“Hongzhou, I haven’t seen that child for over a year!” Lanqin said. “I’m relieved that she’s taking good care of Hongzhou.”
“But my lord, the Seventh Prince is the Sixth Prince’s biological brother. Does this mean they will never see each other again?” Si Hua asked.
"Let's wait until they're a bit older," Lanqin said.
“Master, I’m afraid the master won’t be able to come tonight. Why don’t I have them prepare the meal first?” Si Hua said.
"Yes. Cui Niang will be back after the New Year. Si Hua, you need to think about your marriage!" Lan Qin said.
“My lady! You know what I’m thinking, but the person I like probably doesn’t reciprocate my feelings. I’d like to stay by your side a little longer,” Si Hua said.
"Sister Song's brother has entered the manor, hasn't he?" Lanqin asked, seeing that Sihua was still preoccupied with Du Zhiqian.
“They’re in. They came in a few days ago,” Si Hua said.
"Hmm, it seems like Sister Wu hasn't been coming lately. On New Year's Eve, we need to let her sister meet Sister Song and her brother," Lanqin said with a smile.
"They're probably busy preparing Miss Wu's dowry," Si Hua said with a smile.
“It can’t be that fast. Right now, they can only get engaged. They can only get married after the talent show the year after next,” Lanqin said.
Before they knew it, New Year's Eve arrived, and the Fourth Prince and his wife entered the palace early in the morning. The Fourth Prince was to lead his relatives and ministers to pay respects to their ancestors the following morning, and to familiarize himself with the procedures, he went to the palace early to prepare. Because of his duties, the Fourth Prince did not bring any of his children into the palace.
Lanqin specially instructed the head nanny to prepare a feast, which was set up in the Fourth Master's reception room in the front courtyard. To enhance the New Year's atmosphere, Lanqin also had fireworks prepared, and the servants were asked to take several children to play in the front.
Lanqin arrived early and, after looking at the layout of the front hall and the dishes, Judushi prepared them according to her instructions.
"Head Granny, you can hold the banquet as usual later. Let the servants who are not on duty and have families outside go home for the New Year. Those who do not have families and want to stay in the mansion for the New Year should have more good dishes than usual," Lanqin said to the head nanny.
"Thank you for your consideration, Consort. Don't worry, everything has been arranged. Please sit down and rest for a while. Once the masters from all the quarters have arrived, I will have them begin serving the dishes," said the head nanny.
A short while later, Madam Song arrived with Song Shucheng. After exchanging pleasantries with Lanqin, they sat down and talked. Lanqin found Song Shucheng to be polite, well-educated, and handsome.
"This humble servant greets Consort Song and Sister Song!" Lady Fucha arrived, and as soon as she entered, she immediately went to Lanqin and bowed.
"Princess Fucha, there's no need for such formalities, please have a seat!" Lanqin said calmly.
Before Lady Fucha could even take her seat, Liu, who had been confined to her quarters for two or three months, arrived heavily pregnant. The Fourth Prince hadn't given any instructions on whether Liu was allowed to attend, so Lanqin had to send someone to relay the message: after all, it was the New Year, and she was seven months pregnant, so she wouldn't cause any more trouble. Thus, she was allowed to come.
Liu had not seen Lanqin for a long time. Thinking of how all the effort she had put into building a reputation in front of the Fourth Master had been ruined by Lanqin, she had long hated Lanqin. But at this moment, she had no choice but to pretend to be repentant and walk up to Lanqin to pay her respects.
"Cuizhu, quickly help your mistress up. She's seven months pregnant. Please sit down." Lanqin had already instructed Sihua, Shuiling, and Yuxiao Baoqin to keep a close eye on Liu Shi and watch her every move. Liu Shi couldn't afford to make any mistakes, or it would cause another uproar.
"Is everyone here?" Madam Nian's voice came from outside the house, and then Consort Nian, dressed in a pink brocade robe, walked in, supported by her maid. She was dressed quite formally today, almost like the primary consort, with a full head of jade hair ornaments and purple pearl hairpins lightly brushing her cheeks, making her look very pretty.
"Oh, everyone's here!" Lady Nian stepped across the threshold, saw Lanqin and the others, then glanced at Lady Fucha and Lady Liu before sitting down next to Lanqin.
“We still need to find Wu and Geng,” said Song.
"Geng isn't coming. She's already sent someone to tell us that she's not feeling well," Lanqin said. Actually, she had already expected Geng wouldn't come.
"What's wrong with this Lady Geng? It seems like she hasn't shown her face in a long time. Ever since she got a prince, she's been treating him like a precious treasure, as if she's afraid someone will see him and leave?" Lady Nian said, holding her handkerchief.
"Perhaps she really isn't feeling well. Never mind, I've already had the head maid send some vegetables over," Lanqin said.
Just then, Madam Wu entered with Wu Ruyue. The two sisters were there; Madam Wu wore a pale purple-pink brocade robe with black rabbit fur trim on the collar and cuffs. Wu Ruyue wore a light yellow brocade robe, clearly new, made from fabric recently allocated by Madam Wu. Lanqin, considering Wu Ruyue's needs, had specially selected some bright fabrics suitable for a teenage girl and sent them to Madam Wu when distributing the fabric.
It must be said that Wu Ruyue's outfit today is really pretty. The young girl's fair and delicate skin is very suitable for a color like pale yellow, which is difficult to match with all skin tones.
"Ruyue greets Consort Nian and Consort Lanqin!" Wu Ruyue walked in with Madam Wu, and before she could say anything, she took the initiative to greet Madam Lanqin and Madam Nian.
"Oh my, look at that sweet little mouth. And what a handsome little face!" Mrs. Nian said first.
Wu Ruyue smiled slightly at Madam Nian before taking her seat with Madam Wu.
From the moment Wu Ruyue entered, Song Shucheng had been secretly watching her. He knew from Madam Song that Madam Wu had agreed, and he had been eagerly anticipating seeing Wu Ruyue ever since.
Upon seeing him today, Song Shucheng was even more captivated.
Wu Ruyue had always known that the handsome man opposite her had been secretly watching her, and she also knew that he was Song Shucheng, the younger brother of the Song family, who was currently serving as the registrar of the Hanlin Academy. Perhaps in the eyes of ordinary young ladies from prominent families, he was a talented young man, a handsome gentleman, but Wu Ruyue was only interested in marrying into a higher social class and did not think much of Song Shucheng at the moment.
"Now that we're all here, Sister Nian, let's begin!" Lanqin, as the host, said in her opening remarks.
"Okay, let's begin. Eat quickly so we can watch the fireworks. It's a pity we didn't go to the palace this year; the fireworks there are so beautiful." Lady Nian felt a little bitter. This year, the Fourth Prince didn't take her to the palace, only his primary consort, which made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Ignoring the sourness in her words, Lanqin asked Song Shucheng, "Shucheng, you've just entered the Hanlin Academy, what are your feelings about it?"
Lanqin's intention was to steer the conversation towards Song Shucheng, making Wu Ruyue pay attention to him, naturally in order to foster mutual affection between them.
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