Chapter 47 He Likes the Duan Family

"Second sister, Grandfather has been ill for a long time, so please don't disobey Grandmother."

Duan Yingying frowned, she knew why her grandmother wanted them to attend the banquet.

They simply wanted their mother to choose a good family for them, for they were afraid that their grandfather would really pass away one day and there would be no time to arrange marriages for them. They would have to observe a three-year mourning period and miss the flowering season.

"Okay." Duan Yingying nodded and looked at Duan Mengmeng's clothes again.

"Third sister, aren't you wearing too flashy clothes? Grandfather is ill after all. Isn't that inappropriate?"

Duan Mengmeng lowered her head and looked at her clothes, impatience flashing across her eyes.

There are 365 days in a year, and my grandfather is sick for 350 days. What difference does it make what clothes he wears?

But then she remembered Xiao Yuan's respect for his grandfather, and nodded, and finally changed the kingfisher hairpin on her head.

The maid on the ground knelt with her head down, not daring to say a word.

"Get up, be careful next time and don't drop things again." Duan Mengmeng said in a calm voice.

The little maid didn't dare to say anything. She responded softly and stood up slowly.

Duan Yingying took a look and then looked away. She didn't want to, and didn't have the right to, ask about what happened in Duan Mengmeng's room.

Although she was a legitimate daughter, she was never favored in the Duan Mansion. Only her grandfather was lenient and loving to her.

The two of them first went to Anshou Hall to pay their respects to Madam Duan, and then went to visit Mr. Duan.

When the two arrived, Old Man Duan was playing chess with Xiao Yuan.

After the two of them saluted together, Duan Yingying stood aside and stopped talking, while Duan Mengmeng took a few steps forward, stared at the chessboard for a few moments, and gave her comments in a low voice.

"Third girl." Grandpa Duan's voice was a little stern, and he coughed a few times, "Watching chess without saying a word."

His tone was not gentle. Duan Mengmeng pursed her lips and lowered her head in grievance. Her ears were burning and she felt embarrassed in front of Xiao Yuan.

I am a little annoyed with Mr. Duan.

But the others saw it clearly. From beginning to end, the man never even glanced at her and just stared at the chessboard intently.

Old Master Duan half leaned on the soft pillow and tried to cheer himself up. "Only the Fourth Prince can give this old minister some strength."

Xiao Yuan held Heizi's hand and raised his head, his stern face showing sincere concern. "If you can't hold on, lie down and rest for a while."

Old Man Duan shook his head. It was so hard for him to come here, it would be a shame if he didn't play a game of chess.

The two continued to focus on the chessboard on the table.

Seeing that Duan Mengmeng was still standing there with no intention of leaving, Duan Yingying walked up to her, pulled her sleeve, and said softly, "Third sister, it's getting late, we should go to the banquet."

Duan Mengmeng frowned, pulled back her sleeves without leaving a trace, and said to Xiao Yuan, "I guess the Fourth Prince will also go to the banquet in a while. Now that we have met him, how can we go first?"

“…”

Duan Yingying glanced at Xiao Yuan who was sitting still and felt that he didn't seem to have any intention of going with them.

She knew that her third sister was in love with the fourth prince, but she never thought that she would be so straightforward.

My face suddenly felt hot and I felt embarrassed.

How could Mr. Duan not understand his granddaughter's feelings?

He loved his granddaughter, but he was not someone who could not tell right from wrong. Since the Fourth Prince had clearly refused, he would never try to bring them together again. After all, marriage was something that could not be forced.

He put down the chess piece and looked at the handsome man opposite him. "If the Fourth Prince wants to attend the banquet, go now. I will keep the chess piece for you. We can continue another day."

Xiao Yuan only raised his head at this moment and glanced at the two girls on the side, "What party?"

Duan Mengmeng, "The plum blossom viewing banquet at the Second Prince's residence, Senior Brother, have you forgotten?"

Xiao Yuan frowned, retracted his gaze, and said in a cold tone, "I'm not going to the banquet. If the two girls want to go, just go out quickly and don't wait for me."

Duan Mengmeng was stunned.

He actually didn't go to the banquet at the Second Prince's Mansion?

"Well, since the Fourth Prince is not going, you should leave quickly." Old Master Duan said weakly to drive them away.

Duan Yingying responded and pulled Duan Mengmeng away.

As soon as he walked out of the courtyard, Duan Mengmeng pushed him away and asked, "Why are you pulling me?"

Duan Yingying's expression remained unchanged, still gentle and soft, and she spoke softly, "Since the Fourth Prince is not going, let's go quickly and not disturb Grandfather and the Fourth Prince's fun."

Her thoughts were dashed, and Duan Mengmeng's forced smile slowly faded.

However, there were servants from the Fourth Prince's Mansion guarding the door, so she tried her best to maintain her manners and not be rude and left the yard.

I thought I could go to the banquet with him, ride in the carriage of the Fourth Prince's Palace, and assert my sovereignty in front of those ladies.

With the pressure of public opinion, it will slowly become true, but I didn't expect that he would not go.

If she had to leave the house, she would go to her grandmother and mother and act like a spoiled child, asking her grandmother to talk to her grandfather. If her grandfather had not refused to help her, she might have already become the Fourth Prince's consort. After all, the Fourth Prince listened to her grandfather so much.

——

Along the way, Shen Anan dozed off in Madam Shen's arms until the carriage stopped in front of the Second Prince's Mansion.

“There will be many ladies and young ladies attending the banquet today. If you don’t want to deal with them, just follow me.” Mrs. Shen whispered before getting off the car.

Shen Anan rubbed her sleepy eyes and nodded in agreement.

For some reason, the nightmare that she hadn't had for a long time came again last night, disturbing her and making her unable to sleep well all night.

The nanny who was welcoming guests at the door saw Madam Shen and her daughter getting off the carriage, her old eyes flashed, and she immediately walked over quickly.

“Madam Shen, Miss Shen, you two are finally here. My princess has been waiting for a long time.”

Madam Shen responded politely, but she was a little puzzled.

She did not remember any friendship with the Second Prince's wife, and even the exchanges between the Shen Mansion and the Second Prince's Mansion were ordinary.

But they all moved around in this circle. Shen Wen was in a high position and had great power, and Madam Shen was an expert at socializing. She had a brief conversation with the nanny and followed her into the mansion.

The nanny took the two of them directly to the banquet hall. When they arrived, many noble ladies were already sitting in the room.

Madam Shen took Shen Anan forward and bowed to the young woman in the main seat.

The Second Prince's wife's eyes fell on Shen Anan's beautiful little face. She paused, quickly concealed the emotions in her eyes, and said gently, "Madam Shen, Miss Shen is too polite. Please stand up."

Madam Shen smiled, took Shen Anan's hand and stood up, chatted with the Second Prince's wife for a few words, and then took her to sit aside.

The Second Prince's wife then withdrew her gaze from Shen Anan, holding the teacup and taking a sip, hiding the emotions in her eyes.

She tilted her head to glance at the nanny behind her. The nanny nodded slightly and retreated unnoticed.

"Princess, Miss Duan has arrived." The maid came in and reported in a low voice.

The Second Prince's wife's voice stagnated, and her expression immediately paled a little, "Well, please come in."

Soon, two girls from the Duan family came in one after another and knelt down to salute the Second Prince's wife at the top.

The Second Prince's wife fixed her eyes on Duan Mengmeng, and raised her thin lips, "Miss Third Duan is really pretty. She has become even more charming after not seeing her for a while."

This may seem like a compliment, but upon closer inspection it is actually not very respectful.

Good color is often used to describe prostitutes. Saying that a lady from a noble family is charming does have some profound meaning.

Everyone present was smart and knew what was going on, but they were speechless. They all turned their heads away and pretended not to hear.

Shen Anan looked at this scene and raised her eyebrows.

The Second Prince’s wife is not on good terms with Duan Mengmeng?

This is a good thing that is worth a smile.

Duan Mengmeng gritted her teeth, looking a little embarrassed, "Second Prince's wife, thank you for the compliment. I am not even one ten-thousandth as pretty as you."

She threw the embarrassment back lightly, and the Second Prince's wife's face turned gloomy for a moment.

All the noble ladies in the room raised their eyes and looked at Duan Mengmeng.

Shen Anan lowered her head and took a sip of tea. She had to admit that, apart from being a little conscienceless and scheming, Duan Mengmeng was indeed a smart person, and her talking skills were not bad.

The Second Prince's wife wanted to get angry, but she was afraid of losing her dignity in front of so many people. After all, she was the one who provoked first.

"Miss Duan San is quite good at talking. Please sit down."

She took the tea handed to her by the nanny, took a sip, concealed her embarrassment, and changed the subject.

Duan Mengmeng naturally wouldn't let it go, after all, she was standing on someone else's territory.

Duan Yingying frowned and pulled Duan Mengmeng to sit aside with an embarrassed look on her face.

Just as Shen Anan was about to look away, she received Duan Yingying's friendly smile, and she smiled back.

Retracting her gaze, she involuntarily began to look for the figure of the girl from the Lin family. She thought that the Lin family would come to the banquet at the Second Prince's Mansion.

"What are you looking at?" Mrs. Shen asked her in a low voice.

"Let me see if my future sister-in-law is here today." Shen Anan retracted her gaze and said with a faint smile.

Madam Shen glared at her, glanced around the crowd, and said, "I guess they haven't arrived yet."

"Um."

Before he finished speaking, a little maid led a lady and a girl in. They were Mrs. Lin and the Lin family's girl, Lin Yurou.

The two of them first bowed to the Second Prince's wife, and after standing up, Madam Lin took her daughter and sat directly next to Madam Shen.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries and began to talk about marriage.

Lin Yurou blushed and nodded to Shen Anan, who pursed her lips in return.

"Tomorrow, the marriage will be settled." Mrs. Shen looked at Lin Yurou and was happy no matter how she looked at her.

Mrs. Lin held her daughter's hand, smiled and nodded, "This child has been spoiled by me since she was young. If there is anything wrong with her in the future, I hope Mrs. Shen will forgive her and don't be angry with her."

"Of course." Madam Shen said kindly, "Once you enter the house, Yu Rou will be my biological daughter, just like An An."

Regardless of whether it was true or false, Mrs. Lin was very happy to hear this.

Shen Anan lowered her head and fiddled with the jade pendant on her waist, listening to the two people chatting back and forth.

Thinking that seven days have passed so quickly, tomorrow is the day when my eldest brother will propose marriage, but I haven't seen him yet.

At this time, a maid from the prince's mansion entered the banquet hall quietly and whispered something to the second prince's wife.

The Second Prince's wife's smiling face froze and visibly sank, and she stared at the maid with an indescribable cruel look.

But the maid was very brave and did not dodge, "Princess, this is what the Second Prince wanted."

She gritted her teeth, tightened her jaw, and finally squeezed out the word "OK" from between her teeth.

The maid then retreated without leaving a trace.

"It's really good." The Second Prince's wife lowered her eyes and held the teacup, speaking in a low voice with almost gritted teeth.

The nanny on the side also looked unhappy. She bent down and advised, "Princess, it's already like this. It doesn't matter if there is one more or one less. The most important thing is to maintain your status."

The Second Prince's wife's lips curled up with a hint of ridicule.

How could she not understand? Otherwise, she wouldn't have held the Plum Blossom Banquet as he wished. But she didn't want...

"He is not doing this for the greater good, it's clearly..."

She did not say the last words. When she looked up again, her eyes were gentle. After all, there were so many people around, and she still had to behave herself as a prince's consort.

"Princess, the little princess needs a brother, and you also need a prince by your side. In order to have a child, please do as the Second Prince wishes."

The Second Prince's wife had a smile on her face, but her hands, which were holding the handkerchief, were turning pale blue, and she was about to tear it apart.

"Okay, since he likes the Duan family's daughter so much, let him marry her back. I want to see if he will still miss her after a year or so."

The nanny breathed a sigh of relief, "The princess is smart, that's exactly the reason."

The Second Prince's wife sneered and said nothing more.

He was crazy about her when he married her, and now they have been married for seven years. I wonder how many women he has been unable to sleep at night because of. It is really ridiculous.

The ladies thought it was just an internal affair of the prince's mansion, and the second prince's wife concealed it very well, so they didn't care and continued chatting.

The Second Prince's wife restrained her expression and nodded to the nanny beside her.

Mammy came out immediately and said with a smile, "Half a year ago, the Emperor gave Second Prince a few pots of orchids from the Western Regions as tribute. They suddenly bloomed a few days ago. The species is rare, and I think the girls will like it. I will take you to have a look, please."

They were all young ladies who couldn't sit still. They stood up and agreed when they heard what was said. It didn't matter whether they saw the flowers or not, it was better to go out for a walk than to stay in the house.

Shen Anan didn’t really want to move, but Lin Yurou wanted to go.

Madam Shen winked at her and said, “An An, go for a walk with Miss Lin. You don’t have to stay in the house with us.”

Shen Anan glanced at the dignified and gentle Lin Yurou, and could only nod, then got up and followed.

I didn't know where the pots of orchids that the nanny mentioned were. I followed her around the corridor several times but couldn't find them.

There were many girls who came out to relieve boredom, but now they all went somewhere else in groups of three or four, and there were only a few left following the nanny.

"Or maybe we shouldn't go there at all. It's too far." It was really inappropriate to wander around in someone else's house like that.

Lin Yurou said softly to Shen Anan.

Shen Anan was just wishing for it, and nodded immediately. The two of them went down the steps at the next intersection and walked towards a bluestone path. At the end of the bluestone path was a pavilion.

When the nanny saw the two of them leaving, she narrowed her eyes, stopped, and said with a gentle smile, "Miss Chen, Miss Lin, we are just ahead. Aren't you two going?"

"No, my feet hurt a little, I want to sit down and rest." Shen Anan replied with a faint smile.

The nanny nodded, glanced towards the pavilion, bowed, and left with the girls.

Shen Anan and Lin Yurou were not very familiar with each other, so the atmosphere was a little silent when they were together.

But as Mrs. Shen said, Lin Yurou is a very gentle woman, full of bookish air. Even if she doesn't speak, it makes people feel particularly relaxed and happy when they are with her.