Chapter 133: The Purpose of the Mid-Autumn Banquet

Yan Ning slowly typed out a question mark.

The Yuan family, which Yuan family, how did she not know when she had snatched someone else's fiancé?

Moreover, the Yuan family was actually so certain that the young master of the Yuan family could marry her.

Could it be that they spoke to her father?

That was impossible; she was only fourteen years old now, and if anyone dared to propose marriage, her father would chase them down with a knife.

Did they speak to her mother?

Her mother might not chase them down with a cleaver, but she also had a temper.

Just as she was lost in thought, a sound of a flute drifted over; someone was playing a tune.

The mistress of Rong Guogong Fu smiled and said to Yan Ning, "Every Mid-Autumn banquet, everyone shows off their eighteen martial arts, which is also to give young men and women a chance to get to know each other."

Yan Ning understood.

The Daxia dynasty was not that feudal, but no matter how open it was, it was still ancient times, and men and women mostly met through such banquets.

Listening to the flute, Yan Ning looked over; it was a good-looking youth, about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in moon-white clothes, which made his lips look red and his teeth white.

This scene was somewhat beautiful.

If Yan Ning hadn't heard what those people were whispering.

"Look, the Crown Princess is staring in a daze."

"Is it true that the Crown Princess wants to force a marriage with Yuan Lang?"

"Pah, pah, pah, don't talk nonsense, the Yuan family only had such an intention, which is why they broke off the engagement with my elder sister; His Highness should be unaware of it."

"Look, Rong Guogong Fu deliberately held a Mid-Autumn banquet and even invited the Crown Princess; I guess they are intentionally using this opportunity to let Yuan Lang show off in front of the Crown Princess."

"That's not right, I heard that the Crown Princess has already been betrothed to the Heir of Nanyang Wang, and now that the Nanyang Wang family hasn't returned to their fief, perhaps it's because the Heir and the Crown Princess have a marriage contract."

"It's not like before; now she is the Crown Princess, surely she must have three wives and four concubines."

Yan Ning looked at Yuan Lang, her expression subtle.

He was good-looking, but it was too deliberate.

Yan Ning prepared to look away, but the next moment her eyes were covered.

A familiar voice came from behind: "Elder sister, you are not allowed to look."

It was Yan Qing speaking.

Yan Ning was surprised: "Why are you here too?"

Yan Qing's expression was resentful, "Elder sister, you didn't bring me when you came out to play."

Yan Ning asked: "Why are you covering my eyes? You don't like Yuan Lang?"

Yan Qing immediately sold out Xiao Huaijin, "It was Huaijin who gave me a snow-skin Mooncake and asked me to help cover your eyes."

Yan Qing lowered his hand, and Yan Ning turned her head to see Xiao Huaijin and Nanyang Wangfei sitting at the very end.

She saw Xiao Huaijin sitting there looking at her with a smile, and she also smiled at Yan Ning.

Yan Ning asked Yan Qing: "You like eating snow-skin Mooncakes? One Mooncake is enough to order you around?"

Yan Qing said somewhat embarrassedly: "It was two."

Seeing that he liked to eat them, Yan Ning handed him the plate of Mooncakes in front of her: "If you like them, take them and eat; don't worry about being cloying."

Yan Qing took the Mooncakes and left happily.

When Yan Ning looked ahead again, a few women had changed to dancing.

As for Yuan Lang, she didn't even remember what he looked like.

The gossip started again over there.

"Did you see that? The Heir of Nanyang Wang was actually able to order the First Prince to help cover her eyes."

"Haha, it seems this Heir of Nanyang Wang is not a pushover."

"If Yuan Lang broke off my elder sister's engagement and wasn't taken a fancy to by the Crown Princess, it feels quite satisfying just thinking about it."

"Don't say, maybe it really is like that."

Yan Ning caught an earful; it was a good thing Xiao Huaijin came over, otherwise, by tomorrow, the Capital would be spreading rumors that she had fallen in love with Yuan Lang at first sight and then someone would take the opportunity to send Yuan Lang into the palace.

Everyone had finished eating, and there was a lantern riddle activity.

The young men and women all stood up at once and went to the lantern riddle stall on the side.

Xiao Huaijin also crowded to Yan Ning's side.

He asked: "Which Lamp does His Highness like?"

Yan Ning pointed at a Rabbit and said: "That one."

The servant took down the lantern and read the riddle on it: "Chrysanthemums bloom in mid-autumn, guess an idiom."

Xiao Huaijin blurted out: "A perfect union."

Successfully winning the Rabbit lantern, Xiao Huaijin stuffed it into Yan Ning's arms.

Yan Ning revealed a smile.

Yuan Lang wanted to say that he could also help His Highness guess a lantern, but before the words could leave his mouth, he saw Xiao Huaijin pulling her away.

Yuan Lang cursed inwardly; Xiao Huaijin was truly jealous, actually not allowing the Crown Princess to let others enter the palace.

How could the Crown Princess only have one husband?

Instead, a youth from the Hulinxueshi's family on the side began to mock: "Yo, isn't this Yuan Lang who wanted to break off his engagement to marry the Crown Princess? It seems the Crown Princess didn't take a fancy to you."

Yuan Lang gritted his teeth and turned to leave.

Dusk was approaching, and Yan Ning and Xiao Huaijin went to release lanterns together.

The two of them wrote down their wishes and could then place the Lamps into the river.

Yan Ning thought for a moment; she didn't seem to have any unfulfilled wishes, her parents were loving, she had enough food and clothing, and apart from having to get up early for the morning court every day, there was really nothing that didn't go her way.

She thought for a moment and wrote a few characters on it.

Xiao Huaijin asked with some curiosity, "What did you write?"

Yan Ning said with a beaming smile, "I wrote that I hope there are fewer contrarians in the Court, so they don't delay my reforms."

Xiao Huaijin said with a smile, "I wrote the same, that may everything go smoothly for us."

After releasing the flower lamp, Yan Ning prepared to return to the palace.

It was still early, only past seven in the evening, and it was around eight o'clock when she returned to the palace.

At this moment, her father and mother were both at the Empress Dowager's Cining Palace.

Yan Ning walked straight over.

She saw her father and mother sitting in the courtyard of Cining Palace with the Empress Dowager, enjoying the moon together.

Seeing Yan Ning arrive, Yan Ze asked happily, "Did you have fun playing at the Rong Guogong Fu today?"

Yan Ning nodded and hung the Rabbit lamp on the osmanthus tree.

She asked, "Father, do you know which people in the Court have the surname Yuan?"

Yan Ze did not know what she was doing this for, but he began to ponder, "There seems to be one surnamed Yuan, it seems he is a Vice Minister of Revenue; hmm, there is also a local official named Yuannianzhi, who is a Judicial Commissioner, and he always writes flowery memorials that he refuses to change no matter what is said."

Yan Ze continued to ponder, "These two seem to be relatives, after all, there are not many people with the surname Yuan."

Yan Ning's expression was subtle.

It was only after a good while that she recounted everything she had heard at the Mid-Autumn banquet.

The Empress Dowager was truly angry, "To think they would only use such methods, and even break their word."

Yan Ze frowned; these people of the Yuan family were truly too excessive.

Ningning was only fourteen this year, so why was someone so impatient?

However, the Empress Dowager said, "I see that Ningning is of age; she will reach her hair-pinning ceremony next year, and that child Huaijin is already sixteen, so this marriage must be settled early."

In the Daxia dynasty, women could generally marry after their hair-pinning ceremony, and men could generally take a wife and have children around sixteen or seventeen.

But Yan Ning's family were transmigrators...

Yan Ze pondered, "Ningning, do you think a decree to postpone marriage is feasible?"

Yan Ning felt a headache coming on, "It definitely wouldn't work."

She had already begun to imagine that group of old fogies all kneeling in the Court and begging them.