bayedsolid Chapter 445 The Wen Sisters Resist Attending the Palace Banquet
Chapter 445 The Wen Sisters Resist Attending the Palace Banquet
Seeing the nervous looks on her eldest and second eldest sisters' faces, Wenwen asked directly, "Mother, could it be that the Emperor will bestow a marriage upon us at the palace banquet?"
A marriage bestowed upon someone at a palace banquet?
This speculation caused Wenxia and Wenyi's expressions to change.
The two women, one nineteen and the other eighteen, were considered fully grown women in Zhongzhao Kingdom for not being married at that age.
However, given that the Wen family had been exiled for several years, which delayed the marriages of the two girls, this was understandable.
Wen Qilin is now a meritorious official and a rising star in the capital. The Wen family is powerful and influential.
There are quite a few people who want to discuss marriage with the Wen family.
At the banquet, some ladies from other families tried to subtly inquire about the Wen family's grandmother and Madam Ren, but the two women politely declined. Their reasoning was that the Wen family had been struggling in the northern desert for the past few years, suffering from hunger and cold, and that the young lady's health had been compromised. They suggested that the family stay home and recuperate for a while before discussing the matter further.
At that time, several ladies looked displeased. They were afraid that some of them were too hasty and would ask the emperor for help. What if the emperor and his concubines acted impulsively and randomly paired up couples at the palace banquet? How would the Wen family deal with that?
"That's what I'm worried about. If this were in the manor, your grandmother could refuse, but how could she refuse in the palace?"
As soon as Madam Ren finished speaking, Wenxia frowned and asked, "Mother, are we still going to the palace banquet tomorrow?"
"I'm definitely going to go."
Madam Ren comforted them, saying, "However, you all need to be careful and not fall into someone's trap."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wenyi said, "Aunt, I am ill tomorrow. I am too ill to go to the palace."
Uh!
Looking at Wenyi's rosy, healthy face, Mrs. Ren felt exhausted. This child is so outspoken!
Before Madam Ren could speak, Wenxia continued, "Mother, I'm not feeling well either. I've been catching colds these past few years and have had a persistent cough that requires daily medication. I won't be able to go to the palace tomorrow either."
"Cough, cough!" After saying that, he pretended to cough a few times, putting on a frail appearance.
Then, Wenyi grabbed Wenxia and exclaimed dramatically, "Oh dear, big sister, why are you coughing again? Quick, let me help you into the house to lie down. Come on, get up, let's both go into the house and lie down together."
These two were quick-witted and could come up with excuses on the spot, even putting on a little show of making a quick getaway.
This instantly left everyone present both amused and exasperated.
The three sisters-in-law of the Ren family twitched at the corners of their mouths, feeling disgusted. These girls, after being exiled, had all lost their personalities. Their original gentle, quiet, and calm side was gone, replaced by a dashing, unrestrained, and mischievous demeanor. Fortunately, they still knew to restrain themselves in front of outsiders.
“Yi’er, stop acting strangely, be quiet and listen to what your aunt has to say,” said Madam Ye.
Madam Ren looked at her sisters and said, "There are some things you can't avoid by simply not showing up. Being sick isn't a good excuse. Don't come up with such bad ideas!"
"Whether the manor has consulted a doctor during this period or not, outsiders can tell at a glance. Your excuses are untenable. Even if your second aunt is at home, you can cover it up a bit and use excuses like a cold or fever. Forget about those lame ideas about being terminally ill and taking medicine every day."
"Aunt, what should my sister and I do? We don't want to get married so early."
Wenyi suddenly became depressed. "We haven't even been to that city yet. If we get married, we'll have to stay at home and take care of our husbands and children. Then no city will matter to us anymore. Just thinking about that kind of life is annoying."
"Auntie, please help us think of a solution!"
Wenyi finally looked pitiful and begged for help, which touched Ren's heart.
She, Ye, and Wei looked at each other, and then the two of them nodded.
Seeing this, the sisters were all puzzled as to what kind of medicine their mothers were selling in the pot.
Several of her older sisters gave Wenwen meaningful glances. Okay, as their representative, she stepped forward to help them and asked.
"Mother, what kind of prescription are you holding? My eldest and second eldest sisters are about to fall ill, you'd better hurry up and prescribe the right medicine, hehehe!"
Playful remarks flowed freely. After a pause, Wenwen asked directly, "Mother, did Aying bring you a letter from my father today? Will my father and second uncle be able to come home tomorrow?"
Tomorrow is the day of the palace banquet, the day before New Year's Eve. The emperor has allowed Wen Qilin and Wen Qiyuan to return to the capital for the New Year this year, as long as the border affairs are arranged properly. They are allowed to return to the northern desert after the Lantern Festival.
Before dawn today, A Ying flew back to the capital. Upon arriving at the Wen residence, her first stop wasn't to find Wen Wen, but instead she ran to Madam Ren's courtyard, chirping incessantly. She was almost caught and plucked and stewed by a strong maid. In the end, Madam Ren lied and said that it was a little bird she was keeping for Wen Wen to keep her company, and asked everyone to leave it alone in the future.
Ah Ying finally followed Madam Ren into the house, and only after eating and drinking her fill did she fly off to find Wenwen.
As for what A-Ying and Mrs. Ren said, Wen-Wen didn't know or was unclear, which is why she asked the question earlier.
cough!
Madam Ren coughed lightly and took out a few pages of a book, saying, "This is a letter that your uncle asked Aying to bring back. There are a few pages inside. Take a look at them."
After saying this, Madam Ren gave each of her sisters a page of letter, except for Wenwen, who didn't receive one.
To satisfy her curiosity, Wenwen moved closer to Wenxia and looked at the letter in her hand.
This page turned out to be not a letter at all, but a portrait of a man. Below the portrait were a few lines of text that concisely introduced the man's personal information.
Wenwen was puzzled. What did this mean? She didn't understand, couldn't guess, and couldn't figure it out!
Not only did she not understand, but the other girls who received the portrait understood even less.
What does Father/Uncle mean by this? Does it mean they've found husbands for them? Could this be their future husbands?
One moment they were saying that their elders wouldn't arrange marriages for them, and the next moment they were giving each of them a portrait of a man. What does this mean?
As the eldest sister, Wenxia couldn't hold back any longer and asked with a bitter face, "Mother, what does Father mean by this? Did he secretly betroth me to someone else?"
"How could Father do this? I, I..." Before she could finish speaking, Wenxia shed two lines of tears.
"Big sister, don't worry," Wenxia comforted her. "Ask the questions first, then you can cry later."
"Mother, what exactly is going on?"
Wenwen grew anxious and urged, "Hurry up and tell me, otherwise, these sisters' tears will flood the Wen family mansion. If they get angry and tear down all the flowers and plants in the house, I don't think we'll have any flowers left to admire."
"Puch-"
The three women, Ren, Ye, and Wei, all smiled at the same time.
"Xia'er, why are you in such a hurry?"
Mrs. Ren teased, "You weren't always like this!"
“Your father’s idea is to find husbands for you and your sisters in the northern desert, so that it will be more convenient for you to travel from there to Xingyu City in the future. However, he has not asked for your opinions and cannot make this decision on his own. Therefore, he asked Aying to bring these portraits back first so that I can ask for your opinions.”
"If you agree, then at tomorrow's palace banquet, if anyone tries to matchmake people, you'll have a reason to refuse."
clap clap clap!
Wenwen couldn't help but clap her hands and ask.