Chapter 1642: Chapter 1642: Invitation
Zhulan glanced sideways at her granddaughter, two paintings, one was fourteen hundred taels, and the other eleven hundred taels, she wanted to know which one belonged to Chang Zhi.
Yu Wen pointed to the box in the maid’s hand, "The White Tiger Painting that Dad always talks about, I’ve won it for you, and I got myself a Winter Plum Blossom Painting."
Chang Zhi stopped grinding his teeth, exclaimed, "The White Tiger Painting cost quite a bit of silver, do you have enough Silver Coin in your hands?"
Yu Wen, "Fourteen hundred taels, but it’s fine, I’ve saved up quite a bit over the years, still have a lot left."
Chang Zhi was envious of his daughter. His wife doted on him and even more on their daughter, so the Silver Coin in their daughter’s hands was all stuffed by his wife.
The Fourth Prince eavesdropped and felt sour. His mother, the empress, had dowry properties, and gave him Silver Coin every year, but since the Crown Prince’s grand wedding was coming up, his mother divided the dowry properties, and the Crown Prince took seventy percent, with him and his sister each getting fifteen percent, so his possessions were limited.
As for asking Father Emperor for more, haha, unless he was getting married, Father Emperor wouldn’t give him any!
Zhulan chatted a bit more with Chang Zhi. Having obtained the White Tiger Painting, Chang Zhi no longer felt the need to stay and watch, and prepared to return to the Hanlin Academy.
Chang Zhi first saw his mother and daughter off before he turned and boarded the carriage, just in time to see Zhuo Guyu entering the auction house.
By the evening, the grand spending of the Duke of Yongan’s residence had spread throughout the capital. Zhulan asked upon Shuren’s return, "Are the rumors true?"
Zhou Shuren, "Yes, I reviewed today’s auction accounts, sales are recorded, and indeed, the Duke of Yongan’s residence purchased many antiques and calligraphy paintings."
Zhulan, "This isn’t missing any chance to stir up speculation."
Zhou Shuren: "I’m more curious about how much wealth the Duke of Yongan amassed during the chaos of the past!"
The Duke of Yongan is not an upright person, having spent nearly one hundred thousand taels today, one hundred thousand taels.
"Many people in the capital share your thoughts; the Duke of Yongan’s residence has achieved its purpose."
Zhuo Guyu spent several days by the Crown Prince’s side; although the house inspection ended and he returned to the Hanlin Academy, he learned all he should. Now that the Duke’s household displayed their financial prowess, Zhuo Guyu’s marriage prospects have improved.
Zhou Shuren sneered, "That’s why I don’t like the Duke of Yongan’s residence; too much scheming and too little sincerity."
Zhulan agreed and asked, "Has the Crown Prince been studying at the Ministry of Revenue continuously?"
Zhou Shuren, "He’ll stay at the Ministry of Revenue until his wedding."
"Is Zhang Jinghong still instructing him?"
Zhou Shuren nodded, "Yes, the Crown Prince is very satisfied with Zhang Jinghong."
"Of course, he’s been a Prince and received royal education since childhood."
A few days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was time for the Ran family’s flower banquet. Zhulan personally attended, with Yu Wen also going—since the Princess was attending, not only Yu Wen but also Lin Xi would be there, making the flower banquet lively.
The Ran family’s garden was exquisite, with all the flowers being rare species; they had bought more rare varieties for the flower banquet.
When Zhulan arrived, the daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law of the Qi Clan were entertaining guests, while Qi Clan herself sat chatting with them.
Qi Clan briefly greeted Zhulan, then asked in confusion, "Why didn’t Ran Wan and Yu Die come?"
Zhulan, "Ran Wan said today was for unmarried girls, so she didn’t come, and Yu Die fell ill a few days ago and hasn’t recovered yet."
Qi Clan, "Summer illnesses can be hard to shake."
"Indeed, so we must be careful in the summer. Has the princess arrived yet?"
Qi Clan replied, "She should arrive shortly."
Because there were many people in the room, Zhulan refrained from asking which young gentlemen had come today, although the gentlemen and young ladies were separated, she couldn’t help but glance around the garden and noticed many young gentlemen had come today.
Qi Clan whispered, "The future prince consort has arrived."
Zhulan hadn’t yet met the future prince consort, who had taken a leisurely position in the capital, waiting to marry the princess, after which his official rank would be elevated. The Emperor had already arranged it.
After a quarter of an hour, Lin Xi arrived and immediately joined Yu Wen, whispering, "Guess whom I saw?"
Yu Wen, pausing from eating fruit, "The future prince consort? No, you’ve met the future prince consort before. Is it Mr. Gu that made you this secretive?"
Lin Xi found it dull, "Can you not be so smart?"
Yu Wen’s eyes brightened a bit; it really was Gu Sheng. She frowned, "Why would he come?"
The flower banquet for the princess involved vetted invitations.
Lin Xi spread her hands, "If you don’t know, I wouldn’t know either."
Yu Wen hadn’t heard anything from her father, gesturing to her maid to bow down, whispering something briefly, and the maid turned to leave.
Soon after, the princess arrived. After welcoming the princess, the young ladies surrounded her, as meeting the princess was rare. They all wanted to chat with her, and if they could become friends, even better.
This was indeed realistic; becoming a friend of the princess was advantageous for their future marriages.
At this moment, Zhenyue was the perfect princess, always smiling, with impeccable manners, interacting gracefully, and naturally handling conflicts between young ladies.
Lin Xi and Yu Wen exchanged a glance, acknowledging the impressiveness of the princess.
The court valued the education of princesses. Although a princess need not participate in politics, the necessary studies were required, and indeed, their workload was quite heavy.
In the pavilion where the gentlemen were, Gu Sheng was dragged there by the future prince consort. How did they know each other? Because recently he frequented the palace, one day seeing the Emperor and the future prince consort, leading to chats and a budding familiarity.
His interactions made him feel the prince consort was worth befriending, and gradually they became familiar with each other.
Gu Sheng sat beside the future prince consort, with familiar faces across—Zhuo Guyu and Mr. Du. Ji Deming was absent, as the level of today’s guests wasn’t a chance he had.
Zhuo Guyu did not like Gu Sheng from the first sight, feeling immediately unpleasant; his instincts proved correct, "I did not expect Mr. Gu too to take leave today."
Having followed the Crown Prince for several days before returning to the Hanlin Academy, he found Gu Sheng consistently visiting the palace and even getting to know the future prince consort, which left him feeling a bit usurped and more wary of Gu Sheng.
Gu Sheng replied calmly, "If Mr. Zhuo can take leave, why can’t I?"
Zhuo Guyu, "I assumed that in Mr. Gu’s eyes, work was most important."
Gu Sheng smiled, "Are you implying that by taking leave, you do not prioritize work?"
Zhuo Guyu, calmly, "You’re overinterpreting."
"Oh."
Zhuo Guyu, "..."
The future prince consort chuckled, knowing Zhuo Guyu was attending, he had indeed invited the right person in Gu Sheng.
Zhuo Guyu took a deep breath, "Did I perhaps offend you?"
The future prince consort mentally chuckled; Zhuo Guyu had offended many, feigning indifference—a laid-back person, yet Zhuo Guyu’s arrogance did not sit well with him!
The future prince consort, "You guess?"