Chapter 1791 Test
The next day, Zhulan was at home for a rare time. She was lazy for a while in the morning and had breakfast half an hour later than usual.
The breakfast is very light, a bowl of white rice porridge, a plate of pickled vegetables, and a bowl of steamed egg, all of which are easy to digest.
After breakfast, Zhulan stood up and said, "Let's go to the garden for a walk."
Qingxue motioned for the maid to follow her, and when they arrived at the garden, Zhulan ran towards the grape trellis, where the bunches of grapes hanging there were pleasing to the eye.
Zhulan sat on the rocking chair, "Well, it's still comfortable here."
Qingxue took the cloak and covered the lady's legs, "It's a bit windy today."
Zhulan looked at the cloak, "I'm old."
Qingxue smiled and said, "Madam, you are not old, you are in good health!"
Zhulan smiled. She had been moving around a lot recently, and her sleep had improved due to her busy schedule. "Why is the mansion so quiet today?"
At this time, the granddaughter should go to the garden and exercise.
Qingxue said, "Did you forget? Today, several young ladies went to visit Concubine Chen's manor."
Zhulan slapped her forehead and said, "I was so busy that I forgot."
Qingxue, "Princess Jingxuan and Princess Zhenyue went together."
"It was Linxi's idea again."
After sitting for a while, Zhulan closed her eyes and felt drowsy. Qingxue saw this and was about to ask the lady to go back to avoid catching a cold.
The prince's wife came over with a letter in her hand.
Zhulan opened her eyes when she heard footsteps. "What's the hurry?"
Li handed the note to her mother-in-law, "Mom, take a look."
Zhulan opened the post and a gift list fell out. She was stunned for a few seconds, picked it up and took a look. The gift list was heavy with various antique ornaments, boxes of pearls, etc. Then she looked at the post from Lord An's family.
Li, "You sent me an invitation and included a gift list. What does that mean?"
Zhu Lan put down the invitation and the gift list, "The An family just sent the gift list to test us."
"Probing?"
Zhulan was no longer sleepy and motioned Li to sit down first. "Changzhi is in Chuanzhou, and the An family's roots are also in Chuanzhou. As the autumn examination is approaching, the An family is getting a little restless, so they want to test our family's attitude."
Changzhi is like a sword hanging over the An family's head. The more scared the An family is, the more they want to confirm whether Changzhi went to Chuanzhou for other purposes.
Li asked, "Mother, will my fourth brother be okay?"
"No, the An family wouldn't dare to do that. Lord An works in the Ministry of Industry."
Li was relieved. "Then how do I get back?"
Zhulan: "What do you think?"
Li smiled and said, "The daughter-in-law will be sent back. We in the Zhouhou Mansion do not accept bribes."
"Well, don't pay attention to the An family's temptation. The grasshoppers in autumn won't be able to jump for a few more days."
Li handed the invitation and gift list to the maid beside her and said, "Mother, the An family is really rich."
"Well, Lord An's visit to Beijing was very high-profile. Now everyone knows that the An family has money."
Li frowned, "Too high profile."
Zhu Lan smiled and said, "Different people have different ways of survival."
If the An family had not made any mistakes, the family's money was legitimately earned, and the An family would have found a backer long ago. However, there are too many smart people in the capital, and if they set their eyes on the An family's money, they would go to Sichuan Province to investigate first. The An family's background is estimated to have been investigated long ago, so the An family has been jumping around for so long but still hasn't found a backer.
To put it bluntly, in the eyes of some people, the An family's money was destined to go into the national treasury, and no one would mind competing with the emperor for money.
It’s a pity that the An family couldn’t see themselves clearly and underestimated the aristocratic families in the capital.
The princesses cannot keep a low profile when they travel at Concubine Chen's estate, especially when two princesses travel together. Today is a rare day when the estate is open to the public, and everyone who got the news came.
It is said that the manor has been rebuilt, not only adding a place to rest, but also building several platforms for painting and writing.
Today, there are not only women but also men in the manor. Concubine Chen's stories are famous, and her manor has also become famous. Many people came here today to see her.
Lin Xi blinked, "Master Wu is here."
Zhenyue's ears blushed slightly, but her face remained calm, "I told him."
She was too busy and it was rare for her to have a day off, so naturally she wanted to chat more with her future prince consort.
Lin Xi came to Yu Wen's side again and said, "Master Gu and Master Wu came together."
Yu Wen, "Stop gossiping, it wasn't me who notified you."
She hasn't seen Gu Sheng since her father left the palace. She knows a lot about him. Gu Sheng rarely goes to the palace now. He seems to be in a stable state of mind. Maybe he doesn't have much ambition and is very content in the Hanlin Academy.
Today men and women are separated. After entering the manor, the left side is open to men and the right side is for women. When the time comes, they will switch places to avoid accidents.
Zhenyue is a princess, and she wants to talk to her future prince consort, so she doesn't need to be shy with the ladies-in-waiting around her.
Yuwen couldn't talk to Gu Sheng because there were too many people here today. Engaged men and women all observed etiquette, not to mention that she and Gu Sheng were not engaged yet.
Princess Zhenyue stayed behind. Yuwen nodded to Gu Sheng, then followed her sisters to the right.
Yu Wen didn't want to come today, but unfortunately there were two princesses here. She was invited to come. After a while, she saw that the chair could not be moved. "I didn't get enough rest last night. I'll sit here for a while."
Linxi knows her cousin so well. Yudie spoke first, "Okay, we'll come find you later."
Then Yuwen was able to take a rest. The garden here was full of girls. Yuwen leaned on a chair and looked at the scenery of the lake. It was windy and sunny today. Well, this kind of weather was perfect for a nap.
The girls looked at each other and took two steps forward to block the gazes.
Yu Wen sighed and didn't know when she could go home. She held the fan above her head and looked listless.
"I have met the Lord of Anhe County."
Several maids stepped back, and Yuwen took down the fan, "It's you."
Miss An was nervous. She thought of her father's instructions and asked, "County Lord, can you please have a word with me?"
Her father let her try her luck today, but she didn't expect that she not only met the county lord, but also the princess and the county lady. She followed them all the way but didn't dare to go forward until the county lord left the team.
Yuwen sat still, "I don't want to listen."
Well, it's that direct.
Miss An was dumbfounded. Is this a normal reaction?
Yu Wen's maids had smiles in their eyes. Their county lord spoke so directly.
Miss An was angry but didn't dare to show it. Her experience in Beijing told her that she was really nothing in the Beijing ladies' circle. The proud ladies didn't even want to look at her.
Her marriage was also a problem. She knew that the An family was rich, and that all the men who came to them to propose marriage were of the fourth rank or below. The thought of it made her sick to her stomach.
Miss An smiled again, "County Lord, your father had contacts with our An family in Chuanzhou and had been a guest at our An family."
Yu Wen didn't believe that her father would go to the An family for no reason. If he really went there, it meant that there was something in the An family that her father was thinking about. "Are you sure the news is true?"
Miss An recalled what her father had said. Her father would not lie to her. "Really."
Little did they know that Lord Zhou had indeed been there, but he had not entered the house. He just stood outside the door, causing the An family to be in a state of panic.
(End of this chapter)