Chapter 38 Banquet (Part 2)
The sixth young lady of the Qiao family was slightly startled.
She didn't expect that the Second Madam would make scented tea by herself like her...
The second wife of the Xu family, Xiang, was born into a scholarly family. Her father was the top scholar in the 30th year of Jian's reign and served as a scholar of the Hanlin Academy and the chief priest of the Imperial College. She was well-known for her virtue since childhood, and the Xu family had tried to find a matchmaker three times but failed. Later, Xiang's father met the handsome, intelligent Xu Ling'an, and with Concubine Bai as the guardian, they finally agreed to the marriage.
Who would have known that Xu Ling'an died of illness only three years after Xiang got married.
"Second Madam, is she okay?" the first wife asked with a slightly gloomy look on her face.
The lady could no longer conceal her grief: "Since An'er passed away, she has been as depressed as a mourner and has rarely been out and about."
The sixth young lady of the Qiao family showed reluctance on her face.
Mrs. Qiao's eyes turned and she smiled, "Then you should also persuade her to go out and walk more. She is a smart person, and without someone to take care of her, she will inevitably feel sad. If it weren't for the Third Madam bringing out this cup of osmanthus tea, I wouldn't have thought of it. Our Sixth Sister also likes to make these things very much. Otherwise, we can take this opportunity to go and see the Second Madam. First, let her liven up her place, and second, let her meet our Sixth Sister, who will definitely get along well. It's also better to have someone coming and going."
The lady was moved: "That's a good idea." She stood up immediately, not even drinking her tea, and said, "Let's go sit with her." She called a maid named "Dong Xiu" beside her, "Tell the second lady that the mother-in-law is here. Let's go sit with her."
Dong Xiu left immediately.
The Third Lady ordered a maid named "Jin Rui" beside her: "Arrange a few small oil carts with green curtains."
The lady waved her hands and said with a smile, "It's a rare good day today. Let's go for a walk and we can ask a car to pick us up when we come back."
The third lady agreed, and the group headed north back to Guangliang Gate.
The gatekeeper hurried over and accompanied the lady into the house.
Facing you is a rockery made of white Taihu stones, with several towering ancient trees planted beside it. Going around the rockery, on the left is a mountain full of green trees, and on the right is a forest with winding paths.
The Third Lady supported the Lady Dowager and led them into the woods. They walked along the stone-paved path. In just a cup of tea, they saw a lush bamboo forest. The path led directly to a small courtyard in the bamboo forest.
There were seven or eight stone steps in front of the courtyard gate. A woman wearing bleached makeup and a flowered jacket, accompanied by Dong Xiu and an unfamiliar maid, was standing on the steps, looking around.
Seeing them, Dong Xiu and the unfamiliar maid escorted the woman down the stairs.
That woman should be the second wife of the Xu family...
Eleventh Lady thought about it and couldn't help but look at the woman.
She looked to be no more than twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a thin body, fair skin, delicate features, and a calm and peaceful gaze. She walked slowly towards me, with a calm and composed look.
"Yizhen!" The lady's face was full of smiles.
"Mother!" The Second Lady smiled and saluted the Dowager Lady, who hurriedly helped her up. The First Lady and Madam Qiao greeted her one after another, and introduced Grandma Luo, Fifth Lady, Eleventh Lady and Sixth Miss Qiao to her.
The Second Lady was very polite and said with a smile, "There's nothing good here. You can take these strings of sandalwood beads to play with." The unfamiliar maid then took out a few small red-carved lacquer boxes and gave them to the people.
Several people accepted it and thanked her. The Second Lady helped the Grand Lady up the stairs and said, "Please go slowly! It's hard for me to walk here. If you need anything, just ask someone to call me."
The third wife also hurried over to support the other side.
"What do we want to do?" The lady stepped carefully. "The mother-in-law has come to Yanjing, so we are here to sit with you."
Those who followed behind were helped up the stairs by their respective maids.
Eleventh Lady discovered that the steps were built with Taihu stones with water patterns, and a few small grasses occasionally sprouted from the gaps between the steps. After walking up the steps, she saw the words "Shaohua" written on the doorplate of the crabapple tree on the lintel. When she entered the courtyard, she saw green bamboos lining the path, mosses were thick, and the occasional wind blew, making a rustling sound, which gave her a sense of the ancient tranquility of the deep mountains.
After entering the door, there are three small rooms, black lacquered floor pillars, white stone paving, a painting of Guanyin picking flowers hanging in the middle hall, and a purple-black mud-gold dragon couplet hanging on the wall: "The nectar in the bottle is always sprinkled, and the poplar branches in the hand do not care about autumn." There are only a few citrons on the black lacquered long table with sweet white porcelain plates. In front is a black lacquered square table, and there are black lacquered armchairs on the left and right.
The second wife asked the old lady and the first lady to sit on the armchair, and a maid brought out a black lacquered rose chair for Mrs. Qiao to sit on, and another maid brought black lacquered stools for others to sit on. In a short time, the small hall was crowded with people.
The lady called Miss Qiao Liu to follow her and said to the second wife, "She heard that you made osmanthus tea and wanted to come and see me, so she brought her here."
Miss Qiao Liu hurried forward and saluted the Second Madam: "At home, I wrap tea leaves in gauze and put them in unopened lotus flowers, but the fragrance is always a little weak. It's not as mellow as Madam's osmanthus tea." She looked like she was eager to learn.
The old lady looked at the second lady with burning eyes.
"Make lotus tea!" The second wife smiled faintly, "It's best to choose white lotus flowers before they bloom in the morning, then tie them up with hemp skin. Pick the flowers the next morning and dry the tea leaves. Do this three or four times, and the tea flavor will not be spoiled, and the lotus fragrance will remain."
"Ah!" Miss Qiao Liu's eyes widened, she covered her mouth and sighed softly, indescribably innocent, "Do you want to use white lotus flowers?"
The Second Lady nodded: "The fragrance of white lotus is more fragrant than that of red lotus."
While the two were talking, a maid brought tea.
There is the fragrance of plum blossoms...
The Sixth Miss Qiao's face was already filled with surprise: "Madam, did you also scent the tea with plum blossoms?"
The Second Lady smiled and said, "Anything with a fragrance will do..." Then she looked out the window and said, "Flowers bloom in the garden all year round. It's easy to smell any kind of tea I want." There was no hint of loneliness in the air, but instead a sense of leisure and comfort.
Eleventh Lady thought of the steps in front of her courtyard.
It's a bit steep, like climbing a mountain. Most people can't make it up!
The sixth daughter of the Qiao family kept asking the second wife for tips on making scented tea, snacks, and porridge. Eleventh Lady thought that some of the words were exaggerated, some were a bit delicate and artificial, but also made sense.
The Second Lady's expression was gentle and polite, yet a little distant. The Dowager Lady looked at her with a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
Mrs. Qiao immediately suggested taking a walk in the garden: "The winter jasmine flowers beside the Chunyan Pavilion should be in bloom!"
The second wife smiled and said, "It just bloomed yesterday!" She stood up and accompanied them to see the forsythia.
The Taifu took the Second Furen's hand and left Shaohua Courtyard, passing through the path in the woods, and came to the wide bluestone corridor. Heading north, they came across a river that was as wide as a dragon, and on the river stood a gatehouse called Biyi. After the gatehouse, there was a winding bluestone corridor running east-west. They went east along the corridor, with rippling water on one side and steep mountains and forests on the other. They came across a gentle breeze that was not cold, which made them feel bright from the bottom of their hearts.
Eleventh Lady's steps became slower and slower, and she gradually fell behind the crowd.
A maid came over and asked her, "My dear young lady, you are tired, would you like to take a rest?"
Eleventh Lady hurriedly said, "Not tired, not tired." But her steps became slower and slower.
Dongqing and Amber were anxious and wanted to go up to her to touch her, but she refused: "...In case mother asks about it."
After hearing this, the maid followed her obediently, not urging her.
It seems to be from the Third Lady's room... but he is a warm-hearted person...
Eleventh Lady thought about it, winked at Amber, and said with a smile: "What's your name, sister?"
The maid smiled and said, "My name is Qiu Ling."
Amber exclaimed, "I have a sister with the same name as you, 'Autumn'..."
Qiu Ling smiled. Shiyi Niang had already walked to the front with Dong Qing.
Amber and Qiu Ling whispered, "This garden is so beautiful! I heard that Duke Dingguo and Marquis Weibei live next door?"
Qiu Ling nodded and said with a smile: "Duke Dingguo Zheng's family lives in front of us, and Weibei Hou Lin's family lives to the west of us."
Amber looked very envious: "Aren't all those coming and going from here from wealthy families?"
Qiu Ling smiled and nodded.
"Do they visit each other from time to time like we do?" Amber asked curiously.
"Of course." Qiu Ling smiled, "The eldest grandmother of the Lin family is very close to our Fourth Madam. She comes to visit the Fourth Madam every now and then."
Amber's eyes turned slightly: "Does the Wang family of Duke Mao come here often?"
Eleventh Lady smiled slightly and led Dongqing to catch up with Fifth Lady.
Qiu Ling was stunned: "Why are you asking about that family?"
Amber explained hurriedly: "I heard people talking about the powerful families in Yanjing. They mentioned your house and the Duke Mao's house..."
"How can their family compare with ours?" Qiu Ling showed disdain before Amber finished speaking. "Although our family also relies on the legacy of our ancestors to make a living, our old marquis was once the Minister of Rites. As for their Duke Guo, he finally got a job as the chief clerk of the Yuanma Temple through his in-laws, but he couldn't even figure out the number of horses he raised, so he was dismissed..."
Amber was already surprised: "Did he get a job by relying on his in-laws? Who are the in-laws of Duke Mao?"
"The late Wenyuan Pavilion University Bachelor Jiang Jie?" Qiu Ling said with a smile.
"Jiang Jie?" Amber's eyes flickered. "I've never heard of him."
"Of course you haven't heard of it." Qiu Ling covered her mouth and laughed: "Master Jiang has passed away for more than ten years."
Amber smiled awkwardly, "Sister, tell me... I only did needlework at home before and have never heard of these things." Then she looked envious, "Sister, you know so much!"
Qiu Ling smiled and said, "It's because my wife likes to ask the old man about these things that I know a little bit about it."
Amber took the initiative to step forward and took Qiu Ling's arm: "Good sister, please tell me. I will go back and tell our young lady too, so that she can listen too."
Qiu Ling just smiled.
"Good sister..." Amber begged her.
"This isn't some secret." Qiu Ling said with a smile, "Have you heard of the Le'an Jiang family?"
amber shook her head.
"Their family once produced two imperial tutors..." Qiu Ling's voice gradually became lower and the two of them slowed down their pace.
The two stood under a big tree and talked in detail.
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(It was raining and windy, and there was a power outage in the afternoon... But at least there was no flooding. I hope those affected are safe...)