Chapter 2775 Thanks
Manbao listened for a while before realizing she was referring to Madam Tang. Just as she was about to greet her with a smile, another little girl beside her said, "My daughter, Madam Zhang, your father is the Minister of Rites who is accompanying Lord Zhou on this Eastern Expedition..."
"My daughter, Liang Erniang, my father is the Junior Minister of the Honglu Temple..."
"My grandfather was the Duke of Zhao."
The crowd fell silent.
Manbao also quieted down and looked at them in confusion, "What are you doing, young ladies..."
Aunt Zhao pursed her lips and smiled. The little girl, who was only about eleven or twelve years old, pretended to be mature and generous. She bowed gracefully, raised her eyes and looked at Zhou Man with admiration. She said, "I have heard that Master Zhou is very knowledgeable, but I have not been in the capital before. I wonder if there is a chance to ask Master Zhou for advice this time?"
Manbao asked, "What do you want to ask?"
"I want to ask you everything," Aunt Zhao said. "I can't finish talking all at once. Why don't I come visit you another day? What time do you think is suitable, Master Zhou?"
Wang Jiuniang couldn't help but whispered, "I'm going too."
Once she took the lead, others immediately followed, saying, "I want to go, too."
Manbao: ...
Madam Liu was stunned for a moment before she smiled and said to Manbao, "The plum blossoms in the garden are about to bloom. Why don't you find some time to invite the children to the garden to enjoy the plum blossoms?"
Manbao nodded blankly.
Bai Shan glanced at Aunt Zhao and the others, then turned to Man Bao and said, "Aunt Shang from the Empress's side is here."
Manbao looked up and saw Aunt Shang coming towards him with a smile on her face. After kneeling and bowing with Zhou Man and the others, she said, "The Empress heard that the Madam and the County Lady had entered the palace, so she specially sent this servant to invite the Madam and the County Lady. Please come in."
Many ladies and young girls turned their heads to look over here, and the adults who were gathered together talking on the other side also looked over here.
At such a banquet, it is a great honor to be received by the Queen.
Generally speaking, only some noble ladies and old ladies from aristocratic families can have this honor. Apart from them, there are people whom the emperor values very much. The empress will specially summon their wife and mother to show her appreciation.
Manbao and Baishan immediately helped Qian and Old Madam Liu to the back hall.
Bai Shan did not go in, but handed Madam Liu to Manbao, nodded to her, and stayed where he was with his mother and Zhou Liru, watching the three of them enter the hall.
This is the advantage of women being officials. They can accompany their families to meet the queen.
It was Zheng's first time entering the palace, and her familiar mother-in-law was not there. She could not help but clench the handkerchief in her hand anxiously.
Bai Shan saw it, reached out and held her hand and said with a smile: "Don't worry, mother, grandma and the others will be out soon."
Zheng nodded.
Zhou Liru had been to the palace once before, and young people are often brave. Seeing Zheng's worried expression, she stepped forward, hugged her arm, and said, "Grandma Zheng, let's go see the palace's greenhouse. My aunt told me that the reason the palace has flowers to admire even in winter is because they have a greenhouse. It's much more impressive than ours."
Zheng laughed and said, "How can our little greenhouse compare to the one in the imperial palace?"
Bai Shan couldn't help but smile when he saw his mother relax.
Manbao brought Qian and Old Lady Liu in and paid their respects to the Queen together.
There were about ten old ladies and wives sitting in the back hall, sitting on both sides, and there were about ten younger girls or wives standing behind them, so it didn't seem crowded.
The Queen immediately raised her hand and asked them to stand up. Pointing to a seat at the bottom, she said, "This is the first time I've met Madam and the County Lady. Lord Zhou, please help your grandmother and mother come forward and sit down so I can have a word with them."
Manbao helped the two of them up, let Old Madam Liu sit at the upper seat, Qian sat at the lower seat, and she stood behind the two of them.
The Queen looked at her and smiled, "It's rare to see Master Zhou so quiet and gentle."
Manbao raised his head and smiled sweetly at the queen.
Madam Liu smiled and said, "She is still young, so it's inevitable that she can be naughty. Thanks to Your Majesty and Your Majesty for their tolerance."
The Queen smiled and said, "Even if Your Majesty and I don't want to tolerate such a smart and lovely person, we still don't agree with it in our hearts."
After saying this, he looked at Qian, his face slightly solemn, and said solemnly: "The fact that Dajin can have such a talent as Lord Zhou is thanks to the care of the county lord. Both the Zhou and Bai families have raised their children well. His Majesty also said that Bai Shan is a pillar of the country. Thank you, Madam and the county lord."
The Empress bowed slightly in greeting. Old Madam Liu was so frightened that she quickly stood up and knelt to salute. Qian followed suit, saying, "Your Majesty, thank you for your compliments. It is a great honor for us two children to be appreciated by Your Majesty and Your Majesty."
Qian was even more frank and said directly to Manbao, "Why don't you come forward and thank the queen?"
Manbao came out and knelt down to pay his respects.
The Queen quickly asked Aunt Shang to support the man and said with a smile, "It shows that the county lord has taught well."
Seeing this, the other ladies were also happy to do Zhou Man a favor and nodded in agreement.
Qian was suddenly praised by so many people, including the Queen and so many noble ladies she had never met before. Her face flushed slightly, but she said generously, "This child has been raised by her eldest sister-in-law since she was young. I am not in good health, so I can only chat with her."
An old lady stared at her expression and asked after a while, "I heard that County Lady Zhou gave birth to seven children?"
"Yes," Qian was not afraid when the topic of having children was brought up. She smiled and said, "Six sons, but unfortunately only one daughter."
"How fortunate," the old lady said with a smile, "but I see your complexion isn't bad either. How do you maintain it?"
Qian was stunned for a moment and then said, "This is all thanks to Manbao's care. Eat more rice and meat, and your complexion will improve."
Everyone envied them, and they had no shortage of food and clothing, but as soon as they had children, they would encounter all kinds of problems. It was okay for those who had one or two children, but for those who had three or more, the more problems they had, the more problems they had. Even the queen was not immune.
An old lady couldn't help but ask, "Did you raise all seven children?"
"yes."
Everyone was even more amazed. They had long heard that Zhou Man had a large family. The adoptive parents who raised her were her uncle and aunt, who gave her many cousins. The family business she earned after entering the officialdom was managed with the help of her brothers. She had accumulated some foundation from nothing.
They are a model of mutual assistance and bringing honor to the family.
But Zhou Man had too many brothers coming and going, and except for her eldest and fourth brothers, and the fifth and sixth brothers who ran the restaurant, they had never seen the others, so they didn't know whether it was true or not.
Only then did I realize that she actually had six brothers.
But at this moment, the person everyone admired was not Zhou Man, but Qian.
An old lady couldn't help but sit up straight, leaning forward slightly. "Mr. Zhou, I wonder how you raised your children? To be honest, I've been pregnant six times in my life, gave birth to four, but only one son survived."
She took out a handkerchief, wiped her tears, and said, "My son has had quite a few children, but only two survived. Now my grandson is getting married too. I'm a little worried, so I want to ask County Lord Zhou for advice."
Qian's heart was in turmoil, and she couldn't help but look at Manbao. How could she say here what she said in the fields in the countryside?
See you at 6pm
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
