Chapter 22
When we arrived at the Third Princess's Residence, the Emperor's Aunt and the Queen were already in the hall.
Following the Ministry of Rites' instructions, the Third Princess first entered the courtyard to pay her respects to her mother and father, then returned to the sedan chair, lifted her foot, and lightly touched the door. This provoked a round of ridicule from everyone, but I was quite satisfied.
The servant lifted the curtain, the third princess stretched out her hand and called her brother softly. Her brother put his hand in the third princess's and helped her get out of the sedan chair.
The two walked into the hall hand in hand. The Third Princess, that bastard, even rubbed her brother's hand with her thumb. Really, I couldn't stand it for even a moment! I was indignant in my heart.
She followed the ceremonial officer's voice and said "Bow to Heaven and Earth" and walked down step by step. When she was "sent to the bridal chamber", her teeth and eyes were already showing and she looked silly.
The King and Queen couldn't help but cover their faces. If it weren't for the fact that the Third Prince finally got what he wanted after so many years, they would probably have taken action.
After paying their respects, the Emperor's aunt and the Queen left. Before leaving, the Queen couldn't help but give the Crown Princess some instructions.
Everyone was understanding of the Third Princess's advanced age and recent marriage, so they didn't force her to drink much. The Crown Princess and other Princesses, along with the Third Princess's friends, also tried to stop her from drinking, so after a while, she was a little dazed.
When they were about to enter the bridal chamber, the four princesses stopped them. The third princess ran into the room and closed the door. Everyone pretended to mock them outside and then left.
I said goodbye to my friends before the banquet was over and left. When I got home, the banquet was already over. I told my mother and father about the situation over there and then went back to my room to rest. I was very tired.
On her brother's side, the third princess entered the room, smiled foolishly, sat down on the bed, and lifted her veil. She looked at her brother with eyes full of amazement.
Kong Qing stepped forward and placed the sacrificial wine before the two of them. The Third Princess was still grinning.
The brother couldn't help but laugh, "Drink." The third princess finally reacted.
After drinking the wedding wine, the Third Princess finally remembered to ask her brother, "Have you brought the food yet?"
The elder brother rubbed his neck and said, "I've already eaten and delivered it." The elder brother ordered, "Take off this phoenix crown for me first, or it will break my neck."
The third princess hurriedly leaned over and carefully took off the ornaments for her brother.
It was much easier after taking it off. The elder brother turned his neck and said to Kong Qing, "Get ready to wash up." Then he turned to the third princess and said, "My face is covered with powder."
The third princess responded quickly, "You are beautiful today," and added, "You are beautiful usually too." This made her brother laugh.
Kong Qing went to the door again to pass on the message that the water had been prepared in advance and was quickly delivered. After helping her brother remove his makeup, Kong Qing went downstairs.
My brother's face was a little red at this time, and the two of them sat on the edge of the bed looking at each other.
The elder brother felt that he was a man (modern) and should take the initiative, and the third princess felt that she was a woman and should take the initiative. Coincidentally, they took the initiative together. Anyway, it went smoothly.
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The next morning, my brother opened his eyes, looked at the bright sky, and sat up suddenly.
The Third Princess was still lying on her side, her eyes wide open, looking at her brother with a silly smile. Her waist was sore that she couldn't move. Her brother subconsciously supported his waist and pushed the Third Princess angrily, "Hurry up and get up. We have to go to the palace to serve tea."
The Third Princess slowly sat up, calmed her brother's anxious movements, and rubbed his waist. "Father has already told us not to go early. Before lunch will be enough."
But now that I'm awake, I won't sleep anymore.
Last night, the Third Princess finally gave her brother a bath, so he looked very fresh now. If you ignore the bruises on his body, you'd be baffled as to why they were so obvious.
The Third Princess touched her nose guiltily and said, "I applied medicine on you."
The brother nodded indifferently, stopped the third princess from calling for help, and got out of bed and put on his clothes.
The Third Princess also came on her own. After washing and having breakfast, the two hurried into the palace.
The Crown Princess, the Young Prince, the Little Prince, and the Little Princess were all present. My brother was very embarrassed and secretly pinched the Third Princess, who was quite pleased. After the tea, he received another round of gifts. The Little Prince, however, seemed even more shy than my brother, and my brother couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
The Queen pulled her brother aside to question him in detail, and then gave the Third Princess some instructions, but she didn't mention the issue of offspring. Regardless, as she had said before, it wasn't easy to pass down a family lineage, whether urged or not. For the sake of their country and family, the two of them could only unite and not separate.
After lunch, they returned to the mansion. My brother was a little tired, but he wasn't in a rush to seize power in the mansion, so he asked the stewards to go back first and talk about it the next day.
Over the years, the Third Princess's Mansion has long regarded my brother as the future master. In addition, my brother is famous for his business skills, and all the managers are very happy to have such a master.
Add to that the dowry my brother brought, and it would be comparable to two or three of the three princesses' palaces. At this moment, everyone wanted to win face in front of my brother.
The third princess also stayed close to her brother, and soon it was time to return home.
The palace also prepared a return gift, and the Third Princess added some more. The brother looked at the gift list and raised an eyebrow at the Third Princess. The Third Princess took the initiative to explain, "I've accumulated some gifts recently and put them all in the library. Have you not had time to look at them yet?"
The elder brother patted the Third Princess's head and said, "Why don't you make a private vault of your own?"
The Third Princess was very alert. "I don't need it. I'll come to you if I need anything."
Since the other party took the initiative, there was no reason to refuse. Perhaps remembering the man in his previous life who had to hand over the financial power and hide his private money, the elder brother took the initiative and said, "I will give you one hundred taels of silver per month for pocket money. For other social activities, you can ask the guards to come to me or go to the steward to get it. No need to refuse."
The Third Princess nodded. This amount was higher than her monthly stipend. Her master was indeed wealthy and powerful.
My brother casually added two more pieces and wiped them away. This was already too much. It didn't matter a little bit, and my family didn't value it, but it was hard to compare with the princess's. Even if I had money, it wouldn't work.
I waited at the door after breakfast early in the morning, and my mother sneered at my behavior.
"Someone will notify you when someone arrives. It would be embarrassing to come here early and stand at the door."
I didn't refute, but just turned my head away. Instead, An Qi stole a glance at his mother.
Humph, that statement would have been more convincing if my mother hadn't been standing at the door.
After a while, the carriage arrived. In fact, the Third Princess's residence is only on the same street as our Marquis' residence, separated by only three houses. This was because the Third Princess chose a residence that was close to ours.
The third princess jumped out of the carriage first, then turned back to help my brother down. I hurried forward to my brother's side, and the third princess was so stingy that she hugged my brother to her side.
Haha, but now you can snatch my brother from me openly.
The third princess first stood still and greeted her mother and father one by one, then provoked me, "Good morning, sister-in-law." Then she touched An Qi's head.
My grandmother is old and doesn't like to go out, so my mother took the third princess and my brother to visit her first.
After returning, my father took my brother's hand and went to the backyard. I wanted to follow him, but my father glared at me. I had no choice but to turn around and accompany the third princess to the main hall.
Listening to the formal question-and-answer exchange between my mother and the Third Princess, I was speechless. The Third Princess, however, acted like an elder and said, "Does An Lan have someone she likes? It's time to settle down." Without waiting for my response, she continued, "You should attend more gatherings. You have to get to know someone."
My mother actually nodded, and my retort died in my throat. This pleased the Third Princess, though she had no ill intentions. She was probably trying to establish herself as the official son-in-law.
Soon, my father and brother entered the room, the brother's blush still lingering. My father, however, was beaming, and he offered the Third Princess a series of warm greetings, reminiscent of a modern mother-in-law who grows fonder of her son-in-law the more she sees him. As he spoke, a commotion erupted outside, and soon people arrived at the main hall. A maid beamed, "Congratulations, Lord Marquis, and Miss! She's passed the imperial examination, placing tenth!"
The whole family jumped up in a tizzy, and the mother said to herself, "I won?"
The father was overjoyed. "Good, good! My daughter is amazing! She got a reward!"
My brother looked at me with joy, while the third princess looked shocked.
I asked in disbelief, "The tenth? Are you sure it's the tenth?"
The maid said with certainty, "Yes, it's the winner. It's ranked tenth. I checked it twice. It's from the capital."
Oh my god, I've really made it. I actually ranked among the top ten in the country.
"Congratulations!" My brother winked at me and gave me a thumbs up. "Great!"
The mother finally believed it, "You are worthy of being my daughter. Come on, tell the old marquis the good news, hahahahaha." She was full of pride.
The father no longer cared about the third princess. He asked Mu Mian to give the maid a reward and went out to prepare for the celebration.
The Third Princess still looked at me in amazement. "You took the imperial examination? And you even got a top scorer in the exam. That's impressive!"
My mother patted my shoulder with great satisfaction and said, "That's great!"
An Qi also stepped forward to congratulate me, and I patted him on the head in return.
I was excited for a while, then I started to worry about my friend, "Where's Qiu Fei? Is Qiu Fei the champion?"
The maid nodded, "Yes, Miss Qiu is the first one."
"Haha, you are worthy of it!" I am very proud of it.
At this moment, we heard the sound of firecrackers and gongs outside. "It must be the good news coming," said my mother, and we went out together.
Sure enough, the neighbors came out after hearing the series of congratulations and praises about the good news.
"An Lan is doing great things quietly! Old Yu, your family has a double blessing!" Those who live around here are all powerful people of the same rank, and such things rarely happen.
My mother thanked everyone, and the guards hurriedly presented red envelopes to the official announcing the good news. In the main hall, my father had already begun preparing the banquet. Even Su Shijun and Yu Anyan had arrived, both of them beaming with joy, congratulating and praising me profusely.
Everyone was so excited to finish the meal that they even forgot the rule of not talking while eating. After the meal, the father looked at the Third Princess with an apologetic look and said, "Chenxi, I've neglected you."
The elder brother smiled and looked at the Third Princess. The Third Princess hurriedly said, "Father-in-law, why are you being so polite to me?"
The mother was fine, after all, she had watched the child grow up, and she had never treated him as an outsider, and now they were even closer.
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