She wanted to show off her power, but the housekeepers outside weren't so respectful of her foster daughter. She, Luo Yining, could command them. The Duke of England had sent someone to warn her overnight, "Yining's words are my words. If I hear any disrespect from her, I will immediately expel you from the Duke of England's mansion." With the Duke of England backing her up, naturally no one dared to provoke her.
Although she remembered what Old Lady Wei said, Zhao Mingzhu still felt awkward and uncomfortable, and pulled Shen Jiarou away from East Garden.
She asked Shen Jiarou: "Has your brother's marriage been decided?"
Shen Jiarou shook her head and said, "He's very stubborn. Who can do anything to him?"
Shen Jiarou thought of his brother. When his mother mentioned his marriage, he pursed his lips and said nothing. Madame Zhongqin was so angry that she wanted to use family discipline, so he retreated to the inner room to talk with Madame Zhongqin. When he came out, Madame Zhongqin's face was full of relief and joy, and she no longer pressed her son to express his opinion. She looked very strange and asked her mother: "What did my brother say to you?"
The wife of the Earl of Zhongqin glared at her and said, "Don't ask about it!" Then she took her brother's engagement letter and went to visit the old lady of the Marquis of Dingbei's Mansion.
I don’t know what my mother went to do.
Yi Ning wasn't done until he'd met with the stewards. On New Year's Eve, the emperor had just passed away, marking a national mourning, so the palace wasn't particularly busy. Wei Ling was still a kilometer away, unable to leave. Yi Ning dined with Old Madam Wei, and Ting'er, who kept talking to her, happily rewarded him with a large red envelope.
Back at East Garden, Ting'er ran to Luohan's bed and opened the several red envelopes he'd received that day. The ones for him were filled with gold beans and silver coins, while Old Lady Wei had sealed several twenty-liang silver notes for him. Yining knew at a glance that there were over two hundred liang, so she asked Mother Tong to get a small box and store it safely for him. It wasn't fun at Old Lady Wei's, but back at Yining's, the table was filled with dried fruits and candied fruit, and the two siblings ate a lot. Ting'er wanted to set off firecrackers, but they weren't allowed this year. Seeing his unhappy face, Yining asked for gold foil and cut out some figurines to entertain him.
Children who stayed up all night were always chattering, and soon Ting'er fell asleep in her arms. Yining yawned a few times, but she was still thinking about Wei Ling's return, so she forced herself not to fall asleep.
Wei Linggang and Lu Jiaxue had dealt with the eldest prince's remnants, and the crown prince had personally given Concubine Shu poisoned wine to send her off. She cried and refused, but the eunuchs still forced her to drink it. Finally, they finished their work and rushed home. When they arrived at Yining's place, they found the girl dozing against the pillow. Ting'er had already been gently carried away by Tong Mama.
Thinking of how a little girl like her had been managing such a large mansion these past few days, Wei Ling felt a little distressed. When he reached her side, she was already awake, startled by the noise. She looked up and asked Zhenzhu, "Is the New Year's Eve watch over?"
After that she can go to sleep.
Wei Ling touched her head, smiled and said, "Not yet."
Yi Ning saw that it was Wei Ling who had returned. Hearing that he hadn't eaten yet, she sent over a bowl of fermented rice wine. She asked Wei Ling, "I heard that the Crown Prince will ascend the throne after the New Year?"
The ladies in the inner court were not entirely unaware of the changes at court. Wei Ling, unsuspecting, told Yi Ning, "He ascended the throne after the New Year, so the reign title has been changed to Zhide." Without a ruler, the world would be in chaos, so naturally, the sooner he ascended the throne, the better. Wei Ling went on to say, "The date for the ascension has already been chosen. I'm afraid this year's Spring Examination will have to be brought forward."
Originally, there was to be a special examination for the ascension, but it happened to be the spring examination this year, so several cabinet ministers discussed and decided to move it forward by more than a month.
Yining was stunned when he heard this. It would be the first year of Zhide when he woke up tomorrow.
My third brother was the third place winner of the imperial examination in the first year of Zhide, and in the fourth year of Zhide, he became the Minister of Personnel. Xu Gong, the deputy assistant minister, promoted him greatly. Wouldn't it be a long time before we see my third brother's fame spread all over the world?
Wei Ling stayed with the girl till the New Year's Eve before going back to rest.
Yining, however, didn't sleep. After a moment's thought, she let Songzhi light the lamp, then picked up her pen and wrote to her third brother: "...The spring exam is approaching, and I hope you get a good result. I wonder how mother is doing? I haven't received your letter yet, and I wonder if I'll have a brother or a sister. I'm anxious to know." After a moment's thought, she added, "You're twenty-one now, and it's time for you to get married. But which girl have you chosen?"
Yi Ning had the letter delivered to Baoding by a servant, but it ended up in Wei Ling's hands. After reading it, he thought for a moment and told the messenger, "There's no need to intercept the Luo family's letters anymore." He handed the messenger the letter Yi Ning had just written and said, "Instead of sending it to Baoding, send it to the residence of the Imperial Scholar, Sun Da Ren."
The messenger took the letter and went down.
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