freenovelworld Chapter 789 The Old Master's Birthday!
Chapter 789 The Old Master's Birthday!
Mu Xin Nuan kindly arranged marriages for her cousin and her younger cousin Fen Ming, which was originally a joyous occasion.
It's obvious to anyone with eyes that neither of these two women seems to have married into any particularly good family, but in reality, both of their fiancés are very promising.
Most importantly, both of them were highly valued by Duanmu Chuze.
In the future, their achievements will most likely lead to them being granted titles and high-ranking positions.
Soon, the old master of the Mu family will be celebrating his birthday.
There were too many things to do this year. Because of the late Crown Prince's affairs, the Mu family did not plan to hold a grand celebration. They simply invited their clansmen to come and have a lively one-day event at the mansion, and that was it.
Although Mu Chang'an intended to keep a low profile and did not send invitations to others, the Zhenguo General's Mansion was bound to attend the birthday celebration of the Mu family's patriarch.
No matter what, the two families are related by marriage!
With the banquet about to begin and Mu Xinnuan still nowhere to be seen, the old man didn't say anything, but his eyes kept darting towards the door, clearly wanting his granddaughter to come back and celebrate his birthday with him.
Speaking of which, in the past few years, Mu Xinnuan has always sent gifts but never actually attended my birthday celebrations.
There was nothing she could do; she had been living in her fiefdom and couldn't enter the capital without the emperor's decree.
But now that he's in the capital, how come he hasn't arrived yet, even though he knows it's his birthday today?
Li Wanqing also came today. She got married, but her husband was just an illegitimate son of a marquis. Although her life wasn't exactly wealthy and noble, it was just barely acceptable. After all, she was the daughter of the General of the State, so no one dared to treat her too poorly.
"My cousin is now the Crown Princess, so her status has naturally risen. I'm afraid she won't be willing to come today."
The voice wasn't loud, but Madam Li and the old lady of the General's Mansion still heard it.
With so many people present, including some relatives of the Mu family, the old lady naturally couldn't directly reprimand her. She simply snorted and said calmly, "You know that Anuan is now the Crown Princess, and she has been helping the Emperor and Empress to recuperate these past few months. Her life is not like yours; she's very busy."
Even if Li Wanqing was very bold, she wouldn't dare to disobey the old lady in public. She just chuckled awkwardly and didn't say anything more.
Li Wanyue sat down next to Li Shi, only glancing lightly at her half-sister before taking Li Shi's arm. "Aunt, I heard that A Nuan sent some nice things to your two young ladies a few days ago. As her cousin, I'm looking forward to giving her a good scolding today."
Such jokes are naturally meant to change the subject and liven up the atmosphere.
Madam Li smiled and reached out to poke her forehead. "You silly girl, you're a mother now, but you're still so mischievous."
"Auntie is wronging me again. I am a virtuous wife and loving mother praised by everyone in the capital."
One sentence caused all the ladies to burst into laughter again.
Seeing that her daughter had successfully changed the subject, Liu laughed twice, and at the same time, turned her face and gave Li Wanqing a warning look.
Today, not only did people from their General's Mansion come, but Li Wanyue's husband, Xu Kaixuan, the heir of the Marquis of Anyang, also came along.
While they were having a lively conversation, the old man outside was getting quite anxious.
For some reason, over the years, he has not paid much attention to birthday gifts from others, but he has always valued the birthday gift from his eldest granddaughter.
Even if Mu Xin Nuan only sent him an ordinary piece of calligraphy, he would still order his people to carefully put it away.
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived! His Highness the Crown Princess has arrived!"
Everyone was surprised. Since His Highness the Crown Prince had also come, no matter who it was, they had to pay their respects.
Regardless of gender, everyone came out to greet them. Before they even reached the middle gate, they saw the Crown Prince helping Mu Xin Nuan in.
The group immediately knelt down in respect.
The old man was old and slow-moving; before he could finish bowing, Duanmu Chuze personally helped him up.
"Grandfather, please don't stand on ceremony. Today is your birthday. If I accept your greeting today, I'm afraid Anuan will ignore me for three days after we get back."
Everyone laughed, and Mu Xin Nuan gave him a reproachful look, "Get up, everyone. Today is a family dinner, there's no need to be so formal."
"Thank you, Princess."
Although it was a family banquet, with His Highness the Crown Prince present, who would dare to be truly casual?
Among the family were two little girls who curiously glanced at the prince.
Soon, after entering the house, there was still a girl who kept throwing flirtatious glances at Duanmu Chuze. Her shy and hesitant appearance was truly heartbreaking to see.
Mu Xin Nuan didn't notice this, but Chun Yu and Rong Yue beside her did.
The two exchanged a glance, and one of them immediately went out to inquire which family and which household this young lady belonged to.
Soon, Rongyue returned and whispered a few words in Mu Xinnuan's ear.
Mu Xin Nuan maintained a smile throughout, remaining calm and composed.
They learned that the two girls were actually cousins from the second branch of the Zhenguo General's mansion.
"Grandfather, I wish you boundless happiness and longevity."
"Good! I knew it. My little Nuan wouldn't miss it." The old man was happy. As for what Nuan gave him, he didn't even look at it and just had it put away.
The group sat and talked for a while before taking their seats.
The men were in the front yard, while the women were all in the back garden, where they could enjoy the flowers, have a feast, and chat. It was a really good arrangement.
Halfway through the banquet, there were only a handful of people at Mu Xin Nuan's table who were worthy of her status.
Jin was assigned to take care of the clan members, so Mu Xin Nuan's left was her mother, and her right was her maternal grandmother.
"Ah Nuan hasn't been seen for several years, and she doesn't look like she's ever had a child at all. You could believe she's a young girl from the Fifteenth Gate."
Mu Xin Nuan looked over and saw it was her second aunt, Madam Xu.
"Second aunt, you are too kind."
"If you ask me, a woman has to treat herself well. Look at our aunt, she's someone who knows how to make herself happy. Ah Nuan is just like her aunt."
Xu said, covering her mouth with a smile.
Li's brow twitched slightly, a hint of displeasure in her expression.
The people at this table were all elders, not young girls, so most of them could understand what Xu meant by those words.
It's nothing more than emitting a sour smell.
"Sister-in-law is right. Our Nuan is beautiful, just like her sister. If she were like her brother-in-law, what would that be like?"
Liu's joke eased the atmosphere considerably.
"Ah Nuan, if you ask me, you're almost twenty years old, and you only have one young master. Don't you want to give the Crown Prince another child?"