Chapter 231 Quchi Birthday Banquet (Part 1)

As the weather gets hotter day by day, the midsummer of the tenth year of Tianbao has arrived. The stone slabs and trees on Chang'an Street have been roasted for a day, but it still has not cooled down at night, and the residual heat is dissipated into the stuffy air.

But another kind of passion has been added to Chang'an people. Tomorrow, the first day of June, is the birthday of the imperial concubine. The emperor held a grand celebration in Furong Garden in Qujiangchi. Furong Garden was closed two months ago. It is said that using silk to make flowers, gold foil as leaves, and pearls and jade as fake fruits, cost millions of yuan, and used up nearly half of the treasures in Zuozang.

For this birthday ceremony, all officials and their wives and daughters in Beijing who are above the seventh rank and above and their wives and daughters must participate. This is not only a duty to celebrate the birthday of the imperial concubine, but also an honor.

The invitation was sent by the Provincial Eunuchs a month ago, and almost all the officials received it. To attend this ceremony, the ladies in Chang'an added gold and jade, dressed in silk, dressed in brocade, shining pearls and jade, and applied fragrant powder. All kinds of precious clothes emerged one after another, and even the most expensive light face became ordinary clothing.

‘The wind and thin combing are made, and the clothes are wide. The sleeves are soft and the silk is silky, and the skirt is light and the silk is covered with silk.’

The front doors of major stores in the East City are crowded with people, and the Hu people are competing for beauty in front of the jewelry shops. Chang'an once again shows its magnificent nature.

The Dugu family was a little different. Their family received two invitations, one for Dugu Haoran’s wife, Mrs. Pei. Mrs. Pei’s imperial decree was the Lady of the Third Century County. Although Dugu Haoran was not in Chang'an, his wife still had to attend.

Another invitation was quite special. Yang Guifei personally sent an invitation to Li Qing'an's fiancée Dugu Mingyue. According to the etiquette system, Li Qing'an has not officially married Dugu Mingyue, so Mingyue cannot appear as Li Qing'an's wife in formal occasions, but there must be adaptations under the etiquette system. In fact, as long as both parties do not care about it, no one will really pursue Mingyue's violation of the etiquette system. After all, not many people are willing to do things that offend people, let alone offend officials from the border. Therefore, Mingyue received an invitation from the Wei family to hold a wedding ceremony last month, which was an invitation to Li Qing'an, and she went on behalf of Li Qing'an.

But the etiquette system is not completely meaningless. For example, the birthday ceremony of the imperial concubine is extremely strict. Not only is it required for officials above the seventh rank to participate, but their wives must have an imperial decree to attend together. Otherwise, it would be a violation of the etiquette system and would be held accountable. Therefore, according to this strict regulation, Mingyue, as Li Qing'an's fiancée, cannot participate because she does not have an imperial decree yet. Of course, she can also participate as the daughter of Dugu Haoran, but the careful Yang Guifei solved this embarrassment for her.

Under this strict regulations, Yang Guifei made an exception. Any invitations sent by her personally are not subject to this restriction. They are her personal friend. She only wrote seven such invitations, including her girls' companions, and Dugu Mingyue.

At night, the Dugu sisters were trying on fitting in the room. Mingzhu, as Dugu Haoran's legitimate daughter, also received a place. Tomorrow she will attend the ceremony with her mother.

Their dresses were made by Mrs. Pei himself, both of which were six floor-sweeping skirts. The fabric was of high-quality Wu Jin. The moon was red, the pearls were green. The silk skirts were layered and embroidered with gold thread. The outside was covered with a thin yarn made of light, as thin as a cicada's wings.

Mingzhu stood in front of the bronze mirror and looked at her silhouette, frowned, and muttered, "Sister, you are tall and look good in this kind of floor-shaft skirt, but I'm a little out of character. Look at it, it feels like a small horse pulling a big cart."

In the bronze mirror, Mingzhu's figure was a little petite. She really made her look even more petite when wearing this six-size wide skirt, as if she was a doll.

Mingyue met her and smiled and said, "Do you know why I want you to wear this skirt?"

"I know, she is afraid that I will lose her face if I dress up weirdly."

"That's not exactly. I guess my mother wants to find a suitable family for you at the banquet. It's time to consider your lifelong affairs."

"I don't want it!"

Mingzhu took off her skirt like anger, changed to her short skirt, and turned around in the room. The hem of the skirt was flying, and she couldn't help but giggle: "I'm still comfortable wearing this kind of skirt. I decided to wear this skirt."

"Whatever you want, if you can convince your mother, I don't care about you."

Mingyue sat in front of the mirror and carefully tidied her eyebrows. Mingzhu was in a good mood. She hummed a small song and packed her skirt with her mopping skirt. Some thoughts came to her heart inexplicably. She suddenly remembered something, and a hint of unhappiness appeared on her face. She said to Mingyue: "Sister, you are going to write a letter."

"What?" Mingyue stopped her eyebrow pencil, looked at her strangely, and smiled: "I'm so stupid, what letter to write? To whom?"

"Of course it was for your husband. Last time I told you about that." Mingzhu said angrily.

"What's the matter?"

"Don't pretend to be confused. It's that Jiang Wuyi. The last time I saw her, she looked charming and made people angry as soon as they saw it. Sister, you must say it." Mingzhu became more and more angry as she spoke, and her six wide skirts were rubbed into a ball.

Mingyue smiled and ignored her. Seeing that her sister didn't respond, Mingzhu stepped forward and snatched her eyebrow pencil and said angrily: "How can you not take this seriously? She is still the wife of the Cui family. What's the point of following the elder brother? And she is also Li Xiangguo's niece. Sister, she will take your seat. Are you not in a hurry?"

Seeing that she was so anxious that she was so anxious that she shook her head and smiled, "You! Whenever you think of the wind, you will rain. She is her, and I am me. If Li Lang likes her and marry him as his wife, that is their fate. What can I do if I am anxious? Okay, give me the eyebrow pencil."

"At least you have to write a letter to your husband to show your attitude in this matter: you are the main wife and his wife, and everyone around him must get your consent. How can you be so careless and not care about anything?"

Seeing that she was serious, Mingyue was not good at making fun of her, so she said, "Mingzhu, he is alone in Anxi and always needs someone to take care of him. If Wuyi can take good care of him for me, I will be relieved. Just like my father, Aunt Qi has been following her, and her mother is not angry with her!"

"It is enough to take care of Brother Li as a sister like a poetic and picturesque sister, especially Poetic, gentle and considerate, and as careful as a hair. Can Jiang Wuyi compare to her? I think she is a sexist, and the eldest brother was seduced by her."

"alright!"

Mingyue pressed her sister down, folded her skirt for her, and stuffed it to her and said with a smile: "You know what sister is doing, so don't make trouble. It's getting late, go to bed quickly!

Mingzhu had no choice but to leave with her skirt helplessly. Mingyue closed the door and didn't even want to put on makeup. She sat in front of the window, held her cheek, staring at the stars in the night sky, and all kinds of feelings poured into her heart. She sighed, took out a piece of plain paper, and wrote a letter to Li Qing'an.

'Lang Li, I'm in good health recently. I heard that although Anxi is hot at noon, it is quite cold in the morning and evening. I hope you can always pay attention to your health and not worry about it. Chang'an is ordinary. In the early months, the Wei family married a daughter and sent you an invitation. I arranged a congratulations. Tomorrow's birthday is grand. I will receive a special invitation to the imperial concubine. I will represent you to attend the ceremony. I will take care of everything in Chang'an. Li Lang doesn't have to worry about it. Next month, the day of worshiping ancestors is the day of worshiping ancestors. I should go to Ci'en Temple to worship your parents-in-law.

．

．

’

In the early morning, the sky was just dawn, the heat on Zhuque Street had just dissipated, and the breeze blew on his face. It was the coolest moment of the day. Many people in Chang'an got up early, taking advantage of this moment to cool down and be busy with their livelihoods for the day.

Zhuque Street was full of people who were rushing around. From time to time, a carriage was speeding past, leaving behind the sound of chariots and horses all the way. Under a big tree, a herbal tea stall was set up early, and took advantage of the gap between Jinwu Guards' patrols and sold a few bowls of herbal tea and ice cubes.

Several copper coins fell down, and several porters picked up herbal tea and drank it, and loudly talked about today's grand event.

"Damn, I don't want to work today. I go home and go to farm with my wife and give birth to a delicate little girl as soon as possible. She becomes the imperial concubine. I am the father-in-law. I can eat enough duck butts from Baiweizhai."

An old porter next to him 'Puff!' squirted herbal tea all over the floor, pointed at him and said with a smile: "Just with your words, you will be the life of eating duck ass for the rest of your life."

The big man said angrily: "Why are you laughing at? Are you not the same? Your Sanniang and the Fourth Lady, aren't you sending them to learn the piano? I don't know what your old gangbang muscles are thinking?"

The old porter glanced at him and said disdainfully: "My three and four girls have praised them for their logo since they were young. If they learn to be both sexes, they might have the life of a princess. Forget it! Your wife's garlic nose is also a little porter lady."

"You!" The man was furious and rolled up his sleeves and was about to take action. The stall owner hurriedly advised: "Stop fighting. Which family in Chang'an City doesn't want to have a daughter of a concubine, but there is only one concubine, and she still comes from Bashu. Let's be more realistic. Let's drink what you should drink and eat, come! Drink two more bowls of herbal tea."

Everyone was clamoring, and at this moment, a team of knights ran into the Mingde Gate. Everyone was carrying red leather bags. The horse was as fast as flying, and the horse's hooves hit the ground, as if they were running thunder.

"Scatter!" The knight immediately shouted loudly, scaring the pedestrians on the road stumbled and ran to both sides. A team of knights rushed past the tea stall like lightning, and in a moment they turned into a few small black dots.

A group of porters were stunned, and the old porters sighed for a while and said, "Did you see? When the father-in-law was eating fresh lychees that had just fallen down the tree in Chang'an, he didn't eat any duck butts."

Several porters seemed to be wilted and were drinking herbal tea listlessly. At this time, the man pushed the bowl heavily on the table and said in a rough voice: "No, today I must find a way to go to Qujiangchi to take a look. What does that imperial concubine look like?"

Today is Yang Guifei's birthday. The official celebration will not begin until dusk to avoid the scorching sun. However, the palace maids and eunuchs of the Daming Palace got up before dawn and were busy. All the items for holding the birthday banquet were brought from the palace, including golden plates, jade bowls, agate jars, jade pots and jade pots, and early morning to the top ten restaurants in Chang'an where the birthday banquet were hosted. There were also pineapple wood beds, white jade screens with red sandalwood racks, and various porcelains, precious tea leaves from various places, tribute wine from Anxi, fish fat candles, palace lanterns decorated with night pearls, etc., and all the things needed had to be brought.

Of course, it would be too late if they had just been to decorate today. In fact, what they brought were only spares, and the various utensils needed for the banquet had already been delivered first.

In Yang Yuhuan's bedroom, more than a hundred palace maids who served her to put on makeup were quietly waiting aside. The imperial concubine was eating lychees, and no one dared to disturb her at this time.

Yang Yuhuan was in a good mood these days. The emperor promised her that after this birthday, she would move back to Xingqing Palace again. The Ming Palace would never get involved. This means that the unhappiness between them some time ago has disappeared, but Yang Yuhuan also made a little concession, that is, if Li Longji wanted to be lucky to visit any concubine, she could take him to Xingqing Palace. After the Yang Huahua incident, she suddenly figured out a truth. The more she wanted to tie the emperor around her, the more she would lose it. Only by combining wide and tightness is the way to last.

The little eunuch Lu Taiyi, who specializes in serving her to eat lychees, skillfully pushed a lychee away and handed it to her. Looking at the crystal clear and fine lychee meat, Lu Taiyi frowned and said, "This lychee is not good, it's a bit old."

Yang Yuhuan sucked the sweet juice on the lychee on the cherry lips, and a sweet smell of fragrance slipped into her mouth. She couldn't help but smile and said, "This lychee is very good! Why do you say it's old?"

Lu Taiyi blinked and suddenly realized, "I understand, the empress's skin is too delicate, it looks very dry."

Yang Yuhuan smiled so hard that she trembled. After a while, she took a breath, pointed at him and scolded, "You are such a flatterer!"

"Who is the flatterer?"

Li Longji's voice came from the outer room, and he strode in and said with a smile: "Who is flattering my wife?"

Lu Taiyi was so scared that he knelt down and said no. Yang Yuhuan stood up and bowed to Li Longji, and said with a smile: "This little eunuch of my wife said that the lychee is old today, but I think it's okay. He just said that it's because my skin is too delicate and looks old. Sambo, let's take a look, isn't this a flatterer?"

Li Longji looked at Yang Yuhuan, then looked at a peeled lychee, stroked his beard and smiled, "He is not a flatterer, what he said is the truth. How can this lychee be compared with my beloved concubine? It's too far behind! It's too far behind!"

He smiled at Lu Taiyi again and said, "Get up! I am so understanding. I must reward you with something, what do you want?"

"Slaves dare not, serving the empress is the duty of the slave."

"I will be my duty, but the reward is still needed."

Li Longji thought for a while and said with a smile: "Don't your family grow lychees in Lingnan? I also have a great imperial farm that grows lychees in Lingnan. I will give you the title of Lingnan farm envoy and enjoy silver fish bags. You can return home in glory to get some of the imperial farms in Lingnan for me!"

Lu Taiyi was ecstatic. The emperor had tens of thousands of acres of imperial villages in Lingnan and had tens of thousands of slaves. He asked him to manage some imperial villages and admire silver fish bags. Then wasn’t he the local emperor of Lingnan?

He kowtowed, "Thank you for your reward, I will do my best to build the imperial village for Your Majesty."

Yang Yuhuan frowned and said unhappy: "You sent him away, who will serve me to eat lychees?"

"Of course it's my business to serve my beloved concubine."
Chapter completed!