The maid came to inform that the banquet was ready.
Ladies, please move to the flower hall.
Gu Jiu stood up and said, "Sisters, let's go to the banquet."
"Sister Xiaojiu, lead the way."
Gu Jiu smiled and led everyone back to the flower hall.
There were nine tables set up, all placed in the flower hall on the right.
Everyone sat at different tables.
Gu Yue took the initiative to sit with Miss Zhao Liu, calling it a companion.
Gu Jiu ignored her and asked Gu Shan to sit at the same table with the Xie family.
Gu Shan was a little afraid of Ma.
She pulled Gu Jiu and whispered, "Second sister, can you let fifth sister sit at the same table with me?"
Gu Jiu looked at Gu Shan strangely, "What's the matter? Is there something difficult for Fourth Sister? Fifth Sister and Big Sister have to accompany the girls from other houses."
Gu Shan opened her mouth, not knowing where to begin. "It's just that my aunt talks a lot, and I'm afraid I can't handle it well, so I want my fifth sister to accompany me."
This reason barely convinced Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu said to her, "I'll go ask Fifth Sister. If Fifth Sister doesn't want to, don't be disappointed."
"Thank you, second sister."
After Gu Jiu settled everyone, he asked Gu Lin if she would like to sit at the same table with the Xie family.
Gu Lin looked towards the Xie family and asked, "Can't Fourth Sister handle it alone?"
Gu Jiu nodded, "Fourth sister said she couldn't handle it alone."
Gu Lin raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Okay, I'll accompany Fourth Sister."
Gu Lin happily went to accompany Gu Shan.
Gu Shan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Gu Jiu.
With Gu Lin here, when my aunt Ma starts talking nonsense, Gu Lin can just pierce her with a word, and that would be a good scene. I don't believe my aunt Ma still has the nerve to continue talking nonsense.
Gu Jiu and Gu Mei accompanied the young ladies from the Duke's Mansion and the Marquis' Mansion.
After Xie settled the ladies, she went to the tables at the back.
Seeing that Gu Yue was not sitting at the same table with the girls from the Duke's Mansion, he frowned slightly.
Xie glared at Gu Yue. Why was this damned girl sitting at the side table? Could it be that Gu Jiu had snatched Gu Yue's opportunity?
Xie snorted inwardly. She knew Gu Jiu was not a good person. He was always competitive and even tried to steal Gu Yue's opportunities. How unreasonable!
However, the seats had already been decided and could not be changed, so Mrs. Xie had to suppress her anger, put on a smile, and went forward to treat everyone to good food and drinks.
When passing by Gu Yue, Xie secretly pinched her.
Gu Yue felt guilty and didn't dare to look up.
Xie snorted coldly and put the matter aside for now. She would ask Gu Yue what happened in the evening.
The banquet officially begins.
The well-trained maids served the dishes in an orderly manner.
The menu is carefully planned.
There are sixteen dishes on the table, two cold dishes, four steamed dishes, four braised dishes, four stir-fried dishes, and two soups.
When the food and wine were served, Mrs. Xie, as the host, invited everyone to eat and drink.
The atmosphere in the flower hall gradually became lively.
The dishes prepared by the kitchen are very good and suit most people's taste.
There are many kinds of wine to suit everyone's needs.
Taking advantage of the lively atmosphere, Gu Jiu picked up the wine glass and called the other four sisters to toast each table, doing her best to do what she should do as the host.
Seeing this, the eldest wife of the Marquis's Mansion, Xiao Wei, laughed and whispered to the eldest wife, Zhang, "The girls are quite good. The atmosphere of today's banquet is very good."
The atmosphere was good, and the purpose of the banquet was at least 70% achieved.
Zhang smiled and said, "It's mainly because Xiaojiu is smart and capable. If it weren't for her, the other girls would probably just sit there and do nothing."
When the eldest lady, Xiao Wei, heard this, she couldn't help but look at Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu has grown a lot taller in the past six months. Her figure is still thin, but you can already see some of the girlish lines.
Xiao Wei saw Gu Jiu leading the other four girls of the Gu family, moving around the banquet, toasting the guests, inviting everyone to eat, and saying auspicious words.
The whole process went smoothly, making everyone feel comfortable.
She couldn't help but nod secretly, "Although Xiaojiu lacks experience, she is smart."
"The handwriting is also very good." Mrs. Zhang pursed her lips and smiled, "Today's menu was copied by Xiaojiu."
Madam Wei smiled and asked softly, "Do you know what arrangements Sister Xie and his wife have made for Xiaojiu?"
The eldest wife, Zhang, understood clearly that the so-called arrangement naturally referred to Gu Jiu's marriage.
She looked around and whispered to Xiao Wei, "I can tell what Sister Xie is thinking. She definitely doesn't want Xiao Jiu to marry someone better than Gu Yue. She will definitely prioritize Gu Yue's marriage first, and then consider Xiao Jiu's.
I'm not sure what Master Gu is thinking. But the couple should have similar ideas. After all, Xiaojiu's maternal family has fallen on hard times and can't compare to the Xie family."
Madam Wei nodded and said, "Little Jiu, without a powerful maternal family, is indeed at a disadvantage."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhang's eyebrows moved. "Why don't you, my dear sister-in-law, take the trouble to help Xiaojiu? With her connections, it shouldn't be difficult for her to find a suitable marriage for Xiaojiu."
Madam Wei didn't agree immediately, but said, "Their parents aren't in a hurry, and it's not appropriate for me, an outsider, to hastily introduce a marriage to Xiaojiu. Let's wait and see."
The eldest wife, Mrs. Zhang, lowered her head and thought about it, then she understood what Mrs. Wei meant.
Little Wei wanted to find a marriage for Gu Jiu, but she didn't want to offend Lord Gu and Mrs. Xie.
Xiao Wei also wanted to wait until Gu Yue's marriage was settled, and then use it as a reference before introducing a marriage to Gu Jiu.
In this way, no one will be offended and things can be done properly.
After figuring it out, the eldest wife, Zhang, laughed and said, "It's still the eldest cousin's wife who is thoughtful. Xiaojiu is still more than half a year away from coming of age, so there's no need to rush her marriage."
Little Wei nodded, "There's really no rush. But it's time to hurry up and arrange the marriages for those boys in your family."
The eldest wife, Zhang, said, "I won't hide it from you. I am discussing the marriages of the children with my parents."
Little Wei suddenly understood, "You want to strengthen your relationship with your mother's family?"
"I do have this idea. But for Dalang's marriage, I still want to find him a proper noble lady. Big cousin, do you have any good girls to introduce to me?"
Little Wei laughed.
It seems that Zhang plans to marry her second legitimate son to her natal family, and her eldest legitimate son to a daughter of noble family.
Little Wei pointed to the front and said, "There are so many noble ladies sitting over there. If your sister-in-law has taken a fancy to one of them, tell me. I will act as a matchmaker for you."
"I've been waiting for this from my eldest cousin's wife. What do you think of the third young lady from the Marquis of Lu's mansion, the one named Pei Man?"
"Lu Hou Mansion?"
Little Wei frowned slightly.
"Have you thought it through, sister-in-law? The Duke of Lu is not an easy person to get along with. Marrying him is risky."
The eldest wife, Zhang, suddenly became conflicted.
Little Wei suggested, "How about the girl from Daihou Mansion? If your sister-in-law likes her, I can help you get in touch with her."
The eldest wife, Zhang, looked at the girls from the Marquis's Mansion.
She hesitated a bit. "I heard that my eldest cousin's wife is planning to marry into the Daihou Mansion and marry Mei girl there. If my eldest son marries a girl from the Daihou Mansion, wouldn't outsiders think that our Gu family is exchanging marriages?"
Madam Wei shook her head slightly. "That's fine. Our two families have long since separated, so there's no such thing as a marriage exchange. But my sister-in-law must be prepared. If you want to marry, you can only marry the second-born daughter. The eldest daughter has already been arranged by the Marquis' Mansion."
The eldest wife, Zhang, immediately laughed. "I understand without the eldest cousin's wife reminding me. My eldest son is not worthy of the eldest daughter of the marquis's family. He is marrying the second daughter, which is already a step up."
Little Wei asked, "So this matter is settled? I'll go and test the Dai Hou wife's opinion later."
"Okay! Thank you, Auntie."
The two chatted and laughed, and the marriage was almost settled.
Xie came over to toast, and her sisters-in-law drank two glasses with her.
Xie had something hidden in her mind, so she took the opportunity to ask Wei.
"Sister-in-law, did Madam Haixi reveal anything?"
Little Wei smiled and said, "Don't worry, Sister Xie. I'll ask for you after we finish drinking. Don't worry either. It seems that Madam Haixi is very satisfied with Miss Zhen. As long as there are no unexpected events, this marriage should be successful."
Mrs. Xie immediately laughed and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law. If this marriage goes through, I'll treat you to a drink."
"You should treat me to wedding candy."
"Yes, yes, yes. Look at me, I'm tongue-tied, please don't mind, sister-in-law."
After Xie finished speaking, she went to the next table to toast.
The eldest wife, Zhang, quietly asked the youngest, Wei, "Can the marriage between Zhen and Zhao Silang really be successful?"
"It's not a big deal. After we finish drinking, ask Sister Xie for me how much dowry she plans to prepare for Zhen."
Madam Zhang raised her eyebrows. "What's going on? Lady Haixi is still being picky about the girl's dowry?"
Little Wei picked up the wine glass, pondered for a moment and said, "It's not that Lady Haixi is picky about the girl's dowry, but the second and third branches of the Zhao family are picky about the girl's dowry.
You know, there's a lot of conflict between the three branches of the Haixi Marquis's mansion. If Zhen marries in and her dowry is too small, she'll probably be wronged.
They are all daughters of the Gu family. As the aunt of the main hall, how can I bear to see her suffer injustice in her husband's family? "
The eldest wife, Zhang, suddenly understood. "The eldest sister-in-law wants me to remind sister-in-law Xie to prepare more dowry for Miss Zhen. At least it will look good."
"That's right." Little Wei did not hide her thoughts.
Zhang frowned, "Sister-in-law Xie is not short of money. She has made a lot of money with her second brother from her natal family in the Northwest for so many years. I know this well.
But Sister Xie is a bit stingy. Especially when it comes to a girl born out of wedlock, she definitely won’t spend money.”
Little Wei smiled contemptuously, "It's not her private money that's being spent. It's their second house's public funds that are being spent. How can she have the nerve to only prepare a dowry of two or three thousand taels for Zhen girl?"
For a family like ours, the dowry for marrying off a daughter born out of wedlock would be at least five thousand taels, and ten thousand taels is not considered too much.
I'm not asking her to prepare a dowry of ten thousand taels for Zhen. She should at least prepare a dowry of five or six thousand taels."
After a pause, Madam Wei continued, "Before I came here, the old lady told me to remind Sister Xie.
Marrying a daughter is not like marrying an enemy. You should prepare everything you need to and don't be stingy with the money.
I think it's inappropriate for me to say this, after all, we've separated. Please, sister-in-law, convey the old lady's intentions to sister-in-law Xie.
As for Mr. Gu, my master will also give him some advice."
Zhang laughed. "As long as Lord Gu agrees, there will be no problem. Ultimately, the Second House is still under the control of Lord Gu."
Little Wei heaved a sigh of relief, "I'll trouble you, sister-in-law, for this matter."
Zhang smiled and waved her hand, "Don't be polite to me, sister-in-law. If the marriage between my son Dalang and the Daihou Mansion is successful, I will thank you and give you a gift as a matchmaker."
Little Wei smiled and said, "Forget about the matchmaker's money, just treat me to the wedding banquet."
"Of course, the eldest cousin's wife is indispensable for the wedding banquet."
…
Gu Yue pulled Miss Zhao Liu from the Haixi Marquis's Mansion aside to talk.
She flattered and fawned deliberately, saying auspicious words one after another like a wheel on a cart.
Miss Zhao Liu knew that Gu Yue was trying to please her with a purpose, but the sugar-coated bullet was so beautiful and sweet as honey.
She would be wary at first, but when she ate too much sugar-coated bullets, Miss Zhao Liu also enjoyed the feeling of being flattered. It was so wonderful!
In just half a meal, the two of them became as close as sisters, holding hands and talking affectionately.
The people sitting nearby were all amazed at this scene.
Gu Yue really spared no effort to please Miss Zhao Liu.
After finishing the banquet, the two moved to the small flower hall on the left to drink tea and eat snacks and continue chatting.
Gu Yue also had a lot of ideas. She tried to find out more about Zhao Erlang through indirect means.
Miss Zhao Liu didn't think much of it. She just thought Gu Yue was asking about her family's situation out of curiosity.
Gu Yue was scheming. She urged Miss Zhao Liu, "Sister Zhao, can you take me to meet your fourth brother? If my eldest sister and your fourth brother's marriage goes through, our two families will be relatives in the future. But before the wedding, at least let us meet your fourth brother and know what he looks like."
Miss Zhao Liu hesitated.
Gu Yue took her hand and said, "Sister Zhao, just agree. I'll call my eldest sister along, and we'll go together. Is that okay?"
Miss Zhao Liu hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Okay. I'll have the maid go to the outer courtyard and ask my fourth brother to come to the central courtyard. We'll meet there."
"Okay! Sister Zhao, wait for me. I'll talk to my elder sister. She's shy, so it might take some time to convince her. Sister Zhao, just sit here and wait for me. I'll be back soon."
"Sister Yue, go ahead. I'm not in a hurry."
Gu Yue nodded with a smile and left in a hurry.
Gu Yue walked out of the flower hall and did not go to see Gu Zhen immediately.
Instead, she called the maid Grape and said, "Tell an unfamiliar little maid to go to the outer courtyard to find the Eighth Young Master. Have the Eighth Young Master bring the cousin from the Xie family to the central courtyard to wait for me. Remember?"
Grape was a little frightened and asked, "Girl, what are you going to do?"
Gu Yue smiled coldly, with a cruel look in her eyes, "Can't you see what I'm going to do? I can't just sit back and watch my elder sister marry into the Haixi Marquis's Mansion. Her best destination is the Xie family."
"Girl, are you crazy?"
Grape's heart was about to jump out of his chest. He looked around and luckily there was no one around.
Gu Yue stared at Grape. "Do I look crazy to you? I'm calmer than ever now. Go quickly."
Grape hesitated, "Young lady, please think twice. I saw that the Madam and Lady Haixi were having a very pleasant conversation, and the eldest young lady's marriage should be almost finalized. Why are you interfering now? It will not benefit you if you ruin the eldest young lady's marriage."
"Who said that?" Gu Yue stared at Grape. "You've been by my side for so many years, don't you know how I feel about you?"
"ah?"
Grape had a shocked look on her face. "Girl, you're not serious, are you? Are you really interested in that Zhao Erlang? He's unlucky in marriage, and he has a bad temper and can hit people.
Girl, please don't be confused. Otherwise, I'll call the wife out and you can talk to her.
If the Madam is willing to support the young lady, then it won’t be too late to call the Eighth Young Master.”
Gu Yue's face was stern. "What is there to talk about? What can I talk to my mother about this now? I have to do something to have the bargaining chip to talk to my mother about this matter, do you understand?
Only if I ruin my elder sister's marriage will mother agree to let me marry into the Haixi Earl's Mansion, do you understand?
"Besides, there's a huge benefit to my elder sister marrying into the Xie family. It can shut up the Xie family and prevent them from constantly targeting me and my sixth brother."
Grape was nervous and uneasy.
The girl must be crazy to have such a crazy idea.
"What's so good about Zhao Erlang? Why did the girl fall for him?"
"You don't understand!" Gu Yue suddenly smiled, her eyes gentle and full of longing.
"How could a maid like you understand a man like that? But I understand him. The first time I saw him, I knew that my soulmate had appeared."
Gu Yue's gentle tone gave Grape goosebumps.
Gu Yue stared at Grape intently, "Are you going or not? If you don't go, then don't serve me anymore."
Grape was about to cry, but she nodded helplessly, "I will listen to you, young lady."
"Remember to find a maid who is unfamiliar to you. This must be done naturally and without leaving any traces. Remember?"
"I'll remember this."
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