The strong wind blew for thirty miles, and the cars in front of the Yongxian County Prince's Mansion were like flowing water and horses were like dragons.
Everyone knows that today is the birthday of County Princess Mingxiu. As the eldest daughter that the prince loves most, County Princess Mingxiu has just turned sixteen this year.
The prince of the county sent invitations widely, and almost all the female relatives of the same age in each family received the invitation.
Mrs. Chengyihou also secured a share for Xu Chunjun.
"Your father and uncle have been pardoned and will return to Beijing in the near future. Today's emperor treats the reform of that year differently from the late emperor, otherwise I will not be able to do it no matter how hard I try. Your marriage to Wuji has not yet been made clear to the outside world.
You have to wait until your family members have settled in Beijing and settled down before the two families formally draft a post. You are now considered a distant relative of my family and live in our house. If there is any gathering in the capital, just go. Learn more.
It won't do you any harm if you look familiar." Mrs. Hou Ye said.
Xu Chunjun has always had a calm temperament, so she understood what Madam Marquis meant. She thanked her, packed some clothes and gifts for going out, and brought two girls with her mother Ye to the Prince's Mansion.
There were so many carriages and horses in front of the palace gate that it was difficult for Xu Chunjun and others to get close.
"Mother Ye, please stop here." Xu Chunjun said, "Let's get out of the car and walk over. It's not far anyway."
"Thank you for your understanding, girl. It's just a burden for the girl." Mother Ye is Madam Hou's confidant. Madam Hou holds Xu Chunjun in high regard, so she naturally does not dare to neglect him.
It's just that Xu Chunjun didn't change his attitude just because his status changed. He remained as usual, neither humble nor overbearing, modest and polite.
After entering the door, everyone walked in. Because the weather was fine, everyone went to the garden and waited until the banquet started before sitting down.
The ladies from each family are all dressed up coyly, and their clothes and jewelry are all exquisite.
Xu Chunjun's dress inevitably seemed ordinary among these people, but fortunately she didn't care.
As soon as they entered the garden, a person jumped out from the side, hugged Xu Chunjun's arm and said, "Sister Xu, it's really you!"
Xu Chunjun took a closer look and saw that the person holding him had a round face and big eyes. He smiled sweetly and naively. He couldn't help but laugh along with her: "So it's you!"
This girl's name is Jiang Nuan, and I met her on the way to Beijing.
Because of the continuous rain, they stayed in an inn for six or seven days and got to know each other.
This young lady from the Jiang family came to Beijing from her ancestral home in Dengzhou to meet her father and stepmother. Although they didn't get along for a long time, she has the most straightforward and kind character and is very easy to get along with.
"Sister Xu, have you finished your work?" Jiang Nuan asked Xu Chunjun. She didn't know what the specific matter was, but she only knew that Xu Chunjun came to Beijing to do business.
Xu Chunjun responded with a smile: "It's done."
Seeing that the two girls following her were not the two girls before, he asked, "Didn't the bell and pendant follow you?"
"My wife said they had too few clothes and asked a tailor to measure them and make some clothes today, so she didn't come." Jiang Nuan was naive, "Besides, Liu'er is more familiar with the rules of the capital, so I asked her to come out with me.
More comprehensive.”
The mother-in-law she refers to is her stepmother.
Xu Chunjun didn't feel comfortable saying anything after hearing this, so he asked her in a low voice: "How are your father and your stepmother treating you?"
"Everything is fine," Jiang Nuan said with a somewhat embarrassed smile, "I was worried before, but after I arrived, my whole family was very nice to me and gave me anything good. My father is busy with errands and doesn't see me much every day.
, my wife and sister are all accompanying me, there is no awkwardness at all."
"That's good." Xu Chunjun nodded and smiled.
"The one over there wearing a lake green skirt and coat is my sister Jiang Qing." Jiang Nuan said and waved over there. She regarded Xu Chunjun as a good friend and wanted to introduce her to her sister.
Jiang Qing was gathering in front of several young ladies from the Houfufufu, trying hard to blend in.
When her sister called her, she felt a little unhappy, but remembering her mother's instructions, she pretended to be happy and walked over.
"This is the sister of the Xu family I met on the way to Beijing. She is such a nice person. We hit it off right away." Jiang Nuan said with a smile.
Xu Chunjun saw doubts, scrutiny and disappointment in Jiang Qing's eyes. Although Jiang Nuan didn't notice it, Xu Chunjun knew that this young lady was much more scheming than Jiang Nuan.
Jiang Nuan was very happy to meet Xu Chunjun here, but Jiang Qing left after saying a few words.
She and Jiang Nuan found a small stone table and sat down. A servant from the palace had already come over to pour tea.
After the man left, Jiang Nuan stuck out his tongue and said, "I'm really thirsty. I don't know why today's breakfast was so salty."
The two of them were drinking tea and talking, and suddenly there was some commotion in the crowd over there. Jiang Nuan was curious and pulled Xu Chunjun and said: "Sister Xu, let's go over and take a look."
It turned out to be nothing more than another guest coming. Those people were pointing at her, either disgusted or laughing at her, and they obviously didn't like her.
"I remembered," Jiang Nuan said after hearing this, "She is Cen Yunchu, the young lady from the Yong'an Marquis Mansion. She is so beautiful!"
Xu Chunjun also heard a little bit about this Miss Cen.
She is a well-known beauty and talent in the capital. Her parents divorced when she was young, and her father never remarried. He loved her very much and took her to travel around the world, and even to other countries.
This Cen Yunchu was supposed to be a noble lady, but she was despised by everyone because the fortune teller Zuo Zhengqing said that she had a "lowest fate".
Those who were originally at odds with her took the opportunity to add insult to injury, so they would ridicule her whenever they saw her.
"The beautiful flowers and trees are inevitably deceived by the wind and frost." Xu Chunjun also felt that Miss Cen was extremely beautiful. Even when viewed from a distance, she looked like a fairy descending. She was not something ordinary women could compare to.
Although everyone was talking about her, she didn't care. Her graceful and long neck was raised proudly, as if she was in a deserted place.
Xu Chunjun and Jiang Nuan didn't join the crowd. Neither of them liked making fun of people.
"Ouch, I drank too much water and I have to go relieve myself." Jiang Nuan whispered.
"Go ahead, I'll be waiting for you here." Xu Chunjun said.
After a long time, Jiang Nuan didn't come back. Xu Chunjun felt something was wrong, so he took the girl to look for him.
At this time, Jiang Nuan was worried. It turned out that when she went to the toilet, she had to take off her outer skirt and put it on the screen outside. But when she finished taking off her hands and came out, she found that her skirt was missing.
"Girl, if you don't mind dressing up as a slave first!" Liu'er said.
"What will you do if I wear your clothes? No, no, no." Jiang Nuan didn't just care about herself and not care about others.
"It doesn't matter to me," Liu'er said with a smile, "no one is looking at me."
Xu Chunjun also arrived at this time and asked Liu'er: "Okay, why is the skirt missing? Have you looked around for it?"
"I've found it, but it's not there. Let the girl wear my clothes first." Liu'er felt in her heart that Xu Chunjun was meddling in other people's business.
"Didn't you prepare more when you came?" Xu Chunjun asked.
"I was in such a hurry when I came out that I forgot about it. That's why I said I would give mine to the girl." Liu'er said.
"Your skirt is green plum color, and your girl's top is Western blue, which doesn't look good together." Xu Chunjun said, "I brought extra, and I went to the car outside to get some."
