The engagement banquet was not a grand affair; Fengyuelou simply hosted a meal with close friends and family.
When the eagle doesn't want to face reality, it can only keep telling itself that it's just an engagement, and it can always back out later. What if its daughter gets tired of it?
Today, Lan Tingche and Huo Xiaolong dressed up a bit, wearing the latest clothes. Even the girl who usually doesn't wear makeup was forced to sit on a stool and obediently draw her eyebrows by her older sisters.
Lan Tingche, who was smiling somewhat embarrassedly, still looked shy in front of his grandfather.
The Prince of Zhennan has such a heart.
Marrying into another's family is great!
This child... judging from this, he doesn't resemble his father at all.
"Grandpa, do you think I look good in this outfit?"
The elderly man with gray hair nodded haphazardly and gave a perfunctory reply.
"Beautiful, beautiful."
"Isn't wearing white a bit too unfestive today? After all, it's a joyous occasion."
"Then you should wear red."
"That's too embarrassing. Red is only for weddings."
Grandpa didn't say anything about caring about power. The Prince of Zhennan was only worried about one thing: whether his grandson would be beaten after he went to the brothel, and whether his father-in-law would dislike him and beat him three times a day.
Watching Lan Tingche happily humming a little tune and gesturing at his clothes in front of the mirror, the old man swallowed his words again.
Don't spoil the joy of this happy occasion.
After the engagement, and after the New Year, the group from Fengyuelou prepared to accompany Long'er to the capital to report on his duties.
If it were just Cen Ang and Zhang Mama's group going, that would be fine, but none of these girls would be taken along. If the girls go, then the maids would have to come along.
There aren't enough carriages...
Lu Fei's hammer was already leaving afterimages as he swung it, and he kept muttering to himself.
"Even if the entire Mo family moves to the border town, we still won't have enough people!"
"They always manage to pull this stunt at the last minute!"
"You said you were going to the capital, so why did you have to take me with you? What's the reason?"
Only Lu Wangji was listening to his master's ramblings. The sickly beauty turned around and chimed in.
"I'm taking you because you're so capable. If my sister-in-law asks for something else and I can't handle it, I'll have to trouble you, Uncle-Master."
"Your daughter is smarter than both of us! Why don't you let her do it?"
The sickly beauty's fair yet muscular upper body was glistening with a thin layer of sweat, reflecting slightly in the firelight. Lu Wangji sighed deeply.
"Long'er stopped her from doing it, saying that the things Siman made were too dangerous."
"If you really want to play, you can play it secretly in private, but you can't show it off in public."
Lu Feigong's beard was blowing so high, it's really infuriating to compare people like that, why is it that geniuses are born geniuses too!
"If we install more shock-absorbing springs here, it'll be so uncomfortable on my butt."
"Also, is the blanket ready?"
Huo Xiaolong had an old habit: the carriage had to be equipped with shock absorbers, and the blanket on it had to be made of goose feathers.
“My mother is going too, to install two more springs on our carriage.”
"Okay, okay, little sister."
Liu Xu received a message from Jiangnan, in which Liu Huan relayed her father's recent movements.
Although the Xu family is no longer a royal merchant family, their power and influence in Jiangnan remain undiminished. Liu Xu's biological father is up to no good again, eyeing the military rations of the soldiers under the command of the Prince of Zhenbei.
After reading the letter, the woman slammed the paper onto the table.
"What's wrong? Why are you so angry?" Miao Cuifang was packing her luggage when she was startled by Liu Xu's outburst, so she hurriedly asked.
"My reckless and suicidal father, go and call Long'er over for me."
No matter how much grain the border town has, it's not enough to feed these soldiers. It's three meals a day, so buying more is definitely necessary.
Long'er, with her big, innocent-looking eyes, pouted like a puppy and asked...
"What's up, sis? Why did you call me?"
Seeing her younger sister's state, Liu Xu realized that it was impossible for her to engage in scheming and intrigue, so she told her about her father's situation.
"Oh, so your dad's going to raise the price of military rations?"
"Um."
"Then let's go to Jiangnan and beat him up until he behaves himself."
"..."
The slender woman knew that this was the simplest method, but it would inevitably leave the newly appointed Prince of Zhenbei with a bad reputation, and reputation is not usually that important.
But for the younger sister who wants to pluck the stars from the sky, it is very important, extremely important.
"I agree with your idea of going to Jiangnan by detour, but you can't do anything. I'll help you deal with him, and you'll have to back me up, understand?"
Huo Xiaolong nodded.
"I know, I have to stand up for my sister and kill your stepmother."
"no!"
Liu Xu was truly powerless to help, and then patiently continued to explain.
"Killing her is just the result; what we want is the process, a process that makes them wish they were dead, a process that terrifies them. And you have to make killing her worthwhile."
"You need to make those people feel that you, the Prince of Zhenbei, have the world in your heart and are ridding the people of evil, do you understand?"
"Do you understand?"
The girl took a pear from the table, nodded, and said...
"I understand, it means killing someone and then having others praise me for killing them well."
"Yes! My Long'er is the smartest."
Miao Cuifang, standing beside him, looked resigned. If Huo Xiaolong still didn't understand after all this teaching, how stupid must he be? She hadn't learned a single trick from those girls at the brothel.
Once you're on the battlefield, it's all about fighting and killing. You either obey me or you meet your maker.
I have the strength and the manpower, so why should I reason with you?
"Alright, go pack your things."
After watching Long'er leave the room, Liu Xu picked up her pen and wrote a reply to Liu Huan.
Then he looked at Miao Cuifang and said
"Would you like to come home with me and have a look around?"
"Okay, wherever you go, I'll be with you."
The two exchanged a smile, and listening to Bu Hui's cheerful laughter downstairs, they were content.
Xu Qiushui was both happy and anxious. The good news was that her father had moved into the Hou family's residence and they could go to the capital together.
The bad news is, we don't know if Aunt Hou would be willing to be her mother.
Especially when she heard that Huo Xiaolong was going to take a detour to Jiangnan, the young lady's vanity reached its peak.
She wanted to show off to those young ladies from wealthy families that she also had a mother, and that her mother was better than theirs.
This has nothing to do with whether one is capable or how big one's business is. Xu Qiushui lacked maternal love in her childhood, and was filled with envy and jealousy.
When they see others being protected by their mothers, their longing intensifies.
If Aunt Hou could come with me to the banquet, I would love to call her "Mother" in front of all the young ladies.
Humans always spend their whole lives healing from their childhood.
Xu Qiushui was lucky; she met the person who could make up for the regrets of her childhood.
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