On the day of the Wanshou Festival, the whole capital was filled with festivities. The streets and alleys were filled with red lanterns and flowers were everywhere. At night, the lights were turned on, and the whole city was as bright as day. It was very lively everywhere, even more lively than the Lantern Festival.
Shen Xinyan had to go to the palace with Wei Junhang early in the morning, but she was worried about her daughter and young son who were making a fuss about going to see the lanterns. The two most reliable men in the mansion, one had to go to the palace with her, and the other had errands to attend to, so both were busy.
In the end, it was the brothers Wei Chengzhao and Wei Chengyue from the third house who promised to protect the fourth sister and Xiang'er. Wei Junhang also arranged a number of servants to protect them secretly. Only then did she feel relieved.
But she was afraid to hand her youngest son over to these kids, so in the end, Yang took the initiative to take the kid over.
After settling the younger ones, the couple and the Grand Princess boarded the carriage to the palace.
When they arrived at Concubine Ruigui's residence in Minghua Palace, many court ladies were already waiting inside and outside the palace. When they saw the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law coming, many of them came forward to greet them.
Now the Duke of England's Mansion is favored by the Emperor, and the Grand Princess is highly respected. Who wouldn't be courteous when they meet her?
Especially for the ladies who have children of marriageable age, the smiles on their faces are even more friendly.
The Duke of England's son has not yet been engaged, and the Duke of England's only legitimate daughter is about to reach the age of marriage. At the very least, the children of the eldest and third wives are also growing up and can be discussed for marriage.
Therefore, many people looked at the Duke of England's Mansion with eager eyes, as if they were staring at a piece of prime fat meat.
The eldest princess and Shen Xinyan, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, were also worried about their children's marriages. They were no longer as sociable as before, but welcomed everyone who came and greeted them warmly and enthusiastically.
For a while, the atmosphere inside and outside the palace was very good, with people talking and laughing, until Concubine Rui appeared, and then everyone stopped talking.
Concubine Rui, who is over 30 years old, looks and behaves more gracefully than before. Just watching her walking and sitting is a pleasure to watch.
Shen Xinyan had lived for two lifetimes after all, and had seen many beauties, but every time he saw Concubine Rui, he was impressed by her beauty.
Although there was Empress Zhou in the palace, she had been recuperating at home in recent years and had completely faded out of the sight of the ladies of the court. She was in name only.
The noble concubine is the mother of the crown prince and His Majesty's first wife. Although it is unknown why His Majesty has never made her the queen, it has not affected her "status of queen" in the hearts of the people.
Especially when they saw the Crown Prince and Marquis Zhongyi standing beside Concubine Ruigui, the ladies present' eyes lit up immediately.
Word was spread in the palace a few days ago that His Majesty and the Royal Concubine were planning to select concubines for the Crown Prince, one principal and two sitter concubines, a total of three people.
As Marquis Zhongyi was the nephew of Concubine Gui, Concubine Gui also put his marriage on the agenda, probably using the opportunity of selecting a concubine for the Crown Prince to decide on Marquis Zhongyi's wife in one fell swoop.
The lady, who was originally a careful person, was thinking that given the relationship between the Marquis of Loyalty and the Duke of Ying's Mansion, and she had heard that the Marquis of Loyalty had been raised by the Lady of the Duke of Ying before he returned to his ancestral home, and that the Lady of the Duke of Ying had a daughter of the same age as the Marquis of Loyalty, would the two mansions be interested in an alliance?
But after careful observation, they found that neither the Imperial Concubine nor the Lady of England seemed to have any such intentions. Thinking of this, they felt relieved.
It is best not to get married, so that they have more choices.
"Okay, I won't restrict you anymore, you can go!" After accepting everyone's greetings, Concubine Rui Gui said to the Crown Prince and Ping Fu with a smile.
They both smiled at the same time, took their leave, and then went to pay their respects to the Grand Princess and greeted Shen Xinyan.
Shen Xinyan smiled as she looked at Pingfu, whose childishness was gradually fading away. She gave him a few gentle instructions before watching his figure disappear in the hall.
The ladies present naturally did not miss this scene, and they could not help but sigh once again at the good fortune of the British Duchess.
He took in a helpless child casually, but he never thought that the child would have such a great background. If this person's good fortune comes, it will be unstoppable.
Who now still remembers that many people laughed at her in private back then. As the wife of the Crown Prince, she had to ask her widowed sister-in-law to take care of the food for her, and her husband was so incompetent.
Looking at the present, her husband had long since turned over a new leaf, and her son was so outstanding that he had become a role model among men of his generation. In addition, with her relationship with Consort Rui and Marquis Zhongyi, it was not a bad idea to say that she could walk freely among the noble ladies in the capital.
But it is said that after Lingfu left Minghua Palace, he was ready to leave the palace without saying anything, but the prince grabbed him and asked knowingly: "Where are you going?"
"Go to the Duke's Mansion!" Lin Fu answered casually.
"Go find sister Ying'er?"
Lingfu nodded subconsciously, then shook his head after a moment: "Look for Yue and Xiang."
What's the difference? Aren't they also with Wei Yingzhi at this time?
The prince was somewhat amused, but he did not show it on his face. He said seriously, "Well, if you see sister Ying'er, let me tell her that the precious sword that my father gave me a few days ago is still missing a tassel. Please ask her to make one for you."
Ping Fu frowned and said unhappily, "She's busy! Find someone else to do it yourself!"
"I'm not in a hurry to use it. Let her do it slowly. It's okay." The smile on the prince's face became more sincere.
"No, I won't allow it! How can she, an unmarried girl, make things for outsiders so casually? If people find out, she will lose her reputation!" Lin Fu frowned.
The prince acted as if he had just woken up from a dream: "Yes, I almost forgot!"
Thinking that he finally realized his mistake, Lingfu was somewhat relieved. After thinking for a while, he wanted to say a few words to encourage him, but the Crown Prince immediately said, "This is not a big deal. Anyway, I haven't married her yet. I might as well ask my mother to make the decision and choose her as my principal wife."
Pingfu's expression finally changed, and he glared at him fiercely: "I won't allow you to do that!"
"That's strange. What does Ying'er's marriage have to do with you? Isn't it enough as long as the Duke and Lady of England agree?"
"Anyway, anyway, I won't allow you to do that. You are not allowed to have any ideas about her! As for that damn sword tassel, I'll help you make it!" Lin Fu was choked by him and said arrogantly.
The prince was finally satisfied: "In this case, I would like to thank my cousin very much!"
Lin Fu's expression changed several times, and he felt that he might have been deceived. But the prince did not wait for him to think deeply, and said slowly: "Why don't you go find your Ying'er? Be careful that she has been deceived by some young master with a flower lantern."
Pingfu finally came to his senses, and after saying "Ying'er is not that easy to deal with", he hurried out of the palace.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looked at his back with a smile, and finally couldn't help laughing out loud.
This kid must have been born in the wrong family. He can do needlework better than a girl and has such a temper. It's really hard for him to maintain such a simple mind after experiencing such a tragic past.
When he thought of Wei Yingzhi who was easily seduced by his "beauty", he couldn't help laughing.
Shen Xinyan was always worried about her children at home, and as soon as she left the palace, she asked, "Where are the fourth lady and the second young master now?"
"To answer Madam, the fourth lady and the second young master are in Baiweilou right now."
"Then you can go to Baiweilou! After all, these children are still at the age of playing, and I will always be worried if they are without an adult to take care of them. When Junhang comes back, I will let him look for you." The eldest princess hurriedly instructed her.
Shen Xinyan had the same idea and agreed without hesitation.
After a while, the carriage headed for East Street, the busiest street in the city.
After driving for a distance, the car slowed down until it could hardly move at all.
"Madam, there are too many people. I'm afraid we'll have to abandon the car and walk." Chunliu said softly.
At this time, the streets were bustling with people, and the ladies who usually stayed at home were now free from restraint. Especially the young girls, if they met a young man of their dreams, they could shyly give him their handkerchief.
It can be said that this Wanshou Festival is not much different from the Lantern Festival.
"Then just abandon the car and go!" Shen Xinyan was helpless. She knew very well that with the hustle and bustle on the street, even walking would require stopping frequently, not to mention driving.
"I was the one who saw this lamp first, why did you insist on snatching it away!" Before reaching Baiweilou, I heard a familiar voice coming from not far ahead.
"Madam, it's the fourth girl!" The sharp-eyed Chunliu shouted in surprise.
Shen Xinyan looked in the direction she pointed, and sure enough, she saw Wei Yingzhi on the lantern stand not far away, staring angrily at a man in front of her with a pair of bright almond-shaped eyes.
The man had his back to her, so Shen Xinyan couldn't see his face clearly. She only saw Wei Chengyue beside her daughter saying, "That's right, it was obviously my fourth sister who chose this lamp first, why did you want to snatch it away? Besides, you are a grown man, taking this kind of tiger lamp that only children want, aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
"You didn't pay me, so how can you say the lamp is yours?" the man asked unconvinced.
"I was just about to take out my money and you snatched it away!" Wei Yingzhi became even angrier.
Before leaving, she had promised her brother that she would buy him a tiger lantern. Now she finally found one she liked, but she didn't expect that someone would show up and snatch the lantern away.
"Okay, okay, it's not a big deal, why don't you just find another one?" Shen Xinyan walked forward helplessly and glared at her daughter in reproach.
Seeing her mother coming and hearing her say this, Wei Yingzhi curled her lips in grievance.
It's easy to say, but Xiang'er is very picky. She won't accept anything that's not the best-looking. She looked at this one for a long time before she chose it.
"This... Sir, I am sorry for offending you just now. I hope you can forgive me." Shen Xinyan turned around and apologized to the young man, but her breath was choked when she saw his face clearly. She subconsciously protected her daughter behind her and tried to remain decent.
She was so polite that the man felt embarrassed. He put the tiger lamp back on the stall and said, "Madam, you are too polite. I'll give this lamp to you!"
After saying this, he turned around and left without waiting for Shen Xinyan to say anything else.
"That sounds nice..." Wei Yingzhi muttered without noticing her mother's strange behavior.
Shen Xinyan didn't breathe a sigh of relief until the other person disappeared into the crowd.
When she saw her daughter happily holding the tiger lantern, she said, "Xiang will definitely like the lantern I picked for him," and she was completely unaware of the fear in her heart at that moment.
She didn't know that when she found out that the man arguing with her daughter was actually Zhou Mao's second son, the murderer who caused her daughter's death in the previous life, the blood in her body froze for a moment.