Qin Yuan smiled and said, "You're absolutely right. But if any maids from the neighboring household make a contribution, I'll have to reward them with the golden peanuts in this bag."
Hongye nodded and said, "Of course, everyone speaks according to their abilities. I have served you, Madam, for so many years, and I am not a short-sighted person. It is my duty to always put you first."
Hearing their conversation, Xiao Si and Ping'er, who were standing nearby, were filled with envy. Who wouldn't want such a good master, who was generous, magnanimous, and easy-going?
After changing their clothes, the group left the courtyard and followed Xiao Si and Ping'er to the main garden, where they encountered the ladies of the Duke of Anguo's mansion and stopped to talk.
Xiao Si and Ping'er hurriedly took their leave to go serve at the pavilion.
Hongye called out to them, handed them two small silver ingots, and said with a smile, "These are a gift from our lady. Thank you for your trouble today. It's nothing much, but take them and have some tea when you're free."
The two were overjoyed to receive a reward for helping them along the way, and quickly accepted it, thanking the reward profusely.
After walking for a while, she couldn't help but sigh, "The Lady of Dingbei is beautiful and kind. I really envy those older sisters who can serve such a mistress. They must be able to save up a lot of money after serving her for a few years."
"If only we could have the chance to protect the Lady of Dingbei like those two older sisters did, we could also get a golden peanut and ask someone to send it back to our family to buy land and grain."
"Who says otherwise? It's all fate. We're not destined for that, so we can only envy them. But we got a reward for leading the way today, so compared to the other sisters, we're pretty lucky, aren't we?"
"Of course, that's why people say comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable, and that contentment brings happiness."
Inside the library.
Bamboo Leaf knelt on the ground, trembling.
Her pink shirt was half-dry, wrinkled and clinging to her body. Her pretty little face was red and swollen, covered with handprints, making her look very pitiful.
But the young man in brocade robes sitting at the head of the table was not one to show mercy to women. He coldly rebuked, "You can't even handle such a small matter that I asked you to do. What use are you!"
"Master, the maidservant beside the Lady of Dingbei Marquis seems to be a martial arts maid. She is very skilled, and I was caught off guard, which is why I suffered such a loss," Zhu Ye explained in a trembling voice.
"A maidservant?" The young master was taken aback, then said disdainfully, "How is that possible? A maidservant needs to be trained for at least three to five years. She is the daughter of the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, and her arranged marriage was to a poor scholar. Where would she get a maidservant? Did the Marquis of Dingbei prepare one specifically for her? Even Gu Baozhu doesn't have a maidservant. Wouldn't she be furious if she found out? Forget it, you may leave."
Zhu Ye breathed a sigh of relief, struggled to her feet, bowed, and staggered away.
The young master frowned: "You can't even handle such a small matter. How can I have the face to speak to His Highness Prince Jin?"
The middle-aged man standing to the side cautiously asked, "Should we arrange for another clever girl?"
"Enough!" The young master slammed his hand on the table, annoyed. "You've been by my side for so long, and you're still a fool. No wonder Zhu Ye couldn't accomplish anything. Don't think that just because the Lady of Dingbei is young and inexperienced, she's a complete idiot."
The middle-aged man sighed, "That's true. This girl wasted one opportunity. If she does it again, it will arouse suspicion." After thinking for a moment, he comforted her, "But young master, there's no need to worry. The birthday banquet hasn't started yet. As long as she doesn't leave this garden, there are still many ways to deal with her."
The young master said coldly, "You mustn't make any more mistakes. If you can't even handle a weak woman in your own home, it's truly laughable and makes me lose face in front of His Highness Prince Jin."
"Yes, this time I will send a more clever maid to accompany her. Please rest assured, Master."
The young master waved for him to leave, and after sitting for a while, he got up and went into the inner hall.
Inside the park.
Qin Yuan was surrounded by the women of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, who all asked her questions at once: "I heard that the Marquis's mansion commissioned Young Master Nantang to write poems for the printing of the 'Firefly Collection of Women's Scrolls. Is this true?"
"Were all the female writers' works created by talented women from Nanjing?"
Are there more talented women in the south than in our capital?
"In the past, Emperor Taizu specially divided the list into North and South lists. Otherwise, the list would have been full of scholars from the South, and there would have been no place for the North. It seems that the South not only has many talented men, but also many talented women."
"Indeed, I love everything about the clothes, hairstyles, and jewelry from the south. They are much more exquisite and fashionable than those from the north. Even the eyebrows are drawn in a particularly delicate way. I wonder what the poems in the women's scroll are like."
It must be said that Shen Chang Le is very resourceful, managing to arouse the desires of these young ladies and wives.
Qin Yuan laughed, "Your information network is truly impressive. You did indeed arrange a poem with Young Master Nantang, and..."
"And what?"
"Moreover, we also invited Mr. Nantang to compete in poetry during the Mid-Autumn Festival lantern viewing."
"A poetry contest?"
"Yes, it is the Empress Dowager's birthday, and it also happens to be the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Marquis's Mansion plans to make a grand celebration. We have invited the top 100 poets from the poetry contest to come and enjoy the lanterns and compose poems to pray for the Empress Dowager and for the prosperity of the country."
The Duke of Anguo's mansion has a rich history, and most of its relatives by marriage are scholars. The women often enjoy composing poems and painting together in their spare time. They greatly admire the young master of Nantang. When they heard that the young master of Nantang had been invited to compose poems, they were all eager to participate and chattered excitedly.
"Sister-in-law, after we finish the moon worship ceremony that day, how about we go and take a look together?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking too."
"Me too."
...
Someone asked, "I wonder where the Marquis of Dingbei's residence is located?"
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "I will have someone send invitations to everyone at that time."
"That's wonderful! I've heard that it's rare to see Young Master Nantang. Since the Marquis's mansion was able to invite him to compose a poem, how could we not go?"
Qin Yuan nodded: "It did take quite a bit of effort. As you all know, that young master of Nantang rarely sees people and prefers quiet. Many people have asked the Marquis's mansion to find ways to meet him, but he has never agreed. Moreover, his whereabouts are unpredictable, and even Mr. Songshan rarely gets to meet him. This time, it really took a lot of effort."
"In that case, we should at least go and meet Young Master Nantang. He must be a very talented person to be able to write such poems."
Upon learning that Young Master Nantang was coming, more and more people surrounded Qin Yuan, inquiring about him and later asking about the sequel to "The Collection of Fireflies" and the poems in the female volume of "The Collection of Fireflies".
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "The poetry contest has selected a hundred talented men, and they will all be there that day. When Young Master Nantang heard that everyone was going to pray for the prosperity of the country and for the Empress Dowager, he calculated his schedule and found that he would be in the capital for those few days, so he agreed. Sixth Master has been busy with the illustrations these days, and I have also seen a few of the poems in the female scroll. They are indeed quite different from the collection of fireflies."
After saying that, he recited a poem by Miss Dong.
Everyone nodded in approval.
In the distance, Prince Jin leaned against the railing and looked down, sneering, "I wonder who this Young Master Nantang really is. His Highness the Crown Prince has tried to recruit him several times without success, and Princess Fuyun went to the Marquis of Dingbei's residence to request an audience but was refused. It turns out he is quite familiar with the Marquis of Dingbei's wife."
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