This godfather is really reliable and generous!

Lin Wanyue thought to herself with delight.

"That guy is cunning. Every shop on Jinbao Street belongs to him. He could easily clear out one room in such a big place and it would be enough for our family to do business. They are all big and powerful, so there's no need to be polite! At most, it's like robbing the rich to help the poor." The Lin family members all felt that they had made a great deal. At first, they were a little embarrassed, but they listened to Laifu's nonchalant words.

That makes a lot of sense. Although the Lin family was somewhat hesitant, they continued to discuss doing business.

Unexpectedly, at noon the next day, an unfamiliar eunuch led two junior eunuchs to deliver an official robe and seal to Lin Weiming.

It turns out that Qi Sichen was extremely efficient. He not only successfully granted Lin Wanyue the title of princess, but also the kind with a fiefdom, and she made a lot of money every year. He also managed to get the title of princess's father, Lin Weiming, granted at the same time.

However, Lin Weiming's treatment was not as good as Lin Wanyue's. Apart from having a nominal title, he received some salary every year, but he could forget about any fiefdoms or cities.

Perhaps because Lin Wanyue's status as a princess was too high, or perhaps because those ministers had indeed been dealt with badly, few people still remembered Lin Weiming, the nominal Marquis of Ning'an.

Lin Weiming was also pleasantly surprised. He never expected that just a moment ago he was thinking about how to earn more silver, and now he had suddenly become an official, the kind who had to attend court.

It's kind of funny to think about it.

Lin Zhongyuan quietly reminded his father, "Father, you must never speak ill of the Regent again."

"Nonsense! That's my best brother, how could I say bad things about him?" Lin Weiming put on the loose robe himself, raising his chin with great pride.

The family always felt that he was missing a tail, otherwise he would be soaring into the sky.

Lin Weiming didn't care about this, after all, his cutest and most understanding little daughter was clapping her hands and praising him for being handsome.

Although... he didn't know what "handsome" meant, it was clearly saying that he was good-looking!

Lin Wanyue truly felt this way. Lin Weiming was tall and, although he had always worked outside and his skin wasn't very fair, he had handsome features and often had a hint of a smile in his eyes, which gave him a charming and romantic air.

The Lin family was overjoyed. They happily found a large restaurant on Jinbao Street and ordered a medium-sized meal.

The prices of banquets in the capital are much higher than in their county. Even a mid-range banquet costs thirty-eight taels of silver.

Lin Weiming felt a toothache when he heard this, but since everyone was already out there and a group of children were staring at him expectantly, he could only nod stiffly.

They ate until evening. This time, Lin Weiming didn't dare take the children out for a stroll, fearing that the expenses in the capital were too high. After finishing the meal, he quickly took the children back to sleep. The reason he used was just right: he was afraid that if they slept too late, they wouldn't grow tall.

Upon hearing this, all five children in the Lin family were afraid of becoming short, and even Lin Wanyue went to bed early.

However, in the palace, which wasn't too far from them, few people were in such a good mood to go to sleep early.

...

Although the concubines in Chunqiu Pavilion were not old, their minds were already aging. They often couldn't sleep through the night and liked to get together and chat about gossip.

The imperial concubines had discussed the matter of the new princess of the Great Yan Dynasty several times, yet they still found it quite novel. When they spoke of it, they would always intersperse some old stories, which made it not so boring.

However, Consort Liu, who had been sitting at the very edge eating two plates of spiced melon seeds, a plate of garlic peanuts, and a pot of jasmine-scented water, yawned and started to leave on her own.

"Oh, Sister Liu, why are you leaving so early?" Consort Liu looked up and called out to her, "We haven't finished these snacks yet! And this dried meat, Sister Liu, won't you have a few more bites?"

Consort Liu flicked her sleeves and said, "No need, this isn't good. We should wait a few days and have someone from outside send some in; that will taste much better. You two chat, I'll head back now."

The others said a few more words, and after she left, they craned their necks even further and gathered together, chirping softly.

"This Consort Liu is always like this. When she comes here, all she cares about is eating and drinking. I don't know if it's to save money! But if it's to save money, she won't even say a few more words. She's so lifeless every day, and we're all affected by her."

This Consort Liu's maiden name was Liu Shuhua. Her father was a low-ranking civil official. Apart from her refined and elegant demeanor, she was not particularly outstanding in appearance or family background.

Later, it was as if her ancestors' graves were emitting auspicious smoke; among so many women in the harem, she was incredibly lucky and had a child.

However, that little prince was short-lived, inheriting Liu Shuhua's constitution, and died of illness before he was five years old.

Since then, Liu Shuhua seemed like a different person. Aside from eating and drinking, she always seemed rather gloomy. Sometimes, when she heard a group of her friends gossiping, she would suddenly let out a cold laugh, no one knew what she had heard. When others asked her, she wouldn't answer, and it was quite unsettling to listen to.

However, these palace concubines, having nothing to do all day and being quite observant, discovered that Liu Shuhua's favorite food and drink was the same kind of snacks that the little prince had liked before he died.

For a time, the imperial concubines in the palace felt both pity and hatred for her, and they tolerated her lifeless appearance among them.

But as time went on, people got tired of what they were supposed to get and complained about what they were supposed to complain about.

But now that they are all in Chunqiu Pavilion, it's not much different from being under house arrest. They've lost the fighting spirit they used to have and can live peacefully now.

"It's getting late, you should all go back soon, so the palace maids won't worry about you." Just as they were talking about how annoying Liu Shuhua was, Consort Xiao, the oldest and highest-ranking among the group of imperial concubines, suddenly spoke up.

The imperial concubines were gathered together, chatting animatedly, when they were suddenly interrupted and all turned to look at Consort Xiao.

Empress Dowager Xiao still wore a smile, but her eyes brooked no refusal.

Consort Xiao Yuehan was an old servant who had followed the late emperor and had managed them for many years in place of the empress. Once she spoke, no one else dared to say anything more.

"Oh..." Although they were a little curious, they still got up one by one to say goodbye.

The Chunqiu Pavilion is quite large, and each imperial concubine is treated well, living in her own small courtyard and being accompanied by maids and eunuchs according to her original rank.