"Mu Chun." Yun Qianmeng signaled Xiahou An'er to lower the curtain and called Mu Chun softly, asking her to get out of the car first and hand the invitation to the housekeeper of Han Xiangfu.
"I understand." Mu Chun nodded to Yun Qianmeng, then lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage.
"I didn't expect the Prince Duan's Mansion to come as well." Xiahou An'er had naturally noticed the Prince Duan's carriage. The obvious "Duan" on the carriage was not something to be ignored. However, the Prince Duan's Mansion did not attend the wedding banquet at the Prince Hai's Mansion, but instead came to attend the housewarming banquet at the Prime Minister Han's Mansion. This made people curious about the original reason.
Seeing that Xiahou An'er had also spotted the Duke Duan's carriage, Yun Qianmeng smiled faintly and spoke slowly, "Minister Han and Minister Han passed the imperial examination in the same year, and now serve in the same court. They are also close friends. It's not surprising that the Duke Duan's Mansion came to attend the housewarming banquet of Minister Han's Mansion."
However, Han Shaomian was only the nephew of the late Princess Han of Prince Duan, but Prince Duan's Mansion seemed to take him too seriously. Not only did they invite Han Che, who was only a sixth-rank Hanlin editor, to the dinner at Prince Duan's Mansion, but now he also came to the housewarming party of Prime Minister Han's Mansion. Whether Prince Duan was doing it because of old friendship or had other intentions, it is indeed a matter of curiosity and worth pondering.
"That's true. I've seen Minister Han and Prime Minister Han together several times. They get along very well with each other. I guess they have a very good relationship." After listening to Yun Qianmeng's words, Xiahou An'er couldn't help but smiled and nodded.
"I, the steward of Han Xiangfu, greet the Princess of Chu and Princess Xiahou. Please get out of the car and enter the mansion." At this time, a clear voice was heard outside the car. When the person introduced himself, it was known that he was the steward of Han Xiangfu.
Xiahou An'er hurriedly stood up and helped Yun Qianmeng out of the carriage. Outside, Mu Chun and other maids had already placed the stepping stools firmly and carefully helped Yun Qianmeng get off the carriage.
"Your servant greets the princess and the princess." The housekeeper of Han Xiangfu maintained a bowing posture the entire time. When he saw Yun Qianmeng and Xiahou An'er step out of the carriage, he spoke again. His respectful attitude was truly admirable.
"Please stand up, no need to be so polite." Yun Qianmeng spoke elegantly, looking at the butler in front of her.
"Thank you, Princess Chu." After hearing Yun Qianmeng speak, the butler bowed and thanked her and stood up.
He had a straight face, dressed in a dark green robe. He was steady yet not underestimated, indicating a man of measured purpose. It seemed Han Che had great discernment in his personnel. If, like Yun Xuanzhi, he had placed someone as reckless as Zhao De at his doorstep, his own mansion would undoubtedly be in turmoil.
His gaze passed over the steward of Han Xiangfu to the renovated Han Xiangfu behind him. It was very similar to Han Che's low-key personality. He did not become complacent because of his sudden promotion to the position of Left Prime Minister and then renovated Han Xiangfu into a magnificent mansion.
He knew very well that he had been suddenly promoted by Emperor Yu Gan from the sixth rank Hanlin editor to the first rank left prime minister of the current dynasty. There must be many people inside and outside the court who were jealous and waiting to find his mistakes, so he renovated the Han Xiang Mansion in a very low-key manner, making it look neither shabby nor difficult to find fault with.
It can be seen that Han Che is a man who knows how to advance and retreat, and is quite good at guessing people's hearts. I'm afraid he has even guessed some of Emperor Yu Gan's thoughts.
There was a black plaque hanging above the gate of Han Xiangfu, with the three words "Han Xiangfu" engraved on it. It was painted with dark green paint, which was low-key and steady, but made people dare not invade.
However, the most attractive thing is the three characters "Han Xiangfu". The font is vigorous and powerful with a hint of arrogance, but because it is written in cursive, it adds a sense of free and unruly, hiding the domineering arrogance, which is extremely clever.
"Who wrote these three characters on this plaque?" Yun Qianmeng was very curious because the handwriting seemed to be that of a famous calligrapher, so she asked the housekeeper with a smile.
"In reply to your question, Princess, the words above were all written by the Prime Minister himself." The butler calmly answered Yun Qianmeng's question.
Although Yun Qianmeng had already guessed that it must have been written by Han Che, the handsome young man had a gentle and refined appearance, but the handwriting he created was quite powerful, which was completely different from the writing style of a weak scholar, which was surprising.
"What beautiful handwriting." Yun Qianmeng looked at the three words on the plaque again, smiled slightly and nodded, then walked towards Prime Minister Han's Mansion.
Everyone followed Yun Qianmeng and walked towards the steps outside the Han Xiang Mansion. However, before they stepped into the gate of the Han Xiang Mansion, they heard the sound of galloping horses and rolling wheels.
Everyone turned around and saw the word "sea" embroidered on the body of the carriage.
In today's world, there is only one other place in the world with the word "sea" printed on the body of its carriage except the Sea King's Palace.
The carriage gradually stopped in front of the gate of Prime Minister Han's residence. The maids trotted out from the back of the carriage, put the stepping stools in place, and then helped the masters inside out of the carriage.
However, the only one who stepped out of the carriage was Princess Qian. She was wearing a scarlet silk long dress that was almost bright red. The hem of the dress was embroidered with nine magnificent peonies in layers with gold thread, and in the middle of the pistil was an extremely round and small pearl. As Princess Qian walked, the pearl flashed with a bright light. Her dress, which showed that she was either rich or noble, immediately made her stand out from the other female relatives and instantly attracted the attention of passers-by, showing the strong financial resources of the Prince of the Sea's Mansion.
Feeling the envious glances coming from all directions, Princess Qian's smile grew even brighter. When her eyes fell on Yun Qianmeng, who was wearing a light blue dress, a hint of contempt and pride flashed across her face.
"What a coincidence! I didn't expect to meet Princess Chu and Princess Xiahou here." Princess Qian slowly got off the carriage with the help of the maids and spoke with a faint smile. She walked gracefully to stand in front of the crowd, and her eyes once again scanned Yun Qianmeng and Xiahou An'er critically.
Seeing that Princess Qian didn't even greet Yun Qianmeng, Xiahou An'er frowned slightly before smiling softly and saying, "Yes, what a coincidence! I never expected to meet the Princess here. The Princess is truly dazzling today, worthy of being the Princess of the Sea Palace. Her appearance is truly admirable. It seems that Princess Qian must have been very attentive to her training, making every move of Princess Qian exude an air of nobility."
To others, it sounded like Xiahou An'er was praising Princess Qian, but the parties involved knew the situation clearly.
Xiahou An'er took advantage of the fact that the Prince of the Sea's Mansion was a prestigious family and should pay great attention to etiquette and rules, and implied that Princess Qian did not even know the most basic etiquette.
A princess consort not only did not greet the princess consort when she saw her husband, but she also looked at her with extremely presumptuous eyes. If they really made a big fuss about this matter, I am afraid that Emperor Yu Gan, who was waiting to find fault with the Prince of the Sea's Palace, would definitely make a big fuss and not give the Prince of the Sea's Palace a chance to explain.
Princess Qian never expected that Xiahou An'er was so cunning and hateful, and started to ridicule her as soon as she opened her mouth.
However, her status was indeed much lower than Yun Qianmeng's. Even though she was unhappy, she had to bow to Yun Qianmeng.
Consort Qian had no choice but to bow to Yun Qianmeng and half-kneel, "Greetings, Princess Chu."
"The Crown Prince's Consort's dress is truly dazzling. If you don't look closely at it under the sun, others might mistake it for pure red." Yun Qianmeng smiled faintly as she spoke. Her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, but there was something behind her words that made people delve deeper.
Princess Qian knew very well that Yun Qianmeng was not a pushover, and she also knew that Yun Qianmeng would not let her go just because of her neglect just now.
Just as she was about to explain, Yun Qianmeng's gaze turned to Xiahou An'er, "Let's go in. Don't stand at the door and block the way for other guests."
As they spoke, the group turned and walked into the gate of Han Xiangfu, and headed towards the garden of Han Xiangfu under the guidance of the housekeeper.
Princess Qian naturally couldn't get ahead of Yun Qianmeng, so she could only follow behind angrily with her maid.
"Your servant greets the Princess of Chu, Princess Xiahou, and Princess Qian." After passing through the corridor of Prime Minister Han's residence, everyone was heading towards the archway between the corridor and the garden, when they saw Han Yuluoluo coming out generously from inside, bowing slightly to them with a faint smile on her face.
"Miss Han, please stand up. Today is a big day for Prime Minister Han's Mansion, so there is no need to be so formal." Yun Qianmeng walked forward with a smile and stepped into the archway with Han Yu.
The garden of Han Xiangfu can be described as elegant. Although the garden is full of overlapping rockery, numerous pavilions, and is full of flowers and plants, it has nothing to do with the word "magnificent". This is because the flowers and plants selected for the garden of Han Xiangfu are all light-colored and restrained in light, which is truly unique.
"Prime Minister Han has really good taste. I didn't expect the decoration inside the Prime Minister's Mansion to be so elegant." After admiring the garden of Prime Minister Han's Mansion, Princess Qian had a sneer in her eyes, but she praised the decoration of the Mansion.
"You are too kind, Princess. My brother and Han Yu don't understand these things. We just asked the craftsmen to move some of our favorite flowers and plants into the palace. How can they be compared with the natural beauty, grandeur and splendor of the Sea King's Palace? I hope Princess will not laugh at me." Han Yu's words were extremely clever.
It sounded like praise, but upon closer inspection, it seemed as if she was blaming the Palace of the Sea. However, there was not a single word of dissatisfaction or disrespect towards the Palace of the Sea between the lines of her words, which made Princess Qian hit a snag. However, she could not question Han Yu in public, so she could only lead her maidservant with a cold face and go to the other ladies.
Yun Qianmeng looked around the garden and saw that many young ladies and ladies had arrived. She did not see Qu Feiqing, but she did see Princess Duan and Madam Han.
The two were sitting in a pavilion not far away, and it was also crowded with many ladies and young ladies, who must have all come to see Han Shaomian, the perfect son-in-law.
"Let's go pay our respects to Princess Duan first." Yun Qianmeng retracted her gaze and nodded to Han Yu.
Han Yu immediately understood and accompanied the two of them up the steps of the pavilion, and the three of them walked into the pavilion together.
"Greetings to Princess Duan and Madam Han." Given Yun Qianmeng's status, she didn't need to bow and greet other ladies.
"Greetings, Princess Chu." Seeing Yun Qianmeng arrive, the others immediately stood up and saluted.
Even the usually taciturn Princess Duan nodded towards Yun Qianmeng and said with a faint smile, "Princess Chu is pregnant. Please take a seat."
"The Princess of Chu is so lucky. She will definitely give birth to a little prince for the King of Chu." A lady followed up on what Princess Duan said. After listening carefully, it was clear that she was just trying to flatter Princess Duan.
After hearing her words, Princess Duan's originally gentle expression gradually cooled down, and her lips, which were lightly pursed, gradually tightened. I'm afraid she won't speak again for a while.
Xiahou An'er helped Yun Qianmeng carefully sit down next to Princess Duan, and then she sat down after Yun Qianmeng.
"How can we decide whether to have a boy or a girl? No matter it is a boy or a girl, they are our own children. How can we not love them? Besides, even if the child is born, we can't call him the young prince. All this is the grace of the royal family, not something we say casually." Yun Qianmeng took the teacup handed over by Han Yu, glanced at the lady who said the wrong thing, and spoke lightly.
Princess Duan's son was nearly the same age as the Crown Prince, yet Prince Duan had yet to submit a petition to Emperor Yugan requesting an imperial decree for his title. This undoubtedly pained Princess Duan. But the lady spoke out without hesitation, which would have embarrassed Princess Duan and, in turn, earned her dislike.
After hearing Yun Qianmeng's words, Princess Duan's expression finally did not turn completely cold, but compared to her gentleness just now, it was still a little colder.
"Minister Han is also a new noble in the court. I wonder which lady Madam Han has chosen for Minister Han?" Another lady looked around and saw that the man had offended Princess Duan, so she immediately changed the subject and asked Madam Han with a smile, inquiring about Han Shaomian's affairs.
Little did she know that as soon as she asked the question, Princess Duan's expression, which had finally warmed up because of Yun Qianmeng, gradually turned cold again, and she picked up the teacup on the table and sipped it carefully.
Although Madam Han had a smile on her face, she immediately glanced at Princess Duan and replied ambiguously, "The child is only focused on making achievements and accomplishments right now, so he doesn't really care about these things. Fortunately, Shao Mian is still young, so the master and I are not too anxious."
Upon hearing that Han Shaomian's mother had actually rejected such a good marriage for her son, the ladies in the pavilion looked at each other in bewilderment, not understanding what Mrs. Han was up to. Could it be that she was counting on Han Shaomian to soar to fame and marry a princess?
For a moment, the atmosphere in the pavilion became a little weird and awkward. Princess Duan and Princess Chu, one with a cold face and a cold heart, and the other with a faint smile and no words, made it really hard to find a suitable topic to strike up a friendship with them.
"Oh, Sister Fei is here." Han Yu noticed Qu Feiqing who had already stepped into the garden. A hint of joy flashed in her eyes. She immediately stood up and bowed to everyone in the pavilion, then carefully walked down the stairs holding up her skirt to greet Qu Feiqing.
Yun Qianmeng saw that Qu Feiqing came with Ji Shuyu. She nodded slightly to Princess Duan, then followed her out of the pavilion to greet Ji Shuyu.
"Meng'er greets my aunt and cousin." There were so many people talking that Yun Qianmeng did not greet them.
Ji Shuyu carefully observed Yun Qianmeng's complexion and saw that she was in high spirits. She smiled and walked over to her side, personally supporting Yun Qianmeng as she walked towards Princess Duan and others.
However, when they returned to the pavilion, Princess Qian was already sitting in the pavilion, quietly sipping the tea in her hand.
"I heard that the Crown Princess got a precious jade in Fugui Hall a few days ago. I wonder if it is true?" On that day, Hai Chenxi and Hai Yue and his wife almost had a fight in Fugui Hall for a piece of beautiful jade. Although few people knew about it among the common people, all the ladies present knew it well, and they all looked at Crown Princess Qian who was sipping tea with curiosity.
"The Crown Prince's Consort was born into a noble family, so how could she have a false eye for people and things? But I don't know what kind of beautiful jade it is that even Prince Hai is unwilling to let go? I heard that Prince Hai was really angry that day, I wonder if this is true?" Another noble lady was sitting on a bench in the pavilion with her daughter, but she stretched her neck to stare at Crown Prince Qian's Consort.
As soon as these words were spoken, the other ladies in the pavilion became interested and their eyes were all focused on the face of Princess Qian, as if they were very interested in this matter.
Princess Qian smiled awkwardly, her eyelids slowly lowering, her long lashes covering the cold glint in her eyes. A fleeting chill flashed across her eyes, and then Princess Qian raised her head, a smile that didn't reveal a single flaw on her face. She slowly spoke, "I didn't expect that the ladies, while busy with the affairs of the palace every day, were still so well-informed that they could even find out such a trivial matter."
As soon as these words were spoken, the ladies who wanted to laugh at the joke withdrew their gazes. Although they secretly hated Princess Qian's harshness, they could not afford to offend the Prince of the Sea's Palace, and they dared not say a word even if they suffered a loss.
What's more, Madam Han and Han Yu are in the pavilion. If these two people tell Han Shaomian and Han Che about what happened today, the impression of his daughter in their hearts will definitely plummet. Why should he cut off his daughter's future just for a moment of pleasure?
Seeing that the pavilion had become quiet for a while, Princess Qian couldn't help but sneer, looking at everyone with deep disdain in her eyes.
"Why aren't Prime Minister Han and Miss Han's parents here?" Having hit a snag with Princess Qian, the crowd turned the conversation to Han Yu. They were baffled to see only the siblings living in the vast Prime Minister Han's residence, with no sign of their parents. Everyone knew Han Che came from a humble background, yet now he'd become the Left Prime Minister, a figure who had already brought honor to his family. Yet, no relatives besides the siblings were visible. Could he be an orphan?
Han Yu politely ordered the maids in the mansion to add tea and cakes for the distinguished guest. Even as she was busy, she smiled softly and replied, "My parents are still in my hometown. My brother originally sent someone back to bring them to live with us in the capital, but they got used to the local environment and didn't come."
Yun Qianmeng listened carefully to Han Yu's words. She paused for a moment as she was moving the lid across the edge of the bowl, then a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
"Alas, the mansion still needs a mistress. How can Miss Han serve Prime Minister Han all her life? You will get married eventually. Are you going to hand over this huge mansion to those housekeepers? Wouldn't the servants be climbing over the masters' heads?" A lady spoke hurriedly. There was something else in her words, but she said it very frankly and anyone could hear it.
After Han Yu finished her busy work, she sat down, smiled at the lady, and slowly said, "How can I interfere in my brother's marriage?" She implicitly rejected the lady and dispelled the idea of everyone starting with her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com