The Duke's Daughter is Reborn

As the news of the Hundred Flowers Banquet spread throughout the capital, the bluestone road was already packed with gardeners.

These craftsmen, who came from all over Tianyuan, either carried flower baskets made of woven bamboo strips that were dyed a mottled green and yellow by the new mud, or carried bamboo baskets decorated with red silk, with the silk ribbons fluttering like small flags in the wind - the delicate flowers in their arms had their roots wrapped in wet cotton cloth, and even their temples were stained with dewy new mud.

Everyone's eyes were glued to the direction of the vermilion palace walls, as if the opening of those two tightly closed doors would be the moment they became famous after working hard for half a lifetime.

Unlike the previous flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Queen, this Hundred Flowers Banquet was personally ordered by the Emperor.

The words "Imperial Banquet" on the post were gilded with gold foil, which made people dizzy under the sun and even their breathing felt hot.

Although the Mansion of the Duke of Song no longer had the grand scene of being crowded with dignitaries as it once did, it still held the hereditary title.

The names of the old lady and the Duke finally appeared on the invitation to the palace.

As a young lady from an official family who assisted the Queen in organizing the banquet, Yang Qi was naturally on the list.

But Yang Lan and the others were not so lucky - the number of people at the banquet was limited, and only a few young ladies could make the list.

As the day of the flower-viewing banquet drew closer, Yang Qi's mood became increasingly heavy, and the worry in her heart hung over her like a dark cloud.

Ever since the brief encounter that night when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince returned to the Imperial City, Yang Qi hadn't seen His Royal Highness for several days. At that time, His Royal Highness's figure looked particularly tall and majestic under the moonlight.

However, she had not seen His Royal Highness the Crown Prince since then, and wondered whether he had dealt with those difficult matters.

Although Yang Qi is holding a book in her hand now, her mind is not on it at all.

When Mother He gently pushed open the door and walked into the room, Yang Qi was sitting at the table, looking at the book with a dazed look.

These days, Yang Qi has been out of shape. No matter what he does, he seems absent-minded and careless.

Mother He saw this and felt really distressed, but she didn't know what exactly happened, so she could only silently watch the young lady's every move.

Seeing that Yang Qi was still immersed in her own thoughts, Mother He said softly, "Miss, the eldest young master has returned home."

Yang Qi was stunned for a moment, his body trembled slightly, and then he came back to his senses, with a look of surprise on his face: "Brother? Why is he back? Is he back to attend the party?"

My eldest brother’s name is not on the list for the Hundred Flowers Banquet.

Mother He smiled and shook her head, explaining, "Miss, have you forgotten that after the Hundred Flowers Banquet, it will be the Spring Examination. The eldest young master must have come back this time to prepare for the Spring Examination.

The second wife and the eldest young master discussed that they would review their lessons and prepare for the exam at home.

The old lady said that this is a major event for our Duke's Mansion, and we must let the young master study with peace of mind.

Miss, the Second Madam and the Young Master have always been very kind to you. This time the Young Master is taking part in the Spring Examination. Would you like to go to the upper room to take a look?"

Yang Qi then remembered that because she was helping the Queen to prepare the banquet, the old lady allowed her not to visit her every morning and evening. But no matter how busy she was, she couldn't forget to welcome her brother.

Fortunately, I had embroidered a pair of knee-length gowns for Yang Qing's spring examination.

"Go get the knee-length coat I embroidered for my elder brother." Yang Qi took the book and said, "Bring it with you when you get upstairs."

In the main hall of the upper house, the old lady sat on a rosewood chair. Xu, Yang Lan and others were already waiting. Mother He followed Yang Qi with a gilded box in her hand. When she entered the room, she saw the old lady looking up. She was so excited that she didn't even notice it: "The third girl is here, come and sit down."

During this period, Yang Qi frequently entered the palace and received more rewards than anyone else in the palace. Even the queen often praised him, and the old lady's back straightened a little. The nanny immediately brought a food box, and when she opened it, a sweet fragrance filled the air: "The kitchen has kept warm steamed cheese with sugar, which is what the third girl likes to eat."

Yang Qi took the food box and thanked him with a smile.

Mrs. Xu stared at her thin face and said distressedly, "Look how thin she is. You must have been very busy, right?"

Yang Qi touched his cheek. He had been worried about the Crown Prince's affairs for these days. He had indeed lost his appetite and had indeed lost some weight.

The old lady frowned and winked at the nanny: "Go to the kitchen and tell her to add two meat dishes to the third girl's meal from now on."

Xu nodded. Even if the old lady didn't mention it, this was what she planned to do.

Yang Lan and the others looked at the old lady and the second lady talking to Yang Qi, and they felt like outsiders.

It was not until Brother Yang Qing finally came in that the atmosphere in the room became lively.

There were hurried footsteps in the corridor. As soon as Yang Qing appeared in front of the steps, the silver hairpin on the old lady's temples trembled. "Qing'er." She put down the Buddhist beads, her voice filled with unspeakable joy.

Xu's eyes became tearful as she looked at her son whom she hadn't seen for several months.

Yang Qing stood still in front of the steps. He looked at the new silver hair on the old lady's temples and said with emotion, "Grandma."

The old lady took Yang Qing's hand and brought it to her side, rubbing the thin calluses on the back of his hand with her fingertips - those were the marks left by years of holding a pen, "Qing'er, the last time I saw you was during the New Year. How come you have become so thin in the past few months?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Xu and continued, "As a mother, you need to take care of me during this period."

The old lady didn't need to say much. Seeing her son so thin, Xu felt distressed. "It's what mother ordered. Qing'er, tell me, how many hours do you sleep every day? Have you used the tonic soup and other things I sent you?"

Yang Qing took the tea from Xu and smiled, "Grandma, mother, I get up at 3 p.m. every day to practice calligraphy, read scriptures at 7 p.m., practice policy essays at 5 p.m., and always rest before 12 p.m."

He raised his eyes to look at Xu, "The food you sent is very popular among the classmates. They all said that after knowing my son, their appetites have become more sophisticated."

"You are such a good kid, you only know how to coax people!" Xu patted her knees and laughed, with warmth in the fine lines at the corners of her eyes.

Looking at Yang Qi beside her, Yang Qing blinked and said, "Third sister, it's been a long time since we last met."

Looking at her elder brother's gaze, Yang Qi smiled and said, "That's right. This time when I saw you, I also felt that you have lost a lot of weight."

When Yang Qing returned home for the New Year, Yang Qi was in the palace treating the Empress, so he missed it.

As he spoke, Yang Qi took the box from He Mama's hands and said, "Brother, I have been busy embroidering this these days. Look at the cloud pattern, the stitches are denser than before. It should be warm to put it against your knees while reading at night."

"Very good." Yang Qing took the knee-length shirt and felt the fine stitches. "It's much thicker than the old knee-length shirt I wore last year."