Chapter 722: The Bai Family is Back
After everyone left, Xia Siya sat down on a chair and complained, "Sister Fuya, what on earth is my cousin trying to do? She hasn't left the house these past few days. I thought I was overthinking it, but look at what she did just now. She's clearly fallen for your fifth brother..."
"My fifth brother is so outstanding, it's not surprising that she likes him?" Tang Bao said: "It's just..."
"Just what?" Xia Siya asked casually.
"But your cousin may not be impressed by our family background." Tang Bao said with a smile.
"If she looks down on your family background, then what does she want to do?" Xia Siya was puzzled.
Tang Bao thought about it and said sincerely: "How about Sister Siya, go ask your cousin what she wants to do?"
Xia Siya: “…”
Sister Fuya is getting worse and worse.
**
With only a few days left before the Autumn Examination, more than ten carriages, dozens of guards, and hundreds of maids and servants marched into Qingzhou Prefecture in a mighty procession.
Finally, it stopped in front of the gate of Bai Mansion.
The gate of the Bai Mansion was wide open, and the stewards, both big and small, came out with a group of servants to greet them respectfully.
"Meet the eldest and second masters..."
The servants kowtowed respectfully.
Those watching the excitement around understood that the masters of the Bai family had returned.
I have to say, this is a big deal in Qingzhou Prefecture.
After all, everyone knows that the Bai family living in this house is the Empress Dowager's maiden family.
The eldest master, the second master and others of the Bai family are all important officials of the court.
Now, these important officials of the imperial court have returned to Qingzhou Prefecture with their families...
This news soon reached the ears of Prefect Xia.
"Could it be that...something big happened in the capital?" Mrs. Xia guessed.
Prefect Xia shook his head and said, "It is said that he returned to his hometown to worship his ancestors."
"Ancestor worship?" Madam Xia frowned, puzzled. "It's not a festival, why do you suddenly want to go back to your hometown to worship your ancestors?"
Naturally, Magistrate Xia had no answer.
He didn't know that it was because an old ancestor from the palace was now living in the Bai Mansion.
"Master, do you think it might be because... the Bai family is planning to marry into our family?" Mrs. Xia's eyes lit up and she made a bold guess.
Prefect Xia: "...Do you think it's possible?"
Madam Xia: “…”
impossible!
Not to mention that their family background was originally far inferior to that of the Bai family.
Now they say that everyone has taken leave and returned home just to marry into her family. This shows that they take this marriage too seriously!
If my daughter is a princess from the royal family, that would be fine.
Mrs. Xia glared at Magistrate Xia, feeling that she was being despised by a man.
Xia Zhifu stroked his beard and felt that his wife's angry eyes seemed to have hooks...
“Ahem!”
Magistrate Xia coughed twice and quickly looked away.
It's broad daylight now!
"Since the Bai family has returned to their hometown to worship their ancestors, they will have to pay a visit someday. You should prepare some gifts," said Magistrate Xia.
"I know." Madam Xia said, "I'm afraid the eldest lady of the Bai family will also want to see Siya."
When someone marries a daughter-in-law, they naturally have to meet her in person.
Of course, I also want to take a look at the child from the Bai family.
If there is anything wrong, I would rather offend the Bai family than get married.
Magistrate Xia and his wife were thinking about the marriage between the two families, but the Bai family had long put this matter behind them.
Now all the people in the Bai family gathered outside the Queen Mother's courtyard, waiting to pay their respects to her.
There is a newly decorated small Buddhist temple in the Empress Dowager's courtyard.
In the small Buddhist temple, the air was filled with sandalwood incense and the Empress Dowager was chanting scriptures.
Princess Huaning knelt on the cushion and listened quietly to the scriptures.
It wasn't until the Empress Dowager paused that the nanny stepped forward and whispered, "Empress Dowager, the Bai family's eldest master and others are waiting outside."
The Queen Mother waved her hand and said, "Let them go back first and come back another day."
"yes."
The nanny agreed and walked out.
Although everyone in the Bai family was very sorry that they could not pay a visit to the Empress Dowager immediately, they were still very excited at the thought that the Empress Dowager could stay at the Bai family's ancestral home.
As long as the Queen Mother favors the Bai family, the Bai family will be able to enjoy wealth and prosperity and remain standing.
The Bai family's ancestral home soon became lively.
The maids and old women were busy coming and going.
The eldest master, the eldest mistress, and others washed up and gathered again in the old lady's room.
Although they rushed to Qingzhou Prefecture as soon as they received the news, they had no idea why the Empress Dowager suddenly came here.
"Mother, you don't know why the Empress Dowager came here?" the eldest master asked in surprise.
The old lady with white hair shook her head.
"The Queen didn't say."
She was just the Empress Dowager's sister-in-law and didn't dare to ask too many questions.
"Then...did the Empress Dowager say how long we would stay?" the eldest master asked again.
"He originally said he would stay for two or three days and then leave, but later he said he would not leave for the time being and would wait until after the autumn examination." The old lady knew this.
"Autumn Examination?" The master was stunned.
I can’t figure out what the Empress Dowager has to do with the Autumn Examination?
The master frowned and thought.
The Empress Dowager has never been involved in state affairs, so why would she pay attention to the Autumn Examination?
A gleam of light flashed in the old lady's somewhat cloudy eyes.
Then, he said thoughtfully, "These days, Princess Huaning occasionally takes her maid out of the palace. I suspect it's because of the princess..."
"The princess actually left the palace?" The eldest lady was surprised: "Isn't the princess suffering from a strange disease and afraid of seeing people?"
All the wealthy families in the capital knew about Princess Huaning's illness.
Although no one dared to discuss it openly, everyone knew it.
After all, Princess Huaning was already the most beautiful woman among all the girls at a young age and was famous far and wide.
As the age of marriage was approaching, all the unmarried young men in the capital were eager to get the princess's attention and win her heart. However, who would have thought that the princess would be infected with a strange disease, and her appearance was completely ruined.
It is said that the palace maids and nannies who served the princess were all filled with fear and asked for help from their connections to be transferred away from the princess.
Because the princess looks so scary!
As for those young masters who originally had a crush on the princess, they were so scared that those who wanted to get engaged got engaged and those who wanted to get married got married, for fear that if they were a step late, the emperor would arrange a marriage for them and they would be forced to marry a prince consort.
"Could it be that the princess's illness has healed?" The eldest lady asked again, "Mother, have you seen the princess's face?"
The old lady shook her head and said, "The princess always wears a veil."
Everyone understood that it was definitely not okay.
The second master asked, "Mother, do you know where the princess went?"
The old lady said, "I went to the Su Mansion."
"Su Mansion?" The Second Master frowned. "Is there any wealthy family in Qingzhou with the surname Su?"
"He came from the countryside and bought a house in Qingzhou." The old lady said, "A brother and sister live there. The brother is going to take part in the Autumn Examination, and the sister is the goddaughter of the prefect's wife..."
Following the old lady's words, the eldest master of the Bai family and others all had some guesses in their minds.
At the same time, the eldest master and the eldest lady finally remembered their son's marriage.
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