In the past few days, Xiao Jingnan had been trying every means to persuade Li Wanming not to deliver the wine herself on the sixteenth day of the tenth month.
However, Li Wanming was too busy. She had to attend to the affairs of the wine shop on one hand and plan for the academy on the other. She simply had neither the time nor the inclination to listen to him seriously.
Their conversations often seemed like they were talking at cross - purposes.
Xiao Jingnan: "Lu Ping and Wu Yao are already capable of handling things on their own."
Li Wanming: "If the academy hires them as teachers, will they be able to do a good job?"
Xiao Jingnan: "Maybe this time we can let Cai Wei and Qing Lan deliver the wine to the General's Mansion."
Li Wanming: "Cai Wei and Qing Lan can tell their own stories to show the students the process of how a woman's mindset can change... Hmm, physical exercise is very important. We must add a fitness course."
Xiao Jingnan: "What I mean is, you don't have to do everything yourself..."
Li Wanming put down her pen. "Tell me, what on earth is the dirty secret between your Cheng family and the General's Mansion?"
Xiao Jingnan: …
"Go then, go if you want! I was just afraid you'd be tired. Why don't you appreciate my concern..."
After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and left.
No, no. Li Wanming could be easily deceived at times, but at other times, she was really hard to fool.
He had to discuss with his father how to mobilize hundreds of actors in the General's Mansion to stage a grand play for Li Wanming, proving that there was nothing shady between the Cheng family and the General's Mansion!
Alas, he was afraid this would not be an easy task...
Preparing the wine for the General's Mansion was nothing out of the ordinary.
Everything was carried out step by step, and they were quite familiar with the process.
After all, the apprentices of the Li family's wine shop had even been to the imperial palace. For them, delivering a mere one thousand jars of wine was no big deal.
On the morning of the sixteenth day of the tenth month, the carriages of the Li family's wine shop set off again.
The only difference this time was that Xiao Jingnan insisted that his father and his uncle come along.
This time, unlike the Chongyang Palace Banquet, Prince Ning couldn't attend in his true identity.
Because Li Rusong would also be at this banquet.
They were bound to meet at the feast.
So they could only let Prince Ning attend as an elder of the wine shop's owner, and they asked all the generals to cooperate and stage a play together.
Facing Li Wanming, Xiao Jingnan only said that the wine shop's business was expanding, and Lu Ping, Wu Yao, Cai Wei, and Qing Lan alone couldn't manage it. They had to involve his father, mother, uncle, and aunt.
Li Wanming had no objections, but she was a little puzzled.
Normally, it was always a struggle to get these four people to work, especially her father - in - law and mother - in - law. They always found excuses to avoid work, as if doing a little more would cause them great hardship.
Why were they so enthusiastic this time?
Chun Tao whispered, "Miss, Mr. Cheng used to be in the military. Maybe he wants to see what the Great General Who Guards the Nation looks like?"
Li Wanming thought it made sense.
With General Feng Yuanji's current prestige, he was like a god in the military. Which military man wouldn't want to take a look at him?
It was only natural for her father - in - law to want to see his idol.
There were quite a few people going this time, so one carriage wasn't enough.
Li Wanming and Chun Tao shared a carriage and led the way.
In the carriage behind, Xiao Jingnan, Prince Ning, and Uncle Zhong were sitting.
Lu Ping and Wu Yao, as usual, rode on horses on both sides to take care of things along the way.
"Is everything arranged?" Prince Ning asked.
Uncle Zhong replied, "I've informed General Feng and all the other generals, military advisors, lieutenants, and junior officers. I've told them not to be surprised when they see Your Highness and to cooperate with Your Highness and the Heir Apparent to stage this play well."
Xiao Jingnan pondered, "It's better not to let Wanming go to the main hall..."
Prince Ning glanced at him. "Your wife's intelligence comes and goes. She may not notice. And her mind has been focused on preparing for the academy recently. Maybe she won't even pay attention to us."
Uncle Zhong also replied with a smile, "Your Highness can rest assured. I've had Lu Ping and Wu Yao double - check with the soldiers attending the banquet. As soon as they heard it was related to Your Highness's marriage, they all slapped their chests and promised to cooperate."
Xiao Jingnan let out a long sigh, and his brows furrowed even deeper.
How could he rest assured?
After the Chongyang Palace Banquet, the Li family's wine shop had become well - known, and his marriage had gradually become an open secret among the nobles in the capital!
Moreover, with the support of the Princess Dowager, both civil and military officials, regardless of whether they were in the opposing or friendly camps, were all tacitly helping him keep this secret.
Even Guo Wei had come in person to inquire if his daughter - in - law, Sun Miaoqing, had known about this for a long time.
Prince Ning immediately denied it and seriously told him that this matter was of great importance. No one else in the Guo family should know about it except him!
Minister Guo wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded in agreement.
For now, everything seemed to be well - arranged and foolproof.
But Xiao Jingnan still felt uneasy.
He never imagined that in order to marry a wife, one day he would have half of the high - ranking officials in the capital accompany him in staging a play...
Moreover, as his father said, Li Wanming's intelligence was inconsistent. Who knew if she would be smart, not smart, or just a little smart today?
While Xiao Jingnan was worrying, the carriage swayed all the way and soon arrived at the gate of the General's Mansion.
The banquets in the General's Mansion were mostly attended by military men with a rough style. So the inspection at the entrance wasn't as strict as that in the Princess Chengping's Mansion or the imperial palace.
Most of the food delivered was meat like beef and mutton, with fewer fruits and vegetables.
Li Wanming jumped off the carriage and came to the side gate. She saw Feng Xiao waiting for them at the door.
"I've told Grandpa many times that Mrs. Cheng's wine should be transported in through the main gate. But he said we can't break the rules... Oh, Grandpa is just so old - fashioned."
Li Wanming had already known that Feng Xiao was Feng Yuanji's grandson when Zhao Yanke's identity was exposed.
So she wasn't surprised to see him in the General's Mansion at this time.
She just smiled and said, "General Feng is right. I'm just a wine - shop woman delivering wine. How can I enter through the main gate? Wouldn't that be disrespectful to the honored guests?"
"There are no honored guests. They're just Grandpa's military colleagues, a bunch of rough guys!"
The General's Mansion didn't require the wine to be delivered before dawn. So when the caravan of the Li family's wine shop arrived, it was already a quarter past ten o'clock. Some early - arriving guests were already there.
Feng Xiao cracked a couple of jokes. When he looked up and saw Prince Ning getting off the carriage behind, his knees went weak, and he almost knelt down.
Fortunately, Xiao Jingnan was quick - witted and caught him. "Thank you, Young General, for coming to greet us. Here are one thousand jars of Jinyutang wine. Do you want to check them?"
Feng Xiao was stunned for a moment and then reacted. "N... no. Your wine must be fine!"
He leaned in and whispered, "Grandpa specifically told me to come and greet Prince Ning. He said he has something to talk to you. Hurry up and take His Highness there. Grandpa is waiting for you in the Autumn Curtain Studio."
Xiao Jingnan looked at Li Wanming behind him and hesitated.
Feng Xiao added, "It's okay. I'll be here. I guarantee I won't let Sister - in - law notice anything."
Behind them, Li Wanming was staring blankly at her father - in - law's clothes.
He was wearing a long indigo silk robe with a jade pendant hanging from his waist. Although it wasn't extremely luxurious, it didn't look like the clothes of someone coming to work...
Instead, it looked like... someone coming to attend a banquet?
Xiao Jingnan guessed what she was thinking and quickly said, "Father is coming to such a grand occasion for the first time. He's afraid of being impolite, so he put on his best clothes..."
Actually, Prince Ning felt that he had lost enough face recently. He really didn't want to take out his patched clothes again.
So today, no matter what, he wanted to act normal. Even if he didn't have the imposing manner of a prince, he would be an ordinary wealthy old man!