Chapter 245 Snow Appreciation Banquet at Prince Chen’s Mansion

As the year draws to a close, there are more banquets, and ladies from prominent families are frequently seen together.

After her divorce, Yao Qingling was ostracized by many noble ladies, as if she had been deliberately forgotten. Firstly, they disdained associating with a merchant's daughter, and secondly, they feared offending the Grand Princess of Deyang.

As Hui Ba Fang's business continued to thrive, coupled with the Imperial Censor's wife's connections among the nobility, Yao Qingling became a frequent guest at various banquets at the end of the year.

But her role was more than just that of a guest of honor.

She contracted to supply ingredients for these prestigious banquets, ensuring that ingredients from all over the country could be delivered as long as the price was right.

In the dead of winter, it is a great honor to have a dish of fresh southern fruit on the table at a family's banquet.

Today, Yao Qingling is attending a banquet hosted by the Prince of Chen's family.

After Prince Chen injured his leg, he devoted himself to poetry and painting. Fearing that he would become ill from being bored, Princess Chen set up a poetry club in the palace, and many young men and women became members of the club.

Springtime is for admiring flowers, summer for enjoying the rain, autumn for admiring the maple leaves, and winter for appreciating the snow. Each season offers its own unique beauty. I heard that Princess Chen's cat died of old age, and a poetry gathering was specially held to bid farewell to the cat.

The Prince Chen's mansion was bustling with activity and was no longer quiet.

Princess Deyang disliked her lame nephew and rarely interacted with him. Yao Qingling was not familiar with the Prince Chen's residence, but unexpectedly, after the divorce, the Princess Chen sent her an invitation to host a banquet.

This was a banquet of royal rank, and it was the first time Yao Qingling had hosted it.

She had asked Manager Liu and Xia Chan to prepare things half a month ago, and she personally supervised the process from behind.

On the day of the banquet, Yao Qingling wore a light purple ruqun embroidered with birds, which not only accentuated her youth but also her composure as a boss, exuding both nobility and grace.

Most importantly, this color doesn't overshadow the ladies, nor does it make you look inferior.

She was very satisfied with the embroidery and rewarded the embroiderer in the embroidery room.

Lou Yue went to the Prince's Mansion early in the morning to help the kitchen prepare meals. Xia Chan and Zhao Yin accompanied her to the mansion by carriage.

Zhao Yin was quite surprised, her round eyes widening: "Miss, can I do it?"

After she arrived at Mulan Courtyard, she became a second-class maid, which was much better than her previous job in the main courtyard. Lou Yue took good care of her and even fattened her up.

However, Zhao Yin had never seen much of the world before, and she was afraid of embarrassing Yao Qingling, and even more afraid of causing trouble.

Qingling put on a thick cloak and glanced at her: "If you don't want to go, then find someone else."

Zhao Yin now understood that her mistress was giving her a chance to broaden her horizons, and immediately nodded vigorously: "Go, I'll go."

The group boarded the carriage, and Zhao Yin dared not look around, sitting upright.

Qingling lifted the curtains and looked outside.

Today is Laba Festival, and some famous families set up stalls to distribute porridge. The aroma of rice seems to have been frozen by the cold air, and you can't smell anything. You can only see thin water vapor melting in the air.

A huge pot, with a long queue behind it that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The ragged people seemed to shrink their entire bodies, but their necks were stretched out long. They were packed tightly together, reminiscent of the ducks hanging in a roast duck restaurant.

No one could see the joy of the upcoming New Year; their faces were numb, but their eyes were fixed on the large pot that was steaming lukewarmly.

It seems that the only motivation to take a breath is the porridge in that pot.

For that bowl of hot porridge, they craned their necks, ignoring the cold snowflakes falling on their necks.

Xia Chan said softly, "There was no Laba porridge in that pot, just some low-quality grains. Even so, they added a lot of water. There were only a few grains of grain at the bottom of the bowl."

"What kind of disaster relief is this? It's nothing but self-promotion, just to gain a reputation for being kind and benevolent."

"But these few grains of rice have made people stand here in the cold, waiting for half a day in vain."

Qingling took a deep breath and lowered the curtain.

She didn't know what to say.

As the saying goes, "Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, frozen corpses lie." That's just how the world is.

She has tried her best to feed more people, but there are many things that are beyond her control.

Everyone prays for a better year ahead as they bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, but their wishes are often not fulfilled.

Xia Chan thought of something and said, "I heard from Xiao Pingfeng that Sheng Dahe also set up soup kitchens at the dock. The line at the dock warehouse is even longer than this."

Qingling was somewhat surprised.

Sheng Dahe is a man who only cares about making money and is extremely stingy. How could he be willing to spend money to give away porridge?

He must have his reasons for doing this; I'll have to ask him about it later.

Upon arriving at Prince Chen's residence, one could see a row of luxurious carriages parked at the entrance.

Qingling's carriage was behind, and behind her carriage, there were one carriage after another.

Some people objected, feeling that Yao Qingling, being neither an official nor a noble, should wait in the back.

Qing Ling chuckled and muttered to herself, "Looking at it this way, Zhan Xingzhuo's previous difficulties with me were actually a way of letting me get used to things. Oh well, then we'll just wait and see."

She did not want to cause trouble at the entrance of Prince Chen's residence.

She couldn't afford to offend these important people.

The crowd watched with satisfaction as Yao Qingling's carriage moved aside, and some even joked, "She's become sensible now and doesn't dare to act aggressively anymore."

"That's not what you call being sensible; it's just that she's opportunistic and bullies the weak while fearing the strong."

Qingling and several maids stood to the side, but did not react when they heard it.

The insults weren't sarcastic or biting enough; compared to the harsh words Yao Qingling had heard before, they were practically refined.

She turned to Xia Chan and Zhao Yin and said, "The guests of Prince Chen's mansion are indeed well-mannered. Listen to them; no wonder they can write poetry."

Xia Chan laughed: "Miss, you don't have the talent to write poetry. I don't know if they will ask you to write poetry. If they do, you'll be in trouble."

Zhao Yin grinned foolishly as he watched Qing Ling and Xia Chan chatting back and forth.

Before they had exchanged more than a few words, Zhan Xingxiang suddenly came running over, jumping and skipping.

"Second sister-in-law..." Zhan Xingxiang had barely uttered the words when a flurry of gazes swept over them, so she quickly changed her address to "Sister Qingling."

She stuck out her tongue, clearly not used to this form of address.

After Yao Qingling's divorce, Zhan Xingxiang rarely saw her.

The Grand Princess of Deyang instructed her to stay home and focus on practicing etiquette and memorizing family rules in preparation for becoming the matriarch of the Xincheng Marquis's household. Zhan Xingxiang, on the other hand, wanted to visit Yao Qingling, but she was accompanied by a group of nannies.

The old women also told her not to be like Yao Qingling, who was unconventional and did not regard her husband as her heaven; such women were not good wives.

Yao Qingling hadn't seen Zhan Xingxiang for a long time either.

She has grown taller, and her face has matured, resembling a camellia bud, bright and beautiful.

Yao Qingling nodded, and the two greeted each other. The other noble ladies were eager to befriend Zhan Xingxiang and wanted to go into the Prince's mansion with her.

“…Xingxiang, she’s a merchant’s daughter, you should keep your distance from her.” A noblewoman glanced at Yao Qingling disdainfully. “She should stand here and make way for us. She can only go in after everyone else has gone in.”

Zhan Xingxiang rolled her eyes at her: "What merchant's daughter or noble lady? Since Sister Qingling is here, she is a guest of the Prince Chen's mansion. I've never seen a guest look down on other guests invited by the host."