On the day of the banquet, the Lu family got up early in the morning to prepare, feeling that attending the royal banquet was a great honor for the family and must be taken seriously.
Of the family, Lu Baichuan and his family of three were the most composed. Lu Baichuan had been through it many times and was used to it. He Jiuniang was thick-skinned and didn't care about anything. Gou'er simply felt that he had been to the palace many times and even stayed there for a while. Everyone in the palace was very nice, so he wasn't afraid and naturally wasn't nervous.
More importantly, at his age, he simply cannot understand people's awe of emperors and doesn't have as many class concepts, which is why he can remain so calm.
After taking a bath, he put on the clothes that He Jiuniang had prepared for him, and then played with his little monkey in the yard.
When Sun and the others came over this time, they also brought Gou'er's little monkey with them. These days, Gou'er is always glued to his side.
When Sun came over after getting dressed, she saw the dog and the little monkey sitting together, head to head, whispering something to each other, and she immediately became anxious.
"Oh dear, you mustn't get these clothes dirty!"
Sun stepped forward and pulled the dog up, worried that he might have picked up the monkey's smell and be disliked by the nobles at the banquet.
She knew that those nobles had always looked down on their family, calling them peasants from the countryside, which was why she didn't want to be looked down upon and make things difficult for her son in the court.
The dog listens to his grandma, but when she complains about the little monkey, he immediately explains, "Grandma, the little monkey isn't dirty. It just had a bath the day before yesterday!"
"But it will shed. Don't worry, we'll play with it when we get back tonight, okay?"
Sun rubbed his head to comfort him, and Gou'er also held her hand and said, "Grandma, don't worry, Grandpa Emperor and Grandma Consort are doing very well."
Dog is young, but that doesn't mean he doesn't understand anything. After all, he has been to school for two years and can still read people's expressions.
During this period, his family members became nervous because of attending the banquet. He himself didn't feel anything, but seeing his grandparents so worried still made him feel a little heartbroken.
"Don't worry, Grandma, I will protect you!"
Upon hearing this, Ms. Sun felt a sudden pang of sadness, but remembering that she had put on some makeup, she couldn't let it smudge from crying.
Her son, daughter-in-law, grandchildren, and other family members are all successful, and as their elders, they cannot let their children down. This is the original intention behind her careful preparation this time.
He Jiuniang saw this scene as soon as she came out. She had said these words of comfort many times, but Sun Shi would not listen. She knew that Sun Shi felt that she was of bad birth and did not fit in with the noble people in high society. She was also worried about embarrassing them, so she could not persuade her too much and could only cooperate with her to make these preparations.
Seeing her like this now, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. I took her arm and said, "Ms. Sun, think back to when you went to the palace to see the Crown Princess. Weren't you just as nervous? But when you got there, you found that the Crown Princess was easy to get along with. It's nothing serious. Just relax."
As she spoke, she took Sun's arm and walked out. It was almost time to go to the palace.
Given the circumstances of today's event, the Crown Princess, being pregnant, would find it inconvenient, and there were concerns about potential incidents at the banquet. Therefore, the Crown Prince requested that she accompany him and help look after the situation, which is why she had to enter the palace early.
The family members were quite nervous, so He Jiuniang and Lu Baichuan thought they should take them to the palace in advance to familiarize themselves with it, which would help ease their tension.
"Oh, I know, you've said that so many times, I'm sick of hearing it!"
Sun refused to admit her nervousness and dragged He Jiuniang along, managing to exude an air of righteous indignation, leaving He Jiuniang both amused and exasperated.
However, it wasn't just Mrs. Sun and Old Man Lu who were nervous; Lianhua and the others were also nervous. Fortunately, because they had seen all sorts of strange and unsavory people while doing business outside, they were more mentally strong than Mrs. Sun, and on the surface, they appeared to be normal.
He Jiuniang took them directly to the East Palace. Lu Baichuan led the men to meet the Crown Prince, while He Jiuniang led the women to meet the Crown Princess.
This was the first time the Crown Princess had met the young ladies of the Lu family. Liu Yuexiang and Zhang Lanxiang had also come along. Their manners and demeanor were no different from those of the young ladies from prominent families in the capital. They had learned proper etiquette in the last few days, as well as their own natural grace. Moreover, each of them was quite beautiful and memorable at first glance.
The Crown Princess gave Lianhua several gifts and praised her. Seeing how amiable and easy she was to accept, the atmosphere quickly became lively.
"Your Majesty, Lotus and the others are quite capable and can help with the presiding in a while. You don't need to worry too much. Taking good care of your health is the most important thing."
He Jiuniang helped the Crown Princess along as they walked and talked. The Crown Princess nodded and said, "I know that I don't need to worry about this matter. However, His Highness is about to ascend the throne, and everyone is watching me. I can't just pass everything on to others, so I have to handle it myself."
"Fortunately, I have you all who can help me, which makes me feel a little more at ease."
The Crown Princess came from a humble background, and her family was not very reliable. She couldn't be counted on for important matters, so she could only rely on the few people around her. However, there were too many things to handle, so she had to ask the Lu family for help.
Goodness, the Crown Princess goes to He Jiu Niang when she needs something, and the Crown Prince goes to Lu Bai Chuan when he needs something. They're just teasing the couple. Thinking about it, it's kind of embarrassing.
Fortunately, the couple had no bad intentions; otherwise, they could have stripped the country of its power, and it would be unclear who would ultimately rule the country.
I only hope that after the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he can handle the affairs of the Eastern Court well, completely secure his position, and then cultivate a large number of talented people, which is the way to govern the country in the long run.
The two didn't say much, just explained what needed to be done. He Jiu Niang then let Lianhua and the other girls take care of it. She checked the Crown Princess's pulse and gave her a pregnancy-stabilizing pill before heading to the banquet.
Kaya had just received news that the Lu family had entered the palace early and felt that the Crown Prince disliked her, which must be the work of He Jiuniang. Thinking of the banquet tonight and He Jiuniang's lowly background, she decided that she must make He Jiuniang lose face in front of everyone tonight.
Denton knew her little scheme and thought it was just a minor squabble between women, harmless and so he didn't stop her, which was considered tacit approval.
At the same time, he also wanted to see how the lady would handle such trouble in public.
Thinking back to that fleeting glimpse of He Jiuniang, a wave of emotion washed over me.
However, he quickly suppressed such thoughts. He was clear about his identity and knew exactly what he was there to do.
After a brief preparation, they set off for the palace. As they left, they noticed that there was still no movement from the Eastern Court. Kaya couldn't help but ask curiously, "I wonder if the Eastern Court Crown Prince's condition has improved? Are they planning to skip tonight's banquet?"
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