On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The four of them passed through several moon-shaped doors and walked around a wisteria trellis in full bloom. The "Jingxin Garden" where Qingxia lived was right in front of them.

This courtyard is relatively secluded and has a quiet environment. There are several tall sycamore trees planted in the courtyard with lush branches and leaves, casting a large area of ​​cool green shade.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I heard the clear and innocent laughter of children.

I saw a thick brocade cushion covering the soft couch under the sycamore tree in the yard.

Little Prince Chengshu, who is not even a month old, is wrapped in a soft swaddling cloth, with only his delicate little face showing.

He was not as strong and lively as Chengyu, the son of Qingwen, but after a month of careful nursing, his little face had lost the frail paleness of his birth and had gained a healthy rosy complexion.

At this moment, he was opening his big black eyes, looking curiously at the little brother jumping in front of him.

Cheng Yu was wearing a festive red jacket, looking chubby and energetic like a little leopard.

He was running around the couch, holding a brightly colored rattle in his hand. He was shaking it, making a "dong dong" sound, and teasing his younger brother in a baby voice: "Little Tree! Dong dong dong! Little Tree!!"

Sometimes he made a face, sometimes he came close and blew air at his brother, which made Chengshu laugh so much that although he couldn't laugh out loud yet, his little mouth opened slightly and he made a subtle "yayaya" sound, obviously he was very happy.

Qingxia was wearing a simple and elegant light blue skirt and sitting on an embroidered cushion next to the soft couch. Her eyes were as gentle as water, and she kept looking at the two children without blinking.

Her complexion was much better than when she gave birth. Although there was still a lingering trace of weakness between her brows, the satisfaction and tranquility of being a new mother made her whole body exude a warm glow.

Qingwen sat on the stone bench opposite Qingxia, holding a cup of tea in her hand, watching her two sons interact with a smile.

She was wearing a goose yellow shirt today, which made her skin look whiter than snow, and her eyes were full of brightness and freshness.

Seeing Chengyu playing like crazy, she did not stop him, but only occasionally reminded him: "Yu'er, slow down, don't bump into your brother."

"Madam is here!" The maid guarding the gate of the courtyard was sharp-eyed. When she saw Wan'er and her group, she quickly saluted and reported them.

Qingxia and Qingwen stood up immediately upon hearing the sound.

Qingxia's movements were slow, showing the weakness of postpartum labor, while Qingwen's movements were quick and agile. They both took a few steps forward and bowed to Wan'er as she entered the courtyard, their voices gentle:

"Sister Wan'er is well."

"Meet Sister Wan'er."

Wan'er took a few quick steps with a smile on her face and helped Qingxia up with her own hands. "Hurry up, Sister Qingxia. You're not fully recovered yet, so there's no need to be so polite." She then smiled at Qingwen and said, "Sister Qingwen, hurry up too."

Her eyes swept over the two children who were having fun on the couch, and the smile in her eyes became even more intense.

"It seems Chengyu likes his younger brother very much."

"That's right," Qingwen said with a smile, her tone tinged with pride. "This kid keeps asking to see his brother every day. He's more enthusiastic than anyone else!"

Qingxia also smiled softly, looking at the two children with eyes full of love: "Chengyu is lively, and with him around, Xiaoshu'er will be more energetic too."

Wan'er walked to the soft couch and leaned over to take a closer look at Chengshu in the cradle.

The little guy seemed to feel being watched, and his big black eyes turned to Wan'er. His little mouth moved and uttered a vague syllable.

Wan'er's smile softened. She extended her finger and gently touched Chengshu's rosy cheek. "Little Shu'er is so good. You look more energetic than a few days ago. Sister Qingxia, you've worked hard."

"It's not hard. My sister and husband care about me, and the nanny and maids take good care of me. Everything is fine." Qingxia replied softly with gratitude in her tone.

Wan'er straightened up, her eyes sweeping over Qingxia and Qingwen's faces. She said softly, "I came here today for no other reason than to visit Sister Qingxia and Xiaoshu'er, and secondly... Xiaoshu'er's birthday is almost one month old. My husband will be returning to the capital soon. This is a great occasion for our palace to have a new child! We absolutely cannot afford to neglect it."

She walked to the stone table in the yard and sat down, and Yunxiang immediately came forward to pour tea.

Wan'er picked up the teacup and gently blew away the foam. Her gaze swept over Qingxia, Qingwen, and Youmeng who had gathered around her, and she continued, "When Chengyu was born, the mansion was in turmoil, and my husband was away on business, so the full-moon banquet was kept simple. Now that the situation has stabilized a bit, and my husband is about to return, we must organize Xiaoshu'er's full-moon banquet in a big way! Firstly, to wash away the bad luck from the past few days, and secondly, to give Sister Qingxia and Xiaoshu'er some respect, and especially to make my husband happy."

Upon hearing this, Qingwen immediately clapped her hands in agreement, her voice clear and crisp: "Sister, you're right! We really should do it properly! A lively and exciting event will wash away all the bad luck! Chengyu didn't have a good time then, and my son was really wronged!"

As she spoke, she deliberately pinched Chengyu's chubby face next to her, causing the little guy to giggle.

Qingxia seemed a little embarrassed. She lowered her head slightly and said softly, "Sister Wan'er will make the decision. I...I don't have any objections. I'll just follow your arrangements."

Wan'er looked at Qingxia's gentle appearance, and a trace of pity flashed in her eyes.

She was not like this before. It seems that the incident of almost losing her child had a great impact on her.

Alas, I don’t know how many people will die at her hands in the future.

Wan'er put down the teacup. Her voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable decisiveness that echoed clearly in the quiet courtyard:

"Okay! In that case, then it's settled!"

She glanced at everyone with burning eyes:

"Little Shu'er's full moon banquet—let's hold it as if he were the eldest son of our palace!"

......

It was early summer and the weather was fine.

In front of the Chengyun Hall of the royal palace, the nine-zhang-high vermilion palace doors were wide open. On the door lintels hung eight enormous red gauze palace lanterns inlaid with gems and bearing the inscriptions "Hundreds of Sons and Thousands of Grandchildren," with tassels drooping and swaying gently in the wind.

Under the steps in front of the palace, two rows of royal guards wearing Ming Guang armor and ceremonial swords on their waists stood solemnly. The armor reflected a cold light in the sunlight, silently demonstrating the majesty of the royal palace.

As you step into Chengyun Hall, you are greeted by a rich aroma of precious incense, aged wine, and the sweetness of various fruits.

The long rosewood table used for daily meetings had long been removed from the hall, and was replaced by thirty-six large round rosewood tables covered with bright yellow brocade tablecloths.

On each table, there are nine cold dishes, nine hot dishes, nine large dishes, and four soups.

Cold dishes such as crystal sashimi, amber jelly, jade belt shrimp, and rouge goose breast are crystal clear and the color of agate; hot dishes such as scallion-fried sea cucumber, crab meat lion head, lotus chicken slices, and fish slices in fermented wine are steaming and fragrant; large dishes are a gathering of delicacies from land and sea - a whole golden roasted suckling pig lies on a green jade plate, its belly stuffed with eight treasures; the steamed grouper is three feet long and covered with green onion shreds.

There is also the imperial chef's secret recipe, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, which is simmered for three days with dozens of precious ingredients including a whole Jinhua ham, deep-sea shark fin, scallops, abalone, etc. It is served in a specially made cloisonné jar. As soon as the lid is opened, the hall is filled with a unique fragrance.

Seasonal fresh fruits such as Lingnan lychees, Western grapes, and chilled watermelons are piled up like mountains; various exquisite pastries such as lotus cakes, swan cakes, and Ruyi cakes are also on display.

The wines and drinks were even more plentiful, including ten-year-old Shaoxing Huadiao, grape wine tributed from the Western Regions, cellared Fenjiu, and imperial Yuquanchun, all of which shone with the luster of amber, agate, and gold in the glass cups.

The hall was crowded with people, all dressed in elegant clothes.

Almost all the officials above the third rank in the capital, the ministers and vice ministers of the six ministries, the left and right censors of the Censorate, and the nobles of the Five Military Commanderies, as well as all the important officials and dignitaries with names in the Daqian court, were present.

The civil officials were dressed in robes with peacock, pheasant and cloud goose patterns, wore black gauze hats on their heads and held ivory tablets in their hands. They gathered in groups of three or five, exchanging greetings in low voices, discussing state affairs or appreciating poetry, all in an elegant and refined manner.

The military generals mostly wore robes with patterns of unicorns, lions, tigers and leopards, with jade belts hanging from their waists. They had burly figures and voices like bells, and even when they talked and laughed, they exuded a heroic spirit of conquering on the battlefield.

The female members of the family were led to the warm room in the east side hall, which was also decorated magnificently, surrounded by pearls and jades, the jingling of rings and pendants, and the sound of soft chatter and laughter.

The entire Chengyun Hall has become a microcosm of the top level of power and wealth in the Daqian Empire. It is noisy and bustling, but maintains superficial harmony and enthusiasm under the invisible hierarchical order.

At the head of the hall, on the nine-level steps, there is an extremely large rosewood dragon throne covered with a bright yellow brocade cushion embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon, placed in the center.

On both sides of the throne stood four eunuchs in purple palace robes, holding whisks in their hands, with their heads bowed, standing motionless.

The noise in the hall suddenly subsided.

Everyone's gaze, as if drawn by an invisible magnet, was directed towards the altar.