bestfiction Chapter 165 Invitation
Chapter 165 Invitation
The next day, Lu Linlang returned to the mansion of Lu Zhan, the former Earl of Loyalty and Bravery, and now the Marquis. When the people in the mansion saw the eldest lady coming back, they all came to greet her.
Looking at this strange yet familiar place, Lu Linlang recalled when she first came to Daqi. The house was very big, but there were only a few people. Now, there are servants from all over the place, and the entire mansion is managed in order.
"Sister, we haven't been back for a long time. I saw that the jujube tree in my yard has been cut down and replaced with a persimmon tree. I still remember that when we were little, Yuncan and I loved climbing up the jujube tree. You guys couldn't do anything to us."
Yun Can and Lu Zhan have lived next to each other since they were young. He never went back to the marquis' mansion next door, and the two of them slept together at night.
Yunyi was on vacation today and was also in the yard listening to them talk about the past.
"You have always been so naughty. I couldn't control you before. If it weren't for the time when you gambled, I would have made up my mind and there would be nothing I could do about you." Lu Linlang knew that it was actually because it was not her at that time, so the original owner wanted to control Lu Zhan, the only male in the Lu family, but she felt distressed and was too soft-hearted.
"Oh, that's all in the past. Sister, look, my eldest brother sent someone to buy some famous snacks and food from the capital this morning, waiting for you to come back so we can enjoy them together. It's a pity that my second brother and Dahua are missing. If they were all here, our family would be reunited."
Thinking of Yunxi and the others who were still staying in Chongshui, Lu Zhan felt a little sorry. They were the only ones missing from his return to Beijing this time.
"You will be going back soon anyway, and I will have to stay in the capital alone. Sister, why don't you all stay here?" Yun Yi rarely spoke in such a fragile tone.
"You are a man of our family who stands tall and proud, and you can even argue with the ministers. Even if we are not in the capital, we can still hear about your deeds. You must not be modest."
"It's okay. I still have to go back to prepare for the autumn harvest. But the two of them might have to return to the capital soon. By then, you'll all be gone, and I'll be the only one left in my hometown."
Seeing the two of them laughing smugly, Lu Linlang also said something on purpose.
"Sister, we can't bear to leave you either. We also want to stay with you forever." The two are the youngest and can act coquettishly easily.
"Go away, don't spoil my appetite. I haven't been to the capital for a long time, and I want to try whether the food here is the same as last year."
Lu Linlang picked up a piece of dessert and tasted it. The dessert of this family still tasted the same as before. Yun Yi said that the shopkeeper had fled to the northwest and later returned with the capital and changed the store. However, his previous store was occupied by someone, so the business was not as good as before.
"Miss, there are several housekeepers from other families outside the door, all here to deliver invitations." The housekeeper was someone Yun Yi brought from Chongshui. After receiving the invitation, he sorted it out and handed it to Lu Linlang.
"These people are well-informed. If there's anything going on in someone's family, they'll know immediately. Sister, if you don't want to go, just decline it later. You won't be living in the capital for long anyway. I'm just an official, so they won't gossip about me."
"No need. The Emperor and I have already agreed that I am here to meet the noble families of the capital. These people may be here for two reasons: one is to discuss your marriage, and the other is to find out the Emperor's thoughts. I think they all know that the Emperor is planning to use Prince Huai as his heir."
Lu Linlang opened the invitation and found that they were indeed inviting their family to attend the banquet. At present, no one in their family was married, and they were very popular among the families in the capital. If their daughter could marry Yun Yi, it would also help her family.
Moreover, as soon as Lu Linlang returned to Beijing, the emperor took her to live with him in the palace. I also heard that the emperor even wanted to take King Huai's daughter to the palace to study. I think he was also guessing the emperor's intentions.
Lu Linlang took a look and found that the invitation from Princess Mingfang was the most honorable among them. Princess Mingfang was the emperor's aunt, but after the emperor came back, he did not show any closeness to this aunt, and did not express anything about her offspring. It seemed that Princess Mingfang was the most anxious this time.
So she took this opportunity to hold an autumn banquet. On the surface, it was to invite everyone to her home to enjoy the scenery, but in fact it was a blind date banquet prepared to alert unmarried men and women.
"Then let's decline all the other offers and only attend the Autumn Banquet hosted by Princess Mingfang. It just so happens that other families will be attending this banquet, so it's like we'll meet other families too. Yunyi, you guys should dress up the day after tomorrow. If there's anyone suitable this time, we can meet each other first."
"Sister, we don't want to get married yet. How old are we?" Lu Zhan heard that even they had to dress up a little. The thought of having to interact with those young ladies made him feel boring. It would be more interesting to practice martial arts at home.
"It's not like you can get together just by seeing each other. Who knows, you might meet the right one. You young men are in love and are eager for me to give you a chance." Lu Linlang said this deliberately because she saw that they hadn't figured it out yet.
"I think we should focus on court affairs right now. We are too busy to handle everything else." Yun Yi also wanted to escape, but seeing his sister staring at him, he didn't dare to continue.
The next day, King Huai's two daughters came to visit in person. Lu Zhan and Yun Can had already gone out, and Yun Yi was also on duty. Only Lu Linlang was at home.
Upon learning that the two were coming, Lu Linlang personally went to the main gate to greet them. The two princesses had met each other in the palace. The emperor personally asked them to come and pay a visit to Lu Linlang, and to learn and observe more from her while she was in the capital.
"Yuwei and Yushan greet Master Lu. The emperor has asked us sisters to come and study with you. We sisters are so presumptuous to come here today. Please forgive us, Master." The two said their own names instead of the titles bestowed by the emperor.
"Greetings, my princesses. The Emperor explained this to me yesterday. Actually, I can't teach you anything. The knowledge in books is taught by the learned teachers in the palace. I can only teach you some superficial insights. If I have offended you, please forgive me."
Lu Linlang knew the emperor's intention, but before she understood the two people's personalities, Lu Linlang would not be so arrogant as to think that she could really teach them.
"Master Lu, you are really as modest as everyone says. My sisters and I usually just follow our mother's instructions at home, playing the piano and embroidering. As for poetry and literature, we only read the "Nu Ze Nu Xun" that teaches women to be good wives and raise children, the "Three Obediences and Four Virtues", but we haven't learned much else.
I heard that you have many books at home, and that you are as knowledgeable as Mr. Yun. When we heard the emperor tell us to go to the palace to study that day, we were very worried because we studied different things from our brothers and sisters. We didn't understand many of the things the teacher said, and we didn't dare to tell the emperor.
Being in school every day is very painful. It is because you are also a woman that we dare to tell you this. In front of those teachers, we are really afraid of being punished with a ruler and embarrassed. The teachers don't discipline us strictly. In fact, sometimes we sisters envy our brothers for being treated differently by the teachers.
Yu Shan was younger and even more impatient. Seeing Lu Linlang being so friendly, she couldn't help but tell the truth. After that, she looked at Lu Linlang with admiration.