The flower-viewing party came to a lively and successful conclusion.
Then, Madam Liu asked Rou Niang suggestively, "Today, the ladies from various families have come. I'm sure all the ladies who have a bit of a reputation on camera are here today. Some have brought their children, and some have come alone. Do you have any deep impressions of them? Tell me about them."
Rou Niang shook her head and said, "There were too many people, so I didn't remember them carefully. If I had to say what impression I had, I would only have a vague impression of Madam Feng."
She was telling the truth. After exchanging greetings, it was indeed difficult to tell who was who, and everyone behaved politely and appropriately, without trying to impress anyone. Therefore, she didn't have a strong impression of them. However, she did have a slight recollection of Madam Feng having Feng Shi play with her daughter, Yu Rong.
Listening to Rou Niang's words, Old Madam Liu nodded secretly, understanding Madam Feng's general meaning. According to the information gathered by the servants, although Feng Shi wasn't particularly distinguished, they were considered upper-middle class. Feng Shi was clever and quick-witted, and although a bit mischievous, so far nothing too outrageous had been reported.
So Madam Liu asked Rou Niang, "Rou Niang, look, Yu Rong is almost of marriageable age. When daughters of our capital families reach Yu Rong's age, they start looking for suitable partners and then prepare their dowry for two or three years. After the wedding ceremony when the daughter turns 16, they can be arranged to get married!"
When Old Madam Liu saw Rou Niang's expression, Rou Niang was taken aback. She really hadn't expected that she had always treated her daughter like a little girl, but in the blink of an eye, Yu Rong was already 13 years old.
Rou Niang nodded and said, "Thank you for reminding me, Grandmother. I didn't realize that the flower-viewing banquet had this meaning."
Seeing that Rou Niang had realized what was going on, Old Madam Liu asked, "Then what do you think of that young master of the Feng family?"
Liu Rou Niang suddenly realized why Madam Feng was more enthusiastic than the other ladies and young women, chatting with her about this and that; she probably had this intention in mind!
She smiled awkwardly and said, "Grandmother, I didn't look closely, but she looks alright."
Madam Liu said with a smile, "There's no rush. Let's get to know each other slowly. If you have any questions, just ask your aunt. Zhou Shi is the most reliable person you can trust."
Rou Niang nodded twice. She could see that her eldest aunt indeed had the demeanor of a matriarch, arranging everything properly. Her younger aunt, on the other hand, had a cheerful personality, but like herself, she wasn't very good at these things.
But her aunt and she are different in some ways.
My aunt was not only a woman in the inner quarters, but also a female general with an official title, so she usually went to the military camp.
This alone made Liu Rou Niang very envious. She never knew that a woman could support herself by her own strength without relying on her husband's family or her own family. Of course, she didn't know how hard it was for this female general to come to be!
Putting aside the hardships she endured from learning martial arts since childhood, even so, the dietary restrictions imposed on women made it difficult for her to go to the battlefield. Because her Wu family was a family of military generals, she disguised herself as a man and went to the army. In the early days of the chaotic world, she helped the new emperor conquer the country and made meritorious contributions. That's why she was promoted to female general. There were probably only three like her in the whole country.
The next morning, just after they had finished breakfast, a servant announced that an imperial edict had arrived and that everyone should go to the front hall to receive it!
Everyone was shocked to hear this, never expecting that it would alarm the Emperor.
Everyone quickly tidied themselves up and knelt down to receive the imperial decree.
The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict was pale-faced and beardless. He spoke in a soft, high-pitched voice, using a lot of literary language that Rou Niang couldn't quite understand. But the general idea was that she was summoned to the palace to meet the emperor, which surprised everyone, including Liu Rou Niang herself.
Liu Zhong hurriedly handed a bag of silver to the eunuch, who was probably used to receiving such silver. With a flick of his wrist, the bag of silver disappeared into his sleeve. Only then did Liu Zhong ask, "I would like to ask you, sir, why was my niece chosen to enter the palace? She came to the capital and has no connection with His Majesty whatsoever."
I smiled and said to the eunuch, "Congratulations, General Liu! There's good news. You can go to the palace without worry."
After saying that, the eunuch left without saying anything more.
That's like saying nothing at all!
Liu Rou Niang secretly felt a pang of heartache over the bag of silver, but Old Madam Liu and the others all breathed a sigh of relief!
Judging from the eunuch's tone, it's probably not a bad thing, which is good. They paid money simply to find out whether it's good or bad, since the eunuch wouldn't say the specifics, otherwise it would really break the rules!
However, Liu Rou Niang was also curious, as she had only heard of eunuchs before, and this was the first time she had ever seen one.
Before entering the palace, Madam Liu hurriedly ordered people to prepare Liu Rou Niang. Rou Niang thought that changing her clothes would be enough, but she did not expect that she would have to take a quick bath and change clothes again before taking a carriage to the palace gate.
The carriage was not allowed to enter the palace, so it could only be taken here, and Rou Niang went in by herself.
When Consort Rou got off the carriage, she discovered that the eunuch who led her inside was the same one who had announced the imperial decree that morning. It seemed that the bag of silver had been useful!
The eunuch led Liu Rou Niang inside. The bag of silver had indeed been well spent; along the way, the eunuch would point out things and explain them to Liu Rou Niang in detail. He would explain everything, from where they were going to what needed to be noted.
After winding and turning, Liu Rou Niang kept her head down, not daring to look around. She felt that the bluestone slabs under her feet were exceptionally smooth and clean, and the carved dragons and painted beams around her were also beautiful to look at. She dared not look at anything further away. Finally, she arrived at the Imperial Study.
Then someone led Liu Rou Niang inside, where the emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat at the head of the table. He looked solemn and majestic, yet upon closer inspection, he seemed somewhat familiar.
But Liu Rou Niang didn't dare to think too much, nor did she have time to. She only glanced at it hastily before bowing her head in a panic.
"Your humble servant Liu Rou Niang greets Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
At this moment, Liu Rou Niang kept all of Old Madam Liu's instructions firmly in mind. It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous. This was the first time she had ever met the Emperor, how could she not be nervous!
"Get up!"
The voice was also powerful and resonant.
Liu Rou Niang quickly stood up, and then heard the emperor say, "Liu Rou Niang, you must have had a long journey!"
Liu Rou Niang was completely confused and at a loss.
The emperor then said leisurely, "I thank you for raising Xiaoshan. I will grant you one wish. Tell me what you want, and I will fulfill it without fail!"
Liu Rou Niang was taken aback and quickly looked up. Forgetting all manners, she blurted out, "What is your relationship with Xiao Shan?"
The emperor laughed heartily: "Mo Xiaoshan is indeed my son, my only one."
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