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Not long after Liu Anzhi's engagement, in May, Shen Shuihua and Wen Qingyue's engagement was also settled.
Initially, the Duke of Lu's Residence and the Shen Minister's Residence intended to form a marriage alliance, and both families' ladies were quite satisfied and had discussed the matter. Who would have thought that Master Wen, who originally planned to arrive in the capital in June for the Queen's Grand Wedding, actually came to the capital a month early to propose to the Shen Residence on behalf of his beloved grandson.
Madam Shen naturally did not agree.
In her view, the Duke of Lu's Residence was well-known and established, and being married into the Duke of Lu's Residence was the best consideration. After all, the Lu Family was more suitable than the Wen Family.
Master Wen settled down comfortably in the capital, occasionally visiting Lord Shen for tea and to enjoy the flowers.
Madam Shen still did not relent. Lord Shen was ambiguous about it; it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.
After some time, Wen Qingyue personally came to the Minister's Mansion to speak with Lord Shen.
It is unknown what they discussed, but after a long while, Minister Shen smiled as he saw him off, having agreed to this matter.
Madam Shen felt worried and quietly asked Minister Shen.
Minister Shen stroked his beard and said, "Young people with feelings are better than those without. Moreover, you know the family traditions of the Wen Family."
Although the Duke of Lu's Residence was also good, how many high-ranking families only take a wife without taking concubines?
Just this point made the Wen Family more suitable than the Lu Family.
Madam Shen still had concerns, "After the Emperor's Grand Wedding, the Wen Family will no longer be comparable to today. At that time, it may not be easy to handle."
As the family of the Future Queen, the Liu Residence may still need Your Majesty's support. However, the Wen Family does not require any assistance from Your Majesty to be already quite distinguished.
Qing Wu has acknowledged her ancestry, and Wen Qingyue is undoubtedly the Uncle of the Nation. Moreover, he is also the Heir Apparent of the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion.
For an ordinary family, one might think that being able to connect with such a prominent family is a good thing. But the Shen Family is already a prestigious household, and what Madam Shen seeks is merely a smooth life for her children.
Initially, Lord Shen had some concerns, but after conversing with Wen Qingyue, he felt it was not a difficult matter.
“It’s fine. He is very measured; you need not worry too much.”
Lord Shen had considered that the old master of the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion was already advanced in age, and all affairs within the marquisate were likely being handled by Wen Qingyue. For someone so young to take on such a significant responsibility is far more capable than the offspring of the Duke of Lu's Residence.
Furthermore, he understood what kind of person Your Majesty is. The identity of the national uncle may not be a bad thing; rather, it could be an advantage. However, he could not explain this clearly to Madam Shen, nor could he elaborate, so he left her with just a few words of comfort.
Although men do not manage household matters, Lord Shen made the decision regarding this marriage. After consulting with the Shen Family Elder, Madam Shen received an answer similar to that of Minister Shen, leading both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to begin reconsidering whether Shen Shuihua's marriage should indeed be reevaluated.
Fortunately, they only hinted at this to the Duke of Lu's Residence, without bringing it up directly.
In the end, they settled this matter with the Wen Family.
From late May to early June, the heat was unbearable.
People had long since donned breathable and light clothing, and their outings were now scheduled for early morning and evening. During midday when the sun was blazing overhead, no one would dare venture outside.
The palace had plenty of ice; both Qing Wu's Falling Sunset Pavilion and Ningxin Pavilion were never without it. Wherever she went, there were people carrying ice ahead of her, with palace maids fanning to provide a cool breeze inside.
For some unknown reason, the ice blocks in Zhaoyuan Palace and Zhaoning Palace were not more abundant than those in Qing Wu's place. Clearly, the amounts were similar, yet the palaces felt cooler than her room.
Because of this, Huo Yun'ai often had Qing Wu handle matters at Zhaoyuan Palace.
However, even so, Qing Wu remained steadfast in her own territory, unwilling to budge.
The reason was simple.
Dressed too lightly, someone became increasingly unruly...
Qing Wu saw Huo Yun'ai's heavy gaze and somehow thought of a wolf with green eyes from hunger.
During this time, Huo Yun'ai would repeatedly ask Uncle Yu what day it was. Although his expression was quite indifferent and his tone rather shocked, Qing Wu knew that this Fellow was counting down the days until their wedding on his fingers.
Thus, she became even more vigilant and dared not be alone with him easily.
Fortunately, as the wedding date approached, a more important matter took away much of Huo Yun'ai's attention, which eased Qing Wu's anxious heart somewhat.
During the Grand Wedding, Bian Wang would also come to the capital to congratulate them.
When she received this news, Huo Yun'ai's expression was very pleased, with a sense of calm understanding.
But afterward, he became even busier. He often summoned Mu Hai and Meng Liang to his side and discussed matters for a long time in the room.
Qing Wu vaguely guessed that perhaps something significant would happen with Bian Wang's visit to the capital. However, what exactly would unfold was beyond her knowledge.
The matters regarding the Grand Wedding were being handled by the officials from the Ministry of Rites, and Qing Wu only needed to manage the affairs of the Six Bureaus as usual.
After trying on her wedding dress one last time, she took off the bright red gown embroidered with phoenixes that fit her perfectly. With ten days left until the Grand Wedding, Qing Wu returned to Liu Residence to await her marriage.
Everyone at Liu Residence was busy inside and out. The reason was simple: as the legitimate daughter of the Marquisate, Qing Wu could not leave Liu Residence when getting married. Thus, everyone had to run back and forth between Wen Residence and Liu Residence to prepare various items.
When Wen Qingyue learned of the imperial decree, she happened to be in the Capital City. After that, she did not leave the city again but stayed there for this matter.
The Marquisate had established a five-courtyard residence in the capital, renovated it, planted trees and flowers, and selected some servants to serve in the household. As Qing Wu's wedding date approached, Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion in the capital had been completely refreshed inside and out, ready for her.
Currently, there were only two masters at Wen Residence. The reason for acquiring such a large place was to accommodate the Liu Family whenever they wanted to come over.
In Master Wen's view, since the Liu Family treated his granddaughter so well, they were family! It was most enjoyable for family members to gather together occasionally, chatting and having tea.
The old man was also tired of loneliness. Thus, he urged Wen Qingyue to invite people over to their residence.
After returning home on the ninth day of the month, Qing Wu tidied up a bit at Liu Residence when Wen Qingyue came over to invite everyone to stay at Wen Residence for a while.
Initially, the He Family was unwilling.
Although Qing Wu grew up in Liu Family, she did not feel that Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion owed anything to Liu Family. Qing Wu was very obedient; having her around these years brought nothing but joy to everyone in Liu Family.
Now that Wen Residence was inviting the entire Liu Family over, the He Family felt it was too much trouble for the Marquisate and disagreed with everything.
Wen Qingyue smiled warmly and said, "It is not for any other reason; it is just that we are unsure how to handle many details regarding Qing Wu's wedding and can only trouble you to come over."
His words were indeed true.
Although many elders from the Wen Family came to Beijing from the Southwest to congratulate, they were not familiar with Qing Wu and were unaware of the customs of the Capital City. If they acted rashly, it might not be appropriate.
The He Family hesitated a bit.
Seeing her expression soften, Wen Qingyue pressed on, "If we are in two places, the people from the Ministry of Rites will have to run back and forth. It would be better to stay in one place; it would save us a lot of trouble."
Upon hearing this, the He Family finally nodded in agreement.
The Wen Family had already tidied up the courtyard and arranged everything. The people from Liu Residence only needed to bring their change of clothes to move in. However, even so, due to the various items prepared for Qing Wu's Grand Wedding, they still filled more than a dozen carriages.
On the way, they encountered a young man whose features seemed vaguely familiar; he looked like Liu Anyang from the First Branch.
But that young man only lifted his head slightly, and before anyone could recognize him clearly, he lowered his head and ran off.
Since the incident with the Third Branch, the Old Matriarch of the Liu Family had fallen ill. She had been taken care of by people from the First Branch. Most of the time, she lay on the couch with her eyes closed resting. Occasionally waking up, she would curse incessantly. The harsh words were all directed at Liu Fangyi and his wife and children.
Liu Fangyi's family had long since given up any thoughts of contacting her.
Wasn't Sister Lan's life enough to repay her nurturing grace?!
If it weren't for the Matriarch deliberately delaying treatment and intentionally giving face to people from the Second House, Sister Lan would have recovered long ago. How could Liu Anmeng have had the chance to use such malicious means!
Moreover, if it weren't for relying on the Matriarch's support, how would Liu Anmeng dare to engage in such harmful deeds!
Her heart had grown cold, and she no longer felt the need to argue, treating the old woman as if she did not exist.
Later, after hearing the old woman's incessant complaints, even the usually good-tempered Madam Meng and her son Liu Anyang became irritated with her. They openly and subtly confronted her; if she truly disliked the Second House so much, why not just report them?
The other party was currently thriving.
Taking care of the Empress, their future looked incredibly bright and smooth.
The Matriarch chose not to think about it. The more she considered that the Girl would one day be a mother of a nation, second only to one, and that her family would also enjoy boundless glory, the more furious she became. She cursed even more harshly on ordinary days.
That night, the Matriarch simply wanted to enjoy the slightly cooler night breeze and refused to let anyone close the windows. After three or four hours of this, by morning, she found herself with a crooked face and unable to move half of her body. She had suffered a stroke.
When Liu Anyang returned home, he heard his mother's muffled curses from inside the house and couldn't help but laugh. He loudly recounted the splendid sights he had seen on his way back to his mother.
The indistinct cursing from inside the house ceased for a moment. Before long, it started up again.
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