Chu Qingmeng, who had been dressed up by several matrons, arrived at the main hall just before breakfast. The group had already exchanged greetings one by one, and after Chu Qingmeng paid her respects, they began to eat.
"Qingmeng, yesterday I discussed it with the Princess Consort," Mo Chenfeng said, looking at Chu Qingmeng. "Since you feel that becoming our adopted daughter is not quite fitting, how about I go into the palace today and ask the Emperor to grant you the title of Commandery Princess?" He continued, "By then, you can live in the Prince's Mansion if you wish, or in the neighboring estate if you prefer—that way, you will have more freedom."
"Uh..." Chu Qingmeng's face was a map of question marks. "Uncle Mo—no, wait, Your Highness. First, I have never made any contributions to the state. Second, I have never done anything to benefit the country and the people. Third, I am not of noble birth. If the Emperor confers a title upon me, I'm afraid it would be completely without justification. You'd better not mention this to him."
Mo Chenfeng nodded. "No matter, I have already thought of all that. As for a reason, one will naturally be found. You don't need to take it to heart."
Seeing that Mo Chenfeng was determined to request the title, Chu Qingmeng simply let him be, figuring that as long as the Emperor wasn't a complete fool, he would never agree to it.
After breakfast, Chu Qingmeng returned to her own courtyard. Mo Liujin sent a Secret Guard, saying the man was to stay by her side to protect her. Chu Qingmeng wanted to refuse—after all, Mo Chenfeng had already arranged so many Secret Guards that she felt her roof was running out of space. On the other hand, Mo Liuyuan and Mo Liujue, with whom she had never interacted before, sent two personal maidservants.
"This servant, Chunhe, and this servant, Xiazhi, pay our respects to the Young Lady," two young girls of sixteen or seventeen bowed to Chu Qingmeng.
"Get up quickly," Chu Qingmeng hurriedly helped the two of them up. "From now on, there's no need for such grand kowtows. I'm sixteen; we're about the same age, aren't we?"
"Yes, this servant and Xiazhi are both seventeen," Chunhe replied with a standard bow.
Chu Qingmeng nodded and instructed, "Chunhe, go and tell the Secret Guards at the door to take turns resting. I really don't need so many people protecting me."
Chunhe acknowledged the order and withdrew, leaving Xiazhi behind to chat with Chu Qingmeng. Not long after, Mo Wushuang arrived, her voice preceding her before she even came into view. "Sister Qingmeng! Sister Qingmeng!"
"Oh my, slow down," Chu Qingmeng smiled and hurried out to catch Mo Wushuang, who had almost tripped over the threshold. "Didn't they say noble ladies like you are supposed to be extremely poised? How is it that when it comes to you, you're so full of life?"
"Hehe," Mo Wushuang stuck her tongue out playfully. "Oh right, Sister Qingmeng, I came to ask you—can you accompany me to the flower-viewing banquet in three days?"
"Me? My etiquette is even worse than the servants' in this estate. Are you sure you want me to go with you?"
"I'm sure!" Mo Wushuang grabbed Chu Qingmeng's sleeve and shook it incessantly. "Mother is going with us, but I just don't want to keep dealing with all those madams alongside Mother. Having to be on my best behavior the whole time is truly miserable. Mother already agreed, so you have to come with me."
"All right, all right, I'll go with you," Chu Qingmeng agreed with a helpless sigh. Just as the two of them were laughing and playing, a servant suddenly reported that an imperial decree had arrived from the palace, and everyone needed to go out to receive it.
Chu Qingmeng froze for a moment. The Emperor wouldn't actually have agreed to Uncle Mo's request for a title, would he? Thinking this, everyone gathered in the front courtyard. Chu Qingmeng knelt beside Mo Wushuang, inwardly complaining endlessly, when she heard the eunuch's shrill voice read out: "By the grace of the Heavens, the Emperor decrees: Whereas We are deeply grateful to Lady Chu for rescuing Our imperial younger brother from dire straits and curing him in his time of peril, We hereby bestow upon her ten thousand liang of gold, ten thousand liang of silver, one grand estate, and a quantity of gold, silver, jewelry, and hair ornaments!"
"This commoner thanks the Emperor for His grace!" Chu Qingmeng's body reacted faster than her brain, and she immediately accepted the decree and expressed her gratitude. After the imperial emissary left, Chu Qingmeng watched as the rewards were carried chest by chest into her courtyard, and her face instantly broke into a massive grin—she smiled so widely her mouth practically reached her temples!
"Pfft!" Mo Liuyuan couldn't help laughing out loud. This girl's money-loving expression was truly amusing!
Watching Chu Qingmeng smile so broadly she had lost her bearings, Mo Liujin chuckled as well. So she liked these things after all.
Back in her courtyard, looking at the dozens of chests of gold, silver, and jewelry filling her storeroom, Chu Qingmeng didn't even know how to express her joy. Wasn't this infinitely better than some useless title of Commandery Princess? The Emperor truly understood a commoner like her who knew the value of money! With this much wealth and a grand estate, who the heck would want to go back to the modern era?! How was this any different from suddenly winning tens of millions in the lottery?! Chu Qingmeng touched the silver one moment and the hair ornaments the next, secretly marveling in her heart: *As expected, no wonder imperial concubines in ancient times fought tooth and nail to climb higher! Look at this hair ornament! Kingfisher-feather-inlaid tiara set with azure gems, with dangling tassels studded with tiny crushed jewels, looking dazzlingly brilliant in the sunlight. And look at this hairpin—good grief, the flower on it is almost as big as a child's palm! And it's solid gold!* Amidst all the jewelry, Chu Qingmeng spotted a pale-green gemstone and pearl headpiece. *This headpiece would be perfect for Wushuang,* she thought, and immediately picked out the set, telling Xiazhi to deliver it to Mo Wushuang.
At that moment, Mo Wushuang, who had just received the headpiece, was busy picking out fabrics sent by the steward in preparation for the flower-viewing banquet three days later.