"Do you think the important figure who appeared at the garden party was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
Sun Zhuangyuan looked at his granddaughter.
My daughter has grown up, which makes me very happy.
But why did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince choose her?
Sun Qiniang said carefully, "I've been thinking about it these days. It's very likely that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince appeared at the garden party and saw me. But I've never met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so I painted the scene of the garden party. Grandfather, please look, have you seen His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? Is he in my painting?"
She took out a stack of picture albums from her arms.
Sun Zhuangyuan wiped his fingers and opened the album. "Did you draw all these?"
Sun Qiniang nodded. "My granddaughter tried to paint the garden party as realistically as possible. It's just that so many days have passed, and some people don't remember it clearly, so the picture isn't clear enough."
"Have you seen all the people above with your own eyes?"
"Exactly!"
It’s incredible!
Sun Zhuangyuan sighed secretly.
It’s more like a re-enactment of a garden party than a picture album, and it’s realistic enough.
"You can actually draw the things and people you've seen!"
Sun Qiniang smiled shyly, "My granddaughter is only slightly good at calligraphy and painting."
Sun Zhuangyuan laughed heartily, "Don't be modest in front of me. You are the most outstanding granddaughter I have ever had. I know your abilities."
He flipped through the album, and the exquisite portraits made him feel as if he were there in person.
It’s great to be young!
Youth is great!
What's even better is that granddaughter Qinnan's memory is incredible. Coupled with her excellent calligraphy and painting skills, the garden party comes alive on paper and the scenes are reproduced.
After reading the album, I still feel unsatisfied.
Sun Qiniang asked, "Is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the album?"
Sun Zhuangyuan smiled slightly and said, "His Royal Highness the First Prince is indeed in the album. You have met him."
"Please give me some advice, Grandfather."
Sun Zhuangyuan opened the album again and pointed to a scene. "You passed by him. This is the guy. Do you remember him?"
A certain scene flashed in Sun Qinniang's mind. "So it was him. Granddaughter, I remember now. He once spoke to Boss Huang."
After saying that, she flipped through the album and came to the scene where His Royal Highness the First Prince Liu Yu was talking to Huang Qubing.
She laughed. "As expected, my granddaughter didn't guess. He did appear at the garden party that day. I just don't know when he noticed me."
Sun Zhuangyuan laughed, "You are so outstanding, any man would pay attention to you."
Sun Qiniang's cheeks flushed, and she felt very shy. "Grandfather, please don't tease your granddaughter."
Sun Zhuangyuan closed the album and moved his fingers slightly.
"You said before that the young masters of noble families are not as good as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I want to hear your specific thoughts."
"Grandfather, don't you blame your granddaughter for her outrageous remarks?"
"Haha... Are you even crazier than this old man?"
Sun Qiniang's cheeks flushed. She whispered, "Looking at the eldest prince's upbringing, he was either studying or serving in the army. It seems he never had a moment to rest. His level of diligence even surpassed most of the young masters of aristocratic families."
A person's energy is limited. If he spends his time studying and practicing martial arts, he naturally has no time for fun. Although my granddaughter has never met him, she can imagine that he must be a very stable person.
And judging by his preferences, Lord Xu in "Officialdom" is a character who is both good and evil. This shows that he is not worldly, has a broad mind, and should be quite tolerant, able to accept things that are not allowed by the world. I think his views on women should also be different from the worldly.
Sun Zhuangyuan never looked at the eldest prince Liu Yu from this perspective.
After hearing what granddaughter Qi Niang said, it seemed that Liu Yu was indeed a good match for her based solely on his personality.
So he asked, "What do you want to do after you get married?"
Sun Qinniang lowered her head, feeling a little embarrassed.
However, she still said generously: "My granddaughter wants to learn from the Queen Mother and run a business after marriage, and stick to her own hobbies. If I marry a man of equal status, I'm afraid my granddaughter will have to give up her hobbies."
“Why give up?”
Sun Qiniang said thoughtfully, "Because the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, sisters-in-law, household affairs, and children have already occupied most of my time. I remember that my mother was also a lady from a prominent family before she got married, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
But in these years, the granddaughter has never seen her mother play the piano, chess, calligraphy or painting. She is the woman in people's minds who is the inner chamber, but she has also been bright and beautiful, and she has also been full of longing.
Our Sun family is one of the most prestigious in the world, but being a Sun family daughter-in-law is one of the most arduous jobs in the world. Even families of equal status have strict rules, just like the Sun family. If my granddaughter were to marry into a family of equal status, it's no surprise she'd end up living a life like her mother's, trapped in the inner courtyard of the mansion.
"If you marry the prince, I'm afraid you will have to give up your hobbies and be trapped in the deep palace." Sun Zhuangyuan poured cold water on you.
Sun Qiniang shook her head. "The princes, born of the same mother, have a deep bond, which prevents them from fighting each other. Although I haven't met Princess Ruyang, I've heard rumors about her. She doesn't like to interfere with others, nor does she like to be interfered with. Most importantly, the Empress is the most open-minded person I've ever met. I think she might be able to tolerate my differences."
Sun Zhuangyuan frowned.
"So you want to marry His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
"My granddaughter is not vain and doesn't necessarily seek the status of a prince's wife. She simply longs for a different kind of life, one with more freedom and a more comfortable life."
"Do you think the Empress and the Crown Prince will give you freedom? Will they let you live comfortably?"
Sun Qiniang thought for a moment and said, "If you marry a young master from a noble family, the chance of living a comfortable life is about 10%. If you marry the eldest prince, the chance is estimated to be 30%. For this 30% chance, I'm willing to take a gamble."
Sun Zhuangyuan laughed, "I didn't expect you would actually bet on your marriage."
Sun Qiniang lowered her head and said nervously, "My granddaughter has unorthodox ideas. Please punish me, grandfather!"
Sun Zhuangyuan looked up and looked around. "It seems that this large and deep courtyard has indeed trapped you and made you feel uncomfortable."
"There are many rules in the clan, and my granddaughter must abide by them and not cause trouble for my parents."
"There are indeed too many rules in our clan." Sun Zhuangyuan put down his wine glass. "You should go back first. I will discuss your marriage with your parents."
"Grandfather, take care of yourself." Sun Qinniang stood up and bowed to take her leave.
…
Sun Zhuangyuan did not rush to make a decision.
He decided to stay at home for a few days.
This is very rare to people in other houses.
In previous years, he only came back to worship his ancestors.
It's not a festival at this time, but he came back to live here. Is there something wrong?
People from other branches were full of speculation and went to the third branch to pay their respects, trying to find out why Sun Zhuangyuan had returned home to live.
Sun Zhuangyuan used a lot of skill to get rid of all those who came to pay their respects and test him.
However, he also announced one thing, "In three days, I will go to the ancestral hall to worship my ancestors."
Huh?
Everyone was shocked and confused.
"It's not time to worship our ancestors yet. Why are we worshipping them at this time? Could something have happened?"
"Then I will have something important to announce."
As soon as the news came out, everyone in the family was talking about it, unable to guess the purpose of this move.
His eldest son, Sun Minrong, asked him, "Our three branches have decided to split up. Father, didn't you really tell the clan leader in advance? I'm worried that we won't be able to escape unscathed in three days."
Sun Zhuangyuan sneered, "Do you think the eldest wife doesn't know that I want to divide the clan?"
"Since the eldest wife knew about it, why didn't she make any move?"
"I just want to see how determined I am to split off from the clan. It's nice to take shelter under a big tree. Not everyone has the courage to lead their family out of the clan and start their own."
"My son is also feeling insecure." Sun Minrong did not hide his cowardice.
He had no idea how many difficulties he would face in the future after leaving the clan, and whether he could overcome them.
He has been unable to sleep or eat these days.
Sometimes I think it's better to split up the clan, and sometimes I think it's better to stay in the clan.
Caught in a dilemma, struggling and entangled, I can't find a moment's peace.
Sun Zhuangyuan sneered, "Why think so much? I'm not dead yet, and I can support this family."
After saying this, he took out the key, took out the wooden box from the cabinet, and gave it to his eldest son.
"Take it!" His tone was crisp and clear, but also a little disgusted.
Sun Minrong was a little confused. He opened the wooden box and took a look. "This..."
Sun Zhuangyuan said, "The salary at Shanhe Academy is very high. You can earn a generous fee by writing articles on a daily basis. Here are 1,000 shares of Universal Transport, 20,000 taels of silver notes, the deeds to three houses, and a farm. Take them all and it will help you out in your immediate need."
Sun Minrong was filled with shame. "My son is incompetent! But I can't take my father's money..."
"Pedantic!" Sun Zhuangyuan decisively interrupted him, "I told you to take it, so just keep it. Why are you being so pretentious in front of me? Don't forget, I am the head of the Third House, and I have responsibilities to everyone in the Third House. I acted on my own and brought everyone to split up the clan, so I should take good care of everyone."
Sun Minrong closed the wooden box. "If the division of the clan can go smoothly, our third branch will be able to get a share of the clan's assets. And the Bai family will also have a dowry..."
"Bullshit! As a descendant of the Sun family, do you have the nerve to use your daughter-in-law's dowry to support your family? Bai's dowry is left to the children, you are not allowed to touch it."
Sun Zhuangyuan is very disgusted with his son. He is actually thinking about his daughter-in-law's dowry. What a shame!
Sun Minrong hurriedly explained, "My son said that as a last resort, we can use Bai's dowry first."
"Are you worried that the clan won't be willing to divide the property among our three branches?" Sun Zhuangyuan went straight to the point.
Sun Minrong nodded heavily, "My son does have this worry."
Sun Zhuangyuan laughed heartily, "Don't worry, the family won't deduct a single penny from the property that belongs to our third branch."
Sun Minrong was surprised. "Could it be that father has some way to control the eldest wife?"
Sun Zhuangyuan stroked his beard and pretended to be profound. "I have my own ideas on this matter. You should appease the people in the third branch and prepare the house for moving. You don't need to worry about the division of the clan."
"The son wants to share his father's worries!"
"This is a feud between the third and first wives. It's not your turn to intervene."
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