Chapter 54: The Charming Girl Whose House Was Confiscated and Her Family Was Exterminated 6
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the New Year was approaching and the coming of the new year finally dispelled the haze that had lingered over the city of Bianjing for nearly a month, and the imperial city finally returned to its original prosperity and bustle.
The black-armored guards who patrolled day and night have been withdrawn. Without the menacing soldiers patrolling the streets, the worried citizens in the city finally breathed a sigh of relief and gradually began to go out.
After all, for ordinary people, it doesn’t matter who the emperor is. The most important thing is that they live a good life and their wives and children have enough food and clothing.
The snow had completely stopped, and the streets began to bustle. Silk and cloth shops, rouge and powder shops, local snacks... all opened for business to make a living.
It was a rare warm sunny day, the sunlight pouring down like golden nectar on the snow-covered ground. The shimmering snow reflected the glare, faintly refracting a multicolored halo. Nan Qiao, draped in the silken cloak her mother had newly made, stood under the porch, her brow relaxed, basking in the warm sunshine with contentment.
Posting Spring Festival couplets, buying New Year's goods, preparing snacks... As the New Year is approaching, most of the servants in the mansion are very busy.
There were many servants coming and going, but most of them kept their eyes downcast when passing by the girl, and even couldn't help holding their breath slightly, not daring to raise their heads, for fear of disturbing this girl who was brighter than the sun.
"How are you, young lady?" A sturdy woman in a green jacket came up to the girl and bowed to greet her.
Nan Qiao recognized the nanny beside her mother and said softly, "No need to be polite."
"But mother is looking for me?"
The woman bowed and replied, "Yes, young lady. The mistress asked you to go to the main courtyard."
Nan Qiao nodded slightly and walked towards her mother's yard. Since she was at home, she did not wear a veil. Along the way, she encountered many servants who were walking back and forth. The servants all had frozen expressions and looked like wooden chickens.
"Qiao'er, are you here? Come and take a look at the new clothes your mother prepared for you." Mrs. Nan was holding a pink and blue dress in her hand and shouted to her daughter who came in with a happy face.
"Mom, haven't the winter clothes for this year been made?" Nan Qiao was puzzled. This year's winter clothes had obviously been made and delivered to her yard.
Seeing her daughter wearing the cloak she made herself, standing in front of her delicately, a feeling of satisfaction that her daughter had grown up filled her heart. Madam Nan was delighted:
"Silly child, how can a girl complain about having too many clothes?"
"This dress is for you to wear at the palace banquet."
Even if Madam Nan secretly did not want her daughter to enter the palace, she knew that the emperor's order was difficult to disobey. As long as the imperial power was involved, her daughter's marriage was not something she, as a mother, could decide.
Whenever she thought about how her actions during this period might damage her daughter's reputation and cause those gossipy women to gossip about her daughter behind her back, she felt uncomfortable.
Qiao'er was incredibly beautiful, and due to her premature birth, she was extremely frail. Therefore, she had never allowed her to attend any banquets before. But now that His Majesty had personally issued an imperial decree, an order that could not be disobeyed, she was determined to allow her daughter to appear before the public in a dignified manner.
In her heart, her Qiao'er is the best girl in the city of Bianjing!
Upon hearing this, Nan Qiao remained silent. She slowly reached out her hand and gently stroked the pink and blue fabric of the dress. The dress in her hand was soft and delicate. Even in the slightly dim room, the embroidery on the dress looked bright, elegant and gorgeous.
"Mother? This satin..." Such good satin, such fine embroidery, looks quite extraordinary... It vaguely feels like it is not ordinary satin.
"Does it look good?" Mrs. Nan asked with a smile.
Of course it looks good, Nan Qiao nodded.
"This is a piece of satin that the cloth shop owner paid as compensation. I heard it came from Suzhou, and it's authentic Suzhou embroidery." Madam Nan explained:
"The cloth that my mother used to make clothes was burned by the waiter. The shopkeeper compensated me with a piece of top-quality Suzhou embroidery satin. Look, the colors are still bright when embroidered."
Mrs. Nan happily picked up the dress in her hand and gestured to her daughter. Thinking of her daughter wearing such a dress, her joy doubled.
Although they also had several embroiderers in their mansion who made seasonal clothes for the people in the mansion on weekdays, their skills were not as good as those of the embroiderers in the cloth-pile embroidery building outside. So in order to prepare for her daughter's first palace banquet, Mrs. Nan specially took out the finest satin from the bottom of her dowry to make a new dress for her daughter.
But she didn't expect the other party to be so careless and burn her satin!
Fortunately, the boss was reasonable and compensated her with a piece of better material. Otherwise, Mrs. Nan would have been really heartbroken.
After all, the piece of satin that was burned wasn't just any ordinary piece of satin. It was part of the dowry that Madam Nan's family had provided when she married Lord Nan. Although it wasn't particularly precious, it was a treasured piece that she had always cherished...
Will the shopkeeper who sets up the stakes have to pay for it?
The hand that was stroking the dress paused slightly, the girl's lips curled up slightly, her drooping eyelashes covered her meaningful eyes, and a playful smile quickly flashed across her eyes.
I'm quite anxious...
………
Even though the city of Bianjing is now heavily guarded, it cannot resist the desire of a group of noble ladies who want to have fun and have fun. They gather in groups of three or five to hold a plum blossom viewing banquet at home, which is a good place to relieve boredom.
"So, the marriage between Miss Nan and General Ye is now off..."
"I heard that the Nan family came personally to cancel the marriage..."
"If you ask me, the Nan family is quite sensible. They also know that the daughter of a criminal minister is not worthy of General Ye..."
"Be careful with your words! The Nan family is still a legitimate court official." A girl reminded gently.
The noble lady, realizing she had spoken out of turn, stuck out her tongue and covered her mouth in embarrassment.
"I heard that His Majesty issued an edict to the Nan family, asking them to participate in this year's palace banquet, and specifically mentioned that the Nan family's daughters should attend?" A girl in pink asked curiously.
"I've heard that too. Maybe this time we can see the true face of that girl from the Nan family?" The noble lady in the crimson dress said with some interest.
"Among all the noble ladies of Bianjing, only this Nan family girl has hidden herself away so well. None of us has ever seen her. Isn't that curious?"
"What's there to be curious about? If she was good-looking, her reputation would have spread long ago. Why would she hide it?"
Although the city of Bianjing is now heavily guarded, it cannot resist the desire of a group of noble ladies to have fun. They gather in groups of three or five to hold a plum blossom viewing banquet at home, which is a good place to relieve boredom.
The noble lady would inevitably feel bored staying at home all year round, so she loved to hold various banquets to relieve her boredom. At the banquets, there was nothing else to do except appreciate flowers, play pot throwing, eat tea and write poetry. Her favorite thing was to share gossip with her sisters.
That young lady eloped with a man from another family, that family married a new bride, or that noble lady had an affair with someone again... These after-dinner jokes added a bit of fun to their splendid but monotonous lives.
The Nan family had recently become the hottest topic of conversation among them. As the former Crown Prince's pawns, everyone in the capital believed that the Nan family was doomed. Given the new emperor's tactics since ascending the throne, which ranged from confiscation of property to genocide, the Nan family was likely no exception.
Then, Madam Nan sent a letter to the Ye family to confirm their marriage in advance, then she called off the marriage and began to look at young men from poor families...
The circle was not big, and the news spread quickly. One thing after another made these noble ladies laugh at each other.
After all, noble ladies never have trouble finding a husband, and they have always prided themselves on their status. The Nan family mistress's actions did indeed cause some people to be unhappy.
"A good marriage has been called off. It will probably be difficult for this girl from the Nan family to find a husband in the future." The girl in the pink dress covered her mouth lightly and said with pity.
………
"Mother."
Seeing her son walking into the house, Ye's mother was delighted and quickly put down the account book in her hand:
"Xun'er is here. Has he had breakfast?"
"I've used it." Ye Xun said calmly. He was aloof by nature, and he was equally cold even when facing his biological mother.
"What does mother want from me?"
Mrs. Ye seemed to be accustomed to her son's attitude and didn't care. She looked at her cold and upright son, and the pride in her eyes seemed to overflow.
This is the son she raised!
Ye Xun, who is well-known throughout the city of Bianjing for his military and literary talents and outstanding military achievements at a young age, is her son!
Her son was the most outstanding young man in Bianjing City. Even a royal princess was worthy of him. How could he marry the daughter of a criminal?
Once again, she was sure that she had done nothing wrong. Madam Ye smiled and said to her son:
"Tomorrow is the palace banquet. Your father said that the girl from the Nan family will be there. Although the marriage has been canceled, the friendship between the two families still exists."
"Tomorrow when you meet the Nan family couple, just perform the duties of a junior."
The attitude of this pair of ordinary elders towards the future father-in-law is very different. Now that the marriage has been called off, those overly respectful courtesies in the past have to be put away.
Ye Xun's cold eyes moved slightly, and he agreed with his mother's words.
He didn't care too much about this marriage that had been arranged since he was a child, and he had never even thought about getting married.
As a general, galloping across the battlefield and facing off against the enemy is his lifelong pursuit. His future belongs to the battlefield where drums beat and smoke fills the air.
Even if they get married, they will stay at the border all day long, and their wives at home will probably be left alone in the empty house.
In this case, there is no need to waste the girl's time.
………
New Year's Eve
Perhaps it was because of the nice sky, New Year's Eve was still a rare warm sunny day. The heavy clouds turned into wind and snow and faded away. The sky washed by the wind and snow was clear blue, and it looked even deeper and clearer.
As night falls, the moon rises in the east, accompanied by a myriad of stars.
The palace banquet on New Year's Eve has always been a tradition. The emperor entertained all the court officials and their relatives as a token of his consolation for their hard work in the past year.
For court officials who serve in the imperial court again, it is an honor to bring their relatives to attend the palace banquet.
After all, palace banquets also have their own rules. Only officials of the third rank and above can bring their relatives into the palace, and only women with imperial edicts and legitimate sons and daughters can attend. Ministers of the fourth rank and above have elegant seats in the Linde Hall, while ministers below the fourth rank can only eat standing outside the courtyard.
The Linde Hall was brightly lit with floor heating. In the central hall, a group of singing girls in dancing costumes swayed gracefully to the music. Elegant seats were set up on both sides of the hall. Palace maids and officials came and went, constantly ushering court officials and their families into the hall to take their seats.
His Majesty's sedan chair has not yet arrived. At this time, the palace is quite noisy. The sounds of orchestral music are long and distant. The young men who are familiar with him gather together and talk loudly.
Young ladies who knew each other well also sat together, whispering to each other, and occasionally looking up at a few conspicuous men in the men's seats, and their silver bell-like laughter continued to spread.
Endless compliments rang in his ears, and the women sitting opposite him frequently cast admiring glances at him. Ye Xun had a cold and handsome face, and remained motionless like a clock.
He filled his glass again and drank it with his eyes lowered. The wine used in the palace banquet was naturally good wine. Perhaps because of the etiquette in front of the emperor, this wine was not as strong as the wine from the frontier, but it also had its own unique flavor.
He was concentrating on savoring the fine wine in the glass, savoring the bitterness of the medicinal herbs in the wine as if no one else was around.
It has a mellow taste, a sweet aftertaste and a refreshing aroma of plants and trees. It is indeed a rare delicacy on earth.
The noise besides the singing and music disappeared unconsciously. The alertness gained from years of marching made him frown and look up.
The hall fell into silence. The court officials and relatives who had gathered together and greeted each other all looked in the same direction.
Could it be that the emperor has arrived?
A guess quickly flashed through Ye Xun's mind, but he quickly denied it the next moment.
If it were His Majesty, their expressions wouldn't be so... so dull.
It's as if something has captured my soul...
All the speculations ended in an instant. Ye Xun's face darkened slightly and he quickly looked in that direction.
The next moment, a hint of hesitation suddenly appeared on the stern face.
The author has something to say:
Our General Ye’s wife is gone!
Please prepay!!
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