After my soul traveled to ancient times, I don't want to be cannon fodder

The old lady frowned slightly, looking displeased. Although the second house was in charge of welcoming guests today, it was not right to openly slap the first house in the face at this time!

Zhong Ning smiled calmly and replied, "Thank you, Second Madam!"

Another glass of wine was thrown into the space.

"Your Highness," a beautiful pregnant woman beside him also stood up, "I cannot drink alcohol, so I will use water instead. Thank you for your presence today!"

"Are you the wife of the Earl of Chengyang?" Zhong Ning asked.

The beautiful woman was Xu Hanwei. Although she used makeup to enhance her beauty, she still looked weak.

"I am the wife of the Marquis of Chengyang!" Xu Hanwei bowed slowly, with a smile on her brows, and looked at Zhong Ning with a respectful look mixed with a hint of apology.

"I heard you're not feeling well. You should rest well!" Zhong Ning said softly, "Suxin, give the gift I've prepared to Madam!"

This was the hundred-year-old ginseng that he had someone bring back from the princess's mansion after hearing that Xu Hanwei had a miscarriage. After all, this person was the one who helped him in the first place.

Su Yu took the brocade box from the secret guard and opened it in front of everyone:

"The birthday gift for the old lady has been brought into the palace. This is the hundred-year-old ginseng our princess specially ordered to be brought here after she heard that the wife of the Marquis Chengyang was experiencing unusual pregnancy movements. It will help the lady to heal her!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Xu Hanwei took the ginseng and thanked him sincerely.

Zhong Ning waved his hand slightly, meaning that he didn't need to take it to heart.

After the toast, it is time to celebrate the birthday.

Earl Chengyang led his wives and concubines to pay their respects first. The gift presented by Earl Chengyang and his wife was a white jade Guanyin statue that had been consecrated at the Zhenguo Temple.

It is said that the old lady has been worshipping Buddha recently, and this sacred object is a perfect match.

Then came the second wife Zhanbai, who brought his wife Fang to celebrate the birthday!

The second wife and her husband presented a picture of hundreds of children and grandchildren celebrating the birthday!

This satisfies the wish of all elderly people who want their descendants to prosper and enjoy family happiness. The old lady smiled with special sincerity and satisfaction for this!

The first and second wives had both come to pay their respects, and now it was the turn of the third young master in the mansion who was still unmarried.

But at this moment, the third young master disappeared!

The sisters and half-sisters lined up below couldn't help but look at each other, not knowing whether they should wait for their third brother to come over and pay their respects first, or go up and pay their respects first.

The old lady also frowned slightly, "Where is the third brother? How can we allow him to act recklessly at this time?"

Uncle Chengyang also frowned slightly. This third brother actually dared not to see anyone at this time. It was really rude.

He called his attendant and ordered someone to go look for him.

Zhong Ning raised an eyebrow slightly, and Su Xin immediately stepped forward and whispered, "Don't worry, old lady. I just heard that your third son is going to prepare a birthday gift for you, and he might be on the way!"

"Oh? Really?" The old lady smiled reluctantly and turned her gaze to the two young ladies who had just led the princess here. The meaning was self-evident.

Zhan Jiao and Zhan Meng could not help but lower their heads, not daring to look into their mother's eyes.

Let me tell you here that the old lady had two sons and two daughters. The first and third wives were legitimate children, and the second wife was a concubine's daughter. There were also two legitimate daughters and three concubine's daughters in the mansion.

Because the birthday banquet had just begun after Zhong Ning arrived, the two girls had no chance to talk about what had just happened.

Hence the current embarrassment.

At this moment, someone shouted, "The Third Young Master is here!"

Everyone's eyes were focused on the end of the red carpet, where the birthday banquet arch was located.

A man in a colorful robe appeared here with a look of amnesty on his face, as if hesitant. But after seeing Zhong Ning's expressionless gaze, he gritted his teeth and finally strode over.

"Son, pay your respects to your mother!"

He unfolded the letter, bowed deeply, and knelt on the ground.

The old lady was furious at his outfit. This bastard, does he even know what day it is today?

Today's birthday banquet is attended by not only Princess Zhaohua but also noble ladies from various mansions. Whether he can marry a noble lady depends entirely on his performance today.

But how could he be noticed by those noble ladies if he was like this?

The old lady was furious, her eyes were blazing with fire, and her whole face was trembling slightly.

But at this time, Zhan Xin took out a rattle from his arms and turned it twice with a rumbling sound.

The old lady could no longer hold back and shouted, "Evil creature, what are you doing?"

"Mother, today I'm imitating the ancients, wearing colorful clothes to entertain you, just to make you smile!" After saying that, Zhan Xin lowered his head hastily, as if he had done something wrong.

"It's not easy for a mother to raise a son. Today is my mother's birthday, so I'm doing this to remember her for all the time she taught and nurtured me!"

The old lady's eyebrows twitched with anger.

Can't you do this kind of thing privately?

Must it be done in front of a room full of guests?

Do you think the Chengyang Marquis' Mansion is not shameful enough?

Zhong Ning wiped the corner of his lips with his handkerchief and glanced at Su Xin. Su Xin immediately understood and said loudly:

"The Third Young Master of the Chengyang Marquis's Mansion is so filial that it is truly astonishing. He is truly a model for us in Dayong to emulate the ancient sages and to honor our parents!"

"Everyone, the Emperor governs the country with filial piety. The Third Young Master's actions today are in line with His Majesty's will that filial piety is the highest virtue. He is truly a promising ruler, and his future is bound to be bright!"

Everyone knows that this Miss Suxin is Princess Zhaohua's confidante, and what she says is what Princess Zhaohua means.

Everyone was having a hard time suppressing their laughter, and they also had to follow the princess's wishes and repeatedly praised the Third Young Master of the Chengyang Marquis's Mansion:

The Third Young Master is virtuous and filial, and is truly the most filial son in Dayong.

[Today, I have witnessed such a scene of great filial piety. Our journey has been worthwhile.]

[That's absolutely right], with a suppressed smile in his voice, he continued to agree: [The Chengyang Marquis's family is truly well-educated. We should learn more from them.]

[Such a filial son is rare in the world, unheard of.]

........

There were sounds of praise one after another, and the whole room was full of praise, which made Zhan Xin feel relaxed both physically and mentally.

He now even hated himself for having misunderstood Princess Zhaohua just now.

He had thought that Princess Zhaohua was teasing him like this because she wanted to embarrass him, but now he understood that Princess Zhaohua was obviously impressed by him and fell in love with him, which was why she was so considerate of him.

Thinking of this, Zhan Xin raised his eyes slightly and looked in the direction of Zhong Ning with his affectionate peach blossom eyes.

Zhong Ning:............

So speechless.

During the gift-giving session, Mr. Zhan San was even more creative and presented a longevity peach ornament made of pure gold.

Although we don't know where the gold came from, Zhong Ning immediately understood when he saw the sudden gloomy face of the wife of the Marquis of Chengyang.

This is something from my eldest sister-in-law's dowry as my birthday gift.

This kind of thing must have been done by Lord Chengyang himself.

His younger brother begged him, and he couldn't refuse. He probably thought that since his wife was the daughter of a merchant, it would be a blessing for his ancestors if she could marry him.