Fangting Waterside Pavilion
"Cousin," Ye Zhisang said, clearly displeased, "why won't you let me in?"
"Why do you insist on going in again?" Shen Wumei asked.
"I heard from my uncle that you brought a girl home. I'm curious, you've never had a maidservant in your life. Could it be that someone has put a curse on you?" Ye Zhisang muttered softly.
"What's there to be curious about? What's it to you?" Shen Wumei said bluntly.
Ye Zhisang was indignant and felt very wronged: "How can this have nothing to do with me? You clearly said before that you would marry me."
Behind her, the door creaked open, and Zhu Qinghe, who had finished getting ready, peeked out from beside Shen Wumei's arm, who was blocking the doorway, and asked, "Really?"
Shen Wumei: "...That was all before I was three years old, and that's not what I meant at all."
Ye Zhisang pouted: "I don't care. A real man keeps his word."
Shen Wumei was too lazy to deal with her: "You've seen the person, now get out of here."
How old are you? You still have no sense of propriety at all.
Ye Zhisang circled around Zhu Qinghe and sneered, "She's just average-looking." She had originally intended to intimidate the other party with her aura, but when she got closer, she found that the other party was half a head taller than her. It was really too strange for her to talk tough while looking up at her.
So after she had vented her anger, she turned and walked away, her pink skirt swaying back and forth.
Shen Wumei: "Don't pay any attention to her, she's spoiled by her family."
"Your family members who spoiled her include your cousin."
"Ahem," Shen Wumei asked, "Are you hungry? We had soup dumplings this morning. The chef is from Licheng, so they're sure to suit your taste."
“Okay,” Zhu Qinghe didn’t dwell on the matter and changed the subject.
"I want three baskets."
"No problem, you can eat as much as you want."
My cousin was also there when we had breakfast, and she wasn't looking at Zhu Qinghe with a friendly gaze.
Zhu Qinghe didn't care. She was joking. There were twelve people at the marriage selection banquet. If she cared about everything and was jealous of everything, would she even want to live?
The matchmaking banquet was to be held at the largest and most upscale restaurant in Kyoto, Fangting Shuixie.
Strictly speaking, this is not just a simple restaurant. In addition to dining, it also offers a full range of entertainment functions that cater to both the mind and body, including storytelling and singing, hot spring bathing, drinking and tea tasting, gambling, and brothels.
All-inclusive entertainment venues are the favorite haunts of the wealthy and dissolute.
Of course, the price is also very attractive.
However—Zhu Qinghe, holding an invitation, was considered a distinguished guest. But since it was still early, she stood behind Prime Minister Shen with Shen Wumei, gossiping.
"Your father is putting on such a grand show to choose a husband for you, isn't he afraid of being impeached?"
This pavilion by the water, if booked for a whole day, must cost a lot of money, she thought, her gaze falling on the servants coming and going.
Goodness, this outfit is even more glamorous than what she's wearing.
They all seem to be of high quality, and their wages must be quite high.
Kyoto is just different; you can tell it's incredibly expensive everywhere.
Shen Wumei, a true young master born and raised in the capital, naturally didn't make a fuss like her.
"I asked around, and it turns out someone booked the whole place and invited him. The old man is quite shrewd; he turned around and used me as an excuse to spend money, and he made a big fuss about it."
Zhu Qinghe understood. The person who booked the venue clearly wanted to bribe Prime Minister Shen and ask him for a favor. After all, he had already spent the money, so he couldn't very well refuse.
As a result, Prime Minister Shen used it to hold a marriage proposal banquet for his son. Before, he could have used it as a pretext to find fault with the prime minister for being disrespectful to his elders and indulging in pleasure. But now, the prime minister is using it for serious business.
What? You're saying that's money you spent? Well, what can I do? You did it willingly.
We're friends, there's no need to ask for this little bit of money back.
I bet the sucker who booked the whole place is furious at home, probably spitting blood.
Tsk tsk tsk, it turns out that Shen Wumei's cunning and ruthless nature comes from his father.
"What is the procedure for this marriage selection banquet?" Zhu Qinghe was asking him when she heard Prime Minister Chen in front of her give a light hum.
"What could he possibly know? It's pointless to ask."
Zhu Qinghe quickly chimed in, "May I ask you something?"
Prime Minister Shen coldly replied, "The questions cannot be revealed."
Shen Wumei retorted, "This isn't the imperial examination, don't bring your civil service ways here."
Prime Minister Shen: "What's wrong with civil officials? They're better than brutes who only know how to wield weapons."
Seeing that things were not going well, Zhu Qinghe quickly interrupted the two, "It's all good, it's all good. They are both very skilled in both literature and martial arts. The girls should be arriving soon, so I'll go to the first floor to wait for them."
"Prime Minister Shen, I'll be leaving now." After bidding farewell to Prime Minister Shen, she shook Shen Wumei's hand again. "See you later."
Shen Wumei withdrew her gaze, and then heard her father say calmly, "This girl is not bad."
He felt honored and was just about to say something when he heard the next sentence—
"It's a pity you're not good enough for me."
Shen Wumei: "...She likes me."
"Bad judgment."
Prime Minister Shen glanced at Shen Wumei, who was secretly gathering her strength, and delivered another fatal blow: "All you have to offer is your face."
This can't possibly be his biological father. It's clear that his decision to leave back then was the right one.
As Zhu Qinghe was still descending the steps, several exquisitely made-up and elegantly dressed young women entered one after another through the doorway.
The girl in yellow walking in front had an arrogant and disdainful expression. When she met Zhu Qinghe's gaze, she naturally said, "You must be a maid here. Take us to see Young Master Shen."
Zhu Qinghe was still looking at the gold embroidery on her skirt. At first glance, it was not eye-catching, but those who knew its value would know that it was the tribute silk embroidery. Just this skill alone was very valuable. A skilled embroiderer could earn a hundred taels of silver a month.
In front of others, she looked exactly like a maid.
Zhu Qinghe walked up to her and smiled: "Miss, I am not a maid here. I am here to attend the marriage selection banquet just like you."
The girl looked her up and down a few times, raising her delicate eyebrows slightly: "Are you also here for the marriage selection banquet?"
When did the Prime Minister's residence become so indiscriminate in its food choices?
A slightly plump and voluptuous girl in red walked over and greeted the girl in yellow first: "Sister Fuying, I knew you would be here."
The girl called "Fuying" nodded slightly: "So it's You'an, you've come too."
Liang Youan has a very kind appearance, with round eyes and a round nose. He always has a smile on his face when he sees anyone, and he has a lucky face.
Although she wasn't as glamorous and beautiful as the girl beside her, she had her own kind of charm.
"What's this lady's name? She looks unfamiliar," Liang Youan asked, looking at Zhu Qinghe.
“Zhu Qinghe, I’m not from the capital, so you’ve never seen me before,” Zhu Qinghe replied.
"Qinghe, why did you come down from the second floor?" Liang Youan asked curiously.
Aren't all the girls attending the marriage selection banquet supposed to wait on the first floor?
This Miss You'an looks innocent and naive, but she's quite good at grasping the key points.
Zhu Qinghe smiled and said, "I'm going to change."
Liang Youan: "Isn't there a changing room on the first floor?"
Zhu Qinghe's smile faded, and a hint of melancholy appeared on her face: "It's just a little personal quirk of mine. I don't go to the dressing room on the first floor."
"Why?" Liang Youan became increasingly curious and moved closer to her.
“There’s a saying in my hometown that the changing room on the first floor will give birth to a toilet ghost,” Zhu Qinghe said in a low voice.
Liang Youan covered her mouth and whispered, "Toilet ghost? What's that?"
Zhu Qinghe: "They are those people who get up to use the toilet in the middle of the night and accidentally fall in and drown. They died unjustly and can only wander around the toilets, but they can't leave the ground, so their activity range is limited to the toilets on the first floor."
"However, the capital is under the emperor's nose, so I'm sure a mere toilet ghost wouldn't dare to cause trouble. There's no need for everyone to worry."
After spouting nonsense, Zhu Qinghe added the last sentence with righteous indignation.
Liang Youan seemed to believe Zhu Qinghe's words wholeheartedly, while Fu Ying gave her a cold glance, saying, "Playing tricks, nonsense."
Zhu Qinghe chuckled and said, "Naturally, there's a lot of nonsense in remote and impoverished areas, unlike the arrogant and disdainful people in the capital."
Unable to argue with her, Fu Ying angrily turned her gaze away.
A group of maids came down from upstairs and said in a gentle voice, "Ladies, please follow us."
Zhu Qinghe glanced around the group and met a familiar face at the back. "Bai Qiuru, you really came."
Bai Qiuru naturally recognized her as well, and nodded slightly in greeting. Zhu Qinghe returned the greeting and then turned her head away.
It seems this marriage selection banquet is going to be interesting. When life gets too boring, people want to create some trouble for themselves.
Spending so much time with Shen Wumei, I've definitely become assimilated.
The marriage selection banquet invited twelve noble ladies, but Zhu Qinghe, who entered through connections, was not included.
Among the twelve noble ladies, Chen Fuying and Liang Youan came from the most prominent families. Prime Minister Shen was already very powerful, so naturally he couldn't find a wife for his son whose family had high-ranking officials.
But the dead are another matter.
Chen Fuying's grandfather was a founding general who has long since passed away, but the merits of his ancestors are enough to support the glory of several generations.
Some of her uncles and aunts held positions in the Hanlin Academy, while others had very successful businesses. Her father was considered to be doing well, as he was now the curator of the Imperial History Museum.
Liang Youan comes from a family of military officers. Her grandfather's generation guarded the border. Now, her father and several uncles guard the border, while the women live in the capital. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, so they can't come back for several years.
The other noble ladies had relatively simple identities; most of them were wealthy merchants in the capital and did not have any involvement in court power, such as Bai Qiuru.
This Prime Minister Shen truly lives up to his title; his considerations are incredibly thorough.
After comparing and reflecting on the situation in her mind, Zhu Qinghe realized that she had the worst background among these noble ladies.
Although she was doing quite well in Licheng and even earned the nickname "Sai Banxian" (meaning "half-immortal"), it's no exaggeration to say that she could command a large following.
But this is the capital city, and her abilities are not enough. Besides, who here knows her as "Semi-Immortal"?
These days, you can't get a wife... oh no, a husband, without some skills.
It's all Shen Wumei's fault. Why did she have to be the Prime Minister's son? It just makes things harder for her.
The welcoming maid led them to the side rooms behind the pavilion and waterside terrace. "The rule for this marriage selection banquet is two people per room, but there are thirteen young ladies, so..."
"So someone wants to live in a room by themselves, right?" Chen Fuying interrupted her, asking directly.
The maid nodded: "Yes."
Chen Fuying immediately said, "I want to have a room by myself. I'm not used to sharing with others."
Liang Youan bit her lower lip; she had originally wanted to be with Sister Fuying.
She saw Zhu Qinghe standing to the side, and her heart skipped a beat. She took Zhu Qinghe's hand in a familiar manner and said, "Qinghe, let's live together."
Zhu Qinghe was looking at Bai Qiuru when she heard this and hesitated. She wanted to share a room with Bai Qiuru so that she could keep an eye on her.
But now...
Zhu Qinghe suddenly looked at the maid and said, "It's not very safe for Miss Fuying to live alone. If something happens to her, can your Fangting Shuixie take responsibility?"
The maid, reminded by her words and remembering Chen Fuying's identity, immediately became wary. "What this young lady says makes sense. Do you have any good ideas?"
Zhu Qinghe: "I think this room is quite big. Wouldn't it be fine if there was just one room for three people?"
That's certainly possible, but the maid looked hopefully at everyone: "Which three young ladies are willing to make this sacrifice?"
Zhu Qinghe: "I live with Miss You'an and Miss Qiuru."
Bai Qiuru, who was at the back of the line, was called upon and looked over with some hesitation and confusion.
Zhu Qinghe said with a smile, "Miss Qiu Ru and I met once before, and we felt like old friends at first sight. It is fortunate that we sisters have the opportunity to confide in each other today."
"Miss Qiu Ru shouldn't refuse me, right?"
Bai Qiuru walked over and said, "Of course not, I would also like to live with Qinghe."
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