Lu Bingzhen only had a white moon pearl on her bun, and the rest was only decorated with hairpins.
However, the dongzhu hanging on the hairpin is an extremely rare lotus color. Just one hairpin is enough to overwhelm Lu Binghui's gorgeous clothes and head full of pearls.
Lu Binghui was completely unaware that she was looking at Lu Bingzhen with jealousy as she was being greeted cordially by Princess Huyang. Little did they know, her appearance had already been noticed by all the ladies.
Among the guests was Li's natal family in Longxi, Li's sister-in-law Wang. The Wang family was born in the Wang family of Taiyuan, and was a wealthy family as famous as the Li family in Longxi, the Lu family in Fanyang, and the Cui family in Boling. Mrs. Wang has always been close to Ms. Li, and she is not as scrupulous about what others say. Now she covered her lips with a fan and said bluntly, "Ms. An, after the palace banquet, you are actually willing to let Wu Niang come out to meet guests?"
Ms. Li said calmly, "If you don't ask her to come out and take a look, how can a frog in the well know how much it weighs?" With a puff, Ms. Wang almost laughed out loud. After the palace banquet and today's performance, Lu Binghui was completely cut off from marrying into a noble family. If she were not so impatient and went out to meet guests after a while, others might forget about the palace banquet and just think that she was the daughter of a boudoir who acted inappropriately.
After Princess Huyang finished speaking, Lu Bingzhen sat next to her mother. Mrs. Wang was delighted when she saw Jiuniang. She had always felt that Jiuniang's temper was entirely a result of An Niang's inability to be fooled, but she also followed her father's lenience. This is how Jiuniang's temperament is tolerant but decisive.
This is why Jiuniang can be praised by many uncles as a model of a noble daughter of aristocratic families. People from aristocratic families pay more attention to character and character. This reputation as a role model for aristocratic ladies is not something you can achieve by being soft-hearted or spreading your reputation.
When meeting guests today, all the ladies knew that they were here to inquire about the Lu family's personal history. When they saw Jiuniang of the Lu family's appearance and conduct at the palace banquet, they thought about her family background and her father, brother, mother and uncle. Who is not jealous and wants to hire her as his daughter-in-law? It's just that no one would make this statement clear, they are all smiling and aggressive.
After entertaining for a long time, we finally sent all the guests away. Before leaving, Aunt Wang smiled and sighed to Li, "Jiuniang really has a daughter in every family. There is no suitable husband among the Li family in Longxi, but my natal family, the Wang family in Taiyuan, has a husband." Your Majesty, you are both good-looking and talented, I wonder if you will be lucky enough to hire Jiuniang."
Mrs. Li was moved after hearing this. She also knew that the Wang family in Taiyuan had a handsome son with outstanding talents and learning. The life experiences of Jiuniang and the son of the Wang family in Taiyuan also match. If the two of them really get married, they will be a good couple. Li said implicitly, "We are all relatives, so we should move around more and get closer. In the past, Jiuniang went out with us, but now it's time to see more of our relatives."
Wang knew the elegant meaning of the string song after hearing it, and he immediately responded to it.
In the East Palace, Xiao Min, who was dealing with government affairs, looked up from the stacks of memorials on the papers after hearing the news about the Lu family's reception today. Xiao Min pondered for a moment when he heard that the Taiyuan Wang family was interested in getting married to the Lu family and that they were interested in the ninth lady of the Lu family. "Reveal this news to Aunt Xiuxin, and hint that the Laba Festival will be in three days."
Pei Jian, an official of the East Palace on the side, was surprised when he heard this and said, "Your Highness, during the Laba Festival, the royal family members have always come to the palace for banquets. There is no precedent for the wives and daughters of foreign ministers to come to the palace for banquets."
Xiao Min glanced at Pei Jian lightly and said calmly, "Since the founding of our country, there is no precedent for a woman from a wealthy family to marry into the East Palace as the crown prince."
Pei Jian was even more frightened. He wanted to dissuade the prince, but he did not dare to speak due to the prince's usual straight-talking style. Pei Jian secretly guessed in his heart why His Highness the Crown Prince was so obsessed with Jiuniang of the Lu family. If it was for the fame of the family, His Highness the Crown Prince could have chosen other girls from aristocratic families who were willing to seek refuge in the East Palace instead of pretentious families like the Fan Yang Lu family.
Inside Zhaoyang Hall.
After Xiuxin whispered in the queen's ear for a while, the queen looked surprised. "Is this serious? The Taiyuan Wang family intends to ask for the ninth lady of the Lu family?" Xiuxin nodded, "It is said that Mrs. Lu's maiden sister-in-law is from the Wang family in Taiyuan. This time she wrote a letter home to help connect the two."
Thinking about Lu Bingzhen's good looks and family background, the queen only felt that this matter was not traceable. Jiuniang of the Lu family is fourteen years old this year, and she has reached the age to get engaged. Every family has always wanted a girl, let alone a girl like Jiuniang of the Lu family who stands out in all aspects.
Just like this, the queen's previous idea of secretly bringing together the Lu family's nine mothers and the prince came to nothing. It's just that it's the new year, and most of the young ladies who have not left the boudoir no longer go out to meet guests. How can we let Jiuniang of the Lu family see the prince?
Watching the queen pacing back and forth in the palace and thinking, Xiuxin thought of the menu for the Laba Festival in five days that was mentioned in the kitchen today, and she thought about it.
"Your Majesty, I have an idea. The Laba Festival will be in five days. Why don't you order Mr. Lu and his family to enter the palace to celebrate the festival." After hearing this, the Queen was also a little moved, but she still hesitated, feeling that this idea was too forward. . Naihe's idea of bringing together the Lu family's Jiuniang and the prince prevailed, and she was worried that the Wang family and the Lu family would really finalize the marriage within three or two months. The queen finally made up her mind.
In the main courtyard of the Lu family's mansion, Mrs. Li was teaching Lu Bingzhen how to manage the house step by step. It is now the end of the year, and their family has just returned to the capital from Lingzhou. In addition, Lu Qi has just been awarded the title of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and is in charge of the appointment and dismissal of officials. The home was literally broken down.
All kinds of matters are waiting for Li, the head matron, to decide.
After returning to the capital, Li felt deeply that he had been too indulgent towards A Rui in Lingzhou. At that time, the couple felt sorry for their daughter to accompany her parents away from the prosperous place in the capital, so they could not help but be obedient to their daughter. As a result, for ordinary girls from aristocratic families, things such as housekeeping, managing directors, and knitting needlework are all things that ordinary girls from aristocratic families can easily handle, but A Rui, the leader of noble girls from aristocratic families, is not very proficient in them.
The words of her mother-in-law's sister-in-law a few days ago reminded Ms. Li that her daughter A'rui would get married in three or four years at most, and now it was time to make up for these things.
Lu Bingzhen didn't have any major mood swings. For her, these things were indeed unfamiliar, but there were trustworthy maids and housekeepers everywhere to help take care of them. In addition, Lu Bingzhen is good at arithmetic. She only needs to take a few pages from the account book, look at it, and then estimate the expenses for the whole month and the whole year, and she can get an accurate picture. As for other things, it depends purely on the accumulation of experience, and there is no need to rush.
Amid such a myriad of things, Ms. Li was so busy that she suddenly looked up and found her maidservant Manao standing in front of her, hesitant to speak. Agate was in charge of various matters in the outer courtyard. If he came to see Mr. Li at this time, there was no need to think that something was wrong.
Mrs. Li didn't want to let these things ruin her daughter's plans for the New Year, so she comforted her daughter gently to go back to her yard to stay in Chunwu to rest. Then she heard Agate's anxious voice, "Madam, the Queen seems to have taken a liking to our Ninth Lady."
Hearing this, Mrs. Li glanced at Agate nonchalantly, with a strange look in her eyes, "A Rui was born in the Fan Yanglu family, and she is such a good lady, so it is not surprising that she is favored by anyone. However, Fan Yanglu The family does not need to marry a daughter into the palace and bet on the prince to win the throne. The matter of the palace will not be decided until the last moment. The Fan Yang and Lu family only need to be loyal to the emperor forever. "
Agate became even more anxious after hearing this, "Madam, that's not the case. It was someone in the queen's palace who sent the letter. It said that the queen wanted to order you to bring your family into the palace to celebrate the Laba Festival."
"What!" Mrs. Li was anxious now. Inviting officials and their families to the palace for a banquet was nothing, but the Laba Festival was different. Only royal family members were allowed to enter the palace during the Laba Festival. Everyone in the capital is a genius, who wouldn’t understand the meaning behind this?
If this is true, then A Rui will have no choice but to marry into the East Palace!
Li, who originally thought that the husband of the Wang family was a good match for A Rui, now felt more and more that the husband of the Wang family was a good match. While Mrs. Li ordered people to lay out paper and pen to write a letter back to her parents' home, she was glad that her daughter had been sent back to rest by herself and she didn't know about it.
Although Ms. Li didn't think her daughter would intend to enter the East Palace, children at this age were the most affectionate. If A Rui knew that the Prince of the East Palace was interested in her, and coupled with his appearance and status, there was no guarantee that A Rui would be proud of having an excellent son who fell in love with him, and then pay attention to him, and finally miss him.
The best way to put an end to this matter is not to warn her daughter to stay away from the Prince of the East Palace and the Queen, but to directly prevent her daughter from coming into contact with this matter, and let A Rui just treat His Highness the Prince as an irrelevant person.
In the evening, Lu Qi returned home covered in wind and snow. After Mrs. Li exchanged greetings, she ordered someone to serve food. The couple sat around the table in the house. Mrs. Li worriedly mentioned the Queen's order today, "Lang Jun, what should we do? After all, it is the Queen's order in the middle palace. Even if it is a century-old family, we cannot refuse it directly. If we just enter the palace..."
The unfinished thoughts are all stopped between the lips and teeth. Of course, Lu Qi knew what it meant without his wife explaining it. He patted his wife's hand comfortingly and said, "Don't worry, Niang An, Fan Yang and the Lu family's daughters will not enter the East Palace. I have my own solution for this matter, so don't worry." Li, who has been married for many years, Knowing that Lu Qi always kept his promises, he reluctantly felt relieved.
After the morning court the next day, Lu Qi was left by the emperor to discuss the tea policy in Jiangnan. At the end of the political discussion, the person responsible for the tea affairs in Jiangnan was selected. His Majesty was very happy and jokingly said, "I love you so much, but I don't know how to reward you?"
Lu Qi thought about what his wife said last night. When he heard the words, he was moved in his heart and said respectfully, "Thanks to your majesty's great love, I occupy the position of minister of the Ministry of official affairs. I am also appointed by the imperial edict. I think about it day and night. I don't know how to repay the emperor's kindness. Your majesty." Besides, I don’t dare to accept the reward.”
The emperor laughed twice, feeling happy for a moment. He really appreciated Lu Qi's ability and ambition. Since it was not appropriate for Lu Qi and his wife to add more awards, the emperor remembered that Lu Qi had a daughter and vaguely heard that Lu Qi had a good reputation, so he smiled and said, "In that case, I will reward your daughter as the county queen."
After speaking, the emperor said the word Qingping in one stroke, "How about the Lord of Qingping County." Lu Qi was secretly happy. She didn't expect to achieve her goal so easily. Of course, she was full of gratitude without mentioning it.
