The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 1311: flower feast
Chapter 1311 Flower Viewing Banquet
Mrs. Dong looked at the child in her mother’s arms with fondness in her eyes: “Yes, this is all thanks to Doctor Huang. Doctor Huang has been almost always by my side, taking care of the two children!”
“Speaking of Imperial Doctor Huang, I remembered something…” Old Lady Dong smiled and rocked the almost asleep child in her arms, “Imperial Doctor Huang has a little girl named Arong, who is already of marriageable age. I have inquired about it but she is still unengaged. I ran into her by chance on the street last time. She is quick-witted and warm-hearted. What do you think of her as a good match for Changyuan?”
Dong looked at her mother in surprise, and immediately understood her mother’s intention.
His mother, Mrs. Dong, knew that Dong Changyuan was the best student in the Dong family and the most promising young man. If Abao had not become the emperor, his mother would definitely choose a woman from an aristocratic family as her grandson’s wife.
But if Abao becomes the emperor and chooses a capable father-in-law who is an official in the court for Dong Changyuan, according to Abao’s personality, he will definitely take care of him. Moreover, if he has a capable father-in-law… when Dong Changyuan does things for Bai Qingyan, it involves the relationships between various parties in the court, which will inevitably hinder Dong Changyuan.
Although Old Lady Dong is old, she has always been clear-headed. It’s not that she loves her granddaughter more than her own grandson, but… Although Old Lady Dong is a woman, she also has great ambitions and wants to see the day when the country will be unified and the world will be peaceful as Bai Qing said.
What’s more, as early as in Dengzhou… when Old Lady Dong and Dong Qingyue knew that Bai Qingyan had the ambition to reach the top, they told Bai Qingyan that the entire Dong family would do their best to help Bai Qingyan.
Since the Dong family has made a vow, they will spare no effort and will never lie.
“If mother thinks it’s a good idea, why don’t I find a name and hold a flower-viewing banquet, and invite all the unmarried girls to come, and mother can bring Tingzhen and the others with her!” Dong thought of the children of the Bai family. “It just so happens that except for Ayun… the others are still unengaged, so let my sisters-in-law take a look and see if there are any daughters-in-law who are suitable.”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Old Lady Dong said several yeses in a row.
“What good news is this? Grandma agreed to mother’s request so readily?”
Bai Qing’s voice arrived before the person she was talking to arrived, and she stepped into the main hall holding up her skirt.
Sitting together with Mrs. Dong on the couch by the window, Old Lady Dong, who was wearing a purple blouse with a gold-woven grape pattern and ink-black hem, and had her hair combed neatly with silver hair, was holding the child in her arms and turning her head to look outside.
Bai Qingyan, dressed in a plain, narrow-sleeved homely suit, walked towards the inner room through the light-colored golden curtains that were hung on the columns on both sides of the hall by golden hooks.
“I have just told your grandmother to hold a flower-viewing banquet and invite all the unmarried ladies in the capital to come and see if there are any suitable wives for your brothers.” Dong said with a smile.
This was the first time that Old Lady Dong saw Bai Qingyan after he “returned to Dadu”. She was relieved to see that her granddaughter was not only thinner than the last time she saw her, but also looked good. She quickly handed Xile in her arms to the wet nurse and stood up to pay her respects.
“Grandma!” Bai Qingyan quickly stepped forward to support Old Lady Dong who was about to kneel down, “Grandma, what are you doing!”
“I know what your majesty means, but I still have to be polite!” Old Lady Dong patted Bai Qingyan’s hand with a kind look, motioning Bai Qingyan to let go.
“Grandma, if you kneel down, it will shorten Abao’s lifespan!” Bai Qingyan said to Grandma Dong with a stern face, “And if you kneel down, Abao will have to kneel down too. Let’s kneel down here and kowtow together. Don’t you think… this scene will be so funny?”
Old Lady Dong was so amused by Bai Qingyan that she couldn’t help laughing. She looked at the wet nurses and nannies around her and said, “I often go into the palace and there are many people outside who gossip about me. If I don’t perform this etiquette, people will inevitably talk about me…”
“Don’t worry, grandma. Mother and I are all loyal servants of the Bai family. This matter will not be spread to others!” Bai Qingyan helped Old Lady Dong sit down on the couch. “Just sit quietly.”
Bai Qingyan’s mother, Mrs. Dong, several aunts, and those around Bai Qingyan, including his wet nurse, were all chosen from among the loyal servants of the Bai family, so they were all trustworthy.
Old Lady Dong nodded with relief, and took Xile from the nurse and held her in her arms, with a kind smile on her face, “Before, people said that it would be difficult for our Abao to have children, but now God has sent two to our Abao. Our Abao is indeed blessed and blessed by God.”
Bai Qingyan took Kang Le from Dong’s arms. When the little girl with some flesh on her face smacked her lips, two shallow dimples could be seen at the corners of her lips, which was very beautiful. Seeing his daughter’s rosy face while sleeping, it seemed that she noticed her mother coming. The little girl rubbed against Bai Qingyan’s arms, and Bai Qingyan’s heart melted.
Old Lady Dong smiled more deeply, and there was warmth in the corners of her eyes: “This little Kang Le looks a lot like A Bao when he was a child. He will definitely be a great beauty when he grows up.”
Old Madam Dong deliberately avoided mentioning Xiao Rongyan, for fear of making Bai Qingyan sad.
“It doesn’t matter whether she is beautiful or not, as long as she is healthy…” Bai Qingyan said with a smile.
She gave her child the nickname Kangle because she hoped that the child would be healthy and happy throughout his life. Other than that… Bai Qingyan did not force anything else.
This is probably every mother’s greatest expectation for her children.
“Since grandma has entered the palace, she can stay in the palace for a few days as if she were accompanying my mother!” Bai Qingyan raised her head and looked at Old Lady Dong. “Grandma, please don’t think there is anything wrong with this. I can still make the decision on this little matter.”
Old Lady Dong glanced at her daughter, then at the little one in her arms, and nodded: “Okay, okay, I’ll stay for a few days and hug my two little great-grandchildren more often.”
“As for the flower viewing banquet, mother can let Third and Fourth Aunts take care of it. Mother has two children now. Second Aunt has Wang Ge’er, Fifth Aunt has Xiao Ba. Fourth Aunt likes quietness and spends almost half the day in the Buddhist temple! Third Aunt has always been restless and now she is inevitably lonely. Let Third Aunt take care of the flower viewing banquet and Fourth Aunt help. It will also make the two aunts feel uneasy.”
“Okay, you make sense, let’s do it!” Mrs. Dong nodded.
That night, Wang Hanbing, the envoy of Yan State, and Pingyi, the personal guard of the former emperor of Yan State, quietly arrived in the capital city under the escort of the Pingyang Army of Zhou State.
At the beginning, Xiao Rongyan asked Murong Li to send Wang Hanbing to Da Zhou first. Later, he asked Pingyi to take his own handwritten letter and pretend to chase Wang Hanbing. In fact, he asked Pingyi to escort Wang Hanbing to the capital city first.
Wang Hanbing knew that the Regent would also be on a diplomatic mission to Dadu, so he quietly entered Dadu under the cover of night, but did not reveal his identity as an envoy from Yan.