Rebirth of the Firstborn Daughter: Life is like a Dream

In a blink of an eye, it was the New Year's Day. Wei Zhong repeatedly came to persuade Xiao to go back, but Xiao refused firmly every time on the pretext of wanting to rest and take care of her pregnancy. The old man also told Xiao to stay in the villa and go back whenever she wanted, without having to care what others said.

I always feel that the old man cares less and less about how others view the Wei family, and he even wants to sincerely reduce the Wei family's reputation in the capital. Originally, among the four prestigious families, the Wei family had the highest reputation, but now the Wei family is becoming less and less prestigious than before.

Xiao did not return home to prepare for the New Year, but Wei Bingyan insisted on going back because Concubine Lu De and Princess Ping'an in the palace had asked someone to ask Wei Bingyan to attend the banquet.

This commemorative festival had many wonderful programs both in the palace and the palace. Wei Bingyan didn't know why Concubine Lu De wanted her to go to the palace. It was very likely that she wanted to ask about her mother's recent condition.

As for Princess Ping'an, perhaps because she is getting older, she is more and more fond of actively matchmaking for the young ladies. Wei Bingyan is also a student of Princess Mudan. It is really thanks to her that Princess Ping'an was able to find her daughter. Therefore, in such a place, how could she not sincerely invite Wei Bingyan to come?

A year later, Wei Bingyan would be fourteen years old, old enough to get engaged.

Xiao heard from others that Princess Ping'an had invited Wei Bingyan to a banquet, and she guessed the reason, so she returned to Wei's house on the second day of the New Year. At that time, Wei Bingyan had gone to the palace, and she didn't know that Xiao had returned to Wei's house early just to go to Prince Ping'an's Palace with her the next day.

This was not Wei Bingyan's first time entering the palace. She had come here with Xiao when she was young. At that time, she only felt that the magnificent imperial palace was huge and beautiful, but now, walking in the long red-walled alley, she felt depressed.

The little palace maid led the way quietly in front of her. It seemed that once she entered such an imperial palace, her life force became weak and she had to be careful even with her breathing.

After entering the palace, a large sedan chair decorated with green pottery glaze came to pick her up and took her directly to Concubine Lu De's palace.

Wei Bingyan noticed that there seemed to be quite a few people entering the palace today, but she had no intention of looking more and inadvertently avoided a few familiar faces.

In such a place where yang is weak and yin is strong, there is an lingering fragrance of luxury all year round. Wei Bingyan glanced at the densely packed and endless harem. Although it was very glorious and exquisite, she didn't like it at all.

Concubine Lu De lived in Jiuhua Palace, and probably because she was celebrating the New Year happily, the palace was more lively than usual, and everyone seemed to be full of joy. The flower garden was full of colorful flowers.

Wei Bingyan lowered her head and walked quickly into the palace, and paid a visit to Concubine Lu De in the spacious hall.

"Your humble servant pays homage to Her Majesty the Virtuous Concubine. May Her Majesty be well and healthy." Wei Bingyan bowed deeply, her voice humble and her face with a gentle and kind smile.

"Come and sit down." Concubine Lu De looked three points similar to Xiao, but her features were more delicate and intelligent than Xiao's. She was younger than Xiao.

Wei Bingyan stood up, raised her head slightly, smiled faintly at Concubine Lu De, and took small steps forward.

Concubine Lu De asked the maid to bring a brocade stool to Wei Bingyan.

"Today, the Empress Dowager has held a banquet and invited the elegant ladies from the capital to come to the palace. She also sincerely asked me to call you as well. It's a pity that your mother is pregnant. I haven't seen her for a long time and I miss her deeply."

Concubine Lu De's voice was low and had an indescribable appeal that made people who listened to her relax.

The Empress Dowager is holding a banquet? Wei Bingyan was slightly stunned. Then she remembered that when she entered the palace just now, there were many luxurious carriages outside the gate. She thought that these ladies must have gone to the Empress Dowager.

Wei Bingyan restrained her temper and didn't dare to have any wild thoughts. She didn't want to know the purpose of the empress dowager's banquet. "Mother is resting peacefully in the villa and taking care of her pregnancy. Everything is fine."

"It's almost June, right?" Concubine Lu De asked with a smile.

"Yes." Wei Bingyan responded softly. Her mother was almost six months pregnant. Under her and her master's careful care, her mother was in good health, so she could rest assured to leave the villa for a few days.

Concubine Lu De smiled and said, "Your mother is a blessed person. Now she can have another happy event. I am happy for her. If there is anything you need, please ask someone to come to the palace and tell me."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty." She always felt that Concubine Lu De's attitude towards her today was a little different than before, and it seemed like there was a kind of sincere closeness.

Concubine Lu slowly raised her head and her eyes quickly fell on Wei Bingyan, "Bingyan, I heard from others that you and Li Yuyan are senior and junior brothers and sisters? Is this true?"

Wei Bingyan raised her eyebrows slightly, and became more cautious in her heart, "Yes."

"No wonder..." Concubine Lu De nodded as if she was thinking about something, and looked at Wei Bingyan with a bit more entanglement, "You are fifteen this year, right?"

"Your Majesty, I am fourteen years old this year." Wei Bingyan replied.

"Well, it's time to get engaged." Concubine Lu De said with a smile, "In fact, I think Li Shizi is good, and the Li and Wei families are a match made in heaven, but Old Master Wei doesn't seem very satisfied, and even the Empress Dowager... Bingyan, what do you think?"

Hearing Concubine Lu De's tone, Wei Bingyan felt a pressure on her heart. Why did she suddenly mention Li Yunze? Didn't Concubine Lu De always oppose the marriage between the Wei and Li families?

"How can a servant make the decision on her own on such an important matter in life?" Wei Bingyan replied softly, carefully observing Concubine Lu De's expression but could not see anything.

Concubine Lu De nodded with satisfaction, "It's getting late, let's go to the Empress Dowager."

This confusing question was finally over, but Wei Bingyan couldn't figure out what it meant, so she had to deal with it as it came and followed Concubine Lu De to the Empress Dowager's Fulu Palace.

……

Compared with Concubine Lu De's palace, Fulu Palace is not as gorgeous, but it also lacks some of the aura of majesty. The Empress Dowager is not a person who likes extravagance.

However, Fulu Palace was very lively today. Before Concubine Lu De and Wei Bingyan walked into the palace, they heard joyful laughter coming out, and one of the voices was very loud.

It was the voice of a young girl.

"Your Highness, please don't ridicule me. I am telling the truth. There is no woman in the capital who doesn't know the number one scholar of the Li family. There are many young ladies from ordinary families in the Tang Dynasty who choose their own husbands. Are we not as good as these women?"

This pleasant and clear voice came from the hall, and Wei Bingyan, who had just stepped onto the steps, was slightly stunned.

It seemed like she could hear things related to Li Yuyan everywhere. Was it because she paid too much attention to him that she had this unreal illusion?

"Could it be that Princess Su Yan also has a crush on Li Yuyan?" another voice asked with a smile.

"I heard from others that Li Yuyan already has a childhood sweetheart, a junior sister..." Someone said this, and just then, Concubine Lu De and Wei Bingyan appeared in everyone's sight.

Those who originally wanted to continue teasing became self-disciplined and restrained themselves and became quiet, glancing at Wei Bingyan who was standing behind Concubine Lu De.

Wei Bingyan is now a well-known evil woman and an unfilial daughter in the capital. In addition, she is also rumored to be the innocent little sister of Li Yuyan, so naturally many people pay attention to her.

"Long live the Empress Dowager." Concubine Lu De and Wei Bingyan saluted the Empress Dowager respectfully together, ignoring the scrutinizing looks from both sides.

Wei Bingyan had heard many rumors about this Empress Dowager before. Her grandmother and the Empress Dowager were close friends. She suspected that she had also seen this old lady when she was young, but she didn't know which one she remembered. Now that she had the opportunity to see her, she couldn't help but crane her neck and look at the white-haired Empress Dowager beside her.

Although the snow-white hair is hidden in the flowing hair, the skin on her face is still radiant and her eyes are always smiling. There are already fine lines under her eyelids that cannot be hidden. She is a very kind and amiable old man.

She had seen this lady before. When her grandmother was still alive, she had taken her to see this lady. However, her grandmother had not told her that this lady was the Empress Dowager...

"No need to be polite." The Queen Mother said with a smile, her eyes fell on Wei Bingyan, "Bingyan, do you still remember me?"

Wei Bingyan hung her head and said humbly, "How dare I forget the Empress Dowager?"

"Come here and let me see you. I haven't seen you in several years." The Queen Mother waved her hand and asked Wei Bingyan to come to her side.

Even Concubine Lu De was among them. Everyone was looking at this scene in surprise. The Empress Dowager had not left the palace for several years, and Wei Bingyan had never entered the palace. When had the Empress Dowager seen her?

In fact, Wei Bingyan didn't have a deep impression of the Empress Dowager. She only remembered that she was about five or six years old at that time. How could she sit obediently near her grandmother and listen to her friends? She just had a meeting and disappeared without a trace after that. Fortunately, her memory was not bad, so she still had such a vague impression.

Wei Bingyan walked up to the Empress Dowager generously, with a dreamy smile in her eyes, which was very different from the weak look she had when she first walked in.

"You look very much like your grandmother when she was a child. No wonder she cares about you so much." When talking about her best friend, the Queen Mother showed a little loneliness on her face.

The location today was not very suitable for chatting, let alone mourning, so the empress dowager did not say too much to Wei Bingyan. She just asked a few casual questions and let Wei Bingyan sit down.

After Wei Bingyan sat down, she realized that Mingyue was sitting nearby.

Mingyue blinked at her and signaled Wei Bingyan to look directly at the person opposite her, who was Princess Su Yan who had just spoken.

After a while, the Queen and Empress Linghu also arrived.

With the arrival of those important figures, Wei Bingyan soon stopped attracting attention. However, she didn't know if it was an illusion, but the Queen Mother seemed to always turn her gaze towards her, with the same inquisitive look as Concubine Lu De's before.

What happened? Wei Bingyan had a bad omen deep in her heart.

The Empress and Empress Linghu have always been at odds with each other. Even when they are by the Empress Dowager's side, the two are used to competing for supremacy. However, today it is clear that the Empress is at a disadvantage, and there is a hint of annoyance between her brows.

Wei Bingyan had lived in the villa for several months, and she really seemed to be isolated from the world. She wondered what had happened in the capital that would make the always domineering queen look like that.

The banquet ended in silence. Following the suggestion of the complacent Empress Linghu, everyone surrounded the Empress Dowager and appeared in the Imperial Garden.

Mingyue took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and whispered in Wei Bingyan's ear, "What's wrong with you recently? I heard from others that the prince asked His Majesty for permission to marry you as his concubine."

Mingyue's words were like thunder that struck Wei Bingyan's ears, frightening her so much that her whole body became stiff. After looking at Mingyue for a long time, Wei Bingyan finally muttered, "When did I offend His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

"You really don't know anything?" Mingyue took Wei Bingyan's hand and walked at the back, so that the two could talk at ease.

"What exactly happened?" Wei Bingyan shuddered when she thought of the looks of Concubine Lu De and the Queen.

Mingyue said softly, "Your third brother is now openly opposing the crown prince. Several of the crown prince's men have been sentenced, and the crown prince has also been blamed by His Majesty several times, saying that he does not know how to employ people."

Wei Bingyan didn't wait for Mingyue to finish her story and asked, "Didn't Li Yuyan still deal with my father? Why did the prince still have to... ask for permission from His Majesty?"

Shouldn’t the prince immediately distance himself from the Wei family?

"You really have cut yourself off from the world?" Mingyue curled her lips helplessly. "Even though Li Yuyan was dealing with Lord Wei, His Majesty always suppressed the memorials concerning Lord Wei and at most said a few words. He never really sentenced him. The Crown Prince felt that His Majesty paid special attention to Lord Wei and the Wei family. Otherwise, why would he ask for permission to marry you?"

Your Majesty is not concerned about the Wei family or Wei Zhong, but because of the old man, he did not sentence Wei Zhong the same as others!