Madam Lu was a little moved when she heard what Madam Zhou said: "It would be a blessing for me if I could have your daughter as my granddaughter-in-law. It's a pity that there is no chance now."

Madam Zhou smiled and said, "If she can find a good husband, my Jiayun will not care about her status."

Madam Lu laughed secretly in her heart. She had thought that Madam Zhou was confused, but now she realized that she was too clear-headed. She was thinking about becoming Lu Ze's concubine!

The position of the Regent's concubine does not really have to be restricted by one's status.

Madam Lu's eyes lit up and she said, "Yes, if you can marry a good husband, you don't have to be bound by status."

There were more than a hundred tables at Lingling's hundred-day banquet, and it was very lively. Qi Yuning followed Lu Ze to toast the guests one by one.

In the afternoon, in Lingling's small courtyard, little Zhao Jie lay on Lingling's small bed, looking at little Lingling and asked Qi Yuning: "Sister Princess, when will Lingling call me uncle?"

Qi Yuning smiled and said, "It will start to cry at this time next year."

Little Zhao Jie was teasing Lingling with a rattle, and Lingling was giggling.

Ah Li said to Qi Yuning at the side: "The little princess is the most cheerful child I have ever seen. She has been smiling for only a hundred days. She doesn't like to cry."

Qi Yuning touched Lingling's little face and said happily, "My Lingling is the best."

Lingling was probably smiling happily because she heard everyone praising her.

Princess Pingrou couldn't stop smiling when she heard everyone praising Lingling.

After Lingling's 100-day banquet, there were many banquets afterwards. Qi Yuning and Lu Ze did not attend any of them. Instead, they were busy with Lu Yun's wedding, which was scheduled for the eighth day of the first lunar month.

On the twenty-ninth day of the lunar year, as soon as the invitations to Lu Yun's wedding were sent out, the whole of Shengjing was shocked.

In Duke Lu's mansion, Old Madam Lu was extremely angry. She came to the princess's mansion with the help of a cane and found Princess Pingrou who was discussing the wedding banquet menu with Qi Yuning.

"Your Highness, Yun'er is your own son who you raised by your side. You want him to marry a widow who is unlucky and has a lot of burdens. Is this how you act as a mother?"

Princess Pingrou frowned when she saw Madam Lu barging in, "Madam Lu, Princess Pingrou is showing you some respect for the sake of your husband, do you really want to act like a mother-in-law in front of me?"

Madam Lu said, "Your Highness, you know that you are of noble status. Yun'er is your son. You should be very selective in choosing a wife for him. But she cannot be a woman whose parents died early, whose husband died early, or who has a burden. I will never agree to this marriage!"

Princess Pingrou said coldly: "The wedding date has been set, you can't refuse it."

Madam Lu panted angrily and said, "God is blind. How could Lu Yun and Lu Ze have to have a mother like you? I will never accept a widow like Chen Nian for Lu Yun! If the bride wants to enter the gate of my Lu family, she has to step over my dead body."

Duke Lu heard the quarrel here and came over. When he saw Old Madam Lu, he said, "Mother, what are you doing? Lu Yun is very happy, so don't say anything more."

Madam Lu said loudly: "What do you mean don't say more? People like Shen Nian are looked down upon even by widower who is marrying a concubine for the second time!

She is not a legitimate daughter of the Shen family, but an adopted daughter. Her biological father was only an eighth-rank officer in the army and died early. How can such a girl be worthy of entering the Lu family!"

"Before the ceremony is over, break off the engagement now. Otherwise, on the day of Lu Yun's wedding, I will run into a wall and die in front of the gate of the princess' mansion!"

Princess Pingrou listened to Madam Lu and said, "If you want to hit me, then hit me. Don't make trouble in front of me even if you want to cry, make a scene or hang yourself!"

Duke Lu even urged Madam Lu to leave.

Seeing Princess Pingrou getting angry, Qi Yuning said, "Mother, calm down."

Princess Pingrou angrily threw her brush heavily on the inkstone, "Lu Yun, you bastard!"

Qi Yuning advised: "Calm down, your health is more important, Lingling is looking forward to you taking her out to play!"

Qi Yuning motioned to Lichun behind her to bring Lingling over. After seeing Lingling, Princess Pingrou's anger subsided a lot. "It's New Year's Day, and you have to make me angry. Lingling is really well behaved."

Qi Yuning breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Ze heard the commotion and rushed over. He said to Princess Pingrou, "Mother."

Princess Pingrou said, "Your good grandmother is really infuriating. Lu Yun brought this upon himself. Did I want him to marry a divorced woman? He brought this upon himself. Why did he have to quarrel and get angry during the New Year?"

"Mom, you don't have to be angry."

Princess Pingrou looked at the little Lingling in her arms and said, "Lingling is still the best."

Qi Yuning and Lu Ze did not attend the palace banquet on New Year's Eve. Instead, they stayed in the courtyard with Lingling to set off firecrackers and fireworks. In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

However, the little baby Lingling was a little afraid of firecrackers and fireworks, and would cry when she heard the noise. Qi Yuning had to give up playing with the little baby Lingling.

But when the sound of fireworks came from the imperial city in the distance, Lingling was no longer afraid, and her little peach blossom eyes sparkled brightly.

Under the fireworks, Lu Ze kissed Qi Yuning and said, "This year, our family of three can truly celebrate the New Year together."

Lingling's eyes turned, and she actually looked up and kissed Qi Yuning on the face. Qi Yuning looked at Lingling in surprise, "Lingling is so good!"

But she didn't expect that Lingling took a bite of herself and then started eating her little hand.

On New Year's Eve, imperial doctors kept coming in and out of Duke Lu's mansion. It seemed that Old Madam Lu was really so angry that she fell ill.

Qi Yuning heard the news and looked at Lu Ze and said, “With your grandmother like this, can Lu Yun and Shen Nian really get married by then?”

Lu Ze said: "Grandmother won't really go to the princess's mansion to commit suicide, so the marriage should go smoothly."

Qi Yuning smiled faintly and said, "I hope so."

…

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Qi Yuning and Lu Ze put on the palace robes of their respective ranks and brought Lingling into the palace to pay homage to the Empress Dowager.

Princess Pingrou had already brought little Lingling to see the Grand Empress Dowager. When the Grand Empress Dowager saw Lingling, she felt that her pain had subsided a lot.

"I heard that Yun'er is getting married. His wife is the adopted daughter of the Shen family in Lingzhou. She was also the adopted daughter of the Qi family for a few days before that?"

Qi Yuning responded: "That's right."

The Empress Dowager said, "No matter how you look at it, this girl is not a good match for Yun'er."

Lu Ze said: "Yun'er likes it by herself, and because of this, mother has been subjected to countless gossips."

The Empress Dowager thought about her daughter's mother-in-law and said, "No wonder your mother came to the palace with red eyes last night."

After Qi Yuning and Lu Ze chatted with the Empress Dowager for half an hour, they went to Taiji Palace to pay a visit to Xiao Zhaojie and Empress Dowager Zhou.

Queen Mother Zhou also asked about Lu Yun's marriage, "Why did you choose a divorced girl as your wife? Yun'er is a little bit of a dandy, but after all, he is still young. If he changes his temper, he may be able to marry a good wife."

Qi Yuning said: "Lu Yun likes her, and in marriage, the most important thing is that you both like each other."

Queen Mother Zhou smiled and said, "That's true. It's rare to like someone in this world."

Little Zhao Jie looked at the soft and chewy little Lingling who couldn't talk and gave Lingling a red envelope. Lingling took the red envelope and was about to put it in her mouth, but Qi Yuning stopped her. Lingling, who was almost four months old, loved to put everything in her mouth and she also loved to suck her fingers.

Queen Mother Zhou said slowly: "Yu Ning, you have also met my niece, right?"

Qi Yuning said: "I have seen her. Miss Zhou is stunningly beautiful. She is truly a great beauty."

Queen Mother Zhou smiled and said, "My niece is so beautiful. I think the only person in the capital who can match my niece is the Prince Regent."

Queen Mother Zhou glanced at Lu Ze and said, "Now that the state of mourning has come, I am thinking of issuing an imperial decree to make Jiayun the regent prince's concubine!" (End of this chapter)