Before the dishes were even brought in, Mei Qingxue could already smell the tantalizing aroma. Mei Zhenguo wasn't one to be wasteful, but still, their breakfast for four consisted of as many as ten dishes: two servings of congee, three vegetarian dishes, two clear soups, and the remaining three were meat dishes. It seemed that the prime minister knew well about keeping in good health and understood that one shouldn't eat greasy and meaty food in the morning.
However, Mei Qingxue was a die - hard meat lover. But due to the previous living habits of this body, she didn't dare to eat too much. It was driving her crazy! This body was so thin. How could she develop it into the 36D figure she desired? This was a question worth pondering deeply!
"The sixth day of next month is Xuan'er's sixteenth birthday. My lord, shall we organize the birthday celebration as we did in previous years?" After the servants cleared the dishes, Xia Ruolan asked with a gentle smile as she looked at Mei Haoxuan. She sighed inwardly at how quickly time had passed. In a blink of an eye, her son was already sixteen, and it wouldn't be long before it was time to arrange a marriage for him.
However... Her gaze involuntarily shifted to Mei Qingxue's face, and her eyebrows knitted slightly.
"Yes, just organize it as in previous years. There's no need to be overly extravagant," Mei Zhenguo nodded. Since these were all things for Xia Ruolan to handle, he had nothing to worry about.
Hearing this, a glint flashed in Mei Qingxue's eyes. It was less than twenty days until the sixth day of next month. She had to think carefully about what kind of gift to give her brother who loved her so dearly.
"Yes, my lord."
"If there's nothing else, I'll go to the study first. Hao'er, you should go to the palace soon. As a royal bodyguard, you can't be away from the emperor for too long," Mei Zhenguo instructed Mei Haoxuan as he was about to step out of the room.
"Yes, Hao Xuan understands."
After Mei Zhenguo left, Xia Ruolan asked the two of them to sit down again and pulled Mei Qingxue to her side.
"Hao'er, when you're on duty in front of the emperor, you must be extremely careful in everything you do. Don't let anyone get hold of any of your mistakes," Xia Ruolan said seriously, with a slight retraction of the tenderness in her eyes.
"Yes, Hao'er understands. After I take Xue'er to see the gift, I'll go back to the palace immediately."
"En, do you have any ideas for your birthday banquet?"
"Hao'er will leave it all to mother's arrangement."
When Mei Haoxuan mentioned the gift, Mei Qingxue's big deer - like eyes suddenly brightened. This gift had been mentioned several times, and now she really wanted to see what it was.
She gently tugged at the cuff of Xia Ruolan's sleeve. The two people who were talking quickly turned their gazes to Mei Qingxue.
Looking at Mei Qingxue's blinking big eyes, Xia Ruolan let out a soft laugh and gently tapped Mei Qingxue's smooth forehead with her jade finger. "Look, look. As soon as I mention the wonderful gift your brother brought for you, you can't hold it in anymore? You don't want to stay with mother anymore? You little heartless thing." Although Xia Ruolan's words seemed to be scolding, the smiling look in her eyes showed that she was actually joking.
Mei Qingxue rolled her eyes in her heart. Was her eagerness that obvious?
Seeing Mei Qingxue lowering her head slightly, looking like a shy young girl, the doting in Mei Haoxuan's eyes deepened. "Since Xue'er wants to go and see it, shall we go now?"
Mei Qingxue nodded with a smile.
After the two of them left the Zhenyu Courtyard and walked around two corridors, they came to a small garden. As soon as they got closer, they could hear the barking of a dog getting louder and louder.
Hearing the sound, Mei Qingxue raised her delicate eyebrows. Could it be that... this much - anticipated gift was a living thing?
Just as the two of them were lost in their thoughts, a small brown thing suddenly rushed towards them. Mei Qingxue couldn't dodge in time and was almost knocked into a rockery beside her. Fortunately, Mei Haoxuan was quick - witted and caught her around the waist, saving her from a close encounter with the rockery.
In that moment of panic, Mei Qingxue almost let out a scream, but luckily she managed to control herself in time.
After the scare, she looked at the "culprit" which was now ten meters away, staring at them with its round black eyes and wagging its tail without realizing it had caused a big problem, looking like a winner.
Looking at the little brown - haired creature, Mei Qingxue opened her eyes wide in surprise. If she wasn't mistaken, this little thing was a pure - bred Tibetan mastiff that she had only seen on TV in her previous life!
It was actually a Tibetan mastiff! Her brother had actually brought her a pure - bred Tibetan mastiff that had just been born!
Wow... It was so cool!
Mei Haoxuan looked at his precious younger sister in his arms with a worried face. When he found that there was no sign of fear on her face but instead an excited look as she stared at the gift he had brought back for her, his hanging heart finally settled down.
He had someone bring back this little thing because this kind of dog was extremely loyal, only obeying its master, and was fierce enough to fight with wolves. With such a loyal protector by her side, even if he couldn't accompany her every day, he could feel a little more at ease. It could also be an interesting playmate for her.
Mei Qingxue gently broke free from Mei Haoxuan's embrace and walked towards the furry little thing cautiously.
"Miss, please don't go over there! Although this dog is small, it's very fierce. Be careful not to let this little brute hurt you!" The servant who was in charge of taking care of the Tibetan mastiff saw Mei Qingxue approaching and quickly tried to stop her.
Hearing what the servant said, Mei Haoxuan also wanted to step forward to pull Mei Qingxue back, but Mei Qingxue turned back and gave him a reassuring smile.
Strangely enough, when Mei Qingxue got closer, the little Tibetan mastiff didn't run away. It just kept wagging its short tail on the spot.
Mei Qingxue stood in front of the little Tibetan mastiff and timidly reached out her hand to touch its soft fur. The little guy rolled onto the ground, lying on its back, looking extremely comfortable!
Seeing this, Mei Haoxuan and the servants finally let out a sigh of relief.
On the sixth day of September, on the sixteenth birthday of the prime minister's eldest son, as night fell, lanterns were lit up in the prime minister's mansion. The servants were all beaming with joy as they went about their business. The carriages of the guests gradually filled the carriage yard of the prime minister's mansion, and the whole mansion was bustling with activity.
"Now that the prime minister's eldest son has turned sixteen, it's time for him to be betrothed. I wonder if the prime minister's wife has already had someone in mind?" A lady in her early thirties, wearing a light - red long dress embroidered with red plum blossoms and a cinched waist, asked Xia Ruolan, the prime minister's wife, who was surrounded by other ladies, as if casually.
The prime minister's wife was wearing a long, trailing dress in black and red with silver - threaded borders and embroidered with large red peonies. Her thick hair was neatly coiled up high, and her fair face was lightly made - up. Compared with other well - maintained ladies of the same age, she exuded an air of shrewdness and nobility.
"Hao'er's marriage needs to be discussed with the prime minister. It's not something I can decide on my own," Xia Ruolan deftly shifted the decision - making power to Mei Zhenguo, the prime minister. "If you all want to get close, go find that stone - faced prime minister!"
Hearing this, the lady felt a bit embarrassed and stopped talking about this topic. The other ladies who had wanted to inquire were also glad that they hadn't been the first to speak.
Mei Haoxuan was the eldest son of the current prime minister, so his birthday banquet had to be grand, but not overly luxurious. After the banquet, the remaining food wasn't simply thrown away but given to the beggars in the capital. That was why Mei Zhenguo, the prime minister, enjoyed a high prestige among the common people.