good season

Chapter 121: Enemy (Two chapters in one)

In a blink of an eye, it was the day of the Spring Banquet. Fan Qiujun dressed up early. Her entire outfit was made at great expense by an embroiderer. It was simple and elegant yet bright, graceful yet not ostentatious.

But the person who came to pick her up was only Nanny Yun from Prince Liang's mansion, but there was no sign of Zhao Yunnuan.

Fan Qiujun was displeased. This nun was so rude.

We can discuss the marriage now, and when she is done mourning, marry her off far away.

So what if she has the title of princess? As long as she marries far away, even the empress cannot interfere in her family's affairs. Besides, what good marriage can a princess of a vassal king have? She will either marry a poor family or a poor scholar. By then, her poor relatives will come to her house to ask for money every now and then. She will see how much prestige she can still show off.

As for Zhao Shiqing who was far away in Baihe Mountain, Fan Qiujun didn't take him seriously at all.

She is just an adopted daughter. Looking at her a few more times is like alms to her.

Nanny Yun remained silent, but she could see the disdain in the cousin's words.

Liangdi is warmer, and the wisteria flowers are in full bloom, rendering the huge villa as beautiful as a dream. Not only the wisteria flower walls, but also various exotic flowers have been moved out of the greenhouse at this time, colorful and gorgeous.

When Fan Qiujun arrived, there were ladies gathered in groups of three or four everywhere in the villa. The Prince Liang's Mansion was still in mourning, so the clothes of these ladies were mostly elegant, but they complemented the wisteria in the garden. It was obvious that they had put a lot of effort into their dressing.

They were either chatting, reciting poetry, or painting, each enjoying their own moment.

Fan Qiujun's eyes quickly swept over the ladies, but she did not see Zhao Yunnuan.

The displeasure in her heart became stronger and stronger. What happened? After picking her up, Zhao Yunnuan herself had not arrived yet. Was he deliberately leaving her out in the cold, or did he not take her seriously at all?
No wonder my mother always said that girls should get married when they grow up, and if they stay in their parents' home, sooner or later something will happen to them.

Zhao Yunnuan will be twenty years old after the Chinese New Year, but she still wants to stay in her parents' home at such an old age. It's because her aunt is cowardly. If she were in other families, she would be sent to the farm even if she couldn't get married.

At this moment, there was a commotion not far away, and then a eunuch sang loudly in a shrill voice: "The eldest princess has arrived - Miss Meng has arrived -"

The ladies who were originally scattered among the flowers like pearls now all gathered there, each with a look of joy at being reunited after a long separation.

Fan Qiujun snorted in her heart. These women from Liang were no worse than those from Wu. They were all trying to curry favor with the powerful. She didn't believe that they wanted to see Zhao Yunnuan so much. They were just pretending.

Wait, Miss Meng?
Could it be that Miss Meng who came with Zhao Yunnuan is the granddaughter that old Hanlin Meng found in the mountains?
Yes, in the eyes of Fan Qiuyun, who is 28 years old, Miss Meng, who is already in her prime, is an old woman. Since she is the granddaughter of the Meng family, doesn’t that mean she is an old granddaughter?

Thinking of this, Fan Qiujun no longer cared about laughing at those ladies. She lifted her skirt and walked towards that direction, and her maid Min'er hurriedly followed behind her.

Zhao Yunnuan was introducing the girl standing next to her to the ladies. The girl was tall and slender, and was also wearing a plain dress. Her cloud-like hair had only two mutton-fat jade hairpins inserted in it. Her dress was almost the same as the other ladies in the garden, but her long eyebrows, bright eyes, and calm demeanor made her different from the others. However, she was not like the peony among the flowers that dominated the beauty.

She is very beautiful and dazzling, yet she leaves some room for improvement, making people unable to help but feel attracted to her and want to get closer to her, like apricot blossoms welcoming the drizzle or summer lotus intoxicated by the moonlight.

Fan Qiujun's face turned pale. Is this the granddaughter that the Meng family found?
Didn't he grow up in the mountains, crude and ugly, and not worthy of being in a refined society?

Isn't it that your beauty has faded and you are too old to get married?

Fan Qiujun took two steps back, but forced herself to stand firm. What happened to her?
Although this woman is quite pretty and has a certain demeanor, anyone who is not blind can see at a glance that there is a frost in her eyes, which is something that a pampered girl in a boudoir does not have and which cannot be faded no matter how hard she takes care of herself.

When you are old, you are old.

She had just turned sixteen. If she was a bud about to bloom, then this Meng woman was a withered flower.

Fan Qiujun smiled, feeling proud of herself for thinking of the term "fallen flowers and withered willows".

With a smile on her lips and light steps, she walked beautifully, like a willow swaying in the wind.

Nanny Yun had introduced Fan Qiujun to those ladies before. Everyone knew that she was the niece of Princess Nie and the eldest princess's cousin.

Therefore, when they saw her coming, the ladies all made way for her, which made Fan Qiuyun more confident.

She has uncles who are officials, a noble family, a generous dowry, and she is young and beautiful.

She has everything that Miss Meng has, but she also has things that Miss Meng doesn't have.

She had inquired about it, and found out that although the Meng family was not completely penniless, they were also stretched to the limit. Although old Hanlin Meng had found his granddaughter, all the family resources were given to the children born to his second wife. All that was left for Miss Meng was the false reputation of being from a scholarly family.

With this kind of background, he is nothing in front of Prince Liang's Mansion.

Fan Qiujun walked up to Zhao Yunnuan and smiled: "Cousin, why did you come just now? Yun'er has been waiting for you for a long time."

Zhao Yunnuan nodded slightly and said to Fan Qiujun, "Miss Fan, you've come at the right time. I'll introduce Sister Meng to you."

Fan Qiujun's smile froze on her face, but the villains in the hearts of the ladies around her were shouting wildly.

One is Miss Fan and the other is Sister Meng, and the difference in their closeness and distance is immediately apparent.

The funniest thing is this Miss Fan. The eldest princess is a princess conferred by the emperor. When we see her, who among us doesn't bow respectfully and call her "madam princess"? But this Miss Fan calls her "cousin sister". Does she really think that anyone can call her "sister" in front of the eldest princess? Do you think you are the second lady?
Zhao Yunnuan smiled and said to Fan Qiujun: "Sister Meng has been engaged to my brother. For now, we can still call her Sister Meng. The next time she shows up, everyone will address her as the Princess."

All the ladies smiled and congratulated him. They had heard the rumor before, and when they saw Zhao Yunnuan and Meng Xiaotang appear together today, they knew that today's Spring Banquet was specially organized by Zhao Yunnuan for Meng Xiaotang, so that she could make her official debut at the banquet and also take the opportunity to announce the engagement of the two families.

Amid the sounds of congratulations and praise, Fan Qiuyun's heart grew colder and colder.

"My cousin is engaged? When did this happen? Does my aunt know about it?"

The maid Min'er pulled her sleeve hard, trying to stop her from talking, but she couldn't help it. She risked her life to come to Liangdi, and was almost killed by that bitch Nie Rongrong. But now, she hadn't even met Zhao Tinghan, but Zhao Yunnuan told her that Zhao Tinghan was already engaged? Was he playing a trick on her?
Yes, Zhao Yunnuan must have done it on purpose. It was clear that after they met Zhao Yunnuan that day, when they presented generous gifts to Nie, Nie looked at her with kindness and love. She held her hand, asked her a lot of questions, and even gave her a pair of bracelets as a reward.

Yes, my aunt must not know about this. How can there be any marriage without the permission of the parents? Is it an affair without a matchmaker?
Zhao Yunnuan smiled helplessly, as if explaining to the ignorant younger generation at home: "Such a big thing, how could it be possible without the approval of mother? It's just that the Liang Palace is still in mourning, so everything is kept simple. I'm afraid that Sister Meng will be wronged. However, the etiquette that the royal family should have will not be reduced. Miss Fan may as well stay in Liangdu for a few more days. In three days, the Liang Palace will propose marriage. Although brother can't come back, he will ask my cousin Rui to go to Meng's Mansion on his behalf. My cousin Rui is a talented writer and can speak eloquently. By then, I'm afraid that all the scholars in Liangdu will go to Meng's Mansion to share in the good fortune."

The cousin Rui mentioned by Zhao Yunnuan is named Zhao Tingrui. He and Zhao Yunnuan have the same great-grandfather, but he is from a concubine's family.

This Mr. Rui was a famous talented and romantic man in Liangdu. He had also been Zhao Tingxuan's study partner. Nie disliked him for being reckless and replaced him.

However, since Zhao Tinghan came back, Zhao Tingrui often went to Wang Ling, so it was obviously Zhao Tinghan's decision to let him go to the Meng family to propose marriage.

But Fan Qiujun didn't know these things. In her opinion, Zhao Yunnuan was lying.

"Impossible, how could my aunt arrange a marriage for my cousin so easily?"

Zhao Yunnuan's face turned cold, and she said in a cold voice: "My brother is getting married according to the imperial decree. Does Miss Fan think that mother will disobey the order?"

Before he finished speaking, the ladies all knelt down, but they all secretly glanced at Fan Qiuyun.

Min Er quickly poked her hard, and Fan Qiujun finally reacted and knelt down: "Yun Er didn't mean that, Yun Er wouldn't dare to..."

Zhao Yunnuan's eyes passed over her hair and looked at the other ladies: "Why are you all kneeling? Please excuse me."

Everyone stood up, only Fan Qiujun was still kneeling there. Just now, she felt the pressure brought by Zhao Yunnuan. She lowered her head, her nails digging deeply into her flesh.

She still didn't believe that Nie would agree to this marriage.

In fact, Fan Qiuyun was right. Nie did not agree.

She had just met the father and daughter of the Fan family when Zhao Yunnuan arrived and told her about the marriage with the Meng family. Nie immediately rejected it.

She had never met Meng Xiaotang, but she opposed anything that Zhao Yunnuan wanted to see happen.

Zhao Yunnuan said coldly: "Brother is in the royal mausoleum and cannot report to you in person. Now I am speaking for him. Mission accomplished. Aunt Zhang, go find the jade ruyi left by my grandmother. I will take it away now."

Hearing this, Nie was like a cat whose tail was stepped on. She jumped up without caring about her manners and said, "Don't go looking for her! Don't go!"

Nanny Zhang's foot was suspended in the air as she stepped forward. She looked at Nie and then at Zhao Yunnuan.

Zhao Yunnuan smiled slightly and said, "That jade ruyi was left by my grandmother to my eldest grandson's wife. I put it with you for safekeeping. If you like it, I will have someone carve a few of them and send them to you."

She remained calm and said to Aunt Zhang who was in a dilemma, "Aunt Zhang, go quickly. No one knows where the things in Suining Palace are better than you."

Nanny Zhang sighed, but without hesitation, she walked out quickly.

Nie pointed at Zhao Yunnuan and cursed, "You unfilial daughter! Why wasn't it you who died that year? Why?"

The smile on Zhao Yunnuan's face disappeared. Why wasn't she the one who died? Haha, this sentence actually came from her own mother's mouth.

It was Aying who died, but why did Aying die? As a mother, didn't she have any responsibility for Aying's death?

Why would Nie Qionghua kidnap Aying for no reason? It's all because of her as a mother.

"Mother, if I were you, I would recite sutras and pray for my father and Aying, do good deeds to atone for their sins, and beg for their forgiveness for the rest of my life.

Forget it, I see that you are getting sicker, and Aunt Zhang can’t handle it alone, so I’ll send a few more people over.”

After saying that, Zhao Yunnuan turned around and left. The sound of broken porcelain was heard behind her, but she did not look back.

When he walked out of the house, he saw Aunt Zhang holding the Jade Ruyi. Zhao Yunnuan opened the brocade box and took a look. After confirming that this was the one left by her grandmother, she nodded and said to Aunt Zhang, "The deed to the farm has been given to your son. I asked him to bring his grandson to see you in a few days."

Nanny Zhang's eyes lit up. Two months ago, her daughter-in-law had a difficult delivery, and it was Zhao Yunnuan who helped her invite an old midwife who had retired from the palace many years ago. She saved her daughter-in-law and her grandson.

Not only that, Zhao Yunnuan also gave her a small farm, so that even if she no longer had a job in the palace in the future, their whole family would still have no worries about food and clothing.

That night, there were more than a dozen people in Suining Palace. Nie had no choice but to become "sick" again.

Three days later, Zhao Tingrui, dressed in fine clothes, rode a tall horse, and went to the Meng Mansion with betrothal gifts to propose marriage.

The most prosperous street in Liangdu was filled with people watching the fun. Children were trying to squeeze forward, waiting to grab the wedding money. Although there was no music, the wedding money from the Liang Palace was being scattered all the way. Amid the blessings of the people, the team carrying the betrothal gifts moved forward.

The number of betrothal gifts given by the princes was only a dozen loads less than that of the crown prince. The first ones had already been carried into the Meng residence, and the latter ones had just been carried out of the Liang prince's residence.

In a private room of a restaurant facing the street, the father and daughter of the Fan family stood at the window, looking at the team passing by downstairs with grim faces.

"Father, I can't accept this. I really can't accept this. Who can't do this? Why is it that old woman surnamed Meng? How can she compare to me? It's all Zhao Yunnuan's doing. My cousin lives in Wangling and must have never seen the old woman surnamed Meng. And my aunt, she must not know about this. It's all Zhao Yunnuan's doing."

"Nonsense!" Master Fan rebuked in a deep voice, "How could the eldest princess conceal the marriage of Prince Liang? Since she said that it was the old Princess Nie who agreed, then it must be true, daughter. We were fooled by that woman!"

The "woman" that Mr. Fan mentioned is Princess Nie.

Fan Qiujun was stunned at first, but she soon understood: "Wasn't it that my second uncle died in vain?"

Master Fan sneered, "It doesn't matter if you don't want this princess. She's just a sickly girl. With my daughter's looks, she can even be a concubine. Don't worry, Dad will find a better marriage for her. The hardships you've endured on the road can't be in vain. If you want to play tricks on our Fan family, I will make her pay the price. What she owes us will be returned tenfold or a hundredfold!"