Adoption brings disaster

Time flies, especially when things are going well. In the blink of an eye, it was the day when Liu Shuiqing left the palace.

That day, I got up early, not because I wanted to see him off, but because I wanted to leave the palace early so that I could take care of some things.

Ever since I was promoted to the rank of Lord Father, I have been living a very comfortable life. I can leave the palace whenever I want and not come back whenever I want. Anyway, the Seventh Prince is grown up and doesn't need me to look after him.

My lingering outside the palace and not caring about the Seventh Prince caused General Lu and other generals to complain. However, Chongguang didn't say anything, so they could only hint at it a few times. Seeing that I pretended not to understand, they stopped talking and were just angry in their hearts.

Seeing Liu Shuiqing leaving the palace, I thought to myself that it would be more convenient for me to go and play with him. After all, he doesn't need to act according to the wishes of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

But it is not very convenient for him to come to see me. He needs to submit a letter to the Imperial Household Department, and the Imperial Household Department will calculate a date before he can enter the palace.

His Highness the Seventh Prince has been getting busier and busier recently. Sometimes he gets up before daybreak, and by the time I wake up, he has already handled countless official business.

Today might be the day when Liu Shuiqing is leaving the palace. I was worried about it, so I woke up early.

"Bring the clothes here. I will change clothes for His Highness the Seventh Prince today." I said happily.

"Your Highness." Ada handed me the clothes without saying anything.

"Chongguang, you know I've never dressed anyone else," I said. "What if I can't dress you properly?"

"It's okay. Everyone knows that we have a deep affection for each other as father and son. His Highness Qianqiu personally dresses me out of kindness, and I wear them out out of filial piety. I just want others to see how loving and filial we are as father and son." Chongguang has grown up, and his ability to coax people has become better.

Chongguang spoke so nicely, so I naturally got involved and took the clothes and put them on Chongguang.

I just didn’t expect that clothes in this era are so troublesome to put on, and I have always been dressed by others. I have never let others dress me, and I don’t know how to dress them. I was in a hurry for a while, and I was exhausted.

With Ah Da's help, I took great pains to finally help His Highness the Seventh Prince put on his clothes.

The dress was generally worn properly, but it looked a little weird. I looked at it for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so I just thought I was overthinking it and didn't pay much attention to it.

After helping Chongguang get dressed, I asked Ah Da to bring over a chair. I stood on the chair, looking down at the Seventh Prince from above, and said, "This is how I looked at you when I first met you. You were so chubby and cute back then, and I really liked you."

The Seventh Prince pulled me down and looked down at me. He said sincerely and seriously, "Qianqiu, if you want to look down at me, there's no need to go through so much trouble. I'll just squat down."

After saying that, he really squatted down and looked up at me. I saw that this squatting Chongguang looked even more handsome. For a moment, I was happy and said, "So handsome."

The Seventh Prince was delighted to hear this. He didn't care that he had things to deal with. He put his arm around my waist and picked me up, whispering in my ear, "Who's more handsome, me or Liu Shuiqing?"

My heart tensed for a moment, and my ears blushed a little. Seeing that Chongguang was serious and not joking, I replied seriously, "You two are handsome in different ways. You are heroic and extraordinary, and he is a modest gentleman. You are handsome in your own way."

Before he could finish his words, Chongguang called out "Father" in my ear again.

I was a little breathless after hearing that. I took a deep breath and then continued, "If we really have to say who is more handsome, you are more handsome. After all, you are my most beloved son, and he is just my best friend."

The Seventh Prince didn't say anything, he just put me down and slowly helped me tidy up my clothes. He didn't look busy at all, with a smile on his face, so he must be in a good mood.

The scene was a bit strange, and I felt itchy inside, so I said something for no apparent reason: "Hey, so many years have passed by without me noticing."

Chongguang said nothing, just half-knelt down, raised his head and smiled at me, while his hands were slowly tidying up my clothes.

His appearance made me feel even more itchy inside. I didn't dare look at him. I could only look outside and said, "If Liu Shuiqing hadn't said that day that he would prepare dowries for the palace maids who followed him into the palace, I wouldn't have thought of this."

At this time, Chongguang was adjusting my pants. The pants were not thick and his hands were heavy, so it felt like he was touching my thigh.

My legs were numb from his touching. Chongguang chuckled, stood up, and said with a smile, "Chunyu and the other four girls have always been loyal to Qianqiu. Qianqiu wants me to find a good family for them."

Chongguang's hand loosened, and the numbness in my legs disappeared, but I felt a little empty inside.

I didn't really care why I felt this way, and said, "I thought so before, and even looked up the suitable-aged sons of military families, but after thinking about it, I decided not to."

"These dandies in the capital city are really not that good. It's normal for Qianqiu, the old father-in-law, to look down on them. However, there are still some good ones outside the capital. Their status is not as high as those in the capital city, but they are still big families in the local area."

I knew Chongguang had misunderstood me, so I quickly said, "It's not that I look down on these young men from aristocratic families. No matter how useless they are, as long as they have good character, they are still above average for these girls. Besides, with your Seventh Prince as the matchmaker, these girls will definitely not be bullied if they marry into such families."

"Of course. If you had a younger sister, your door would be trampled down by now." The Seventh Prince said, "You probably don't know that Liu Shuiqing's younger sister is very popular right now. Many people want to connect with the Crown Prince through this marriage."

"This is one of the reasons why I don't want them to marry someone from an aristocratic family. Of course, the more important reason is their background. Even if His Majesty grants them a marriage, let alone you, the Seventh Prince, they will only be destined to be concubines. Although they will naturally enjoy endless wealth and glory, it's better for them to marry someone who is honest and decent."

"Your Highness, it's getting late." Ada came forward and knelt down and said.

The Seventh Prince glanced at Ah Da impatiently, and seeing the eunuchs running around outside anxiously, he also realized the urgency of the matter, so he took the water, rinsed his mouth, and said, "Qianqiu, have you asked these girls? I can tell you that many people want to marry into aristocratic families and enjoy a good life. Don't waste your sincerity."

I understand what the Seventh Prince said, but I believe more in Chunyu's wisdom. I think he has already made plans. Given Chunyu's personality, he will definitely not degenerate for the sake of fame and fortune.

"It's getting late, and I have to go," said the Seventh Prince. "I'm just reminding you that you're very protective of your shortcomings. Don't think about these girls wholeheartedly, only to end up with nothing but complaints."

I escorted the Seventh Prince out and said, "I understand the logic. Besides, I'm not directly arranging marriages for them. I'll just explain my strengths to them and let them choose for themselves. If they really want to marry into a wealthy family, then I'll have to rely on you to take care of them."

After the Seventh Prince agreed, he took A Da away to marry. I also took Chun Yu and the others who had been prepared long ago and left the palace.

In the carriage, I told Chunyu and the others, "You four have been with me since I entered the palace. You've always worked diligently and are extremely loyal to me. Now that I'm about to leave the palace, I should consider your lifelong affairs more carefully."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Chunyu took the lead in expressing gratitude, but the carriage was small, so the four of them did not kneel down and kowtow, but just bowed.

"According to the customary practice, they should find a woman of good character from an aristocratic family for you, and then have the Seventh Prince act as a matchmaker, and then find an auspicious day to carry the woman over," I said.

When Qiushou Dongzang heard the word "aristocratic family", his eyes lit up. Xiaotao's eyes were full of indifference, while Chunyu pursed her lips and seemed to be hesitant to speak. However, Chunyu lowered her head and I didn't notice.

"But I think about it carefully. If you marry like this, you can only be concubines. Even though His Majesty the Seventh Prince is the matchmaker, your past honors will not be lower than the main wife, or even higher. But a concubine is still a concubine. No matter how noble or wealthy you are, you will always be inferior to a wife. So, do you want to marry into a wealthy family as a concubine, or marry into an ordinary family as a wife? It's your choice."

The four of them remained silent, perhaps feeling embarrassed or having other thoughts. I glanced at them and continued, "Don't worry about giving me an answer right now. I've reserved a few tables at the restaurant today, and have called in all the men of suitable age from the escort agency and the clinic. If you find any you like, that would be great. If not, you can always look for one later."

Chunyu and the others didn't say anything after hearing what I said. I also stopped talking and just closed my eyes to rest.

The carriage was very fast and soon arrived at the restaurant. Li Er and a large group of people were waiting at the door of the restaurant.

Although these people were dressed politely, most of them had practiced martial arts and had a fierce aura about them, so no one dared to approach them.

Fortunately, there are many of us in this group, and the food we eat is all of the best. Even if the boss doesn't accept other customers today, he will still make a lot of money, which is a good thing.

When everyone saw me, they all saluted and shouted in a loud voice like a bell, "Hello, boss."

The noise was so loud that the surrounding residents all leaned out to take a look. They were all afraid that it was a gathering of some underworld organization, so every household quickly closed their doors and windows for fear of getting into trouble.

I didn't care and just led everyone into the restaurant. This group of people didn't have any rules. Except for me sitting at the top seat, the rest sat with people they were familiar with, and they all looked at me curiously.

"Don't be so reserved, everyone. Just treat it as a casual meal with friends," I said. "Eat and drink well, and don't worry about me."

When everyone heard what I said, they started chatting and laughing in groups of three or four.

"We're even entitled to dine with the boss. What a stroke of luck today!"

"The meal was fake, the blind date was real. Did you see those four women behind the boss? The boss is looking for husbands for them."

"These four girls are from the palace, right? They look so beautiful. If anyone marries them, their ancestors will be filled with sorrow."

"Humph, I don't know if there's smoke coming out of the ancestral graves, but whoever wants to marry them will probably have grass growing over their graves."

"Brother, what do you mean by that? Do they dare to do such shameful things in the palace?"

"What do you mean by illicit affairs? In the aristocratic courtyards, this is called a maidservant. Look at our boss's speech, manners, appearance and abilities. None of them can be compared with those dandy boys in the capital. There are many palace maids who want to climb into his bed."

"That's impossible. If this really happened, would His Highness the Seventh Prince forgive them? The story says that His Highness the Seventh Prince is just a jealous person."

........................

I pretended not to hear and just ate, but their words became more and more outrageous, and I couldn't pretend anymore.

I thought to myself, gossip is truly human nature. Holding back my anger, I patted the table to get everyone to quiet down, and said, "I think you all know why I called you here today. You are all the best of the younger generation, and these four palace maids beside me have always served me. Now that I am leaving the palace, I want to find good husbands for them."

The gossipers continued to whisper after hearing this. I glanced at them and said, "Some people here say that my manners, appearance, and abilities are all better than those of the dandies in the capital. I think this is a bit exaggerated, but it's not untrue. What I am truly proud of is that I am upright and don't engage in the petty and despicable things that some people talk about."

When those gossipers heard this, they were all shocked. They didn't expect that my martial arts skills were so high that I could hear clearly in such a noisy environment.

But I wasn't angry because people didn't know, and I didn't mean to blame them. I just gave them a reminder and then asked everyone to start eating and drinking.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, everyone was eating and drinking well. Chunyu and the other three took the opportunity to pour wine to observe everyone carefully.

This group of people have good character and abilities, and their family backgrounds are clean without any troublesome things. Li Er had screened them out early on.

There were a few outstanding looking ones among them. I secretly glanced at Qiushou and Dongzang as they came in, and I saw it all. Qiushou and Dongzang were also very active in serving wine and food, but they were not active to everyone, only to two of them.

At first, the two of them were just eating meat and drinking with the people next to them. The more Qiu Shou Dong Zang went, the less they talked to the people next to them. They just stared at Qiu Shou Dong Zang and the other person serving wine and dishes. They were happy when they went there, but were disappointed when they went somewhere else.

I was happy and secretly took note of these two people. Then I asked Li Er to investigate carefully and arrange these two marriages.

Looking at Xiaotao again, she didn't look like a woman of this era at all. She didn't serve tea or wine, but just sat there, drinking and eating meat by herself.

She was not satisfied after drinking too much, so she went to other tables to compete with others in drinking. It made my head pounding, and I thought this girl was going to hit herself in the face.

But I was both happy and panicked at the same time, but I didn't know what I was happy about and what I was panicked about. I had to stop thinking about it and concentrate on visiting my husband's family for Qiu Shoudong Zang.

To know what happens next, please wait for the next episode.