As time went by, the weather became increasingly hot and dry. Although it was early morning, it wasn't cool at all. Sitting in the shaded corridor, she was flipping through the peony seeds in her basket. She was in a good mood, the pomegranate had turned from crabapple yellow to brown, the skin was also cracking open, the after-ripening process was going well, and it would be ready for sowing as soon as the time came.

  Sun's family came over with a smile and said, "Li Biao's aunt bought a new house and is moving. Since it's also Qixi Festival, she sent someone to invite everyone in the household to go. I heard many people are going, Dan Niang, are you going?" She had been feeling quite frustrated lately because the construction project on the other side of Fangyuan was progressing smoothly, and Peony didn't need to run around as often, and also because she had to take care of the peony flowers. It had been a long time since she went out with Peony. Now that there was such a good opportunity for socializing, she naturally wanted to go out and have some fun.

  "Peony's hands didn't stop moving as she smiled and said: 'When Eldest Aunt moves house, of course we all have to go warm the new home, how can we not go?'"

  Sun saw that although she was answering with her mouth, her mind was entirely on the needlework in her hand, and couldn't help but tap her lightly with a fan handle, saying: "Mother is calling you over."

  Mudan ordered Kuan'er and Huer to move the potted peonies to a cool, well-ventilated place, and after instructing them to keep a close eye on them, she got up and followed Sunshi forward.

  Madam Xun was discussing with Madam Xue and Madam Bai what gifts to give to Li Man Niang for the housewarming, while Madam Zhen and Madam Li led a few grown-up girls in discussing what to wear that day. Everyone was talking enthusiastically, apparently attaching great importance to this housewarming banquet.

  Madam Cen saw Peony walking by, stretched out her hand to pull her over and sat her down beside her, saying: "This time your aunt is moving house, coincidentally your uncle has also been promoted, so at the time there will be many people going to the banquet, I heard that among them are not a few girls from famous families."

  At this point, Mrs. Cen paused and looked at Peony with affection: "These people are mostly friends of your uncle and aunt, and your cousin may be appointed after the New Year."

  Since Li Wei is going to be appointed, it's also time for him to start a family. The funeral of the Ning Wangfei was not long ago, and the Li family didn't have the opportunity to arrange this matter for Li Wei. Now that Li Man's husband has been promoted, moved house, and it's also the Double Seventh Festival, all these things together make it a good excuse to invite all the eligible girls from noble families to gather together, making it convenient for Cui Furen to choose a daughter-in-law, and also convenient for the other party to take a look at Li Wei, creating a good opportunity for a good marriage.

  The peony thought for a moment and understood the key point. He smiled slightly: "It seems it will be lively."

  Madam Cen looked at her and said, "We must go." This move to the new mansion was a grand occasion, and as relatives who were on good terms with each other, it was impossible not to attend to offer congratulations. Even if she didn't want to face Mrs. Cui's face, for Li Maniang's sake, she had to be present. Fortunately, many of the Li family and Li Maniang's husband's relatives would also be there, including many businesspeople, so they wouldn't have to interact with those official ladies, which spared Peony a lot of embarrassment.

  "Of course I'll go," Peony smiled. "What nice gift is Mother preparing to give to Aunt?" She asked herself if she had the courage and ability to face such a situation.

  Madam Cen saw Peony's calm demeanor and slightly let out a breath, smiling: "What else could it be? It's just our family's old business, after all."

  The peony fanned itself with a fan and smiled: "Is it Xiangshan again?"

  Mrs. Cen smiled and said, "Isn't that so? There's nothing else suitable either. We can't appreciate calligraphy, paintings, or antiques, and your aunt and uncle aren't fond of them either. It's better to give something practical." She paused for a moment, then continued, "Your aunt asked Rui Niang, Han Niang, A Wen, A Chun, and A Shuang to help her move house on the day they lit the lanterns. We should get them new clothes. I was thinking, why not have everyone make a set? What kind of suit do you want?"

  "Then I won't do it," said Peony with a smile. "I still have many dresses that I haven't worn yet. Making so many would be a waste." Besides, she wasn't going to play the lead role anyway, and indeed there were many new dresses in her trunk that she had never worn before.

  Madam Cen frowned: "Everyone is doing it, how can you not do it? It doesn't matter if you choose a slightly better one, with a lighter color, what do you think?"

  The peony turned her head to take a look, and several sisters-in-law and daughters were staring at her with eager eyes, as if they were afraid that she would not insist on doing it, and everyone would be in trouble. She couldn't help but smile and say, "Then I'll listen to my mother."

  Madam Cen said with satisfaction, "This is just right." She saw that Peony was dignified and natural, felt that her daughter was worthy of praise, and her mood also improved. She immediately turned around and scolded a few daughters-in-law and granddaughters, "Don't you usually make clothes for the four seasons? Each one of you has made such a big deal out of it, it's simply infuriating!"

  Bai busy got up to give her a shoulder massage and leg rub, his mouth sweetly said: "Mother is naturally not less for us to make new clothes, I still have several good ones that haven't been worn yet. But this dress is always missing one piece, usually doesn't feel it, at the critical moment always feels dissatisfied, can only take advantage of sister-in-law's move this big thing to knock mother a bargain."

  Xue and others saw that Mrs. Cen was in a good mood, so they intentionally flattered her, gathering around to say pleasant things, each one trying to outdo the others in speaking sweet words. Zhen, however, had ulterior motives; her two daughters, Hui Niang and Yun Niang, were growing up and could be considered for marriage, so she took this opportunity to show off a bit and also managed to bring up the topic of jewelry.

  Madam Xun had originally intended to give each of the women in the house some trinkets, but she hadn't mentioned it because she was waiting for them to speak up. Now that Zhen Shi had brought it up, she went along with it and said that she would have her husband pick out some silk and pearls to bring back, and each person could make one item for themselves, thinking of their own design first. This announcement pushed the atmosphere in the house to its highest point, and everyone imagined how they would dress up on that day, and they were all incredibly eager.

  And not to mention how the women of He's family picked fabrics and embroidered, Mrs. Cen carefully prepared a delicate yet generous dress with colors that were not too flashy for Peony, while Li's family was also busy.

  Mrs. Choi racked her brains and ran around, eager to take advantage of the day when Li Maniang moved house to catch all the good families that might be related to her own family in one net, and take all their eligible daughters to meet her, determined to pick out a daughter-in-law who was excellent in talent, appearance, and family background. To make Li Wei look more attractive, she also had to dress him up carefully, calling people to measure his body and make clothes for him early in the morning, and bringing out a large pile of good materials that had been stored away, with Li Maniang carefully selecting them.

  Li Ming knew that Mrs. Cui was selling something in her gourd, and although he didn't like it one bit, he couldn't get the better of Mrs. Cui after all. He had no choice but to reluctantly let someone take his measurements with a look of impatience, and listlessly listen to Mrs. Cui excitedly discussing with Li Man Niang what fabric was most suitable for him to wear, and what color would complement him best. As someone who loved dressing up, he now felt that making this garment was such a bother, it wasn't worth doing at all.

  Li Yuan walked in from outside, and the first thing he saw was his excited wife and sister-in-law chattering non-stop. Next to them stood his son, still being pushed back and forth by the two women, holding a piece of fabric against himself and making awkward gestures. Two nephews sat on the side, watching with amusement. Li Yuan cleared his throat and said, "Xing Zhi, don't you have anything to do today? Why are you just sitting here not moving?"

  Li Wei was overjoyed when he heard this, and secretly thought that he had finally escaped. He hastily said: "I'm just about to leave, Father is also going to the Wang Mansion on official business, right? We can go together."

  Li Yuan happened to have something to say to him, and nodded: "Let's go."

  Mrs. Choi hadn't finished speaking when she saw her husband dragging their son away, and she couldn't help but feel unhappy. Just as she was about to stop him, Li Maniang gently pulled her back and whispered: "Let your brother talk to him. Otherwise, he'll turn around and run off, and where will you go to find him?"

  Mrs. Choi thought for a moment and also felt that it was reasonable, so she stopped and said with a sigh: "Let's add something good for ourselves too."

  Li's father and the two of them walked out of the main house shoulder to shoulder, while their attendants busily went to prepare the horses for departure. Li Yuan walked ahead with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Still thinking about that?"

  Li Wei's heart tightened, and she immediately pretended to be dizzy with a smile: "What are you thinking about?"

  Li Yuan glanced at him lightly and said bluntly: "Thinking of Dan Niang from the He family!"

  Li Wei tightly pursed her lips, neither responding nor denying it.

  Li Yuan saw that he indeed tacitly agreed, and with a light sigh, said: "In life, things don't go as one wishes eight or nine times out of ten. A great man should know what to take and what to give up!" He paused for a moment, his tone heavy with emotion: "When successful, benefit the world; when impoverished, cultivate oneself. Haven't you always been speaking out against injustice on behalf of merchants? Don't you think people shouldn't look down on merchants? This isn't something that can be accomplished overnight. If you want to change their views, relying solely on your current status and position is fundamentally impossible!"

  Li Wei was somewhat disheartened and frustrated, he knew all this of course, and he also wanted to continue moving forward, doing better, so that one day most people could calm down and listen to his views, achieving his ideals. But couldn't he achieve it through his own efforts? What's the point of bothering him with these things.

  Li Yuan saw the child pouting, with a face full of disapproval, and knew what he was thinking. He said: "You probably think that with your own abilities you can also succeed. But success is not just about hard work, opportunities are limited, and it's not easy to get them. If you can take five steps to finish, why do you want to take ten steps?"

  Li Yi said sharply: "Did you think of these things when you married your wife in the first place? Was it just that you couldn't marry a woman from a prestigious family, so you settled for second best? Although your career path has been difficult, can you say that your wife hasn't helped you at all over the years?"

  Li Yuan raised his hand to stop Li Wei's retort and said seriously, "That was then, this is now. My situation back then was different from yours now! I know how much hardship I've been through myself, that's why I don't want you to go down the same path again. I admit Dan Niang is a good woman, similar in age and appearance to you, but does she have feelings for you?"

  Li Wei felt a surge of resentment. If it weren't for the opposition at home, Mrs. Cui would have gone to say those inexplicable words several times, and how could he and Peony have ended up like this?

  Li Yuanchao didn't have time to consider what Li Wei was thinking, and said to himself: "If she really has you in her heart, she shouldn't be an obstacle for you. If she wants to be with you wholeheartedly, for your own good, for the sake of your future, then she shouldn't be so demanding..." He smiled slightly, "If you two really want to be together, I won't stop you. As long as she takes a step back."

  Li Wei's face suddenly flushed, as long as Dan Niang had him in her heart, as long as Dan Niang was willing to take a step back, that is to say, let Dan Niang be his concubine? He couldn't articulate the feelings in his heart for a moment, feeling both annoyed and heartbroken, with an intense sense of frustration.

  Li Yuan saw a clear change in his expression, and smiled lightly: "But would she be willing? Would the He family be willing?" The He family doted on Peony so much, how could they bear to let her become someone's concubine, suffering under the mistress's temper? Peony was originally the legitimate wife of a high-ranking official, yet she refused to suffer in silence, and after putting in so much thought and effort, eating so much bitterness, would she be willing to come and be the concubine of someone like him? It was simply laughable!

  Li Yuan Nai thought he could get it, Li Wei also thought he could get it. He suddenly raised his head and looked at his old father who was good at calculating, his face flushed with anger: "Father has something to say but wants to tell the son directly, why must he be so evasive?"

  Li Yuan saw him turn his face and also turned his face, coldly snorting: "To tell you the truth, Qinghe Wushi will also have someone coming this time! This is a rare opportunity! Others would be begging to get it even with a lantern!"

  Li Yi suppressed the anger in his heart and said: "I never knew that Qinghe Wu's family had a relationship with my family!"

  Li Yuan stared at him, his eyes locked in a fierce stare: "He had no relationship with us before, but he will from now on! Speaking of which, this gentleman was mentioned by the former Qin Fei Niang Niang."

  Li Wei's head buzzed with a cold laugh, saying: "I'm afraid it's just a collateral branch daughter, even if she marries over, it's not necessarily going to give you what you want."

  Li Yuan said with a calm and gentle tone, "Although there aren't many girls from the five surnames, this one happens to be a good match in every aspect! Don't rush, she may not even take a liking to you. I'm just giving you advance notice, so you should have an idea of what to do. You're already 21 this year, and it can't be delayed any further. I'm not someone who seeks glory, I know what's better for you. Besides, our family's current situation is something you should understand, some things are not within your or my control." After finishing his words, Li Yuan flicked the whip and left Li Mei to depart on her own.

  Li Yi stood still for a moment, gritted his teeth, and swung his whip fiercely. He urged his horse to gallop rapidly, and in an instant, he had left the distant Cangshan and Luoshan mountains far behind.

  At the double seventh festival, the He family's courtyard was bustling with excitement from early morning. The adults and children were all dressed in new clothes, and the women were even more meticulously adorned, with pearls and jade on their heads, and the strong scent of incense made He Zhizhong sneeze countless times, joking: "Although I'm used to smelling this fragrance, if it's like this every day, my nose might not be able to take it."

  "Actually, the scent of our family's incense is quite elegant, but since there are many people in our household with different scents, it ends up like this. Father can't even tolerate it occasionally, so how can we possibly gather together with all those beauties today without covering our noses?"

  He Zhizhong smiled and said, "I don't care whether you cover your nose or not. All I know is that as soon as I take out this Xiangshan incense, many people will come to ask whose family sells it. Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, our shop will be busy again."

  Many people rode horses, sat in carriages, and dozens of people chatted and laughed as they went to the Zhao State Mansion. At this early hour, Li Maniang's new mansion was surrounded by relatives from her own family, with no outsiders present, waiting for the auspicious moment to arrive so that they could proceed with the housewarming ceremony in an orderly manner.

  Li Maniang wore a crimson skirt, with a joyful expression on her face, chatting happily with the crowd. Suddenly seeing the He family approaching, she squeezed through the crowd and greeted them: "You've finally arrived! Oh dear, it's not easy to bring your whole family along."

  Madam Cen smiled and said, "Too many children, no way." Then she chatted and greeted others with ease. Madam Cui saw this and also came forward to talk to Madam Cen, taking the opportunity to carefully examine Peony.

  But she saw the peony had combed a intersecting heart bun, only inserted two branches of simple and elegant but not losing elegance double stock gold frame treasure hairpin, wearing jade-colored dark patterned fold peony short jacket with same color eight-fold long skirt, waist tied with pine flower green ribbon carefully embroidered several blooming purple peony flowers, draped in light purple light gauze scarf, feet under a pair of purple satin small head shoes, no makeup, just applied some pink lip balm. This outfit is not eye-catching, still quite low-key, but the whole person looks elegant and spirited, bright eyes and white teeth, dazzling, full of vitality, making people want to ignore but can't ignore, looking at the first glance and wanting to look again.

  Mrs. Choi couldn't help but steal a glance at Li Wei, who was standing by the wall on the street corner, and saw that although he didn't come over to greet the He family, he was staring at Peony with a gloomy face. Mrs. Choi's smile became somewhat stiff, and she quietly stepped forward to block the two of them, wishing that Peony hadn't come, but given the relationship between the two families and Li Man Niang's entry into the household, she couldn't stop Peony from coming. All she could do now was try not to let the two interact, and then hope that the noble guests who would arrive later could use their aura and attire to suppress Peony.

  Peony didn't deliberately pay attention to Choi's small movements and expressions. As soon as she arrived, she was surrounded by the relatives of the Li family in the middle, constantly answering everyone's questions and expressing gratitude for their concern. Occasionally, there were a few unpleasant words, but she pretended not to hear them, trying to maintain a polite smile and a warm tone.

  Before long, Li Man Niang smiled and said: "The auspicious hour has arrived!"

  Peony remembered that there were many taboos when moving into a new house, so she quickly chose an excellent location to watch the excitement.

  Mrs. Choi directed the two young girls, Ruan Niang and Han Niang, one holding a porcelain basin filled with clear water, the other holding a lit candle, to stand at the front. Behind them were three young boys, He Wen, He Rao, and He Chun, two of whom held water, while the third held a candle. Li Yin led a sheep, He Dalang pulled an ox, and two nephews from the Li family carried a long table laden with gold and jade objects. The second son, Lang, carried a copper cauldron filled with grain, while Li Man Niang's eldest son held a sword, and her second son carried a saddle. Several sons followed in line behind them as they entered the house one by one.

  The peony thought it was over, but it wasn't. Two more nephews of the Li family brought in a trunk full of colorful silk fabrics, followed by Mrs. Cui and Mrs. Xian, each carrying a steamer filled with five kinds of rice: glutinous rice, millet, sorghum, and carved rice. Behind them, Li Maniang held a large bronze lock against her chest as she stepped through the gate.

  Everyone burst out laughing and shouted in unison: "Hold the candle, carry water, pull sheep and cattle, pile up gold utensils, fill the pot with grains, and fill the box with silk! Great luck!" After shouting, they giggled and entered one by one. The entering-the-house ceremony was finally over.

  Li Maniang's house is quite good, very spacious and lush with trees and grass. After everyone had a look around, they dispersed to help with the preparations for the afternoon banquet, leaving only the young girls sitting in the pavilion by the pond in the garden, chatting and laughing together.

  Among the girls, only Peony has been married and divorced. Apart from Yingniang and Rongniang, who are her cousins, the others actually have a very curious attitude towards Peony, who is not sociable due to poor health, relies on fortune-telling for a living, and had a sensational divorce.

  A group of people surrounded Peony, examining her accessories, then looking at her clothes, and then studying her perfume sachet again, curious about the color of her lip balm. Some people also asked tactlessly about some things about Peony in the Liu family, asking why she didn't become an official's wife, but instead returned home? Rongniang and Yingniang unhappily intervened to stop them, Peony smiled faintly and said indifferently: "If it doesn't fit, then leave." She didn't say much more than that.

  Suddenly, a burst of cheerful voices and laughter came from not far away, and several girls in bright clothes walked towards the pavilion with giggles. The first one shouted loudly: "He sister, I've been looking for you for a long time! Come quickly, I brought some good sisters to show you." It was Xue Niang, whom she had not seen for a long time.

  Peony hastily got up and went forward to greet her, unexpectedly, she saw Qi Yuzhu, who was wearing a crimson eight-piece Luo skirt, a light blue Luo jacket, and gold and jade finery, among several girls.

  Upon seeing Peony, Qi Yuzhu's smile was slightly unnatural, but she quickly covered it up and stepped forward with a gentle tone to greet her: "Sister He."

  Xue Niang exclaimed in surprise: "You know each other?" A maid behind her quickly and quietly pulled on her clothes, and she belatedly closed her mouth.

  "Of course, we know each other." Seeing the other girls looking at her with confusion on their faces, she simply said, "Yu Zhu and I were relatives for a period of time in the past."

  The fruit saw that several women all made a sudden realization, some slightly disdainful, others nonchalant. One of them, with a double-ring bun and wearing an eight-piece long dress in pomegranate red, looked at the peony with a bright smile: "I've heard of you."

  Peony raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly: "Oh?"

  The woman said: "Qinghe Wu's seventeenth daughter is my cousin, we often play chess together. I've heard her mention you before, she says you're very good." She enthusiastically introduced herself: "Right, I'm nineteenth daughter, nice to meet you."