Several months later, when she reappeared before Old Madam Liu, her speech, mannerisms, and so on were enough to fool outsiders.
She now possesses the bearing and demeanor expected of a royal princess, no longer the air of someone newly arrived in the capital. Her imposing presence can even scare away some unsuspecting people.
Madam Liu was generally satisfied, since Rou Niang's methods for managing the princess's residence were learned from Madam Liu.
Mo Bei visited the princess's residence every day. Although Rou Niang had specifically learned a lot of etiquette and knew to avoid suspicion, Liu Rou Niang would never compromise on this point.
Of course, thanks to Mo Bei's efforts, she received a marriage decree from the emperor.
However, some people at the Liu family residence said they needed to properly prepare the dowry, so the wedding date was postponed to next year, leaving Mo Bei speechless.
Liu Rou Niang herself was not in a hurry. With the imperial decree bestowing the marriage upon her, Mo Beilai's marriage to Princess Mo was even more legitimate. The three children still called him "Father" in private, but in public they addressed him as General Mo in a proper manner.
That day, Mingyue handed an invitation to Liu Rouniang. Rouniang was very curious about the exquisite invitation and opened it. It was written in a literary style, but the general meaning was understandable. It was that the Wang family was holding a banquet and they had invited her to attend.
Rou Niang thought about it, and aside from the flower-viewing banquet that Old Madam Liu hosted for her since she came to the capital, she hadn't had any other contact with the noble ladies of the capital.
"Mingyue, do you think I should go to this banquet?"
Mingyue said, "As a princess of the royal family, she can certainly go. They've already sent an invitation. It would be great if she could go and see the princess, especially since there are some special members of the royal family there."
"The Wang family?" Rou Niang didn't understand what was so special about the Wang family.
So Mingyue explained in detail: "The Wang family is the maternal family of the late Empress, the birth mother of the Crown Prince."
“I see,” Rou Niang then asked, “Will the Crown Prince attend this banquet?”
Mingyue nodded: "I'm sure he will. After all, it's the Crown Prince's maternal grandmother's 80th birthday, so he'll definitely show up."
Liu Rou Niang nodded, then asked after thinking for a moment, "What kind of gift would be suitable to go with this?"
Mingyue gave Consort Liu a general idea of the gift-giving guidelines for the banquet. Consort Liu prepared the gifts according to Mingyue's guidelines, intending to take the children with her, since it was the Crown Prince's maternal family and they wanted to get to know them properly.
It was originally the matriarch of the Wang family's birthday celebration, a day of great festivities with many noble ladies in attendance. Rou Niang, being of a special status, was the center of attention, with all the ladies bowing and paying their respects to her. Many were somewhat disappointed, however, as when they first met, although she was said to be a lost treasure found by the Liu family, her relatively low social standing had led many to adopt a wait-and-see attitude.
If he had known he would become a princess so soon, he should have gotten to know her better that day. Now, his interactions with her have given rise to gossip, and he is suspected of currying favor with the powerful.
Liu Rou Niang met the matriarch of the Wang family and presented her birthday gifts. After exchanging some polite official pleasantries, the three maids became restless and were invited by the Wang family's peers to the pavilion for tea. In reality, they were just playing some games of the young ladies with the noble ladies.
Yu Jin was somewhat absent-minded. Her mother said that her brother, the Crown Prince, would be arriving soon, and she was starting to miss Mo Xiaojin.
Yu Yan was having a great time. After all, she never lost any game, whether it was a sport or a game, so she was naturally having a great time.
The young lady who lost pouted unhappily and said, "How about we play a poetry contest instead?"
Yu Yan frowned, but with the help of Yu Rong and Yu Jin, she managed to get by.
Just then someone shouted, "The Crown Prince has arrived!"
When they finally meet His Highness the Crown Prince, although everyone is still young, if they have known each other since childhood, their bond will be even stronger. All the young men and women of marriageable age will want to get closer to him. If they catch the Crown Prince's eye, it will be a childhood sweetheart relationship, won't it?
When Liu Rou Niang saw the Crown Prince, her eyes were full of heartache. The child had lost a lot of weight and had also grown a bit. She was afraid he hadn't been eating properly in the palace.
"This old man greets Your Highness the Crown Prince." Old Madam Wang and the rest of the Wang family were about to rise to greet him. No matter how senior she was, since ancient times, the relationship between ruler and subject came first, and then seniority was discussed.
The Crown Prince quickly stepped forward to help her up, saying, "Grandmother, you're too kind of me."
These words, "maternal grandmother," brought tears to Old Madam Wang's eyes. She was relieved to know that the Crown Prince had recognized their Wang family.
After all, since the emperor ascended the throne and the crown prince returned to the capital, neither of them had any private dealings with the Wang family. The Wang family's hearts sank. In retrospect, it was also because the Wang family itself was not up to par. The only person in the family who could support the family, the patriarch, was really not very capable.
Old Madam Wang had two daughters and one son. Her eldest daughter was the late Empress. Her younger daughter was also of marriageable age, but the war had delayed her marriage. The Wang family then wanted their daughter to enter the palace as a concubine, since their daughter had taken better care of their nephew than others.
Now that the Crown Prince has arrived, Old Madam Wang is even more eager to have her daughter, Wang Yaofu, spend more time with her grandson so that they can develop a bond.
"Yafu, come here. This is your sister's child, Your Highness. This is the late Empress's younger sister. She was very close to the Empress when they were young."
The Crown Prince was moved by the mention of the late Empress by Old Madam Wang. Looking at Wang Yaofu's dignified appearance, he thought that his mother, whom he had never met, might look similar to this aunt, dignified and gentle.
Old Madam Wang originally thought that the Crown Prince would have feelings of affection for Wang Yaofu, since he lost his mother at a young age and would transfer his affections to his youngest daughter.
However, her plan failed. After some polite exchanges, the Crown Prince continued to spend more time with Liu Rou Niang.
The two chatted happily, while Wang Yaofu stood there helplessly, twisting her handkerchief in resentment. The slight sense of unfamiliar affection she had felt for the Crown Prince vanished at that moment.
She only thought that if she entered the palace and gave birth to a son, she would kick the crown prince aside.
"Crown Prince Brother".
Liu Yujin ran over.
Seeing that Yu Jin looked better and fuller, the Crown Prince was relieved. He also noticed that his other two elder sisters were in good spirits, concluding that they must have had a peaceful day.
The four of them gathered together and talked a lot about things that had happened since they parted ways. It was difficult for outsiders to get a word in edgewise, but they were quite clever and thought about how they could get in touch with the three group leaders in the future and perhaps even curry favor with them.
Those who aren't clever shouldn't even think about interfering, but since their status is inferior to the Crown Prince's, they don't dare to actually rush out. They can only worry helplessly.
Finally, the banquet began, and the men and women were separated. Only then did Uncle Wang have a chance to chat with the Crown Prince. However, he was not cunning and did not understand his mother's good intentions. They only chatted about everyday matters.
And so, when His Highness the Crown Prince rose to take his leave, the Wang family's opportunity to get close to the Crown Prince was thus lost.
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