Chapter 653: Homecoming Banquet
Chapter 653: Chapter 653: Homecoming Banquet
Mo Lingwei smiled.
"You three brothers are certainly close."
’If Shen Ningning saw this, she would probably be happy too.’
And as long as she was happy, Mo Lingwei was delighted.
So, he was now filled with patience.
He was curious to see what other earth-shattering things these three uncles, who had almost no experience with romance, would say.
After being scolded by Shen Siyi earlier, Xie Mingxu now certainly understood what was supposed to happen on a wedding night.
But while he understood, he hadn’t explained it to his two younger brothers.
Now, Xie Mingxu cleared his throat, a bit unnaturally.
"Crown Prince, Ningning is our only sister. We are naturally reluctant to see her married off."
"Understandable."
"So we have a request. We’d like to enter the palace to see her once every two days, or perhaps Your Highness could let us bring her out of the palace to stay for a night. What do you think?"
Mo Lingwei frowned slightly and rejected it flatly. "No."
Xie Mingxu took a deep breath. "Why?"
’What other reason could there be?’
He had gone through so much trouble to marry Shen Ningning. Sticking to her side every day wasn’t even enough for him, yet these uncles wanted her to go home every two days?
Mo Lingwei said, "Unless you allow me to come back with her."
Xie Ming’an couldn’t listen anymore and spat out the handkerchief.
"Crown Prince, will you die if you’re not with my sister!"
"I will." Mo Lingwei nodded emphatically. "Lovesickness is a bitter thing. I can’t be apart from her for even a moment, let alone a day. I truly envy you, Second Brother Xie. With no one to love, you don’t have to suffer the bitterness of lovesickness."
Xie Ming’an looked baffled and began to ponder.
’Is this kid mocking me?’
Xie Mingxu shot a look, and Xu Jingxi once again stuffed the handkerchief back into Xie Ming’an’s mouth.
"Besides having the Crown Prince follow her, does Your Highness not have any other good ideas?" Xie Mingxu asked, his voice low.
Mo Lingwei leaned back in his chair, raised a slight eyebrow, and watched the three of them for a moment.
Then he said, "Are you serious? You want her to leave the palace once every two days to visit you?"
This time, the three brothers nodded in unison.
Before Shen Ningning was married, although she didn’t always live at the Xie Mansion, she spent at least fifteen days a month there. The other fifteen days were spent on Wolf Mountain.
It was very easy for her brothers to see her.
But the Eastern Palace was the Crown Prince’s residence. It wasn’t a place one could just stroll into.
That’s why they had come up with this plan to discuss it properly with Mo Lingwei.
Mo Lingwei stood up. "Alright. In a little while, you can ask my wife in person. If she agrees, I certainly won’t refuse. I unconditionally support all of her decisions."
With that, he left. "I’m going to speak with my father-in-law and mother-in-law. Please, make yourselves at home."
Xie Ming’an spat out the handkerchief, looking at the pensive faces of Xie Mingxu and Xu Jingxi.
"Eldest Brother, Third Brother, I feel like the Crown Prince agreed way too easily. Could there be a catch?"
"Probably... not," Xie Mingxu said, lacking confidence.
A short while later, as the three of them were returning to the main courtyard to find Shen Ningning, they ran into Housekeeper Pang.
When Housekeeper Pang learned that they had just spoken with the Crown Prince to arrange for Shen Ningning to return home every two days, he was utterly shocked.
"What? Young Masters, didn’t you know? Before the wedding, the Crown Prince already promised our young miss that she could return home whenever she wanted. And that her family could enter the palace to see her whenever they wished."
Xie Mingxu and Xie Ming’an said in unison, "That happened?"
Xu Jingxi mused, "I think he did say that."
Housekeeper Pang nodded emphatically. "Of course he did! For this reason, the Emperor even granted a special token, setting a precedent for our Xie Mansion. As long as you have the token, you can enter the palace at any time."
"That’s not right. The Master and Madam both know. How could you not know?"
The three brothers exchanged a look.
Xie Mingxu frowned. "We weren’t here when the Imperial Decree arrived. Mother must have kept it a secret."
"Why would Mother do that!" Xie Ming’an said angrily.
Xu Jingxi considered it. "I guess Aunt’s reasoning is simple. She knows how much we dote on Ningning and didn’t want us visiting too often and disturbing her new life."
Regardless, their hearts were now filled with immense regret.
They had a perfectly good arrangement where they could enter the palace anytime and Shen Ningning could come home anytime. But after their negotiation, it had been reduced to her coming home once every two days.
’No wonder Mo Lingwei had that look on his face, like he wanted to say something but held back. He must have been taking us for fools!’
Housekeeper Pang smiled helplessly and left with the fruit platter.
Xie Mingxu and Xu Jingxi also prepared to leave, but there was still one thing Xie Ming’an couldn’t let go of.
"So, Eldest Brother, tell me. What exactly were the Crown Prince and our sister doing in the room that day? Why did you and Mother both have that look of understanding?"
Xie Mingxu ignored him, but Xie Ming’an followed behind, asking relentlessly.
Finally, Xie Mingxu couldn’t take it anymore. He turned around and, in one swift motion, stuffed the handkerchief back into Xie Ming’an’s mouth.
And said, "If you want to know, go find a girl you like and get married yourself!"
With that, he strode away quickly, leaving Xie Ming’an to stare at his brother’s back in confusion.
"It was just a casual question. Why did Eldest Brother get so flustered and angry?"
「At this moment.」
Shen Ningning sat on a comfortable luohan bed, surrounded by friends and family.
She was listening to some people from Xiangyun Village share a piece of news.
Deng Fugui had actually returned to the village.
Sister-in-law Liu said, "That Fugui is a pitiful child. He begged his whole way back. It’s a miracle he still remembered the way home."
"I heard him say he pretended to be crazy and foolish the whole way. He ran into human traffickers several times and was almost dragged off to be sold as a laborer, but luckily he managed to escape each time."
"When the old village chief saw him like that, his heart ached for him. All the past misunderstandings and grudges were let go in an instant. If it were me, I’d also let bygones be bygones. After all, the boy was tormented to such a state. I almost didn’t recognize him; I thought he was a beggar!"
Dong Sanhua was also there and added, "When Fugui first came back, he was terrified. He would wake up startled at night, having frequent nightmares about being abandoned by his own mother."
It turned out Deng Fugui had been abandoned by Wang Qiao’er and Ba Deshun because they found him to be a burden.
So, Wang Qiao’er had tricked Deng Fugui into waiting for them at a post station, but the two of them took all their belongings and never returned.
It wasn’t until he was kicked out of the post station that Deng Fugui finally believed he had been abandoned.
Upon learning that neither Wang Qiao’er nor Ba Deshun had met a good end, Deng Fugui no longer felt any of his former sympathy. Instead, he said firmly, "Serves them right!"
Grandma Qin said, "He has finally learned to cherish what he has. A few days ago, I even heard him call Sanhua ’Mother.’ That child has a kind heart, and Sanhua treats him like her own son. The Deng Family’s life is getting better and better."
Sister-in-law Liu laughed and said, "It’s not just the Deng Family’s life that’s improving. Thanks to Ningning, our Xiangyun Village is also becoming more and more prosperous!"
Everyone then turned to praise Shen Siyi, "Madam Xie is truly blessed to have such a well-behaved daughter and two clever, bright sons."
Shen Siyi smiled gracefully. "My daughter is obedient and lovely, a true comfort to my heart. As for those two sons... I’m just getting by with raising them."
Everyone laughed heartily. Just then, a maidservant approached. "Madam, the homecoming banquet is ready. You may all proceed to the flower hall."