On the second day after Concubine Yi's death, a servant came to Yong'an Lane to report that the princess invited the young master to return to Ningxuan Palace for dinner.
Rong Tang was stunned for a second, then he reacted and understood what Wang Xiuyu meant.
There were many Hongmen Banquets. Some were hosted by Rong Mingyu to invite Rong Tang, and naturally some were hosted in return to invite Prince Ning Xuan.
Rong Tang hadn't been home for a long time. When he came back this time, the summer was full of vitality, which concealed many unknown depressions.
The palace was as prosperous as ever, but it always made people feel like a big tree with a dry trunk, whose roots had long been gnawed away by ants.
From the Waking of Insects to the Great Heat, Wang Xiuyu had four months to consider, which was enough time for her to make the most rational decision.
Rong Tang was not going to interfere, but when necessary he would always stand behind her unconditionally.
He came back early. The princess was in the kitchen, the smoke and the smell of cooking swirled around her pearl hairpin. The usually graceful and elegant woman had lost the intensity that had been tempered by the years, and what was left was only gentleness and determination.
Seeing him coming, Wang Xiuyu smiled and said softly, "There's so much smoke, how did you get in?"
Rong Tang saw her cooking a squirrel mandarin fish dish, and the oil splashed on the edge of the pot. He subconsciously frowned slightly: "It's been a long time since Mom cooked. What if it splashes on me?"
Wang Xiuyu paused for a moment and said, "Your Majesty likes to eat it."
Rong Tang was stunned for a second, a little surprised, and thought he had misunderstood her. The next second, he heard Wang Xiuyu continue, "We have been married for more than 20 years, and cooking a meal for him in the end can be considered a good ending."
In the midsummer, the cicadas were chirping noisily and the temperature in the kitchen was extremely high. He saw beads of sweat oozing out of the forehead of the woman who seemed to him to be dignified and delicate. She was busy with trivial matters, but her expression was extremely peaceful.
Then Rong Tang asked another question: "Has mother decided?"
Wang Xiuyu was silent for a moment, nodded, and said softly: "It's decided."
The three words fell lightly, and Rong Tang didn't say another word. He just stood beside her and accompanied her to finish cooking a famous Jiangnan dish, and then they went back to their rooms to wash and change clothes.
The day was long and dinner was served. Half of the sky outside the courtyard was illuminated by the setting sun into purple and orange. It was still early before the night covered the sky.
King Ning Xuan sat down and asked when he saw Rong Tang for the first time, "Why didn't Huai Jing come?"
Rong Tang replied, "The Censorate has been busy lately, and he usually goes home after dark."
Rong Mingyu stared at him deeply for a few times, as if trying to judge the truth of Rong Tang's words. Finally, he casually said, "If you are not used to living outside, you can move back home. This way, I can bring Huaijing with me when I occasionally attend official social events."
Rong Tang sneered in his heart but remained silent on his face.
Should he bring Su Huaijing along, or does he hope to use his identity as Chief Censor to pave the way for himself
He was too lazy to expose it, as this was not the point of the meal.
The family of three sat at the dinner table. After asking Rong Tang, Rong Mingyu turned to Wang Xiuyu and first asked her if she and Duanyi were used to living in the villa. He also said that the Princess's Mansion had been renovated, and if his mother did not want to move back to the old house, she should move to the palace to spend her remaining years. He asked the princess to help him persuade Duanyi.
Wang Xiuyu did not agree, but said indifferently: "Is Fourth Brother in good health?"
The reason she moved out of the palace was because Rong Ying fabricated a hexagram, saying that the mistress of the palace and the newborn baby were in conflict. That was why Rong Mingyu "asked" Wang Xiuyu to leave the palace temporarily. Now he wants to bring his mother back, but he seems to have completely forgotten that the person who should be invited back is actually his wife.
Rong Mingyu was stunned for a moment, as if he had never been stabbed in the back like this by Wang Xiuyu in all these years, and he felt a little embarrassed.
He picked up a piece of squirrel mandarin fish with his chopsticks, took a bite and spit it out on the towel beside him, saying coldly: "The cook's cooking skills are too poor, change her."
Rong Tang's face turned cold instantly.
Before Wang Xiuyu could say anything, he looked up at King Ning Xuan and asked, "Father, what do you think is not to your taste?"
Rong Mingyu looked at him in some confusion.
In his eyes, the prince born to his wife was just a tool for him to demonstrate the harmony between husband and wife.
With a sickly prince like Rong Tang around, he could, on the one hand, show his goodwill to the empress, and on the other hand, express his loyalty to the emperor - after all, once the Ningxuan Palace passed into Rong Tang's hands, it would inevitably end up without an heir.
To him, Rong Tang was indeed a transparent person. It was after Su Huaijing married him and he gradually emerged in the court that Rong Mingyu remembered that his legitimate son, although stupid and weak, was at least a good helper for the palace.
Rong Tang had very little contact with him, so he had almost never seen Rong Tang so cold and imposing.
At a certain moment, Rong Mingyu vaguely thought that the person talking to him was not his biological son, but a master in the palace. That kind of noble and lazy look, yet with a natural aura, could not be pretended and was difficult to learn.
He instinctively didn't like being questioned like this.
Rong Mingyu raised his eyebrows, slammed his chopsticks on the table, looked at Rong Tang solemnly, and said in a cold voice: "Stand up."
Rong Tang looked at him and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "Father, by not disciplining your son before meals, do you want to go against the old teachings and be someone who doesn't know manners or etiquette?"
This was a very serious statement, and it should not happen between a father and a son. When Rong Tang said this, the maids and servants serving in the hall were all horrified. Shuangfu even stepped forward and walked behind Rong Tang, intending to take over if the prince punished the young master.
But perhaps because it was too abnormal and out of line, Rong Mingyu did not get angry. Instead, he frowned and looked at Rong Tang for a long time, then looked at the squirrel mandarin fish thoughtfully, as if he understood something.
He turned to Wang Xiuyu and asked, "Did you do this?"
Wang Xiuyu raised her hand and asked the maid to take the dish away. She said calmly, "It doesn't matter who made it. If the prince doesn't like it, just change it. Why would you be angry with Tang'er?"
Rong Mingyu's hand, which wanted to stop the dishes from being removed, froze in an instant, and was blocked by Wang Xiuyu's words.
He relaxed his expression and lowered his voice. It couldn't be said that he was trying to coax someone, but more like a parent who had been slapped in the face trying to save face. His words and actions revealed a sense of superiority and "indulgence and magnanimity".
Rong Tang felt an absurd and nauseous feeling from the bottom of his heart.
It is hard to say how the couple managed to stay together for more than 20 years to get to this point.
Wang Xiuyu responded casually, giving him a way out. Rong Mingyu's expression eased a little, and he put a piece of chicken into Wang Xiuyu's bowl to coax her.
Rong Tang sneered silently, looked away, and began to calculate how long it would take to go back with his mother.
Wang Xiuyu didn't eat a single bite of the chicken until the end of dinner, and it was finally taken away with the leftovers.
Rong Mingyu frowned, as if about to explode, but she held back. Wang Xiuyu said, "Fourth brother is weak, and had a high fever at the end of last year. Now his biological mother is gone, and he is in a very pitiful state. I don't think he will get better in three to five years. I won't go back to the mansion, so as not to offend anyone and disappoint the deceased. As his legal mother, I will feel guilty."
Rong Mingyu was slightly surprised when he heard this, and said, "Madam, you are thoughtful, dignified and generous. I am very pleased." He paused, and then said, "It's just that this is bound to be unfair to Madam."
Rong Tang wanted to scold him many times, but he held it back and just kept drinking tea to fill his empty stomach which had almost no food.
Wang Xiuyu said kindly: "It's not that I feel wronged. It's my job to share the worries of the prince."
Rong Mingyu's expression softened completely. She thought that the contradiction she had just received from the mother and son was just a mistake made by a young woman who didn't know the rules, and it was not unforgivable.
He held Wang Xiuyu's hands and patted them gently to show his comfort, but the latter changed the subject and said, "It's just that my mother and I are now living outside the palace, and Tang'er is responsible for all our food, clothing, housing and transportation. Huaijing still has some social events and often has to entertain the officials in the court. Tang'er also needs medicine all year round, and all the expenses are really..."
Both people present were stunned for a moment. Rong Tang's expression remained unchanged, but there was a huge wave of emotions in his heart.
He looked at Wang Xiu Yu, as if only now he understood the real purpose of his mother's Hongmen Banquet.
Rong Mingyu was, after all, a shrewd person who had been in the officialdom. He was only slightly startled when he heard the words. He understood the unfinished meaning of Wang Xiuyu's words and pretended to blame himself and said, "It's my fault for not considering it carefully. I will send someone to deliver the silver tomorrow."
Wang Xiuyu said first, "Thank you, Your Highness." Then she continued, "I originally had some dowry. This little matter of gold and silver should not have troubled Your Highness. I could just sell some of my dowry. But firstly, the dowry is locked in the palace. I live outside now. It is not convenient for me to go back to the palace frequently to move things. I am afraid that it will make people in the palace panic. Secondly, the dowry jewelry is engraved with the Wang family's mark. If it is circulated, it may cause controversy and ruin Your Highness's reputation."
Rong Mingyu frowned, as if thinking about the pros and cons.
After all, when the two daughters of the Wang family got married, which one didn’t cause a sensation in the whole city with their gorgeous wedding dresses that stretched for ten miles
But… He looked at Rong Tang, then at Wang Xiuyu, and after weighing the pros and cons, he said, "Madam is right. I was so busy with my official duties that I forgot about the trivial matters at home. It was because of Madam's care that we didn't get into any big trouble these years. If you hadn't reminded me, I really wouldn't have remembered it."
He said, "You are now taking care of your mother in the suburbs, and Tang'er lives outside the palace. There is no one from your mother's family in the palace, so the dowry should be returned to avoid mixing up the accounts and causing resentment in the future. If Madam is willing, you can stay in the palace for a day, go over the bills with your brother and sister-in-law tomorrow, and then take the dowry to the other courtyard, and bring it back when you return to the palace later, okay?"
Wang Xiuyu frowned, seeming a little embarrassed: "Isn't this too much trouble for Your Majesty?"
King Ning Xuan: "You and I are husband and wife, so why should we have any trouble?"
Wang Xiuyu was born pretty, and the original owner inherited a lot of her looks. She lowered her head and smiled gently, with dimples on her cheeks, which diluted her majesty, and what remained was the cuteness of a little girl.
She smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration."
King Ning Xuan was moved, and just as he was about to stand up and help her, he heard Wang Xiuyu speak again, in a gentle and polite manner: "Your Majesty, you are considerate and loving, and I am very grateful. In this case, there is no need to send the silver to the palace. The annual income from the shops in my dowry can support our expenses for half a year. I will transfer that to Tang'er, and the rest will be paid from the shops in his own hands, so that he can honor his grandmother."
Rong Mingyu's face darkened when he heard this: "How can I ask Madam and the children to pay for it? Madam, do you think it's not safe to give money, and are you worried that your husband will forget it after he has used it up?"
Wang Xiuyu pursed her lips, her face slightly red, revealing a kind of shyness that came from being seen through.
Upon seeing this, Rong Mingyu immediately called the housekeeper, took out a few land deeds, and handed them all to Rong Tang: "You will be responsible for collecting the annual income from these farms and shops. Please take good care of your mother and grandmother."
Rong Tang: “…?”
Before he could say anything, Wang Xiuyu said, "Thank you, Your Highness. I am deeply touched and should have served you well. But I am a little tired after returning from the outskirts of Beijing. I want to go back to the courtyard to rest first. Your Highness should also rest early and don't overwork yourself."
Rong Mingyu's hands were empty, and the box containing the title deed was taken by Rong Tang. Wang Xiuyu pulled his hand back by herself, and the two left the restaurant. He felt a little dazed for a moment.
Rong Tang walked on the gravel road outside the yard, watching Wang Xiuyu wiping her wrists over and over again with a wet towel, her face solemn and calm, as if she had just killed someone.
He lowered his head, looked at the box in his hand, and suddenly smiled.
Wang Xiuyu glanced at him: "What are you laughing at?"
Rong Tang sincerely praised her: "Mother, you have such powerful means."
Wang Xiuyu: "At least my last name is Wang."
Her sister is the current queen, how could she be a soft persimmon
Of course you have to divorce, but before that, you have to at least gain enough benefits for yourself.
Rong Tang was instantly filled with admiration for his mother, and the smile on his face was particularly sincere.
But as he was laughing, at the moment of parting at the intersection, his expression froze and his back felt a little cold.
that is…
How could such a smart woman be deceived by him with just a few words and go to Li's house to propose marriage
(End of this chapter)