Chapter 104: Speak for Tang Mo
Several ladies came to the gate of Qianbi Garden. One of them was wearing a lavender dress, looking gentle and elegant. She was the wife of Liao Zhi, the commander of the Beiya Army, and the eldest daughter of the Xu family, the richest family in Linzhou.
Xin An smiled and said, "Please ask Sister Lin to introduce me."
Lin Yao was not familiar with this Madam Liao, but she knew someone who could speak to her. Lin Yao stood up and left the pavilion. After a while, another lady appeared beside her. Xin An said a few words to the Second Prince's wife and then went out of the pavilion to greet her.
Lin Yao introduced, "This is the wife of the Imperial Medical Bureau's Chief Physician Ma. Physician Ma treated Commander Liao many times, so Madam Ma and Madam Liao have had some contact with each other."
Xin An greeted, "Mrs. Ma."
"Second Young Master's Wife."
After the two of them greeted each other and exchanged a few pleasantries, Lin Yao had already told Mrs. Ma that Xin An's purpose was just to introduce someone to each other. Mrs. Ma was also willing to do this a favor, and soon led Lin Yao and Xin An to Mrs. Liao.
Madam Liao came today with two aunts and a young lady from the Liao family. She arrived late and stopped when she saw Madam Ma. After everyone greeted each other, Madam Ma showed concern for Liao Zhi's injury. From her words, it could be judged that she also had some knowledge of Huang Qi's Dao. Madam Liao looked gentle but straightforward. After a few words, she looked at Xin An and asked, "Who is this lady?"
Madam Ma smiled and said, "This is the second young lady of Weiyuan Marquis's Mansion."
"I am familiar with the second young master's wife of the Qinghou Mansion. We were talking just now, and I saw Madam Liao coming, so I came over."
Xin An greeted, "Mrs. Liao."
"Second Young Master's Wife."
In just a moment, Mrs. Liao understood the reason and guessed that Xin An wanted to get to know her.
Xin An smiled and said, "I learned that Madam was from the Xu family in Linzhou, and I guessed that Madam must be a remarkable woman who is as capable as any man. I just saw her from afar and realized that she is so gentle and virtuous. It makes people want to get close to her."
The meaning of this statement was obvious. Madam Liao smiled even more gently. "The Second Young Master's wife is from the Xin family of Huaijiang. The Xin family is well-known in the local area. Even the Xu family in faraway Linzhou has heard of it. We both come from merchant families and married into the capital. We should keep in touch with each other in the future."
Xin An had never expected that someone would show such kindness directly, so he immediately climbed up the pole, "Madam is right, I can't sit still, I'm afraid I'll have to come to talk to you more often in the future."
"The sun is too hot, why don't we go to the pavilion to talk?"
Madam Liao nodded, and Xin An took people back to the pavilion. The Second Prince's wife had already guessed Xin An's intention, and had no objection to the arrival of Madam Liao and her companions. However, the spacious pavilion that could accommodate more than one person became crowded. It happened that at this time, people around the Crown Princess came to invite the Second Prince's wife to talk. As soon as she left, the pavilion became much more spacious, and everyone spoke with fewer concerns.
Xin An didn't talk much. Most of the time she just listened to everyone talking and then agreed with a few words. She never mentioned Liao Zhi and Tang Mo at all, which made Mrs. Liao, who was sitting next to her, a little curious. After all, everyone could see that she came over just for Tang Mo.
"I heard that Mr. Tang has arrived at the Northern Army. Are you used to it?"
She didn't say anything, but Mrs. Liao took over the conversation, wanting to see Xin An's attitude. Xin An smiled and said, "I am a little uncomfortable. I used to be lazy and slept until noon in the morning. Now I have to get up early every day to work. It was uncomfortable in the first two days."
"But now it's good. Not only can I get up early, but I can also practice a set of boxing after getting up. I say I need to practice so as not to embarrass myself when I'm on duty."
She held the handkerchief and smiled to herself, which made Mrs. Liao even more curious. She didn't respond even though the words were on her lips. Could it be that she didn't understand what she meant? Xin An looked around and lowered his voice to Mrs. Liao, "Madam, do you know why my husband gets up early to practice martial arts?"
"Aren't you afraid of being embarrassed?"
Xin An covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief and chuckled, "In fact, he was stimulated by meeting Commander Liao. Commander Liao is not much older than him. Not only does he have military merits, but he can also firmly control the Northern Ya Army. Not only is he handsome, but he also has great kung fu skills. Normally, people would think he was very impressive. After he came back, he sighed for a long time, and then he started practicing kung fu again."
"Even though he doesn't seek to catch up, he still has to make Commander Liao look at him with a higher regard."
Madam Liao also laughed, "Second Young Master Tang is quite interesting. His ambition is the most valuable thing. Madam Second Young Master should encourage him more."
So there was no need to continue to wonder why Xin An didn't speak well of Tang Mo, because she had already said it, which was really smart.
At noon, people from the Duke's Mansion came to invite everyone to the Thousand Guests Hall to start the banquet.
Xin An followed everyone there. The Qianke Hall was the largest hall in the Duke's Mansion, which was usually used for singing and dancing. Today the weather was sunny but hot. There was an ice basin against the wall of the hall. The cool breeze separated the inside and outside of the hall into two worlds, like two worlds of ice and fire.
The sun was shining brightly outside, and many people in the hall were shivering from the cold. The banquet was not an ordinary round table for eight people, but an arcade table, with each person sitting on a square table, imitating the ancient sages. There were eight dim sum and cold dishes on each table. Most of the dishes were in the style of a hundred flowers, with different sizes and styles. There was also a set of wine jugs and a portion of iced pear. It was said that these bowls and plates were all specially made for the Shuihua Banquet, and they were different every year.
Because of the status of Weiyuan Marquis' Mansion in the capital, Xin Anhe's seat was not very far back, with Tao Yiran on his right and Lin Yao on his left. Everyone's attention was not on the dishes or the dancing girls, but on the actions of the host and the princesses of the princes and counties, so as to avoid improper etiquette when raising their glasses.
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Halfway through the banquet, Tao Yiran actually took the initiative to toast Xin An. Seeing her smile, Xin An also raised his glass, "How are you, sister-in-law?"
Before he drank the wine, Xin An sighed slightly, "Sister-in-law is an outstanding zither player, and everyone knows this. It's just a little unexpected, so don't worry about it."
"Just now I saw Aunt Tao talking to my sister. I think my sister-in-law must be relieved with Aunt Tao's comfort."
Tao Yiran has readjusted her state of mind. Mrs. Tao also came today. When the mother and daughter met, Tao Yiran naturally felt relieved with her advice. However, for some reason, the glass of wine in her hand was shaking slightly. "Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law. It's nothing. I just happened to meet mother and said a few more words."
"I am a little sorry, my sister-in-law. She came from Huaijiang and is not very familiar with the people in Beijing. I should be the one to introduce her to others. I hope you will forgive me for my poor care."
Xin An smiled and said, "Mrs. Tao is very intelligent, and what she said is of course reasonable. As for taking care of her, there is no need to trouble my sister-in-law. After all, my sister-in-law has not been out for a long time, so she should talk more with the sisters."
As he spoke, he moved slightly closer to Tao Yiran and lowered his voice, "Sister-in-law, what should I do if I accidentally get my dress wet and embarrass myself in front of others, and some unfavorable news spreads about me?"
(End of this chapter)
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