The flower-viewing banquet hosted by the eldest princess ended early because the queen was unwell.
Jiang Yueyang felt that the ladies looked at her in a strange way and when she wanted to approach them to talk to her, she was avoided by them.
She was puzzled, but didn't dwell on it for long.
In this world, the only thing that everyone likes is money.
So, after humming proudly in her heart, she walked towards the palace gate with light steps.
But Jiang Yueyang didn't know that all the noble ladies who attended the flower-viewing banquet today were kept in a place where she couldn't see.
As soon as he walked out of the palace gate, Jiang Yueyang saw his own carriage. The coachman was sleeping soundly on the shaft.
Her personal maid Xiangling jumped off the carriage the moment she saw her and ran towards her shouting.
"Girl, why did you come out so soon?"
Xiangling thought that she would not be able to go to the palace for the banquet until sunset, but she did not expect that she would leave at 13:00-15:00.
"The Queen is not feeling well, and the Princess wants to serve her, so she ends it early."
Xiangling nodded and asked cautiously, "Miss, did the princess say anything to you?"
"No, I even got a phoenix hairpin from the Queen!"
Jiang Yueyang mistakenly thought that Xiangling was worried that Xiangling would not know the rules when entering the palace for the first time and would offend the princess.
Xiangling breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that luckily the girl should not have eaten anything she shouldn't have.
"Then let's go back home quickly? The master and the mistress are worried about the girl, and the eldest master is probably back from the Imperial Academy."
It was a rare opportunity for Jiang Yueyang to come out, so she didn't want to go back now. Besides, if she went back, she might not be able to come out again.
So she quickly walked to the carriage and woke up the sleeping coachman.
"Miss, girl." The driver was startled when he suddenly saw his own girl standing in front of him.
"Go back and tell my parents that I'm fine, so they can rest assured. I'm going to go out for a walk before I come back."
The driver looked embarrassed, "Miss, the master asked me to take you back to the palace..."
"I don't care. I want to play outside for a while, or you can tie me up and take me back. Do you dare?"
The driver naturally didn't dare to do that, and in the end he could only watch Jiang Yueyang walking further and further away.
Xiangling chose her own daughter over the master's mistress.
The two of them strolled along the main street of the capital. Jiang Yueyang looked around, interested in everything.
She is fourteen years old and will be fifteen soon.
She has been confined in the mansion since she was born and knows very little about the things in this world.
Everything she knew was heard from her mother, maids and old women.
"Xiangling, do you know where there are some delicious food and fun things to do?" Jiang Yueyang asked.
"I know that the food in Qingfeng Tower is the best, the dim sum in Suxiangzhai is the most exquisite, the jewelry in Linglong Pavilion is the most beautiful, and the wine in Zuixianju is the most famous... but I don't know where they are."
Xiangling was an adopted daughter of the Jiang family and was sent to Jiang Yueyang when she was two years old.
Because Jiang Yueyang couldn't leave the house, she had few opportunities to go out. Moreover, every time she went out with the maids in the house, they mostly went to the ancient vegetable market.
This is also my first time visiting the main street of Beijing.
"It's okay. If we don't know, we can just ask."
Jiang Yueyang said this and walked to a stall selling round fans. The owner was a woman in her thirties.
She picked up a round fan embroidered with a blue bird and asked, "Sister, how much is this round fan?"
Seeing that Jiang Yueyang was well-dressed and polite, the woman smiled and replied, "Fifty cents."
Xiangling paid the money, and Jiang Yueyang asked naturally, "Sister, do you know how to get to Qingfeng Tower?"
"Qingfeng Tower? Just follow this road till the end."
Jiang Yueyang smiled at her and said, "Thank you for letting me know."
Afterwards, Jiang Yueyang took Xiangling and walked forward leisurely.
The front of Qingfeng Building is very large, with three floors. At this time, many people are already sitting in the lobby on the first floor.
There was a small stage inside, and a girl of about fifteen or sixteen was sitting on it playing an unknown tune.
It sounds pretty nice.
Jiang Yueyang found a secluded spot to sit down, and the waiter came up immediately to serve tea.
"What would you two girls like to eat?"
“Just a few of their signature dishes.”
"Okay, how about serving you a lotus chicken, prawns, jade soup and pearl balls?"
Jiang Yueyang nodded, "I heard that Zuixianju's wine is the most famous, can you buy a pot for me?"
"Of course, what kind of wine would you like to buy, girl?"
"I don't know what kind of wine Zuixianju has and how much it is worth. Can you tell me about it, little brother?"
"The most famous drink in Zuixianju is the Sangluo wine, which is worth a hundred taels per pot, and not everyone can buy it. After that, there are the Red Dust Brew, Lovesickness Drink, Hundred Flowers Drunk, Pine Dew, Bright Moon Sorrow, Breeze Drink, and Flower Wine..."
The waiter read out a long list of nice and poetic wine names. Jiang Yueyang felt that the person who gave those names to the wines must be a man of great literary talent.
"I wonder how much the Songjian Dew is worth?"
"Twenty taels a pot."
Jiang Yueyang glanced at Xiangling, and Xiangling immediately took out two ten-liang silver ingots and a piece of broken silver and placed them on the table.
"Thank you for your help."
The waiter's eyes lit up, he grabbed the silver on the table and said cheerfully: "Miss, you are too polite, I will go buy you some wine right away."
I saw him running into the kitchen and running out again after a while.
Xiangling frowned and said, "Girl, you can't drink."
Jiang Yueyang: Why did you pay so readily just now?
"I don't drink it. I bought it for my father and brother."
Xiangling grew up with her, so she knew what she was planning as soon as she heard it.
"Girl, a jug of wine may not be enough."
Jiang Yueyang waved her hand nonchalantly, "It's okay, I'll go buy some snacks later, it's not good to drink too much."
By then, the girl on the stage had finished her performance and was replaced by a little old man wearing a long gown, holding a folding fan and with a goatee.
The audience suddenly became lively because of the appearance of the old man, and diners asked what story was being told today.
Jiang Yueyang knew that the old man was the legendary storyteller.
The old man coughed lightly and clapped his fan into his palm, "Today I will tell you about our Great Xia's God of War, the young general Lu Yunting."
As soon as these words were spoken, there were gasps from the audience, as if they had heard something unbelievable.
"Mr. Tao, do you think your life is too long? How dare you make up stories about General Lu!"
"I heard that General Lu won a victory and will be returning to Beijing soon."
"What are you afraid of? General Lu's thundering methods are only aimed at the enemy. Mr. Tao, if you speak well today, you will get a reward!"
The man who was speaking took off the purse from his waist and threw it on the table. The silver and copper coins collided with each other, making a crisp and pleasant sound.
Jiang Yueyang couldn't help but wonder, who exactly was this formidable young general?
How come she had never heard her parents mention it?
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