Chapter 7 Everyone's ideas are pretty good
The news that the Duke of Dingguo's mansion was going to hold a birthday banquet for the old lady had been the subject of much gossip among the families in the capital.
First of all, Lin's mother and Dongmai acted very quickly. With the help of the eldest young master Shen Qingjun, the invitations, whose ink was not yet dry, were all sent out the next day.
When everyone received the invitation, they were first taken aback, and then they opened it to take a look.
It wasn't the Duke of Dingguo's funeral, but rather an invitation to Old Madam Shen's birthday.
This left everyone completely baffled.
For three years after the Duke of Dingguo disappeared, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion remained silent.
Now they're suddenly going to hold a grand birthday banquet for Madam Shen; there must be something going on behind this!
Could it be that the imperial family secretly reassured the Duke of Dingguo's mansion?
Or rather, the Duke of Dingguo has news...
Everyone accepted the invitations and said they would definitely attend to celebrate Madam Shen's birthday that day.
As soon as the person delivering the invitations left, the wives who received them immediately went to discuss it with the men in their households.
The Zheng family, the maternal family of the Empress Dowager who was granted the title of Duke along with the Duke of Dingguo, pondered for a long time as they looked at the invitation.
"Lord Duke, is it about His Majesty...?" asked the Marquis of Wuding, a distant relative of the Empress Dowager, in a low voice, who was on the same side.
Duke Anguo shook his head.
"A message has come from the Empress Dowager that His Majesty has shown no unusual behavior recently, so it shouldn't be something done by His Majesty."
"Then... could it be that the Duke of Dingguo's mansion has made news in their search for someone?"
"For the past three years, the Duke of Dingguo's mansion has been sending people to search for him on the border," Marquis Wuding continued.
Duke Anguo remained silent.
He glanced at the invitation, then looked out the window.
"I don't know! Only the Shen family probably knows the specifics!"
Since they're now throwing such a grand birthday banquet, and even moving it up early, they must be plotting something.
The best approach is to remain calm and adaptable, and have your wife be as astute; she might be able to figure things out.
That's not right. Your family has held at least five grand banquets in the past year, and it seems that you invited the Duchess of Dingguo every time!
"What? You haven't gotten any information at all in these five attempts?" Duke Anguo asked.
Marquis Wuding smiled awkwardly, unsure of what to say.
The lady of the Duke of Dingguo's family is very tight-lipped; she never utters a single extra word.
"This is a good opportunity to visit the Duke of Dingguo's residence. With such a big matter, the servants or maids will surely leave some clues."
Our Anguo Duke's Mansion...
A tall tree catches the wind, so I'll have my family send the congratulatory gift over. As for me... I won't go for now.
After all, it's still unclear what the Emperor and the Empress Dowager's attitudes are.
Your wife should pay more attention to gathering information.
"At least your family is related by marriage to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion," the Duke of Anguo said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Marquis Wuding immediately agreed to take a look.
Yes, his second son and the eldest daughter of the Duke of Dingguo were betrothed by the Empress Dowager, but the Duke of Dingguo was still alive at that time.
Now...
Marquis Wuding quickly returned home and made arrangements.
In addition, Empress Xu, Emperor Xiao Jing's wife, also met her younger sister, now the Duchess of Qi, in the palace.
"Since the Shen family has sent an invitation, and you two have a history of dealings, it would be right for you to go."
Anyway, it's just a matter for the inner quarters. It's only right to have some fun for the old lady's birthday.
Prepare a decent gift, go and make a gesture, observe more and ask fewer questions.
"We'll definitely find someone to ask the questions we want to ask, so don't be the first to stick your neck out," Empress Xu whispered to her.
The Duchess of Qi also agreed.
As for the other families, they had all thought about it for a long time and, unable to figure out why the Duke of Dingguo's mansion would suddenly hold such a grand banquet three years later, they all decided to go to the Shen family on that day to find out the truth.
Even Shangguan Jin's maternal family, the Shangguan family, were completely bewildered when they received the invitation from their servants.
“Father, Jin’er always knows how to act appropriately and shouldn’t make a foolish move,” Madam Shangguan explained softly.
Old Master Shangguan had served as a tutor to the late emperor, and the descendants of the Shangguan family were either historians or officials in charge of remonstrance.
In terms of cunning, Old Master Shangguan's mind is as intricate as a fine ball; no one can see through it.
He stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and then nodded.
"Jin girl, this is a brilliant move!"
The Tian family and the Shen family have been locked in a stalemate for the past three years, maintaining a balance.
Now that the three-year period has ended, Jin'er is taking the first step and making a splash to bring the Duke of Dingguo's mansion back into the public eye in the capital.
In this way, the imperial family couldn't pretend to be ignorant.
But this kind of noise is something that any ordinary household might make; it's a private matter, and no one can find fault with it.
She can attack or defend; it seems that Jin'er learned a lot from the Duke of Dingguo over the years.
As for what to do next, that depends on what the imperial family says.
"Breaking the deadlock is essential for progress; Jin'er is indeed clever," Old Master Shangguan praised.
Madam Shangguan's eyes stung with tears.
When her two daughters got married in the past, everyone said she was very lucky.
The eldest daughter was the Duchess of the State, and the youngest daughter was a virtuous concubine of the Emperor, both deeply favored by the Emperor.
Who could have known that three years ago, the youngest daughter would suddenly pass away, and the eldest daughter's husband would also suddenly disappear?
“Father, then I’ll go arrange the congratulatory gifts,” Madam Shangguan said softly.
Old Master Shangguan nodded, but still added a couple of sentences.
"You can go that day, but don't go to your mother's place. She's a bit too senior, and if she goes, it won't be convenient for you to talk to Madam Shen."
With red eyes, Madam Shangguan went to discuss with Old Madam Shangguan what kind of birthday gift to give.
"A birthday celebration is incomplete without the presence of the birthday celebrant."
In my storeroom, there is a jade statue of the God of Longevity, which was given to my grandmother by the late Empress Dowager, and then given to me by her.
Take this. The Shen family has had some bad luck these past few years. With the God of Longevity keeping things in check, it will make things a little easier for Jin'er.
Don't we have silk sent from Suzhou and Hangzhou at home?
Bring a few horses, in addition to raven blue, also bring some autumn green, pine green and silver red.
The children are older now, so they'll need it.
As for the other birthday gifts, you can decide what to prepare.
"If it can be paid from the public funds, then pay from the public funds. If it's not available from the public funds, then we'll just procure it ourselves. As long as the money is in place, we can always get everything we need," said Madam Shangguan with a smile.
Madam Shangguan nodded and agreed.
Seeing that Madam Shangguan's eyes were still a little red, Old Madam Shangguan sighed.
After she dismissed everyone else in the room, she secretly slipped two silver notes to Madam Shangguan.
"Take these two thousand taels of silver notes and exchange them for smaller denominations, fifty taels or one hundred taels will do, and take them with you to Jin'er."
When Sister Yao and Brother Jun came to pay their respects to me last time, I noticed that their clothes were from last year!
Jin'er's life is not easy. The Duke's mansion looks big, but the expenses are actually much greater. In recent years, she has had to send people to find the Duke and maintain daily expenses.
Let's help in whatever way we can!
Madam Shangguan's eyes welled up with tears.
“Mother, no need. I’ve already prepared some money for Jin’er. You don’t need to give me any,” Madam Shangguan said, her eyes red.
“You have it because your mother gave it to you.”
What I gave was given by my grandmother.
Jin'er is a shrewd person. Her sudden decision to celebrate Old Madam Shen's birthday at this time must have been part of her own plan.
I reckon there will be quite a few people with ulterior motives that day. Since you're there, you'll inevitably have to lend a hand.
In terms of status and position, you are not bad. Apart from those duchesses, there is no one you cannot offend.
"Help Jin'er get things in order." Old Madam Shangguan immediately agreed.
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