Cheng Yue
In mid-August, Shengguo had the custom of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, where people admired the moon, lit lanterns, guessed riddles, and drank osmanthus wine. The streets and people's homes were very lively.
As the festival approaches, every household starts to prepare. Prince Bao’s Mansion is built next to the Baojing Pond and has the best viewing platform for moon viewing. Therefore, the princess holds a moon viewing banquet in the mansion every year.
When drawing up the guest list for this year, Princess Bao thought of Sang Youzhi. Although her status was not noble, she sent her an invitation to the moon-viewing banquet in consideration of Prince Bao's instructions.
Because Qin Yousi was in mourning, the Yuan couple was afraid of touching her heart, so they avoided talking about the festival. However, Qin Yousi did not want to make them sad, so she took the initiative to make arrangements and planned to invite Yu Huan, Wu Jun, Si Xi and others to celebrate the festival together.
The sudden invitation from Princess Bao made her feel a little embarrassed.
Liu Ying had also come to discuss the festival with her: "Empress Li is pregnant, and the Emperor is delighted and plans to hold a grand palace banquet. My mother is going to the palace for the banquet, and I'll be alone at home. Why don't we go to the street to enjoy the lanterns?"
Qin Yousi took out the invitation and said, "Everyone is here. Princess Bao just sent the invitation. If I don't go, it would seem too disrespectful. But if I attend the banquet, given my status, I won't be familiar with anyone, so it would be really boring."
Liu Ying's eyes lit up. "What a coincidence! My mother also received this invitation, but she's going to the palace banquet and not the moon-viewing banquet. It's perfect for us to go to Prince Bao's mansion together. It's said that Prince Bao's wife's moon-viewing banquet is very grand, with not only thousands of lanterns, but also autumn crabs sent from Huangzhou. I haven't eaten crabs from Huangzhou in several years..."
Qin Yousi smiled and said, "Okay, I'll give you my share too."
Baili Hongyuan had to attend the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet and was unable to leave, so he came to Yuan's Medical Clinic a day in advance to give Qin Yousi a holiday gift, and Gu Wu also came with him.
Qin Yousi looked at the woman whom he had met once in the military tent and felt a little curious. He wondered why Baili Hongyuan brought her to him.
Baili Hongyuan didn't want her to overthink it, so he introduced her, "Her name is Gu Wu, a secret guard of the Supervisory Office. She doesn't often appear in the capital, so few people know her. I want her to be your maid from now on, protecting you closely."
Gu Wu stepped forward respectfully and said, "Gu Wu greets the young lady."
Qin Yousi asked in surprise: "How can this be possible?"
How could she, a nobody, dare to use the secret guard of the Supervisory Office as her personal maid?
Baili Hongyuan explained, "Ever since Taoist Xiwei went to Nanhua Mountain to search for the antidote, you haven't had anyone capable by your side. Gu Wu has been secretly protecting you, but you've been frequenting Prince Bao's residence lately, and she's often unable to take care of you. Furthermore, the Marquis of Xichang is now under trial by the Three Courts, and the Emperor is considering abandoning him and cultivating other capable men. The Marquis of Xichang will undoubtedly make drastic moves to protect himself. Consider this as a way to reassure me and keep Gu Wu by your side."
"Miss Gu Wu has been protecting me secretly?" Qin Yousi's face turned red when she remembered that she had misunderstood that Gu Wu treated Baili Hongyuan's wound.
Gu Wu also said, "Young lady, you are going to attend a banquet at Prince Bao's mansion tomorrow. Gu Wu cannot follow you secretly, so please take me with you."
Qin Yousi said, "I'm just worried that I'll be doing Guwu a disservice and that I'm wasting his talent."
Gu Wu knew that his governor was not good at speaking, so he said, "Young lady, you are too modest. Protecting you is not a grievance. Only if you are thorough and reliable here can the governor be at ease in his duties."
"Ahem." Baili Hongyuan looked at Gu Wu seriously, somewhat blaming her for being too talkative.
Gu Wu wisely shut up and stepped back.
In just a short while, other families came to the front of the clinic to give holiday gifts, including people from the Si Ding Construction Workshop, Jiu Feng Bank, and even the Ye and Shi families.
Seeing that she was busy here, Baili Hongyuan left first.
Madam Yuan and Yu Huan were there to help with the social interactions, but Gu Wu wasn't idle either. He pulled out a list and said, "Miss, this is the guest list for the moon-viewing banquet at Prince Bao's mansion. Please take a look."
Qin Yousi looked at Gu Wu with appreciation: "As expected of an elite soldier from Bailu Terrace, you've even thought of this."
Qin Yousi glanced through the list and Princess Chengyue's name caught her attention.
Princess Chengyue Liu Chunwei, the only child of the late empress, was doted on by the late emperor from a young age. She prided herself on being different from other women of the imperial family, able to study and debate alongside the princes, always stealing the show. However, Qin Yousi consistently outshined her, and whenever they met, trouble would inevitably ensue.
Qin Yousi still remembered that Liu Chunwei liked Baili Hongyuan very much at that time and always called him "cousin, cousin". Qin Yousi thought that Liu Chunwei was so favored that she would definitely get her wish and marry Baili Hongyuan. This was the only matter that she and Liu Chunwei had no disputes about.
Now it seems that the two of them are not destined to be together.
She asked Gu Wu, "Why did Princess Chengyue attend the banquet at Prince Bao's mansion? Doesn't she attend the palace banquet?"
Gu Wu secretly praised her for her good eyesight, as she identified a key role at a glance. It was because the governor knew that Princess Chengyue would attend the banquet that he was anxious to let her accompany Miss Sang personally.
"Four years ago, Your Majesty arranged for Princess Chengyue to marry Prime Minister Su's youngest son, Su Lin. This marriage was not to her liking, and she has not been in close contact with Your Majesty since then."
Emperor Sheng probably wanted to use this marriage to win over Prime Minister Su. Among the several civil officials assisting in the administration, Prime Minister Su was the second most important official after Prince Bao.
Qin Yousi had a rough idea in mind. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'm going to the street to buy some clothes and jewelry. I haven't prepared my outfit for tomorrow's banquet yet."
She hadn't originally planned to dress up, but since Liu Chunwei was going, she couldn't lose too much.
Because it was a moon-viewing banquet, it started near dusk.
The carriage from the Pingtung County Prince's Mansion first went to the clinic to pick up Qin Yousi, and then went together to the Baojing Pond at the Prince Bao's Mansion.
All the sores on Liu Ying's face had healed, and with the cream Qin Yousi had prepared, her skin was now fair and smooth. Today, for the holiday, she was dressed in her finest attire, and with her growing confidence, she looked particularly lively and beautiful.
Qin Yousi envied her healthy body and praised her sincerely, "The princess is so beautiful today!"
Liu Ying praised each other, "You are the one! Normally, you are so beautiful that I feel pity for you. But today, after you dressed up a little, I almost couldn't recognize you."
"It's not that exaggerated." Qin Yousi complained.
Liu Ying said seriously, "I'm serious! Your outfit suits you very well today. It's noble and elegant, solemn but not exaggerated. Especially this silk horse-faced skirt of yours. It's really beautiful. Who made it?"
"From Zhizhen Pavilion."
Liu Ying said, "No wonder. Her schedule is incredibly difficult to schedule. I was planning to make one, but she told me I'd have to wait eight months! Forget it, I can't wait any longer."
"Really?" Qin Yousi really didn't know.
Yesterday, Gu Wu took her to Zhizhenge to pick out some clothes. She bought whatever she liked. The people at Zhizhenge didn't say anything else and just helped her change the size to the right size.
The carriage soon arrived at Prince Bao's mansion. The gate was wide open, and there was a constant stream of guests at the door. Many officials and their families were greeting each other at the door.
Qin Yousi and Liu Ying didn't know many people, so they went to Baojing Pool together.
A new moon-viewing platform, built by the Siding Construction Workshop, has been constructed beside the Treasure Mirror Pond. The three-story platform is adorned with a dazzling array of glazed lanterns, and its lower section features a hollowed-out semicircular arch, projecting a stunning full moon into the water.
The top floor is where Princess Bao entertains distinguished royal relatives, the second floor is for banquets for ladies of high rank or the wives of older officials, and the waterfront terrace on the bottom floor is for the younger generations to play.
Princess Bao was on the high platform. From a distance, she saw two graceful beauties walking along the water's edge. She smiled and told Nanny Ban, "Go and greet them."
Sitting next to Princess Bao was a young woman named Jian, the daughter of the Minister of War who had married Prince Yi just last year.
Princess Yi asked curiously, "Aunt, those two girls look so unfamiliar. I've never seen them before."
Princess Bao smiled and said, "The one in red is Yingniang from your uncle Wang's family in Pingtung. The one next to her is Liuniang from the Sang family in Yangcheng."
Jane was surprised and asked, "The Sang family?"
Her father, Jian Weicai, impeached the Marquis of Xichang and the Sang family in the court.
Princess Bao comforted her, "This girl was raised outside when she was young and has no ties to the Sang family. Instead, she learned excellent medical skills from her maternal family, the Qin family, and is now helping me recuperate."
Princess Yi grew up in the capital. Although she was young when Qin got into trouble, she still remembered the glory of Qin in the past.
Princess Yi didn't dare comment on Qin's case, saying only, "I've noticed you've been looking very well lately. It seems Miss Sang has inherited some of her medical skills."
After a while, Nanny Ban took the two of them to the third-floor platform.
Qin Yousi and Liu Ying greeted the two. Princess Yi politely said to Liu Ying, "Cousin Ying is here. I asked your mother to take you out to play before. She always said you were not feeling well. I am glad to see you today."
Liu Ying said openly, "I haven't been able to acclimate to the climate in Beijing since I came here. Fortunately, I met Liu Niang, who cured the problem on my face. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to go out and scare people."
Princess Bao said, "Sixth Lady has allowed your handsome face to see the light of day again. No wonder you're so close to her. I heard that you knew she was coming, so you agreed to visit me."
Liu Ying smiled and said, "Don't blame me, Auntie. I was thinking about your Huangzhou crabs, but I was embarrassed to say it, so I used Liu Niang as an excuse."
"You, you."
The three were chatting and laughing when the maid came with an announcement that Princess Chengyue had arrived.
Liu Chunwei was also dressed up today. She wore a six-phoenix crown on her head and a round-necked robe with rich python cloud shoulders and embroidered gold patterns. She walked over in a radiant manner and greeted the Princess of Bao, the Princess of Yi, and the Princess of Pingtung with a smile. When she sat down, she looked up and saw Qin Yousi, and her face changed instantly.
"Who are you?" Liu Chunwei asked in a bad tone.
Princess Bao noticed something was wrong, but since she was the one who invited the person, she had to protect him, so she introduced him personally.
Then he said, "Miss Sang is my guest. She is an excellent doctor. I've heard you talk about back pain before. I can ask Miss Sang to see you tomorrow."
But Liu Chunwei's expression didn't improve at all. She sneered coldly, "I didn't know that a guilty minister could become a guest of honor at Prince Bao's mansion. Does my uncle know about your actions, Princess? If you implicate my uncle and he gets blamed by the Emperor, have you considered the consequences?"
If Liu Chunwei was only targeting Qin Yousi, Qin Yousi would just pretend not to hear it, but since she falsely pinned the blame on Princess Bao, she had to express her stance.
"In the past, there was the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor Shao Jingnan, and now there's the Cabinet Grand Secretary Chu Xuantao. Each of these gentlemen was convicted due to their families being implicated, but the Emperor's willingness to appoint talented individuals regardless of their background demonstrates his broad-mindedness. The Sang family's crimes are not as severe as mine, so how could they possibly provoke the Emperor to have any objections to Prince Bao's Mansion?"
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