Chapter 141 Family Reunion Banquet
"Okay, I promise you."
He had said everything he needed to say, so he had no choice but to agree.
"Then it's settled."
Back at the shop, she formally introduced Ji Xian to them, and then took him home to have the housekeeper arrange accommodation for him.
Suddenly, Butler Luo said, "Miss, someone from the Prince of Ying's mansion has arrived."
She was somewhat surprised: "Weren't you supposed to come tomorrow? Why are you here earlier?"
"Where is he/she?"
"In the front hall."
Tao Tao nodded: "Okay, I understand. You take him to find a room to stay in first."
She entered the front hall and noticed that the figure standing in the center looked somewhat familiar. Surprised, she exclaimed, "Murong Yan?"
The boy in the pine-yellow robe turned to look at her. Hearing her address, he said jokingly, "I'm your brother, how dare you call me by my first name?"
She ignored his words; everyone knew it was all an act.
"What's up?"
At this moment, someone slowly stepped forward and respectfully said, "Miss, my surname is Wu, and I am a tutor from the palace."
The daughter of a prince should rightfully be called a county princess, but she is only an adopted daughter. She needs the emperor's recognition and an imperial decree to officially confer upon her the title of county princess before the servants can address her in that way.
She nodded: "Granny Wu."
“My brother, the Crown Prince, was worried that you wouldn’t learn the etiquette of nobles, so he specially brought him here a day in advance to avoid you embarrassing yourself in public.”
"If that's the case, then I must thank you, brother."
Tao Tao's attitude was somewhat indifferent; she showed neither flattery nor apprehension about what was to come.
Murong Yan was not dissatisfied with this; on the contrary, he felt that she was just like the one he had seen at Chunzhu Tower that day.
"Would you like to stay at the mansion, Granny Wu? I'm afraid you won't be used to it."
Granny Wu naturally understood, and said with a faint smile, "I will go back when it gets dark, so as not to cause trouble for Miss."
Tao Tao nodded thoughtfully, then said, "When does it start? I'm free this afternoon."
"Time is of the essence, so the faster the better."
"Understood, let's begin now."
From the way one walks, to the posture of bowing, and how to serve tea and water to elders, Granny Wu first explained each one verbally.
During this time, Murong Yan sat to the side watching, seemingly finding it very interesting, his gaze always fixed on Tao Tao.
She turned her head to look once, then continued studying on her own, without feeling uncomfortable at all.
On the contrary, he can look if he wants; it won't hurt him, as long as he doesn't bother her.
Granny Wu, being from the palace, was strict in her teaching and paid particular attention to details. Just one etiquette lesson left her drenched in sweat.
Seeing this, Xixin hurriedly stepped forward and handed Tao Tao a handkerchief to wipe her sweat, but just as she was about to take it, another handkerchief appeared in her eyes, this one was made of silk.
She frowned and looked up. Murong Yan smiled at her, raised his chin, and gestured for her to get a handkerchief.
She ignored him, took Xixin's handkerchief, and went over to drink water.
He turned to look at her back, his eyes flashing with an unusual light, and he clenched the handkerchief in his hand.
They left as dusk fell.
"Boss, this sworn brother seems to treat you quite well. He doesn't look down on ordinary people and merchants like royalty does."
"Yes, but he just doesn't make it so obvious."
He's the heir apparent, how could he not have it? It's just a matter of which is obvious to some and which isn't.
Prince Ying must have something to ask of Duan Gan, otherwise he wouldn't have taken her, a merchant, as his goddaughter. Wouldn't that be lowering his status? If others found out, he would be ridiculed.
What she was worried about was whether she would have to live in the Prince of Ying's mansion after becoming his adopted daughter. She thought it was just a formality, but probably not.
A day and a half later, on the morning of the family reunion banquet, the Prince Ying's mansion sent maids and nannies to help with dressing and grooming.
Dressed in a magnificent gown and adorned with exquisite and precious hairpins and jewelry, she boarded the sedan chair bound for the Prince of Ying's residence, and Tao's mother followed her in.
The person who came to pick her up was still Murong Yan; he had come every day for the past three days.
Murong Yan looked at the girl in front of him with peach blossom makeup, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes. Her face was fair and her waist was slender. The coldness between her brows and eyes made her even more elegant and dignified than her legitimate half-sisters from Yingzhou.
If she hadn't told anyone, who would have known she came from humble beginnings?
After about 15 minutes, the sedan chair stopped in front of the Prince Ying's mansion.
Even before you go inside, you can hear the noise coming from inside; it sounds like there are quite a few people.
Tao Tao frowned slightly, thinking to herself, was it really necessary to invite so many people? It was just a family reunion banquet, and she was even an adopted daughter. This was going too far.
As she prepared to serve tea, she suddenly felt an intense gaze fixed on her from her left.
She turned her head and saw Duan Gan surrounded by a crowd.
He lazily crossed his legs, completely ignoring the fawning and flattery from those around him, staring intently at her with a smile playing on his lips.
She withdrew her gaze and, at Wu Mama's prompting, knelt on the ground to offer tea: "Godfather, please have some tea."
Murong Huaishi took the tea, sipped it, and said with a smile, "Good, good, from now on, Xiao Tao will be a young lady in my Yingjun Prince's Mansion."
"Congratulations to the Prince of Ying on the birth of his goddaughter..."
Congratulations!
She moved to the side, listening to their laughter and chatter, acting as if she weren't the main character of the day.
But in her view, the protagonist today was not her, but the man in front of her.
"Little sister, let me take you to see the Prince's mansion."
Murong Yan pushed through the crowd, reached out and grabbed her wrist. Tao Tao was caught off guard and was pulled away from the crowd by him.
The intense gaze behind him instantly turned icy, and the smile on his face vanished, his fingers quietly tightening around the teacup.
At this moment, Prince Ying stepped forward, about to speak, but suddenly felt the oppressive aura emanating from him, and his words choked in his throat.
Upon hearing his son's name, he turned and looked around, only to find that Murong Yan had vanished without a trace, along with Tao Tao.
"Summon Tao Tao to the Privy Council to see me."
Duan Gan left those words behind and strode straight outside.
"Uh, this..."
Murong Huai Shi was completely bewildered, having no idea what had happened.
We had no choice but to do as he said and send someone to find the two people as soon as possible.
On the other side, Murong Yan led Tao Tao away from the noise in the front hall. When she saw that the person in front of her showed no sign of stopping, she forcefully shook off his hand.
"I don't live here, so there's no need for me to get acquainted with you. Goodbye."
After saying that, she turned and left before he could react.
"Little sister, I only took you away because I saw that you disliked the atmosphere in the front hall. You didn't even say thank you, and you're still acting like this?"
He stood there, muttering something to himself.
Upon hearing this, Tao Tao immediately stopped in her tracks, blinked her eyelashes, turned around and smiled, "Thank you, sworn brother. I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."
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