Zeng Zhaofu arrived late, firstly because the Xinwu Marquis Mansion was far away from the Zhengguo Duke Mansion, and secondly, he encountered something on the way.
"Zheng Mingzhu suddenly rushed out. If my coachman hadn't reined in the horse quickly, something almost happened." Zeng Zhaofu was scared just thinking about it.
If Zheng Mingzhu was killed or injured, the Xinwuhou Mansion would be in big trouble.
"Why would the princess let her run around on the street in such a cold winter?" Wen Bingqing frowned.
"She is not a baby. Even though her brain is damaged, she is still a grown-up girl after all. If she makes a fuss and wants to go out, who among the servants dares to stop her?" Jiang Changning said.
The Princess of Changshan waved to the three of them, signaling them to come closer. She lowered her voice and said, "I heard that she is not stupid, but has aphrodisiac syndrome."
"Is there such a disease?" Jiang Changning asked with a frown.
"This disease is known as love-crazy disease." Zeng Zhaofu curled his lips, "The daughter of Princess Yiya is a waste of money."
"It's your own fault." Jiang Changning said coldly.
The three of them knew some of the inside story about Zheng Mingzhu's obsession with Zhou Duxin, which forced Zhou Duxin to go into hiding. They generally agreed with what Jiang Changning said.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. We should go and pay our respects to the Duke's wife." The Crown Princess of Changshan said with a smile.
Although Jiang Changning is the princess of a royal family, she is the princess of a county prince, and her rank is higher than that of the wife of Duke Zheng. However, they are of a younger generation, and when they visit the mansion of Duke Zheng, they have to give face to the wife of Duke Zheng.
Several people put on cloaks and went to meet the wife of Duke Zheng under the guidance of Wen Bingqing.
The Lady of Duke Zheng couldn't possibly make trouble in front of Jiang Changning and the others. After a few polite small talk, she smiled and said, "You young people, go and have fun. I won't keep you here."
Wen Bingqing saw the wife of Duke Zheng out, turned back and said with a smile: "Let's play cards. This is a story that came from the south. It's quite interesting."
"Let's play, let's play." The Princess of Changshan said excitedly.
The four of them sat down at the card table. Wen Bingqing asked the maid to bring the cards. "This card is commonly known as the four-color card, and the elegant name is the gentleman card."
There are four colors of cards: yellow, red, white and green. I guess this is the origin of the name four-color cards.
"Each color is divided into seven groups of cards: generals, soldiers, ministers, chariots, horses, cannons, and pawns. Each group has four cards, and there are five human head cards for dukes, marquises, and earls." Wen Bingqing repeated the rules.
But she had just started, and the rules were not explained very clearly, so Jiang Changning and the other two didn’t quite understand either.
Zeng Zhaofu waved his hand and said, "No need to say too much. Let's get familiar with each other while playing. Come on, come on, draw the cards."
The four-color cards look like word cards, and are played in a similar way to Majiang. Soon, Zeng Zhaofu and the Princess of Changshan, who love playing cards, figured out the rules and won several times in a row.
Jiang Changning knew how to count cards and won a few games.
Among the four, Wen Bingqing lost the most. "It's true that teaching the apprentice will starve the master to death."
"You didn't teach us, we figured it out on our own." Zeng Zhaofu put down his cards, "I won again, come on, give me the silver."
Wen Bingqing gave him the silver ingot while saying, "You won too quickly. My cards are still scattered. Look, I'm short of soldiers and generals."
"I am the undefeated general at the card table." Zeng Zhaofu said proudly.
After playing a few more rounds, it was already noon. Wen Bingqing had lost all the silver ingots in the small box and only had three left. He quickly said, "We'll continue in the afternoon. Let's have dinner first."
"You sent us an invitation, but what delicious food do you have for us to eat?" asked the Princess Consort of Prince Changshan with a smile.
"Do you want to eat Matsutake?" Wen Bingqing asked with a smile.
"The king of fungi, who wouldn't want to eat it?" Jiang Changning smiled, "Thank you for thinking of us."
Matsutake grows under pine forests, and its buds look like deer antlers, hence the name: Matsutake. It is a nutritious treasure. It takes at least five or six years for a spherical spore to grow into a Matsutake, so it is extremely precious.
Even in modern times, Matsutake cannot be cultivated artificially and can only be found in the wild.
However, wild matsutake mushrooms are extremely rare and there are not many of them, so Wen Bingqing couldn't send them to every household, so he invited people to have a meal.
The chef at Duke Zheng’s mansion is an excellent cook. A bowl of steamed egg with matsutake mushrooms is tender, fragrant and smooth.
Several people finished eating the steamed egg with matsutake mushrooms elegantly and quickly. The Crown Princess of Changshan said with a smile: "It is indeed a mountain treasure. The taste is really excellent."
We had a great meal and had a great time at Duke Zheng's mansion. We said goodbye and left at exactly three quarters past three in the afternoon.
The next day, County Lord Kangren went to visit the Duke of Jiping's mansion.
Jiang Changning repeatedly warned, "Don't go near the water."
“Don’t go to high places.”
"Don't go to remote places."
"Always have someone with you, never be alone."
"If someone asks you a question, don't rush to answer. Think about it before you answer."
He also instructed Xiulan, "Take good care of the princess and don't let anyone offend her."
After seeing Princess Kang Ren off, Jiang Changning went to see Zeng Mi.
"Aunt, Mi'er's illness is cured. Can you stop taking the medicine? The medicine is so bitter." Zeng Mi rushed over, hugged her legs, and begged with his face up.
"In this matter, your aunt's decision doesn't count. You have to listen to your mother." Jiang Changning touched her little face which had become thinner.
"Aunt, my dearest aunt, please help Mi'er talk to my mother. My mother will listen to you."
"Your mother will listen to your aunt on other matters, but she won't listen to you on this matter. Good girl, drink the medicine obediently, and I will ask your mother to give you an extra candied fruit." Jiang Changning said, holding her hand.
"Three." Zeng Mi bargained with her.
"Okay, three." Jiang Changning agreed.
After coaxing Zeng Mi to drink the medicine and playing with her for a while with Yan Yinyao, Jiang Changning returned to Rujingyuan to accompany his son.
In the afternoon, at 5 pm, Princess Kangren came back.
When he saw Jiang Changning, he told her the truth about what happened in the Jiping County Mansion without waiting for her to ask, "Miss Lu invited a total of eight people, namely..."
"They say that men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough. I don't know what kind of man their families will choose for them to accompany them for the rest of their lives?"
"They also talked about the most popular young men in the capital. They asked me which of these young men I thought was the best?"
Talented people emerge in every generation, and each of them leads the trend for hundreds of years.
Handsome men like Prince Jin and Qin Zhaoxi, who were already married and growing older, had withdrawn from the marriage market, and they were replaced by another group of young men of marriageable age.
Jiang Changning, who had been silent the whole time, asked curiously, "How did you answer them?"
"I have been at home in mourning for three years and have never left the house. I don't know them and can't judge whether they are good or bad. I will let them speak."
Jiang Changning smiled, "What do they say?"
"Among these young masters, one is the young Lord of Jiping County. I heard from the eldest lady of Baorong Earl's Mansion that Young Lord Lu is handsome and talented."
Jiang Changning's eyes flickered slightly, "This Lord Lu has such a good reputation, does Kang Ren want to meet him?"
"I have already met him."
Jiang Changning was shocked. "Where have you seen him?"
(End of this chapter)