freenovelworld Chapter 860 Madam Lu is punished!
Chapter 860 Madam Lu is punished!
Whatever trouble Lady Lu caused was her business; Duanmu Chuze had no interest in paying attention to it. However, it would be too easy for him to cause the Duke of Dingguo any unpleasantness in court.
Madam Lu was determined to make things difficult for the Grand Madam, but before she could succeed, the Duke of Dingguo ran into trouble.
"I told you long ago not to covet the Crown Prince's palace, but you wouldn't listen. Now look what's happened, your husband is going to be in trouble before our daughter is even married. Do you feel better seeing me like this?"
"This, this concubine would never dare. Master, is there some misunderstanding?"
"Shut up! Let me tell you, from now on, you are not to interfere in the marriages of these two daughters. Don't you even know how much you've disgraced our Duke of Dingguo's mansion? From today onwards, you're seriously ill, so just stay in the courtyard and rest."
Madam Lu's face paled. Was this a sign that she was going to confine her to her quarters?
Before she could even ask, the Duke of Dingguo turned to the old nanny beside him and said, "Give the order that the lady is unwell and should not receive guests. She is not allowed to see anyone. Also, for any matter in the mansion, you must consult the Grand Madam and the First Madam."
"Yes, sir."
Mu Xin Nuan lay on the bed and listened as Duanmu Chu Ze told her these stories as a joke. She just shook her head and said, "You know, this Madam Lu is really strange. You've made it so obvious, but she still won't give up! Luckily, the Duke of Dingguo reacted quickly this time."
"She upset my Ah Nuan, so she needs to be taught a lesson. Hmm, did he just move?"
Mu Xin Nuan also looked at her abdomen and smiled slightly, "Yes. He just moved."
Because they were in the warm pavilion, Mu Xin Nuan wasn't wearing many clothes, so Duanmu Chu Ze noticed the small bulge in her abdomen.
"Anuan, did it hurt when he bumped your stomach like that?"
Mu Xin Nuan shook her head, "It doesn't hurt, but the feeling is quite strange."
“Anuan, the New Year is coming soon. Today, Father Emperor mentioned to me again that we should go back to the East Palace to celebrate the New Year. Otherwise, things will not be right.”
"Yes, that makes sense. When are we moving back?"
"I've thought it over. We won't bring any belongings. We already have plenty of clothes in the Eastern Palace. We just need to go back. After the Lantern Festival, I'll stay here with you for a while. How about that?"
Mu Xin Nuan smiled, "That's wonderful. It's strange, I live in the Chang Le Prince's Mansion and don't go out much, but my mood is different every day. My mother and aunt come almost every day, and Duanmu Jing comes more often than when I lived in the East Palace. Don't you think it's just that the words 'palace' make people uncomfortable?"
"It's not that I'm uncomfortable, it's probably that I'm afraid! This is the majesty of the royal family."
Before we knew it, it was the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month. According to custom, the emperor would hold a grand banquet for his officials on the 22nd, and then hold court again on the 23rd. All departments would then be given a holiday, and they would not officially resume their duties until after the 15th of the first lunar month.
Of course, there were urgent official duties that could not be delayed, so each government office also sent officials to stay on duty.
There are many government offices, but there are also many officials.
Therefore, each official doesn't get to be on duty very often; it usually only lasts for a day or two.
On the 22nd, Mu Xin Nuan dressed up early, wearing the formal attire of a Crown Princess, which truly added to her majesty and nobility.
On this day, all the officials held their morning court session as usual and carried out their duties.
The ladies of the inner and outer courts, as well as some young ladies from prominent families, would all line up to pay their respects to the Empress and the Crown Princess.
Mu Xin Nuan was naturally busy on this day as well.
Even though it's just sitting still and talking to people, it's still really tiring.
Whenever she was about to meet the next lady, Aunt Fang and several nannies would first give a brief account of the lady's family background, husband's family, and children. The purpose was to make the Crown Princess remember these people better.
In fact, the main reason was that Mu Xin Nuan had become quite lazy after becoming the Crown Princess, and she had basically never held a banquet. Therefore, she did not recognize many of the ladies and young women in the capital.
Just like Madam Lu who visited the Prince of Changle's Mansion last time, and those two young ladies.
Because the Empress was concerned that Mu Xinnuan was pregnant and had to attend a palace banquet that evening, she did not want her to be too tired. Therefore, she issued an edict early outside the East Palace, stating that ladies of the second rank and below did not need to pay a special visit.
The Empress's protectiveness of the Crown Princess aroused the ulterior motives of the other ladies.
Lady Li arrived early, but according to custom, Princess Ming went in first to chat with the Crown Princess.
Princess Consort Su is an elder, so there is naturally no need for her to come and pay her respects.
Princess Ming brought Consort Luo and Princess Nali with her, along with Princess Zhaoyang.
After sitting for a while, Princess Ming dismissed everyone else and sent them all back.
“Sister-in-law is quite ill, so I’ll stay here with you a little longer. Also, there are some people you might not recognize, so I’ll be here to remind you.”
"Thank you so much, sister-in-law. Second sister-in-law is so thoughtful."
After Li arrived, she stayed and did not go out.
With the help of these two, Mu Xin Nuan managed to get a general idea of the husbands' and wives' families of these women.
However, she didn't actually remember how many children the other family had.
This audience lasted until nearly noon.
Mu Xin Nuan was really tired. When Princess Ming got up to take her leave, Madam Li stayed and persuaded her to eat more.
The Crown Prince sent someone to tell him that he was busy with official duties and was having lunch with the Emperor in the Imperial Study, so there was no need to wait for him.
Looking at Mu Xin Nuan's large belly, Li felt both happy and worried.
Surprisingly, the mother and daughter lay on the same bed together, talked for a while, and before they knew it, they had both fallen asleep.
When Duanmu Chuze returned, he heard that his mother-in-law had fallen asleep in the palace with the Crown Princess. He just smiled. He knew about today's arrangements. Fortunately, he had a caring mother and a mother-in-law who loved her daughter.
During the palace banquet that evening, Duanmu Chuze's attention was entirely focused on Mu Xinnuan.
They took care of her food and drink, and at the same time, they made sure to put a hand warmer in her hands.
That night, all the women's eyes were on the Crown Princess, and they all secretly marveled at her good fortune.
That night, all the men's eyes kept glancing at the Crown Princess. To be treated so well by the Crown Prince, she must have something extraordinary about her.