Chapter 93 Birthday Banquet Gift 1+2

Today is the birthday party of Old Lady Yu of the Earl of Yong'an's Mansion, but it is more than just a simple birthday party. Dalang of the Earl of Yong'an's family has recently been promoted to the Right Envoy of the Jingsi Office. At such a young age, he is already a fifth-rank official. To celebrate the birthday and the promotion, the Earl of Yong'an intends to hold a grand party, and most of the powerful families in the capital have been invited.

Speaking of Dalang, the son of the Yong'an Earl, it's a rather sad story. Li He is twenty-two years old. His biological mother died when he was three, and his father remarried. The following year, his stepmother gave birth to a younger brother, and since then, he has paid even less attention to his first wife's son.

Li He's marriage was repeatedly delayed. Seeing that her second-born son, Li Zong, had reached marriageable age, yet her eldest grandson still hadn't made any moves, the wife of the Earl of Yong'an finally spoke up, declaring that she would use the birthday banquet as an opportunity to meet her two grandsons and see if there was a suitable daughter for a Qin or Jin marriage.

The ladies of the other families in the capital had guessed something about Old Lady Yu's idea. In their opinion, both the promising young man Dalang from the Yong'an Earl's family and the beloved Erlang in their own family were the best candidates for sons-in-law. Therefore, the other meaning of this banquet was self-evident, and they were particularly enthusiastic about it.

One after another, luxurious carriages stopped at the gate of the Earl's Mansion, making the entire alley lively and even a little congested.

One by one, brightly dressed young ladies, accompanied by their maids, gracefully stepped down from the carriage. They remained reserved and polite, yet filled with anticipation, hoping to catch the admiring gaze of their beloved husband in this moment. If they could secure his favor again, they would surely wake up smiling even in their dreams.

For today's banquet, the young ladies from each family have worked hard, wearing beautiful dresses and adorning themselves with exquisite jewelry. The more exquisitely they dress, the better, so that they can stand out at the banquet.

The number of orders at the Imperial Clothing Workshop suddenly increased dramatically, and all the embroiderers were almost overwhelmed.

Zhao Mingjing had also been preparing for this banquet for a long time. She wore a gold and red silk skirt with the most popular transparent shark gauze on the outside. She wore a gold-threaded oriental pearl bracelet on her hand. Her black hair was half tied up, and her delicate hair was decorated with a jade hairpin with茭白 inserted in it. She wore small earrings in the shape of hibiscus on her ears. With her slightly round face and a pair of watery big eyes, she looked gentle and bright.

As soon as she got off the carriage, she naturally attracted a lot of people's attention.

Grandmother and her companions' carriage was one step ahead of hers and had already entered. Zhao Mingjing was also preparing to go in. Coincidentally, the daughter of Minister Zhang's family also got out of the carriage, supported by her maid.

As soon as that frail and delicate look appeared, a lot of attention originally focused on Zhao Mingjing was immediately diverted.

Zhao Mingjing also pretended to be casual, but actually glanced over with great concern, and then she was stunned.

I saw that the young lady from the Zhang family had a pink rose red half-moon ripple belt tied around her slender waist, which made her waist look even more delicate.

Zhao Mingjing stared at the belt without blinking, then looked down at the one around her waist. It was exactly the same, but it couldn't express the charm of the young lady from the Zhang family. She was originally a plump woman, and the same belt could be wrapped around other people's waists three times loosely, but on her, it could only be wrapped around twice.

Zhao Mingjing was frustrated and stamped her feet in anger. She had never expected that the belt she had carefully selected today would bump into someone else, and what a coincidence it was that it bumped into the young lady from the Zhang family. She and the young lady from the Zhang family had always been at odds with each other, so naturally, they were not in a good mood when they met now. She just couldn't stand the crowd at the door and couldn't get angry.

Zhao Mingjing didn't want to pay any attention, but the girl wearing the same belt just refused to let her go. She pinched her slender waist and twisted her body as she came towards her.

Zhang Hanliu held a thin fan in her hand, and cast a meaningful glance at Zhao Mingjing, then smiled softly.

"Hey, isn't this Sister Jing? I haven't seen her for a long time and her face looks a lot plumper. I really envy her good appetite. Unlike me, I have lost a lot of weight after the bitter summer."

She said she felt distressed, but there was a hint of pride on her face.

The corner of Zhao Mingjing's mouth twitched, and she glared at her with her eyes wide open. Wasn't this just a roundabout way of saying that she had gained weight again?

Zhao Mingjing was furious and was about to have a good argument with her when the maid Zhong Cui beside her gently pulled her sleeve and whispered in her ear.

"My dear, everyone is watching."

Cuizhi, Zhao Mingjing's former maidservant, had recently fallen seriously ill, and because of their relationship as master and servant, she was allowed to return home to recuperate. With Cuizhi gone, the maidservant's position became vacant, and with no immediate replacement, Zhong Cui, who had returned to Old Madam Gu after Zhao Mingsheng's departure, was assigned to take over temporarily.

Although he was somewhat concerned that Zhong Cui had previously been Zhao Mingsheng's maid, he had to admit that she was indeed capable enough to be the head maid, and was even better than her previous head maid. Furthermore, her name also contained the word "Cui", which was easy to pronounce, so he kept her by his side.

Zhong Cui's pull brought Zhao Mingjing's wits back. She glanced around, and sure enough, many people were watching them with amusement.

Zhao Mingjing's emotions, which were about to explode, were suppressed in an instant. If she started arguing with the young lady of the Zhang family at this moment, she would be no different from a shrew. If this matter were to get to the ears of her grandmother and mother, she would naturally suffer no good consequences.

For some reason, when Zhao Mingjing saw Zhong Cui stopping her, the figure of Zhao Mingsheng suddenly emerged in her mind. She had done many such impulsive things at banquets before. Every time this happened, Zhao Mingsheng stood up to help her block those deliberately provocative words and avoid making a fool of herself.

Zhao Mingjing was puzzled by this. She had clearly bullied her younger sister at home, so she asked, "...Why are you standing up for me?"

The rosy-cheeked girl simply said, "We are sisters, it's not up to outsiders to bully us."

But now that the person who was standing in front of her was gone, Zhao Mingjing suddenly felt very uncomfortable and started to remember her good points instead.

If it were her, she would definitely have a better solution when encountering such a situation, right?

Zhao Mingjing seriously considered what Zhao Mingsheng would do if something happened. For the first time ever, her impulsive nature slowly calmed down. After calming down, an idea flashed through her mind.

Seeing the girl, who was about to be enraged by her, suddenly calm down, Zhang Hanliu had a bad feeling. Sure enough, the next moment, the girl who was about to lose her temper suddenly smiled at her.

"Is Miss Zhang all right?" Zhao Mingjing feigned concern, but in reality, she was bluntly attacking her sore spot. "You don't look well. I hope you don't faint in front of Prince Jin and get carried out of the palace like last time."

Zhao Mingjing found the thin waist amusing. Such morbid beauty certainly came at a price. To her, the frail and delicate figure others described as a willow was as thin as a chicken.

Zhang Hanliu's originally smug expression froze.

Everyone knew that the young lady of the Zhang family had been weak and sickly since childhood, and everyone had also heard about her problem of fainting at any time. At the last banquet, she happened to "faint" when Prince Jin arrived. Unfortunately, she did not faint into Prince Jin's arms, but was stopped by the people around him. Just when everyone was discussing sending someone to take her back to the mansion for resettlement, she happened to "wake up" again.

Princess Jin was a ruthless person, and this little trick wouldn't escape her notice. Even though the young lady from the Zhang family had already woken up, Princess Jin still sent someone to send her back to the palace, citing concern for her health.

After all this, everyone knew whether she was really dizzy or just pretending to be dizzy.

Thinking of the embarrassment she had faced last time, Zhang Hanliu's expression grew even more grim. Prince Jin was a man of noble birth, gentle and understanding. She had only wanted to give herself a chance, but she hadn't expected it to turn out so badly, ultimately being carried back to the palace.

"Don't worry about it, sister!"

The embarrassing matter was brought up in front of everyone, and Zhang Hanliu's face flushed red. She could almost hear the laughter from the onlookers, and the proper smile on her face was gone. Then, looking into Zhao Mingjing's bright, round eyes, Zhang Hanliu felt a sting on her face.

Seeing her humiliated, Zhao Mingjing felt secretly pleased, but she ultimately refrained from saying anything harsh. If she were to faint from anger, she wouldn't be able to escape the blame. She then waved to the maid behind the young lady from the Zhang family, "Hurry up and help your young lady inside. If she stands any longer, she'll faint from the sun."

"Grandma and mother are urging me to hurry up, so I won't say any more to Sister Zhang. My younger sister will go in first."

After saying this, she smiled at the young lady from the Zhang family, turned around and walked into the gate of the Earl's Mansion with her maid.

The sick beauty left behind was so angry that her face turned blue.

In the carriage not far away, a man in official robes took in the entire scene. He didn't let out a soft sigh and lowered the curtain in his hand until the bright figure disappeared behind the gate.

What a nice little pepper.

"Let's go around the back door." Looking at the congestion at the gate, Li He, who was afraid that he would have to wait for a long time and had not even had time to change into his official uniform after finishing his work at the Jingsi Office, gave the order lightly.

I didn't expect that there would be so many people coming to my grandmother's birthday party today. I have to go through the back door to go home.

The carriage traveled a little further when a voice suddenly came from inside:

"Whose family was that young lady just now?"

"What?" The followers outside the car were stunned for a moment, not realizing what the young master was referring to.

"The young lady in red clothes just now."

"Oh, that one seems to be the young lady from the Ningyuan Marquis family." The follower outside the car answered after thinking hard.

"...the Ningyuan Marquis family?" Li He seemed to have thought of something. His long eyelashes concealed the emotions in his eyes and he put away the unusual thoughts in his heart.

"Let's go."

He ordered in a cold voice.

In the banquet area of ​​the Earl's Mansion.

When Zhao Mingjing walked in, her grandmother was talking to Old Madam Yu, and her mother was there too. She didn't speak rashly, but walked briskly over and stood beside her mother, then couldn't wait to tell her quietly about her heroic deeds just now.

Mrs. Li was also surprised by her daughter's bright and enlightened behavior today. "That's the way it should be. You really should curb your impulsive temper. You did a good job today."

Zhao Mingjing's eyes lit up at the praise, but she also said modestly: "Today, it's also thanks to Zhong Cui that she stopped me."

Upon hearing this, Li's gaze lingered for a moment on Zhong Cui, who was standing behind her. She thought to herself, "She's truly worthy of being the old lady's maid." She had initially worried about whether this little maid might have other intentions, after all, she had been caring for Sheng since she was a child. Now, it seemed she was loyal and useful.

"You are quite a smart girl. Come to my room to claim your reward." Li said calmly.

She is also never stingy with rewards for those who are useful.

Zhao Mingjing was about to say something when her grandmother finished talking to Old Madam Yu about the previous topic. Naturally, Old Madam Yu's gaze fell on her.

The old lady, though frosted at the temples, looked very healthy. She smiled and said, "This is your third daughter, right? I haven't seen her for a long time. She has become even more beautiful."

When her name was called, Zhao Mingjing had no choice but to step forward, bowed gracefully to the elder, and said hello.

There had been quite a commotion at the door earlier. A maid had already quietly reported the incident to Old Madam Yu, and the outcome had been quite unexpected. She had seen this child before, but the other maid accompanying the old sisters at the time was far more outstanding, overshadowing Zhao Mingjing and making her seem a little impatient. Now it seemed that this child had a rather calm temperament.

She looked the girl up and down. Her red dress made her slightly round face look cheerful and adorable. As people get older, they like to look at some pretty young girls. The more Old Lady Yu looked at her, the more she liked her. She thought that she was worthy of being the granddaughter of her old sister. Her temperament was several points higher than those of the others.

He couldn't help but praise her a few more times, making Zhao Mingjing's face turn slightly red. Hearing her granddaughter being praised like this, Old Lady Gu naturally smiled from ear to ear.

A harmonious room.

When the banquet started, it was more than enough for Old Madam Gu to sit in the main seat, but she remembered that today was Old Madam Yu's birthday banquet, and the two of them had been good friends since they were young, so Old Madam Gu took the initiative to sit in the seat below her on the left.

The women sat at one table, and the unmarried young ladies sat at another table.

Zhao Mingjing tilted her head and happened to be sitting at the same table with the young lady from the Zhang family. There were a few people between them, but it wasn't too awkward. She lowered her head and ate her own food. If others didn't come to provoke her, she wouldn't take the initiative to provoke others.

The feast was prepared by a chef specially invited by Earl Yong'an from the capital's most famous Zuixianlou. Every dish was highly praised. Furthermore, it was a perfect time for crabs, and the hairy crabs on the table were as big as two palms. While the other ladies worried about getting their hands dirty peeling the crabs, Zhao Mingjing didn't mind. She devoured the crab meat and roe with mouthfuls of lightly sweet fruit wine, enjoying the feast with great pleasure.

After three rounds of drinks, most of the ladies put down their chopsticks. Zhang Hanliu looked at Zhao Mingjing who was still eating a few seats away. She was about to make a sarcastic remark when she suddenly remembered the scene at the door of the Earl's Mansion. The third lady of the Zhao family seemed to have become a different person today. She was much more powerful and could actually make her speechless.

Zhang Hanliu was afraid that she would be criticized in public again, so after thinking about it, she finally said nothing.

At this time, the maids carried a huge screen and placed it in front of the hall, blocking the view of the door.

Zhao Mingjing felt the chatter around her gradually grow louder, and finally looked up from her meal. It turned out that the young master from the Earl's Mansion was planning to come and present a birthday gift to Old Madam Yu.

With the screen separating them, it wasn't a big deal. Old Madam Yu also wanted to see what new tricks her grandchildren would come up with, so she smiled and nodded in agreement.

According to the order of presentation, the first to present their gifts was the eldest son of the Earl of Yong'an. Madam Yu was a Buddhist, so he had prepared a set of Buddhist scriptures he had copied by hand. It was two large stacks high. Unfolding them, the handwriting was vigorous and powerful, with every line and every word meticulously crafted, a testament to his filial piety and sincerity.

A tall figure appeared from behind the screen. The figure lifted up his robe, as if preparing to kneel down and worship.

As Shadow moved, a clear voice filled the ears of everyone present: "Grandson wishes grandmother a long and healthy life."

Madam Yu sat in the main seat and nodded with satisfaction: "Get up quickly, this gift is very good."

The other guests also followed suit and praised.

Old Lady Gu fixed her gaze on the shadow behind the screen, a hint of admiration in her eyes. Hand-copying Buddhist scriptures was a test of one's patience, and seeing the handwriting alone revealed a person's character. Old Lady Gu observed the elegant and refined handwriting, the steady and measured lines between the lines, and knew that this Yong'an Earl's Dalang would be no ordinary man in the future.

Although they were separated by a screen and could not see each other, I heard that the eldest son of the Yong'an Earl's family was also very handsome, and at a young age, he had achieved a high position and had a promising future. Although he was a little old for a husband, his filial piety showed that he was a good person and could be considered an excellent husband.

The ladies had already started to make their own plans in their minds.

Zhang, the second wife of the Earl of Yong'an, sat next to Old Madam Yu, listening to the harsh praises, and the handkerchief in her hand was almost crumpled to pieces.

What filial piety?! It was just some cheap stuff. She thought Li He probably couldn't afford expensive gifts, so he came up with this. How could he be praised like this?!

Zhang was thinking indignantly, and her face darkened.

Seeing the voices of praise growing louder and louder, she finally couldn't help but stepped forward and said, "Zong'er also prepared a big gift for you, mother. He spent a lot of effort to get this birthday gift!"

Everyone was intrigued by her words and shifted their attention.

Li Zong, who had been waiting for a long time, also seized the opportunity and ordered people to carry the birthday gift in.

The half-human-height jade statue was carried to the front of the hall, immediately drawing exclamations of surprise. Even the well-informed ladies couldn't help but gasp in amazement. The height alone was astonishing, not to mention the jade's exceptional transparency. It felt as if ripples of blue water were flowing beneath the naturally formed stone. Add to that the meticulous carving, and the compassionate Buddha's face was vividly portrayed. The estimated price of the entire piece of jade was likely quite high.

"The old lady's Erlang is really thoughtful. I'm afraid it will cost tens of thousands of taels to buy it?" A woman in an indigo dress saw the price of the jade and said enviously.

Upon hearing that this jadeite cost tens of thousands of taels, the hall gasped. To have given away a birthday gift worth tens of thousands of taels in one sitting, it seemed this Yong'an Earl's son was quite impressive. With such generosity, he would surely treat his wife well in the future, right?

The ladies present originally favored Yong'an Earl Dalang, but unknowingly they turned to Erlang.

Looking at the astonished eyes of the people around her, Zhang raised her lips in pride. Her family was well-known and wealthy. When she married into the Earl's mansion, her dowry alone included a thousand acres of fertile land and more than a dozen shops. This little bit of money was nothing to her.

She was secretly proud in her heart. With this giant jade Buddha, that boy's Buddhist scriptures were nothing!

Old Madam Yu naturally loved this birthday gift, and the astonished looks from the others also made her very happy. She smiled from ear to ear and said, "Good, good, good, grandma's love for you is not in vain. You are so thoughtful today."

Old Madam Yu immediately took off her bracelet and asked the maid beside her to hand it to her.

"This bracelet is given to you as a reward. Leave it to your future daughter-in-law."

Seeing this scene, Old Lady Gu was slightly stunned. Others might not know the meaning of the bracelet, but as a long-time friend, she naturally knew it. The bracelet was passed down to her by Old Lady Yu’s mother!

Li Zong, who was praised in public and received a reward, naturally had a red face. He stepped forward and said some congratulatory words before leaving.

Old Madam Gu wanted to ask more questions, but because there were so many people around and they were talking too much, she endured it temporarily. She waited until the banquet was over and the ladies went to the yard to enjoy the flowers and watch the play before she spoke.

"Old sister, that's your most cherished bracelet. Are you willing to give it away just like that?"

Madam Yu smiled and said, "I'm old now, and I can't wear those jewelry anymore, so I might as well give them to them."

"Then why give it to your second grandson? Is there something extraordinary about him?"

Old Lady Gu thought further. The title of Earl of Yong'an has not yet been officially passed on to the legitimate son. Could there be any changes in this?

Madam Yu was taken aback, obviously not expecting her old friend to ask such a question. Then she smiled and said, "Not really. This child has never been outstanding since he was young, and he is certainly not as good as his brother. It's just that he grew up by my side and has a simple personality, so I favor him a little."

Although they are both grandsons, in terms of closeness, Old Lady Yu actually prefers Li Zong. This child is sweet-spoken and not as busy with official duties as Li He, so he can spend more time with her.

Old Madam Gu nodded in understanding. To put it nicely, he wasn't outstanding; to put it bluntly, he was mediocre and incompetent. But he was also lucky. He had the protection of the old lady of the Earl's Mansion and was the second son of the family. As long as he didn't get into trouble, he would have endless wealth and honor in his life.

After hearing what she said, Old Lady Gu had an idea in mind.

After the banquet, the women gathered together to listen to opera excerpts, while the girls scattered around the yard to admire the flowers and catch butterflies.

The pretty young ladies, dressed in gorgeous clothes, shuttled among the flowers, pink, yellow, and blue, which was dazzling. It was indeed pleasing to the eye when viewed alone, but when there were so many of them, it was dazzling and it was difficult to tell which one was more beautiful.

Zhao Mingjing had eaten a bit too much at the banquet, and now she was sitting in the corridor, drinking scented tea to help digestion, watching the birds singing and the flowers blooming in the courtyard, and listening to the sounds of stringed instruments, which was quite pleasant.

She narrowed her eyes, enjoying the moment of tranquility, but the next moment someone was so blind as to break the tranquility.

Zhao Mingjing felt a little thirsty. Just as she picked up the teacup, she felt someone bumped her elbow. Her hand shook, and the tea spilled all over her skirt in an instant.