When Wei Jinglan brought over the list of personnel, Meng Zhao saw several familiar names on it and nodded with a smile.

These people were all handpicked and sent over by Wei Jinglan, so their skills must be excellent. This solves part of the problem for skilled workers, while the ordinary workers needed for the workshop and the shop assistants and cooks can be recruited from the capital.

At this time, she had already chosen a shop. The two shops were connected and were both two-story buildings. They were currently in the decoration and setup stage. Every day, Meng Zhao took Su Meng and the others to various shops to order raw materials, making final preparations for the shop's upcoming opening.

That day, Madam Gu came to visit and handed Meng Zhao two things. "Zhao Zhao, the day after tomorrow is the Double Ninth Festival. The wife of the Marquis of Zhongyong is holding a Double Ninth Festival banquet at her villa in the suburbs of the capital. She sent me an invitation, and the wife of the Hanlin scholar also sent an invitation, inviting me to go together. What do you think I should do?"

Meng Zhao took it and examined it carefully. He looked up and asked, "The Lady of the Hanlin Academy? Isn't that my second brother's superior?"

"Yes, the Hanlin Madam has sent me invitations several times, but I have declined to go. This time, not only her, but also the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion sent an invitation. If I don't go, I'm afraid it will affect Qinghe's career."

“Godmother, you don’t need to worry about this. A man’s career is something he earns himself. As long as you don’t break the law and don’t attend banquets, it won’t have such a big impact. But when my second brother became the top scholar, didn’t you attend those banquets?”

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Madam Gu's face as she said in a low voice, "I have been there twice, but I didn't understand it at the time. I thought it was just like a banquet in the countryside, so I just took the invitation and went. But when I got there, I found that everyone there was dressed in fine clothes and speaking languages ​​that I couldn't understand. I didn't recognize any of the people at the banquet either."

I went there in a daze and returned in a daze. Later, I mentioned this to Qinghe, and he said that if I didn't want to go, I shouldn't go. After that, I refused all the invitations that came to my door. But I heard from Qinghe that the Hanlin scholar was taking good care of him, and now that the Hanlin scholar's wife had personally sent an invitation, I really felt embarrassed to refuse again.

Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao understood. Shen Qinghe had achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations, which was destined to make him a legend. The noble and meritorious officials in the capital would surely want to befriend him. However, everyone knew about Shen Qinghe's background. If Madam Gu didn't attend these banquets, at most she would be gossiped about behind her back. As long as Madam Gu didn't inquire, the rumors wouldn't reach her ears. After all, no one would be foolish enough to say such things to her face.

But being in the capital, how could one truly remain completely untouched by worldly ties? Having someone pave the way for Shen Qinghe would be a good thing, so Meng Zhao said:

“Mother, since you have nothing to do that day, you might as well go and take a look. With the Hanlin scholar’s ​​wife there, I don’t think anyone will make things difficult for you.”

After listening, Madam Gu hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "Alright, let's go then. We can't keep hiding forever."

Seeing that she agreed, Meng Zhao continued, "Godmother, right now your courtyard only has a servant boy by your second brother's side. If you live a quiet life behind closed doors, that's enough. But when you're out and about, you have to maintain a certain image. We don't want to show off, but we also can't lose face. How about I accompany you to the brokerage firm and hire two people? They can help you with chores and serve tea and water when guests come over."

Upon hearing this, Madam Gu nodded repeatedly: "Zhaozhao is indeed very thoughtful."

The two immediately went to the brokerage firm and, after explaining their needs, the brokerage firm's clerk introduced them, saying, "You've come to the right place. We happen to have a few old men here who came from the palace. They're incredibly disciplined when they do things."

Meng Zhao had heard before that many wealthy merchants would hire one or two old women from the palace to train their servants or maids, or hire a few old women who had served important figures to teach their children manners and etiquette, so that they would not lose face when they went out into the world.

They didn't ask for much; they only chose a kind-looking old nanny and a woman in her thirties who were responsible for cleaning the courtyard. After signing the employment contract, Meng Zhao and Madam Gu took the women away directly.

"Older sister, please teach me what to eat and what to cook at the banquet."

Upon hearing Madam Gu's words, Granny Sun immediately took a step back, lowered her head, and said with trepidation, "Madam, you are too kind. How could I dare to accept your address as 'sister'? Just call me Granny Sun. In the end, there aren't any particularly strict rules at this banquet. The main thing is to maintain a proper order of seniority and behave politely..."

Granny Sun carefully explained the etiquette of the banquet to Madam Gu, and Meng Zhao listened attentively, thinking that she might be able to use it in the future.

However, after hearing this, Madam Gu became even more nervous. "Oh dear, no wonder everyone looked at me like that when I went to the banquet last time. It turns out I did so many wrong things, and no one came to tell me. I guess I embarrassed Qinghe quite a bit."

Seeing this, Meng Zhao quickly comforted her, "Godmother, don't overthink it. You just made a mistake in your position and ate the wrong thing. At most, people will gossip behind your back, but it won't affect Second Brother. The real problem lies with those who embezzle, accept bribes, condone violence, and form cliques. Besides, this time Granny Sun is here to give you some pointers. Just relax and do as Granny says."

When Granny Sun heard Meng Zhao's words, she couldn't help but look up at her. She thought to herself, "Gu Shi seems to be a simple-minded person, but this young lady is very thoughtful and her words reveal a bit of shrewdness. It seems that I will have to be more careful in my work in the future to avoid being found to have made any mistakes."

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