EBE Chapter 110 Marriage
Chapter 110 Marriage
"I really didn't expect that the Fifth Princess and Princess Yongfu would come to my aid today! There is no wine here, so I will use tea instead!" Zhong Yi held the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.
Zhu Qing'an, the fifth princess, Zhu Baiwei and Xiaoxue also held up their teacups and drank it all in one gulp along with Zhong Yi.
"I also want to thank General Zhong for standing up for Xiaoxue and my second sister!" Zhu Qing'an chuckled.
"Yes, if it weren't for General Zhong today, Xiaoxue and I would have been bullied!" Zhu Baiwei also bowed slightly to Zhong Yi with gratitude.
Xiaoxue looked at Zhong Yi with twinkling eyes. "General Zhong is so powerful!"
Although Xiaoxue saw many hateful people today, she also met many good people, and she still felt happier than sad.
Moreover, she was not wearing a cloak now, but no one in the pavilion looked at her strangely.
It turns out that these noble ladies in Ancheng are not as scary as my second sister said.
The five people have different identities, different personalities, and even come from different families, but at this moment there is no barrier between them at all, and they are so in tune with each other when talking.
"Bring some wine!" The Fifth Princess waved her hand and ordered the maidservant, "I haven't been this happy in a long time. Today, of course, I have to drink to my heart's content!"
"Great!" Zhong Yi clapped his hands, his expression extremely happy. "I didn't expect the Fifth Princess to be such a sentimental person!"
The maid quickly came over with a few jars of fruit wine. Since the five people were all women, they were not served with any strong liquor, but the fruit wine was just right.
The noble ladies of Ancheng also drink alcohol on weekdays, but most of the time they just drink a few glasses in private or secretly during gatherings at home.
Nowadays, it is rare to drink at a chrysanthemum viewing banquet with many guests.
Fortunately, the women present were of noble status, so even if they acted a little outrageously, others would not dare to say anything when they saw them.
"I'll do it!" Zhong Yi opened the wine jar directly, and the maid brought five wine cups and placed them in front of each person. Zhong Yi personally poured wine for several people.
But when pouring wine for Zhu Qing'an, Zhu Qing'an stretched out his hand to slightly block Zhong Yi's action.
"Hmm?" Zhong Yi looked at Zhu Qing'an with some confusion.
"I didn't want to spoil the fun, but I've been feeling a little unwell lately. The doctor told me not to drink alcohol, so I'll just drink tea instead!" Zhu Qing'an explained.
I originally thought that someone with Zhong Yi's personality would be somewhat disappointed after hearing what Zhu Qing'an said.
Unexpectedly, Zhong Yi was not unhappy at all. Instead, he quickly put away the wine cup in front of Zhu Qingan. "Since you are not feeling well, you shouldn't drink! Drinking tea is the same! When you feel better in the future, we will definitely drink together!"
Zhu Qingan smiled slowly at Zhong Yi's understanding, and nodded heavily, "Of course!"
If she wasn't pregnant, she would have wanted to drink heavily today. She hadn't drunk for a long time and was really craving for something.
"No wonder you haven't left the house for such a long time. It turns out you are sick! What is the illness? Is it serious?" The Fifth Princess looked at Zhu Qing'an worriedly.
She was a little skeptical at first. After all, Zhu Qing'an was once a very active noble lady in Ancheng, but now she rarely appears. She even invited her many times, but there was no sign of Zhu Qing'an.
I originally thought that Zhu Qing'an was deliberately unwilling to accept the invitation to the princess's mansion, but now I know that he was sick.
Zhu Baiwei and Xiaoxue knew some of the truth. After all, Xiaoxue saw with her own eyes that Zhu Qing'an fell from such a great height and was seriously injured, while Zhu Baiwei saw with her own eyes that Zhu Qing'an was carried back home. Yang Chaoyan even often came to take her pulse at night.
"It's okay, you just need to rest!" Zhu Qingan comforted.
"Looking closely, I see that you don't look as good as before! You seem to have lost some weight. I originally thought that you were deliberately trying to lose some weight recently, but it turns out that you are sick!" The Fifth Princess said as she poured Zhu Qing'an a cup of warm tea.
The Fifth Princess still remembered that the noble ladies in Ancheng all considered thinness as beauty, but Zhu Qingan had never been like that since she was a child.
When Zhu Qing'an was young, he was not fat, but he was chubby and very cute. When he grew up, he became even more plump. He had meat where it should be meaty and was thin where it should be thin. The fifth princess was secretly envious of him.
Young masters from aristocratic families all say that women should be slender, but the fifth princess thinks that women with a round and plump figure like Zhu Qing'an are more beautiful.
"How can I be thinner? I'm obviously a bit fuller than you!" Zhu Qing'an joked with a smile, because her aunt told her since she was a child that a woman's health is more important than her figure, so Zhu Qing'an never pursued excessive slimness.
"I didn't mean it! Besides, being thin is no good!" The Fifth Princess scolded, and then instructed the maid beside her, "Go to the warehouse later and pack up the bird's nests and ginseng, and then give them to the princess's maid!"
"What are you doing? How could I be without these? Just keep them for yourself!" Zhu Qing'an declined.
"I know that you are rich, but it is better to have more of these things. Besides, my ginseng is a good tribute!" The fifth princess pressed Zhu Qing'an's arm, not allowing Zhu Qing'an to refuse.
Perhaps, the Fifth Princess once regarded Zhu Qing'an as an opponent, but now, as Zhu Qing'an has shown weakness to her many times, the Fifth Princess regards Zhu Qing'an as a friend from the bottom of her heart.
She seemed to be a high and mighty princess, surrounded by people, but to be honest, she didn't have a single true friend.
"Okay, then I'll accept it!" Zhu Qing'an no longer refused.
Several people raised their wine glasses together, then smiled at each other and said in a friendly manner, "Cheers to our acquaintance!"
"Nice to meet you!" several people said in unison, and then drank it all in one gulp.
After Zhong Yi drank the fruit wine, he smacked his lips and said, "The fruit wine is still not strong enough. Next time I host, let's drink stronger liquor!"
After the Fifth Princess drank the fruit wine, she wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief and whispered, "Then shouldn't we all be drunk with one glass?"
Zhu Baiwei rarely drinks alcohol on weekdays. After drinking a glass of fruit wine, she almost choked and quickly covered her lips and laughed.
However, after Xiaoxue drank a glass, her eyes fell on the jar of fruit wine, her eyes full of desire.
Xiaoxue had never drunk fruit wine before, but after tasting it, she couldn't stop drinking it. Her eager eyes made everyone present laugh.
"Don't make Xiaoxue too greedy!" Zhongyi poured another cup for Xiaoxue.
This time everyone drank more casually, chatting and drinking, and was very grateful that there was a gentle breeze around, bringing with it the fragrance of chrysanthemums.
From time to time, the noble ladies and gentlemen around stole curious glances at them, but these five people didn't mind at all. Even Zhu Baiwei, who was usually cautious, had red cheeks and laughed loudly.
At this time, they are not women bound by etiquette and dogma, they are themselves, women with their own souls.
Although it was a little inappropriate for the Fifth Princess, as the host, to sit here and drink, she was a princess, so who would dare to say anything against it?
Zhu Qingan accompanied everyone to drink a few cups of tea. At this time, a greasy smell suddenly came on the wind. Zhu Qingan quickly covered his mouth and nose, but still felt a little nauseous.
"What's wrong?" At this time, only Zhong Yi was still conscious. Seeing that Zhu Qing'an looked unhappy, he asked hurriedly.
"It's okay, I just feel a little uncomfortable! I'll go out for a walk!" Zhu Qing'an waved his hand.
Zhu Qing'an walked towards the lake. The smell was no longer in her nose, and she felt much more comfortable in her chest. She thought it must be the smell from the kitchen just now, but her sense of smell was too sensitive now that she was pregnant.
"My princess, are you feeling better?" Fu Guang gently patted Zhu Qing'an's back, and then said, "My princess, you have to be careful too. Your health is not normal right now, so be careful with what you eat!"
"Okay, I always felt that Wangshu was a bit nagging before, but now you have learned it! I care about the baby in my belly more than anyone else! I will take good care of him!" Zhu Qing'an said helplessly.
Fortunately, only Wangshu and Fuguang knew about it. If everyone knew, Zhu Qing'an would never have imagined how nagging he would be.
"It's not just about taking good care of the baby in your belly, the most important thing is to take good care of yourself!" Fu Guang corrected.
The two stood by the lake for a while, and Zhu Qing'an returned to the garden when he felt much better.
Just as the two of them left, a figure walked out from the rockery not far away. The figure looked at their backs as they left, as if thinking about something.
Zhu Qingan returned to the garden, but found that many guests had already left.
The fifth princess smiled and exchanged a few words with the departing guests. Xiaoxue had already fallen asleep on the table, but she was still holding a jar of wine in her hands.
"I didn't expect this kid is such a drunkard!" Zhu Qing'an walked over and took away the wine jar that Xiaoxue was holding. A maid came over and quickly helped Xiaoxue up.
"It's inevitable that this will happen when you drink it for the first time, but Xiaoxue is really happy today!" Zhu Baiwei also staggered a little when she walked, but was much better than Xiaoxue.
Zhong Yi held Zhu Baiwei's arm with one hand. She looked normal, and there was no hint of drunkenness in her eyes, which showed that she could usually drink a lot.
"Let me take you back!" Zhong Yi said.
Zhu Qing'an smiled and thanked him. Although she had a maid, she would feel more at ease if Zhong Yi was there. She had heard from Bian Jingsheng that Zhong Yi was an excellent martial arts master and his skills were even more powerful.
"Would you like to sit for a while?" Zhu Qing'an watched the maid help Xiaoxue and Zhu Baiwei into the house and invited Zhongyi.
Zhong Yi waved his hand and said, "That's enough for today. I will definitely come to visit you in the future!"
Although Zhong Yi acts carelessly and doesn't pay attention to details, he is not completely ignorant of the rules. It is inappropriate to visit without permission, especially since there are elders in the Marquis Wen'an's mansion.
She and Zhu Qing'an were not that familiar with each other, and it would be too offensive. Of course, the most important thing was that she was afraid that the prince would not let her see Song Nian after knowing it.
"Okay, then you wait a moment!" Zhu Qing'an said, and then whispered to Fu Guang beside him.
Soon Fu Guang came over with a jar of wine in one hand, and looked at Zhu Qing'an in confusion.
"You seem to like drinking today. These two jars of Zhongshan wine have been in the wine cellar for a long time and are not used on weekdays!" Zhu Qing'an handed the wine to Zhong Yi.
"It's actually Zhongshan wine. You know, Zhongshan is a place where you can get drunk in a thousand days. I've heard about it before, but I didn't expect to get it today!" Zhong Yi quickly took it in his arms like a treasure, and even got close to smell it.
"I won't say much to express my gratitude. If the princess has any instructions in the future, just tell me! I'll take the wine back!" Zhong Yi said with a carefree smile.
Zhu Qing'an nodded. She also felt that they got along well, and there were countless fine wines in the wine cellar of Marquis Wen'an's mansion.
After Zhong Yi left, Zhu Qing'an turned around and went into the mansion, but she did not go back to Yongfu Courtyard directly. Instead, she went to Qu Garden and met Aunt Qu who was checking the accounts.
"The princess is here?" Aunt Qu stood up quickly.
Zhu Qing'an glanced at the accounts on the table. They were all accounts of the Wen'an Marquis Mansion. She flipped through them casually and found that many of the accounts were clear and transparent.
"Thank you for your hard work these days, auntie!" Zhu Qing'an said politely.
Compared to when her mother was in charge, the Wen'an Marquis Mansion is now well organized under the management of Concubine Qu, and the income is increasing steadily. Even Butler Mai has praised it in front of her many times.
"My princess, this is too serious. If you and the marquis don't mind me, I will naturally do my best!" Aunt Qu served tea personally.
Zhu Qing'an glanced at Qu Yuan. It was obvious that Concubine Qu was the head of the household now, and she could change all of Qu Yuan's expenses, but Qu Yuan seemed to be no different. Even Concubine Qu herself never made an extra set of clothes or got an extra piece of jewelry, which was very rare.
"I took my second sister to the princess's mansion today, and she accidentally drank some fruit wine. Aunt, please don't blame her!" Zhu Qing'an closed the account book and explained.
"I know, there is no need for the princess to make such a special trip. Bai Wei is with the princess, so I have nothing to worry about!" Aunt Qu hurriedly explained.
She once taught her daughter to be cautious in order to protect her two children.
But now, my children are growing up, and I have the princess as my support, so naturally I don’t need to be so humble anymore.
What's more, Aunt Qu felt relieved when she saw her daughter becoming more and more confident.
"I came here today because I want to discuss something with my aunt, about my second sister's marriage!" Zhu Qing'an went straight to the point.
"The princess hasn't found a husband yet, so there's no need to rush Bai Wei's marriage!" Aunt Qu said. After all, how could the eldest sister and the legitimate daughter not get married yet while the younger sister is engaged?
"It's okay. I can't let my second sister's marriage be delayed because of me!" Zhu Qing'an waved his hand. "I'm sure Auntie and Father have discussed my second sister's marriage. What do you think?"
When talking about her daughter's marriage, Aunt Qu sat opposite Zhu Qing'an and did not refuse.
"I have mentioned this to the Marquis. He wants to find a less outstanding marriage for Bai Wei. It doesn't matter if her family background is not good enough. This way, Bai Wei won't be bullied after she marries him!" Aunt Qu said tactfully.
Although Aunt Qu knew that the Marquis had been cruel to her, fortunately the Marquis was still responsible for his two children and at least would not let his daughter suffer in marriage.
Compared to many heads of families who treat their daughters as objects of exchange for benefits, the Marquis seems to at least be genuinely considering his daughter.
"I do have a candidate, you may consider it, Auntie!" Zhu Qing'an said tactfully.
"The person recommended by the princess must be excellent!" Aunt Qu flattered.
"I believe Auntie has also seen my second cousin. What do you think of him?" Zhu Qing'an said with a smile, and then waited quietly for Auntie Qu's attitude.