On the second day of the fifth lunar month, before dusk, the Thirteenth Prince's residence was already overflowing with people.
Fifty tables were set up in the outer courtyard, and two opera troupes were invited, including the Crown Prince, the Eighteenth Prince, and several officials.
The two-story pavilion in the inner courtyard was filled with women, including the wives of princes, the wives of officials, and relatives of Heyue's family.
A stage was set up opposite, and people were singing about Mulan joining the army in place of her father, creating quite a lively scene.
Apart from the second sister Rongyue, who passed away from an illness a few years ago, and the third sister Xinyue, who died young, the remaining married sisters all came.
Yan Yue and her fourth sister Liang Yue each held a large red swaddled baby in their arms. Inside the swaddled baby were two identical infants. The former was holding Hong Chang, and the latter was holding Tong Xuan.
Fourth Sister Liangyue and Fifth Sister Wenyue surrounded the two women, staring intently at the two fair-skinned, chubby children in their arms, occasionally reaching out to tease them and exclaiming in admiration.
"This child is so beautiful, he looks just like my brother-in-law."
"That's true. Tongxuan is more like Seventh Sister, especially her eyes. However, she is quieter than Seventh Sister and has the same temperament as Seventh Sister when she was a child."
"Seventh Sister is so lucky, her daughters and sons are all so good-looking."
"Oh, Tongxuan smiled! She smiled at me! Oh my, she's so beautiful."
...
Several princes and their wives couldn't resist their curiosity and eagerly crowded over to take a look.
Looking at the two children and then at the crowd of people surrounding them with admiration, the Fourteenth Princess Consort Wanyan felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
"Yan Yue, you've had children before, so why are you so excited about other people's children?"
Most of the people here had given birth, and after hearing her words, they all smiled awkwardly and remained silent.
They're all guests, so everyone's saying nice things. Besides, the two kids are really cute; who wouldn't like them?
But this Wanyan clan member was so particular.
Some people had heard that Wanyan had been at odds with the Zhaojia sisters since she was a young woman, and now that they had met her, they knew it was true.
He always pretended to have a good relationship with Zhao Jia and Yue, but now it's all been exposed.
Some were watching to see how Zhao Jiayan would handle the situation.
Yan Yue ignored her and just laughed with her older sister, saying, "I've heard that some people are just sour grapes, unhappy with everything and acting sarcastic. But not everyone thinks like that. Who here isn't a mother? Who doesn't love children? Right, older sister?"
Mingyue looked at Yanyue in surprise, then smiled with her lips pursed.
Although Wanyan had long decided to put aside her grudges, she still couldn't help but want to stab him when she saw him, but unexpectedly she was choked by him instead.
Zhao Jiayan has certainly become quite capable!
Although he was unhappy, he was mindful of the occasion and didn't want to make things too awkward, so he snorted and turned his head away.
Fourth Sister Liangyue gave her a thumbs up, and Yanyue proudly raised her head and smiled before focusing on playing with her two little nephews.
When Heyue returned after walking around, her fifth sister, Wenyue, quickly took Heyue's hand and told her what had just happened.
"Girls really do change a lot as they grow up. It's been so many years. Not only have you become more lively, Seventh Sister, but Sixth Sister has also become more composed. If it were before, she would have jumped up and started fighting with someone long ago."
With a gentle smile, she realized that her sixth sister, now a mother, had indeed become smarter and more composed.
Heyue didn't care about Wanyan's occasional provocations; they were just verbal sparring.
Because of the Fourteenth Prince, she didn't dare to openly break off relations.
Heyue noticed that the Eighth Princess Consort was sitting quietly drinking tea to the side. On a whim, she went over and sat down next to her, saying, "Eighth Sister-in-law, it's been a long time."
The Eighth Prince's wife looked up at her and smiled faintly: "You've grown up quite a bit, and you're becoming more and more like a mistress. You used to disdain dealing with these kinds of things."
"I've grown up a long time ago." He Yue tilted her head, smiled faintly, and a hint of warmth flowed through her eyes.
"Yes, when you grow up, you have to fly away eventually." He sighed, his gaze dimmed, and he stopped looking at her.
My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively grabbed her hand. Feeling the warmth of her palm, my joyful heart gradually calmed down.
God knows how scared she had been all this time, scared that her sister really wouldn't acknowledge her anymore.
Every time I wanted to see her, I was afraid of seeing her cold attitude.
Now that they have finally met again, Heyue couldn't help but approach her first.
A slight smile played on his lips as he looked at her with the same trust and expectation he had shown her many times before: "Don't you want to see the children? They should call you 'Auntie' too."
These words seemed to strike a nerve with the other woman. The Eighth Princess's eyes flickered slightly as she met her gaze. After a long while, she looked away, took a sip of tea, and said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to resist being jealous if I see this."
"Sister," Heyue called out urgently, staring intently at her, "Are you still angry with me?"
Unable to bear it any longer, Guo Luoluo grasped her hand in return and softened her tone: "How could that be? You are my most beloved sister. No matter what you do, I will not blame you."
He Yue smiled happily.
If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, Heyue really wanted to hug her like they used to.
"Go see the children; they are also your sister's children," Heyue advised with a smile.
She knew her sister had no children, and although she didn't say it, she must have been heartbroken.
In Heyue's heart, Hongchang and Tongxuan are not only her children, but also the children she and her sister share.
She will make Hongchang treat his sister as his own mother and be filial to her.
The Eighth Prince's wife gave her a deep look and nodded slightly: "Alright."
Heyue took Hongchang from Sixth Sister and handed him to Eighth Prince's wife.
The Eighth Prince's wife reached out and hugged Hongchang in her arms. Looking down at the baby with eyes as black and bright as black pearls, her heart seemed to melt at the sight of his pure smile, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
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