Luo Shenyuan gestured for her to sit down and gave her five pieces. But a quarter of an hour later, Yi Ning was completely defeated. Luo Shenyuan grabbed the chess pieces in the chess bowl and said, "Get up. I'll play against myself."
Yining was so angry with him that she was too lazy to play chess with him.
That night, when she went to bed, Yi Ning faced inwards, thinking that she would not roll into his arms again when she woke up early in the morning. She was also angry. Every time she woke up in his arms, she felt inexplicably ambiguous.
As a result, Yining found that he slept better than usual that night and felt refreshed. He even ate two more steamed buns and a plate of pickled cucumbers for breakfast.
…Okay, he wins.
It was the day of the visit, and Lou Mama and Fan Mama had prepared the things for the visit early in the morning. Luo Shenyuan wore his official uniform and rode in the carriage with her. Yi Ning asked him curiously, "Third brother, why are you still wearing your official uniform?" Who would wear official uniform when visiting their father-in-law's house? Who was he trying to put pressure on?
Luo Shenyuan replied to her: "This one looks good."
Luo Yining's mouth twitched, and he took a deep breath while holding the handkerchief. "I remember mother made you a few Hangzhou silk quilted robes the other day. Why don't you wear them?"
Luo Shenyuan rubbed her head and said calmly, "I'm kidding. You stay at the Duke of Ying's mansion this afternoon. My father-in-law and I are going to the palace."
...Is he kidding her?
Arriving at the Duke of Ying's mansion, a servant led the horses to the stables to feed them. The mansion was bustling with activity, decorated with lights and filled with guests. Wei Ling was busy entertaining the guests when he saw his daughter and son-in-law return, and then he came to greet them.
When Yining saw his father in a bright red wedding suit, he felt sad for some reason.
"...I haven't met my stepmother yet." Yining said.
Wei Ling had actually figured it out. It was because the Duke of Ying couldn't always be without someone in charge. If he were away fighting, there would be no one to look after the family. He patted the girl's head and smiled, "You'll see it soon."
Yi Ning finally smiled and said, "...Then you go ahead and do your work. I'll go pay my respects to Grandmother."
Luo Shenyuan went to the flower hall. As a male member of the family, he could help entertain the guests.
Yining, accompanied by Lou Mama, went to Jing'an Hall. Old Madam Wei and Zhao Mingzhu were waiting for her. She noticed that after not seeing her for half a month, Old Madam Wei had actually aged even more, with her temples now graying. People always age particularly quickly in their final years.
Because she was not in good spirits, she did not go out, but she wore a reddish-brown silk jacket with a festive swastika pattern and a brow band. People who came to give gifts sat in her room in a lively atmosphere.
Yi Ning bowed deeply to Old Lady Wei as per the rules and was helped to her feet. Old Lady Wei looked at her and muttered to Zhao Mingzhu, "Why does she always look thinner?"
Zhao Mingzhu took her hand and said with a smile, "I think it's all the same. Please sit down and talk."
Old Madam Wei said, "Mingzhu, I have prepared some Gastrodia elata and pigeon soup for her in the kitchen. Ask the maid to bring it to her."
"You're mistaken. The kitchen isn't cooking today. Here's the breakfast from the outer courtyard kitchen." Zhao Mingzhu patted Old Lady Wei on the back. Old Lady Wei looked a little confused. "I remember it was soup," she said, insisting the maid bring it to Yining. She didn't give up until Madam Song came in and said she didn't have any.
Yining looked at the scene and it seemed a little bad?
Zhao Mingzhu finally sat down, took a breath, and said to her, "One night, Grandmother had a nightmare. She screamed all night long, which frightened Mother Song so much that she quickly asked the imperial physician to come and see her. But for some reason, Grandmother's memory has been poor since that day."
"I didn't even know... Why didn't you send someone to tell me?" Seeing Old Lady Wei's expression, Yi Ning thought of the time when she got married and she carried a whole box of dowry to her. Back then, she was still in good spirits, but now seeing her with a head full of white hair, she always felt very pitiful.
Zhao Mingzhu smiled. "Grandma doesn't want you to worry too much. Aside from a slightly poor memory, there's nothing else wrong with it. You can still eat half a bowl of rice in one meal."
Yi Ning breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was sipping her tea, a maid came in and announced, "The governor's sedan chair has reached the screen wall and should be arriving soon."
Zhao Mingzhu originally had some feelings for Lu Jiaxue, but now she has nothing left. It was just wishful thinking.
She only wanted to use Lu Jiaxue's influence to better navigate the harem, so she was somewhat delighted: "Thank you, Madam, for the message. I'll go pay my respects to my adoptive father later."
When Yining heard this, he suddenly raised his head.
*
In the flower hall in the front yard, when everyone saw Lu Jiaxue coming, they all stood up and bowed to greet him.
Lu Jiaxue walked in, waved for everyone to sit down, and glanced at Luo Shenyuan.
Lu Jiaxue ignored his third brother, Luo Shenyuan. After sitting down and pondering for a moment, he said to Wei Ling, "You are getting married today, and I am here to give you a gift." Then he asked someone to bring the gift up.
Wei Ling thanked him and sat down. Lu Jiaxue came here today to tell him something.
After the Ming Dynasty expelled the Mongols from its territory and Yesüder ascended the throne, many Mongol nobles and ministers refused to recognize his position, leading to the division of Mongolia into two major tribes: the Tatars in the east and the Oirat in the west. Relations between these two tribes were strained, often even at war. Adding the Jurchens to the mix, the three tribes were constantly at odds with each other, creating a state of incompatibility. The Oirat was the most powerful tribe, and therefore dared to invade Ming territory.
Military intelligence arrived this morning, reporting that Datong and Xuanfu, where the Duke is stationed, are currently without a commanding officer. The Oirat tribe has unexpectedly joined forces with the Tatars in a secret meeting, perhaps to reach an agreement.
As soon as the military intelligence came in, Lu Jiaxue was summoned that night.
Last time, Wei Ling pushed the Tatars back fifty miles, severely damaging their vitality. He thought the situation would calm down, but who knew it would instead encourage an alliance between the Tatars and the Tatars?
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