bayedsolid Chapter 866 Everything went smoothly!
Chapter 866 Everything went smoothly!
“Anuan, Sun Ruomei has been officially adopted by Madam Sun and is now the daughter of the Minister’s family.”
"Yes, with the Empress's previous reward, my status is now even more appropriate."
Li seemed somewhat disapproving, "After all, she was adopted. Her status...I'm afraid it's..."
"Is Mother worried that someone might be dissatisfied with this?" Mu Xin Nuan could also hear the worry in her mother's words.
"As you know, Madam Sun and I became friends because of your relationship with Ruoxiang. She's actually quite a simple person. She's happy to have another daughter now, but if she were to become the Crown Prince's consort with Duanmu Xing, I'm afraid..."
“Mother’s considerations are valid. However, now that the Empress has entrusted this matter to me, I must come up with a solution. Nowadays, most of the noble ladies in the capital no longer dare to covet the Crown Prince, so their eyes will inevitably be set on a few princes. Among them, Duanmu Xing is probably the most favored.”
Li remained silent. This was the natural order of things. Duanmu Xing's status and position were what they were, and he was handsome. In addition, he had gained the favor of the Emperor and the Crown Prince, receiving frequent attention and being sent to the military camp for training.
Anyone with eyes can see that in the future, this Crown Prince Ming will likely be more valued than his father.
Although his birth mother came from a slightly less privileged background, now that he has been adopted by the Princess, he is a legitimate son. With the added status of heir apparent, he has undoubtedly dazzled countless noble ladies.
"I heard that Madam Lu has recently started to set her sights on this young master again. She's been visiting the Prince Ming's residence quite frequently these past few days."
"Her? I heard she was confined to her quarters before. If it weren't for the New Year and the need for a matriarch, then Madam He is a widow, and I'm afraid the Duke of Dingguo wouldn't have released her."
"But this Madam Lu is really troublesome. Why can't she see through me?"
"Forget it, don't get upset over someone unrelated. Princess Ming isn't stupid. She knows that Madam Lu is not favored by the Crown Prince, so how could she possibly allow her son to marry a girl from the Lu family? Even if he does marry her, I'm afraid he can only give her the position of a concubine."
"That's true." Mu Xin Nuan was quite confident in the Princess Ming's judgment.
It's just unknown whether Princess Ming would be happy to have Sun Ruomei become her legitimate daughter-in-law.
By the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the New Year celebrations are almost over.
The court was bustling again, and Mu Xin Nuan was also focusing her attention on Sun Ruo Mei.
That day, the East Palace became lively again. Princess Ming and Lady Li arrived at the East Palace one after the other, and soon after, Lady Sun arrived with Sun Ruomei.
"Let me see quickly. That day in the main hall, I originally wanted to hold her hand and have a good talk, but His Highness the Crown Prince wouldn't allow it and insisted that I come back to rest."
Madam Li smiled and said, "His Highness the Crown Prince is just worried about you and doesn't want to see you tired."
"Mother, there's no need to take his side. Today we are all women; let's not talk about the good things about men, but only about ourselves!"
Princess Ming looked Sun Ruomei up and down. "This child is indeed beautiful. She is also very calm and steady, unlike my husband, who is a complete tomboy."
"Look at this, what kind of mother talks about her daughter like that? Isn't she deliberately trying to provoke me and make fun of me for not having a daughter?"
While teasing her, Mu Xinnuan waved to Aunt Fang.
"Good girl, I didn't have time to give you a gift last time, so this time, I'll be generous and give you this set of jewelry. Whenever you have time, remember to come to the East Palace and keep me company."
Madam Sun probably guessed the Crown Princess's intentions, but Sun Ruomei didn't understand.
Upon seeing that the Crown Princess had sent such a generous gift, how could he dare to accept it?
"Your Majesty, I am truly unworthy to accept such a precious gift!"
"Get up quickly, what's there to be afraid of? You're not an outsider, after all. Now that Ruoxiang is far away in Yanzhou, you should do your best to be filial to Madam Sun. When Ruoxiang comes back, she will be even more grateful to you, her younger sister."
Everyone was slightly taken aback.
Does the Crown Princess mean that Duan Muchen can still return to the capital, or that only Sun Ruoxiang, as a female relative, can return to the capital?
Seeing their suspicious looks, Mu Xin Nuan simply smiled and said, "In a few days, when the weather gets warmer, Mother will summon Wang Xin Yan and Ruo Xiang back to the capital for a visit. Of course, it's impossible for them to come back at the same time. Duanmu Chen needs someone to take care of him. Speaking of which, Mother misses her great-grandson."
"The Empress Dowager has been in good health lately, and I'm afraid that whenever she sees Xiao Zonghua, she thinks of those two little children." Upon hearing this, Princess Ming probably understood.
Mrs. Sun was so excited!
Therefore, even if Duanmu Chen falls, Sun Ruoxiang's life won't be too difficult.
At least, according to the letters they received, they were not worried about food and clothing in Yanzhou.
Madam Sun understood that, on the one hand, it was because the Crown Prince still remembered the affection he had for the late Crown Prince, and on the other hand, it was probably because Sun Ruoxiang and the Crown Princess had been on good terms in the past, which was why she was being treated this way now.
Mrs. Sun was both excited and grateful.
When my daughter became friends with Mu Xinnuan, the Mu family wasn't considered particularly prominent. But what about now?
The Mu family exudes nobility, and the male members of Mu Xin Nuan's generation are all talented young men, while the Mu family's daughters have all married well.
Apart from Mu Xin Nuan, the others may not seem to have married particularly well, but in reality, people in officialdom understand that as long as these young people don't make any major mistakes, they will all become the Crown Prince's right-hand men in the future.
Sun Ruomei's eyes flickered. Since the Crown Princess had already said so much, she naturally couldn't refuse any further, as that would seem pretentious or even ungrateful!
"Thank you, Princess."
"Alright, please sit down. I'll just call you Ruomei from now on. The other day you played a tune on the zither in the palace, and I found it very pleasant to listen to. I wonder if you could let us enjoy this music again today?"
Princess Ming clapped her hands with a smile, "That makes sense. Since we received the Crown Princess's reward, we can't just take it for nothing. Quickly, go and fetch the zither."
Princess Ming behaved as if they were talking as a family member, without any airs of a princess.
Li covered her mouth and laughed, "To me, it looks like we elders are bullying a little girl."
These words drew laughter from the room.
Even the usually composed Sun Ruomei couldn't help but chuckle this time.
He accepted the zither handed to him by Chunyu, and a beautiful melody once again resounded throughout the Eastern Palace.