Yuyi just felt that the young lady opposite her had a really beautiful smile, and her every frown and smile was particularly lively. The young lady stopped smiling, nodded, turned and left.
Yu Wen was puzzled, and then whispered: "Who is this?"
In the past two years, her mother would always invite her along whenever she had an invitation. She knew at least seven or eight of the legitimate daughters of the wealthy families in the capital, if not all of them. She had never seen the lady in front of her!
Yuyi was also confused. She had accepted more invitations in the past two years, not to mention Yudie.
Qi Rao recognized her and took two steps forward, "Shangguan Jia."
Miss Shangguan turned around and said, "I just laughed, you won't keep pestering me for it, will you?"
Qi Rao straightened his back and said, "I just haven't seen you for two years and I want to talk to you."
Shangguan Jia blocked the sun with a fan and said, "No."
Having said that, he turned and left without any hesitation.
Yuwen's eyes became brighter. She rejected the request so straightforwardly and her action was particularly cool. This young lady is so likable!
When Yuyi heard the name, she knew who it was. There was only one Shangguan family in the capital, and her grandmother had told her that the Shangguan family had the highest chance of producing a crown princess.
The queen did not actually leave the garden, but went up to the balcony with a telescope in her hand so she could see what was going on in the garden.
The Queen glanced at her niece with an indifferent expression. When she saw Qi Rao, there was sarcasm in her eyes. Then when she saw Miss Shangguan, the smile on her face deepened.
The queen put down the telescope and suddenly said, "Concubine Ran, your niece is pregnant again."
Ran Yan didn't understand why the queen would mention her niece, and quickly replied, "Yes, this child is blessed."
The queen said quietly, "It's more than just a blessing, many women envy him."
Ran Yan was silent. She was envious, but everyone has their own destiny.
The queen did not say immediately afterwards that the men in the Zhou family were all good, and that someone came to her to ask for matchmaking, but the eldest son of the second branch of the Zhou family had not yet been engaged.
It is a good place for a woman to marry into the Zhou family, but not everyone can marry into the Zhou family.
Two days later, Zhulan received an invitation from the Queen to enter the palace. She was very confused because only she was invited this time.
Zhulan could only guess that it was her three granddaughters. That didn't make sense since they all said nothing had happened. Then why did they summon her two days later
Zhulan followed the palace maid to the pavilion. It was windy today and the breeze was very comfortable.
The queen sat in the pavilion and looked at the sky. No one knew what she saw in the cloudless sky.
After Zhulan greeted her, the queen came back to her senses, "Madam is here, please take a seat."
Zhulan sat down and said, "Madam, come in, is everything ok?"
The queen smiled gently, "Well, I've been doing well lately."
The candidate for the Crown Princess has been decided, and we are just waiting for the imperial decree. Things have been going smoothly recently.
Zhulan took the tea brought by the palace maid with a smile. The herbal tea tasted comfortable.
The Empress was not one to beat around the bush. "When Father conquered Jiangshang in the early years, there were many people who fought with him through thick and thin. Some of them retired while Father was in office. Father and the Emperor have always been grateful to them."
Zhulan was confused. What did this have to do with the Zhou family? Soon, Zhulan understood.
The Queen continued, "Mr. Shang has a daughter who is fourteen this year. She is very filial. She accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Shang back to their hometown when she was young. She returned to Beijing at the beginning of this year for her marriage."
Zhulan's smile remained unchanged, "Filial piety is rare."
The queen nodded. "The old lady accompanied her granddaughter back to the capital. A few days ago, I met the old lady. She mentioned you, Madam. She said that you can teach the child. She wanted to discuss with you how to educate the child."
Zhulan understood that it must be the old lady who mentioned the Zhou family. The Zhou family just happened to have a suitable young man, and there was nothing complicated about the Zhou family. The old lady who loved her granddaughter paid attention to the queen who came to the palace to meet her.
Zhu Lan replied, "The old lady is able to teach such a filial granddaughter. I also want to get to know her and discuss with her."
The queen did not mention the marriage. She agreed to introduce them to each other at that time and did not intend to favor anyone. If she really had to favor anyone, she should have helped the Zhou family.
As soon as Zhulan left the palace, she signaled someone to inquire about Shang Jia. It was easy to inquire about Shang Jia. As soon as Zhou Shuren came to Beijing, Mr. Shang retired. The old man was a long-lived man and is still alive.
Mr. Shang has only two sons. The eldest and the second son are both in the capital, and the one to be engaged is the eldest son’s second daughter.
Mr. Shang was the first to follow the retired emperor, and he had a lot of favor in front of him, which was why the queen was willing to speak.
Zhao listened to the news her mother had inquired about, "Shangjia and the emperor have a relationship, mother, is Mingrui's marriage settled?"
Zhu Lan, "No, to be honest, our family is related to the royal family. The queen didn't mention Mingrui today. The royal family only wanted to introduce the two families to each other, and nothing else mattered."
Zhao smiled when she heard this, "Then how do we get to know each other?"
Zhulan, “We just have to wait for the merchant’s post.”
If she hadn't been informed, she would definitely not go. Normally, she would ask Li to go. But now that everything has been informed, she will go there in person.
Shang Jia, the old lady sent the maid away and said to her granddaughter Shang Qing: "Grandma really risked her reputation for you."
Shang Qing's cheeks blushed slightly, "Grandma."
The old lady said cheerfully, "Grandma, everything is worth it for Qing'er's future."
Shang Qing threw himself into his grandmother's arms, his eyes slightly red, "Grandma is the best."
The old lady regretted it. She regretted that she should not have agreed to let her son take Shang Qing away. He had been separated from his parents for many years and had a younger sister. The eldest son's wife's feelings were all invested in the little granddaughter.
But if Shang Qing was not there, the old couple would still be lonely in their hometown. She was worried about her eldest daughter-in-law's marriage, so she insisted on returning to Beijing together, just for her granddaughter's marriage.
"Grandma, my fourth sister."
The old lady patted Shang Qing on the back. Shang Qing sat up straight and Shang Ying came in.
The old lady smiled and said, "Ying'er is here."
Shang Ying looked at where Shang Qing was sitting and bit her lip subconsciously. She was the second daughter of the second wife. As the second daughter, Shang Qing had her grandmother to protect her, but she had to rely on herself. She was a few months older than Shang Qing, but why didn't she follow her grandmother at the beginning? She had completely forgotten why. When she knew she had to go back to her hometown, she hid herself.
Shang Qing didn't like his third sister. He dragged her out to the street the day after she returned to Beijing, causing her to spend two months' salary. If she wasn't used to carrying extra silver, she would have been embarrassed.
At the entrance of the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren saw Chang Yi waiting by the carriage. He quickened his pace and said with joy, "I told you not to pick me up, why did you come?"
Chang Yi liked the feeling of welcoming his father home. "Your son has been away for many years, so please let him be more filial to you."
Zhou Shuren gestured for them to get on the carriage. When they got inside, Zhou Shuren said, "There are only a few days left in the holiday. Your wife is having a hard time too. You should spend more time with Zhao."