"Uncle Ying is good." Xia Zhikang and the others got up and saluted him.

Ying Qingyuan's eyes slipped by, and when he saw Xia Zhongzheng, he opened his round mouth-

Xia Zhongzheng hurriedly covered up: "The junior Zhong Liangzheng has seen Uncle Ying. ”

Zhong Liangzheng? Rong'er looked at her father's expression and smiled secretly, obviously Xia Zhongzheng refused to reveal his identity and asked his father to help cover it up.

Ying Qingyuan was stunned for a moment, returned to normal, and happily invited everyone: "It's lunch, and I invite the three virtuous nephews to go to the dining room to eat first." ”

"You're welcome." Xia Zhikang replied with a smile.

Ying Qingyuan made a gesture of please.

"Please ask Uncle Ying and Sister Rong to go first." Xia Zhikang is polite.

Ying Qingyuan and Rong'er led the way in front, Rong'er glanced at his father out of the corner of his eye, thinking that he must be guessing why the prince came, and he had to change his name in front of him?

Knowing that Xia Zhikang had brought a friend, Ying Qingyuan came out to greet the guests, and Gu's had already made arrangements in the dining room. Originally, there were two tables for a banquet for Dr. Xie You, one in the outer hall and one in the small hall inside. Gu's main admonition to the people to live well and send some wine up.

The men sat outside, and the women entered the small hall through the back door of the dining room and sat inside, and the door leading from the small hall to the outer hall was placed a four-panel purple gauze screen.

Ying Yun was called out, and he was also shocked when he saw the prince, and he was stopped by Jiang Mingyuan when he wanted to salute, and introduced them as relatives.

Ying Qingyuan refused to sit on the head, after all, the prince's status was noble.

Xia Zhongzheng and Jiang Mingyuan pressed him to sit down, Ying Qingyuan had to sit reluctantly, Xia Zhikang arranged for Xia Zhongzheng to sit on Ying Qingyuan's left side, and he sat next to him, Ying Yun and Jiang Mingyuan sat on Ying Qingyuan's right side.

"Three virtuous nephews, please eat." Ying Qingyuan stood up again.

The two sides exchanged politeness, and the guests first toasted the elders' wine, and then saluted Rong'er across the screen to congratulate. Rong'er responded politely in the house. Then they eat separately.

It is inevitable that men will talk while eating at a banquet, and from time to time they will talk about the affairs of the court and the country.

The woman didn't dare to make a loud noise inside. Gu Shi didn't know that Xia Zhongzheng was the crown prince, but he knew that there were outsiders, all of them were men, so he glanced at the female dependents on the table, with coercion in his eyes, reminding everyone to hurry up and eat, and go back to the house after eating, don't walk around, so as not to be told by outsiders that the women in Anping Mansion are not educated.

In this situation, Rong'er and her mother usually eat to the end, and the two aunts and three sisters always leave the table at a very fast speed.

Through the gauze screen, you can faintly see the guests outside. The two aunts ate slower than the foreign visitors in the past, and the three sisters naturally slowed down, although they lowered their heads to eat, they glanced at Gu from time to time out of the corner of their eyes, and then stole the young shadow outside the slanted gauze screen.

The Gu family was upright, a trace of sternness flashed in the corners of his eyes, and he secretly regretted in his heart, "It was too late just now, otherwise I should drive them back to their own house to eat." ”

Rong'er ate slowly, listening to the conversation outside, while looking at the two aunts and sisters.

Although the eldest sister Ying Conglan is fifteen years old, there is no suitable family, and the second and third sisters are young and have not yet been engaged.

Originally, last year, my father ordered a good family affair for Ying Conglan, and married Qian Yongwen, the son of the deacon Qian family, who was in charge of the Sipin Palace in the palace, but before the two sides had time to give the ceremony, Qian Yongwen suddenly fell seriously ill and died in less than a month. Although he was already sick, this incident cast a shadow on Ying Conglan, and secretly many people thought that Ying Conglan was unlucky, and her family affairs became a problem for a while.

In his previous life, he married a small county magistrate when Lan was eighteen years old, because he was a wife, and he was not a bad marriage.

Jiang Mingyuan has already taken his wife. Rong'er has a sensitivity beyond the past, and captures a feeling that Ying Conglan's mother and daughter are very interested in Xia Zhongzheng.

Ying Congqing's performance is subtle, but the occasional flash of light in the corner of his eye is not simple.

The crown prince Xia Zhongzheng is a talented man.

Only Ying Congwan is still young, curiously listening to the guests chatting, picking up their favorite dishes carefully, and there is no idea.

However, her mother Xie Shi also seemed to have some thoughts, after all, Ying Congwan has not yet been engaged.

Gu Shi didn't want to urge everyone clearly, so he ate quickly by himself as a demonstration.

Seeing that her face was a little heavy, the two aunts sped up.

The situation is not right, and the Lan couple should also quickly pick up the rice.

Only Rong'er is slow and methodical, picking some shredded chicken for a while, and some fish for a while, eating very slowly and carefully.

How dare the sisters compare with her? She was just sick, so her husband's family gave gifts to visit, and she also brought the son of the Marquis of Changle's mansion. What a face-saving thing?

If you want to hate, you can only hate yourself for being born in the wrong place.

Ying Conglan thought of his gloomy fate, lowered his quiet eyes, ate quickly, put down the bowl first, saluted Gu's, and went out through the back door.

As soon as she left, Xue Shi pulled Ying Congwan away.

Xie didn't dare to lag behind, and hurriedly left with Ying Congqing.

Gu and Rong'er were left in the room, and the mother and daughter smiled at each other, and the atmosphere relaxed.

In fact, the outside talk is about things that women don't like to hear. Rong'er was not interested when she heard it, she didn't understand the reason why Xia Zhongzheng came, put down the dishes and chopsticks, and was about to leave, but was pulled by her mother and whispered, "Wait for Zhikang and them to have tea." ”

Rong'er hasn't had time yet, so she can go out to meet the guests.

"I'll go back to the house and come out in a minute." Rong'er has an unusual feeling today, and she has to go back and arrange something.

Gu whispered, "Don't stay in the house for too long, it's rude." She wants her daughter to know more about Xia Zhikang, and marry her in the future, so that she can be a better husband and wife.

Rong'er understood what she meant, and walked out quickly through the back door, Xin's mother and Yuqin had already eaten and were waiting outside.

It was the middle of the day, it was a little hot, and there was no one in the garden.

Rong'er returned to Xinxiang Courtyard, asked Xin's mother to look outside, and called Yuqin to the back room and whispered: "You tell Yuxiang and them to go and stare at Xiaoxiyuan and Dong'an Courtyard separately to see if anything is wrong." ”

Yuqin was a little surprised, the third lady never did secret actions, and today she asked them to do this kind of thing?

Rong'er sat on the pear wood chair in the flower hall, tapped the armrest of the chair, and said mysteriously: "Arrange it according to what I said first." ”

Yuqin went out for a while and came in, "It's arranged." I asked Yulu to go to the west flower forest on the side of the small west courtyard to pick some autumn cuckoos, and Yu Lu went to the garden behind the Dong'an courtyard to pick the moon season. Yuxiang and Liu's mother went to the big garden to pick lotus leaves. The yard was guarded by Geng's mother. ”

Rong'er nodded, "Yuqin bring my jasmine tea." Let's get out of here. ”

Yuqin took a pot of tea from the cupboard.

Rong'er got up and went out, calling Xin's mother to rush to the front hall.

During the meal, Ying Qingyuan and Ying Yun repeatedly tried to persuade the three guests to drink more wine, but Xia Zhongzheng refused on the grounds that there was something to do later. A few men just drank a small amount of wine and ate some food out of courtesy, and then they got down to the table. According to the number of etiquette, it is necessary to drink tea for a while, and the guests can say goodbye.

When Rong'er came out, they had just walked into the living room in the front hall.

Rong'er walked into the living room, and they had already entered the small tea room in the living room, and sat down around a coffee table. Gu Shi and Xue Ju had already set up the tea set and boiled the water.

"I took the jasmine tea I made in June." Rong'er walked in radiantly.