"Father, this is... a reply?" Qu Qiuyan asked, "Who posted it?"
"Lord Jingyu of the Liu Mansion." Qu Zhizhen didn't care about this kind of thing and said indifferently.
"Isn't Lady Jingyu preparing for her wedding? Why is she holding a banquet at this time?" Qu Qiuyan was stunned and asked anxiously.
"Maybe... let's try it again." Qu Zhizhen said calmly.
"Holding a banquet at this time?" Qu Qiuyan talked to herself this time. She took the notice from her second brother again, looked at it carefully, and a hint of jealousy flashed in her eyes.
Of course she knew about the reply posting. She had wanted to attend such elegant gatherings hosted by young ladies from wealthy families several times, but she was never able to get in.
Qu Moying had only been back in Beijing for such a short time, but she actually got better.
"Father... Isn't it inconvenient for my fourth sister to go out at this time?" Qu Qiuyan asked, suppressing the jealousy in her heart.
"It was organized by County Lord Jingyu... The Crown Prince's wedding came first, and your fourth sister's wedding came later, so there's no need to worry too much about it." Qu Zhizhen said magnanimously.
"Father..." Qu Qiuyan wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Qu Mingcheng, who took the note from her and handed it to Yu Dong, "Fourth sister's painting is really good, it looks like it was inherited from a famous artist, I didn't expect fourth sister to have such a high talent! Take it back to fourth sister!"
"Yes!" Yu Dong took it, hesitated, looked at the three people present, and seeing that they did not speak out to stop him, he turned around and left with the note.
"Father, since the matter has been settled and Fourth Sister has agreed, why don't I set off today?" Qu Mingcheng asked seriously.
He didn't pass the exam today, and the subsequent palace examinations have nothing to do with him. He originally wanted to go out and hide for a while. Being able to help King Jing and also improve his sister's position is an unexpected surprise.
As for Qu Moying's marriage, if he had a reason to leave, he would naturally be very willing, although the distinction between "legitimate" and "illegitimate" was very embarrassing.
But compared with the real benefits, this little shame is nothing.
"Yan'er, what did King Jing say?" Qu Zhizhen turned to Qu Qiuyan with a very good expression on his face. All his previous frustrations were swept away. At least the matter was done.
"Brother, please come to our house tomorrow. The prince should give you direct instructions. I don't know what's going on here now." Qu Qiuyan smiled softly. She was no longer as authoritarian and domineering as before, but more cautious.
"Does the prince have any special instructions?" Qu Zhizhen asked in surprise.
Qu Qiuyan pondered for a moment, "Father, I don't know what specific instructions the prince has given. Maybe I need to ask my brother to pay attention to something. All the way from the border, the escort should be some expensive dowry. I heard that the general loves his only daughter very much, and he has prepared a lot of dowry, which has been saved for so many years."
Speaking of this, Qu Qiuyan felt aggrieved again. She had nothing when she entered the Prince Jing's Mansion. She only took some of her own things. She couldn't compare with Liu Lanxin. She bit her lip and looked up at Qu Zhizhen, "Father... I... Did mother also have... some things back then?"
She was short of money, very short of it.
"Your mother did prepare a dowry for you back then, but you... It's not that your father didn't want to give it to you. The situation at that time was such that you couldn't even think of a dowry. If you stayed any longer, something might go wrong." Qu Zhizhen sighed, "Your father will have someone give you some silver later. As for the rest, you can't take it now."
It’s also against the rules.”
Giving some money is considered a dowry, but as for giving a dowry with great fanfare, that is impossible.
Prince Jing is about to get married, so what does it mean to send a concubine's dowry to him at this time
"Thank you, father!" Qu Qiuyan's eyes turned red with excitement. She wiped her tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, stood up and bowed deeply to Qu Zhizhen.
Seeing his daughter act like this, Qu Zhizhen's mood didn't look good. He sighed softly, "As long as you are well, you will always be my daughter. I will never let you suffer any loss. I will always help you if I can. Although I can't give you a dowry, I won't be too harsh on you in other aspects."
“Father…daughter…daughter…” Qu Qiuyan cried, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Sister, don't cry. If you keep crying, father and I will be sad. Have you encountered any difficulties in Prince Jing's Mansion? Tell me, and I will help you if I can." Qu Mingcheng also advised.
Qu Qiuyan cried and nodded, finally wiped away her tears, sat down again, and said: "Brother, I'm fine. I can handle the affairs of Prince Jing's Mansion. I just miss father and brother. I haven't seen father and brother for so long. I didn't feel anything when I was at home... I realized after I got married that father and brother are the best."
Seeing that she was crying so hard, Qu Zhizhen comforted her a few more times, and Qu Mingcheng said a few more words to make her happy, and then Qu Qiuyan smiled again.
Seeing that it was getting late, Qu Qiuyan stood up and prepared to say goodbye. Qu Mingcheng also stood up and prepared to see her off.
Knowing that the two siblings had not seen each other for a long time, Qu Zhizhen waved his hand and asked them to leave.
Sitting behind the desk, watching the two siblings leave, Qu Zhizhen's smile slowly faded, and his eyes darkened...
The general who assists the country needs his own son to escort the dowry he sends to his daughter. How generous!
Is this a warning to myself, or is there some other meaning behind it
"Brother, let's leave Mother's matter at this point!" Qu Qiuyan whispered after seeing that the people behind her were all quite far away, fearing that Qu Mingcheng would do something else and ruin her plans.
"Don't worry, I know." Qu Mingcheng nodded sinisterly and took a deep breath. It's not like he had never planned before, but he always felt suffocated, as if a heavy punch did not fall on others but on himself. Sometimes it didn't fall on anyone, but just hit the cotton.
"This time I go out... His Royal Highness Prince Jing, you are not going to please the future Princess Jing, right? Sister, you better be careful, don't let the Princess Jing use you as a pawn!" Qu Mingcheng looked at Qu Qiuyan and also lowered his voice.
There were many people following behind, all of them were from Prince Jing's Mansion. Qu Mingcheng didn't dare to say it too clearly and could only give subtle reminders.
"Don't worry, brother. I am no longer the same person I used to be." Qu Qiuyan smiled bitterly, reached out and pulled Qu Mingcheng's hand, and something slipped into her sleeve.
Qu Mingcheng stretched out his hand, grasped it, and pushed it inward calmly. He knew that it was the golden seal of the concubine that he had sent someone to secretly ask Qu Qiuyan for.
"That's the best. You should serve the prince well in Prince Jing's mansion and get along well with the princess. But you should also be careful not to be taken advantage of. You are honest and you seem to be spoiled. It's also your father's fault. He has always doted on you, which makes you lawless sometimes. But that's all. You don't have any bad intentions and you can be harmed easily."
Qu Mingcheng said with a wry smile, his voice neither too high nor too low.
There are some things that can be said and some things that cannot be said, and he knows very well how to say them.
"I know, brother, I... I'm leaving!" Qu Qiuyan stood at the gate of the mansion, her voice choked, tears in the corners of her eyes, and she looked back at the Qu Mansion behind her.
Because Qu Zhicheng became the Shangshu, the two big characters "Qu Mansion" were rewritten to appear more majestic and grand, and it seemed different from the original Qu Mansion.
Everything here will belong to me one day. Mammy is right. As long as I can endure it, everything can be my own...
People like Qu Moying will eventually be trampled under their feet...
"Miss, not only the Third Miss saw this post, but the Second Young Master also took a few more glances at it. He said that he didn't expect your painting to be so good, as if you inherited the style of a famous artist." Yu Dong placed the post in his hand on the table in front of Qu Moying and repeated what the few people had just said.
Qu Moying listened carefully, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly, showing that he cared.
"Miss, do you think the third lady will really go there?" Yu Dong asked curiously after reporting.
"I will go! The Crown Prince's Mansion and Prince Jing's Mansion... are even more at odds. If the Crown Prince is going, why shouldn't Prince Jing go? As for Qu Qiuyan, how could she not go with him to take a look? For so many years, she hasn't had a chance to attend such a banquet, and she might not even have a chance to attend it." Qu Moying said lightly.
Since Qu Qiuyan is so interested, she must find a way to follow him.
This time, Qu Qiuyan gave her the feeling that she was a completely different person.
Qu Qiuyan, who can make such a big sacrifice, is not the original Qu Qiuyan. Wanting to go to Liu Jingyu's banquet is not a big deal for King Jing. The fact that Liu Jingyu would hold a banquet at this time is already suspicious. King Jing himself is watching the outer courtyard, but what about the inner courtyard
It's just perfect that Qu Qiuyan is willing to go.
As long as Qu Qiuyan takes a look at this post, I will definitely go.
The only relationship she has with the Qu family now is with the old lady. She hopes to find her younger brother in the future so that the old lady can see the younger brother born by her mother and be happy.
The Qu family does have a few descendants, and the emergence of a legitimate son would be of great benefit to the Qu family.
"Yudong, go to the Prince of Ying's mansion and report today's events to the King of Ying, and tell him... that I have agreed to this matter." Qu Moying said as he chose his words, his eyes fell on the reply in front of him again, and after thinking for a while, he didn't mention it in the end.
The matter of the post is a small matter. Pei Yuanjun should be very busy these days. It doesn't matter whether she talks about it or not. It's not a big deal. She can handle it.
"Miss, do you want to tell me about the post?" Yu Dong also saw her glance sideways at the post and immediately understood.
"No need!" Qu Moying shook his head. "Jingyu County Lady... shouldn't cause any big trouble at this time. That's a banquet held at her house."
If something bad happened at Liu Jingyu's house during the banquet, she, as the host, would not be able to escape responsibility. Of course, this was only subjective. If she considered Madam Liu, Qu Moying would still be wary. This Madam Liu was not Liu Jingyu...
There shouldn't be any danger to your life, but I can't guarantee anything else. What is certain is that something is wrong, but I don't know how serious it will be...