Jiayin instinctively shrank her neck. It was true that she had been too eager to cling to the powerful figure, which had aroused the jealousy of the person's daughter.
Madam Wen quickly said, "The princess is just a child, this is unavoidable. In the future, Fu Niu'er will go to the palace less often and will not meet the princess again. Whether she likes it or not, what does it matter?"
That makes sense, so Grandma Li instructed her granddaughter, "Don't go out and play too much in the future. Pick up your needlework and reading again in the next few days. Don't be lazy."
"Okay, Grandma." Jiayin nodded quickly in agreement, being extremely obedient.
At this moment, Li Lao Er came out of the house. He called to Shui Ling, handed her the empty teapot, and then said to his mother, "Mother, Fu Niu'er is a princess, and she will probably have to go to the palace often in the future. There's no way to avoid it!"
"The palace is not like our home; people's hearts are too complicated. In my opinion, we can learn the rules well, but reading and needlework are about the same. After all, the family doesn't expect Fu Niu to become a top scholar or an embroiderer."
"As for Doctor Zhang, we should have Fu Niu go there more often. It would be good if she could learn a little self-defense skills. No matter where Fu Niu goes, we won't have to worry about her."
Although Grandma Li is the head of the household, her sons are all married and have established their own careers, and she is willing to listen to their opinions.
Moreover, the son spoke up this time for the sake of his granddaughter!
Upon careful consideration, reading and needlework are indeed not as important as the ability to save one's life.
So she readily agreed, "Alright then, I'll go to Dr. Zhang's in the morning and study and learn needlework in the afternoon."
"In a little while, invite Doctor Zhang over as well, and say hello first. We'll see if Fu Niu'er really has the talent, and then we'll think about her becoming his apprentice."
“Okay, Mother, I’ll go and invite her right away.” Mr. Wen, who shared a room with Li Lao Er, said to Liu Zhiheng and then left the courtyard.
His eagerness surprised Old Lady Li, but she quickly started setting the table, and her suspicions were put aside.
Just as the food was served, Doctor Zhang returned with Li Lao Er, accompanied by the village chief and Liu Biao Tou.
I wonder if Dr. Zhang's anesthetic was successful, because he looks quite well.
Therefore, when Grandma Li said that she would send Jiayin over in the future, she would seriously learn pharmacology from him.
Doctor Zhang readily agreed, and even made a request without any hesitation: "My dilapidated thatched house is really in a sorry state. When you have some free time, please build me a small courtyard house. It will be more convenient for Fu Niu'er to come and go in the future."
“Okay,” Li Lao Er immediately said, “If we finish selling the melons in two more days, there will still be half a month before the autumn harvest. This free time is enough to build a yard.”
The village chief also said, "It just so happens that several families in the village are planning to marry off their sons this winter, and they don't have enough houses to live in, so they need to build side rooms. If we buy the timber and stone together, we can get a better price."
Liu, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), also said, "I will ride to the quarry tomorrow afternoon to inquire."
The group chatted and ate, creating a lively atmosphere.
Jiayin spent most of the day in the palace, which was tiring, and she was sleepy after eating and drinking her fill.
Grandma Li had just finished eating, so she took her granddaughter back to the back to take a bath and go to bed.
She didn't hear the sound of the courtyard gate until her granddaughter was snoring softly. So she opened the window and asked her daughter-in-law, who had just come in, in a low voice, "Hongying, how come you're only just finished? Have Jinrou and the others gone back?"
Tao Hongying smiled and said, "Yes, Mother. Second Brother, Lord Liu, and Mr. Wen are in high spirits and want to have a few drinks, so I prepared some side dishes for them, which is why I was busy for a while."
"Okay, you should rest now. Men like to have a few drinks when they get together," Grandma Li instructed, then closed half of the window and lay down next to her granddaughter.
Now that his granddaughter is older, the two of them usually sleep in separate rooms.
But for some reason, Old Mrs. Li felt uneasy today, and only by staying by her side could she feel a little better...
In the front yard, in Li Lao Er's room, there was a kang table.
On the kang table were a plate of fried peanuts, a plate of boiled edamame, a plate of smashed cucumber, and a plate of fried small fish.
Li Lao Er took the wine pot and filled Liu Zhiheng and Mr. Wen's wine cups. The three of them drank it all in one gulp.
Before Li Lao Er could speak, Mr. Wen said, "Yu Sheng, is there something you need to discuss at the palace today? Tell me, let's talk about it."
Li Lao Er smiled and asked, "How did you tell, sir, that I had something on my mind?"
Liu Zhiheng picked up a peanut, popped it into his mouth, and interrupted, "You're practically wearing your displeasure on your sleeve! You might fool your family, but you can't fool us."
Li Lao Er sighed, poured wine for the two of them, and then told them about how Jia Yin had been bullied in the palace.
Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng treated Jiayin like their own niece, and both of them turned cold upon hearing this.
"The Wu family is getting more and more useless! They tried to win over the Marquis by sending their daughter, but instead they took their anger out on a child. It's utterly shameless!" Mr. Wen cursed angrily.
Liu Zhiheng also sneered and said, "Back then, the emperor was suppressed by the empress dowager and could not take power for a long time. The Wu family's daughter had already become empress, but the Wu family still went to curry favor with the empress dowager just to avoid being suppressed. They really have no backbone at all."
"I never imagined that now, seeing the Marquis's outstanding military achievements and his cooperation with the Emperor, who is both on the outside and inside the country, he would want to take advantage of the situation."
"One empress is not enough, they want another marquis in the family! The Wu family really has a big appetite, aren't they afraid of stuffing themselves to death?"
After saying that, they told Li Lao Er about the Wu family's background.
Li Lao Er listened attentively and asked a few more questions.
Mr. Wen hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Yusheng, do you want to stand up for Fu Niu'er?"
Li Lao Er shook his head, laughing mockingly, "How dare I? She's the Empress, and our Li family is just a bunch of peasants who've only recently gotten a better life. She probably doesn't even consider us a threat. Trying to stop a chariot with an arm's length—that's too stupid of me. But..."
He raised his hand and drank the wine in his glass, his expression becoming serious. He then said, "However, a lifetime is too long. Fortune changes, and who can say what the future holds?"
Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng exchanged a glance and both nodded.
Mr. Wen said, "It's good that you know what's going on. We'll see what happens in the future."
Liu Zhiheng also said, "Let Fu Niu'er go to the palace less often for now. I suppose the Wu family will still have to work on the Marquis so that they won't take their anger out on Fu Niu'er again."
Li Lao Er's eyes flickered, and he changed the subject, talking about the opening of Baihuayuan Garden.
Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng both agreed to bring their relatives and friends to support them, and Li Lao Er thanked them.
The three of them drank more and more, chatting about all sorts of things, until midnight before finally breaking up and going to sleep.
The next morning, Liu Zhiheng and Mr. Wen rushed back to the city.
Mrs. Wen planned to stay for more than half a day, since she didn't have anything important to do at home anyway, and she might as well join in the fun in the new village.
As for giving a gift of jade melons, just write the invitation and hand it to Sister-in-law Qiong.
When the sun was high in the sky, Jiayin, along with her grandmother and Madam Wen, was about to go to Huiniang's house to sit down and discuss the matter of changing the needlework lessons to the afternoon.
But before they could even leave, the imperial procession arrived to deliver the rewards.
Perhaps because she was reprimanded by the Emperor yesterday, the Empress was afraid and wanted to compensate the Li family, as well as show her virtue. Therefore, this time the reward was exceptionally generous.
Six carriages, followed by more than a dozen palace maids and eunuchs, and a troop of about a hundred imperial guards, all in a grand procession, as if afraid that others wouldn't know that the Empress had bestowed such a gift upon the Li family and Xincun.
Serving you at midnight~?
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