The reborn girl always wants to escape, but the abstinent marquis hugs her and coaxes her!

Chapter 149: Let Her Sit with Weiyuan Hou

When Xu Rongrong's carriage entered the capital in the afternoon, it happened to catch the first snow in the capital since the beginning of winter.

Now is the busiest time before the New Year. Every household is busy buying New Year's goods, and the wealthy families are busy giving New Year's gifts.

The streets are bustling with people and traffic.

But this sudden heavy snow made the originally bustling streets become desolate in an instant.

People who are busy buying New Year's goods are in a hurry.

But beneath those thick snow hats, you can still see the smiles on their faces.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, the day for family reunions. Regardless of family background or social status, celebrating the New Year means bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, and everyone has the most beautiful aspirations for the new year.

Although the rapid decline of the Second Prince has triggered huge changes in the court in the past few months, for ordinary people, as long as the Great Zhou and the court are still there, the ups and downs of the princes are too far away from their lives and will not affect their daily life.

It's just a topic of conversation after dinner.

The people's lives went on as usual, but the people in the palace were in some trouble.

For example, the aunt in charge of the queen's affairs was named He Wan.

The Queen is in charge of the affairs of the six palaces, so tomorrow's New Year's Eve family dinner will naturally need to be hosted by the Queen.

Nanny He Wan was an old lady brought into the palace by the Queen. Like Eunuch Wang, she was the Queen's right-hand man. No one in the Queen's palace acted without looking at her face. Even the details of the arrangements for the family banquet had to be reported to her first.

The Queen had been in the throne for more than ten years and her position in the palace was stable. Moreover, the Crown Prince had grown up, so the Queen no longer did everything herself as she did in the past.

Although family banquets are major events for the royal family, there are old rules to follow for all the matters submitted, and the Ministry of Rites is also keeping an eye on them, so generally nothing major will happen. Therefore, in recent years, all of them have been handed over to Nanny He.

At this time, the queen had just finished her nap and was fixing her hair and makeup in front of the mirror. While the little palace maid was combing her hair, she was listening to Nanny He's report.

After listening briefly, she nodded and said, "All of this can be done according to the old rules. However, it snowed today. Tomorrow morning, all areas of the palace and the main roads outside the palace will be cleared of snow to prevent the elderly and women from slipping and falling."

Nanny He said quickly, "I have already given the order."

The queen nodded and said, "You are very considerate."

After she finished speaking, she saw that Nanny He was still standing there without moving.

Through the reflection in the mirror, she saw a hint of hesitation on Nanny He's face, so she asked, "What's wrong? Awan." She still called Nanny He as if they were in the boudoir.

He Wan, upon hearing her inquiries, quickly replied truthfully, "Everything for the family banquet has been arranged, but... the Second Prince is still imprisoned. I wonder what to do about his place at tomorrow's banquet. And the Second Prince's consort... His Majesty's decree doesn't seem to mention her. Should we reserve her place?"

There was no precedent in the history of the Zhou Dynasty for a prince to be imprisoned.

What's more, although the second prince has fallen, the concubine is still there. If the arrangement is not appropriate, with the concubine's hot-tempered temper, it would not be surprising that she would make a scene in court.

The Queen smiled and said, "What do you think is causing you to be so hesitant? The Second Son is under the order of His Majesty himself. He cannot leave the palace. Even if we reserve a seat for him at the palace banquet, won't it be left empty? It's so frustrating. As for the Second Son's wife, even if she comes, we will arrange for her to sit at the table with the royal family."

"But how could Concubine Shu let this go?" Nanny He advised, "Your Majesty, why don't you wait until His Majesty comes tonight to ask for a decree?" "No need. If I bother His Majesty with such a trivial matter, wouldn't it make me look incompetent?" With that, she smiled and raised her hand, pinning a nine-tailed phoenix hairpin into her hair. "Besides, if Concubine Shu wants to make a fuss, let her. I don't care. After the second son's accident, she's been unusually quiet, and I'm worried she'll get sick from suffocating herself."

Seeing the Empress's indifferent expression, Nanny He knew her mistress must have known what was going on, so she stopped trying to persuade her and simply smiled, "It is your generosity that has allowed His Majesty to treat you consistently over the years."

The queen smiled without saying anything: the emperor liked her indifference to the world, so she continued. There was no loss for her anyway.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her features were the same as always, not even a wrinkle at the corners of her eyes.

I recalled the emperor's tender praise: "The ancients once said that only women of the purest and most sincere nature could retain eternal youth. I didn't believe it before, but seeing that the Empress looks just as she did when I first met her, without a single sign of aging, doesn't that prove the ancient saying? To have a woman as simple, kind, and uncontested as the Empress as my wife is a blessing for me and for the Great Zhou."

From the first day she married into the royal family, she saw through the emperor at a glance.

Whatever he values, she reveals.

She had lived a smooth life for half her life, and now she just had to wait for the prince to grow up safely and sit on the supreme throne, then her greatest wish in this life would be realized.

What if her mother's family, the He clan, wasn't a noble family? What if her status was low? What if she had no supporters in the court? In the future, she could make those nobles in the capital kneel down and pay homage to her!

Thinking of the Crown Prince's current status, she asked, "Isn't it time for Rong Ge'er to return to the capital?"

"Yes, the booklet handed over by the Weiyuan Marquis's Mansion states that the Marquis will be attending a banquet tomorrow night."

The Queen nodded and said, "This child is really in trouble. He is going to do errands for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince this time. It must be very tiring for him to travel back and forth."

Mu Rong's departure from the capital was initially unknown; it was his own grand display in Puyang County that revealed his whereabouts. However, his mission for the Crown Prince was kept secret. Upon hearing this, Nanny He hurriedly said, "So the Marquis left the capital to carry out an errand for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? I didn't know that before."

The Queen smiled and glanced at Nanny He. "Awan, your cautious nature is still the same as when you first entered the palace. I can't help but feel inferior to you."

Nanny He quickly lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty, I am too humble to accept your compliments."

"Alright...even if you didn't know before, you should know now. But I'm not telling you this just for you. The Marquis has undertaken such a major task, and Concubine Shu also needs to know."

"I understand." Nanny He replied.

The Queen wanted to let Concubine Shu know that the Second Prince's imprisonment was related to Marquis Weiyuan... She also wanted to let other people who were eyeing him covetously understand that Marquis Weiyuan was now one with the Crown Prince.

But... can she really get what she wants?

Nanny He had met Marquis Weiyuan only a few times, but the man she saw didn't seem to be very kind to his cousins ​​in the royal family. Was he really trying to help His Royal Highness the Crown Prince by suddenly attacking the Second Prince?

However, she did not tell the queen what she was thinking.

Having been with the Queen for decades, she knew what to say and what not to say to her master.

Seeing that she was lost in thought, the Queen smiled and said, "Bring over the seating arrangement for tomorrow's family banquet so I can have a look."

Nanny He quickly came to her senses and handed over the seating list.

After the Queen had a look, she pointed to one of the spots and ordered, "Place Ping'an County Lady next to Rong Ge'er tomorrow night. That girl is pretty, and I like her the moment I see her."

Nanny He took a look at the blueprint and her heart skipped a beat.