On this day, Hongli went out of the palace on business. After finishing his business, he saw that it was still early. Thinking that Lanqin would be holding a lotus banquet at Yuanmingyuan in a few days, he asked the carriage driver to change the route to Yuanmingyuan.
Lanqin hadn't expected Hongli to come at this time and thought something important had happened, but Hongli smiled and said to Lanqin, "Your son came here specifically to see you, Mother. Don't overthink it..."
Hongli glanced at the table and saw the invitation that Lanqin hadn't finished writing. He walked over, picked it up, and asked, "Is Mother writing an invitation?"
There were stacks of written invitations on the table, along with a list of names. Hongli looked them over carefully and asked, "Mother, are these all the people Father wanted to invite?"
Lanqin had been busy with the lotus banquet these past few days, meticulously attending to every detail from the banquet arrangements to the food and drinks. She already regretted her loose tongue in letting the Fourth Prince host the lotus banquet, which had ended up becoming a royal banquet. Looking at the invitations, it seemed that the Fourth Prince hadn't invited a single concubine from the palace. Lanqin groaned at the thought that this would be used by those concubines to stir up trouble.
"Yes, Mother originally only wanted to hold a private banquet, but Father Emperor invited all the relatives. Now I'm so busy..." Lanqin grumbled, her back aching from exhaustion as she kept swinging her arms.
Baoqin entered with a smile, carrying a cup of tea. She set down the tea and said, "Didn't Your Majesty keep saying you were bored at the Yuanmingyuan? Well, now Your Majesty has something to do all day..."
Lanqin glanced at Baoqin sideways, raised her hand to strike but missed, and said with slight anger, "Wasn't this all your idea..."
Seeing that Lanqin was in a good mood, Hongli was relieved.
Hongli put down the name card book, seemingly hesitant. Lanqin, knowing Hongli's temperament, asked, "You didn't come just to see your mother, did you? Just say what you need to say..."
Hongli scratched the back of his head shyly and stammered, "I can't hide anything from Mother. There's something I need to ask of you..."
Lanqin smiled, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and stared at Hongli, saying with a smile, "Tell me, as long as your mother can do it, she will definitely help you..."
Hongli pointed to the invitation and said, "Mother, could you write another invitation?"
Lanqin asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Do you have someone you invited coming?"
Hongli blushed even more and whispered, "I would like to invite Fucha Mingyu to the Lotus Banquet..."
Lanqin chuckled, "I thought you were going to invite someone else, but it turns out it's Princess Mingyu." Then, Lanqin changed her expression, took Hongli's hand apologetically, and said, "It's my fault for not thinking things through. You and Princess Mingyu are already engaged, but too many things have been delayed lately, which is why your plans have been disrupted..."
Hongli thought Lanqin had misunderstood that he was pressuring her to get married, so he quickly waved his hand and said, "Mother, don't overthink it. I just feel that I have too few opportunities to see Mingyu, so I was thinking of taking advantage of the lotus banquet to meet her..."
As Hongli spoke, his voice grew softer and softer. Since Hongli and Fucha Mingyu got engaged, they had rarely had the opportunity to meet. In addition, there had been a misunderstanding before, and Hongli always felt that he owed Fucha Mingyu a debt. The lotus banquet at Yuanmingyuan was a rare opportunity, and it was not as formal and uneasy as the palace. So Hongli asked Lanqin to add an extra invitation so that Fucha Mingyu could also attend the lotus banquet.
Lanqin knew Hongli's thoughts perfectly well, so she naturally wouldn't refuse. She nodded and smiled, "Alright... Mother will take the liberty of inviting Fucha Mingyu to the Lotus Banquet at Yuanmingyuan!" As she spoke, Lanqin picked up a pen and wrote an invitation, which she then handed to Hongli.
Hongli was overjoyed and, after a few words, hurriedly bid farewell to Lanqin and returned to the palace.
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