The plum blossom viewing banquet is scheduled for the 18th day of the first lunar month, when the plum blossoms are in full bloom.

Concubine Xian deliberated for a long time, drew up a list, and gave it to the eunuch to send to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

This plum blossom viewing banquet was jointly hosted by Concubine Xian and Concubine Zhuang. The two of them had never gotten along well, so of course they would not discuss it with each other. Instead, they each drew up a list and handed it over to the eunuch in charge of the matter.

After sending off the list, Concubine Xian felt a little uneasy. She ran her long tortoise-shell nails over the chess pot, picked up a black piece and played with it in her hand, muttering, "I wonder who Concubine Zhuang invited."

The ladies on her list were all from average families, not outstanding or outstanding, either from strict families or with a reputation for being quiet and docile. To make things look more impressive, she also invited a few ladies from extremely good families, but they were not actually considered.

Such a list probably doesn't overlap much with the one on Concubine Zhuang's list.

Concubine Xian was a person who cared a lot about her reputation. On the one hand, she was not prepared to marry her younger son, with whom she had a distant relationship, to a daughter of a high-ranking family. On the other hand, she did not want Concubine Zhuang to see her intentions.

The confidant nanny understood Concubine Xian's thoughts very well and comforted her, "The people chosen by Her Majesty must be the most suitable."

Concubine Xian threw the chess pieces into the chess pot, stood up and walked to the window, sighing, "Forget it, that's it."

It was extremely hot in the house, so I half-opened the window for some fresh air. All I could see outside the window was a palm-sized sky and clouds that kept changing their shapes.

The uncontrollable flowing clouds are just like her little son with an unstable temperament.

During this period, Concubine Xian tried several times to call Yu Jin into the palace to find out his intentions, but was always rejected by him with various excuses.

Concubine Xian felt depressed whenever she thought about it.

Regardless of whether the mother and son have ever been together, he is the son born after ten months of pregnancy, but he actually ignores his own mother!

Sometimes, Concubine Xian would feel a little uneasy: Lao Qi was so indifferent to her, could he really help Lao Si according to her wishes in the future?

This thought made her attach great importance to the plum blossom viewing banquet, but at the same time she felt lost and confused, always afraid that she might make a wrong move and suffer the consequences.

The sound of hurried footsteps was heard. Although the sound was faint, it was enough to alert Concubine Xian.

If a eunuch wants to get along well in the palace, he must be able to keep calm. Is it because of something important that he came here in such a hurry?

Soon a maid in green came in and said, "My lady, the Prince of Yan is here to pay his respects to you."

Concubine Xian turned around quickly: "The Prince of Yan is here?"

Realizing that she had lost her composure, Concubine Xian raised her hand to tidy up her hair. The jewels on her nail caps sparkled brightly, dazzling the eyes.

"Yes, the prince is waiting outside. I wonder if the queen will see him--"

"Please invite Prince Yan in." Concubine Xian interrupted the palace maid, walked towards the concubine's chair with lotus steps, sat down and waited.

When Yu Jin came in, she saw a woman in palace dress sitting upright on the imperial concubine chair. She was beautiful and dignified, but she seemed somewhat out of place on the beauty chair, which was supposed to be lazy and leisurely.

His mother is really interesting.

Yu Jin narrowed his eyes, making sure he had recognized the right person, and then he bowed: "Greetings, mother."

Concubine Xian stared at her little son who was bowing and greeting her, and the more she looked at him, the more she felt displeased.

Look at this lazy guy, he has no rules at all, he is not even a bit like the fourth brother.

Concubine Xian was dissatisfied in her heart, and her face became more serious: "Come forward and let mother take a look."

Yu Jin took a few steps forward and could already see faint wrinkles at the corners of Concubine Xian's eyes.

Time is fair. No matter how beautiful a woman is, she will leave traces.

Yu Jin raised the corners of his lips slightly.

In fact, this was the first time he had been so close to his mother since he was nineteen years old.

It's really uncomfortable.

Concubine Xian was quite curious about Yu Jin's purpose of coming.

She has called her son more than once since he returned to the capital, but he has never complied. It is impossible that the seventh son has come today just to pay his respects.

Concubine Xian did not ask immediately, but looked at her younger son carefully.

The feeling is strange, but the expression is particularly familiar.

Judging from appearance alone, the seventh child looks more like her than the fourth child.

After all, this was bred from her flesh and blood.

Xian Fei suddenly felt a little emotional, and her expression eased a little. She asked, "Is there something I need to see you today, mother?"

"The son is here to pay his respects to the mother."

Concubine Xian didn't believe it in her heart, but smiled and said, "You are so thoughtful. Is there anything else?"

Yu Jin's face turned slightly red, and she seemed to be confused for a moment before she said, "I heard that the time for the plum blossom viewing banquet has been set."

Concubine Xian looked at Yu Jian attentively and smiled, "Yes, it will be held on the 18th. Jian'er, are you worried that your mother will not be able to handle it properly?"

At the sound of "Jin'er", Yu Jin almost raised his hand to shake off the goosebumps all over his body, but fortunately he managed to hold it together and said with a red face: "Of course, my son won't worry about this. It's just that my son has been in southern Xinjiang for many years and has no understanding of the noble ladies in Beijing. However, he particularly yearns for a harmonious life with his wife, so whether he can have a wife that satisfies him depends on you, mother."

Concubine Xian kept looking at Yu Jin, and saw that his face was getting redder as he spoke. In the end, she felt a little helpless and smiled with her lips curved.

Previously, when she heard that the Seventh Prince had a fight with several princes, she thought he was a reckless person. But now it seems that even if he was raised outside, he is still a child, and he is so longing for his future wife.

In this respect, the Seventh Prince is much simpler than the princes raised in the palace.

Concubine Xian did not think this was an advantage, but being simple in her emotions often meant that as long as her wife was pleased, she would be easily persuaded and listen to her husband's advice. In this case, if she could control her daughter-in-law, she would be controlling her son.

Looking at her son's eyes full of expectation, Concubine Xian smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely choose a daughter-in-law that satisfies you."

Well, she would agree to whichever the Seventh Child took a fancy to at the plum blossom viewing banquet, and the originally weak mother-son relationship could be eased with this opportunity. In this way, the Seventh Child would be more dedicated to helping the Fourth Child in the future.

"The son has left."

After leaving Concubine Xian's bedroom, Yu Jin immediately returned to his cold expression, as if the young man who blushed in front of his mother had never existed.

It didn't exist in the first place.

Yu Jin smiled indifferently, passed through the palace walls and turned a corner.

A gray-robed eunuch walked past Yu Jin and quietly slowed down his pace.

"Is it done?" Yu Jin asked softly, looking ahead.

The eunuch replied softly, "Okay."

Yu Jin curled the corners of his lips and strode out of the palace.

Eunuch Han, who was specifically in charge of this matter in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was instructing several eunuchs to write down the invitations according to the list sent by the two ladies. One of the eunuchs took a look at the list and wrote down the name of the fourth lady of the Dongping Marquis's Mansion.

The news of the plum blossom viewing banquet gradually spread. Two days before the 18th day of the first lunar month, most of the noble ladies who received the invitations were ecstatic, while those who did not received any were regretful and sighed.

The position of princess, she didn't even have a chance to participate, it just flew away like that!

In the residence of the Duke of Dongping, Old Lady Feng looked over and over at the carved invitation presented by the steward and became extremely excited.