On the sixth day of September, General Xiao’s sixty-fourth birthday arrived as scheduled.
The four members of the Xiao family served as officials in the same court. General Xiao was the emperor's legitimate son and the teacher of the prince of the royal palace.
Even though General Xiao has a younger son who is essentially a vagrant, it is undeniable that he is very famous. In Kyoto, when people mention Xiao Silang, his fame is no less than that of the other four.
Close acquaintances, old friends, colleagues and relatives arrived one after another, and soon the Xiao family's house was full and bustling with people.
The arrival of King Jing and his royal family brought the banquet to a new climax. Many well-informed officials had come under the guise of celebrating General Xiao's birthday, but in reality they wanted to make friends with the nobles, or at least become acquainted with them. A chance to get up close and personal with the royal family would have been even better.
Because it was not easy for the Ninth Prince to leave the palace, the ceremony had already been completed by the time they arrived. The two sisters Xiao Yao and Xiao Yuan had already returned to the back garden to accompany the young ladies.
Mu Fengwu, who had always wanted to see the twins, a boy and a girl, appear at the same time, sighed regretfully, "What a pity, we are too late." We are really not destined to see that strong little girl who loves to stare!
Xiao Jingkang brought the men of the Xiao family to pay their respects to King Jing and others. The people who had followed General Xiao to learn martial arts for more than three years finally met all of the old man's six grandsons for the first time: the humble Xiao Lang, the handsome Xiao Yi, the dignified Xiao Yang, and the lively Xiao Rui. As for Xiao Jun and Xiao Qi, Mu Fengwu gave each of them a big hug, like relatives who had been reunited after a long separation.
"Senior brother misses you guys. Why don't you come to practice martial arts?" Mu Fengwu didn't know where he got this way of calling from. He didn't care whether it was appropriate or not. Anyway, it sounded nice when he called it.
Xiao Jun refused to answer, and Xiao Qi just laughed it off.
"Mr. Mu thinks too highly of them. The two children are ignorant. Please forgive them if they do anything inappropriate." Xiao Jingkang said politely to Mu Fengwu.
"Master Xiao, why should you be so formal? It's normal for the children to meet each other often and talk and play around." King Jing envied the Xiao family's prosperity and had a good impression of the children. However, he felt a little regretful that his son had no intention of making friends.
Xiao Jingkang escorted King Jing and his companions to the first row of seats at the banquet, accompanied by General Xiao, Minister Tong, and Minister Li (Li Jiaoying's father was promoted to Minister).
Prince Jing asked the Ninth Prince to stay and sent his son and Mu Fengwu to another table. Xiao Jingkang was unwilling to let the Prince of Jing and the grandson of the Duke's Mansion switch places. Both were very insistent. In the end, General Xiao broke the deadlock and said, "Let the Prince and Master Mu choose for themselves."
It didn't matter where Yun Yichen sat. He had come today because of King Jing's orders and because he was truly grateful for Old Man Xiao's guidance. Those disagreements were a thing of the past; they were the product of his youthful recklessness and ignorance. He hoped Old Man Xiao wouldn't hold them to heart.
Of course, these were his inner thoughts, which he would never speak out, let alone let anyone know. Everyone thought that everything was still the same, with Prince Jing and Old Man Xiao still disliking each other, fighting and opposing each other as before.
"Master Xiao, there's no need to take care of us. The prince and I will just sit with a few senior brothers and junior brothers." It would be even better if the junior sister could come. It would make up for the regret in my heart. I am getting more and more curious about the junior sister, but what can I do? How about accidentally entering the back garden? After thinking about it, I decided to forget it. It's not appropriate to cause trouble at the old man's birthday party. There must be opportunities. We will meet sooner or later.
Junior sister, please don’t keep me waiting too long!
Xiao Yao didn't realize she was being targeted by someone else. She was currently circling around her cousin, Li Xueyan, from the Li family! This was her future sister-in-law, so she had to maintain a good relationship with her. Xiao Yao diligently poured tea, and Xiao Yuan obediently handed out snacks. The two sisters didn't notice anything, but Li Xueyan's ears blushed with shame. She lowered her head and said nothing, just rubbing the handkerchief in her hand.
The eldest brother is already gentle enough, and if he marries an even gentler and more virtuous sister-in-law, I, as her younger sister, can’t imagine how they will live their quiet life behind closed doors, but there is no doubt that the brothers and sisters will definitely welcome such a sister-in-law.
Li Jiaoying was worried about her niece, and even more so about her own sisters. After all, they were still too young to handle the guests properly. The scene she saw in the back garden made her laugh and cry. A fourteen-year-old girl was embarrassed by two little kids and wanted to hide. What kind of thing was this?
"What are you two doing?" Li Jiaoying said with a smile and a warning. If a family has two naughty sisters-in-law like this, life will probably become very exciting.
"Take care of my cousin!" Xiao Yuan said confidently, "Second aunt, please praise us. Look how well and thoughtfully my sister and I take care of my cousin."
"There are so many young ladies here. You are the masters, how can you only focus on my cousin!" Let my niece go, otherwise the daughter-in-law you have got will be scared away.
"We'll listen to Second Aunt." I can't tease my cousin anymore. As the little host today, I have to take care of everyone with enthusiasm and consideration.
The two sisters walked hand in hand through the crowd, chatting with the young lady of this family about the weather and talking to the young lady of that family about new clothes. At the same time, they kept instructing the maids to bring snacks, fruits and tea to everyone.
Seeing that her little niece was handling the situation well, Li Jiaoying took the opportunity to sit down and rest, and comfort her niece from her mother's family.
"Xueyan, don't mind. Although these two children are a little naughty, they are very kind-hearted. You will definitely get along well in the future."
"Aunt, my two sisters are doing well." Li Xueyan finally recovered, and she quickly replied, fearing her aunt would misunderstand. She just couldn't adapt to the sisters' enthusiasm for a while, but she is much better now.
"That's good, that's good." Li Jiaoying also hopes that the children can get along harmoniously. If nothing unexpected happens, her son will be able to get married within two or three years. By that time, Ping'an and Ruyi will not be yet ten years old. They will have to live together as sisters-in-law for several years. How can they not get along harmoniously?
"Sister, have you noticed that these ladies don't want to stand with you? I guess they are jealous." Xiao Yuan whispered in Xiao Yao's ear.
Xiao Yao didn't care at all. If she wasn't at home today, she wouldn't bother with these people at all. She really thought she couldn't hear their sarcasm and ridicule. These little kids, who were only a few years old, were acting like the women in the harem, saying things with hidden meanings, wishing to step on others to highlight themselves.
Growing up in such an environment, they would feel a bit sorry for the skills they have acquired if they did not participate in the palace fights.
There were a few girls who looked nice enough to date, and Xiao Yao also hoped to make some like-minded friends who could chat with each other. The fact that they met at the banquet proved that their family backgrounds and social statuses weren't too different. As long as they weren't too snobbish, they were all peers and should get along well, right?
Xiao Yao touched her face, feeling shunned in her own home. Should she be angry or happy about being rejected because of her looks? Could this be the way I'll be treated every time I go out? Are you guys interacting with me as a person, or with my face?
Tong Guanghui's youngest daughter Tong Yueying came early today. Her cousin was too young and her grandparents and father were afraid that she couldn't cope with it, so they repeatedly told her to help her attentively.
Fourteen-year-old Tong Yueying also noticed the hostile attitudes of the other young ladies toward her cousin. And how could she possibly want to side with her cousin? If she sided with her cousin, she'd inevitably offend the other young ladies. If she tried to curry favor with others, her family wouldn't let her off easily if they found out. She was in a real dilemma.
After listening to the opera for a while, the crowd began to riot. Li Jiaoying sent a maid to investigate the cause while maintaining order.
Soon, news arrived that the Ninth Prince and Prince Jing's arrival had stirred such excitement among the young ladies that they were eager to rush to the front yard for a surprise encounter or to say hello. They also speculated that the Xiao family might be using this opportunity to help Xiao Yao climb the ranks of the royal family. Given her qualifications, if she had such an ambition, it was doubtful anyone else could outdo her.
If Xiao Yao knew what they were thinking, she would definitely reply loudly, "You are overthinking it. My family and I have never had such thoughts."
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