling. Some wives delighted in tormenting their husbands' concubines, forcing them to kneel for extended periods or finding fault to inflict physical and mental suffering.