Tong Qiao regretted it, and he didn't know what was going on. Just hearing people discuss Princess Anning made his heart ache as if scratched by a cat. He knew now that Li Man'er was not a rude, arrogant, or unreasonable person. She was simply too true to herself. She was a female general who could lead troops into battle, and the barbarians were so terrified of her that their legs went weak. She had earned her title as a princess through her military achievements, so why couldn't she be arrogant?
Tong Qiao couldn't stop thinking about the past. At that time, Li Man'er's brilliance was not yet apparent. She used to chase after him every day. Clearly, she was a heroic and spirited female general, yet she pretended to be a lady of refinement for his sake. She must have been in great pain then, hadn't she? Tong Qiao's heart ached faintly, hating himself for not realizing Li Man'er's worth sooner! She clearly cared so much about him back then, and they were even betrothed. Wouldn't it have been natural and proper for them to be together? Li Man'er's lively and beautiful face, worthy of the world's admiration, kept replaying in his mind. The more Tong Qiao thought about it, the more he regretted it, and he suddenly sat up in bed.
If he went to win Li Man'er back now, would it still be in time? "Her engagement to my little uncle must be fake. Perhaps she intentionally sought it from the Empress Dowager to anger me and make me change my mind," Tong Qiao thought, his eyes suddenly lighting up. It must be so. Now, all he had to do was give Li Man'er a way to save face, to let her know that he was still willing to marry her.
With this thought, Tong Qiao couldn't sit still any longer. He immediately got up and shouted towards the door, "Someone!" A servant immediately came in, fawning, "Young Master, what are your orders?" "Has the invitation from Princess Anning's manor been delivered?" The servant looked a bit confused, "What invitation? I haven't heard of any invitation being delivered!" Tong Qiao was infuriated, "Are you stupid? Ning'an is a lady. If an invitation is delivered, it should be to your mother. You wouldn't go and inquire? Or ask at the gatehouse?"
The servant was a little perplexed, "Young Master, that Princess Anning..." He had a constipated expression, hesitating to speak, as if to say that Princess Anning was Li Man'er, and you were so annoyed with her before, why are you now eagerly seeking her out? "Just do as you're told, don't talk so much." "Yes, I'll go now."
Tong Qiao's servant was quite clever. He didn't dare to provoke the Eldest Princess, so he went to the gatehouse first to ask if there were any invitations for the Young Master. There were indeed a few invitations addressed to Tong Qiao, all from his disreputable friends, inviting him to play cuju, go on outings, or listen to opera. "Are these all? Nothing else?" "Oh, Shuangxi, if we dared to hide the Young Master's invitations, would we be asking for trouble?"
Shuangxi's eyes darted around, and he looked carefully again before saying, "Could it be that they were delivered incorrectly? With so many invitations received every day, wouldn't it be normal to mix up one or two?" The gatekeeper was immediately alarmed, "Shuangxi, don't talk nonsense. We wouldn't dare to deliver the wrong invitation. Who wants to be beaten?" The household rules were strict. "Then, were there any invitations from Princess Anning's manor delivered today?"
"Princess Anning's manor?" The gatekeeper thought for a moment and shook his head affirmatively, "No, definitely not. Besides..." The man looked around to make sure no one was near before whispering, "And you know the situation between that person and our manor, how could she possibly send us an invitation?"
The fact that Li Man'er had become Princess Anning was known to everyone in the capital, and there were few who didn't know it. The gatekeepers of the Duke of Rong's manor were certainly clever and well-informed, so how could they not know that Princess Anning was Li Man'er! Who could have imagined that the Li Man'er, who was once notorious and filled with dark rumors, had actually become a meritorious person and a princess after the imperial decree was issued, shocking many.
"Alright, I just heard that Princess Anning was moving, so I wanted to inquire. No matter how much merit she has, she is still just a princess. Could she possibly surpass our Duke, or the Eldest Princess? They are true daughters of the dragon." "You are right." The two understood each other tacitly and went about their business.
Shuangxi did not return to report immediately. After some thought, he left the manor to inquire outside about Princess Anning's housewarming banquet. He took a while and then returned to Tong Qiao to report. Tong Qiao waited and waited, and when he didn't see Shuangxi, he was furious. When he finally saw him, before Shuangxi could speak, he kicked him, cursing, "You ignorant fool, where have you been?" Shuangxi, caught off guard, was kicked in the chest, his ribs almost breaking. He crawled for a long time before getting up from the ground and coughed involuntarily. Then he said, "I wouldn't dare, Your Lordship. I first inquired at the gatehouse and found no invitation from the Princess's manor. I didn't dare to inquire with the Eldest Princess directly, so I went out to ask around."
"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and say it." Shuangxi, ignoring the pain, quickly said, "Yes, yes, I found out that Princess Anning has no intention of holding a housewarming banquet and has not sent invitations to anyone. It is said that it is because the Marquis is still ill and the Old Madam is also in poor health, so she is not in the mood..."
Hearing this, Tong Qiao felt a little better. He waved his hand and cursed, "Get out." Shuangxi then walked out of the room. As he reached the corridor, he shrunk his body, clutching the spot where he was kicked, his eyes reflecting a hint of ruthlessness.
Tong Qiao tried his best to get close to Li Man'er, asking people to inquire about her whereabouts, hoping for a chance encounter. Unfortunately, for some reason, Li Man'er seemed to have changed her ways, staying in the Princess's manor every day and not going out at all. Tong Qiao also learned that the Ninth Prince had been frequenting the Princess's manor recently, as if he had free time. Every time he went, he would have meals at the manor and stay for half the day before leaving.
Tong Qiao was furious. He thought his little uncle was going too far. He knew that Man'er was his fiancée, and he knew that Man'er had only sought the imperial decree for a marriage to get his attention and make him jealous. How could he take it seriously? He and Man'er were well-matched in age and had been betrothed since childhood. Although there were some misunderstandings in between, they were deeply in love. Why did his uncle have to interfere?
Young Master Tong couldn't sit still any longer. He had to see Man'er now and explain all these misunderstandings to her in person. Since she wouldn't come, why couldn't he make her come out? Tong Qiao had an idea and immediately thought of a plan.
A few days later, Li Man'er indeed received an invitation from the Eldest Princess's manor, inviting her to the manor for a flower viewing. Li Man'er held the invitation and smiled, "Indeed, there are so many second-generation rich kids who disappoint their fathers and mothers in this world!" I heard that Tong Qiao put a lot of effort into organizing this flower viewing banquet for the Eldest Princess, procuring precious varieties from all over the place. What filial piety!"