Shen Qingqiu was embroidering flowers at home out of boredom. How could she not feel sorry for her own daughter?
Liu knew her personality and that she was sensible. She obviously didn't like staying at home, but this had been a constraint for her for half a year. After thinking for a while, she walked over and said softly, "Qiu'er, there will be a Flower Festival in a few days. Do you want to go? Mother will accompany you."
At that time, Buddhism spread widely in the capital city, and the Flower Festival was filled with Buddhas.
Shen Qingqiu had no idea about those Buddhas and immediately shook his head.
Liu deliberately took her out to play, "So is there any place you want to go?"
Shen Qingqiu also knew that her mother was afraid that she would be unhappy because of the incident with the old lady, so she wanted to take her out. After hesitating for a while, he said, "The Ninth Princess' birthday is coming soon. Isn't Concubine Rou going to hold a big celebration? I'll go to the palace to see the bells that day."
Liu nodded. Compared with other concubines in the palace, she liked Concubine Rou very much.
"Since mother is going to accompany you, we must prepare gifts for the princess." Liu said, "I'll ask the housekeeper to prepare it."
Shen Qingqiu nodded. She had no control over what her mother gave to Lingdang, but what she gave to Lingdang was a big gift, so she was not afraid that Lingdang would not like it.
——
The Ninth Princess' birthday is approaching. Although Concubine Rou is happy to celebrate her daughter's birthday, she is more worried that she is getting older and older, but her illness shows no signs of improvement. Now she has to count the days to her birthday on her fingers every year.
But some are happy while others are worried. Princess Changping is also concerned about the Ninth Princess' birthday. She has heard from others that the Emperor intends to arrange a marriage for the Ninth Princess. In any case, the Ninth Princess is the Emperor's favorite princess. Changping is no longer favored by the Emperor as before, so she intends to propose to the Ninth Princess on behalf of her brother.
The Ninth Princess was a sickly woman, who knew how many years she could live, even if she was a princess, who would want to marry a dying woman? And his brother would inherit the title anyway, although it would be unpleasant to be left with the reputation of a widower when the Ninth Princess died, but the benefits were real.
Princess Changping originally wanted to meet the Queen to discuss this matter when she returned to the palace, but since the death of the Crown Prince, the Queen rarely saw anyone.
Even if Princess Changping came, the palace gates were always closed. Empress Pei's confidant came out and said, "Princess, the Empress is offering incense to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. She won't see anyone at the moment."
Princess Changping had no choice but to leave.
The confidant went in and said, "Madam, the princess has left."
The current Queen Pei was different from the past. She didn't wear any luxurious jewelry, and she looked like she had washed away all the makeup. She half-opened her eyes and said, "Give orders that the people from the six palaces don't have to come to pay their respects to me." Everything she did was just for the wealth of the Pei family and for her son.
But now she even has lost her son, and it was she who forced him to death. No one's heart is made of iron.
"Your Highness, although the Crown Prince died young, you still have the Eleventh Princess?" The confidant advised, "If you continue to be depressed like this, who can the princess rely on?"
Empress Pei closed her eyes and did not open them. "It is time to tame Yongping's temper."
Now that the crown prince has passed away, the emperor no longer seems to be as wary of her as before. She lost a son, but she also won back the emperor's trust and love. As long as she shows an attitude of not competing or fighting, she will be the queen mother no matter who ascends the throne in the future.
If you can't stand now, it would be stupid to continue to get involved. You want them to fight to the end, and then you can sit back and wait.
——
Shen Qingqiu was preparing a gift for the Ninth Princess in her mansion, but the old lady Dao refused to give up and repeatedly invited her to the Dao family. Shen Qingqiu was not the kind of person who would turn the other cheek if someone hit her on the left cheek, so she went to ask Tu Jiu to come to the Dao family that day.
Old Lady Dao was so frightened that she almost fell to her knees. She didn't dare to cause trouble for the Marquis' Mansion for several days.
So Old Mrs. Dao felt a little stuffy in her chest these days, probably because she didn't hold her head up in front of her relatives in her hometown.
She had long told her relatives in her hometown that she was taken to the capital by Qin to live a good life, and even the princess had to come to her house to serve her. But now, she was sent back by Liu and Shen Qingqiu with both beatings and banishments. Not only that, she met the Princess of Changping on the way, which made her hold her breath in vain.
Therefore, in the past few days, whenever Dao Yue came back, she would cry to him, "Yue'er, look at the injustice your grandmother has suffered because of you. The marquis's wife treated me badly, and the princess never took me, her grandmother, to heart. When she gets married, you must not help her to torture a poor old lady like me!"
Many members of the Dao family came up from small places in the countryside, making Dao Yue's small house even more crowded.
"Mom, if it weren't for your hard work in supporting them, these orphans and widows would have died long ago. I'm afraid that anyone with a conscience would not do such a treacherous thing.
Dao Yue knew very well that they said this to him on purpose, but he just walked out and chopped off a piece of wood with his hand.
"Speaking of hard work and support, I only remember my mother's hard work and support for me over the years." Dao Yue's brows were cold, "Other things don't matter, but if I see that there are any things missing from my mother's room, I will meet you at the Dali Temple."
"Hey, what do you mean by that--" The man from the second branch of the Dao family wanted to chase out, but was thrown down by Dao Yue.
The angry old lady hugged her son and cursed him.
"He is really a barking dog that bites. If I had known that he would disobey his elders to this extent, I should have thrown him out when his father died!"
Qin originally wanted to help her second uncle, but her eyes and brows turned cold after hearing such words.
She had not forgotten what happened back then, and she had not forgotten that her mother-in-law kicked her out of the house after her husband left. If her son was not about to get married today, she would never have brought these people home to disgust her.
"I tell you, once you are a mother, you are a mother for life!" As if she could see Qin's displeasure, Old Lady Dao pointed at her nose and said, "If you dare to do anything unfilial, I will go to the government office in Jingji to sue you."
"How dare I?" Qin lowered her head, seemingly submissive, but her eyes and brows were full of coldness.
Being able to raise her son alone and having a place in a place like the capital, she is no longer the young wife from the countryside. It's a pity that these people still look at her with the same eyes as before... But now she is not in a hurry to deal with these people. Everything has to wait until her son's marriage to the princess is settled.
——
The Ninth Princess' birthday banquet will be held soon.
A princess' birthday should be held in the palace, but the Ninth Princess was the Emperor's favorite princess, and it was her fourteenth birthday. Even though she was not married or engaged, a princess's mansion was opened for her in advance, and this birthday party was held in the princess's mansion.
On the day of the birthday banquet, rows of noble carriages crowded the alley outside the princess's mansion.
The Ninth Princess was very much favored, and her mansion also occupied a vast area. When the mansion was built, half of the street was allocated to her. The first thing you see is the solemn and majestic nine-ridged roof with double eaves, interlaced brackets, and yellow tiles covering the roof, which shows that she is very wealthy.
Further in is the winding Nine-Curve Corridor that seems to have no end. It is guarded by a row of soldiers, and maids carrying trays are walking around in between. Outside the quiet and beautiful water corridor in front, there are several young nobles walking back and forth.
The emperor spent a lavish amount of money to celebrate the birthday of his beloved daughter, and such a birthday banquet was naturally more than just a birthday banquet. With so many young men and ladies from aristocratic families, it was inevitable that they would compete with each other for beauty.
Princess Changping dressed up today, wearing a feathered robe specially sent by her father's fiefdom, which was worth a million gold. Although she was not famous for her appearance, a woman should be pretty in mourning clothes, and the white feathered robe made her originally plain facial features look a bit fairy-like.
In addition, she is the most powerful among the princesses, so the young master has had his eyes on her for many years.
Along the way, Princess Changping received many glances of admiration.
"Sister Changping, I see those gentlemen are looking at you?" the person who was walking with Changping flattered.
Princess Changping walked along the winding corridor holding a palm-leaf fan. The prince was dead, and her previous plans had come to nothing. But one could not help but plan for one's future. She was not married to the prince, and she did not have to be a widow for him. There were many good men in such occasions, and she should always choose one for herself.
"With so many people around, how do you know he's looking at me?"
The person next to him smiled flatteringly, fanned himself gently, and looked at Changping with envy, wearing a feather dress with white peacock feathers, "Sister Changping is naturally beautiful, and she looks like a fairy in this dress. I'm afraid that even though it's the Ninth Princess' birthday party today, I am your flower king?"
Nowadays, at birthday parties for young men and women, writing poetry is a way to show off their taste, and the woman who writes the most poems will naturally be the most eye-catching woman in the crowd.
Changping held a white feather fan in his hand, the same color as his body, "What nonsense are you talking about? Women value morality and appearance." But the expression on her face was different. The girl's mind was like a mirror, but she was happy to flatter Changping. She said a few more words and glanced at the water pavilion, "The Ninth Prince is also looking this way."
The girl said with regret: "He is indeed handsome, but unfortunately, he won't live for many more years."
Changping's eyes fell on Gu Yanwei. The Ninth Prince had been favored by the Emperor in recent years, but like the Ninth Princess, the protagonist of today's birthday party, he was a sickly person who was not worth seeing. Such a person was not worth her seeing.
The Seventh Prince Gu Cheng was a strong contender for the throne, but it was a pity that the last time they quarreled, they parted on bad terms... Otherwise...
Seeing that Changping looked unhappy, the girl next to her quickly flattered her, "The princess deserves better. Look, they are all looking at you."
There are too many young noble men and women here today. The Ninth Princess is favored, but who would like a sickly one? Changping is naturally very confident about her appearance. Just as she was about to fix her hair, someone outside called out, "Madam Hou, Princess Kangle is here!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
