Chapter 212 Chapter 212 Banquet
In a blink of an eye, it was the day for the banquet at the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
Early in the morning, the vermilion gate of the Duke's Mansion opened wide to welcome guests.
Mr. and Mrs. Wang Xianchun arrived very early.
After receiving the invitation written by Fu Wenxiao himself, they were bound to come no matter what.
The carriage arrived at the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. After the two got off, Wang Xianchun first looked at the two stone lions at the entrance of the Mansion. They were majestic and lifelike, and then the heavy vermilion gate. The overwhelming power also showed the style of a noble family.
He felt a little emotional.
"I still find it a little hard to believe it." Wang Xianchun whispered to his wife, "I always feel that Brother Fu is still a scholar in the south."
It is difficult to connect him with the prince of Zhenguo.
By the way, he is no longer the prince of the Duke of Zhenguo, but the Duke of Zhenguo, which makes him even less real.
Mrs. Wang looked calm. She was used to her husband's temper and didn't think much about it. She asked, "What's wrong?"
Wang Xianchun said truthfully: "It's nothing. This house is really magnificent. I feel that Brother Fu's identity is unreal."
Even a sense of strangeness and estrangement arises.
This is the inner city, and all the people living here are royal relatives. People like the Wang family have little chance to come here.
Therefore, he felt a sense of unreality, as if Brother Fu was no longer his good brother.
Mrs. Wang laughed and was about to say something when she saw Fu Wenxiao and Yu Li coming out in person.
"Brother Wang, sister-in-law." Fu Wenxiao said with a smile, "You are here, come in quickly."
Yu Li also came over and pulled Mrs. Wang affectionately, "Sister Su, I've been waiting for you to come."
The two families had a good relationship. They had known each other in Shanping County and had come to Beijing together from the south. The affection between them was unmatched by others. Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao treated them very kindly.
When he saw Fu Wenxiao, all the strangeness and estrangement disappeared immediately, and Wang Xianchun smiled happily.
"Brother Fu, sister-in-law, congratulations."
The couple congratulated them. No matter what, Fu Wenxiao was now the Duke of Zhenguo, and Yu Li was the Duke's wife. They could be said to be the youngest duke and duke's wife in the Daqing Dynasty, which was rare even in the previous dynasty, so they should be congratulated.
Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao led them to a flower hall to rest and talk.
After chatting for a while, Wang Xianchun said with some regret: "I originally thought that I could enter the Imperial Academy with Brother Fu..."
After the Qionglin Banquet, according to the previous process, the top three candidates in the imperial examination do not have to participate in the Hanlin Academy selection and can directly enter the Hanlin Academy.
However, under the current circumstances, no one dared to let a Duke serve as a sixth-rank editor in the Hanlin Academy.
Fu Wenxiao has been idle at home these days, waiting for the old emperor's arrangements. Given the old emperor's favor and trust in him, he will definitely not let him go to the Hanlin Academy.
Wang Xianchun felt somewhat disappointed. It would not be easy to see Brother Fu in the future.
In comparison, he prefers the days in Shanping County, where he is free and can go to Fu Wenxiao to discuss academic matters when he has nothing to do.
"Why are you saying this?" Mrs. Wang scolded Fu Wenxiao, "Don't listen to his nonsense. He didn't get enough rest yesterday."
Wang Xianchun was about to speak, but Fu Wenxiao smiled and said, "It's okay, I know what Brother Wang means."
He also said that the two families are close friends and this friendship will not change no matter what, and they can come over anytime in the future.
These words made Wang Xianchun very happy. Although his identity had changed, Brother Fu had not changed. He was still the Brother Fu he was familiar with.
He quickly put aside the trivial matters and the two of them started chatting happily.
As time went by, more and more guests came.
Fu Wenxiao and Yu Li went together to welcome the guests.
Most of these guests were old acquaintances of the Fu family, and there were also many relatives and all the relatives and friends came, making it very lively.
People from Prince Rui’s palace also came.
Concubine Rui, Prince Rui and his wife, and Chu Shaoyu came together.
When she saw Yu Li, Concubine Rui pulled her aside and praised her a lot, then said: "Actually, I wanted to come and see you last year. Thanks to you, Brother Yu was able to return safely. I really don't know how to thank you..."
Concubine Rui was the concubine of the late emperor. After the late emperor passed away, the Empress Dowager decided to let the concubines who had sons leave the palace and be raised by their sons, so that the mothers and sons could be reunited outside the palace.
This was a good deed, and the concubines were very grateful to the Empress Dowager.
In recent years, Concubine Rui has been living in Jiangnan with her frail grandson, partly because she misses her hometown and partly for her grandson.
Chu Shaoyu grew up under her care and regarded this grandson as her lifeblood. She was naturally very grateful to the person who saved her grandson.
In addition, Fu Wenxiao is the Empress Dowager's grandson. With these two relationships combined, Concubine Rui became even more friendly to the couple.
Princess Rui was also extremely grateful. When she heard her son talk about what happened on the way back to Beijing last year, she also thought that those bastards were going to attack her son.
She originally wanted to come in person to thank Fu Wenxiao and his wife, but after learning about Fu Wenxiao's identity, she felt it was not appropriate to visit him rashly, so she has been putting it off until now.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law regarded Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao as Chu Shaoyu's saviors, and were very warm and friendly to them.
Chu Shaoyu was also talking happily beside them.
In comparison, Prince Rui felt a little embarrassed. He always felt that his mother and wife were deliberately ignoring him. Although his son did not do it on purpose, he was a tactless person and would not help his father out.
Fu Wenxiao talked with Concubine Rui and the others for a while, and finally looked at Prince Rui and said, "Uncle, please come in and sit down. I hope you will forgive me if we are not treating you well enough."
Prince Rui said a few polite words and asked, "Why don't you see Sister Yuan An?"
"Mother is not in good health and is recuperating in the princess's mansion."
Hearing this, King Rui was not surprised, and showed concern on his face, "How is Sister Yuan An's health now?"
Princess Yuan'an has been refusing visitors since returning to the capital, and no one knows her current situation.
Fu Wenxiao's expression was a little indifferent. "Fortunately, the weather has been warm recently, and her health has improved."
Although he said "okay", everyone present knew that Princess Yuanan's health was unlikely to recover.
The saint doesn't wish her well either.
For a moment, Prince Rui didn't know what to say, and instead felt some sympathy for his nephew.
Although the saint doted on him, he was unwilling to let the Fu family continue to hold military power. As the eldest son of the Duke of Zhenguo, Fu Wenxiao had never been to the Northern Frontier, let alone come into contact with the Fu family army.
Today, the Fu family army is led by Fu Lieyun. Although Fu Lieyun is Fu Zongxu's adopted son, an adopted son is not a blood member of the Fu family after all. This is reassuring.
Fu Wenxiao can only be a knife in the hands of a saint. The saint dotes on him, but that's all.
It just so happens that he is the only one left in the Fu family, so the saint can trust him even more.
Not long after, Princess Fuhui also arrived.
The third prince, the sixth prince, and the seventh prince came with her. The fifth prince and the eighth prince did not come.
The fifth prince actually wanted to come, but a few days ago, Fu Wenxiao went to the palace and casually mentioned something about last year's calligraphy and painting meeting in front of the old emperor, so the fifth prince was confined to his room by the angry old emperor.
When the princes heard this, they were not surprised.
As for the Eighth Prince, he was absolutely unwilling to stay with Fu Wenxiao, let alone attend his banquet.
At this moment, the Third Prince and others were secretly looking at Yu Li.
When Fu Wenxiao came to Beijing, they got the news and sent people to follow Liu Wenxiang. They had a general understanding of her: she was from the countryside, had a good appearance, but was a big eater.
When they saw her at this time, they found that she was not like the crude country girl in their memory. She had a delicate and beautiful face and a slender figure. She looked weak and frail, which made people feel pity for her.
The Third Prince and others were a little surprised.
When Princess Fuhui saw Yu Li, she said happily, "Mother Li, long time no see."
She pulled people affectionately and expressed her affection for her in public.
The third prince was surprised and asked, "Fuhui, you know your cousin's wife?"
The princes and Fu Wenxiao are cousins. No matter what, their identities are there, and they have to call Yu Li cousin.
They came here today as relatives.
Fuhui smiled and said, "Yes, I met her when I went to visit Aunt Yuanan. I like Li Niang very much."
She did not mention that she was rescued by Yu Li on the night of Yuanxiao.
Although many people knew that Princess Fuhui was rescued at that time, few people knew that it was Yu Li who rescued her.
Hearing this, Yu Li looked at her and saw Princess Fuhui blinking at him.
The Third Prince and others were somewhat surprised and felt that Princess Fuhui was inexplicable.
Didn't she always say she wanted to marry Fu Xiao? She said Fu Xiao's face was her favorite, and she should hate Fu Xiao's wife.
Why does it seem like she likes Fu Xiao's wife quite a bit now?
"Why are you looking at me?" Princess Fuhui said, "Li Niang is so pretty, isn't it normal for me to like her?"
Everyone: “…”
The expressions on the faces of the Third Prince and others were somewhat subtle.
They thought about it and found that the people serving Princess Fuhui, both men and women, were all very good-looking. It turned out that she not only liked handsome men, but also beautiful girls.
This is really...
Princess Fuhui didn't care what they thought and pulled Yu Li aside to talk to him affectionately.
Finally, because Yu Li had to go to greet the guests, he could only let her go reluctantly, saying eagerly: "Mother Li, when you are done, we can talk together."
Yu Li responded, looking extremely cold. Even when facing the princess, he did not show any shyness or fawning attitude.
Everyone was surprised and couldn't help but look up to her.
This Duke's wife seemed different from what they thought. Although she was a country girl, her appearance and demeanor were extremely outstanding. Standing together with Fu Wenxiao, they were a perfect match.
Princess Fuhui didn't care about Yu Li's coldness at all. In her mind, it was normal for a talented person like Yu Li to have a bit of temper.
Others didn't know what she was thinking, especially the Third Prince and others. Seeing her pulling a woman and acting coquettishly, they couldn't stand it and thought Princess Fuhui was sick.
Unable to marry Fu Xiao, she actually wanted to steal Fu Xiao's boyfriend.
After Fu Wenxiao and the others left, the Third Prince said, "Fuhui, take it easy and don't make Fu Xiao angry."
The Sixth Prince said with a smile: "Third brother, Fu Xiao is not so stingy."
The Seventh Prince said nothing and sat there quietly drinking tea.
Princess Fuhui knew they had misunderstood her, so she didn't explain. She sat down at the railing of the waterside pavilion, looked at the fish swimming in the lake, and said, "The scenery of the Duke's Mansion is really nice. It hasn't changed much over the years."
She grabbed the fish food prepared by the servants and sprinkled it into the lake.
A group of colorful koi swam over and scrambled for food.
Not long after, the Third Prince and others heard that Old Madam Yao had arrived.
"Old Madam Yao? Why is she here?" Everyone was stunned and couldn't help but think too much.
The person who came to report said: "I heard that Madam Yao went south to visit her sick sister in the past few years. She met the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo in the south, and the two of them have a close personal relationship."
Hearing this, the Third Prince and the others felt relieved, but then they were a little surprised.
I originally thought she was just an ignorant country girl and a huge glutton, but now it seems that she is more than that.
Madam Yao, as the wife of Emperor's tutor Yao Zhengqian, has a special status and is an extremely picky person. There are very few girls who can catch her eye.
Yu Li actually has a personal relationship with her, which shows that this girl is not completely useless.
But it was just an interaction between female relatives, which was not a big deal. The Third Prince and others did not pay much attention to it. The only thought was that Fu Xiao's wife seemed to have some ability to bewitch people. Look at how Princess Fuhui was bewitched by her.
**
When Yu Li helped Old Madam Yao over, the women who were talking in the flower hall stood up one after another.
Not to mention Madam Yao's identity, even at her current age, she deserves such respect from everyone.
Concubine Rui was somewhat acquainted with Old Lady Yao, so when she saw her, she smiled and said, "A Tao, why are you here?"
"I know this child, Li Niang. Such a good day must come." Old Madam Yao smiled and patted Yu Li's hand. "I like this child very much. She is a good person. Before I knew her identity, I thought of taking her in as my adopted daughter."
The people around were shocked. Old Madam Yao actually wanted to adopt the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo as her adopted daughter?
Although it sounds like a joke, it also shows her love for Yu Li.
Everyone looked at Yu Li who was standing there. She didn't say much and was very quiet. Even though she was dressed elegantly and luxuriously, she didn't look like those well-mannered ladies from noble families. Instead, she looked like a sympathetic little girl, and everyone couldn't help but want to protect her.
After hearing that the Prince of Zhenguo had returned to the capital, everyone couldn't help but pay some attention.
Later I learned that he had married a woman from the south, a country girl.
Before meeting her, many people regarded her as a crude country girl. Even though they knew that anyone who could catch Fu Xiao's eye must be good, they still subconsciously looked down on her because of her background.
However, after meeting the person, I found that the situation seemed different...
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Yu Li sent Old Madam Yao to the flower hall and sat with her for a while. When she learned that there were guests coming, she stood up.
She said to the two elders, "Madam Yao, Concubine Rui, I'll be leaving first."
"Go ahead."
Both old people were smiling, looking friendly and even a little sympathetic to her.
Princess Yuan'an was in poor health, and there was no elder to help in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion. As a young girl, she was busy running around, and it was inevitable that she would be overwhelmed to entertain so many guests.
Thanks to the capable and experienced servants of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, as well as the nanny sent by Princess Yuan'an, we were able to handle some of the situations.
Not long after, Yu Li brought the women of the Mo family over.
Mo Yuchan's grandfather was the Minister of Personnel. She was engaged to the eldest son of Earl Zhongyong. It was said that the wedding date was in April and it attracted much attention.
Seeing that the Mo family had also come, even though only Mo Yuchan and her daughter came, it still made people curious.
When everyone learned that Yu Li and the Minister of Personnel's granddaughter Mo Yuchan were close friends, they couldn't help but start to doubt.
Is this wife of the Duke of Zhenguo really just a country girl? She knows too many people, and each of them has a good relationship with her.
It would be normal if everyone was polite to her because she was the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo.
But now it seems that these people came clearly for her.
At this point, everyone who came to the banquet today put away their contempt and started to become curious. They didn't know what kind of ability the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo had that could make so many people like her so much.
On the other side, Mo Yuchan pulled Yu Li and whispered, "Mother Li, congratulations."
When she learned that Fu Wenxiao was actually the son of the Duke of Zhenguo, she was also shocked, but this did not affect anything. The relationship between her and Yu Li began with a life-saving favor, and it would not change anything even if Fu Wenxiao was the son of the Duke of Zhenguo.
She and her mother came here today to save face for Yu Li.
There are too many people in Beijing who put down others and praise others. Mo Yuchan was afraid that some people would think Yu Li was a country girl and look down on her, thus embarrassing her.
But now it seems that she was worrying too much.
Mo Yuchan not only did not feel disappointed, but was happy for Yu Li and felt that it was what she deserved.
Li Niang is so amazing, isn't it normal that everyone likes her?
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