Chapter 172 Seeking Yuan Hongqu's Help
Grandmother Jia then glanced at them, before looking at Daiyu with loving eyes.
"Yu'er, what do you think?"
"Let's just forget it, Grandmother. It's fine as it was before, just like it is now. If you're going to be so formal, I won't dare to come again next time!" Daiyu pouted, her little brows furrowing slightly.
"Good, good, whatever Yu'er says goes. The whole family can't even compare to my Yu'er. Who among them is as promising as my Yu'er!" Grandmother Jia was very proud. Although she knew deep down that no matter how promising Daiyu was, it was because of Lin Ruhai's upbringing and had little to do with their family, she still couldn't help but feel proud. This was her granddaughter, her only granddaughter!
Lin Daiyu was surprised that Grandmother Jia spoke so bluntly, and her face immediately turned red with embarrassment.
"Grandma, you've made Lin Daiyu blush with all this praise. We all know she's incredibly talented; if you keep praising her, even I, with my thick skin, won't be able to stand it anymore," Wang Xifeng said with a smile, trying to defuse the situation for Daiyu. She then turned to Wang Shanbao's wife and Zhou Rui's wife, who were kneeling on the ground.
“You all heard that, now go down. Miss Lin doesn’t need you to kowtow; just remember it in your hearts.”
The two kowtowed once before retreating.
Wang Xifeng's interruption livened up the atmosphere in the room again. Daiyu was still sitting next to Grandmother Jia, but this time she was chatting and laughing with the three sisters.
“Sister Lin, look, the hand-held piece you asked Brother Bao to bring back yesterday, I’ve added a tassel to it, doesn’t it complement it perfectly?” Xi Chun took out a hand-held piece with a lotus leaf-colored beaded tassel. It was a small hand-held piece made of lotus root and lotus seedpod, with a hollow interior, as if you could see dewdrops rolling inside.
"I love this one the most. I've kept the rest carefully, saving them to enjoy later."
This set has four pieces, each with a different design. Baoyu received four small radishes, while Xichun received small lotus roots. There's also a set of small carp and a set of jade gourds; presumably, Yingchun received the gourd set, and Tanchun received the carp set.
“My third sister and I both love carp and gourds, so we chose two of each.” Yingchun waved her hand, revealing a small carp-shaped one she always carried. Tanchun smiled and showed off a small carp she was carrying today as well.
“I’m glad you sisters like them. It was a lucky find, and it was just sitting there doing nothing anyway. Why not carve some little trinkets so we can all play with them together?” Daiyu said. “I brought some with me today too, look.” She took out a small hand-held piece from her sleeve—a tiny green bamboo. None of them had ever seen a bamboo-shaped hand-held piece before, so they all took them to admire…
"Mr. Yuan, I heard that you and Miss Lin stayed in the palace for a few days a few days ago. I wonder if you saw Yuan Chun?"
On the other side, Madam Wang spoke to Yuan Hongqu with a rare air of seeking advice.
Yuan Hongqu recalled that she had indeed seen Yuan Chun in the palace, but the Yuan Chun in her memory was graceful and magnificent, unlike the Yuan Chun she had seen who was like a transparent person, standing in the line of the nine concubines without even a seat.
If it weren't for Eunuch Chen's reminder that Consort Jia was related to their family, she really wouldn't have known that the woman was Yuan Chun.
However, she only glanced at her briefly, and probably Yuan Chun didn't even notice her looking at her. She didn't have any further interaction with Yuan Chun after that.
"Second Madam, I did see Consort Jia, but the situation at the time made it impossible to recognize her." Yuan Hongqu answered truthfully. She didn't know anything else, and she couldn't say too much to Madam Wang. If what she said misled Madam Wang, and she was blamed later, then she would have wasted her good deed.
"I heard that Princess Lin has a token that allows her to enter the palace without being summoned. Could you perhaps visit Yuan Chun next time you visit the palace? Since the imperial decree was issued, there has been no news whatsoever. Even Eunuch Xia, who used to come to our house regularly, has stopped coming. We cannot enter the palace without a summons, and we are extremely worried..."
Yuan Hongqu was somewhat surprised. She hadn't realized that Madam Wang had such a deep love for her daughter. Her eyes seemed genuine, not feigned.
Yuan Hongqu had always believed that Madam Wang was all talk and no action, and that she was the most vicious person in the dark. It was rare to see this side of her.
“If Second Madam is worried about Consort Jia, just send a memorial to the inner palace. Her Majesty the Empress is kind and benevolent, and knowing your love for your daughter, she will surely grant Second Madam’s wish,” Yuan Hongqu said unhurriedly.
Lady Wang was somewhat displeased when she saw that Yuan Hongqu had not agreed and had even declined. The Empress was kind and benevolent, but she was not on the same side as the four princes and eight dukes. Their family had never had any dealings with them. If she could get through the Empress, would she need to say so much to Yuan Hongqu?
"I suppose Mr. Yuan doesn't have that authority and wouldn't dare to make such a decision on his own. I'll ask the eldest daughter later. Now that she's a princess, it's convenient for her to come and go to the palace. It's only right that she visit her cousin."
"Second Madam, there's no need to ask Miss Lin. The palace has its own rules. If you want to send a message or gifts to Consort Jia, just follow the rules. Miss Lin is young and doesn't know the rules very well. The palace rules are too strict, and we're afraid she might offend someone she shouldn't if she enters the palace without cause. Therefore, the token has already been returned to the Imperial Household Department." Yuan Hongqu simply told Madam Wang to give up on the idea.
It's unclear who added this token to the rewards. When Yuan Hongqu saw the token, she felt it was a harbinger of disaster, so when Daiyu went to the palace to express her gratitude, she returned the token to the Imperial Household Department.
"Could it be that you made it up because you didn't want to deliver our message?" Madam Wang was very skeptical. Could they really just return such a convenient token for entering and leaving the palace?
"Second Madam, you can simply have Second Master inquire at the Imperial Household Department." Yuan Hongqu didn't care whether Madam Wang believed her or not; she was just relieved that the token had been returned.
Madam Wang's expression changed, but considering they were in Rongqing Hall, she didn't dare to make things difficult for Yuan Hongqu again.
Madam Xing overheard everything and, finding it rare to see her sister-in-law so humiliated, felt a surge of satisfaction. Earlier that year, Jia Zheng had received a good assignment, and Madam Xing had thought the second branch of the family was about to rise to prominence. However, the assignment was handled terribly, though thankfully the Emperor didn't blame him. Ultimately, because of the disaster relief efforts, although Jia Zheng hadn't received any credit, he had certainly put in the effort, and a dowry was given to his daughter as a reward.
Because of this incident, Madam Xing had a very pleasant New Year. She even bought Yingchun quite a few things – a rare occurrence for her in so many years!
Inside Rongqing Hall, some people wanted to leave as soon as possible, while others felt extremely happy, and still others were whispering among themselves. It was a lively atmosphere when suddenly a maid's voice came from the doorway announcing:
"Baoyu has arrived."
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