Chapter 451: The Old Concubine of Nan'an County Prince's Mansion
While the two were talking, Madam Xing from the West Mansion and Yuanyang from the East Mansion all arrived.
After everyone paid their respects, Old Lady Cheng said, "You're blessed. Look at the women in this mansion. They're not only beautiful, but also graceful. Only you can teach them to be that way; not everyone else can. Back then, you were a domineering and arrogant person, and all the sisters were subservient to you. But now, in your old age, you've still got your children and grandchildren ahead of you. How can you justify this?"
"If I, an old woman, had a grandson like the Champion Marquis, I would be content even if I had to close my eyes."
Grandmother Jia was also flattered and her face was full of smiles. She was really happy to be able to show her face in front of all these old sisters.
Soon, the old lady of the Zhen family also arrived. Several old sisters gathered together and reminisced about the past. They were in great spirits for a while.
When it got late, Grandmother Jia asked someone to arrange a dinner and asked Old Lady Cheng to stay.
When the banquet was ready, the female members of the Jia family accompanied a few old ladies to the flower hall to have their meal.
Old Madam Cheng smiled and said, "I've heard a long time ago that you have several beautiful and charming young ladies in your family. It's a bit lonely for us old folks to eat and drink. Why don't you ask your granddaughters to come over and have fun with us? As we get older, we actually enjoy being lively and bustling."
Grandmother Jia was a little suspicious. What was this older sister's motive? Could she be planning a marriage with her family? However, it was hard to refuse. After all marriage isn't something that can be done in a few words, so a meeting wouldn't hurt. Furthermore, the Prince of Nan'an was also quite powerful now. While it wouldn't be wise to get too close to him, some contact wouldn't be a bad thing.
"Go and see what the girls are busy with. If they are free, please come and have dinner with us old ladies." Grandmother Jia said to Mrs. Xing.
"The other day, His Majesty issued an imperial decree to arrange marriages for my grandson. One is my granddaughter, a girl from the Lin family, and the other is the descendant of Ziwei Sheren. The Empress Dowager is very fond of these two girls and even sent an old nanny to teach them the rules in the mansion. So the other girls also followed suit." Grandmother Jia said with some pride.
Even among the rich and powerful, how many ? This is all for her old lady's dignity.
"Of course I heard about this!" Old Madam Cheng said with a smile, "I think these two girls are good people, otherwise how could they catch the Queen's eye."
About a quarter of an hour later, Mrs. Xing arrived with a group of girls.
"Madam, Miss Lin and the two Miss Xue have already returned home, but the others are all here, so they all came over ."
Grandmother Jia nodded, waved to the girls, and said to Old Lady Cheng, "Old sister, this is my niece's granddaughter Yun, this is Xing from the eldest wife's family, and these three are our maids Ying, Tan, and Xi."
"Great, great!" Old Lady Cheng exclaimed in praise. "Seeing them reminds me of our youth. When we were their age, we didn't have such rules. You should be content to have these wonderful granddaughters around to serve you."
"To be honest, my dear sister, although my children and grandchildren are not very impressive, these girls are the ones who please me the most. Having them accompany me all day long makes me feel much more confident."
Sanchun, Xiangyun and Xing Xiuyan came forward to greet him, and then stood obediently aside.
Old Madam Cheng looked at her for a long while, then laughed and said, "If the girls in my family could be as pretty and well-behaved as this, I would wake up laughing in my dreams."
Afterwards, she took the initiative to chat with a few girls, and Xiangyun and others responded appropriately.
Finally, Mrs. Cheng glanced around and her eyes fell on Tanchun. "I think this girl is very graceful and charming. She really makes me happy. I wonder if I will be lucky enough to adopt her as my granddaughter."
Originally, Grandmother Jia had already made preparations. Whenever the old lady mentioned marriage, she would prevaricate and wait until she had discussed it with Jia Cong. But unexpectedly, the old woman made a sudden move and proposed not marriage but adoption as a godparent.
This matter wasn't a big deal, but it wasn't a small one either. Furthermore, given Old Madam Cheng's status, if she refused, it would be a major blow to the Nan'an County Prince's Mansion. Furthermore, since they were just godparents, it wasn't a big deal, so it wouldn't matter if she agreed.
Thinking of this, Jia's mother smiled and said, "Since this girl has won the favor of the elder sister, let's get closer."
"Tan girl, this is the old concubine of the Prince of Nan'an's mansion. She is also an old relative of our family. Since the old concubine likes you and gives you this honor, you should accept it. In fact, even if there is no such relationship, isn't it normal for you to call her grandma when you see her?"
Tanchun was completely confused. Wasn't she just coming to pay a visit? How did she become a godmother?
However, despite her doubts, she couldn't refuse the old lady's words. She immediately prostrated herself on the ground and addressed Old Lady Cheng as "Grandma."
Old Madam Cheng laughed heartily and immediately took off the bracelet from her wrist and put it on Tanchun's hand. "We are destined to be together. Although this is our first meeting, we feel close to each other. From now on, if your old lady punishes you, I, your goddaughter, will take charge."
Afterwards, several old ladies took their seats, accompanied by a group of young ladies. Mrs. Xing brought Youshi, Yuanyang and others to take care of them, and everyone started feasting again.
Naturally, the girls did not dare to make trouble. They ate and drank some food properly and then took the initiative to leave.
When they left the main hall, Yingchun took Tanchun's hand and said, "It's a good thing that my sister has accepted this godparent. This old concubine is of extraordinary status. If my sister gets married in the future, who would dare to use my status to make excuses?"
Tanchun shook her head nonchalantly. "I don't think so. This old concubine originally lived in Shu. Not only has she come all the way to the capital, but she's also taken the initiative to mention the matter of adopting me as her godparents. She might have some agenda. Besides, I have my third brother to protect me. Would he let me be wronged? Why would I need the support of an old concubine who has nothing to do with me?"
Xiangyun nodded vigorously, "Third sister is right. With third brother here, I can find any husband I want in the future."
Little Xichun pulled Tanchun aside and said, "Third sister, didn't we agree that Third Brother would support us for the rest of our lives? I am happy to live in the East Palace and don't want to get married."
Listening to Xiao Xichun's childish words, several people couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Oh, our fourth sister has grown up and knows how to get married."
Xing Xiuyan just listened with a smile on her face. Her future was already decided, and this kind of thing had nothing to do with her.
