Chapter 67 We Have Nothing to Do with Each Other
Yuan Yuhe smiled at her, then looked at the others and waved her hand, "Please sit down, no need to be polite. It's already May, and the weather is getting hotter. We have to return to Chaozhou to worship our ancestors at the end of the month, so we won't be able to see the lotus flowers in Taiyuan Lake in July this year."
She then looked at Ming Zhaohuan and said, "Although the lotus flowers aren't in full bloom yet, the ones that have just begun to peek out are still delightful. Zhaohuan, why don't you take your brothers and sisters with you to enjoy the lake view tomorrow?"
"Okay." Mingzhao understood what she meant and nodded.
My mother is hard on the outside but soft on the inside.
The banquet started after the old lady arrived. After dinner, the food was removed and fruits and pastries were served. The old lady asked about the situation of her grandsons' trip to Hunting State. Mingzhao also told her about it in detail. Ming Zhouqing and Ming Zhouhe also agreed from time to time.
The terrain of Shouzhou is steep and there are many bandit camps. Ming Zhouhe and Ming Zhouqing made great contributions in this bandit suppression campaign. They climbed mountains and jumped off cliffs to take the lead, and were both promoted to general flags and small military officers of the seventh rank.
He has only been in the military camp for two months and has achieved such results, which is very impressive.
Shi Jianli listened to their conversation with one ear open, but her attention was more on the ginkgo nuts in her hand. She spent her time peeling the nuts, enjoying the summer breeze that blew in through the hall.
Ming Zhouhe reached out to pull the plate of nuts in front of her, but she held him back.
Shi Jianli smiled at him and said, "No need to peel it for me, I'll peel it for fun."
"All right."
After peeling about ten, Shi Jianli stopped, wiped his hands with a half-wet towel, and put all the ginkgo nuts into a small bowl of iced cold yuanzi that had just been served.
Mingzhao glanced over and wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't speak.
Mingyuelin held his chin and looked at the big brother opposite him. He saw that he looked at Sister Li from time to time, but the other party ignored him and was enjoying the show for a while.
Mingzhao even glanced at her.
After finishing Leng Yuanzi, Shi Jianli saw the old lady leave, so she also stood up and said goodbye, and her figure disappeared in the corridor outside the banquet hall.
At 9:00 a.m. the next day, Shi Jianli took Lanxing out and got on a carriage to the gate of the East Palace.
As I walked through the corridor, a tall, dark blue figure stood in front of me.
Shi Jianli pinched her sleeve and continued to walk forward. She raised her head slightly to look at him, "Why is my cousin here?"
"If you want to come to the mansion gate on this side, you should pass by here, so I'll go around and wait for you." Mingzhao tilted his head, smiled at the corner of his lips, and looked at her with his hands behind his back.
Now that he has spoken openly, he cannot be vague in what he says to her from now on. Otherwise, if there is any misunderstanding, she may secretly push him away and run away to see him.
"Oh." Shi Jianli's eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes turned away, and she turned her toes to one side and continued walking.
Mingzhao also glanced sideways, his gaze falling from the jade tassels swaying gently on her bun to her eyebrows and eyes. "Last time I asked you if you wanted to go to Chaozhou, have you made up your mind?"
"Well, go." She nodded.
Her aunt wanted her to go with her, as she didn't want to leave her alone in the capital where she wouldn't be able to take care of her if anything happened.
"Then you women will set off ten days in advance. We can't take too long off duty. We can catch up on horseback later. We'll be there at about the same time."
Shi Jianli lowered her eyes and played with the jade fan with a pattern of birds stepping on blossoming branches in her hand. She glanced at him sideways and said, "I know. My aunt and cousin both told me about it."
"Are you going to tell Second Aunt?"
"Tell what?"
"As for our business, let her not choose a husband for you for the time being." Mingzhao's voice was a little softer.
Realizing he was setting a trap for her, Shi Jianli snorted, "You only asked me to consider you. We haven't even started dating yet, so there's no need to worry. There's no rush anyway. I've already told my aunt, so I'll take my time."
Seeing the vivid anger between her eyebrows and hearing her use his words to block him, Ming Zhao suppressed the smile on his lips and said, "Okay, it's okay. I'm just showing my attitude of cooperating with you. Do you want to consider having something to do with me?"
It is better to have a little temper, be more lively, and be very cute. If you are willing to get angry with him, you are willing to get close to him.
"I'm considering it. What if I decide that you're still not right for me?" She stopped, turned around, looked at him, and asked.
"That must be because I didn't do well enough, and you still have worries."
Shi Jianli raised her chin and said, "My eldest cousin speaks very nicely."
"Just take it as a compliment."
When they arrived at the gate, Shi Jianli saw Mingyuelin and the others were already waiting there, and several spacious carriages were ready.
Shi Jianli was still a little far away from Mingzhao, so she went to the girls first.
The group of people seemed very interested in going out and playing together. They all got up early, making Shi Jianli seem late. She and Mingzhao arrived together, and everyone was staring at them. Shi Jianli suddenly felt a little guilty, but she didn't show it on her face.
Mingyuelin and the other girls were standing inside the mansion gate, chatting and laughing. The fifth girl Mingyuewu and the sixth girl Mingyueliu, who usually didn't play with them, also came out.
Mingyuewu is from the first wife and is ten years old this year. Mingyueliu is from the second wife and is nine years old this year.
The head mistress said she was going out to play, and from the second to the seventh, plus Ming Zhaohuan, all seven young masters came. A group of high-spirited young men stood together outside the mansion gate, attracting a lot of attention from servants from other houses outside the Duke's Mansion who were out shopping.
Except for Ming Zhouqi who is younger than Shi Jianli and Shi Jianli calls him cousin, the rest are older than her, so she has to call them cousin.
The direct line of the Duke's family does not have many children, but it is not too few either. There are thirteen children in total, both boys and girls. Eleven of them came out today, and with Shi Jianli, there are twelve in total.
Today is May 11th. Mingyueshu is getting married but has not come yet. The eldest daughter Mingyuechu got married in March last year and gave birth to a son in January this year.
All the girls in the mansion planned to stay for two more years after coming of age. The second sister had not yet married, but Mingyueshu, the third in line, was going to get married first. This showed how disappointed the old lady was with Mingyueshu's behavior.
There were four carriages, two for men and two for women. Shi Jianli and Ming Yuelin got on one carriage, while Ming Yuesi took five or six girls on another.
In the carriage, Mingyuelin poked Shi Jianli's waist and said, "Sister Li..."
"Hmm?" Shi Jianli looked at her.
"What's going on between you and my elder brother?" She considered her words and asked carefully.
"Did your eldest brother tell you?"
Ming Yuelin told the truth: "Weren't you going to see me the day before yesterday? On the day when my elder brother came back, I lamented that you were going to see me and no one would accompany me to go hunting. Suddenly, my elder brother's face changed and he asked me who I was going to see."
"Before I could figure out why he changed his expression, he left in a hurry. That night, he came to my yard in a hurry and asked me if I was with you during the three days off last month. He asked if something had happened that made you not want to talk to him anymore."
"He felt that he didn't know how he had angered you, so he came to me to ask." Ming Yuelin observed her expression and asked, "Sister Li, did you hear the conversation between me and my mother that day?"
Shi Jianli nodded and said, "When I went there for the first time, I happened to hear you and the Duke's wife talking about me. I felt embarrassed, so I left and came back."
Mingyuelin wanted to cover her face, and it just happened that Sister Li heard it.
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