Jiayin sighed, noticing the ahoge (cowlick) sticking out on Princess Shunshun's forehead. "Silly girl, you're overthinking it! Let's not talk about what happened back then, since no one saw it with their own eyes."
"Speaking of the present, under the rule of the Emperor Uncle, Tianwu enjoys favorable weather and abundant harvests, and the country is peaceful and prosperous. Even Jiangbei is about to be recovered. The people are united in their hearts, and the Emperor Uncle's prestige is boundless. He is no longer the same as when he had just ascended the throne and was controlled by the Empress Dowager."
"And most importantly, why don't you think about how long it's been since the Empress Dowager summoned us to pay our respects?"
The third princess blinked several times, then suddenly jumped up and exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, yeah, she hasn't been causing us any trouble for a long time? Has Father Emperor already put her under control?"
Jiayin couldn't continue this conversation; a few words of advice were enough.
She stretched and said, "What should we have for dinner? Even though it's hot, I still want to make braised pork belly, with some salt and pepper shrimp and sweet and sour spare ribs. For the cold dishes, I'll have spinach with nuts and a peacock-shaped salad, okay?"
"Okay, okay!" The Third Princess nodded happily, "Anything you make is delicious!"
With her worries gone, her appetite returned, and she kept urging Jiayin to cook, even pleading, "Jiayin, could you make me some soup too?"
"No way!" Jiayin refused decisively. "If you want to give it away, then do it yourself. What am I doing helping? What if outsiders find out and think I'm after your Brother Lu? I won't take that kind of accusation!"
"My future husband must be a peerless hero. He must come to marry me riding on auspicious clouds and wearing golden armor!"
Jiayin, under the guise of a joke, revealed her true feelings.
Unfortunately, the third princess didn't understand at all, and instead ruffled her hair, laughing until her stomach hurt.
"Little girl, you're already thinking about getting married so early! And you even talked about golden armor and colorful clouds? Don't think I don't know, that's the monkey from that story you told! If you dare marry a monkey, your whole family will probably go crazy!"
Jiayin rolled her eyes and gave up completely.
For someone as thick-skinned and carefree as the Third Princess, let's just communicate directly from now on, without trying to understand her intentions.
What a waste of emotion!
The two sisters went to the kitchen laughing and joking. As dusk fell, dinner was ready, and a food box containing soup was delivered to the Lu family.
Of course, Shuiyun did the cooking, Sangong did the talking, and Jiayin didn't lift a finger...
After eating and drinking their fill, they played cards for a while, and as usual, they checked the doors. There were no problems, so everyone took a break.
Jiayin opened the window halfway, rested her chin on her hand, and watched Mu Xu across the table shoveling white rice and braised pork into her mouth.
The red pork belly was cut into pieces the size of mahjong tiles and stewed until tender. When you picked up a piece, the moment the meat trembled and dripped oil, it made you want to swallow your tongue.
Mu Xu ate to his heart's content, but he didn't forget to gossip with Jia Yin.
"I went to the Lu family's residence myself. That young master Lu is truly cunning; his act is so perfect, it's impossible to tell if his injury is real or fake! When I have some free time later, I'll definitely..."
He looked up and met Jiayin's slightly narrowed eyes, instantly sobering up. He smiled awkwardly and explained, "I was just curious, really curious! Besides, I've already taken care of my business, going to the Lu family was just on the way!"
Jiayin snorted, then suddenly remembered what the Third Princess had said.
Whether she will be able to marry a hero in the future is uncertain.
But... a monkey, that's actually quite possible!
Mu Xu was unaware that his dashing and unrestrained soul had already been labeled a silly monkey.
At this moment, he finally got down to business, "The Earl said he will be taking sick leave starting tomorrow to oversee the Earl's mansion, and he doesn't plan to get involved with the Liu family either."
"Only Mr. Wen was very enthusiastic, saying that the court cannot be without the eyes of the family, and he wanted to follow them from beginning to end."
Jiayin nodded. Her second uncle held a sinecure, so no one would say anything if he claimed to be sick.
On the Liu family's side, Old Master Liu has been "ill" for a long time, and everyone knows that he might be critically ill.
Liu Zhiheng is a filial son, so it is only right that he serves him at his bedside.
Only Mr. Wen, the censor, who is known as the mouthpiece of the court, certainly couldn't escape such a lively occasion...
This arrangement is the best.
Jiayin was relieved, and her family also felt it was a good idea.
But plans never keep up with changes, or as the saying goes, "The tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease."
At the small court meeting a day later, someone else was exposed, again for being instigated by the Empress Dowager, and the details of the evil deeds they had committed were clearly listed.
However, unlike the others, seven or eight officials stepped forward and passionately denounced the Empress Dowager, pleading with the Emperor to set aside his maternal affection and uphold justice in the court!
These are all clever people, or rather, people who see an opportunity to profit from the current situation.
If the Empress Dowager wanted to retaliate, she would have done so long ago, given that the grand court assembly was held the day before yesterday.
The reason for the silence is that the Empress Dowager has been stripped of her claws and even brought under control.
When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down. The first person to rush in may face some danger, but the benefits are also the greatest!
The Emperor continued to shake his head, making excuses for the Empress Dowager and refusing to conduct a thorough investigation.
The situation suddenly became tense again.
Some families, unwilling to risk taking sides or with questionable pasts and fearing being implicated, couldn't resist resorting to underhanded tactics...
Because Li Lao Er claimed to be ill, the main gate of the Earl's mansion was kept tightly closed, and the side gate would not be opened unless it was an emergency.
But on this particular day, when the sun was high in the sky, someone arrived by carriage.
Hearing the knocking on the door, the servant guarding inside opened a small window and called out, "Who's knocking? What's wrong?"
An old woman stood outside the door, smiling as she slipped a purse through the small window and whispered, "Please trouble this young man to inform your young mistress that my lady has come to visit."
As she spoke, she handed over another name card.
The servant didn't know what the visitor wanted, and didn't dare to stop him, so he just responded and ran off to report.
Wan'er has been confined to the backyard lately, with nothing to do but take care of the children and do needlework to pass the time.
It's getting hot, so I'll sew a few summer dresses for my sister-in-law.
My son is naughty and needs several sets of clothes to change into every day.
The family caravan is about to set off again, and she wants to get some long gowns for her husband who is far away in the southwest.
She wanted to show her filial piety in Quanzhou as well.
Although her aunts and siblings are all there, Grandma will certainly not lack clothes and shoes.
But what belongs to others is theirs, and what belongs to hers is hers.
At this moment, the maids and servants had nothing to do, so they all gathered together to help pick out fabrics and embroidery threads.
Three women make a drama, and with more women, gossip is naturally an indispensable main theme.
Just as they were having a lively conversation, a message suddenly arrived, leaving Wan'er quite puzzled.
Upon opening the post, it was discovered that the owner was a woman surnamed Feng.
Wan'er had met him twice before at banquets at the Jia family's residence, and her impression of him was that he was eloquent and articulate.
She appears to be the wife of one of the maternal relatives of the Jia family's eldest daughter-in-law.
If it were just a casual social occasion, exchanging a few pleasantries with someone would be fine.
Given the current situation, what brings this Mrs. Feng, whom we are not very familiar with, to our door?
Wan'er frowned...
Two updates today!
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