Mr. Bu Naosheng made an excuse on the spot that he wanted to find a house to prepare his great-granddaughter for an engagement, but everything was too complicated, so he declined.
Ms. Fu Qi came to deliver the post. She didn’t know that Mr. Fu had been entrusted by Rong Suihe. No. Fu really wanted to express her goodwill. After hearing this, she stepped back and asked, "If Mr. Fu really can’t spare the time, why not Let a few county heads go over and join in the fun?"
"The old Sheng family appreciates your family's kindness." But the old man said no, "But what happened to aunt and nephew Qiao'er when he went out before? Everyone must have heard about it at that time? If Ming said that the children next to him were frightened. It’s just been decided that it’s really not appropriate to go out, so please forgive me!”
Princess Deping was somewhat involved in the flower-viewing banquet. At that time, the Qi family was urgently invited to the princess's mansion by Princess Wuyang to discuss it. At that time, she thought that Mrs. Sheng might have missed the banquet at the Gaomi Prince's Mansion because of Princess Deping. He kept a respectful distance and felt a little embarrassed: "I dare not hide it from the old master. Princess Deping is not the mother's biological child. She was raised by the concubine in the palace. However, the concubine is old and has insufficient energy. Those years ago she was allowed to let herself go. So much that... the correct words have already been spread in Buluo Palace, and she will not disturb you again in the future!"
But Mrs. Sheng was afraid that Sheng Weiqiao and Rong Shuihe would get together and drag the entire Sheng family into the whirlpool of the court fight. No matter how she expressed her stance, Mrs. Qi would not let go. Mrs. Qi had been entangled for a long time without any results, so she left in despair.
After she returned to Gaomi Palace, she saw Rong Suihe waiting at the hanging flower gate in person, and her heart skipped a beat: Ever since her brother-in-law came back, her father-in-law had become nothing more than her father-in-law, and her mother-in-law just couldn't wait to take away the old one that had been missing for fifteen years. It was as if Chang Nao'er was trying to compensate him for the pain, which is called being obedient.
Rong Suihe's casual words and glances, whether intentionally or unintentionally, whether Princess Gaomi heard the imperial edict... well, the princess had never been so eager and attentive to the imperial edict.
So before Mingyue Qi set off, she went to Princess Gaomi to explain that she wanted to go to Ningweihou Mansion to deliver the post in person. Rong Suihe, who was in front of the princess, seemed to say casually: "I haven't seen the younger brothers and sisters of the Sheng family for many months. , it would be great if we could invite them over for a gathering.”
Without Princess Gaomi's wink, Qi knew that the matter couldn't be handled well, and the princess would definitely be unhappy.
At that time, Rong Suihe was waiting for the news in person, which showed that he really hoped that the younger brothers and sisters of the Sheng family could attend the banquet. Mrs. Qi felt a headache and forced a smile and said: "Third brother, my sister-in-law is begging me to tell you." I'm sorry: The old man was in a hurry to find a house so that he could move out of Ningweihou's mansion so that he could discuss with the Xu family the marriage between the village owner Ming Ning and Ningweihou's son, so he really couldn't spare the time to come over and congratulate me."
He added, "The county heads and the Wei Yuanzi of the Sheng family have no intention of going out in the near future due to the flower viewing feast."
In fact, Rong Suihe also knew that since Mr. Sheng had mistakenly married his granddaughter, he would definitely not agree to let Sheng Weiqiao and others come to the banquet.
Since Bu Nao said goodbye that month, the two of them have not been able to see each other openly until tomorrow, and they will not be willing to give up if they don't try.
After listening to Qi's words, he sighed secretly and said lightly: "He knows that he has a wife who works hard for the world."
He turned around and left.
Seeing that situation, Mrs. Qi became more and more embarrassed. Because of her postpartum weight gain, her appearance was not as good as before. Didong was very uneasy and some well-meaning people wanted to give Rong Qing a drink. Originally from a family like Qi's, she was used to seeing her father, brothers, wives and concubines in the house since she was a child. She had never seriously imagined "a couple for life". All she valued was her unshakable status as the main wife and her right to inherit.
Who would have thought that after getting married, her mother-in-law, Princess Gaomi, would hate her sidekick, and her husband, Rong Qingzui, was not a true and filial son. He would obey his mother's advice, but he has only been guarding the Qi family until now.
Having gained and then losing is more heartbreaking and unwilling than never gaining.
However, Qi had always been filial to Princess Gaomi. Princess Ruming valued Rong Suihe the most, so of course Rong Suihe was not her goal in seeking to please.
It was rare for Rong Suihe to speak at that time, but she couldn't help him, so Qi's heart was naturally very uncomfortable.
Qi Qi arrived in front of Princess Gaomi a moment later, and the princess immediately asked: "He'er said he misses his younger brothers and sisters in the Sheng family. How are they? Are those children coming over? I remember that I asked the cook to study the dishes of the southeast when I turned around. Regarding the taste, don’t ask them to eat buling after they come, why don’t we entertain them?”
Then he turned around and ordered, "Go and take a good look at his hairpin rings to see if there are any that are suitable for the girls of the Sheng family to wear, so that they can be given as greeting gifts. This time I went to Ningwei Hou Mansion, and I focused on He'er was here, but he didn't give them anything to wear."
After thinking for a while, he added, "Those four treasures of the study that are suitable for boys are also prepared for him according to the number of people. He'er is the most pampered eldest grandson of the old man in the Sheng family. I think he has been hurt by the elders of the Sheng family in those years. He must respect the brothers and sisters of Didong. In this case, our government must not neglect those children! We should all pick up the best things for him, so as not to make them think that He'er is back and turn their backs on each other. !”
After saying that, without waiting for Qi's excuse, the princess continued, "There are many ginsengs in the warehouse that were sent by the people from Didong years ago. They were all wrapped up and asked to take them back to the Sheng family. The old man has the old lady to take care of himself... In fact, thanks to Meng's support, He'er just came back a while ago, so he should be the one to come to the house with our father and prepare a gift to thank the Sheng family for their great kindness."
"Ru Ming, since the Sheng family is moving and it won't be easy to disturb them in those few months, we can first ask the younger members of the Sheng family to bring some things back and express their feelings. Later, when the Sheng family has packed up, they can go and formally thank you!"
After saying that, he asked, "Wrong, does our family have a suitable house? How many of them can we give directly to the Sheng family?"
"Mother, concubine, it turns out that the old man wanted to find a house during his confinement period so that he could arrange the engagement between the village owner Ming Ning and the prince Ning Weihou. It's true that Didong's granddaughter and grandson really couldn't spare the time to come over for a drink. Seeing her mother-in-law's rare eloquent appearance, Ms. Qi felt even more unable to explain herself. She said bravely, "But the old man refused at first. My daughter-in-law speculated on the meaning of his words and was afraid that she would have a big problem with Deping." Relationship... The old man is not afraid that something will happen to those county heads again!"
As she expected, Princess Gaomi, who was originally very eager, suddenly turned cold and didn't care about giving a house to the Sheng family. She said solemnly: "Deping?! Didn't that person in the palace say that? Will she give an explanation?! Is there nothing happening yet?!"
Mrs. Qi did not dare to say that Concubine Mo was wrong, so she said cautiously: "The Meng family's sisters have not found their husband's family far away. Is grandma probably thinking of sending away Deping at the same time as the Meng family sent away the sisters?"
"The Queen Mother is sure of the Meng family, and Mrs. Wu'anhou will let the two sisters be scapegoats for her biological daughter and son-in-law, and will not give them another chance to stand up!" Princess Gaomi sneered, her eyes filled with coldness. , without any emotion in his tone, "As for Deping... What qualifications does the concubine have to let him trust her again?!"
Mrs. Qi cautiously advised: "Concubine, don't be angry. Doctor Dong said..."
"He won't be angry!" Princess Gaomi said coldly, "Before, he thought that He'er was probably no longer alive, so he wished he could go east early to accompany him and protect him! If he came back well then, then he would be dead What to do?! Please take good care of your health so that you can watch him for a long time and prevent him from being harmed by those monsters and monsters again!"
She dusted her clothes and called Aunt Zhao in, "Go and get the court clothes, and then send a message to the palace. He begs to enter the palace and meet the dowager!"
The word "Bye" was forced out of her mouth with gritted teeth.
Aunt Zhao was shocked when she heard this, and said worriedly: "The princess's body is only strong and beautiful. Then she will go to see the concubine, no, no, no..."
"No, my concubine, what is Deping? Where is it worth your trip?" Qi also said, "Please don't do that. My wife will go on your behalf and tell my grandmother about it. If my wife goes If it’s not done, why don’t you take action yourself?”
The two of them surrounded Princess Gaomi and tried to persuade her for a long time, but the princess refused to change her mind. Finally, Qi was clever and used her trump card, "The banquet to congratulate the third brother on being granted the title of county king is right in front of him. The third brother was still young when he left home." Young, I don’t remember many etiquette and relatives and friends at that time. In those two months, I had to come to you for advice. If you happened to be away when he came over, wouldn’t my third brother be disappointed? "
As expected, Princess Gaomi hesitated, and Aunt Zhao continued: "You haven't seen that person in the palace for more than ten years. When you suddenly entered the palace, you might be the one paying attention to me here." With that person, instead of denying the county king's congratulatory banquet! You think that the county king's hard-earned number one scholar is gone just because it is gone. It is already aggrieved. At that time, he was robbed of the limelight again, the county prince, he How can I feel better if I keep my mouth shut?"
In this way, Princess Gaomi was finally persuaded, but Qi didn't even have time to take a sip of water, so she left in a hurry, went back to her room to have her makeup done, and went to the palace gate to see Princess Mo.
After all, Concubine Mo was not a concubine. Even if she had some dignity due to her son, no one would dare to treat her harshly. When it came to power, for example, allowing Mrs. Qi to visit her in the side hall of Xinshou Palace required Empress Dowager Meng's nod.
When Empress Dowager Meng heard that Mrs. Qi had asked to pay homage to Concubine Mo, she smiled and asked Chi Zuosi: "After the news of the so-called premature death came out from the Mi Zhen Prince, the Gaomi Prince and his wife entered the palace together. I don’t know what I said to Concubine Mo, and their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law stopped seeing each other after that. "
"Later, the Crown Prince of Gaomi married his wife, but when Princess Guangling brought them into the palace to visit the Ai family, she went to the side hall and left within half a stick of incense. Did she never see them again after that? Never been here!”
"At that time, the wife of the Prince of Gaomi suddenly wanted to see Concubine Mo. What happened?"
Chi Zuosi went and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, but I will go and inquire about you!"
Qi Mingyue's whereabouts were not a secret, so it took only a few tea breaks for Queen Mother Meng to figure out: "The refusal of the Sheng family to attend the banquet reminded Princess Gaomi of Deping? Then let Qi come into the palace?" Urging Concubine Mo to get rid of Deping quickly?"
"Your Majesty, do you want the wife of Prince Gaomi to enter the palace?" Chi Zuosi asked, "If not, you don't want to be disturbed..."
"What is there to be afraid of at the age of the Ai family?" Empress Dowager Meng shook her head and said, "Just let her go! Speaking of which, the Ai family is quite curious about what kind of grudges and hatreds happened in the Gaomi Prince's Palace, so that the whole family What is Zirong doing after receiving his posthumous title? Maybe the Qi family's entry into the palace this time touched Concubine Mo's mind and asked her to reveal something?"
As for Empress Dowager Meng's disappointment, Mrs. Qi received permission and went to the main hall of Xinshou Palace to pay her respects. Then she went to the side hall to see Concubine Mo. However, everything was calm and nothing happened. While running over to see if the palace servants could hear anything, she brought back this sentence: "When Concubine Mo met the wife of the Prince of Gaomi, she said: When he sees me, he will know that Mi Xue is determined." Don’t let him see that child with his own eyes again.”
"So Concubine Mo, in front of the eldest princess Wuyang Diandong, promised to explain to the eldest princess Diandong the Shengxu family about what happened at the flower viewing banquet, but she delayed it until the bright moon. Could it be that he was reluctant to part with Princess Deping and wanted Princess Gaomi to come over and question her so that she could take the opportunity to ask for a meeting with Princess Mi Zhen?" Chi Zuosi guessed, "Does Princess Gaomi have good legs? The king is facing her like that! Otherwise, it is a matter of course for a grandmother to ask to see her biological grandson, so why does she need her daughter-in-law’s consent so much?!"
Empress Dowager Meng thought thoughtfully for a moment, then sighed and said, "Look at the Ai family, that doesn't necessarily mean that Princess Gaomi is a good charioteer. It's 80% that it's the reason why Princess Mi Zhen was living abroad in the first place, with Princess Mo." It doesn't matter! Otherwise, Princess Gaomi came from a wealthy family and was a descendant who was highly valued by the late emperor. How could the little family be so angry that she had not seen her mother-in-law for more than ten years because of ordinary conflicts, but she finally found her son, but now she has stopped her? Are you unwilling to let your grandmother see you?"
Chi Zuosi was startled and said: "Empress, then... how can that be?! Can Concubine Mo be the biological grandmother of Prince Mi Zhen! Even though Prince Mi Zhen was in Chang'an more than ten years ago, Gaomi Wang Zudong's descendants are as far away as Ming Changsheng, but there are only three legitimate grandchildren! What's more, even if Concubine Mo doesn't care about the distinction between legitimate grandchildren, she... Why didn't she ask for permission but not Dong? At that time, Mi Zhen County The king is only five years old, even if he has a bad temper, he is just a child! How can the concubine be as knowledgeable as him?!"
"I remember very well that at that time, the Gaomi Prince's Palace sent imperial doctors every day?" Empress Dowager Meng narrowed her eyes, "At that time, they said that it was because of the congenital deficiencies of the Mi Zhen Prince that he had no medicine since he was born... Now that I think about it, there is quite a bit of it. mean?"
Chizuosi was stunned for a moment, savoring it carefully for a moment, and couldn't help but reveal a look of sudden enlightenment!
... The Sheng family knew nothing about the turmoil caused by their refusal to go to the Gaomi Palace for the banquet. Old Master Sheng did not even tell Sheng Weiqiao about the invitation from the Crown Prince's wife to the East in person.
The grandparents and grandchildren had been searching for a house for several months, and that day they finally found a large house with five entrances, two streets away from Ningweihoufu. There was a garden covering an area of two or three acres on the side. A pond was dug to divert water and a building was built. The rockery ditches were planted with vegetation and flowers, and some mandarin ducks, red herons, red-crowned cranes and the like were also raised.
Although it cannot be compared with the Sheng Mansion in Nanfeng County in terms of scale or refinement, in Chang'an where land is at a premium, it is hard to be picky.
After the Sheng family and Xu family went to see it together, they quickly made a deal.
If you receive the gift from the east, you can move in a hurry and purchase various things for daily use.
After traveling to the east in one go, the reply letter that had been urgently sent to Nanfeng County also arrived, and it was written by Sheng Lanci himself.