Chapter 67: A Short Separation Makes the Wedding More Beautiful
Since there was a female master in Prince Qi's Mansion, the chefs and cooks learned many dishes from the Bashu area in order to make meals that better suit the master's taste.
The Chinese New Year is coming soon. Zhang Er, the head cook in the kitchen, has taken the cook to the Gu family several times. The beams in the kitchen of Prince Qi's Mansion are now hung with bacon, sausages and other New Year ingredients. They will be smoked for half a month, so that they can be cut into a plate and steamed to try the taste when offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God tomorrow.
"It's the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month when we worship the Kitchen God. The prince is too busy to come back. Princess, what do you think we should do about this?" Liu Zhongzheng reported in the main courtyard.
"How did the mansion make arrangements when he was away in the past?"
"In the past, when the prince was away, it was Zhou Changshi who performed the sacrifices on his behalf."
"Let's do the same this year."
"yes."
It's snowing heavily today. I sat in the warm room and read a book, but after a while I couldn't help feeling sleepy and yawning.
Xiaoyue peeled a plate of oranges and brought it over. Gu Youan ate a slice and felt more energetic. He said slowly, "Have you prepared the gift lists for each place?"
Liu Zhong lowered his head and said, "In previous years, these were handled by Chief Secretary Zhou. The order hasn't arrived yet. Do you want me to rush them?"
Gu Youan thought for a moment and said, "Never mind. Since he's the Chief Secretary of the Palace, these matters are his responsibility. It's not the appointed time yet, so don't rush him."
"yes."
Liu Zhong observed Zhou Chen with his eyes and his nose with his heart. It seemed that although the princess did not value Zhou Chen, she had no intention of excluding or suppressing him.
Gu Youan ate another orange slice and asked, "Send someone to my house to ask if my parents want to hold a New Year's banquet this year."
According to the rules of the Zhou Dynasty, well-known large families in Luoyang City, or famous local gentry, would choose to hold banquets before or after the New Year to invite relatives and friends to get together, which was also a reflection of their status.
In the past, the Gu family had a low status, and even if they got together with the Tian family and the Zhang family, it was far from being considered an annual banquet. But this year is different. Even if the Gu family does not invite, many families who want to make friends with the Gu family will inquire about it.
Going to the Gu family to inquire about the New Year's banquet is a small matter, but the Gu family is the princess's family, and Liu Zhong is not confident in handing the matter over to others, so he must go in person.
However, today Liu Zhong did not go out through the closer side door, but took a detour and exited through the front courtyard. He first went to the palace office in the back house in the front courtyard. This was where the offices of the palace officials, including Zhou Changshi, were located.
Before Liu Zhong entered the back house, the servants and guards in the yard came to greet him. Zhou Chen, who heard the noise in the house, came out to greet them immediately.
Zhou Chen smiled and said, "I just said I would invite you over for tea. I didn't expect you to come so soon. We two brothers really think alike."
Ignoring Zhou Chen's warm words of brotherhood, Liu Zhong smiled and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Hey, I'm worried about the New Year gift list."
"You've been the chief secretary of the palace for so many years, you're old enough to handle things like formalities. What's there to worry about?"
Zhou Chen let Liu Zhong in and asked him to sit down while saying, "This year is different. The Northeast Army fought a battle, and the Meng and Yuan families were defeated. Many of the prince's generals took this opportunity to be promoted. These families have given generous gifts this year, and I haven't considered how to return the gift yet."
Tian Jiaxuan was copying the etiquette book. When he saw Liu Zhong come in, he stood up and greeted him.
Liu Zhong smiled and waved his hand: "Master Tian, please sit down. You can go ahead and do your thing."
Tian Jiaxuan sat down with a smile and continued copying his list.
Zhou Chen was busy running around, personally pouring tea for Liu Zhong: "How come you have time to come to my place?"
Liu Zhong said, "It's also about the gift list."
Zhou Chen's breathing tightened: "The princess..."
Liu Zhong drank a cup of hot tea leisurely, then smiled and said, "The princess said this matter was originally your responsibility. I believe you will handle it well, Lord Zhou. The princess also told me not to rush you."
Zhou Chen felt his stuttered breath suddenly resume, and he hurriedly said with a smile, "Hey, it's my fault that I can't do things. I kept the princess waiting for so long."
Liu Zhong smiled at Zhou Chen and said, "Master Zhou is right. This year is indeed different from previous years. This year, the princess is in charge of the palace. She has to ask about everything, big or small. So, I'd like to trouble Master Zhou to finalize the list two days in advance. If there are any additions or deletions later, there will be time for adjustment, right?"
"Yes, yes, thank you for reminding me. It's my fault. I was so busy that I forgot to report it to the princess."
Zhou Chen immediately said loudly: "Master Tian, let's hurry up today and try to sort out the list tomorrow and give it to the princess to take a look."
Liu Zhong stood up and said, "There's no need to be so anxious. Otherwise, the princess will blame me, a servant, for being too nosy and even bringing trouble to you, the Chief Secretary."
"Look at what you're saying. Just one word from you could have saved us so much trouble. We can't thank you enough."
Zhou Chen personally saw Liu Zhong out: "Are you going on an errand?"
"Well, I got the princess's order to go to the Gu family."
Liu Zhong seems to be nosy, but in fact he did Zhou Chen a favor. No matter who he did it for, Zhou Chen will remember this favor.
Zhou Chen sighed in his heart that the princess was a decent person.
The princess was respectable, and Zhou Chen was not going to pretend to be stupid. He turned around and personally took Tian Jiaxuan to write a gift list. He told him everything about the etiquette of each family's return gifts and the secrets of each family's harem without reservation.
Tian Jiaxuan naturally knew why Zhou Chen did this. He wanted to become the princess's right-hand man as soon as possible. Since Zhou Changshi was sincere in teaching him, he must seize the opportunity to learn.
Liu Zhong ordered two large baskets of vegetables to be picked from the farm and packed before sending them to the Gu family. Liu Zhong did not see Lord Gu or the old lady, but only saw the young lady Duan. Upon learning that the Gu family was hosting a banquet on the fifth day of the first lunar month after the Lunar New Year, he excused himself and returned.
On the afternoon of the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, after offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God, Zhou Chen hurriedly took the gift list to pay his respects to the princess.
After reading the gift list, Gu Youan made some minor modifications, reducing the return gifts to the Meng and Yuan families by 30%, and increasing the gifts to the generals serving in the Northeast Army by 20%.
Gu Youan agreed with Zhou Chen's work and said, "The order is well drafted."
Zhou Chen lowered his head and replied, "Lord Tian has made great efforts in this gift list. I dare not take credit for it."
"What does a young man like him know? No matter how well he does, it's all thanks to you, the superior, who taught him well. You deserve the greatest credit."
Zhou Chen knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you for the compliment, Princess. I will do my best to serve you in the future."
Gu Youan raised the corner of his mouth slightly and hummed: "Back off."
"yes."
After the gift list was finalized, on the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Prince Qi's Mansion distributed the return gifts and rewards to the officials in Songjiang City.
When Mrs. Yuan, the head of the Meng family, saw the return gift, she immediately smiled. There was sadness, understanding, and a sigh in this smile.
As the eldest son and daughter-in-law of the Meng family, and the head of the household, Mrs. Yuan knew that the Meng family would soon lose power after the battle on the border.
She guessed that in about half a year, after her father-in-law retired from the position of General of the Northeast, it would be difficult for their family to go to Luoyang, and it might not be safe to go to other places within the Great Wall. The only place they could go was Songjiang City.
Their family will live in Songjiang City permanently in the future, so without waiting for the matter with the Northeast Army to be resolved, she and her mother-in-law brought the women and younger generations in the family here first.
Because they knew the reason, the gifts the Meng family sent to Prince Qi's Mansion this year were particularly generous. It was more of a flattery than a New Year's gift of reciprocity.
Prince Qi was not in the palace, and she originally thought that the young Princess Qi would not understand these things. Unexpectedly, she not only knew everything clearly, but also used the gift in return to tell them that she knew.
Prince Qi originally had a favor for the Meng family out of respect. After the Meng family lost power, they wanted to use their status as relatives of Prince Qi's mansion to gain a higher status, but I'm afraid they can no longer do so.
Doesn't Prince Qi have a gentleman named Su who works as a second-class official in Songjiang City? The Meng family probably will be like this in the future.
In the afternoon, Madam Yuan went to pay her respects to her mother-in-law and explained in detail the matter of the return gift from Prince Qi's Mansion. Madam Meng sighed and said, "After the old man retires, we can't let the eldest and second sons sit idle. If they don't have the ability to fight on the battlefield, they can do some other errands."
Madam Yuan was speechless: "My husband cares about his reputation, I'm afraid..."
"Humph, if you care about your reputation, why don't you go to the battlefield for the reputation of the Meng family? I think he has had too many good days and doesn't know what is good and what is bad."
Madam Meng said with a cold face, "Princess Qi and Prince Qi and his wife have a very good relationship. Princess Qi holds so much power in her hands, while her father and brother are only a second-level officer and a small general in the city defense army."
"In Prince Qi's mind, is our Meng family comparable to the Gu family?"
"If the Gu family can concentrate on their work, why can't our children and grandchildren do the same?"
No matter how sad she was, Mrs. Meng would force her children and grandchildren to go out and do errands: "No matter what the work is, you have to do it. It's better than sitting at home playing with cats and dogs."
"Daughter-in-law, you can't be idle. Idleness can easily lead to trouble. If the eldest brother doesn't listen to you, ask him to come see me."
Mrs. Yuan nodded with tears in her eyes.
Madam Meng sighed, "It's just for these few years. Please bear with the hardship for now. When Lin'er and the others grow up, our Meng family may have a new world."
Lin'er is Madam Yuan's youngest son and the third generation of the Meng family. He is only about ten years old now and is the most promising grandson of the Meng family.
Hearing her mother-in-law mention her son, Mrs. Yuan's spirits rose again. As long as her son worked hard, the Meng family would definitely not be the lost dog it is today in ten years.
In the past, the Meng and Yuan families made a big splash when they came to Songjiang City. This time, they had been in Songjiang City for many days, and only then did the officials’ families living on the Second Street in the west of the city know that the Meng and Yuan families had arrived.
In the evening, when the couple were alone, Mrs. Lu smiled and said to her husband, Su Guang, "I asked someone to inquire. The Yuan family sent a generous gift to Prince Qi's Mansion, and the return gift from Prince Qi was very ordinary. I think the Meng family may not be as powerful as our Su family in the future."
"Don't talk nonsense. Even if the Meng family is not very good, they are still the uncle's family of Prince Qi's Mansion. They are not much worse."
"He's not my uncle, he's my cousin."
How could it be good for their family if other families were not doing well? Su Guang was impatient to listen to her, so he blew out the candle and turned over to sleep.
Mrs. Lu snorted softly and lay on the kang for a long time, unable to fall asleep.
The Meng and Yuan families gave the officials' families in Songjiang City a lot of topics to talk about when they gathered together. As the days passed, it was soon the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.
In the early morning, Prince Qi returned in the wind and snow.
The gate of the main courtyard opened. Gu Youan seemed to have sensed something and quickly put on his clothes and stood up, bumping into Prince Qi who was entering.
The couple smiled at each other, and Gu Youan ran two steps into his arms. Prince Qi picked her up and spun her around twice.
When he landed, Gu Youan stood on tiptoe, put his hands around his neck and said with a smile: "Why didn't you send someone to pass on the message in advance?"
He lowered his head and kissed her cheek, then buried his face in hers. He held the warm and soft jade that belonged to him and took a deep breath in satisfaction. He laughed deeply and said, "There's no time to send a message. I'll be back as soon as I'm done."
"Do you miss me?"
"Very much."
The two men locked eyes, then kissed each other again, one retreating while the other advanced, their robes scattered all over the floor.
A cold wind swept through, slamming doors and windows, blocking the others outside.
A short absence is better than a new marriage.
What's more, this is a short separation after the wedding.
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