novelonline Chapter 1930: Proposal for Marriage
Chapter 1930: Proposal for Marriage
Chapter 1930: Proposal for Marriage
After two rounds, everyone stopped.
The feast prepared for noon was called an all-beef banquet. The ingredients were ordinary, but some of the dishes were new to everyone.
Both the host and the guests were very happy and did not leave until the banquet was over.
Shushu still has twelve days left before she can leave the confinement period, but she refuses to stay here quietly.
She started drawing picture books.
How can there be picture books in the children’s enlightenment book collection?
She took the "Three Character Classic", picked out the short stories in it, and made it into a picture book.
Among these, she did not agree with some views, such as "Xiang Jiuling, can warm the bed" and "Rong four years old, can give away pears", but she did not select them.
Xiao Song was grinding ink nearby, looking at this easy-to-understand picture book, and said, "I actually remembered it. Madam Fu Jin is really amazing. Before, I couldn't remember it no matter how hard I tried."
Chunlin followed the Ninth Prince's entourage, and Xiaosong came to the Prince's Mansion every day.
She has already reserved a seat with the martial arts master in the inner school and plays games with the children every afternoon.
Normally, I would lend a hand here in the West Wing.
Shushu glanced at Xiaosong and said, "Then it's always good to read more and remember more books."
Among the four girls who grew up with her, Xiaosong's status was similar to that of a study companion, but Xiaosong's academic performance was the worst.
Now that I think about it, I might have some reading difficulties, which is why it’s difficult for me to remember things.
Xiao Song nodded and said, "Okay, okay, I won't be a fool."
Now that you're married, you never know when you'll get pregnant and have a baby.
Watching Shushu give birth twice, Xiaosong's fear of childbirth was mostly gone...
It's February now and the days are passing by quickly.
Shushu has already started asking Baiguo to clean up the main room and they will move back there after the confinement period is over.
Because of the new chief steward Ding Zaobao, all prefectures paid more attention to the Ministry of Internal Affairs' selection this year.
By the time Shushu finished her confinement, this year's Imperial Household Department talent show was finalized.
The result was unexpected; the girl of the right age from the Ding family was not on the list.
The Crown Princess made the decision in the palace and selected fifty people to enter the palace, but they all started as little palace maids who had to learn the rules. None of them were assigned to the Qianqing Palace, nor were they palace maids who had to learn the rules under the master.
It was a false alarm.
February 15th is the day to pay respects to the emperor in the palace.
Shushu was dressed in new clothes and looked at herself in the mirror with a smile on her face.
After more than a month of nourishment, her blood and qi became abundant, her lips became red, her teeth became white, her jaw became fuller, and with the apricot pink cheongsam, she looked like a teenage girl.
Shushu touched the palms of his hands, which were warm, and his cold hands and feet were much better.
She stood up and looked at Bai Guo and said, "Have you prepared the things to bring into the palace?"
Bai Guo nodded and said, "I asked someone to take it out and pack it up yesterday. I just checked it again."
Spring in the capital is dry.
Shushu asked someone to prepare two sets of face cream, lip balm and hand cream from the Rouge Shop.
This is a gift to show filial respect to Concubine Yi and the Queen Mother.
The difference is that Concubine Yi's lip balm palette comes in eight colors of red and pink.
The Empress Dowager's lip balm is ten colors: transparent, orange, and light red.
Concubine Yi’s face and hand cream are pear-scented, while the Empress Dowager’s are orange-scented.
When they arrived at the gate of Beile's Mansion, the Tenth Prince and his wife had already come out.
"Sister-in-law Ninth..."
After the two of them came forward to greet each other, the Tenth Lady took Shushu's hand and got into her carriage.
"Finally I can pay my respects to my sister-in-law..."
The Tenth Lady was very happy.
Shushu was also in a good mood.
I used to think that paying respects every five days was boring, but after being locked up for half a year, I began to look forward to it.
The Tenth Prince watched his two sisters-in-law get on the carriage, but he did not rush to get on his own carriage. Instead, he looked to the west.
At the gate of the Eighth Prince's Mansion, two carriages had just started.
If I'm not mistaken, the Eighth Prince is following the carriage in front.
The Tenth Prince raised his eyebrows, turned around and got on his carriage.
In Shushu's carriage, the Tenth Lady was talking about the young prince's "rebellion".
"After eating meat, I was so upset that I kept asking for meat every time I ate. There was really nothing I could do, so I had to steam meatballs and cook meat porridge for three meals a day. I ate so much that my belly was round..."
The Tenth Lady had in her hands the "Child-Raising Notes" that she had borrowed from Shushu, which were all designed to help her raise the little prince in the same way that Shushu had raised triplets in her earlier years.
Now it’s two meals a day and three meals a day.
But when I think about the little prince's appetite, which is obviously larger than that of the triplets, I feel a little worried.
Shushu said: "It's still necessary to eat in moderation. Children don't know when they are hungry or full, so it's not good for them to have food accumulation."
The Tenth Lady nodded and said, "Yes, yes, my master asked the imperial physician to come and see me, and the imperial physician also said so..."
In the past, Shushu didn't understand why married women with children loved to talk about childbirth. Now that she has experienced it herself, she finally understands.
For a woman, once she has a child, the child really comes first in her life.
When the carriage arrived at Shenwu Gate, the two sisters-in-law got off.
There were three carriages parked in front, belonging to the Fourth Lady, the Eighth Lady and Fu Cha.
Upon seeing this, Shushu and the Tenth Lady hurried forward and performed the ritual of caressing the woman's temples.
Fucha also paid her respects to both of them.
What is this situation...
Shushu and the Tenth Lady were both puzzled, but now was not the time to ask.
After entering Shenwu Gate, the group split into two directions.
The Tenth Concubine followed the Fourth Concubine to the east, while Shushu, the Eighth Concubine and Fucha went to the six western palaces.
The Fifth Lady was not here, but she left someone waiting here, saying that the Fifth Lady had gone to the Yiku Palace first.
After hearing this, Shushu thought of her previous speculation with the Seventh Lady, and wondered if the Fifth Prince's Mansion was going to have a new member.
Given Fifth Lady's temperament, no matter what she thinks in her heart, she will certainly not be surprised by honor or disgrace in front of others.
"Fourth sister-in-law, what's going on? Why are two of them paying their respects together?"
The Tenth Lady sat next to the Fourth Lady and asked in a low voice.
The Fourth Lady also lowered her voice and said, "Fucha is a concubine, so she is also qualified to come to the palace to pay respects. Prince Yu's Mansion and Prince Gong's Mansion are precedents..."
The Empress Dowager was not only the grandmother-in-law of the princes' wives and the mother-in-law of the imperial concubines, but also the grandmother-in-law of the wives of several royal families.
Except for the widowed wife of Prince Chun, the wives of the other two mansions also had to go to the palace to pay their respects, except on the fifth or tenth days.
When paying respects, the concubine also had to enter the palace to pay respects.
Now it’s not wrong for the two of them to come forward together.
The Tenth Lady whispered, "That's too awkward..."
Fortunately, there are only princesses in my palace, no concubines...
Shushu walked side by side with the Eighth Concubine, while Fucha lagged behind them by one step, following behind the Eighth Concubine.
Shushu was thinking about the greetings that Fucha had just given to herself and the Tenth Lady.
Fortunately, the Prince of Zhi and the Prince of Cheng did not have concubines, otherwise they would be treated equally with me.
The Twelfth and Thirteenth Concubines are now the wives of the princes, and can still receive courtesy from Fucha. When the Twelfth and Thirteenth Princes are conferred titles, they will also receive equal courtesy from Fucha.
This is the remnant of the polygamy system, which raises the status of the concubine too high.
It's really not very friendly to the legitimate wife.
She didn't say anything, and the Eighth Lady didn't say anything either.
When they reached the Yikun Gate, Shushu finally spoke, "Take care, I'll go in..."
The Eighth Lady nodded slightly as a reply, and left with Fu Cha.
Shushu looked at the backs of the two people.
The Eighth Lady was still dressed in red, with her back straight, but she looked less sharp and more restrained.
Fucha was wearing a sky blue Manchu dress, looking a little mature.
She turned and entered the Yiku Palace, and Baiguo and Xiaosong followed behind her holding the brocade box.
*
Yiku Palace, the west room.
The Fifth Lady came first to report on the cleaning situation in the east wing.
"Everything has been repaired, and we have started laying out the groundwork..."
Concubine Yi said calmly, "That's good. The Emperor has asked the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to choose a date."
The Fifth Lady felt sad and wanted to ask about the candidate, but she couldn't open her mouth.
No matter what family background she comes from, a concubine is always a concubine.
Seeing her emotions, Concubine Yi was displeased, but she had no intention of raising any further issues.
The emperor just disliked his daughter-in-law and wanted to embarrass her, so she could only endure it.
Perrin heard the noise outside and went out to meet them.
When Shushu went in, he found the atmosphere a bit solemn.
Normally, the Fifth Lady was very calm in the Yiku Palace, but now she looked a little sad.
Shushu felt a chill in her heart.
Fortunately, after she paid her respects, Concubine Yi returned to her usual laziness and tolerance. She looked at the brocade boxes in Bai Guo and Xiao Song's arms curiously and asked, "What did you bring as a tribute?"
One is a silver-red brocade box, and the other is a brown brocade box.
Shushu said, "It's my daughter-in-law's rouge shop. They've just released some new face creams, hand creams, and lip balms that are perfect for spring use. My daughter-in-law brought them in, thinking that the Empress and the Empress would either try them themselves or give them to others to use."
After hearing this, Concubine Yi became interested and leaned forward and said, "Open it and let me see..."
Shushu took the silver-red brocade box, opened it herself, and placed it on the kang table next to Concubine Yi.
When the brocade box was opened, a seven-inch square makeup mirror was revealed, followed by several gilded silver jars and gilded silver boxes.
Concubine Yi looked at the eight-color lip balm palette and couldn't let it go. She immediately tried the cherry red one and was very satisfied. She smiled and said, "Good boy, I've been feeling dry on my lips these past few days..."
She likes some colors that are easier to match with clothes.
The taste is sweet and it is also her favorite pear scent.
Shu Shu said earnestly, "During this confinement period, I gave away many good things to the Empress and the Royal Grandmother. I also wanted to show my filial piety. There are no good things, just some daily necessities..."
Concubine Yi smiled and said, "It's great that you have this kind of heart. There is nothing missing in the palace, but these small items that we usually maintain may not be as exquisite and useful as those outside..."
The Fifth Lady was standing nearby and felt extremely embarrassed, as if Concubine Yi's words hinted at something else.
The tributes sent by the Ninth Prince's Mansion to the Yikun Palace were not concealed, and the Fifth Prince's Mansion also sent tributes during the four festivals of the year.
However, the Fifth Lady knew her own limitations and left the list of filial piety to the Fifth Prince.
The things this man gave as gifts were gold and silver ornaments, furs and other things.
The gifts presented by the Ninth Prince's Mansion were more diverse.
The Fifth Lady held the handkerchief in her hand, looking a little dazed.
In contrast, I became an unfilial daughter-in-law...
*
A side hall of Ningshou Palace.
The Tenth Lady sat below the Crown Princess, looking at the girl beside the Queen Mother, somewhat puzzled, and asked in a low voice, "Why is the princess from the Duke's Mansion in the palace today?"
This is the day when the royal ladies come to pay their respects. Even the ladies from Prince Yu's and Prince Gong's palaces avoid this day. How come the daughter of an outsider is in the palace today...