The first few to arrive were Madam Liu, Madam Xing, and Madam Jia the Second.
Their families were close friends with the Li family, and since Old Lady Li and Tao Hongying were not home, they naturally had to come and help entertain the guests.
Wan'er is the eldest son and daughter-in-law of the Earl's mansion, and she has given birth to a son. Now her husband has also passed the imperial examination with flying colors.
This confidence set her apart from other women in Xindu, making her the envy of everyone.
Today, she wore a floor-length gown of silver-threaded satin and a pair of mutton-fat jade bracelets, looking elegant and dignified. She served tea and chatted with everyone with great poise and composure.
Aibei wore a bright red traditional dress from the Kingdom of Golden Buddha, but with slight modifications. She covered her exposed arms with a light gauze, which was neither impolite nor detracted from the overall beauty of the dress.
The ones in charge of making improvements were, of course, Wan'er and Jiayin.
This is also what Aibei is most satisfied with about her in-laws. Even though she, as a foreign daughter-in-law, has some habits that are very different from Tianwu's, her in-laws have never harshly reprimanded her or forced her to do anything. They would only ask for her opinion and then discuss a simple solution.
Like right now, even though they don't speak the same language, my sister-in-law patiently explains everything people are saying to her.
She still didn't understand most of it, but she would laugh from the bottom of her heart.
Everyone originally thought that Queen Abbey would be proud, aloof, and difficult to get along with, but she turned out to be quite different from everyone else.
When people speak to her, she responds with a smile.
The children would run up to her out of curiosity, and she would laugh and tease them, coaxing them to play.
When delicious snacks are served, she will eat a piece without hesitation, her face full of joy.
This made everyone like her. Such a daughter-in-law, let alone a queen, would be a blessing for any family, even for a child from an ordinary family...
Jiayin is an unmarried girl, and her task today is, of course, to entertain the young ladies who come to visit.
The Third Princess, under the guise of helping out, left the palace early and ended up eating non-stop with Baozhu, having more fun than anyone else.
To make the conversation more relaxed, Jiayin specially built a temporary thatched pavilion on one side of the peach blossom grove, surrounded by light-colored gauze, creating a private little world.
The girls would get together, whisper secrets, and have some fun, without worrying about being seen or accused of being unruly.
The important prop, playing cards, was placed on the table again.
The Third Princess and Jiayin have been playing in the palace for so long that they have become super experts.
After a few rounds, she had covered Baozhu and the other two girls' faces with sticky notes.
"I'm not playing anymore! I'm not playing anymore! The princess is too powerful, she's practically chasing us around and bullying us!"
"That's right, that's right! The princess is engaged, she's at the peak of her luck, we definitely can't compete with her!"
The two girls were cheerful and lively. They had met the Third Princess a few times before, and now that they were having fun and were less reserved, they started to act cute and laugh.
The third princess blushed upon hearing this, threw down her cards, and said, "Alright, I'll take a break, you guys form another team. I'll take care of finding you some good fruit while I escort Jiayin!"
"Great! Great! It would be even better if the princess could pick some bananas. I love bananas the most, but it's a pity that the princess's shop sells them too expensively. Now that I have the chance, I must eat my fill!"
A girl cheered in response, then pulled a companion to join the fray.
The Third Princess was in a great mood and didn't hold a grudge at all. She took Jiayin's arm and left.
The male guests were in the front yard, while the female guests were on the other side of the garden, which made the road very quiet and gave the girls a chance to whisper to each other.
Jiayin asked in a low voice, "You're moving too fast! I've only been away from the palace for a few days, and you've already arranged the marriage?"
The princess smiled smugly and replied, "Father said that Brother Lu is a good person with good character and knowledge, and his family also agrees, so it's settled."
Jiayin chuckled and poked her lower back, teasingly saying, "Oh, don't blame it all on Uncle Huang. You must like Brother Lu too, otherwise you wouldn't have agreed."
The third princess, feeling itchy, hid and ran, lifting her skirt as she went, with Jiayin chasing after her.
As soon as she stepped out of the garden gate, the third princess bumped into someone's arms.
It turned out that Jiaren and his friends had brought some classmates to admire the peach blossoms.
It was Lu Zong who caught the Third Princess!
The third princess was startled, but when she saw that it was her fiancé, her face turned bright red, and she shyly grabbed Jiayin and ran away.
Jiayin laughed heartily and waved vigorously to her brothers.
One student joked with Lu Zong, "The young master and the princess are destined to meet, how could they possibly meet like this!"
The others joined in the jeering, and Lu Zong's smile became stiff.
Fortunately, Jiaren stepped in to defuse the situation, saying, "Let's go, everyone, let's go admire the flowers. I've had someone find a few jars of peach blossom wine; we'll drink and write poems together, and the winners will receive a prize!"
"Haha, Brother Li is truly generous! Let's go! We won't leave until we're drunk!"
"Alright, the peach blossom wine is yours, but I'll keep the prize money. What Brother Li brings out can't be bad."
As everyone chatted and laughed, they entered the garden. Lu Zong turned his head and glanced back. The two girls had already run away hand in hand, leaving only their silvery laughter faintly lingering in his ears.
He concealed the bewilderment in his eyes, and a warm smile returned to his face...
It was destined to be unfulfilled from the start; forcing it will only destroy the last bit of fate.
That's good, that's good...
The Li family's banquets were never short of fine wine and food, and the guests were never sarcastic or critical.
Therefore, attending the banquet at the Li family's house was a rare opportunity for everyone to relax and enjoy themselves.
Not to mention the men drinking heartily and the children having a great time, even the women, busy with their lives, rarely get a chance to rest.
As the sun began to set, the guests took their leave, all with smiles on their faces, and invited the Li family to visit their home as well.
After all the guests had finally left, the Li family was too tired to talk. They quickly ate something to eat, washed up, and went to bed.
Jiayin missed her adoptive father and father who were on a northern expedition. She didn't hear much news at home, so she stayed for two more days before telling her sisters-in-law and then going to the palace.
The third princess is helping her nanny organize her dowry and learn how to manage household affairs, since the princess's residence is about to be built.
After getting married, she and Lu Zong had to settle down and live together. Even with nannies and maids to serve them, she, as the head of the household, couldn't be completely ignorant.
Upon hearing the good news that Jiayin had entered the palace, the Third Princess was overjoyed and ran out, lifting her skirt.
As soon as Jiayin entered the courtyard, she was hugged tightly, her nose hurting from the impact. Before she could complain, the Third Princess started searching around her, "Where's Santiao? Where did Santiao go? That heartless thing! I fed it so many good things every day! It came back with you, and it hasn't come to see me even once!"
Jiayin was helpless. These past few days, the little fox had been playing with the children at home, enjoying endless snacks and fruits, as well as free grooming services.
It had long since forgotten what day it was!
When her master went to the palace, it refused to come with her!
So all she could say was, "I'll have Shui Ling go back and catch the three of them in a bit!"
"Haha, that's more like it!" The Third Princess was finally satisfied and smiled as she took Jiayin's arm and walked inside.
Jiayin asked, "Has anything new happened in the palace these past few days?"
"No, I'm so bored all day long, I'm just hoping you'll come and save me." The Third Princess looked around to make sure no one was watching, and said softly, "I'm looking forward to getting married soon, so I can travel around and not be stuck here."
Jiayin rolled her eyes, exposing her little scheme.
"If you want to go out and play with Brother Lu, just say so. If this gets back to your uncle, he'll be heartbroken. He's raised you in luxury, and you don't even appreciate it!"
The Third Princess chuckled, "Oh dear, I'm just telling you, you can't go and complain about me."
After saying that, she suddenly remembered something and quickly changed the subject.
Today's update is here!
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