CHAPTER 341: CHAPTER 335: I AM THE MARQUIS MANSION DOWAGER 24

"Grandmother, what’s going on?"

After Tang Bai got up, he immediately chased after Anning and asked, "How did you meet the Emperor? Why...why did he specifically want to bestow honor on you?"

Anning was sitting on a rocking chair at the time, basking in the spring sunshine, looking very leisurely: "I met him in Yangzhou City. He insisted on marrying me when he saw me; I almost mistook him for a tyrant who abducts the common people."

Tang Bai’s face twisted into a bitter melon shape: "How old are you...this is too...what will my grandfather do?"

Anning glared at Tang Bai: "Don’t bring up your grandfather to me, he’s left me behind for so many years now, and it’s not his business whom I marry. And what’s wrong with being older? I may be old, but I certainly look young. If I stand next to your wife now, I look much younger than her."

Well, that’s true.

Tang Bai looked at Anning’s rosy cheeks and thought if he were the Emperor, seeing such a stunningly beautiful woman, he’d probably want to marry her right away too.

"That Emperor isn’t young either."

Tang Bai now felt more and more that the Emperor wasn’t worthy of his grandmother: "He’s old."

Anning smiled: "No worries, I’m older than him, plus, who calls him the Emperor?"

"What do you mean by that?"

Tang Bai crouched in front of Anning, like a little dog that needed comforting from its master: "If he wasn’t the Emperor, you wouldn’t marry him?"

Anning was quite straightforward in admitting: "Then I would really need to think about it carefully. All these years, I’ve been pondering who exactly wanted me dead. Now it seems I’m getting some clues. Currently, to act in the Capital, I need to rely on the Royal Qi Fortune. If I become the Supreme Empress, I’ll naturally carry the Royal Qi Fortune, and then even those people won’t be able to touch me, and our chances of success will be greater."

Tang Bai listened and frowned: "It’s because we descendants are incompetent, causing you at such an age to remarry."

Anning waved him away, a little impatiently: "Alright, stop following me around. Hurry back and take a look at your son. Now that your family is reunited, you should have a good chat. What’s the point of sticking with this old thing like me?"

After Tang Bai heard this, he respectfully bowed and exited.

Sending Tang Bai away, Anning finally let out a big sigh of relief. Then she dozed off in the sun.

When she woke up, Tang Bai and a large group of family members were standing in the courtyard.

Anning opened her eyes and saw Tang Pei’s handsome face, feeling reasonably pleased to see the child she had raised.

She smiled and got up.

Mrs. Li hurriedly went over to help her.

Anning gestured to stop her: "I’m not so helpless."

Zhang Feng’er tugged at Tang Tao’s sleeve: "Mr. Qi, what kind of temperament does our aunt have?"

Tang Tao was also very anxious: "How would I know? I didn’t even know about her existence before."

Anning walked slowly toward the house: "Alright, come in too."

She looked at the sky; it was already evening, so she asked Tang Bai: "Have you eaten?"

Tang Bai shook his head.

Anning then ordered someone to prepare the meal.

After entering the house, Anning found a place to sit down first.

She didn’t sit properly, just made herself comfortable however she could, leaning in a loop chair, resting her chin in her hand, looking at Tang Pei and Tang Tao: "Don’t say, Taotao and Pei’er really do look alike."

Tang Tao quickly flashed a smiling face: "Naturally, my brother and I are siblings, we definitely look alike."

Anning also took a few more glances at Zhang Feng’er: "She seems quite clever."

Zhang Feng’er was startled, not knowing what Anning meant by that.

Anning didn’t feel the need to explain.

She pointed to the wallet tied around Zhang Feng’er’s waist: "Let me have a look at that."

Zhang Feng’er quickly untied the wallet and handed it over with both hands.

Anning took it, looked it over, then sniffed it by her nose before tossing it to Mrs. Li: "Find a competent doctor to take a good look at it later."

Both Mrs. Li and Zhang Feng’er looked nervous.

Mrs. Li asked Anning in a hurry: "Grandmother, is there something wrong with it?"

Anning didn’t answer but instead asked Zhang Feng’er: "Who gave this wallet to you?"

Zhang Feng’er thought about it; it was a maid from Second Mrs.’s room who gave it to her.

Anning sneered: "I thought so. She really doesn’t wish you any good, does she? Look at this, harming Pei’er isn’t enough, now she wants to curse Taotao’s marriage so they can’t have children..."

Hearing this, Zhang Feng’er turned pale with fright: "Is there anything wrong with this wallet?"

"See a doctor first."

Anning didn’t give a detailed explanation: "In the future, don’t accept things sent from other places, especially from Mrs. Song and Ms. Zhang. Stay far away from them, don’t touch any of it."

Zhang Feng’er nodded dumbly, terrified.

Anning then looked towards Tang Tao: "What are you doing these days?"

Tang Tao was quite embarrassed: "Replying to Great-Aunt, I am currently idle at home, helping out with some household chores."

"That is basically a butler."

Anning said this with a light and casual smile, but her words made Tang Tao’s face turn red: "To think a title-bearing man is no better than a butler, it really broadens one’s horizons."

She tapped on the table: "I’ve heard your father say that you’re quite adept at handling miscellaneous affairs. I have a task for you. If you do it well, I will find you a position in the Six Ministries, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Tao gladly stood up: "I will do whatever Great-Aunt commands."

"You also know you have several aunts. Now, Cousin Xu who married into the Xu Family and Rou’er who married into The Wus have passed away, leaving only Lili and Liu’er. Carefully find out how they’re doing in their marital homes, the habits of their family members, and the kind of life they have led over the years. Even those who have passed must be inquired about, whether they left children behind and how the children are doing now. Investigate everything, no matter how big or small, and understand it all clearly."

"That shouldn’t be difficult."

Tang Tao bowed: "I will surely have clear information after some time."

Anning smiled. She turned to Zhang Feng’er: "Wan’er from your cousin’s household in the Xu Family will also be coming to the Capital soon. When you have time, arrange a place for her to stay."

Zhang Feng’er said with a smile: "Old Madam has already ordered this, saying that Cousin Xu should first stay in her room, and move Rong into the green gauze cabinet..."

Before she could finish, Anning slapped the table: "Nonsense, is this Mansion short of places to live, or can we not afford to keep a young girl? What does it mean to have Wan’er and Rong’er stay in the same room? Both children are over seven years old, how can they live like this without ruining their reputation? Does Wan’er still want to marry in the future? It’s not just damaging Wan’er’s reputation, but also Yi’er and the others in the family will be implicated."

She didn’t bother instructing Zhang Feng’er further: "Forget it, I’ll pick a courtyard for Wan’er myself."

Zhang Feng’er, reprimanded by Anning, had a red face and bowed her head, not daring to speak.

Anning saw that Zhang Feng’er was quite uncomfortable and didn’t scold her further. Instead, with a smile, she called her and Mrs. Li over and took out a box. The box contained a set of jewelry.

She selected a gold phoenix hairpin and handed it to Zhang Feng’er: "This is for you."

Zhang Feng’er’s face lit up with joy at the sight of the nice item.

Anning then found a Mutton Fat Jade Bracelet for Mrs. Li: "This is yours."

After that, she chose an entirely red jade bracelet for Zhang Feng’er: "This is for you."

She also gave a Yulan hairpin carved from white jade to Mrs. Li: "This is yours."

Finally, left in the box were two hairpins adorned with South Sea Pearls, one in the shape of a peony, the other a hibiscus.

Anning let Mrs. Li and Zhang Feng’er choose: "Each of you take one, go and enjoy them."