Chapter 25 The Feast at Hongmen "There will be a long time in the future, we will meet again someday..."
Emperor Jinghuai originally intended to bestow a new mansion upon Lu Xiuyi, but Lu Xiuyi thought about it and refused, only planning to expand his existing mansion.
On the day the mansion was finished being renovated, Zhuang Mama's two maids from Tongzhou were also brought to the capital.
One of them was in her late teens, with a beautiful face and delicate eyebrows, a true beauty in the making. Although she spoke gently, every word she uttered was perfectly tactful.
After finishing his business, Lu Xiuyi returned from Xiying and went to see Madam Zhuang. Madam Zhuang pointed to the girl and introduced her to him with a smile: "Brother Yi, this is Congxin, surnamed Ying. Back then, when I was homeless, her parents gave me a meal. It was because of that meal that I had the chance to live and wait for the Princess. Six years ago, her parents died. I happened to see her on my way to Tongzhou and brought her back with me."
As she spoke, Madam Zhuang took Ying Congxin's hand and said seriously, "Congxin, this is the Yi-ge'er I've often told you about, now the General of Huaihua. Why don't you come over and greet the General?"
Ying Congxin raised her eyebrows slightly, then lowered her head with a flushed face and curtsied to Lu Xiuyi: "Congxin greets General."
"Should it be from the heart? From the heart, from the heart, that's a good name."
Lu Xiuyi glanced at her briefly, said something casually, then looked away and said to Madam Zhuang, "Since you have someone to serve you, I'm relieved. But there's something I need to tell you. The new residence is completed, and I'd like to invite several officials from the court to celebrate tomorrow. Their families will also be there. I've already asked Aunt Ji to help with welcoming the guests, so you only need to help with the dishes."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhuang felt that the spoiled and willful boy from back then had truly grown up, and his demeanor was quite like that of the former princess. She smiled and said, "Since Yi-ge is an official in the court, this is only right. You can leave this matter to me, and I will certainly take good care of it for you."
Lu Xiuyi nodded, then excused himself, saying he had something to attend to, and left.
***
When the invitation from the Huaihua General's Mansion was delivered to Meng Yanqing, he looked incredulous and hurriedly lowered his head to accept it with trembling hands.
The person who delivered the invitation was a deputy general of Lu Xiuyi, a man of imposing stature and a booming voice. Meng Yan was thin and frail; when the two faced each other, their scholarly demeanor and untamed nature were on full display.
The lieutenant relayed Lu Xiuyi's words to Meng Yanqing in a gruff voice: "Our general has long heard that Lord Meng has three daughters, each of whom is beautiful and has an unparalleled demeanor. Tomorrow's banquet, please make sure that you and your wife bring your three daughters to attend."
After saying this, the deputy left without looking back.
Meng Yanqing felt his head buzzing, as if a thousand pounds of iron were pressing down on him, and his feet felt like they were sinking into thin air, as if he were falling straight down. When he came to his senses, he found himself staggering to Ci'an Hall, sobbing and crying out, "Mother, Mother, something terrible has happened."
After finishing her lunch, Madam Meng was about to take a nap when she suddenly heard Meng Yanqing's panicked voice. She quickly put on her clothes and went to greet him, only to find that his face was deathly pale, as if his soul had been taken away.
She was startled, thinking that something terrible had happened, such as the confiscation of their property and the extermination of their clan. However, she still managed to remain calm and ordered someone to help him sit down: "What happened? Why are you so flustered?"
Meng Yanqing replied tremblingly, "Just now, just now General Huaihua sent someone to deliver an invitation, saying that the new residence has been completed and inviting my wife, the three young ladies of the family, and me to the mansion to celebrate."
Seeing that it was nothing serious, Madam Meng calmed down. "I thought it was something important. You've attended banquets of court officials before. Why are you so flustered about something as simple as a banquet?"
Meng Yanqing slapped his thigh, his face full of trouble: "Attending the banquet is a small matter, but he specifically mentioned that it is essential to bring three young ladies."
Madam Meng was even more dismissive: "Everyone knows you have three daughters. What harm would it do to bring them all along?"
Meng Yanqing sighed: "The other day, everyone was here, and I didn't dare tell my mother that the young marquis stopped to greet my son and only mentioned that the children raised by my Meng family are all exceptionally capable, and he greatly admires them. Now that he has sent someone to deliver the invitation, he specifically mentioned that the daughters of my Meng family are all beautiful. With him saying this, isn't it obvious that he has taken a liking to Shuang'er?"
"How could you be so sure it was Shuang'er, not Yin'er, and..." The name Meng Yu was about to come out when Old Madam Meng swallowed it back in time.
The third daughter was mute and rarely left the house. She couldn't compare to the second daughter in terms of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, nor could she be as lively and interesting as the fourth daughter. Even if the young marquis saw such a timid and dull mute, he would surely look down on her.
Seeing that Madam Meng hesitated to speak, Meng Yanqing became even more certain: "After careful consideration, Mother must also feel that what I said makes sense."
The reason he didn't think it was Meng Yin was because Meng Yin was wearing a veil on the day she met Lu Xiuyi, and he didn't know whose daughter she was. In addition, Meng Shuang was famous, so it was only natural that Lu Xiuyi would come to her out of admiration.
Looking at the dappled sunlight outside the door, Madam Meng sighed, "Even if he really does take a fancy to Shuang'er, there's nothing we can do. If you refuse, he won't openly make a move against you, but what about secretly... let's wait and see!"
Even if an official performs well in the court, he cannot escape being framed and slandered by others.
Moreover, this person is the emperor's own nephew.
When the news reached Zhenhuazhai, Madam Yuan was so shocked that her hand went limp, and the teacup slipped from her grasp and shattered on the floor.
Mrs. Deng didn't dare to speak, but hurriedly told people to clean up the broken porcelain pieces.
Madam Yuan stepped forward and clung to Meng Yanqing's arm, pleading in a hoarse, sobbing voice, "Master, please, please don't marry Shuang'er off to that playboy. Although he is now the General of Huaihua, he is dissolute by nature and often frequents brothels. What will happen if Shuang'er marries him?"
Meng Yanqing helped her sit down in a chair and sighed, "It's just going to a banquet, and besides, the matter is still undecided."
“Since he said so, he must have such intentions. Even if he were to say it outright, it would only be a matter of words.” Madam Yuan was extremely anxious. She had gone to great lengths to raise her daughter, and she certainly did not do so to marry such a notorious man.
Meng Yanqing said helplessly, "He is the official's nephew. Even if we want to marry him, what can we do? Just as Mother said, let's wait and see! Tell Shuang'er and Yin'er to prepare well and come to the banquet with us tomorrow."
Having said that, Meng Yanqing did not want to mention it again, so he turned around and left.
When the news of tomorrow's banquet at the General's Mansion in Huaihua reached Qingli Courtyard, Zhi Mian spoke with great enthusiasm, completely oblivious to the shock on the faces of the three people inside.
Meng Yu realized what was happening and immediately instructed Huai Yin to send Zhi Mian away.
She quickly helped Aunt Shen, who was trembling and pale, to sit down at the table and comforted her, "It must be just a coincidence, Aunt Shen, don't worry for now."
Sunlight streamed in through the window, half of Aunt Chen's body hidden in shadow. She looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, and gripped her hand tightly: "But what about tomorrow's banquet?"
After calming down, Meng Yu's brain reacted quickly. She smiled faintly, withdrew her hand, and simply gestured, "Don't worry."
Regardless of whether Lu Xiuyi's purpose was to win over important officials in the court, or whether he had already discovered her identity and deliberately set up a trap for her, or for some other reason, she would never appear in front of him tomorrow.
***
The golden morning sun painted the eaves with beautiful colors. Under the long corridor, a skirt swept past the corner of the wall. Huaiyin hurriedly went around to the main hall, bowed her head and replied nervously, "Reporting to the old lady, master, madam, something bad has happened. When the third young lady got up this morning, she found that her face was covered with red rashes, which have not gone away yet."
Madam Meng's expression changed slightly, and she asked seriously, "What happened? Have you called a doctor?"
Huaiyin didn't dare to look up, and only replied, "Yes, the doctor said that the third young lady didn't sleep well last night and had excessive liver fire. She needs to rest for two days."
When Meng Yanqing heard the maid's message, he angrily flung his sleeves and scolded Meng Yu for being useless. He said that she was so flustered about attending a banquet that she couldn't even sleep well, and that the problem only occurred when she was about to leave.
Yuan and the others didn't feel anything. In their opinion, whether Meng Yu went or not wouldn't make any difference, because they were sure that Lu Xiuyi would look down on a mute.
Madam Meng said to Meng Yanqing, "If it were on the body, it would be fine, but it's on the face. If we let her go, it would be a disgrace to the Meng family. Let her rest at home. When you get to the General's Mansion, just report to the young Marquis truthfully. This is beyond human control, and I don't think he can do anything about it."
Meng Yanqing frowned and nodded: "That's the only way."
Hearing Madam Meng's words, Huaiyin finally felt relieved. After leaving the main hall, she jogged back to Qingli Courtyard to tell Meng Yu and Aunt Shen the good news.
Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
But upon seeing Meng Yu's face covered in red rashes, Aunt Shen became worried again: "Yu'er, is your face really alright?"
Because of what happened today, Meng Yu stayed up until midnight before resting. Now, her dark circles were still prominently displayed under her eyes. She yawned and smiled, "Don't worry, Auntie, I'm really fine. I'll eat lightly for the next couple of days and I'll be better the day after tomorrow."
The red rash on her face was caused by the angelica root she applied; it subsided naturally after a couple of days.
Upon hearing this, Aunt Shen hurriedly went out and instructed Zhi Mian to make the meals lighter for the next few days. Still feeling uneasy, she put on her clothes and personally cooked lunch for today.
The carriage traveled along the wide street; outside it was noisy, but inside it was completely silent. Meng Yanqing and Madam Yuan sat in the main seats, while Meng Shuang and Meng Yin sat on either side.
The four people in the carriage each had their own thoughts.
Meng Yanqing pondered how to explain Meng Yu's absence to Lu Xiuyi so that he wouldn't be too angry; Madam Yuan was worried that her daughter, whom she had painstakingly raised for over a decade, might actually be favored by Lu Xiuyi in a single day.
Meng Shuang learned that Madam Ji had gone to the General's Mansion to help receive everyone, and assumed that Qin Musui would also go with her. She was pondering how to leave a good impression on him. As for the possibility that Lu Xiuyi might take a liking to her, for some reason, she didn't feel worried.
Needless to say, Meng Yin was convinced that Lu Xiuyi had sent out the invitation because he had found out that the girl he had saved that day was the daughter of the Meng family, and that he had gone to great lengths to set up a banquet so that he could openly and legitimately get to know her.
People from the general's mansion came out to greet them. The steward led Meng Yanqing to the main hall, while Ying Congxin led the ladies to the inner quarters.
When Madam Ji learned that Meng Shuang would also be coming today, she and Madam Zhuang had been waiting in the courtyard.
After exchanging pleasantries, everyone proceeded to the banquet.
***
Recalling what happened at the lotus banquet that day, Madam Ji was still full of remorse. She held Meng Shuang's hand and comforted her, "You must not take it to heart that A Song embarrassed you in public that day."
Qin Musui's original name was Qin Song, which he changed after entering the court as an official.
Meng Shuang slightly raised her lips, her voice gentle and low, like a breeze caressing her face: "My memory is a bit bad, I've long forgotten what the young master said that day."
Seeing how sensible and reasonable she was, Madam Ji felt even more guilty. She gently patted her hand and said, "Don't worry, you are the only daughter-in-law I have chosen. Ning Sui is always wielding swords and spears, and she is not as gentle and quiet as you."
Meng Shuang lowered her head, her face showing an indescribable sadness: "But in terms of family background, I am far inferior to Miss Ning."
"Do I look like someone who only cares about family background? So what if my family background is lower?" Madam Ji frowned slightly, took Madam Yuan's hand and said to her, "Look at your mother. Even though she comes from a merchant family, her conduct and manners are several times better than those ladies from wealthy families. Besides, she has raised such a beautiful and dignified daughter as you."
Meng Shuang lowered her head, feeling ashamed of what she had just said.
Upon seeing this, Madam Yuan immediately smiled and said, "Madam, you flatter me. I am not worthy of such praise."
“You are capable of handling this,” Madam Ji said with a smile, her satisfaction growing as she looked at Meng Shuang. “When we get back, I will talk to his father. If he agrees, we won’t need to ask Asong anymore. We will choose a day to propose marriage.”
Upon hearing this, both Madam Yuan and Meng Shuang were overjoyed, but they did not show it on their faces.
On the other side, after explaining to Lu Xiuyi why Meng Yu hadn't arrived, Meng Yanqing lowered his head, bracing himself for a storm.
To everyone's surprise, Lu Xiuyi merely chuckled, his low, husky voice devoid of any emotion: "It's alright. There's plenty of time in the future; we'll meet again someday."
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