Yin Hui commented, “I’ll also send five catties to your cousin; two catties is too little.”
After going to such lengths to save face, why give someone an opportunity to criticize over a few lychees?
Wei Luo thought, how could two catties of lychees be considered insufficient? Ordinary officials and wealthy households may never have the chance to taste them in their lifetimes.
When Yin Hui instructed An Shun’er to weigh the lychees in the cooling room according to her preferences, the maid glanced at the acquiescing prince and left with a smile.
For Yin Yong, lychee was not a novelty, but receiving it from his granddaughter and grandson-in-law was an honor.
Yin Yong enjoyed it greatly, sharing it with his family with a smile on his face. Great-grandson Yin Mingli, the same age as Xiao Ning, could peel and eat by himself, but still required adult supervision to prevent choking. Great-granddaughter Yin Mingxiu, born in early April, was not yet able to eat.
When the Jiang family saw the lychees sent by the Shu Mansion, they felt a mix of emotions. Before her departure from court, Yin Rong could enjoy lychees almost every year. Since marrying Jiang Weijiao, however, she hadn’t seen them, let alone tasted them. Despite holding a substantial dowry, she refrained from extravagant spending under Jiang Weijiao’s control.
Upon Jiang Weijiao’s return in the evening, Yin Rong asked a maid to wash a plate of lychees and bring them to her husband.
Married for almost a decade, Jiang Weijiao always appeared confident and composed in Yin Rong’s eyes. Curious, Yin Rong wanted to see her husband’s expression, born from a humble background, upon encountering lychees.
Jiang Weijiao glanced at the lychees on the plate and asked his children beside him, “Have you eaten?”
Both Jiang Ru and Jiang Zhi nodded. Being young, their love for lychees made them instinctively salivate. They quietly swallowed their saliva.
With a smile, Jiang Weijiao gestured, “Come, let’s eat together.”
He peeled two pieces for his children and then ate himself, displaying good manners.
Yin Rong actually liked him, but felt inexplicably disappointed.
She hoped that Jiang Weijiao would occasionally act foolishly, so she wouldn’t have to perceive him as respectable but unapproachable, like a distant scholar.
In her mansion, Wen Ruyue picked up a lychee with a wry smile. When she lived in the Yan Palace, she enjoyed lychees with her aunt, but since leaving, she hadn’t had the chance to taste the precious fruit.
Xue Huan (Wen Ruyue’s husband) was merely a concubine born of the Marquis Mansion, a one dispatched to serve as an official. Even if the Marquis of Yongcheng were gifted lychees from the palace, he wouldn’t have sent them to Shaoxing. Fortunately, Xue Huan had passed away, and her former backers, Yan Wangfu’s family, now held power in Jinling.
Wen Ruyue turned the lychee in her hand. Her cousin protected her again, with Yin Hui, head of the Shu Mansion, sorting and sending her the lychees she ate. Wen Ruyue didn’t appreciate being handed things by Yin Hui. She wanted to marry someone who could obtain rewards from the palace through her own family connections. She was still young, beautiful, and had her aunt and cousin as supporters. There was still a chance.
The bright red lychee shell, embedded with nails, burst with fragrant juice. Yin Hui kept in touch with her three times that month, once when she took Ning to her mansion, and the second time when Yin Hui invited her to the mansion as a guest, particularly selecting days after Wei Luo took a bath.
After all, Wei Luo and she were cousins, and their intimacy was only displayed when they entertained Wen Ruyue together.
Wei Luo obviously didn’t enjoy this kind of entertainment, but her mother repeatedly instructed her to look after her outside the palace. With the cousin having only relatives left on their side, she felt lonely, so entertaining her twice a month seemed appropriate.
If they didn’t want to entertain her, they had to find a suitable marriage for her as soon as possible.
At noon that day, Wen Ruyue left after the meal. Wei Luo and Yin Hui returned to the backyard. He removed his coat and asked her, “How do you think my cousin is recovering? When I was in the study room, it was you who spoke with my cousin.”
Yin Hui twisted the scarf in her hand and replied, “It seems that her complexion has almost recovered. Don’t worry, should I ask the Imperial Physician to check her pulse?” Wei Luo turned to see her teasing smile..
Wei Luo interjected, “I meant her mood. If we arrange for her to meet a suitor now, would she resist?”
Yin Hui responded, “I can’t say for sure. How could I possess such insight? Your cousin won’t confide in me, and I’m not adept at prying into her thoughts.”
She wiped her face and then playfully suggested to Wei Luo, “I can only have my mother inquire about this, or you can give it a try.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she burst into laughter, leaving Wei Luo looking at her helplessly.
Now, the cousin he brought back could only be used to tease him by his wife.
Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the family of five took Wen Ruyue to Xianfu Hall. Concubine Shun embraced Xiao Ning and praised Xiao Heng and Xiao Xun, whom she liked. Although the two grandsons usually studied at the palace, where the rules were strict, and the children also had lunch and naptime there, Concubine Shun didn’t have the opportunity to bring her grandsons to Xianfu Mansion to inquire about their well-being. Concubine Li often visited Er Lang and Si Lang outside of studying hours, and Concubine Shun accompanied her once. However, they encountered Emperor Yongping that time and received a stern glare. Since then, Concubine Shun had never dared to go again.
Wen Ruyue watched from the side, observing her aunt, who had always been the most gentle towards her, now showing the same affectionate gaze towards the three siblings.
In the past, her aunt favored her son the most, followed by her. Now, she seemed to rank sixth, behind her cousin’s family of five.
Wei Luo remained taciturn, with everyone accustomed to leaving him be and not bothering with his aloof demeanor, leaving him quite at ease.
Holding the tea bowl, he glanced at his mother surrounded by the children, then at Yin Hui, who watched the scene with a smile, before landing on his cousin.