After the confinement period, Qi Yuning started to get busy. She had to pick up the tasks that she had neglected before. Fortunately, Lingling was not too clingy during the full moon period.
However, Qi Yuning would work for an hour and then stare at Lingling for half an hour, fearing that Lingling would forget about her. Lingling was getting bigger day by day, and from only being able to be held horizontally to being able to be held upright occasionally.
In the twelfth lunar month, when Lingling was three months old, she could smile even more. It seemed that Lingling loved to laugh very much. She would smile at whoever held her. She was very cute.
Although there are no banquets nowadays and the weather is still very cold, Princess Pingrou loves to take Lingling out to visit relatives, especially to visit the homes of her younger sisters.
Lingling seemed to have gotten used to going out and was unhappy staying at home. She was very happy when she saw Princess Pingrou.
Princess Pingrou was extremely happy holding such a big granddaughter.
Princess Pingrou was busy taking care of Lingling, so Qi Yuning had to take over the burden of Lu Yun's marriage and arrange the weddings for her ex-fiancé and ex-cousin. Qi Yuning thought about it and felt that the world was playing tricks on her.
After all, how could she have thought two years ago that she would be able to calmly arrange Lu Yun's marriage?
When Lu Ze entered, he saw Qi Yuning holding a shopping list for a wedding and asked, "Why are you in charge of Lu Yun's wedding? Where's his mother?"
Qi Yuning said, "Dad and Mom have been taking Lingling out a lot these days. I see that Lingling likes to go out and doesn't like to stay at home, so I'm here to help Mom arrange the marriage for the little bald donkey."
After Lu Ze pulled Qi Yuning into his arms and sat down, he said, "What Queen Mother Zhou and the Grand Queen Mother meant is that even if we observe national mourning on the Little New Year's Eve, we want the people of Shengjing to have a good and lively New Year."
Qi Yuning said: "That's good. Shengjing City is indeed not very lively this year. It's just right to have a good time during the Chinese New Year."
Lu Ze said, "The 26th day of the twelfth lunar month is a good day. Why don't we hold a hundred-day banquet for Lingling on that day?"
Qi Yuning said: "Since you have chosen a date, give me a list of the people you want to invite, and consult with my parents. It's time to send out the invitations."
Lu Ze said: "Important officials in the court and their families are invited."
"So you will also invite the Zhou family?" Qi Yuning looked at Lu Ze and said, "I don't want Zhou Jiayun to come to my Lingling's 100-day banquet."
Lu Ze said: "Even if we don't invite the Zhou family, can we not invite Queen Mother Zhou? If Queen Mother Zhou comes, Zhou Jiayun will definitely come."
Qi Yuning frowned slightly. Lingling's hundred-day banquet had to be a grand one, but Qi Yuning was somewhat unhappy about Zhou Jiayun, a woman whose desire to be Lingling's stepmother was written all over her face, coming to Lingling's hundred-day banquet.
Qi Yuning got up from Lu Ze's arms and said, "Before Ling Ling's Hundred Days Banquet, you have to make the Zhou family give up the idea of marrying their daughter to you!"
Lu Ze said, "If the Zhou family didn't say it clearly, how can I stop them? If the Zhou family says they didn't have such an intention, wouldn't I be rude and presumptuous to Miss Zhou? I would really ruin her reputation and I would have to take responsibility."
Qi Yuning looked at Lu Ze and said, "Lu Ze, do you also want to take Miss Zhou as your concubine?"
Lu Ze said helplessly: "How is it possible? There were many guests that day, and Zhou Jiayun alone was not worth your attention."
Qi Yuning said: "It's because I have a good temper now. If it was before, I would not even give Queen Mother Zhou face!"
Lu Ze hugged Qi Yuning again. He knew that Qi Yuning was not in a good mood, she was just worried about his reputation.
Lu Ze leaned close to Qi Yuning's ear and said, "I'm sorry, you were free and unrestrained before you married me, but now you have to take these things into consideration after you marry me."
Qi Yuning raised her eyes to look at Lu Ze and said, "It's good that you know it!"
Lu Ze chuckled, picked up Qi Yuning, walked to the bed, lowered the curtain and said, "Then I will serve Princess Qi well."
Seeing the bright sky outside, Qi Yuning pushed Lu Ze and said, "You are crazy! Mother will be back with Lingling anytime!"
Lu Ze said: "The maid is guarding outside!"
Qi Yuning: “…”
In the afternoon, it was freezing cold outside, but Qi Yuning in the tent was sweating lightly. Even though Lu Ze, who had been a vegetarian for more than half a year, tried to control himself, Qi Yuning still felt overwhelmed.
It was getting dark outside. Qi Yuning looked at Lu Ze complainingly and said, "I don't know who is serving whom!"
Lu Ze chuckled, took some clean clothes and put them on Qi Yuning, saying, "Get up and have dinner. Lingling must have come back."
Xiao Lingling was not afraid of the cold. Even when her grandmother carried her out and her face turned red from the cold, she was still very happy.
When Qi Yuning held little Lingling in his arms, he took out the jade skin cream and applied it on her red little face. Lingling looked at Qi Yuning and smiled faintly.
With such a sweet child, Qi Yuning felt that everything was worth it.
Her temper now is not as reckless as before, not only for Lu Ze, but also because of the bond with Lingling.
Lu Ze reached out and touched Lingling's red face and said, "It's better to let the mother carry Lingling out. Her face is red from the cold."
"Lingling is also a person who can't stay still. She will definitely be very happy to see so many outsiders during her Hundred Days Banquet, right, Lingling?"
Xiao Lingling's eyes were filled with smiles.
Qi Yuning looked at Xiao Lingling and said, "I don't know when I can hear you call me mother again."
…
Lingling’s hundred-day banquet was the grandest banquet in Shengjing City after the national mourning period.
Early in the morning, Princess Pingrou prepared a large table of offerings to the Bodhisattva, praying that the Bodhisattva would bless Lingling with a long life.
After the hour of Chen, guests began to arrive one after another.
The Zhou family mother and daughter arrived very early. It was the first time for Mrs. Zhou to come to the princess's mansion. Seeing the huge princess's mansion, she said to Zhou Jiayun, "I didn't expect that this princess's mansion is more luxurious than the palace."
Zhou Jiayun said, "I heard that this princess mansion was built by the late emperor with the best craftsmen when Princess Pingrou was just born, and it was still under construction even after Princess Pingrou came of age and got married."
Madam Zhou asked, "Wasn't it built after Princess Pingrou was betrothed to Duke Lu?"
Zhou Jiayun shook her head and said, "Princess Pingrou's Mansion was built first, and Duke Lu's Mansion was built later. At the beginning, His Majesty awarded the best location in Shengjing City to his eldest daughter, Princess Pingrou, and Prince Qi of Qiyang."
Madam Zhou looked at the luxury of Princess Pingrou's mansion with envy. She reached out and held Zhou Jiayun's hand:
"Princess Pingrou's family is really wealthy. It's rare for a girl's family to hold such a grand hundred-day banquet. This hundred-day banquet is more grand than the hundred-day banquets of the eldest sons of other official families."
Zhou Jiayun looked at the crowded room with guests. From afar, she saw Lu Ze and Qi Yuning standing together to entertain the guests. She felt sad and envious.
Madam Zhou said, "Fortunately, it's another daughter. When you marry into the princess's mansion, you can bear a son for Lu Ze. There may be a chance that you will surpass Princess Qi in the future."
When Zhou Jiayun saw someone coming over, she said to Madam Zhou, "Mom, please stop talking."
Madam Zhou was silent. When she saw that the person coming was the old lady of the Lu family, she and Zhou Jiayun stepped forward and said, "Old lady."
Madam Lu saw the two people in front of her and said, "You two look unfamiliar. Which family are you from?"
Madam Zhou smiled and said, "We just came to Beijing from Jiangnan not long ago. The old lady may not recognize us. My husband is the elder brother of the Empress Dowager."
"So you're the wife of the emperor's uncle. I'm so sorry." Madam Lu looked at Zhou Jiayun beside her, her eyes brightened and she said, "There are so few girls as pretty as you in the capital. Are you engaged?"
Madam Zhou said, "No, she is sixteen years old now, and she is worried about her marriage. My daughter's appearance is not something I boast about, it is the most outstanding in the world, so naturally I want to find her a most outstanding husband."
"It's a pity that my Ze'er is married." Old Madam Lu sighed, "Otherwise, your daughter would be a better match for Ze'er than Qi Yuning!"
When Second Madam Lu, who was supporting Old Madam Lu, heard this, she wished she didn't know her mother-in-law. Today was the wedding day of Lu Ze and Princess Qi, and Old Madam Lu said this without giving Princess Qi any face at all.
Mrs. Lu also didn't understand. What was this old lady trying to do at such an old age?
He was not afraid that the Zhou family would get angry, because after all, the Zhou family was the little emperor's maternal family.
Madam Zhou smiled and said, "After searching all over the capital, it is true that only the Prince Regent can match my Jiayun."
Madam Lu II looked at the smiling Madam Zhou and thought to herself that Madam Zhou was even more confused than Madam Lu. (End of this chapter)
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