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Lu Fangrong is the right-hand man of the Black Furry Camp and is sure to be promoted and valued upon his return. Lu Man firmly believes that the reason the Lu family hasn’t caused any trouble is because they are waiting for Lu Fangrong. He viewed himself as He Cheng’s biological father and was exhibiting signs of mild delusion, dealing with him could be bothersome. As the ancients say, there are no perfect parents in the world, even if one’s father is despicable, showing disrespect is not an option, at least not outwardly.
Lu Man still hopes that He Mingzhu can find her own happiness. Despite being young, she solely places her future happiness on her descendants. As time goes on, she will realize that finding a good son-in-law is not easy. If the future daughter-in-law is not to her liking, He Mingzhu’s life will be pitiful.
Moreover, Lu Man’s greatest fear is Lu Fangrong. He is sweet-tongued and knows how to charm people, and some women are particularly susceptible to this. Not only in ancient times but even in modern times, many women cannot resist a man’s sweet words, knowingly walking into a trap.
Lu Man tentatively said, “Mother, I heard that many are proposing matches for Uncle Li now. Their judgment seems quite accurate, Uncle Li is indeed exceptional.”
Her daughter would occasionally praise Uncle Li, and He Mingzhu understood her meaning, giving Lu Man a stern look before taking Jiang Yue to the side room to see her “Daddy”.
Feeling her age at over thirty, with grown children and a granddaughter, He Mingzhu found it embarrassing to discuss such matters, fearing ridicule from others. She now wholeheartedly wished for her daughter and son-in-law to live well, for her son to find a good wife in the future, focusing solely on spoiling her granddaughter.
The next afternoon, Lady Yang and Xie Shu arrived at Donghui Courtyard with Ping and her two siblings, joyfully bringing along their two peacocks.
Jiang Yue adored the two peacocks and shouted with delight upon their arrival. The peacocks had strings tied around their legs, with Ping and Yan each holding one.
Seeing his sister’s happiness, Kaipei excitedly brought one peacock to Jiang Yue, presenting it, “Sister, here you go, for you to play with.”
Bravely, Jiang Yue grabbed the peacock’s tail, causing it pain and fear, leading to loud squawks.
Lu Man quickly took the peacock away, soothingly explaining, “Darlings, handling them like this could harm the peacocks. Let your sister lead them, you can watch from the side.”
Jiang Jiu, Ping, Yan, Kaipei, Jiang Yue, a cat, two dogs, and the two peacocks went to the nearby mansion to play on the pleasure boat.
Lu Man, instructed the kitchen to prepare more food for them to have dinner here. Later, she invited the two sisters-in-law to the side room in the upper house.
Lu Man took Xie Shu’s pulse and personally administered acupuncture to her. She smiled and said, “Miss Xie’s health has improved significantly. Keep up with the herbal soup for another two months, then switch to body-nourishing supplements.”
Both Lady Yang and Xie Shu were delighted.
After the treatment, they sat on the veranda, sipping tea and chatting. The place was cool and breezy.
A maid from the Crane Hall brought a note, saying, “This is from the Prince Shuo’s Mansion. They are hosting a Lotus Banquet on the thirtieth and invite Third Young Madam to bring the Eighth Young Master and Second Miss to enjoy the flowers.”
Lu Man was puzzled, she wasn’t familiar with the Prince Shuo’s Mansion. How did they invite her household? Being a branch of the Princess, a family of a fourth-rank military officer wouldn’t typically draw attention from the Prince’s Mansion.
The maid continued, “According to Princess Changting, it seems that the Princess Consort has been unwell recently, and they may want Third Young Madam to assist in her care.”
Old Prince Shuo, is alive and his eldest son, Prince Shuo had passed away, and the inner courtyard was now managed by the Princess Consort, the wife of Prince Shuo.
Lady Yang remarked, “We also received an invitation. Many prominent families in the capital host various floral banquets, but the top five most popular ones held almost every year are the Peony Banquet at Princess Changting’s Residence, the Peach Blossom Banquet at Princess Chang’an’s Residence, the Lotus Banquet at the Prince Shuo’s Residence, the Chrysanthemum Banquet at Duke Changguo’s Mansion, and the Plum Blossom Banquet at Marquis Pingnan’s Mansion.” She added, “These banquets often include poetry gatherings and invite the Second Madam Jiang to be judges. It’s a shame that Fifth Young Master couldn’t participate in the poetry at the feast due to her mother serving as a judge.”
Lu Man remarked, “Isn’t it a bit late to hold a Lotus Banquet now, considering the season? It should have been held half a month earlier.”
Lady Yang replied, “It’s said that the Princess Consort’s health has been poor, causing a delay. Although the lotuses may not be at their peak, they are still blooming. Their mansion has a variety of lotus species, making it quite a sight.”
Since Lu Man had harbored that speculation, she preferred to keep her distance from the other princes and dukes, except for Song Ming. However, since the maid was sent by the Princess, she knew she had to attend. Despite her doubts, she couldn’t refuse socializing with these noble families based on mere speculation.
She took the note and mentioned that she would be accompanying the Princess to the event.
Before dinner, Lu Man instructed someone to invite He Mingzhu and He Cheng to join them for the meal. The old Marquis would surely come along to liven up the atmosphere, and she asked He Cheng to have a few drinks with him.
As soon as He Mingzhu and He Cheng arrived, the old Marquis and a group of children returned.
The courtyard immediately filled with chatter, with the loudest voices belonging to little Yue, Kaipei, and Sweet Pea.
He Mingzhu often suggested to Lu Man if she could discipline Jiang Yue a bit, as a lively girl might not be suitable. Even though the Princess supported her now, the Princess was already sixty-two years old.
Lu Man chuckled, saying they could address that when she’s older. Restricting a girl so much from a young age would be too stifling for her.
On the thirtieth of July, just after Lu Man and Jiang Zhankui had finished breakfast, He Mingzhu and He Cheng arrived. He Mingzhu came to look after Jiang Yue, and He Cheng brought Jiang Zhankui to the Xie Residence. He would give medical treatment to Xie Shu, while Jiang Zhankui could play with the other boys there.
Today was Lu Man’s first time attending a floral banquet at another mansion. She took extra care in dressing herself. She didn’t opt for a lavish and flamboyant look, as she wasn’t fond of it, her demeanor suited a more elegant and refined style.
She wore a cyan-colored silk brocade jacket embroidered with peony flowers and a lilac soft pleated satin skirt, accentuating her graceful figure. She had regained her slender pre-pregnancy physique, with no traces of motherhood apparent, perhaps this was one of the benefits of early childbirth.
She also adorned herself with a set of green and white jade lotus flower accessories. A long hairpin with sixteen petals was inserted in the middle of her hair bun, flanked by two shorter hairpins with six petals each. A flower hairpin with twenty petals was pinned at the back, complemented by two gold-trimmed jade lotus flowers at her temples.
This set of jewelry was one of Lu Man’s favorites, perfectly matching the theme of the floral feast and suiting her delicate charm.
She also wore an exquisite jade bracelet gifted by the Princess and carefully applied a subtle yet refined makeup look.
In the mirror, the beauty reflected was ethereal and elegant, exuding a fragrance-like quality, her eyes expressing an indescribable grace and allure.