With the new emperor's ascension to the throne, positive cooperation has begun with both Nantai and Xiteng, and compensation has been received from Dongting. With one happy event after another, the Mid-Autumn Festival should not be taken lightly.
The emperor ordered a grand banquet to be held, allowing all court officials to bring their families to the palace for a family reunion.
This banquet was organized by Consort Liu, yes, the same Consort Liu who was formerly the Imperial Concubine Liu.
When the old emperor became the retired emperor, she naturally became the imperial concubine, the original empress became the empress dowager, and the old empress dowager became the grand empress dowager.
The Empress was far from her due date, and the Emperor was reluctant to let her overwork herself. The Empress Dowager was unwilling to get involved in these matters, so naturally, the task was left to Consort Liu.
Although Consort Liu is already a consort, she is still very young. She is interested in these matters and has the mind to take care of them, so it is most appropriate to entrust them to her.
This was not the first time Consort Liu had been in charge of such a banquet. When the old emperor was on the throne, banquets were always entrusted to her, so she was quite experienced and reliable.
The Lu family members went from being nervous and apprehensive about entering the palace at the beginning to now feeling like they were coming home, and they didn't have much of a reaction.
However, when attending a banquet in the palace, one must still abide by the palace rules, and proper makeup and clothing are indispensable.
Therefore, Madam Sun got up early to prepare, waiting for the maid to help her get dressed, and then went to keep an eye on the children's dressing. As for He Jiu Niang, she didn't need to worry about her; her third son's wife wouldn't let her down at crucial moments.
As she waited, Madam Sun suddenly felt a little melancholy. In the blink of an eye, the children in the family had all grown up so much. They were all good-looking and capable, and all good children who could bring honor to the family.
And she has grown old.
I've experienced all kinds of hardship and toil in my life, and to be able to live such a wealthy life now is truly a blessing from my past life.
Although we are now wealthy, the family is also busy, and we can't even have a reunion dinner together during festivals like the Mid-Autumn Festival.
"Grandma, what are you thinking about!"
Seeing that Sun was clearly looking at them, but then her eyes welled up with tears, Lianhua quickly stepped forward and took Sun's arm, acting coquettishly.
"Grandma, please help me see if this plum blossom hairpin looks good with my dress today?"
As Lianhua spoke, she placed the hairpin in her hand next to her skirt, forcibly pulling Sun out of her reverie.
Realizing she had been a bit out of line, Mrs. Sun sniffed and laughed, "Beautiful! You're so beautiful, you look good no matter what you wear!"
Grandma, you're really good at making fun of me!
Lotus smiled sweeter than honey, and Mrs. Sun was infected by her smile, which also improved her mood considerably.
Suddenly I realized that people shouldn't eat too much, because eating too much makes them overthink and makes them feel bad.
The girls always need a lot of time to put on their jewelry and makeup. After watching for a while, Sun saw that they still had a long time to go, so she decided to take a walk around.
I had just come out from where Lianhua and the others were when I saw He Jiuniang coming this way.
"They're not ready yet; it'll probably take another half an hour."
Sun Shi, knowing that He Jiu Niang had come to see Lianhua and the others, simply waved her hand.
"It's alright, it's normal for a young girl to love beauty and like to dress up. I came here specifically to see you, Mother."
He Jiuniang came over affectionately and took Sun's arm, and the two walked towards her courtyard.
"What do you want? What's the matter?"
Sun was a little puzzled, but He Jiuniang smiled mysteriously and said, "You'll know when we get there!"
Sun rolled her eyes, but still happily followed her, a hint of anticipation rising in her heart.
"First, blindfold them."
Upon arriving at the main courtyard, He Jiuniang found a handkerchief, gently covered Sun's eyes, and then pulled her slowly toward the octagonal pavilion.
"What on earth is that? It's so mysterious!"
Sun complained that her third son's wife liked to play these little tricks, but she couldn't help but smile.
"Almost there, watch out for the steps, there's a stone by your feet, sit down slowly..."
He Jiuniang patiently coaxed her until she sat down, then removed the handkerchief covering her eyes.
Sun slowly opened her eyes, and after seeing clearly what was on the stone table, she suddenly couldn't help but tear up.
He Jiuniang said, "My sister-in-law and her husband can't celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with you and Dad this year, but they've been thinking of us. They specially made some of your and Dad's favorite dishes, kept them fresh, and had someone send them over by express courier. I had the kitchen reheat them. Although the taste isn't as good as when they were freshly cooked, it's not much different. Please try them!"
The dishes on the stone table were prepared by Madam Yu, with Madam Qin and Lu Guilan also helping to make two of their signature dishes, both of which were to the tastes that the two elders liked, as a way of showing their filial piety.
They originally wanted to finish their work as soon as possible and then come to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with their whole family, but they were too busy and could only spend the holiday with their parents in this way.
Madam Sun had been missing her sons and daughters in Jingzhou, and just then she felt that she was being pretentious and ungrateful for such a good life. Unexpectedly, her children knew what she was thinking and tried every means to make her happy.
She was so moved that she couldn't say anything, she just kept crying.
He Jiuniang did not stop her immediately, but instead personally put some of each dish into a small bowl for her to try.
"Stop crying, or your tears will get into the food and make it taste bad."
As He Jiuniang spoke, she picked up a piece of food for herself and exclaimed, "Sister-in-law's cooking is as good as ever! After being in the capital for so long, what I miss most is your delicious cooking!"
Although Qin and Lu Guilan also cooked, she truly missed Yu's cooking skills. Cooking is a skill that requires talent, and Qin and Lu Guilan's cooking was only slightly better than hers.
Of course, regardless of the circumstances, this was the sentiment of both of them, so she naturally wouldn't say anything more.
Sun was initially quite upset, but seeing that she had already started eating, she glared at her and hurriedly picked up her chopsticks to eat as well.
The taste wasn't quite as good as freshly cooked, but she felt the children's care for her. With these external factors, she felt it tasted better than ever before.
Thinking that she would be going to the palace for a banquet later, she didn't eat too much. She tried a little of everything and then had it put away so that when the old man came back in the evening, he could also taste the cooking of his daughter-in-law and daughter.
Old Lu was caught up in his chess addiction and left early in the morning. He figured it would be a while before he came back.
Are you still sad?
He Jiuniang came closer with a cheeky smile, making Sun Shi a little embarrassed. She felt that she was really getting more and more like a child, still needing to be coaxed by children.
"Go away, go away, how can you be so annoying!"
Sun gave her a push and said, "It's almost time to leave. Send someone to call the old man back. Don't keep making people wait. It's so annoying!"
He Jiuniang knew she was embarrassed, so she didn't tease her too much. She responded and prepared to go do it, only to see Lu Baichuan and Old Man Lu returning together.
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