The Moonlit Night Palace Banquet was approaching, and everyone who was invited to attend began to get busy. Many officials below the fourth rank in Beijing who were not eligible to attend began to use various methods to get at least one of their daughters to see the world. Rather than seeing the world, it would be better to say that they were seeking a chance to be seen by the "world". Every palace banquet was just a disguised matchmaking meeting, and the people to be met were all from high-ranking families. People like them who were below the fourth rank and were not invited hoped that this way their daughters could be chosen by the sons of big families, and maybe even become royal relatives.
For a time, the capital city seemed very busy.
Feng Jinyuan had long lost interest in palace banquets. After falling from the position of prime minister for so many years, his mentality had become much calmer. He just kept wondering why Miss Lian, who had always been close to Feng Yuheng, suddenly got together with Fendai?
During dinner, Fen Dai gave him an answer to this question: "What's so strange about this? No matter how good the relationship between Sister Lian and Feng Yu Heng is, it's not as good as living next door to each other. We see each other all day long, so it's easier to get close. Besides, Feng Yu Heng is a princess, she's so busy, how can she have time to chat with Sister Lian?" She kept calling her sister Sister Lian, but she called her own sister by her full name. Although Feng Jinyuan felt that it was inappropriate, he didn't have the energy to correct it at this time. He just kept asking Fen Dai: "What did you talk about?"
Fendai raised her lips and said, "Of course we are talking about girls. Father, don't you think you would even want to know about this?"
"No, no, no." Feng Jinyuan waved his hands repeatedly, "I'm just asking casually, just asking casually." Then he lowered his head and took two mouthfuls of rice, and asked unwillingly: "Will she come tomorrow?"
Fendai snorted coldly, "She should come. She said she would come and talk to me often. Why, is father interested in Sister Lian?"
Feng Jinyuan blushed, not knowing how to answer. Fendai, however, spoke out his thoughts without any consideration: "Speaking of which, it's not father's fault. Sister Lian looks like that. Not to mention men, even a woman like me would be moved when looking at her. She is so beautiful. Compared to her, the eldest daughter of the Feng Mansion can no longer claim to be the most beautiful woman in the capital."
She mentioned Feng Chenyu again, and Feng Jinyuan no longer had the paranoid mood he had before. After all, things had changed, and looking back now, everything was not what he had originally thought.
Fendai's words were still going on, and the more she spoke, the deeper she went into Feng Jinyuan's heart. She said, "Although we have the first and second wives, and Aunt An in our house, father is not unaware that the two ladies have gone to the palace to serve the Queen and haven't been back for several months. They don't care whether the family is prosperous or not. What kind of wives are they? Father should think they are in the way even if they are just in name. Aunt An is now concentrating on making a living. Her embroidery shop is booming, but she told the house that there is no profit and refused to help a penny. And our princess doesn't care about the life and death of the Feng family. Father, tell me honestly, you have been pampering this and that for so many years, but who is the one who benefits the most in the end? It's me, your fourth daughter!"
Feng Jinyuan was also moved by her analysis, and nodded, sighing, "Yes! Husband and wife are birds of the same forest, but they fly away separately when disaster strikes. It's also my fault. Not only am I incompetent, but I've also gotten myself injured."
"Father, you can't think like that." Fendai raised her voice a few notches, and simply put down her bowl and said seriously: "You are injured, but you can't always talk about it, and you can't let it become a constraint. If you think you are no longer capable, what will people outside think? You are the master of the Feng Mansion, not a eunuch in the palace!"
She mentioned the eunuch again. Feng Jinyuan felt annoyed, but he couldn't say anything and had to put on a smile.
Fendai continued, "So, I thought, in the past, people said that small families couldn't have concubines, but the Dashun Dynasty didn't say that ordinary people couldn't have concubines. We can't control those two ladies who just stand there and do nothing, because they have the support of the palace. But if father likes Sister Lian, I am willing to help make the connection. It would be very encouraging to bring her into the mansion as a concubine. With such a beautiful daughter-in-law entering the house, who outsiders would dare to poke holes in the spine of our Feng Mansion?"
These words touched Feng Jinyuan's heart. He was delighted and asked anxiously, "You mean, are you willing to let your father take Miss Lian into the mansion?"
Fendai nodded, "Otherwise, father will think I'm going through so much trouble to make friends with her. I'm not an idle person. If I have the time, I can embroider two sets of clothes for the Fifth Prince."
Feng Jinyuan slapped his thigh and sighed, "My Fen Dai is still the most considerate. But..." He thought of his own injury and couldn't help but said helplessly, "But how can others be willing to..."
"Everything depends on human effort." Fendai raised the corners of her lips and smiled again, "Anyway, there is still a long time to come. She lives next door and there is no need to worry about her running away. As long as father is willing, we can slowly discuss it and make a good plan. There is no doubt that it will work."
As they were talking, a little maid came into the room and said to Fendai, "The Prince Li's Mansion has sent someone to deliver clothes to the Fourth Miss, saying that they are prepared for the palace banquet." Fendai nodded happily, and without eating, she followed the maid to look at the clothes. Feng Jinyuan was left alone sitting at the table, thinking over and over again about what Fendai had just said. The more he thought about it, the happier he became. His mind was full of thoughts of Feng Zhaolian entering the Feng Mansion one day, and going out together with him to attract everyone's envy. But he never thought that if Fendai hadn't had something to say today, she would never come to this dining room to eat with him, just like An and Xiangrong, who each stayed in their own courtyard to eat, and kept a distance from him as their father.
The people from the Fifth Prince's Mansion delivered clothes to Fendai for the palace banquet, while on the other side, the Yao family was also preparing clothes, ready for the whole family to enter the palace on Yuexi's night, of course including Lu Yao.
Lu Yao married Yao Shu. As this year's top scholar, Yao Shu naturally had the opportunity to bring his wife to attend the palace banquet. The other members of the Yao family were also qualified to enter the palace because of their status and social status in Huangzhou and the presence of Yao Xian.
In addition, the Lu family was also busy. As the left prime minister of the current dynasty, Lu Song's wife and daughter were naturally allowed to enter the palace. This time, he not only wanted to bring his wife Ge and legitimate daughter Lu Yan, but also his concubine daughter Lu Ping. He had already ordered people to prepare gorgeous clothes for both daughters.
Although Lu Ping resisted this, she had to obey her father's orders. However, Lu Yan couldn't understand why her father did this, and she didn't dare to ask Lu Song, so she had to secretly get angry with Ge.
Mrs. Ge advised her, "Your father must have his own considerations. She is just a concubine's daughter. How can she rise to the top if she is praised? Why are you angry with her?"
"Mother!" Lu Yan's eyes widened. "This is not a matter of being angry or not, but whether my daughter will be implicated by her. Mother knows that she has that disease. When the time comes, the daughters of the Lu family will definitely sit together. When she smells bad, people can't get close to smell who is emitting it. In the end, the blame will be put on our Lu family. What if someone thinks it's me? Will my daughter get married in the future?"
It's not like Ge and Lu Song hadn't thought of this before. Seeing Lu Yan bring it up again, they couldn't help but advise, "Your father has already thought of a way. The people from the south have brought a bottle of water called Baishuixiang. It's said that the water is fragrant and sweet, just like honey. No matter what smells are around, as long as the bottle of Baishuixiang is opened, it will be immediately covered up, and the whole place will be filled with the fragrance of honey. Your father has already asked someone to soak the clothes that Lu Ping will wear that day in the Baishuixiang in advance. Soak them for three days and three nights, and then take them out and wear them. It will definitely block the body odor."
Lu Yan snorted lightly and said rather unwillingly, "I've heard of Baixiang Water, too. It's a product unique to a small country in the desert, but it's very precious. It's not easy for people in the Central Plains to get a small bottle. Ancient Shu only paid ten jars to the palace every year. Now my father can get enough to soak Lu Ping's clothes. How much must it be! I haven't even seen such a good thing. My father is really biased."
Mrs. Ge rolled her eyes at her, "Why are you so anxious? Your good days are still ahead of you, what's the point of competing with a concubine's daughter? Besides, the perfume is not much. The reason why it can soak clothes is because it is dissolved with clear water. Otherwise, do you think that a large basin of perfume is filled with it for her to soak? Even the empress in the palace would not bear to use it this way. Okay, don't worry about this matter. Go and try on the new jewelry that was sent to you. If you find it doesn't fit, change it. No matter what, just remember that no matter how beautiful Lü Ping is, she is just a concubine's daughter. Everything she does is just to pave the way for you, nothing more."
Lu Yan smiled, "Mother is right. She is just a concubine's daughter. She can't turn the tables."
Whether Lu Ping would make trouble or not, these were all the Lu family's concerns. In the princess's mansion that morning, Feng Yuheng had finished giving Bai Furong an injection. With nothing to do, he climbed onto the roof and sat down to enjoy the scenery.
The capital city was still very cool during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there were several fruit trees in the yard that had borne fruit. She sat on the roof and directed the little maids below to set up ladders to pick fruit, while Huang Quan kept taking out new clothes from the house, gesturing in front of herself one by one, hoping to be favored by Feng Yuheng. But the young lady was not satisfied with any of them, and she had no choice but to negotiate bitterly: "But it's too late to make new ones! These are all newly made, and I think they look good, there's nothing wrong with them."
Feng Yuheng shook her head, "It doesn't look good, it's too bright."
"But it's a Moonlit Palace banquet, and everyone is wearing fancy clothes. Miss, at your age, you need to wear something bright to look good."
Feng Yuheng still shook her head, "The young ladies are all wearing bright clothes, what should the ladies wear? Bright clothes should be left to middle-aged and elderly women. I'll find a simple and elegant one for your young lady, as long as it doesn't look like she's going to visit a grave."
Huang Quan was so angry that he stamped his feet. "Miss, you are always so blunt when you talk. Why are you talking about visiting the graves on such a nice day? But there are some elegant ones. Miss, do you remember that when the Seventh Prince came back from the East Realm last time, he brought you some fabrics? They are very fresh. Although it's a little too late to make them now, we can definitely get them made in time if we ask the tailor in the palace to come."
Feng Yuheng nodded, "Yes, Seventh Brother's taste is very much to my liking, so it's settled, you should quickly send the ingredients to Prince Yu's Mansion and ask the people there to help make it."
Huang Quan was driven out of the house, but she still sat on the roof, cross-legged and eating fruit. At this time, a living creature ran in from the entrance of the yard. It was small and furry, and it walked unsteadily, as if it had just been born, and its legs and feet were not stable yet.
A maid was surprised: "Wow! Where did this cat come from? It's so cute!"
Feng Yuheng stared at it for a while and nodded, "It's quite cute. Not only is it cute, but this cat also looks quite domineering, with a word "king" on its forehead!"
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