Lan Shanyang glanced at the others, then sighed and placed the book on the table. He picked up the teacup Lan Linxue handed him and said in a low voice, "You all came to see me together, so it must be something bad. Tell me, what trouble have you all gotten into this time!"
Lan Linxue immediately turned her head and looked sternly at Lan Xiuyuan and Lan Jiayuan, "What trouble have you two gotten into this time?"
Both of them immediately said that they had not caused any trouble.
Lan Linxue turned her head and looked at Lan Shanyang with a grin, "Father, they said they didn't cause any trouble!"
Lan Shanyang looked up at him with annoyance, "I'm afraid you'll cause some trouble! Of all you brothers, you're the one most likely to cause trouble, so who are you looking back at?"
Lan Linxue immediately cried out in grievance, "Why is it always me who's causing trouble? I've been obediently repairing my palace from yesterday to today, how did that become accusations of causing trouble! However, I haven't caused any trouble, but I have a happy occasion!"
"Oh? You're going to bring me joy? This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing!" Lan Shanyang looked up at Lan Linxue. "Come, tell me, what joy have you prepared for me?"
Lan Linxue looked at Lan Shanyang with a very serious expression and said, "Father, I want to hold an embroidery competition in the palace. Here's what happened: Yesterday, I was renovating the Prince's mansion, and I discovered that my study was missing a screen. I sent people out to look for one, but after searching the whole capital, I couldn't find anything satisfactory. Later, Qin Kou'er from Qin Tian Pavilion heard that I was searching the whole city for a screen, so she specially sent one to me, saying it was to celebrate my housewarming. And, Father, I fell in love with that screen at first sight!"
"Oh? What kind of screen?"
Before Lan Shanyang could ask, Lan Qingtian became curious first.
Just as Lan Linxue was about to speak, Quan Jing suddenly came in to report that the Seventh Princess Consort had come to visit the Emperor.
Lan Shanyang looked up at Lan Qingtian and said, "Your wife is coming today. Why didn't you bring her with you this morning? Why did you have to send her in two separate trips? It's such a hassle to go back and forth like this!"
Lan Qingtian chuckled憨厚ly, "It's so early in the morning, and I felt sorry for her getting up so early. Besides, the mornings are all about court affairs, and she would just be waiting around if she came. So, I told her to come later!"
Lan Shanyang was quite satisfied with this explanation, and pointed at Lan Linxue and the others, saying, "See? From now on, you should all learn from your royal uncle how to treat your wives well!"
Lan Linxue chuckled immediately, Lan Jiayuan nodded in agreement with a hint of disdain, and only Lan Xiuyuan nodded respectfully in agreement.
When Shu Lingxi walked in, she saw a large group of men looking at her. She quickly bowed to Lan Shanyang, and after being helped up by Lan Qingtian, she smiled and said, "I didn't know my nephews were all here today, otherwise I would have come a little later. So as not to disturb your important conversation. Royal brother, are you feeling better?"
Lan Shanyang nodded, then gestured for Jing Quan to offer Shu Lingxi a seat before casually saying, "What serious business could they possibly have? Lin Xue is just saying that they're holding some kind of embroidery competition tomorrow. Perfect timing, since you're here, you can listen in too!"
Shu Lingxi looked at Lan Linxue curiously: "What embroidery competition?"
Lan Linxue quickly repeated what she had just said, "...Auntie, you've seen the embroidery from Jiangnan before, but it's mostly things like Suzhou embroidery and double-sided embroidery. But the screen Qin Kou'er gave me is not only double-sided embroidery, but the craftsmanship is truly exquisite. For example, the tiger embroidered on it looks like it's about to leap out, so powerful and majestic. It's so lifelike, I've never seen anything like it before!"
Upon hearing this, Shu Lingxi immediately became interested. "Really? Although there are some exquisite items in our palace, most of them are Suzhou embroidery, which looks too delicate and elegant, always lacking a sense of liveliness. If the item Miss Qin gave you is really that good, then I must go and see it, after all, I want to broaden my horizons!"
“Aunt, there’s no need to go. I was just talking to Father about holding a show in the palace! Firstly, Father has been in a bad mood these past few days, so this will help him cheer up. Secondly, it will also bring all these nice things into the palace so the ladies can see them. The palace hasn’t prepared anything large-scale in recent years, so it looks rather lifeless. Although it’s a bit more lively on Father’s birthday every year, Father doesn’t really like it. This show will be a good opportunity for us to have some fun!”
Upon hearing Lan Linxue's words, Shu Lingxi immediately clapped her hands in approval, then turned to Lan Shanyang and said with a smile, "Brother, your sister-in-law thinks Linxue's idea is excellent. It's not only lively, but it's also an eye-opener. Most importantly, I want to invite all the young ladies participating in this imperial concubine selection to come over, so the children can see what these girls are like. If any of them catch the eye, wouldn't that be a perfect double blessing?"
Lan Xiuyuan was initially indifferent to the matter, thinking it was probably just another of Lan Linxue's silly pranks. However, after hearing Shu Lingxi's words, he immediately felt that this might be a good opportunity for him. He smiled and stepped forward, saying to Lan Shanyang, "Yes, Father. Your suggestion is excellent. At least for us brothers, people we see with our own eyes are always more real than those in paintings. Besides, Father has been feeling down these past few days, so this is a good opportunity for you to relax!"
When Lan Shanyang heard Lan Xiuyuan say the same thing, he couldn't help but turn to look at Lan Qingtian, "Seventh Brother, what do you think?"
Lan Qingtian immediately spread his hands: "Royal brother, you know I never have any objections to such things. Whatever my wife says goes!"
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