Chapter 192 Attending the Banquet
"This isn't called slacking off. Didn't you say that fifty is the age to work hard?"
Lin Anyuan slowly and methodically straightened his clothes, and every move he made was pleasing to the eye.
"Haha, right, give my dad something to do, so he won't keep looking down on you all the time, right?"
Ye Wan smiled, and her whole demeanor brightened.
"I never said that, you said it." Lin Anyuan said as he straightened the crooked hairpin in her hair.
"Wanwan, wait for me to come back..."
Ye Wan pushed his hand away, "You're so ambitious, hurry up and go, or your father really won't like you anymore."
The great scholar Fang, who was originally revered by all the scholars of the Xia Dynasty, had a traitorous son-in-law, which was tantamount to him joining the rebellion in disguise.
If this gets out, scholars all over the world will go crazy.
Now she has to help with official business, and Ye Wan feels that her father is unlucky.
"It was an invitation sent by Eunuch Hong."
The person who came was Dou Xin. Seeing Lin Anyuan enter the study, he personally handed the invitation to Lin Anyuan.
The people Lin Anyuan trained were all quite capable, so apart from the first few days after he returned, he wasn't busy most of the time.
The old man standing nearby frowned. "I've never dealt with this person before, but I've heard he's quite greedy."
Eunuch Hong is Eunuch Li's apprentice and a favorite of the current emperor.
He had met Eunuch Li a few times, but he had never met this Eunuch Hong.
It's said that it's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings.
“Perfect timing, I also love money, let’s meet.” Lin Anyuan replied with his visiting card.
Dou Xin said, "My lord, my wife said they wanted to see Madam. They hadn't had a chance to send the New Year's gifts they had prepared. Now that Madam is here, I wonder when Madam is free?"
The brothers who came out of Snake Mountain with Lin Anyuan now live in the alley in the west of the city, and those who can get married have all gotten married.
Lin Anyuan now has a family, and these people should acknowledge his wife.
“Okay, I’ll tell Wanwan.” Lin Anyuan nodded.
Lin Anyuan had originally planned to do the same.
Dou Xin left with the reply.
Upon receiving the reply, Eunuch Hong tossed it aside without even glancing at it. Why bother looking at it? Would Lin Anyuan dare to refuse to see him?
"Eunuch Hong, it's been so long, the New Year is over, and Prince Jing hasn't even shown any intention of seeing us. Could it be that he really doesn't plan to let us go?" The little eunuch who came with us asked anxiously.
It's been so long, and they haven't even seen King Jing's face yet. Can they really win him over?
"What nonsense are you talking about? Don't panic, let's meet Lin Anyuan first."
"Let's find a few people who can sing to pass the time."
While drinking tea, Eunuch Hong began to sing a song. If King Jing wanted a good reputation, he wouldn't continue his stubborn rebellion.
Ganzhou is a poor and remote place, and even the maids serving here are ugly.
Not long after Lin Anyuan left, Ye Wan also received the invitation.
"A snow-viewing banquet? The snow has all melted, where did this snow come from?"
Ye Wan looked at the characters on it; they were written in standard small regular script, quite beautifully.
However, this paper is the best she has ever seen.
The invitation was delivered by a maidservant from Madam Zhao's side.
Huigu said, "Now that the master is highly valued by his superiors, even the women in the inner quarters have to pull strings. I guess he wants to take this opportunity to see you."
Don't underestimate the social interactions of women in the inner quarters; there's a lot of information that can be revealed there.
"Do I look like the legendary shrew?" Ye Wan smiled.
Huigu couldn't help but laugh, "Is Madam going or not?"
She wasn't worried about Ye Wan at all. Although she was a country girl, she had a first-class demeanor and appearance, and she learned etiquette very quickly.
A woman like Ye Wan could easily handle not only a few of Prince Jing's concubines, but she could also secure a place in the imperial harem.
“Go ahead, it’s not like I’m ashamed to be seen, why wouldn’t I go?” Ye Wan sat up straight. “Let the three of them get ready too, we should go out and see the world.”
Ye Wan naturally had to bring her three daughters along on such an occasion since they grew up in the village.
The post was scheduled for three days later.
...
...
Three days later, near noon, Ye Wan took her three daughters to a banquet.
Hui-gu also went along. Not many people had seen Hui-gu before, so she only needed to disguise herself slightly.
Ye Wan was dressed in red, wearing only simple jewelry, her black hair as black as clouds, and she was indescribably radiant.
Da Ya was dressed in a blue dress and had a cool and aloof demeanor.
Er Ya, dressed in red, was charming and lively.
Sanya looked adorable in her pale yellow dress.
The clothes and jewelry for the four people were all chosen by Aunt Cai, and each of them made the most of their strengths.
Inside the carriage, Er Ya would occasionally lift the curtain to see where she was looking.
"Mom, I'm so excited! I've never been to someone else's banquet before!"
Ye Wan was peeling sunflower seeds. "Your grandmother has already told you the rules. Just remember one thing: don't let anyone bully you."
Er Ya laughed as soon as she heard this, "Mom, when other people's mothers go out, they always tell others that they're troublesome. Why are you different from them!"
"My daughter is definitely different from others; she's smarter than others."
Ye Wan distributed the melon seeds to the three of them, saying, "Remember, don't eat or drink anything indiscriminately, lest you fall into someone's trap."
Don't worry, Mother.
In the backyard.
Madam Zhao was already talking to several other ladies, including several prominent ladies from Ganzhou.
"What kind of status does Madam Zhao have? Why would she need to elevate someone from the countryside? Isn't this just giving her face for no reason?"
Zhu Lai's wife, Madam Zhu, mentioned Ye Wan.
Her husband didn't recognize Lin Anyuan, but that petty Lin Anyuan made things difficult for Zhu Lai.
Zhu Lai hasn't given her a kind look lately.
She also disliked Ye Wan, thinking, "What is she? Does she really think she's someone important?"
Madam Zhao was dressed very elegantly, and smiled, "Aren't you all free now that the New Year is over? I invited you over for tea, and just because I was curious, I invited you all. Aren't you curious?"
“Madam, we are all quite curious about what you mean. I have seen Lin Anyuan before, and he is... stunningly beautiful.” Another lady spoke up, taking a long time to come up with a suitable adjective.
It's usually used to describe women, but it doesn't seem out of place at all when applied to Lin Anyuan.
A grown man looks like that; I wonder what his wife must look like to not feel ashamed of herself.
This made the other ladies quite curious, as they had all heard more or less about Lin Anyuan's appearance.
Madam Qing fiddled with her handkerchief, saying, "Why hasn't she arrived yet? She's got quite the airs, making so many of us wait for her. What a jerk!"
Lin Anyuan actually looked down on her daughter; she wanted to see what kind of country bumpkin he had married.
A maidservant relayed the message, "Madam Zhao, Madam Ye has brought her three daughters to the banquet."
"Okay, bring them in."
Ye Wan led her three daughters through the main gate of the house, and was led by a maid to the backyard.
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