A life of ups and downs is pure joy

When Lin Qingyao saw the maid from Su Heju coming to tell Lin Qinghuan that she would come to have breakfast with her elder sister tomorrow morning, she smiled and asked someone to help her wash up.

"My sister is simple and lovely. She has been weak and sickly since she was a child and has been busy taking medicine and drinking soup. She is cared for by the whole family and has no scheming or thoughts. However, she is born beautiful. If she had married the second brother of the Xiao family, it would have been a good story and a love story. Now she is marrying this great scholar Xiao, it can be considered a match made in heaven. I hope that such a smart man will not let that scheme against me Huan'er in this life. If that day comes, I will never let him go." Lin Qingyao murmured while combing her long black hair like a waterfall. The personal maids Qiuxiang and Qiushi beside her were just doing their work and did not dare to respond. They thought the princess was talking to herself.

The next day, Lin Qinghuan got up early and helped Xiao Yi get dressed. The man kept watching his busy wife.

"Husband, will you come back for dinner tonight? Mother Huang is going to make you braised lamb and chicken with shiitake mushrooms." Lin Qinghuan asked while ironing Xiao Yi's belt with Yun Xiang.

Xiao Yi remembered that Ning Jinyang said that he would hold a welcoming banquet for Princess Minghui tonight. He was thinking about how to talk to Lin Qinghuan about this. Ning Jinyang specifically instructed him to bring Changping along.

"What's wrong? Are you so busy with official duties that it's so difficult for you to even come back for a meal? My father is fighting on the front line and he has to go back to the camp to eat with the soldiers!" Lin Qinghuan walked over with an ironed belt.

"No, I forgot to tell you yesterday that there will be a banquet in the East Palace tonight, and you have to go with us. The Crown Princess misses you." Xiao Yi said.

"Ah? Then go to the kitchen and tell them that my husband and I will not be having dinner here tonight, and tell Mama Huang to stop working. But my mother won't be back for another two days, and I won't be able to return home until she comes back without worry." Lin Qinghuan turned and said to Chu Xia, then looked at Xiao Yi and said.

"It's up to you where you want to live. I'll definitely stay with you." Xiao Yi adjusted the jade pendant on his belt, then pinched Lin Qinghuan's face affectionately and said, "I'll pick you up later."

After seeing Xiao Yi off, Lin Qinghuan casually added some color to her face, then took her two personal maids to Lin Qingyao's yard for breakfast.

Lin Qingyao looked at Lin Qinghuan, who was eating bird's nest and shredded chicken porridge, and put some cherry meat and yam slices on the small plate next to her. Then she joked, "After this night, my Huan'er is no longer that crybaby, right?"

"Big sister, I forgive him for the time being and believe what he said for now." Lin Qinghuan looked up and smiled at her.

"You two are a loving couple, so I'm relieved. If he doesn't treat you well, I'm still here." After Lin Qingyao finished speaking, Lin Qinghuan looked up at her with emotion and nodded obediently.

"Big sister, I have been staying with you these days. I am not at ease when mother is not at home." Lin Qinghuan said as she served soup to Lin Qingyao.

"My Huan'er has become a source of worry for me now. I remember that he was so little when he was with Luofeng. If it weren't for the second brother of the Xiao family's excellent medical skills, I don't know what he would be like now. I haven't seen him in all these years?" Lin Qingyao mentioned Gong Heyu, especially when she saw Lin Qinghuan so healthy, she felt even more grateful to the child.

"We met once a year ago, and then... maybe we'll never see each other again in this lifetime." Lin Qinghuan finished speaking, pouting and looking up at Lin Qingyao. "Big sister, if he was willing to give up the throne back then, Huan'er would have been wandering around the world with him now. He just couldn't let go."

Lin Qingyao saw that her sister still couldn't let go of the younger brother of the Xiao family, and her words were full of complaints.

"Wandering around the world, where are you going? Don't you want your father, your grandmother, your brothers, your sisters?" Lin Qingyao said, hitting Lin Qinghuan on the forehead with a chestnut.

"But...but I...I had no choice at that time. I just wanted to be with the one I love. Huan'er knows that she is too unfilial and knows that she is wrong." Lin Qinghuan rubbed his head and admitted his mistake aggrievedly.

"Don't mention this again. Just think of it as your nonsense being listened to once today." Lin Qingyao looked at Lin Qinghuan helplessly and said, this sister was still just a little girl after all.

Lin Qinghuan hummed and secretly looked up at Lin Qingyao. Finding that she was still looking at him, he quickly lowered his head.

"Huan'er, my aunt also had a childhood sweetheart. I saw them appreciating flowers and painting together when I was a child. Later, my aunt became my stepmother. I always felt sorry for her, but later she became very close to daddy. Daddy treated her very well. My aunt didn't like to laugh, so daddy would tease her and do everything to please her. Later, my aunt also began to love laughing, and that's how you and Ancai were born." Lin Qingyao said.

"Big sister, do you know who that man is?" Lin Qinghuan suddenly remembered the painting and the inkstone and asked quickly.

"Uncle Dong." Lin Qingyao said casually.

"Which Uncle Dong?" Lin Qinghuan asked.

"His father is the current academician Dong. I remember his name was Dong Yuange. When I was a child, he was a famous talent in Jinhan." Lin Qingyao said.

"So it was him. I heard Nan'er mention it. When Daddy was punished, it was the Grand Secretary Dong who took the lead in advising him." Lin Qinghuan said.

"There is no right or wrong in officialdom, it's just that the gangs are different, and it's not something a little girl like you should worry about. Well, today's past events are just something you and I can chat about together as sisters, and we won't mention it again in the future." Lin Qingyao picked up the handkerchief beside her and wiped her mouth, then tried to stand up with the help of the table. Lin Qinghuan quickly stood up to support her, and then called in a few maids from outside.

"By the way, big sister, I have to go to the East Palace to attend a dinner party tonight. If I come back early, I will come to see you. If I come back late, I will come to have breakfast with you tomorrow morning." Lin Qinghuan helped Lin Qingyao to walk around the yard.

"What kind of dinner is it?" Lin Qingyao asked curiously.

"I don't know either. This foolish prince loves to hold banquets for no reason..." Lin Qinghuan said, then realized that she had said something wrong and looked at her elder sister, then chuckled.

"Don't talk so recklessly anymore. No matter how stupid he is like that blind bear, you can't talk about him casually." After Lin Qingyao finished speaking, the two sisters laughed together and then shushed each other.

After appreciating the flowers and digesting their food, the two sisters went to Grandmother Lin's yard to sit and chat with the old lady. They also had lunch together and then went back to the yard to rest. When Lin Qinghuan woke up, two personal maids came to help her wash and dress up.

"What do you want to wear today, young lady?" Chu Xia opened the wardrobe and turned around to ask Lin Qinghuan, who was sitting in front of the dressing table behind the screen.

"My husband is wearing golden purple today, so I will wear light purple, that light purple long dress with gold thread and moonlight." Lin Qinghuan thought for a while and said, pointing to the gorgeous dress.

"Okay, then wear this new set of hairpins. They match very well." Yun Xiang said as he took out the priceless custom-made jewelry from the exquisite gold and gem-inlaid jewelry box.

"Okay, after all, we are going to the East Palace, a more formal banquet, so I can't dress casually. What about the necklace that elder sister gave me yesterday? I remember it was very beautiful." Lin Qinghuan began to admire her peerless beauty in the bronze mirror.

"Here it is. I put it away and will take it out right away." Chuxia put down the matched clothes and went to the wooden box next to the clinic to search.

"Miss, your husband is back." Li Xue shouted in the yard, and Lin Qinghuan lifted her skirt and walked out.

Before Xiao Yi even reached the door, he saw Lin Qinghuan, smiling happily, walking out. "Husband, I'm done."

Xiao Yi stepped forward and held the beautiful woman's hand. "You look particularly beautiful today. It's rare to see you dressed so formally." Xiao Yi adjusted the hairpin on Lin Qinghuan's bun and said.

"After all, it's the East Palace's banquet. Huan'er is so pretty that her husband's face is also shining. How is it? Did you please your husband?" Lin Qinghuan looked up at Xiao Yi and asked.

"You are always the most beautiful in my eyes." After Xiao Yi said that, he hugged Lin Qinghuan and his wife and happily left Suheju.

It was already evening when we arrived at the East Palace. As we walked into the inner courtyard, we could hear the lively sounds of stringed instruments and orchestral music, as well as the sweet singing of a woman as melodious as an oriole.

After Xiao Yi sent Lin Qinghuan to the Crown Princess, he went to the study of Crown Prince Ning Jinyang first.

"Huan'er always makes my eyes light up whenever I see her. How can life be so beautiful?" The Crown Prince's concubine Yang praised.

"Thank you for the compliment, Sister Yang." Lin Qinghuan bowed and said, then bowed deeply to Su Yuefei.

"I've said it many times, there's no need to be so polite. This girl is always like this." After Su Yuefei finished speaking, the personal maid beside her came forward to help Lin Qinghuan up, and then she waved for Lin Qinghuan to come forward.

"This hairpin is quite exquisite, and it perfectly matches Huan'er's temperament. It's not extravagant, but unique." Su Yuefei straightened Lin Qinghuan's hair and said, "Maybe you left too hastily, your hair is a little messy."

Lin Qinghuan was sitting next to the Crown Princess when she saw a woman walking towards her from a distance. She looked to be about the same age as herself and was also wearing a light purple soft satin pleated dress. She looked a bit naughty, playful, cute, and beautiful. She was followed by four maids of the same height and similar clothes and two women who looked like nannies.

"Today's protagonist is here." The Crown Princess said as she watched the girl slowly approaching.

"The protagonist?" Lin Qinghuan looked at the girl who was walking over curiously. She only saw her make a simple greeting to the Crown Princess and then sit aside.

"After not seeing you for a few years, Minghui has grown into a grown-up girl and has become more and more beautiful." Su Yuefei said to Tao Baiwan.

Lin Qinghuan frowned. It turned out that this was Princess Minghui, the woman who had dinner with Xiao Yi in the cabinet that day.

"Crown Prince is so fond of you that he even specially arranged a welcoming banquet. Thank you, Crown Princess, for your hard work." Princess Minghui said, and then her eyes fell on Lin Qinghuan. The two of them stared at each other without looking away.

"How do you two know each other?" Yang asked curiously when she saw the two girls looking at each other.

"I guess the one sitting next to my sister-in-law must be Princess Changping, right? I heard that she was named the most beautiful woman in Dasheng." Tao Baiwan said as he looked up and down at the woman who was wearing a light purple long dress like himself.

"Changping is Yier's wife now. You should call her sister-in-law." The Crown Princess glanced at Lin Qinghuan who was sitting obediently next to her, and then said to Tao Baiwan.

"I haven't even had a drink at Brother Yi's wedding, so why are you calling me sister-in-law now?" After Tao Baiwan finished speaking, Su Yuefei frowned, then smiled and patted Lin Qinghuan's hand.

"Minghui is young, Huan'er, please don't blame her." Su Yuefei looked at Tao Baiwan's angry little face, and said to Lin Qinghuan who had been silent beside her.

Lin Qinghuan nodded and stopped looking at the woman.

Yang married Ning Jinyang as a concubine in the winter of the same year as Lin Qinghuan, while Qian entered the palace at the same time as Crown Princess Su Yuefei, so she knew some stories that the others present did not know. When she saw the two girls not getting along with each other, she could not help but recall some past events.

At that time, Princess Minghui had been making a fuss about her biological mother, Princess Lingluo, betrothing her to Xiao Yi, the eldest son of the Xiao family. When it seemed that the marriage was about to take place, it was stopped due to the obstruction of Empress Xiao. Because of this, Princess Lingluo and Empress Xiao had a grudge against each other. Originally, it was thought that the eldest princess and the mistress of the harem would have some fun, but Princess Lingluo was not in good health and passed away within two years. Princess Minghui also went to the fiefdom of her father, Prince Consort Tao. Although Tao Ranqiao was a prince consort, he had a good family background, otherwise he would not have been chosen by the late emperor to be the prince consort. The master of the Tao family was a veteran of three dynasties, and the eldest son Tao Ranhao now had some military power in his hands and was also with those countries. The one in charge of the Yanluo Guizhou belongs to the Dasheng territory. The second son, Tao Ranrong, is now the second-rank Shangshu Ling in Jinhan City. The youngest son is the prince consort. The emperor has pitied this niece since Lingluo's death, so he took her back to Jinhan and gave her a mansion to live in. After all, Tao Baiwan is exactly the same as his mother, and Emperor Ning Jingchi has had the closest relationship with his eldest princess since childhood. Some people also say that the two are too close, so the emperor has always treated Tao Baiwan very fondly. She is completely different from the other princesses and young masters born to Princess Lingluo. There are even absurd rumors that this girl is the daughter of the emperor and Lingluo, and I don't know whether it is true or not.

The banquet began. Looking at the seating positions, it was clear that Prince Ning Jinyang was very fond of the daughter born to his aunt.

Lin Qinghuan looked at Tao Baiwan who was sitting next to him and Xiao Yi, and saw that she was always looking at Xiao Yi, raising her glass to clink with him from time to time, while he was like a piece of air, invisible to the woman.

"Brother Yi, were these musicians sent from the Music House?" Tao Baiwan asked from the side.

"Yeah." Xiao Yi nodded.

"Is it still as lively now? When can I take Wanwan there to enjoy some fun?" Tao Baiwan asked.

"Let's talk about it when we have a chance." Xiao Yi replied with a smile, and then turned his head to look at his wife. She had been staring at the dancers in front of her since she sat down, with no expression on her face.

"Huan'er, eat, don't just focus on watching the dancing." Xiao Yi said considerately as he picked up some food for Lin Qinghuan.

"Husband, Huan'er thought their dancing was very graceful and she was fascinated by it." Lin Qinghuan calmed down, then turned her head and looked at Xiao Yi with a smile as beautiful as a flower and said in a sweet voice.

"Silly girl, how about you try this fruit wine." Xiao Yi picked up the white jade pot and poured some into Lin Qinghuan's small cup.

"Hmm, it's sweet and delicious, and quite refreshing." Lin Qinghuan took the cup lightly with her jade hand, took a sip with her face covered with a scarf, and then said.

"This duck strips and sea cucumber is the best dish of the chef in the East Palace. You should try it." Xiao Yi added some more to the plate in front of Lin Qinghuan and said.

Lin Qinghuan hummed, then lowered his head and started eating.

"Brother Yi..."