In order to prepare for the banquet, Minglan was so busy these days that she was almost running out of energy; the first thing to deal with was the issue of money.
At the beginning, about four or five days after the wedding, a distant relative of the Gu family was going to hold a wedding. Since this relative was too distant, there was no need for Minglan and her husband to come in person to congratulate. However, because this family was doing well at the moment and they had connections in the court, it was not good to lose this relationship, so Minglan sent a gift.
This custom is called "sui li." If someone sends you an invitation to a wedding banquet, regardless of whether you're going or not, you should give a gift, regardless of the size.
Since the founding of the country, the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion has not had a particularly large population, but it is also a large family with deep roots and numerous relatives, both in and outside the capital. In addition, Gu Tingye has a lot of open and covert relationships with his colleagues and brothers. Even if we don't count those from other places, it is still a very substantial number.
Barely a month had passed since the wedding, and although Minglan had not yet attended any public banquets, she had already sent out eleven and a half gifts. Among them, four were for the birthdays of elders, three were for the marriages of daughters and daughters-in-law, two were for the full moon of their legitimate son, one was for a banquet for a promotion, and one and a half was for a funeral - that half was sent together with the contribution from the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion.
Minglan finally understood why large families in ancient times favored communal living. Those large families, with three or four generations living under one roof, could receive gifts from the grandfather's birthday to the great-grandson's second wife, with endless celebrations of weddings and funerals. Of course, with the reciprocity of gifts, the wealthy families rarely experienced a significant imbalance in their income and expenditure.
With this calculation, the Gu family obviously suffered a huge loss:
Celebrating a birthday? The old men and women from the Gu family are all next door.
Get married? Gu Tingye just got married, Minglan won’t die for a while.
Marrying a daughter? Rong Jie'er was just old enough to go to elementary school. Even in ancient times, it wasn't so cruel.
A full moon banquet? Even if the couple worked overtime day and night, it would be too late now!
There was no income from gifts, but because the house was a separate one, gifts had to be given separately. Minglan gasped at the account book, her heart aching. She finally understood what it meant to feel "heartbroken"! She almost wanted to persuade Gu Tingye to move back to Ningyuan Marquis Mansion.
Seeing Minglan was fine but suddenly depressed, Gu Tingye couldn't help but ask her curiously. Minglan said sadly, "When my husband left home and went to the martial arts world, were you ever bothered by those yellow and white things?"
Gu Tingye's handsome eyes were filled with a smile. He stretched out his left arm and placed it on the armrest of the rosewood chair. He slowly drank the tea and said, "Of course. There was a time when I even ate plain noodles for three cents a bowl."
Minglan nodded, looked at him sadly, and sighed, "My dear husband, do you know that in the past few days, we have given away more than 653,400 bowls of Yangchun noodles as gifts? Sigh... We should still go to the banquet and at least eat some."
Gu Tingye almost spit out tea from his nose, quickly put down the tea bowl, and said with a smile: "It's okay. I can take it back later."
Minglan snorted, scratching the man's tall, handsome nose, and said with a smile, "The Grand Commander has probably been ignoring the affairs of state for a long time. There are no elders or children in this house now. Unless the Grand Commander takes a concubine, how can he be famous?"
Gu Tingye looked at Minglan with pity and earnestly taught her about her ignorance: "Let me teach you something. If the stove is hot, even in the sixth month of summer, there will be people rushing to light it."
This sentence is very philosophical when you think about it deeply, but it is hard to hide the complacency. Minglan immediately looked at her husband with admiration, and said with sincere admiration: "My husband is indeed very wise!" Her eyes were full of admiration and worship. This look immediately made Gu Tingye feel that he was much more majestic and wise. He felt happy for a moment and couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.
"But..." The next moment, Minglan couldn't help but say, "If the fire burns too strongly, won't it destroy the stove?"
Gu Tingye nodded and smiled, "That's right. So we have to keep the stove door closed. We can't just let anyone come and add some firewood."
Minglan was relieved and waved her hand: "Well, my husband, just be careful."
Gu Tingye smiled and lifted Minglan's neck from behind, as if he was holding a meowing kitten: "My dear wife, let me remind you that we are now on the same stove."
Minglan shrank her neck, looked at Gu Tingye for a moment, and immediately followed suit: "Then let's both be careful."
…
Gu Tingye's predictions were accurate. As expected, since five or six days ago, gifts of congratulations have been arriving at the gatehouse one after another. They came from both inside and outside the capital, from generals guarding the borders from farther away, from officials in the capital nearby, and from distant relatives and friends. The general meaning of all of them was, "Your family is very happy, but I have other things to do and cannot congratulate you in person, so I have prepared a small gift."
Minglan looked at the famous invitations and couldn't help wondering - there were quite a few people on them who she hadn't even invited, so what kind of congratulations were they? Then she took the gift list to show Gu Tingye.
Gu Tingye glanced through the list one by one. He raised his eyebrows at some of the names without making any comment. He pondered over some of them for a moment, as if he had doubts. There were also some that he looked at with contempt and snorted coldly. However, as long as the gifts were not too excessive, he asked Minglan to accept them all.
"If you don't even accept a 'small gift', I'm afraid someone will be so anxious that they will jump up and down." Gu Tingye's face was as gloomy as water, and he turned around and went to the outer study.
Minglan did not ask any further questions, but hurried back to her room to write down all the names on the list, and annotated each one with the subtle meaning that Gu Tingye had revealed at the time, in case she needed it; as for the gift list, it would be kept on file by the Huishi Office, so she didn't have to worry about it.
Looking back at the small gifts, large and small, she suddenly felt the money was a pain in the ass. She wished she could return it immediately, just to feel at ease. Thinking of this, Minglan sighed deeply. Only now did she feel like a time-traveling woman. She had actually begun to treat money like dirt?!
Two days later, the palace also awarded rewards: a large box of pearls from the South China Sea, each one full, large, round and clear; and a cluster of coral trees over a foot tall, all vermilion and lustrous, fresh and juicy. Both were extremely rare treasures; plus a bag of three hundred taels of silver wrapped in bright yellow satin.
The reward was just a symbol. What the emperor meant was: Did you see that, buddy? This guy named Gu is under my protection.
Minglan held the silver, which weighed about the same as a bag of rice, in her arms, but she didn't feel tired at all. Instead, she said poetically, "After all, it's more satisfying to eat the country's food."
This body, not from labor, was truly delicate. Perhaps it was because she had been holding the silver for a long time. By the evening, Minglan's two tender little arms were swollen. Gu Tingye came in with ointment, a ferocious look on his face. A fierce look scared away Danju, who wanted to take the ointment. Then he rubbed Minglan's arms himself, his two large palms with distinct muscles and bones intertwined up and down, rubbing vigorously while angrily cursing: "...You have never seen silver!"
"Haha, I've never seen the silver the emperor gave me." Minglan gasped, her arms aching and swollen, but she didn't dare cry out in pain. She glanced sideways and saw Gu Tingye's face gloomy. She couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? What's wrong with the emperor's reward?"
Gu Tingye said in a deep voice: "The Emperor is in a very difficult situation right now. He really doesn't need such a reward. We know how difficult it is for him."
"Didn't they say the treasury was full?" Minglan asked curiously. Leaving behind a full treasury was a great achievement of the late emperor.
"Of course the accounts are full." Gu Tingye sneered, "There's the garrison in the north, the Yunnan-Myanmar and Miao divisions in the south, and the restoration of Huaibei and Huaibei after the rebellion. Everything requires money, and the Ministry of Revenue can't spend it. What a bunch of idiots, they only know how to short-change the accounts!"
"Why doesn't the emperor issue an order to reprimand us? Now everyone in the world still thinks the national treasury is full." Minglan's face became solemn.
Gu Tingye snorted coldly: "Firstly, if the emperor exposes this matter as soon as he ascends the throne, it will make the late emperor seem unvirtuous. Fortunately, the emperor's three-year mourning period is about to end; secondly..." He didn't know whether he should tell Minglan, and hesitated for a moment.
"Secondly, stability is paramount in the first few years of a new emperor's reign. Furthermore, the emperor has been a vassal for many years and has no roots in the capital, so it's difficult to reorganize things right away," Minglan continued slowly. "Besides, dealing with rebellious individuals like the Prince of Jing and the Prince of Tan was more important than dealing with corrupt officials."
Gu Tingye felt a sense of relief in his heart. He held Minglan's smooth, porcelain-white arm in his palm, his movements gradually slowing down. He whispered, "It's not easy for the emperor either...so let's keep the banquet simple this time."
Minglan nodded solemnly.
Although it was said to be a simple banquet, there was still a long list of names. These people had to be invited, and a stack of papers was distributed two days before the banquet. There was a big circle on each paper, and many names were listed around the circle in order, which was obviously a simulation of the seating order at the dinner table. Although Liao Yong's wife thought it was childish, she also secretly sighed that the idea was quite clever.
"Everything has been arranged. There are fifteen tables for male guests in the outer courtyard, eight tables for female guests in the inner courtyard, and five tables for banquets. Madam, do you think anything is wrong?" Liao Yong's wife bowed her head respectfully and replied, "We don't have a stage in the mansion. We have only invited a few female entertainers and a group of singers to prepare small operas in the outer courtyard. When guests want to listen, they can call them out. There are also places for carriages and horses, and places for the servants brought by the guests to rest and eat. The outer courtyard has the staff for ushering guests and singing. Everything has been arranged one by one..."
Minglan sat at the desk, checking the menus and account books one by one, spending money, and arranging the staff. She whispered instructions and mentioned important items. A group of mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law stood below. After hearing Minglan's orderly words, they immediately put away their carelessness and answered honestly.
As the day drew near, Minglan became more and more solemn, with a stern face all day long. Gu Tingye had nothing to do after leaving court, so he always liked to tease and play with her, but now he ignored her. He carefully examined her for a few days and asked doubtfully, "Are you unsure?"
Minglan loosened her clenched jaw, let out a long breath, and said with a wry smile, "You have good eyesight."
The current situation is very unique. For concubine daughters like Minglan, most legitimate mothers don't keep them by their side from a young age, teaching them how to manage the household, entertain guests, and socialize with friends and relatives. Concubines are kept in the inner chambers, raised in silence, learning needlework, reading and writing, and then marrying off obediently. Therefore, truly aristocratic families generally do not marry concubine daughters as legitimate daughters-in-law.
Compared to legitimate daughters, their knowledge, skills, talents, and character are simply not on the same level. Of course, there are also some who are self-taught and have no need for any training (please give a warm applause to Ms. Jia Tanchun, an outstanding representative of the concubine's daughters).
Minglan lowered her head and shed tears secretly. She was probably... not a weirdo.
In terms of household chores, Old Lady Sheng did train Minglan for a while, but she herself was a carefree and easy-going person. Moreover, for the past ten years, the grandmother and granddaughter had only planned Minglan's life to be the daughter-in-law of a middle-class official or wealthy family.
In her expected married life, the biggest event that Minglan needed to handle independently was probably to invite some sisters, sisters-in-law, and cousins to have a simple meal of seven dishes and a soup, and talk about gossip, eat melon seeds, and chat about how your kid has grown a few new teeth and my husband has married a little vixen.
Then, in the long tug-of-war between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, the daughter-in-law, who was born a concubine, followed her mother-in-law, was scolded and felt wronged, and naturally learned how to deal with everything - unfortunately, Minglan couldn't go this way either.
He originally planned to be a workshop director of a township enterprise, but unexpectedly he became the CEO of a conglomerate ranked in the top of Forbes. His employment expectations were seriously out of line with reality, and the chairman was a hands-off boss who didn't even receive any pre-job training!
It was supposed to be a casual meal, but the guests arriving tomorrow would mostly be wealthy or noble, some of them waiting to find fault. Minglan had no choice but to double her efforts and meticulously prepare. She wrote out plan after plan, listed one contingency plan after another, and repeatedly considered the identities of the guests and how to handle their reception. She had to have someone count the tables, chairs, and utensils for food and wine, and ensure that the snacks and tea were served during the meal without any negligence. She also had to carefully monitor the open flames in the kitchen. Minglan constantly went over each item with the stewards to see if there were any omissions. It wasn't until the last two days that she finally settled down somewhat.
"What if it goes wrong?" Minglan was worried.
"Just smash it." Gu Tingye tried to kiss her frowning forehead with a smile, but Minglan pushed him away with a palm. She puffed up her cheeks and yelled, "It turns out it wasn't you who smashed it."
Gu Tingye held her small hand and nibbled on each of her soft fingers. Minglan wanted to rush into his arms and pull out his two front teeth, but seeing his white teeth, Minglan hesitated. Gu Tingye smiled and put his arm around Minglan's slender waist. He held her face with one hand and said sternly, "Don't be afraid. Let me ask you, if you mess up this dinner, will I divorce you?"
"This... shouldn't be that serious." Minglan tilted her head. Last night he was so passionate that he wanted to die on her, and her waist and legs are still in a state of third-degree muscle strain.
Gu Tingye was not satisfied with her hesitant answer and squeezed her hard with his big hand. Minglan cried out and twisted her waist to run away, but he held her in a hug and said with a faint smile, "Will the emperor punish you?"
Minglan quickly shook her head: "Not really." Even if the emperor was full, he would not be so idle.
"Then what are you afraid of?"
"Someone will laugh at me." Minglan bit her lip and said softly, "They will gossip about me." - saying that she came from a poor family and was indeed an incompetent concubine's daughter and so on.
"If you do it perfectly, no one will say anything to you?" Gu Tingye raised an eyebrow and asked quietly.
Minglan was stunned. Gu Tingye held her and leaned against the headboard, his handsome lips slightly ironic as he chuckled, "Those who are kind to you will forgive you even if you make a few mistakes. Those who deliberately provoke you are like fairies from the Ninth Heaven who came down to earth and still complain about how you can eat half an elbow in one bite. You're such a glutton! Tsk tsk, if the Seventh Fairy was like you, Dong Yong wouldn't be able to support her even if he sold all his belongings..."
"You, you, you...!" Minglan nodded repeatedly at first, but when she heard the last few sentences, her face turned red with anger and shame, and she turned her head away from the man - that was the most depressing stain in Sheng Minglan's always cautious life. She was willing to forget it forever, but this hateful man kept bringing it up.
Gu Tingye laughed out loud, watching her rosy cheeks burn like fire. On the windowsill stood several pots of exotic flowers from the Western Regions, tributes from the imperial court. The fragrance, even more intense in the April and May weather, was blown away by the spring breeze and lingered in the room in the afternoon, making people feel relaxed and at ease. With the beautiful woman in his arms, he couldn't help but hug her tightly, resting his head on top of hers, and whispered softly, "If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."
Minglan lay in his arms, thinking for a moment, then pulled out the guest list from her sleeve. Pointing to a row of names outlined in cinnabar, she said, "I haven't heard of any of them. They must be your friends and colleagues outside. Tell me about them."
Gu Tingye picked up the paper and spoke casually, "...This brother Fu Qinran is the eldest son of the Changxing Earl's branch. He studied with me at home. Although he is a bit pedantic and rigid, he is a good person."
"Yes, we were classmates." Minglan nodded.
Gu Tingye smiled and pointed out a few other names, saying, "Brother Cheng Yong is Lao Duan's younger brother. He, he, and these others have been following me in the Fifth Army Camp since the beginning."
"Well, we fought together." Minglan continued to summarize.
Gu Tingye paused, thought about it, and continued, "These guys were originally the captains of the emperor's private residence. Later, they were transferred to Xuanfu and the northern border to guard. Now they have returned to the capital to report on their work. I remember that when they were in the Eighth Prince's Palace, they often went out to drink and play together..."
Well, they even visited prostitutes together—before he could finish, Minglan added in her heart.
"...Actually, this is all a trick to fool outsiders." Gu Tingye suddenly changed the subject. "The borders of Shu are not peaceful, with bandits causing chaos. They are wary of the King of Shu and afraid of causing trouble for the Emperor, so they feel very frustrated every day. So they pretend to go out for fun with me, change their clothes and sneak out to kill a few bandits to vent their anger. One time, Lao Geng almost broke his arm, and his wife picked up a kitchen knife and wanted to fight us to the death."
Gu Tingye finished speaking slowly, smiling longingly, as if recalling the passionate past; Minglan was speechless, blushing, and silently lowered her head, reflecting on her own mean-spirited heart in shame.
Gu Tingye watched Minglan's expression change, then gently lifted one of the girl's soft pink ears. A dangerous smile appeared on his lips: "Little girl, did you think wrongly again just now?"
Minglan shuddered, immediately raised her head, and said righteously, "That's absolutely not the case. I have always thought my husband to be a chivalrous and courageous man of high moral character!"
Gu Tingye let go of his subordinate's ear. Although he knew that this girl's words were not reliable, he still felt comfortable in his heart. He couldn't help but glared and scolded: "It would be a waste if you don't become a lackey."
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