"Si Lang is so considerate. In the future, you should marry a new wife and bring her home to live a good life. The young couple will take care of you together. What more could you ask for?"
After saying this, Madam Yang sighed softly, looking at the two little sisters standing together, and worries welled up in her heart: "These two girls, Sixth Sister has always been more lively since I raised her, so she can't be as steady as her elder sister. As for Yan Yan, she has suffered grievances in the past. When it comes to choosing a husband, not to mention me, even my old lady has to be very careful."
Lady Guangping's smile froze for a moment as she pondered the meaning behind Madam Yang's words. She could only smile and agree, "That's true. If I had a daughter, I would have to go to great lengths to take care of her."
“A woman is loved by her own family at home, but once she gets married, she goes to another family. As parents, they worry that their children will be mistreated.”
Fu Chen glanced at Xu Lingzi from time to time. He felt that Xu Lingzi hadn't changed much since she was a child and was still just as beautiful.
She turned her head slightly to look at her son and coughed twice.
Fu Chen came to his senses and noticed that there seemed to be some displeasure in Madam Yang's eyes. He immediately felt ashamed and quickly stood up and clasped his hands, saying, "Mother and Madam are both of good intentions. As a daughter, I will never forget them."
"However, I have come today to personally deliver the invitations to Madam and Sixth Miss. If the County Princess is willing to do me the honor, I will certainly wait respectfully."
He pulled the invitation out of his sleeve; it was a very ordinary red-colored invitation with the word "Invitation" written neatly on it.
Li Shiyue noticed that the handwriting wasn't as nice as the couplets hanging in her Chengyu Pavilion on New Year's Eve. However, seeing Fu Chen eagerly handing over the invitation, she couldn't help but glance at Xu Lingzi, wondering if this invitation was just a token gesture, a small gift with great meaning.
She thought that there were some things she should tell Xu Lingzi.
Although Yang's attitude towards Lady Guangping and her son was not particularly close, she maintained a respectful and friendly demeanor. Whenever Lady Guangping brought up the topic of Fu Chen's marriage or Xu Lingzi's marriage, or any related topics, Yang would skillfully dodge the question.
After a few exchanges, Lady Guangping Marquis probably realized that Yang was not interested in the marriage between the two families and would not agree to it at this time. After sitting for a short while, the mother and son left in a dejected manner.
As soon as the mother and son walked out and disappeared from sight, the smile on Yang's lips gradually faded. Her face was almost frozen from smiling, but she had to be patient and didn't kick the mother and son out.
In front of her, as a guest in her home, Fu Chen's gaze was practically glued to her daughter's face. Did he think she didn't exist?
Moreover, the mother and son came to her door and tried to arrange her daughter's marriage with just a few words. None of the proper formalities were done. A verbal engagement does not necessarily mean that the daughter will be married as a principal wife. What are they to her Hongnong Yang family and Rongguo Duke's mansion?
Madam Yang's expression was filled with displeasure. As the eldest wife of the main branch and in charge of the whole family, she rarely showed such undisguised anger.
Li Shiyue and Xu Lingzi exchanged a glance, both understanding why Madam Yang was so angry, after all, the rules of the Guangping Marquis's mansion were indeed speechless.
Xu Lingzi was also holding back her anger: "I don't want to go to this banquet."
Fu Chen's gaze made her uncomfortable. Although there was no physical offense, he was just staring at her curiously, but she still didn't like it. She felt that his gaze was already offending her.
How could the heir of a noble family not even remember the principle of not looking at what is improper? It's clearly intentional.
Li Shiyue looked at Yang Shi and said, "If my cousin isn't going, then I won't go either. I'll just say that my cousin and I are going to accompany my grandmother to the temple to pray for blessings."
“Grandmother’s prayers have been delayed for several days, and we can’t delay any longer. Compared to the banquet outside, it’s not just my cousin and me at home. My younger cousins will accompany my aunt out, while my older cousin and I will stand in for my aunt and cousins to show our filial piety to Grandmother. It’s the best of both worlds.”
"If anyone asks, just say that my maternal grandmother is old, and my ninth and tenth sisters are too young to take good care of her. That would make my cousin and me the most suitable."
When Li Shiyue smiled, her eyebrows curved and shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks. Her eyes rarely showed any calculating shrewdness.
Yang was amused by her appearance and reached out to tap the tip of her nose: "You're such a clever little thing."
"That's settled then. I'll go and give the instructions, and you two will also check if there's anything you need to bring. Once the date is set, you two will accompany the old lady to Zhaode Temple. Just one thing: don't upset the old lady."
Xu Lingzi quickly curtsied and winked playfully, "I will obey Mother's orders."
Yang waved her hand dismissively, feigning annoyance, and said with a smile, "Alright, go play."
Watching the two sisters leave one after the other, she sighed softly. It seemed that the Guangping Marquis's mansion was not very reliable, and Sixth Sister did not show any closeness to the Guangping Marquis's mansion, and even seemed somewhat disgusted with Fu Chen.
This marriage isn't suitable; she should look at other families instead.
Leaving the flower hall and turning into the corridor, the courtyard is spacious, and you can see the green, upturned eaves as soon as you look up. A spring flows down the artificial hill with a gurgling sound, winding its way forward until it reaches the shade of the trees on the other side.
"What's wrong? You've been looking downcast ever since we came out."
Xu Lingzi stopped in her tracks, not caring whether Li Shiyue had heard what she said. She was just worried that Li Shiyue was sullen and might have suffered some injustice.
The concern in his tone warmed Li Shiyue's heart, and she smiled and shook her head: "I was just thinking about some things."
Xu Lingzi smiled faintly: "What is it that troubles our County Princess?"
Xu Lingzi would jokingly call her "County Princess" in everyday conversation. Li Shiyue looked at her with feigned anger, gripping her fan tightly: "At this hour, will my cousin be at Songyuan?"
Xu Lingzi thought for a moment, but she wasn't quite sure: "He should be here. You're looking for your second brother, why don't you go for a walk and take a look? I'll go with you."
"To be honest, I haven't seen my second brother for several days. I heard that the Emperor has ordered the Jingzhao Prefecture to cooperate with the Ministry of Justice in investigating the case, so we've been busy again."
She seemed to suddenly remember something, and said with a hint of caution, "By the way, tomorrow is the day the Marquis of Yunyang leaves the capital. You must go to see him off."
Li Shiyue remained silent, lowering her eyes to conceal her emotions, but she couldn't hide her sudden somber mood.
Xu Lingzi slapped her mouth in regret. She'd really been too talkative to ask that. Now it was too late to regret it; the question was already asked and couldn't be taken back.
She reached out and grasped Li Shiyue's forearm: "Jiaojiao, I didn't mean to bring this up and upset you..."
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