Smelling the mixed aroma of tea and ingredients in the tea set, the woman hesitated to drink it.
This made the maids serving her hold their breath. They thought the tea was not to the princess's liking and were afraid of being punished.
The princess was very strict in managing her household. She was strict with others and even stricter with herself.
Servants who made mistakes would not be tolerated and would be dealt with strictly according to the family rules, and selling or beating them with a stick were always a common practice.
Outside the tent,
The Sun family and their group, who needed to pass by the tent of the Duke of Qi's Mansion and go to the tent of the Marquis of Yongchang's Mansion, were walking towards this side.
Princess Pingning's long-time personal mother saw the group through the gauze curtains. She walked to the woman's side and whispered in her ear:
"My Lady, here comes the eldest lady from the Xu family of the Yongyi Marquis. Her maternal grandfather was acquainted with the third master of the imperial uncle's family. She has three sons and two daughters. The one in her arms is the third son of the Xu family, Zai Jing."
When the princess heard her mother's words, especially the words "three sons and two daughters", her eyes flashed and she whispered
"If you have time, please invite this lady up to have a chat."
The Sun family and their group walking on the sidelines naturally didn't know what was going on in the tent.
Walking,
Xu Zaijing saw a middle-aged female official with very polite behavior walking out of the big tent.
Xiao Ju, who was standing beside her, said, "Madam, she is from the Duke of Qi's family."
Sun knew that this was the tent of the Duke of Qi's Mansion. The Duke's Mansion was one level higher than the Marquis' Mansion, so she naturally had to pay her respects when passing by.
Xu Zaijing was put on the ground. Sun was about to pay her respects to the Duke's family outside the tent, but the female official quickly walked to Sun's side and supported her.
"Madam, please don't be so polite. The princess has been raised by the Queen since she was young, and she is also close to the Emperor's uncle's family. If you have time, could you please come into the tent and have a chat?"
A flash of surprise passed through Sun's eyes, and she smiled and nodded, "Of course."
After saying that, he glanced at Xiaozhu, and Xiaozhu winked back at him.
The female official turned sideways and bowed politely.
Xiaoju, who was standing by, wanted to pick up Xu Zaijing, but Xu Zaijing shook his head.
The group was led into the tent, but Xiao Zhu did not follow them and walked towards the Marquis Yongchang's Mansion.
In the tent, the princess politely stood up and saw that in front of the group was a delicate boy with thick black hair tied into several braids. His obsidian eyes were full of curiosity, but there was no fear in his eyes when he saw strangers.
The boy was wearing a dark green silk coat embroidered with a cute Qilin pattern.
Everyone sat down.
Looking back at his mother behind him, Xu Zaijing bowed politely to Princess Pingning.
Seeing this lovable boy, the usually serious Princess Pingning smiled, her eyes full of love.
The mother beside her knew that her princess was a man of few words, so she quickly said, "Sanlang is so polite."
In Xu Zaijing's eyes, this big tent seemed similar to the one in Ningyuan in every way, but it gave people a low-key and luxurious feeling.
Hearing someone praising him in the tent, Xu Zaijing said in a childish voice, "Thank you for the compliment, Ma'am."
This look made Princess Pingning smile even more.
This smile made the maids and servants serving in the tent breathe a sigh of relief. Their faces were no longer stern and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
"Greetings to the Princess. Happy Spring Day to the Princess."
"Mrs. Chunan, please take a seat."
Sun rarely had dealings with Princess Pingning. The most recent time was when she went to congratulate and give gifts to the princess and Duke Qi on their wedding.
The invitation to the tent happened suddenly, and Sun was not quick-witted enough to think of a topic for conversation after walking a few steps.
The female official was waiting for her princess to speak.
So, there was this moment.
In the mountains, the sound of cicadas makes the forest even quieter, but in this tent, the noise outside makes the quiet here especially quiet.
I'm not afraid of anything else except the sudden silence of the air.
The atmosphere was a little awkward for a moment.
Sun smiled a little embarrassedly.
"The weather is really nice today, neither too cold nor too hot."
"yes."
Princess Pingning had heard that the Xu family had many descendants, so she invited Sun into the tent on a whim, without thinking about what topic to talk about.
She has been married to the second son of the Duke of Qi for two years, but they still have no children. Although her parents-in-law have not urged her, she feels a little depressed because others are not anxious.
Please come in. She can't just ask why the Xu family has so many children! The two families are not relatives and are really not familiar with each other.
The female official beside her was also a little anxious, but now the princess was talking to Sun, and she couldn't interrupt. She saw that Xu Zaijing beside Sun had a look of curiosity in his eyes, and his target was the teacup on the table.
The female official's mind moved and she looked at the princess.
The two have been together for more than ten years. As soon as the female official looked at her, the princess received it. When she saw the female official's gaze, she understood.
The princess looked at Xu Zaijing with a smile and said softly:
"Sanlang, what are you looking at?"
Xu Zaijing was attracted by the aroma of tea because it really smelled good.
He was small and had just eaten a lot of cakes in the tent of Ningyuan Marquis Mansion, so he was a little thirsty.
"Thirsty."
Princess Pingning looked at Sun.
"This cup of tea has been prepared by the maid. It's neither lukewarm nor hot, madam?"
"Thank you, Princess. This kid ate a lot of cakes in the tent over there."
The female official brought the teacup over and Xu Zaijing drank it in big gulps.
"Slow down, slow down."
Sun looked at the princess somewhat embarrassedly.
Princess Pingning looked at Xu Zaijing who was enjoying the food and smiled to indicate that it was okay.
After Xu Zaijing finished drinking, he stood up shakily and took a few steps with his short legs, actually wanting to put the teacup back on the princess's table himself.
"Young Master, slow down, slow down."
The princess's lady-in-waiting said with concern.
Xu Zaijing stood still and looked back at his mother.
"Mother, please speak slower. Is it because Princess Auntie, Wu Auntie, and Gu Auntie also have babies?"
When these words were spoken, everyone in the tent was stunned.
Sun stood up and said hurriedly: "Princess, please don't blame me. Although this boy is small, he is very strong. Boys are a bit naughty.
Madam Wu and Madam Bai from the Yongchang Marquisate are pregnant, and I've been seeing her frequently, so I've been telling him to go slow and not touch them."
The female official hurriedly took the teacup.
Xu Zaijing returned to his mother's arms.
The princess did not look unhappy when she heard this, but her face darkened and she almost sighed.
Sun had some guesses in her mind based on her son's actions and the princess's reaction.
After getting married, a woman’s worries are either that her husband is unfaithful or that she has no children.
Sun looked at her son in her arms and said
"Don't think you're used to it when you give birth to this one. It took a lot of effort to conceive this brother."
When Princess Pingning heard this, her eyes lit up, but she looked at Sun a little embarrassedly.
Sun realized that she had touched the princess' heart.
"It was thanks to my sister-in-law at that time. She knew an aunt from the He family, the director of the Imperial Hospital. She was the daughter-in-law of the He family. Her maiden name was Zhang. Three generations of her family were imperial physicians, and they were most proficient in gynecology. So she invited me to visit her home."
The princess' eyes were full of inquiry, and she said
:"I don't know if that aunt is a big lady, I may be a little rude." It is a little rude to pry into other people's privacy.
Sun said, "You are too polite, Princess. We are all married women, so why would we care about such things? My aunt said that women should relax after marriage. The happier they are, the faster they will get pregnant. If they keep feeling depressed, it will be detrimental to their offspring."