First, Old Lady Yu saw her own granddaughter speak viciously to the Ninth Princess, then coaxed the Ninth Princess to come closer. That slyness (vulgarity) on her face couldn't be concealed, and she really wanted to dig a hole to hide in. Hearing Her Majesty the Empress stifle her laughter, a bean-sized drop of cold sweat trickled down her forehead, afraid that this brat would continue to cause trouble.
On the other hand, Yu Pinyan was very calm, and no expression could be seen on his sculpted handsome face.
The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess also turned their faces away, their shoulders slightly shaking. The scene of two snowball-like little girls staring at each other was really too cute.
"Her leg became like this because she saved Yu Pinyan?" Her Majesty the Empress asked in a low voice.
"Yes." Old Lady Yu nodded.
"Can it still be cured?"
"Director Xue has already examined it. He said that unless Master Ku Hui acts, there is no hope."
Originally, there was still a Doctor Piao to rely on, but she missed the opportunity to save the Crown Prince. Old Lady Yu couldn't mention this in front of the imperial family, otherwise, it would imply that she wanted to repay the favor.
Even if she didn't mention it, Her Majesty the Empress wouldn't forget. She immediately expressed, "Don't worry, ben gong has already sent people to find Master Ku Hui. As long as the Master is still in the human world, ben gong will definitely bring him back."
Before Old Lady Yu could reply, Yu Pinyan had already bowed, his tone sincere, "This subject thanks Her Majesty the Empress for her great kindness on behalf of your sister."
"Don't say this. It's also thanks to you that Cheng Si (Crown Prince) could safely return to ben gong's side this time. The one who should say thanks should be ben gong. " Her Majesty the Empress smiled and waved her hand, pointing at the cute little girl among the flowers, saying, "Yu Xiang is also a good one. She understands the importance of righteousness at such a young age. Ben gong's Little Ball has the clearest thoughts. She can't be wrong to fall in love with someone at first sight. "
Old Lady Yu repeatedly said that she didn't dare. Looking forward, the stone that had just been lifted from her heart was lifted again. She saw her granddaughter quickly lift the blanket, and before The Ninth Princess could react, she quickly covered it again. Then she chuckled as she rubbed The Ninth Princess's head. What happened to taking a look? You damned child, the Empress is watching you, yet you dare to deceive the Ninth Princess.
The Ninth Princess also felt that she had been deceived. She stared at Yu Xiang accusingly and said in a crisp voice, "I didn't see anything!"
"That's because you don't have good eyesight. Don't blame me." Yu Xiang smiled and said, "I'll show you one more time. Give me a bite of the pastry in your hand. Just one bite!" She looked so round, she must be a foodie.
The Ninth Princess was conflicted, but when she saw Lotus Seed Cake smiling so beautifully, she reluctantly stretched out her hand.
Yu Xiang didn't hold back at all. She swallowed all the pastries in one gulp, leaving only some crumbs on The Ninth Princess' fingertips. The Ninth Princess stared at her in shock. Her mouth was flat, her nose twitched, and her eyes were red. She revealed an adorable crying face.
Old Lady Yu stood behind the Empress and couldn't see her expression. She also didn't dare to turn around to look at the Crown Prince and Crown Princess's expressions. She only felt that her soul had left her body and her soul had ascended to heaven. She was almost scared to death by Yu Xiang, this brat!
Yu Xiang laughed until she fell. She reached out to rub The Ninth Princess's head and coaxed, "Don't cry, don't cry. Jiejie was wrong. Jiejie will show you a magic trick. This time, you really have to watch carefully! "
The Ninth Princess stopped crying and looked up curiously. She saw her white hands move left and right in the floating light. Then with a snap of her fingers, a tender and beautiful camellia flower appeared out of thin air. She turned her hand and stuck it in her hair. A sweet fragrance wafted out from her fluttering hair. It smelled delicious.
The Ninth Princess's nose twitched as she kept inhaling. She grabbed her hand and turned it over to look.
The Empress made a sound of surprise. Seeing that her daughter was willing to take the initiative to interact with someone and her expression was so happy, her eyes couldn't help but moisten.
Because her youngest daughter was born with a congenital deficiency, not only did she speak and walk later than normal people, her personality was also very antisocial. But because she was the most fragile and pure of all the children, the Empress loved her to the bone. Tonight's lantern banquet was ostensibly to celebrate the Empress' birthday, but it was secretly to find a study companion for her youngest daughter.
But seeing her youngest daughter hide in a corner with no one around, the Empress thought that this matter was over. But unexpectedly, Yu Xiang jumped out. That quirky personality was a perfect complement to her youngest daughter.
The Crown Prince gave a muffled laugh, "Did you teach her this? You also liked to show off this when you were young. "
Yu Pinyan stared closely at the little girl who had conjured another camellia flower and pinned it on The Ninth Princess's hair. There was some pride in her voice, "Xiang'er's movements are much faster than mine."
The two little balls both had flowers on them. You look at me, I look at you, and they were very smug for a while. Yu Xiang asked, "What's your name?"
"I'm called Xiao Qiu 'er." The Ninth Princess smiled foolishly.
Yu Xiang gave a burst of shocking laughter. She laughed until her stomach cramped before panting, "I'm called Xiao Xiang'er. Your name really matches you. Who gave you that name? You're too talented! "
The talented Empress covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. She softly said, "Xiao Xiang'er may not be able to walk, but her personality is very cheerful and open-minded." Look at her forthright smile. Don't mention her mouth full of white teeth, even the little tongue in her throat could be seen. A normal girl really wouldn't be able to do it.
Old Madam Yu was very guilty, "Replying Your Highness, because Xiang'er's legs are inconvenient, this subject thought to not use too many rules to bind her. Usually, I only taught her how to read and learn the guqin, and didn't teach her too much etiquette. If I overstepped the rules, please forgive me, Your Highness. "
When the Empress heard this, she actually felt a sense of empathy. She raised the old madam's hand and patted it, "It's very right for you to think this way! They are different from normal people, so naturally, they shouldn't be taught the same way as normal people. Life was already too inconvenient and difficult for them, so there was no need to put more burdens on their heads. Let them live their lives happily. "
When she said this, Her Highness the Empress looked towards the two laughing little girls not far away. She loved them even more. She smiled and waved her hand, "Let's go. Let them play freely. Chengsi and Pinyan, stay behind and watch. Don't follow too closely and let them discover you. "
The Crown Prince and Yu Pinyan bowed in acknowledgment.
Old Madam Yu left with the Empress and the Crown Princess. When she entered the Warm Water Pavilion where the noblewomen gathered, she received many envious gazes. The Empress sat in the pavilion for a while before going to rest. The Crown Princess followed suit and sent her off.
The atmosphere in the pavilion instantly relaxed. A noblewoman with a round figure and a pretty face, dressed luxuriously walked to the old madam's side and sat down. She spoke in a low voice, "Old Madam, it's time to talk about Phoule and Pinyan's marriage, right? Look, they're not young anymore. "
When the old madam saw her, her amiable expression immediately turned cold.
Before Yu Pinyan was born, old Master Hou and old Duke Jing Guo were betrothed to each other. It could be said that they were betrothed before they were born. As expected, they each gave birth to a boy and a girl. They were Yu Pinyan and Duke Jing Guo fu's di second daughter, Chang Yafu. Duke Jing Guo was a first-rank duke. He was in the emperor's heart. In terms of family status, he was even above Marquis Yongle.
No matter how she looked at it, this marriage was a perfect match. The old madam was extremely satisfied with it. Unfortunately, old Master Hou had died on the battlefield and his son had died to banditry. The Marquis Household was in imminent danger and needed the help of their in-laws.
In this era, people didn't care about age. It was common for people to start a family at the age of eleven or twelve. If he married Duke Jing Guo fu's di daughter, it would be a great help to Yu Pinyan. The old madam had gone to Duke Jing Guo fu several times, hoping to bring forward the marriage of the two children. However, she had been rejected by Duke Jing Guo, who had just inherited his title. Old Duke Jing Guo had been struck by a stroke. He couldn't move his body or speak, so he naturally couldn't help.
The old madam was a shrewd person. How could she not know what Duke Jing Guo was thinking? He was waiting for Marquis Yongle's battle for the title to come to an end. Whoever won in the end, he would betroth his daughter to that family. In short, he wouldn't let his daughter marry someone whose family had declined and who had failed to inherit his title.
He was truly selfish and heartless!
The old madam was furious. From then on, she cut off all contact with Duke Jing Guo fu. Who would have thought that Yu Pinyan would be so capable. At such a young age, he had defeated a group of uncles and was personally appointed as Marquis Yongle by the emperor. He wasn't any worse than his grandfather! Moreover, he had only been in court for a little more than a year, but he had already completed several beautiful tasks. The emperor had placed him in an even more important position.
He was only sixteen this year and hadn't even reached the age of twenty. If he had a few more years of experience, what kind of situation would he have? If the crown prince ascended the throne, as the crown prince's most trusted official, what kind of situation would he have?
Only then did Duke Jing Guo become anxious. He ordered his wife, Madam Du, to bring gifts to discuss the marriage. However, they were all rejected by the old madam. The marriage contract was still in the old madam's hands. Yu Pinyan was deeply favored by the emperor and the crown prince. Duke Jing Guo didn't dare to force him, nor did he dare to betroth his second di daughter to someone else. Since the old madam wanted to waste time, they could only endure. They took the opportunity to ask for help, just like the old saying — — karma goes round, retribution goes round.
"Yan 'er hasn't even reached the age of twenty yet. It's still early." The old madam carelessly waved her hand.
How could a girl be the same as a boy? They were both sixteen, but one hadn't even reached the age of twenty yet, and the other was already an old lady. How could they endure wasting time! Madam Du was so anxious that her heart and lungs were scratching, but she didn't dare to say anything harsh. She could only try her best to be careful.
The old madam closed her eyes and listened for a long time. She coldly snorted, "In the past, you looked down on the Marquis Household. Now, I also look down on your Duke Jing fu. Rules aren't rules, di shu aren't di shu. In these years, you haven't made any contributions. You've only relied on the old Duke's prestige to eat and drink. This marriage is really a bit unsuitable. "
The meaning behind her words was that Chang Yafu wasn't good enough for Yu Pinyan. These words were poisonous. They were even more poisonous than the words Madam Du used to ridicule the old madam. But Madam Du was speechless. After the old Duke fell seriously ill, the Duke Jing fu did indeed deteriorate day by day. The main reason was that the Duke was a mediocre person who only knew how to eat, drink, and play.
Forming a powerful in-law was too important for the Duke Jing fu. This was also the reason why they weren't willing to easily marry off Chang Yafu to Yu Pinyan.
How could they have known that a fourteen or fifteen year old youth would be so scheming and scheming? In short, they regretted their past actions!
Madam Du forced a smile and said, "It's said that in order to marry a woman, one must marry a virtuous woman. Phoule is a virtuous woman. Since she was young, she was proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She even hired a mama from the palace to teach her the rules. She is sensible, filial, and capable. Since she was ten years old, she helped me manage the household. The most profitable shops under the Duke Jing fu were all managed by her. She alone raised several hundred people in the Marquis Household. In the past six years, she hasn't made a single mistake. This kind of person, whoever she marries into will be their family's good fortune. Old Madam, don't say anything definite. It won't be too late to make a decision after seeing my Phoule. "
The old madam was old, and managing the Marquis Household was indeed a bit difficult. She couldn't count on the Lin Clan. Yu Siyu's heart wasn't right. Yu Xiang was young and incompetent. She counted the people in the household, but there wasn't a single person she could use. It was worth it for her grandson to marry a virtuous woman and hand over the household funds. She could also enjoy a few years of peace and happiness. Madam Du's words really touched the bottom of her heart.
The marriage contract had already been written. It would be troublesome to cancel the marriage. She should go take a look. Thinking of this, she helplessly nodded.