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Not only were the adults busy today, but the children were also bustling about. Dabao was particularly excited and had gotten up early. It was his first time making friends formally. He had personally written the invitation notes for his brothers and sisters yesterday. After finishing, he had the notes sent to those households along with the ones written by his father.
The days were gradually getting shorter, and even before it was fully light out, he was up dressing himself in the dark.
When he arrived with his family in the main courtyard, Chu Lingxuan and Chen Feng had just woken up.
He knew he couldn’t enter his father and mother’s bedroom directly but had to wait for them in the east side room. Normally, when he came, his father and mother would already be awake, but his father was out at the moment.
He could hear the sounds of his parents getting dressed and speaking softly, which made him feel a bit uneasy. He remembered how he used to sleep in the same bed as his mother. When she was ill, he even helped her get dressed and put on her shoes.
But now, there was someone else by his mother’s side, and he had moved to another courtyard alone…
Chen Feng stepped out of the bedroom and smiled at Dabao, “You’re not going to school today, so why did you wake up even earlier than usual?”
Dabao gently hugged Chen Feng’s big belly and replied, “Guests are coming today, so I wanted to get up early to prepare things for them to play with.”
Chen Feng chuckled, “Good child, understanding the art of hospitality.”
Dabao climbed onto the kang, hugged Chen Feng for a couple of kisses, and then presented his cheek for her to kiss a few times.
Seeing this scene, Chu Lingxuan frowned.
Although Dabao knew he shouldn’t make his father angry if he was smart, he couldn’t help feeling secretly pleased when he saw his father slightly jealous.
He hopped off the kang, bowed to Chu Lingxuan, then quickly left the side room.
Chen Feng, observing Chu Lingxuan’s displeasure, teased, “Look at you, getting jealous of a child.” Seeing his mood worsen, she hurriedly added, “Alright, alright, once Dabao turns seven next year, it won’t be like this anymore.”
At this moment, Chu Hanyan’s voice could be heard conversing with Dabao.
Chu Lingxuan chuckled, noting that his daughter, who usually loved to sleep in, was now awake.
They all headed to the Western Wing Dining Hall for breakfast and then began their respective tasks.
Chu Hanyan busied herself dressing up the pets, adorning them with beautiful clothes and jewelry. Dabao directed the servants to set up small tables, chairs, building blocks, picture books, toys, and more under the trees in the backyard.
Chen Feng led the kitchen staff in preparing her specialty braised dishes, the “Golden Series” and the “Mini Cucumber Series”, along with the ingredients for watermelon shaved ice.
There was a bit of ice in the General’s cellar, a precious commodity usually reserved for cooling old Marquis Chu. Even Chen Feng hesitated to use it for cooling, deeming it too extravagant, and only occasionally used it to make shaved ice for the children and herself.
Chu Lingxuan, typically the most relaxed, sat by the window reading a book. Even Li Xuan, who woke up later, helped his sister dress up the pets beautifully.
After Chen Feng finished her tasks and noticed that Chen Lu hadn’t arrived, she sent Xiaomo to fetch him.
Upon returning, Xiaomo relayed, “Young Master Lu said he’s not feeling well today, so he won’t be coming.”
Concerned, Chen Feng asked, and Xiaomo added, “Don’t worry, Madam. Young Master Lu seems fine, he’s just a bit under the weather, likely due to the heat.”
Chen Feng nodded understandingly, realizing that Lu might feel too unwell or shy to meet the guests.
Just then, a report came in: the guests had arrived.
As Chu Lingxuan had a close and friendly relationship with them, they were promptly welcomed into the main courtyard.
While these families had met Chu Hanyan before, it was their first time meeting Dabao, and aside from General Liu and his wife, it was also the first meeting with Li Xuan.
They presented Dabao and Li Xuan with gifts upon their first encounter.
The adults gathered in the backyard under the corridor, chatting and enjoying tea, separated into two tables. The area was filled with numerous trees and bamboo, creating a cool and pleasant atmosphere. Chen Feng found it amusing, if it were in a past life, it could have easily turned into two mahjong tables.
Upon the children’s arrival, they immediately started playing with the two birds and four dogs. After a while, Qi Lan, Fu Lingshan, and a young boy were drawn to the peculiar building blocks and picture books on the table.
General Fu brings his daughter and a son: his daughter was Fu Lingshan, and his son was Fu Lushen, who had just turned four. General Qin’s wife had two sons and a daughter: her eldest son, Qin Mu, was twelve, her second son, Qin Jin, was seven, and her daughter was Qin Lan. General Liu had two sons: Liu Wang, eight years old, and Liu Ao, six years old.
With Chu’s three children included, there were a total of ten kids. The oldest was twelve-year-old Qin Mu, while the youngest were four-year-old Li Xuan and Lushen.
The children’s lively presence, combined with Chu’s unusual pets, which were very playful, created a wave of excitement in the courtyard. Even Li Xuan proudly held Duan, saying, “She’s my little sister Duan, and she’s mine. You can’t play with her.”
General Fu and the others, aware of Li Xuan’s special background, instructed the children, “Don’t bother Little Xuan, make sure to look out for him.”
Mrs. Liu quietly mentioned to Chen Feng, “Oh, Xuan has improved a lot. When I saw him earlier this year, he was very timid, crying when he saw strangers. Now he seems so much more talkative and cheerful…”
Mrs. Liu welcomed from the Marquis’s mansion and had relations with the Princess Rui’s family. She was known for her straightforward nature.
Chen Feng remarked, “Actually, Xuan never had any illness, he was just scared in his early years, shy and timid. By encouraging and getting close to him, showing him that the people around him won’t harm him, and with the help of our pets who love playing with him, he gradually gained courage and learned to speak and smile.”
Mrs. Liu whispered, “Yesterday, my cousin from the capital informed me that the Empress Dowager dreamt of the late Emperor and mentioned that the late Emperor favored Princess Rong Zhao, his eldest granddaughter. Consequently, two days ago, Princess Rong Zhao was sent to the Guo State Temple to transcribe sutras and observe a vegetarian diet for three months.”
Recently, the Marquis received a letter stating that many imperial censors had accused Princess Rong Zhao of improper conduct, angering the spirits and causing the bird attacks. They requested the Emperor to punish Princess Rong Zhao to appease the heavens’ wrath.
Some even accused the Marquis, suggesting that such strange occurrences only happened after he showed favoritism to Princess Rong Zhao. The Emperor, angered by baseless accusations, lashed out at the censors, warning them against spreading rumors that tarnished the royal family’s reputation. He silenced the censors with severe consequences.
They speculated that while the Emperor wouldn’t openly declare Princess Rong Zhao’s misconduct to avoid sullying the royal family’s reputation, he was likely displeased with her. It was possible that the Emperor, fearing Princess Rong Zhao had angered the spirits, might use other means to indirectly discipline her.
Unexpectedly, the punishment came swiftly, and under such a pretext.