The Ningguo Mansion was a mansion bestowed by the Emperor. When he first came to Beijing, most of the mansions were empty. The mansion bestowed upon the Ningguo Mansion was no worse than that of a prince. There were fewer masters in the Ningguo Mansion and the place was too large, so two gardens were built in the mansion, one for the Duke of Ningguo exclusively and the other was open to the public.
Zhulan was still very calm. She had been to the imperial palace. There were so many precious flowers in the Duke's Mansion. When she passed by, she was really enlightened. Although the Duke's Mansion was not luxurious, one flower was worth a lot of money. It was really a low-key luxury.
Looking at the table where they were sitting and the tea sets and other items, those who understood would sigh at the wealth of the Duke's Mansion.
Speaking of which, not many people were invited to today's flower banquet. At a glance, Zhulan saw many familiar faces, all of whom were families of high-ranking officials.
The sitting position is also very particular. Zhulan feels that she is sitting too far forward. She is not familiar with the officials' families around her. Gao is a little far away from her. Her family has the lowest official position. Look at the wife of the Minister of Rites on the left!
The wife of the Minister of Rites snorted. Zhulan heard it carefully and thought about it before she understood what was going on. The Minister of Rites' surname was Feng, and he was the Fourth Prince's uncle. The Feng family was quite powerful. She was sitting next to him, so naturally he disliked her.
The Crown Prince's wife, Madam Du, also heard this. She thought of her husband's instructions to treat Lord Zhou's family with courtesy and not to neglect them. She said, "Today I finally get to see Mrs. Zhou. Last time, the Crown Prince and I should have gone to thank her, but I didn't because my third brother went with us. Now that we meet today, I'll offer Mrs. Zhou a glass of tea instead of wine."
Zhulan picked up the teacup and said, "Anyone who saw what happened that day would lend a hand. The Crown Prince's wife is too polite."
Mrs. Du smiled and said, "That's not necessarily true. The Zhou family has good upbringing."
The Crown Prince's wife presented Zhulan to everyone first. This reminder reminded everyone that the Zhou family had some connection with the Duke's Mansion, and everyone became more restrained in their attitude towards Zhulan.
Zhulan looked around and found that no one was making things uncomfortable for the Crown Prince's wife in the Duke's Mansion. That was why she thought that although the Crown Prince had been troubled by the Emperor several times, Ningguo Mansion relied not only on the Crown Prince, but also on the merits of saving the Emperor in the past. As long as the Crown Prince was not really deposed and the Emperor was still alive, no one would dare to act rudely in the Duke's Mansion.
The Crown Prince's wife had too many people to entertain, so Zhulan was happy to have some free time, sipping her tea slowly. She was the wife of a third-rank official, and was not even worthy of the wife of the Minister of Rites.
When Zhulan turned around, the group of young ladies had disappeared. Thinking that Xuehan was protecting Yushuang, she felt much more at ease.
In the main courtyard of the Duke's Mansion, the Duke's wife asked her great-granddaughter, "Why did you come here alone? Where is Miss Zhou?"
Ning Ting was very depressed, "Grandma, Miss Zhou is too cautious. Ting'er tried every way but couldn't lure her here."
She felt that she was very smart. She was the one most like her grandfather and much smarter than her parents. She had been very confident when she received the task from her great-grandmother, but now she was under great pressure.
The Duke's wife snorted, "Don't say you're smart anymore. I think you're just like your father."
Ning Ting stared. His father was the eldest son. Well, his father was indeed a little stupid. She was not like him. "Grandma, why do you have to see Miss Zhou? Miss Zhou is already engaged, and she is a few years older than my brother. There are many young ladies here today. Can you take a look at the other young ladies?"
Madam Guogong, "It's different."
Miss Zhou is the future grandson's wife and is different from other ladies.
The wife of the Duke became angry when she thought of her husband. She had to recognize Rongchuan before she told her that she had seen Rongchuan's portrait and she was looking forward to it every day. Now that she couldn't see Rongchuan, it would be nice to see Miss Zhou.
She didn't mean to find fault. She knew in her heart that since the emperor and empress had not regretted the engagement and her son also agreed, then Miss Zhou was really good. She just wanted to take a look. "Forget it, I'll go to the garden myself, and you help me go."
Ning Ting was stunned. Her grandmother seldom left the yard, but today she went there in person for Miss Zhou. Her feeling told her that today's flower banquet was for Miss Zhou. But, wasn't Miss Zhou the daughter of the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue
In the garden, Zhulan felt that she was the most relaxed at today's banquet. The officials' wives around her ignored her, and Zhulan was happy to watch the show. The wife of the Minister of Personnel was a gentle person, but the words she said were like knives, stabbing the wife of the Minister of Rites and making her drink tea.
Zhulan had heard a lot of gossip. The Minister of Rites had many daughters in his family, and many of them had been married off over the years. If all the dowries were counted, the Feng family's foundation would be quite solid.
Over the years, the Feng family has used their daughters' in-laws to win over many people.
The Minister of Personnel, according to Zhou Shuren, this gentleman does not support anyone, but is a particularly slippery old fox, saying one thing to one person and another thing to another. You can't find the big problems, but small problems keep coming. Zhou Shuren meant that the Minister of Personnel, Lord Wang, did it on purpose. Sitting in the position of the Minister of Personnel, so many people are watching him. If he was perfect, the Minister of Personnel would have been replaced long ago.
Zhulan felt emotional, not only are the officials good at acting, but their wives are also good at acting.
At the other end of the garden, the Duke's wife finally saw Zhou Xuehan and waved, "I think you and I are a good match. Come here and let me take a look."
Xue Han was speechless. Miss Ning had been trying to lead her away just now because of the Duke's wife. At this moment, Xue Han understood everything. Rong Chuan's background was no secret in the Ningguo Mansion. She stepped forward and noticed Miss Liu's outstretched foot. Xue Han did not step over or step on it. Instead, she stopped and asked, "Miss Liu, is your foot uncomfortable?"
Now everyone noticed Miss Liu's feet. Although she didn't raise them high, even a fool would know why Miss Liu stretched out her feet. Miss Liu blushed and then retracted her feet.
The wife of the Duke frowned. She knew Miss Liu. At first, she wanted her youngest son to get married, but her son was not young anymore, so she lowered her standards and selected several families, including Miss Liu. Later, her son had health problems, so the marriage was not mentioned again. She felt embarrassed to invite the Liu family this time, as she did not expect them to have such bad character.
Miss Liu wished she could find a hole to crawl into. Her face was burning and she secretly hated Zhou Xuehan for giving up her seat. Then her cheeks turned pale. There was no news from the Duke's Mansion, but her father was still thinking about her. It was over.
In Zhoujia Village, Chang Zhi tested his students for a lesson. He had a famous teacher and had an amazing amount of reading since childhood. Later, his family had more books, and he had been accumulating them and had made some collections. He had read really a lot of books. When he said something, anyone could respond, or ask for his meaning or opinion.
After one class, Chang Zhi had a general understanding of Class A. During the break, Chang Zhi met the clan leader who was waiting on the side.
Chief Zhou was in a state of confusion. Only a small number of people in Class A had not made any mistakes in Chang Zhi's question. "How is it?"
Chang Zhi smiled and said, "These children are all good, but they still lack a certain foundation. Also, their views are immature and childish. They just need to read more and gain more knowledge in the future."