It was a hot summer day, so she got up early, thinking that she would dare to go to the Minister's Mansion before the heat came up, so as to save herself from the heat on the road.
Today, the Chu family not only had an ice banquet, but also had pot throwing, flower viewing, poetry gatherings, archery and other free time activities. He Wen also invited a puppet show to fully prepare the banquet.
She chose a chest-length skirt that was easy to move around, a red and crimson skirt with precious flowers and phoenix patterns, Uesugi wore loquat yellow silk with dark embroidered bird feathers straight sleeves, a black gold silk longevity bun draped in silk, and a stunning bun.
, a gorse tree hairpin on both sides, a gold and jade flower hairpin in the middle, two small pearl flower hairpins at the back, precious flower gold and jade earrings, and a pink pearl necklace the size of a thumb.
It was just a few minutes after arriving at the Shilang's Mansion, Chu Yi had not yet gone to court, and the female family members had already started busy. Today, He Wen came to greet her in person. He welcomed her into the backyard and talked all the way: "Oh! Look at this temperament. It's really cool."
You have the empress style! I am just looking forward to your coming. I will go out to meet you as soon as the servants tell you. Come and help me see if there is anything missing. Let me tell you, I have invited a lot of people today.
Most of them are ladies and young men from various families. You can show it to your brother later. Hahahahahaha, I feel happy just thinking about it, but I have to prepare well and don’t let others pick on me..."
He Wen said that he was laughing all the way without ever closing his mouth, looking forward to how lively and wonderful the banquet she would prepare next. Chu Yunjing listened helplessly to her chattering and rolled his eyes several times.
Today, people are wearing gold and silver again. How could He Wen miss such a good occasion? A beautiful young woman in her thirties must dress up in an old-fashioned way.
"My mistress has done a good job. I, a junior, have never organized any banquets, so how can I understand these things? If you and my eldest aunt are so capable, it is not my turn to organize them!"
The place where they were talking was the Xiangting Pavilion in the backyard. This was the main place for entertaining guests today. It faced the big stage. There had been a theater troupe cleaning up the stage for a long time. When they saw her coming, they all came down to say hello.
There are two rows of low tables in the Xiangting Pavilion, which can accommodate more than twenty low tables. Each table has its own primary and secondary seats, and can seat more than five people. No matter how many children the wives of each family bring, they can also sit there.
There are ice bowls and incense burners behind the seats. The purpose of the ice bowl is to prepare some melons and fruits for cooling, and to enjoy the coolness. The incense is also used to refresh the mind. When these two are combined, you will not feel stuffy at all.
No guests have arrived yet, and there is no food on the table.
There are long verandas on both sides of Xiangting Pavilion, which lead to the small lake in Yuanzi on the left and other courtyards on the right. There is a square courtyard with a patio surrounded by verandas on the right, where the pot-throwing stuff has been prepared early. On the left is the small lake.
There is a boat on board, and if anyone wants to take the boat, the waiter can take him there directly.
The width of the verandah is more than three meters, and every ten steps there are icicles exuding cool air. There are also flower clusters arranged all the way. The flower trees and flower clusters in the garden are blooming extremely brightly.
She rebuffed Mrs. He. When she got to the backyard, Mr. Qiao came over to salute. She personally helped Mr. Qiao up: "How can I eat the gift of an elder? Is grandma okay when she comes in?"
Old Mrs. Chu has always stayed out of the affairs of the younger generation. She likes to live in a solitary life as she gets older. Mrs. Qiao nodded and said everything was fine.
The Vice Minister's Mansion rarely holds banquets, and when it does, it will be a big one. The servants will prepare everything, and there will be people watching every corner, for fear that something will go wrong. He Wen has always been naughty, and these must be arranged by Qiao.
.
I had little contact with Mr. Qiao in the past, and I only knew that this eldest aunt was very virtuous, knew how to advance and retreat, and was an excellent helper. Today, I saw that she was really raised by a high family, and she did everything well.
Although the two brothers of the Chu family are at odds, Mrs. Qiao is a sensible person and knows where to start to improve the relationship between the two families.
"Old lady, you are strong and strong! Your Majesty has a distinguished status now. I also saw what happened that day at the Zhengguo Duke's Mansion. Your father seldom gets involved in officialdom and pursues profit, so it is inevitable that he will not be able to protect you. Your mistress
He is also a careless person. If you have any difficulties, you can ask Aunt An to come to the old house and say it. We are a family. Even if we break our bones and connect our tendons, we won't have... no one behind us."
She understood that Mr. Qiao was talking about being bullied in the Zhengguo Palace. This big house is really transparent and understands the principle of honor and disgrace. Her father and mistress can only learn half of it. His father still pretends to be a gentleman every day.
,
"Thank you, aunt, for understanding my difficulties." Her eyes were a little sad.
"The palace and His Highness King Qi value you. Although His Highness is not in Kyoto, he can still protect you. The palace is also willing to make decisions for you. You are the eldest in our family now. If you have anything to say to us, just don't do anything.
Carry it yourself..."
Mrs. Qiao held her hands up and looked at her distressedly.
Qiao's mother's family was a minister of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and she was a close match with the Chu family. She must be in her forties this year, and she was a handsome person with good features and good intentions. She had four sons and one daughter. The eldest son died in infancy, and the second son died in infancy.
After entering the court, he worked in the household department to find a job of some size. The second daughter-in-law was busy in the kitchen and was very virtuous. The two youngest sons, Chu Xuan and Chu Che, aged 17 and 15, came to discuss the marriage.
age.
Now that the Chu family has a princess, and the whole family has given birth to a baby, the choice of daughter-in-law is naturally higher.
Mrs. Qiao said this because she felt distressed and wanted to win over them. Today they wanted Chu Yunjing to support the show.
Chu Yunjing chuckled: "I understand, don't worry, auntie, we are a family."
She took out one hand and patted Qiao's hand to express her reassurance.
"Your father and the others have something to do today and won't be back at noon. There are many people today. If you meet Aunt An, whom you don't know, she will remind you which family you are from."
While the two were talking, a group of young people came to greet her. They were her brothers, all of them were bright-looking young men. She had only met Chu Xuan and Chu Che once, on the day of their wedding.
"We haven't seen each other for a few months, but you guys have actually grown taller without me! Especially Wei'er, you are still growing taller at this age, and you are more than half a head taller than me!"
She looked at her younger brothers in surprise, gesturing at Chu Wei's height with her hands.
Chu Xuan was very reserved and stood with an unsmiling expression. She was only one year older than Chu Xuan and looked like a younger sister. Chu Che and Chu Wei were lively like brothers. All three of her younger brothers were studying hard.
A gentleman written by sages.
"That's right, we have to protect our sisters in the future. If we don't grow taller, how can we protect you." Chu Wei is an extraordinary young master at the moment. Today, the three of them are the protagonists. Compared with the two
The mistress also told them about today's tasks.
At this time, a little baby was picked out from the crowd and shouted in a sweet voice: "Big sister!"
She lowered her head and saw that it was Chu Li who came out. She hugged Chu Li happily and said, "I asked which family's little meat ball it was. It turned out to be my Li'er. Let my eldest sister see if she has gained weight again."
Already?"
He Wen always doted on his children, and Chu Li's food must have been intemperate. What do little babies know? They just like to eat as much as they want.
Chu Li giggled in her arms. When she opened her mouth, she saw Chu Li's damaged teeth.
"Oh! Li'er, look at you! Did you steal some candy?" She pinched Chu Li's face and looked at his teeth from side to side, with a deliberately disgusted look on her face.
Chu Li giggled and shook her head: "Hey, the candies are delicious!"
"Don't eat so many candies in the future. Did you hear me? If you have bad teeth, you won't be able to get a wife!" She nodded Chu Li's head and scolded.
At this moment, she caught a glimpse of a gorgeous figure on the veranda in the distance, wearing a gold hairpin and a pink skirt. She seemed to have applied lipstick. She looked like Chu Yunxi, glancing timidly towards her, for fear of being seen by her.
generally.
Dressed up like this at such a young age, I didn’t have the etiquette to greet her, and who knew where I was going.
When her younger brothers were going to play, she asked Aunt An: "I just saw Yun Xi and I didn't know where she was going. A lady in her early teens dressed up like that and put on lipstick. Aunt An will do it for me."
I'll go take a look and change her outfit. If she treats guests like this, I, Mrs. Chu, will probably be laughed at to death."
She looked gloomy and whispered. After hearing this, Aunt An immediately went to find Chu Yunxi.
She looked around and saw that the backyard was about twenty acres in size, with pavilions, pavilions, winding paths, and verandas leading to various courtyards. Archery equipment was prepared behind the Xiang Pavilion, and Wei'er often practiced archery here on weekdays, which inevitably caused the young people to
The energetic young men are here to compete.
Aunt An came to look for her after finishing her work. She asked Aunt An: "Do the two mistresses have a young lady they like?"
"The mistress of Uncle Chu's family is a girl from the mother-in-law's family. The family has an errand to see the young minister at Sinong Temple. Her surname is Guo. This lady is a direct descendant. The other is the younger sister of Dr. Guozi. This family is considered to be from a poor family.
, Dr. Ma was the number one scholar seven years ago, and his family was born in a blink of an eye. This Dr. Ma has some real abilities, and he will inevitably get a high-ranking official in the future, and Uncle Chu intends to win over him."
He actually escaped from the Sixth Bureau of the Three Provinces and married the young doctor Jiuqing? And found a potential stock? The second sister-in-law’s family is Dong’s, who is also from the Ministry of Household Affairs. Chu Yao probably wanted to avoid suspicion. If all his sons were married to the Sixth Bureau
, if you tell me, it’s really called a clique for personal gain.
"Well, when you come later, remind me to take a look. Where is Brother Wei?"
"The eldest young master has not found anyone he likes yet. The mistress will see who she is today and tomorrow."
She frowned. She was really not afraid of embarrassment. Are you really picking vegetables at the vegetable market?
"Is she still dreaming of the Prince Consort?"
Aunt An covered her lips and smiled softly: "Maybe! She has always been arrogant and arrogant. The He family is from a high-ranking family, so it is inevitable that she will have higher standards."
Around 6 o'clock, guests from various families arrived one after another. When they entered the garden and saw her sitting on the main seat, they all saluted and said hello, and she also spoke dignifiedly.
She didn't come empty-handed today. She ordered the servants of the palace to bring more than ten loads of Haicuo. It was considered a gift to her mother's family. She only said that there was a new Pinxianju in Kyoto, and the Haicuo in it was
It's very fresh and fits the scene at home today, so He Wen is naturally happy.