Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 810 Wrath [Thank you! Thank you again! 6K chapters owed]

chatting and laughing,

Xie stood up.
Holding a booklet, she walked up to Madam Sun: "Mother, this is the seating chart for the gratitude banquet that your daughter-in-law and Hualan have drafted together."

"There were quite a few dignitaries invited that day, and my daughter-in-law and Hualan are a little worried. Please give us your opinion."

Sun, who was about to refuse, smiled and nodded, saying, "How many banquets have you and Hualan hosted?"

"Mother, please take a look, just for my sister-in-law's and my own sake," Hua Lan pleaded from the side.

"Alright! I'll take a look."

As she spoke, Mrs. Sun took the booklet, opened it, and began to read it carefully.

Mrs. Sun nodded as she read.

Seeing Sun's expression, Xie and Hualan exchanged a smile.

The arrangement of such a banquet is quite elaborate.

Not only must one understand the official ranks and titles of the guests,
It is also necessary to clarify the intricate relationships among the prominent families in the capital.

For example, this is so-and-so's maternal home, so-and-so is related to so-and-so's family, etc.

Once the guests are seated, they can chat with relatives or acquaintances, making the meal more lively.

If two families have a disagreement and are accidentally seated at the same table, it could lead to an awkward silence, or even a public argument after some sarcastic remarks.

That would definitely cause a very unpleasant situation.

If the guests cause a scene, not only will the guests be embarrassed, but the host who arranged the seating will also be embarrassed.

"Good! This arrangement is excellent."

As she spoke, Madam Sun turned another page, a hint of confusion in her eyes. She asked, "The second eldest daughter of the Marquis of Changxing, Fu, is being arranged to live near the Sheng family's relatives?"

Before Hua Lan could speak, Madam Sun exclaimed with sudden realization, "Yes, yes, this lady's surname is Feng! I think her given name is Ziyi? Her family should be a branch of the Duke of Cheng's mansion?"

“Yes, Mother! The Feng family are relatives of my maternal grandfather’s family. It’s easier to talk to them with my mother from my maternal family here,” Hua Lan said with a smile.

After nodding, Madam Sun glanced at the table a few more times and asked, "Then isn't the Hua family already engaged to the Sheng family?"

Hua Lan looked at Madam Sun and said, "Mother, you know how my mother is at home, she's very outspoken. I think it's better to avoid trouble."

"That's true." Madam Sun nodded.

After flipping through it a few more times, Mrs. Sun closed the booklet.

Seeing Hua Lan exchanging glances with Xie Shi, Sun Shi asked in confusion, "Hua'er, what's wrong?"

Hua Lan pursed her lips.

Madam Xie smiled and said, "Hualan, you can just tell your mother about that matter."

Mrs. Sun nodded with a smile.

Hua Lan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Mother, the only family member whose daughter-in-law is still undecided about is my fourth sister, Mo Lan's, marriage."

After saying just this one sentence, Madam Sun understood Hua Lan's meaning and agreed, "Hua'er, you're absolutely right!"

"When the time comes, have your mother-in-law come to our house early, and then you can take Molan to see more people and let her meet them."

"If we can find a good match, that would be double the joy."

Hua Lan smiled, stood up, and curtsied, saying, "Thank you, Mother."

After gesturing for Hua Lan to sit down, Madam Sun added, "However..."

Hua Lan quickly looked over.

Madam Xie added with a smile, "Mother, are you implying that the Sheng family might receive a lot of invitations today?"

“That’s right!” Madam Sun looked at Hua Lan and said, “Those in the capital who are well-informed already knew that your brother from your maternal family was going to marry a girl from the Hai family.”

"Today, an imperial envoy will go to Jiying Lane to deliver a decree. After several such announcements, Mo Lan's marriage will likely be settled soon."

Hua Lan nodded upon hearing this, but after a moment's thought, a hint of worry appeared in her eyes. If Mo Lan were to be proposed to by a very good family, Wang Ruofu would probably be furious.

Xingguofang
The Duke of Qi's Mansion

backyard,

Buwei stood solemnly at the door of Qi Heng's study, staring blankly at the corridor not far away.

suddenly,

Princess Pingning, accompanied by her maids and servants, appeared not far away.

He hurriedly bowed and greeted the princess, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

quickly,

Princess Pingning and her entourage arrived at the entrance of the study and stood still.

Waving the round fan in her hand, Princess Pingning glanced at Buwei's posture and asked in a calm voice, "If the place where you were punished still hurts, go see a doctor."

"Yes, Your Highness! I thank you for your concern."

"Ah."

Princess Pingning then went into the study, while her personal maid and servants remained outside.

As everyone stood quietly, a maid from the Qi family who had come with Princess Pingning couldn't help but glance at the handsome Buwei.

In the study,
"Mother."

Qi Heng stood outside the desk and bowed respectfully to Princess Pingning as she entered the room.

Princess Pingning did not speak, but waved her fan and walked straight to the chair next to Qi Heng and sat down.

"Heng'er, sit down too."

Princess Pingning pointed to the chair next to her with her fan and said.

Qi Heng sat down, and Princess Pingning asked, "What were you doing just now?"

"Reporting to Mother, I was just reading the comments that Scholar Zhuang wrote for my homework the other day."

What are your thoughts after reading this?

"My son is still figuring it out."

"Ah."

After giving a soft "hmm," Princess Pingning fell silent, only the cool breeze she fanned occasionally brushing against Qi Heng.

After a moment of silence, Qi Heng couldn't help but glance at Princess Pingning's expression.

There was another moment of silence.

Just as Qi Heng was trying to find a topic to break the silence,
Princess Pingning stopped waving her fan.
"Heng'er, tomorrow is the Cao family's thank-you banquet, and the day after is the Xu family's thank-you banquet! You have been studying hard at home for many days, so come and join us for the banquets."

Upon hearing this, Qi Heng seemed to remember something, and solemnly stood up, bowed, and said, "Yes, Mother."

Princess Pingning said, "I am your own mother, why are you still being so polite to me! Sit down!"

Qi Heng was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

But when he looked at Princess Pingning, he found that she was looking him up and down.

"Mother?"

"You must know something about what your father and I are planning, right?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Heng lowered his head and remained silent.

"Heng'er, I've come to tell you that an imperial envoy went to the Sheng family in Jiying Lane today to deliver a decree."

As Princess Pingning spoke, Qi Heng suddenly raised his head: "Huh?"

Then, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, Qi Heng asked, "Mother, why did the imperial envoy go to the Sheng family to deliver a decree? Could it be you?"

Princess Pingning stared directly at Qi Heng: "What, Heng'er, do you think I would go to the palace to beg Father Emperor to grant you a marriage?"

Upon hearing this, the hope in Qi Heng's eyes vanished quickly, replaced by confusion.

"Let me make this clear to you today. The angel from the palace went to the Sheng family because Father Emperor bestowed the Sixth Miss Sheng into marriage with Fifth Master Xu."

"brush."

Qi Heng stood up, his eyes filled with disbelief and panic.

"No, it's impossible!"

"Mother, weren't my cousin and Rong Feiyan the ones who were betrothed? What's their relationship with Sheng Liumei?"

Qi Heng shook his head, saying in disbelief.

"When the title of prince was conferred, the imperial edict clearly stated that the Prince of Wei State had two positions for concubines." "Yesterday, a banquet was held in the palace, and His Majesty personally inquired about the Prince of Wei State. The Empress also took a look at him! The Empress and the Crown Princess were both very satisfied."

After listening to Princess Pingning's words, Qi Heng closed his eyes and shook his head, as if he thought he was having a nightmare and wanted to wake himself up.

After failing to get results, Qi Heng opened his eyes, frowned, looked at Princess Pingning, and asked:

"Mother, His Majesty, the Empress, and the Crown Princess are all satisfied with Sixth Sister! If she can be a concubine in the Prince's mansion, why can't she enter my Qi family?"

Princess Pingning, who felt sorry for Qi Heng, couldn't help but feel a surge of anger upon hearing this.

After exhaling through his nose, the Pingning County Magistrate turned away with a stern face, not answering Qi Heng's question, and instead said in a solemn voice, "Just now when I mentioned the Xu family's thank-you banquet, were you trying to take the opportunity to apologize to Miss Sheng the Sixth?"

"Want to try and salvage the relationship?"

Qi Heng was taken aback when Princess Pingning saw through his thoughts.

"Hmph, silence means consent."

Princess Pingning continued in a cold voice:
“Last year you acted willfully and recklessly, giving away the inkstone your cousin gave you, and you also missed the exam questions that Brother Yu guessed correctly, so let’s not talk about that.”

A flash of regret crossed Qi Heng's eyes.

“This year, you first recklessly demanded that His Majesty grant you a marriage in the first month of the lunar year, which almost made your father and me lose face.”

"Later, you failed the imperial examination again!"

"The matter at Yuqing Temple a few days ago was even more unspeakable. Anyone with eyes can see what you're planning."

"These things, one after another, Qi Heng, tell me yourself, in which one of them have you done anything that you have done right by me and your father?!"

Looking at Qi Heng's expression, Princess Pingning frowned and asked, "Just now you asked me why His Majesty and the Empress are satisfied with Minglan, but not with the Qi family."

"Don't you think for yourself who His Majesty and the Empress are actually satisfied with!"

Qi Heng lowered his head and slowly sat back down in his chair.

"Let me make this clear, Qi Heng: ever since you publicly asked for a marriage decree in the palace during the first month of the lunar year, the patriarch of the Sheng family has never agreed to you marrying Sheng Minglan!"

"Not to mention what you did at Yuqing Temple before."

Qi Heng raised his head, his face filled with remorse, and said, "Mother, I... I just want to apologize to Sixth Sister in person. At the time, I was blinded by greed and actually thought of using such despicable means."

"Oh, an apology." Princess Pingning sneered, "You, the heir of a duke, are apologizing to a concubine's daughter? What good is an apology? You've achieved nothing and ended up in this state, isn't it all because of her?"

Qi Heng quickly shook his head: "Mother, no, it wasn't her fault, it was my own fault for being so useless! I almost ruined her reputation."

Hearing Qi Heng's words, Princess Pingning raised her chin, took a deep breath, and composed herself before saying, "Today, you're still wholeheartedly thinking about apologizing to the Sheng family's daughter!"

"When will you ever think of apologizing to me and your father?!"

A word to awaken the dreamer.

Qi Heng suddenly raised his head and immediately saw the tears in Princess Pingning's eyes.

"You have studied hard for many years. If you had gone to the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion with your classmates last year, you would have surely passed the imperial examination with flying colors. Why would you still be here studying?"

Princess Pingning said with regret.

"Mother, your son was wrong!" Qi Heng knelt before Princess Pingning and said, "It was your son who made a mistake and failed you and Father's expectations."

Princess Pingning's expression softened slightly.

"Everything was my own doing, not my sixth sister's fault."

Princess Pingning closed her eyes in pain, the fan in her hand trembling slightly.

"Alright!!!"

Princess Pingning stood up angrily and waved her hand, saying, "You should continue studying at home. Don't go to the thank-you banquets held by those families."

In the midst of the conversation,
Princess Pingning strode out.

"Mother."

Qi Heng, unaware of what was going on, chased after Princess Pingning for a few steps. When he arrived at the door of the study, he was stopped by Princess Pingning's personal maid.

"Mother, your son was wrong," Qi Heng cried out.

Princess Pingning ignored Qi Heng, turned her head to look at Buwei at the door and said coldly, "From now on, the young master doesn't need you to serve him anymore. Pack your bags and leave."

Upon hearing this, Buwei's eyes were filled with confusion.

After being stunned for a moment, Qi Heng asked somewhat flusteredly, "Mother, what are you doing?"

Seeing Princess Pingning's expression, Buwei pursed his lips, bowed his head, and said, "Yes, Your Highness."

Then, Buwei bowed and cupped his hands in greeting to Qi Heng, saying, "Young Master, this humble servant..."

With a lump in his throat, Buwei lowered his head and took a deep breath: "This humble servant takes his leave."

Seeing the servant who had raised him about to leave, Qi Heng said helplessly, "Mother, where did I go wrong? Please tell me, and I will definitely correct myself!"

"Buwei, don't go! You can't leave! Mother, please don't send Buwei away! Mother—"

Princess Pingning raised her chin, her face stern, took a deep breath, and left the vicinity of the study.

Ningyuan Marquis's Residence

Gu Tingye's courtyard,
In the main house,
"Daddy—"

"Ugh!"

"Yanran, our son is so clever, he speaks so clearly!" Gu Tingye said, turning his head to look at his wife who was embroidering.

Chrysanthemum, who was standing to the side, covered her mouth and laughed.

Yanran nodded helplessly: "Yes, yes! Your son is the smartest in the whole world."

"That's right!" Gu Tingye laughed, lifting his son up so that the son could sit on his shoulders.

"Giggle, giggle." The child laughed happily.

Gu Tingye, carrying his son, walked to Yanran's side and said, "My wife, it's Jingge's wedding, why do you have to embroider things yourself? Look at the embroidery, it's more elaborate than my clothes."

Yanran put on a stern face and glared at Gu Tingye.

Seeing Yanran's slightly angry and reproachful look, Gu Tingye looked away, feeling rather embarrassed.

"mother--"

Gu Tingye's son, who was above his head, called out at just the right moment.

Yanran's expression softened quickly, and after a smile appeared, she said, "Good girl."

Then, Yanran continued to embroider with her head down, saying, "If it weren't for Brother Xu Wu, I don't know what I would have looked like. You know what happened."

“Minglan is also a friend I’ve known since childhood. We’ve always been close. How could I not be attentive to such an important matter as my lifelong marriage?”

"Alright, alright, it was my fault, please forgive me, my wife."

Gu Tingye smiled and apologized.

"Ah."

Yanran continued embroidering.

"Second Young Master, Steward Shi has arrived."

"come in."

Soon, Zhi Que entered the room, bowed and said, "Young Master, the servant at the back gate just reported that someone from the Duke of Qi's mansion has left with luggage."

"So what if they leave? What does the Qi family's business have to do with us?"

"The one who said he was leaving was Brother Buwei, who served by Young Master Qi's side."

"Not?"

Gu Tingye and Yanran exchanged a surprised glance.

"Why would he leave if he hasn't been with Yuan Ruo since childhood? Could it be that something happened at home?"

"The villain doesn't know."

"Alright, go ask around. If there's anything they can help with, just let Buwei ask."

"The villain understands."

After Zhi Que left,

After thinking for a moment, Yanran said, "My lord, do you think this matter has anything to do with Sixth Sister becoming a concubine in the Prince's mansion?"

Gu Tingye sighed helplessly.

(End of this chapter)