When at the Linlang Pavilion, Princess Ruining spoke up on her behalf. The young girl was charming and lovable, and Qi Zhenzhen grew very fond of her. After returning to Longxiang Yuan, she pondered what kind of thank-you gift to send.
The prince's mansion was naturally not lacking in good things, and Qi Zhenzhen could not produce anything too precious, so she decided to be clever.
She strung two small rabbits with white, rice-sized pearls and rubies, attaching them to hair combs to create a pair of lovely hair ornaments. Princess Ruining was plump and liked to wear her hair in twin buns, so they would be quite suitable.
She also sewed a stuffed cat, and inside, she placed the fruit-scented pills that Li Nuan had prepared.
The scent of fruit was something most people could detect.
She also wrote a letter expressing her gratitude, found a wooden box to pack everything in, and sent it to Prince Rui's mansion via messenger.
There was also a return gift brought back, which consisted of two handkerchiefs, a box of rouge, a sachet filled with silver ingots, and a packet of pastries wrapped in oiled paper, sealed with a square red paper bearing the character "Rui."
Lian Bei asked with confusion, "Princess Ruining's return gift is too strange, isn't it? Why are there silver ingots?"
Fei Xu said, "Wealthy families usually prepare gift boxes to give as tokens of appreciation. They are versatile and not expensive, yet they are impeccable. Your maidservant thinks this might not be Princess Ruining's return gift."
Qi Zhenzhen also knew about this; she had seen Granny Fang prepare them once.
Qi Zhenzhen's gift was purely to thank Princess Ruining for her righteous intervention, and she had no ulterior motives. She did not expect it to bring her benefits.
Three or four days later, the Old Madam sent someone to deliver a lotus-patterned letter to Qi Zhenzhen.
It was from Prince Rui's mansion.
It was an invitation for Qi Zhenzhen to attend the lotus banquet hosted by Prince Rui's mansion.
What is a lotus banquet? It is an event where a large group of people admire lotuses, eat, drink, and have fun together.
Of course, as the Old Madam put it, it was an opportunity to create chances for unmarried men and women. If they found someone they liked and whose family background was suitable, they could be matched.
In other words, it was a large-scale, officially organized matchmaking event.
Prince Rui's mansion belonged to the royal family, so it was naturally official.
It was said that several couples were matched every year, so it was highly favored by unmarried men and women. However, the banquet had a limited capacity, and only a select few could be invited. This led to a phenomenon where everyone considered it an honor to be invited to the lotus banquet. The capital had many high-ranking officials and noble families, and invitations were generally extended to the legitimate sons and daughters of each family. As for illegitimate sons and daughters, unless they were renowned for their talents, they could not even dream of receiving a lotus invitation. Of course, here, "renowned" referred to literary talent.
Therefore, for Qi Zhenzhen, an illegitimate daughter, to receive a lotus invitation was a great honor.
Because in previous years, only Qi Mingzhu from the Marquis's mansion had received one.
"Grandmother, Princess Ruining said that I can bring the two sisters who were at the Linlang Pavilion that day. May I?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
Li Nuan and Li Rou were knowledgeable and dignified, and the Old Madam liked them very much. Now that the host had extended an invitation, she naturally would not refuse.
"I will have Granny Fang accompany you. Be sure not to be disrespectful when you get there," the Old Madam said after some thought.
Li Nuan and Li Rou exchanged glances and thanked the Old Madam gratefully. For them, having such an opportunity to go out was truly rare.
The new clothes they had made at Jinxiu Fang were just right for the occasion. The three of them gathered again to prepare many small gifts, such as scented pills and cloth dolls, which they could give to friends they got along with. While they were busy, an uproar broke out elsewhere.
"Grandmother, Li Nuan and Li Rou can both go! I want to go too, Grandmother, please find a way." Li Qing pleaded, "I heard that the young masters of the capital's noble families will all be there. Perhaps I can meet a suitable person, and then I won't have to be a concubine."
Madam Lu was also very angry, angry that the Marquis's mansion was acting so dishonorably.
The legitimate daughter had an invitation, the illegitimate daughters had invitations, and that illegitimate daughter could even bring two illegitimate daughters from the Li family.
This effectively left out their legitimate daughter.
"Don't worry, I'll go find your paternal grandaunt."
Madam Lu went to the Chaohui Hall and began to cry, lamenting how difficult her life had been over the years, how she had even used her dowry to manage the Li family's affairs, all with the sole intention of making the Li family prosper.
"Sister-in-law, why is the household so distressed? Although my farmlands and shops are not making a fortune every day, if managed properly, they are more than enough to cover the household's expenses," the Old Madam said faintly.
Madam Lu was taken aback and said with an awkward smile, "The household has many people, and in recent years, business has become increasingly difficult to manage, so it's naturally insufficient."
The Old Madam nodded and said nothing more, but her resolve to have Qi Zhenzhen send people to reclaim those businesses and farmlands grew stronger.
"Little sister, let's not talk about these things. I've come today to ask for a favor. Mingzhu and Zhenzhen are both going to the lotus banquet. It wouldn't be good to leave Qing'er out, would it? We are all sisters. If outsiders see favoritism, won't the Marquis's mansion lose face?" Madam Lu said shamelessly.
"The lotus banquet is not hosted by the Marquis's mansion! Who gets invited is decided by the Princess Consort Rui and Princess Ruining. The Princess Consort Rui is responsible for entertaining the noble ladies, and Princess Ruining entertains the young ladies of the same age. The young talents are hosted by the Crown Prince Rui. If they didn't give Qing'er an invitation, there's nothing I can do," the Old Madam said.
"Zhenzhen can bring people. Why don't you have her bring Qing'er?"
"It's not that Zhenzhen can bring people. It's just that the three sisters went out that day, and Princess Ruining happened to encounter them, so she mentioned it in the invitation," the Old Madam said. "Therefore, Nuan'er and Rou'er were personally invited by Princess Ruining."
"But they are illegitimate daughters!"
"Princess Ruining doesn't mind, and that's enough. Sister-in-law, they are all your granddaughters. You should treat them equally and not be too biased," the Old Madam patiently advised. "If an illegitimate daughter has good fortune, she might not be worse than a legitimate daughter in the future. You must understand this."
"Sister, you speak from a position of privilege. The fathers of Nuan'er and Rou'er are not my sons, and they have no blood relation to me. I find them an eyesore. You ask me to treat them equally, can you do that?" Madam Lu said sharply.
Of course not. She was not a bodhisattva who treated all beings equally, the Old Madam muttered to herself. However, she had long since sent her illegitimate sons out to live their own lives, only coming to pay respects on holidays. Out of sight, out of mind. Her sister-in-law had always liked to control everything. Moreover, if the illegitimate sons were separated, some of the family property would also have to be divided, which she was reluctant to do. If the family was not divided, she had the final say in everything, which made her very imposing.
"Sister-in-law, I am a married daughter. The family affairs are naturally your responsibility. Do as you wish. As for the invitations, ask Mingzhu. If she can bring someone, then bring Qing'er," the Old Madam said. "However, I must remind you of one thing: if you can go, you must instruct her carefully, tell Qing'er to restrain her temper, speak less and observe more, and not shame the entire noble circle."