Chapter 66
On March 20th, the sun was shining brightly and the whole city lit up lanterns to celebrate the Queen's birthday banquet.
The Wang family lived in Mingzhaofang, not far from Donghuamen.
Early in the morning, the wives of each family, along with their daughters-in-law and grandchildren, hurried to the palace in a lively manner.
The queen was old and had no children. She was close to the eldest princess and was very familiar with the younger generations of the Wang family. She was concerned about the loneliness of Wang Yining's two children, so she ordered her to bring the children into the palace. Later, she thought that she had never seen Wang Shuhuai's children, so she simply asked the Wang family to bring all the children into the palace.
This was Sister Ke's first time entering the palace and also her first time appearing in public, so Xie Yunchu had to dress up and give some instructions.
The wet nurse and the maidservants could not go with them. How could Xie Yunchu, who was pregnant, be taken care of? The Third Madam decided to arrange for each of the girls in the family to look after one of the children.
Wang Shuqin took the initiative to hold Ke Jieer, and the third wife asked Wang Shuyi to help Wang Yining, but Wang Shuyi refused, "Sister-in-law is pregnant, it won't work without two people around her, I'd better stay with sister-in-law."
Jiang glared at Wang Shuyi, and Wang Shuyi trotted to Xie Yunchu.
Wang Shuya took the initiative to say to Wang Yining, "I'll help my aunt."
Ever since Wang Yining got into trouble, the princess sent two palace maids to serve her. These two people could be brought into the palace. She had no shortage of people around her. "Go and help your sister-in-law."
Grandma Miao has two more.
The remaining Dou Keling brought her son Xuan Ge'er, while Xu Shiwei's son Yue Ge'er was still an infant and naturally could not enter the palace.
When they arrived at Donghua Gate, everyone got off the carriage.
Dou Keling was walking with Xuan Ge'er and Grandma Miao. Wang Shuyi knew that Xie Yunchu didn't like her, so she took the initiative to take the job of holding her niece and asked Wang Shuqin to help Xie Yunchu.
Wang Yining's eldest daughter, Jing Jie'er, was a frequent visitor to the palace. She walked in front with her younger sister Xing Jie'er.
Wang Yining accompanied Xie Yunchu and walked slowly behind.
Her eyes fell on Xuan Ge'er, "Xuan Ge'er looks like Ke Ling, and he is also smart."
Jiang was unhappy when she heard this. "Who said he looks like Dou? He obviously looks like his father. Only if he looks like his father can he be so strong."
Wang Yining had suffered from her mother-in-law before, so she didn't like what Jiang said, "What about Sister Ke? Does Sister Ke have to be like Yun Chu?"
Jiang immediately said, "Sister Ke, of course, looks like Shu Huai. If she doesn't look like Shu Huai, how can she be so beautiful?"
That matter-of-fact tone.
Wang Yining laughed angrily, "As long as he is your second sister-in-law's grandson, he must look like your son, right?"
"Of course. If I don't look like my father, how can I be loved by my grandparents?"
Which mother-in-law doesn't want her grandchild to look like her own son?
Take Yue'er for example. He looked a bit like Shutong when he was born, but the more he looked like Xu Shiwei as he grew older. Jiang became unhappy and held him less.
Wang Yining smiled again and said, "So, Shu Huai didn't grow up well, so he should be like the second brother."
Jiang's expression suddenly changed.
Wang Shuhuai looks like her.
Jiang said nothing.
Wang Yining secretly laughed when she saw her face turning blue.
In fact, among Jiang's grandchildren, she likes Sister Ke the most.
Sister Ke looks like Wang Shuhuai, and Wang Shuhuai looks like her, which means that among the grandchildren, Sister Ke is the one who looks most like her.
Just because she had a quarrel with Xie Yunchu, she seldom saw her granddaughter.
She was finally brought out today, jumping around as Wang Shuyi led her, and Jiang looked a little envious.
The Wang family first went to Changchun Palace to pay their respects to the eldest princess. The eldest princess and the Duke went to Fengtian Hall to accompany the emperor to discuss matters. Everyone waited in the hall first.
Xie Yunchu went to the royal room. Jiang took this opportunity to wink at her daughter.
Wang Shuyi was a little dumb, "Mom, what's wrong?"
Jiang was dissatisfied with her daughter's shouting and glanced at Sister Ke.
Sister Ke wore a pink slingback and a small horse-faced skirt today. She had two buns on her hair with two red ribbons embedded with gourds on them. On her chest hung a necklace given by Xiao Youran. She was squatting there playing with a rattle in her hands.
Wang Shuyi understood, and immediately took Kejie'er's hand and pointed to Jiang's direction. Jiang took off the string of beads in her hand and shook it at Kejie'er, luring her over. Kejie'er was a familiar person and liked to smile at everyone, so she came over with a rattle in her arms, smiling.
Wang Shuyi immediately taught her, "Call me grandma."
Sister Ke yelled: "Mmm..."
Jiang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
Then Kejie reached out to take the beads, and Jiang Shi couldn't refuse to give it to her, so she let her play with it.
Xie Yunchu caught a glimpse of this scene when he came out.
Jiang noticed her out of the corner of his eye and deliberately cleared his throat, "Well, take it and play with it."
Sister Ke was very smart. She ran towards Xie Yunchu excitedly after getting something good. She raised her little head and handed the string of beads to Xie Yunchu.
"Mother, mother!"
It sounded so clear and crisp, as if he was presenting a treasure.
Jiang's face turned black with anger.
It wasn't for Xie Yunchu.
Although the beads are small, they are a string of coral beads and are very valuable.
Of course Xie Yunchu would not take Jiang's things. She didn't want them at all. But her child was young and she would definitely cry if she returned them now. She planned to go back and find something similar for Ke Jie'er, and then return that one to Jiang.
She smiled and said, "Ke'er, play by yourself."
Sister Ke then put it on her hand in a domineering manner.
At this time, Xuan Ge'er saw it and ran to Jiang, "Grandma, Grandma, Xuan Ge'er also wants..."
Xuan Ge'er is almost three years old and his speech is clearer than Ke Jie'er.
Jiang rubbed her forehead. It was not right to be partial to one in public. She could not let Xuan'er play with the jade bracelet on her hand, so she took out two gold nuggets from her pocket. Xuan'er saw that it was not as fun as Ke'er's, so he frowned. The eldest wife beside him smiled and taught him,
"Silly child, my sister's bag can only be hung on my hand, but you can use this bag to buy food and toys. It's better than my sister's bag."
Xuan Ge'er was satisfied and happily handed it to his mother. Dou Keling's smile was very forced.
What was given to Sister Ke was a string of valuable corals, but what she got was just two gold nuggets, which were small and worthless. She felt sick in her heart, but she couldn't say anything. Dou Keling also imitated Xie Yunchu's tone and said, "You can play by yourself."
Xuan Ge'er was even happier, remembering that his great-grandfather had taught him to share good things with his younger sister, so he spread his palm in front of Ke Jie'er and said generously, "I'll give you one."
Sister Ke picked one up with a smile, then made a kissing gesture towards Xuan Ge'er. Whenever her mother gave her good things, she would kiss her mother.
Xuan Ge'er immediately moved his face closer.
Wang Shuqin was so anxious when she saw this that she rushed over and hugged Ke Jie'er around the waist.
"No, you can only kiss your mother and aunt, not anyone else."
Everyone burst into laughter.
After a while, the eldest princess came back and smiled gently when she heard the laughter inside.
Everyone hurriedly greeted her, and the fourth wife came forward and asked attentively, "Why don't you see father?"
"Your father went to the previous court to host a banquet," the eldest princess stood in the hall and glanced at the crowd. The children were all restrained by their mothers, hiding beside the adults and looking at her with fear or curiosity.
Only Sister Ke looked at her with smiling eyes. The child was very beautiful, with a dot of cinnabar between her eyebrows, and everyone loved her when she smiled.
This child is generous, just like her parents.
The eldest princess sat down on the upper Luohan bed. Wang Yining wanted to go forward to serve her, but was stopped by the fourth wife, "You are not well yet, go and rest." She hurriedly washed the eldest princess's hands. The first wife also served tea. After washing her hands, the eldest princess did not take the tea. Instead, she waved to Sister Ke and asked kindly, "Why did you see great-grandmother laughing?"
Sister Ke jumped forward, leaned on the princess's knees, and pointed at her hair.
The eldest princess was a little curious and she looked at Chaoyun.
Chao Yun thought about it and understood, "Don't you have a pair of silver-gilt hairpins with lotus flowers and kingfisher feathers? You originally gave one to the Second Young Madam. I think my sister will find it familiar."
The eldest princess laughed and said, "I can't give you this hairpin for fear of hurting you, but my great-grandmother wants to give you something."
"Chao Yun, go pick out a big one from the batch of sheep hairs that were sent as tribute from Huzhou for Sister Ke to play with."
Soon, the palace servants brought in several boxes, and each child received a reward, and Sister Du Ke got an extra pen.
The little child held the big goat's hair brush and drew on his mother's knees.
While drinking tea, the princess told Xie Yunchu,
"You are an educated person. Don't follow those shallow-minded people who say that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. Teach her to read and write well. When she grows up, come to my side and serve me with writing."
When Xie Yunchu heard this, his heart was slightly shocked.
Does he really value his daughter and intend to cultivate her, or is he using her to control Wang Shuhuai?
If it was in the previous life, it must be the latter. Now, after going through so many things, she hoped that the eldest princess would truly treat them as her own family.
She immediately bowed her head in agreement.
Everyone was envious, especially Wang Yining.
"Mom, you're not this good to your daughter."
The princess glared at her and snorted, "Do you think I don't want to? The person I want to train the most is you. You have been wandering around like a tomboy since you were a child, not doing your job and refusing to study. If you had the insight of Chao Yun, you should have entered the palace to accompany me now that we are divorced. Now that you look like this, you should go back to your princess's mansion and live a carefree life."
Chao Yun glared at her, "If Your Highness wants to pamper your daughter, just say so. Why do you have to compare me? How can I compare to Yining? She has your protection, so she is the happiest girl in the world."
The princess glared at her angrily, "Didn't I protect you?"
Everyone laughed again and spoke up for the eldest princess, saying that Chao Yun was wrong.
It was late, and the eldest princess brought a room full of women and children to Kunning Palace to see the queen.
The queen had no choice but to praise the children again, and she liked Sister Ke the most among them.
"This child looks like Shu Huai."
The princess said gently, "Brother Huai wasn't as smart as her when he was a child. She is likable."
The Queen ordered Xie Yunchu, "Bring her to the palace to play often when you have nothing to do."
The eldest princess laughed, "Not right now, she's pregnant."
The Queen looked at Xie Yunchu's belly after hearing this. She was wearing a wide, double-breasted gown with wide sleeves that covered her bulging belly and full chest. The Queen was surprised and said, "Look at this figure, she doesn't look like she's pregnant. Huai'er is really lucky."
"Isn't it?" Whenever someone praised Xie Yunchu, the princess would be pleased, and then she would defend herself, "How can my vision be bad?"
At this time, Wang Yining cleared his throat.
The eldest princess glanced at her daughter, blushing, and changed the subject.
It was already noon, and the Queen and the eldest princess took the royal women and concubines to Yanqing Palace.
Children are young and active, so the queen allowed the daughters-in-law to take their children to play in the garden behind the palace.
Xie Yunchu was pregnant and didn't dare to move around easily, so she asked Wang Shuqin to take good care of the child.
The children ran into the flowers.
Jing Jie'er from Wang Yining's family and Lin Ge'er from the Miao family are the oldest. They took their younger brothers and sisters to catch crickets and chase butterflies.
In addition to the Wang family, there are also some children from the royal clan.
Wang Shuqin and the others couldn't catch up, so they sat in the flower hall and watched. They were surrounded by young eunuchs, one every five steps, so it was very safe.
Sister Jing was tall. She stood on tiptoe to pick a peach blossom and was about to put it in her sister Sister Xing'er's hair bun. At this moment, a whirlwind blew in front of her, and a young master of seven or eight years old reached out and snatched the flower away from her.
Sister Jing was furious, "Give it back to me!"
The young master put his hands on his waist and placed the peach blossom in his palm to show off, "Come and get it if you can."
Sister Jing ran after him, panting for a while. She glared at the young master aggrievedly, "Wait until my father comes back and let him beat you up."
The young master laughed arrogantly, "Silly girl, your father is dead, no one supports you anymore!"
He threw the peach blossom into the air, and his laughter was ear-shattering.
Upon hearing this, Sister Jing stood there in a daze, tears welling up in her eyes. She hadn't seen her father for a long time. Where had her father gone?
Sister Jing didn't dare to cry. Today was the Queen's birthday and her mother had told her not to cry.
She squatted down and buried her face in her knees.
At this time, an extremely tall figure came over. He squatted beside her and pinched two larger and more gorgeous peach blossoms for her. He looked calm and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Child, your father has gone to a very far place and will not be back for a while. Don't worry, no one dares to bully you. If anyone bullies you, your uncle will help you beat him up."
Sister Jing looked at Gao Zhan with tears in her eyes. She had seen Gao Zhan before. This uncle always bought snacks for her secretly and didn't allow her to tell her father and mother. Sister Jing saw that she had an instinctive dependence and trust in him. She pouted and said, "Uncle Gao, he bullied me!"
She pointed at the young master.
When the young prince saw Gao Zhan, he shuddered and ran away without saying a word.
I ran too fast and accidentally slipped and fell.
Sister Jing burst into laughter immediately, "You deserve it."
Gao Zhan couldn't take the children's play to heart. He taught Jing Jie'er, "Don't be afraid. If someone bullies you in the future, you can bully them back. If something goes wrong, your uncle will protect you!"
Jing Jieer nodded heavily after being encouraged. After a while, she took the peach blossoms from Gao Zhan and inserted one into Xing Jieer's bun and one into Mei Jieer's bun.
If the two flowers are divided, there will be no one for Sister Ke.
Sister Ke blinked and looked a little envious.
At this moment, a pair of familiar arms reached out and picked her up. Wang Shuhuai held her and walked to the peach tree.
"Come, Ke'er, pick it yourself."
The child had great strength and she grabbed the petals, sending them flying in all directions. The bright red petals fell on her forehead, pockets, and her father's shoulders. Sister Ke held her cheeks and laughed with joy.
Gao Zhan stood beside Wang Shuhuai, watching the children playing in the yard, while Wang Shuhuai's eyes were cast towards Xie Yunchu who was standing under the corridor in the distance.
After that night, he was worried that Xie Yunchu didn't want to see him, so he never went to the backyard. He only returned to the mansion at night and stood outside the wall to listen to the beauty's laughter.
He suddenly asked Gao Zhan, "Where did you get that pearl purple skin dendrobium?"
Gao Zhan replied, "I spent two days searching for it in the deep forest in the northwest corner of Yanshan Mountain. So, who are you looking for it for?"
Wang Shuhuai turned his eyes and plucked the petals off the child's face, "My wife is weak, I want to find a plant to nourish her body."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
