Duke's Mansion Birthday Celebration
“Ah Qiao…”
Fu Zhi Qiao quickly stopped her: "Don't come in yet!"
There were failed products, defective products, and various materials on the ground. If Xie Zhuo walked in and tripped over something, it would be bad if he messed up the order of the materials.
Xie Zhuo had no choice but to stop at the door.
Fu Zhiqiao took off her outer garment and instructed the craftsmen and Yinxing: "Pack your things, lock the door, and don't let anyone in."
As soon as she stepped out of the room, a maid brought her a basin of water to wash her hands. After washing her hands, Fu Zhi Qiao dried them with a handkerchief and asked Xie Zhuo, "What's the urgent matter that you need to see me about?"
Xie Zhuo replied, "Three days from now is the birthday of the old lady of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion. My mother wants you to go with her to offer your congratulations."
The old lady of the Rongguo Mansion celebrates her 80th birthday.
In the Great Wei Dynasty, where the average age is fifty or sixty, living to this age is considered quite long. The Great Wei Dynasty highly values filial piety, so the Rongguo Duke's Mansion naturally held a grand celebration for such a joyous occasion, inviting civil and military officials, imperial relatives, and the Duanqin Prince's Mansion was also among the invitees.
The Prince Duan's Mansion coming to offer birthday greetings is a gesture of respect to the Duke Rong's Mansion. In terms of status and position, there is no need for Xie Chi and Xie Zhuo to appear. Therefore, Zuo Murui plans to bring Fu Zhiqiao along.
On the day of the old lady's birthday.
Fu Zhi Qiao was dragged out of bed early in the morning by Granny Cui. She squinted and mumbled, "Granny, it's still early!"
"It's getting late! The young master has already gone to work. Besides, today is the day that the young lady will officially appear in front of the ladies of the great families. We can't afford to make any mistakes." As she spoke, Granny Cui pointed to several maids, who busily helped her wash, change, and dress.
Even though she was already married, Granny Cui still liked to call her "Miss." Since there were no outsiders in the room, Fu Zhi Qiao didn't correct her.
On her wedding day, Fu Zhi Qiao wore a veil the entire time, and later, in her room, she only showed herself to a few close female relatives. Today could be considered her official debut in the capital's social circles, and Granny Cui was putting in a lot of effort to dress her up.
Besides Yinxing, the two maids who served her personally were also brought from the Fu family. Under her influence, their makeup skills were also quite good.
Fu Zhi Qiao, like a soulless puppet, closed her eyes and dozed off for a while, letting them do whatever they wanted.
I don't know how much time had passed, but I heard Granny Cui exclaim, "The young lady is naturally beautiful, and she can stand out with just a little dressing up."
When Fu Zhi Qiao opened her eyes, she saw that Granny Cui had chosen a long, flowing brocade dress for her, adorned with peony-patterned silk gauze and a matching belt, perfectly showcasing her figure. Her hair was styled in a lotus bun, adorned with a jade phoenix hairpin, and delicate silver tassels hung from her forehead. A string of exquisite beads adorned her neck, and even her brocade shoes were decorated with gemstones.
Granny Cui had an old-fashioned aesthetic, so she dressed Fu Zhi Qiao in bright colors, which made Fu Zhi Qiao look more beautiful than flowers and incredibly radiant.
Fu Zhi Qiao shook her head: "Isn't that too extravagant? It's an elder's birthday, how can I steal the spotlight?"
Granny Cui thought it made sense, so she took some jewelry off her head.
Thanks to Granny Cui's urging early in the morning, Fu Zhi Qiao had already washed and dressed up and was sitting in the main hall waiting for Zuo Murui.
As soon as Zuo Murui entered, she saw Fu Zhi Qiao. She looked her up and down. Her clothes and jewelry were brightly colored but still appropriate. Looking at Fu Zhi Qiao's face, her makeup was light and her eyes were clear and calm. There was nothing wrong with her.
Let's go!
Zuo Murui wasn't dressed up in a very elaborate way. She wore a crimson brocade jacket with intricate embroidery, a large pearl the size of a thumb on a gold hairpin in her hair, and a jade bracelet of excellent green color on her wrist. The jade was of fine texture and had a transparent quality, making it clear that it was very valuable.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law rode together in a horse-drawn carriage.
The coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage headed towards the Rongguo Duke's mansion.
Before long, the carriage slowly came to a stop; they had arrived at the Rongguo Duke's Mansion.
A commotion could be faintly heard outside the carriage. Zuo Murui reminded her, "Today is the old lady's eightieth birthday. The event will be quite grand. Ladies, young ladies, and young masters from all the families that are associated with the Rongguo Duke's Mansion will be attending. With so many people around, stay close to me and don't get lost in someone else's courtyard."
Fu Zhiqiao nodded obediently.
As soon as they stepped off the carriage, a steward recognized Zuo Murui and hurriedly came forward to bow, his tone and demeanor extremely respectful: "Greetings, Your Highness! Greetings, Princess Consort! This way, please."
Granny Zhang handed the visiting card to the steward, and then a maid in a light green dress led them into the courtyard.
Passing through pavilions, towers, long corridors, and narrow paths, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion may not be as luxurious and grand as a prince's mansion, but it has its own elegant charm.
On the way to the main hall to pay respects to the old lady, several ladies came up to chat with Zuo Murui, and Zuo Murui responded with a smile to each of them.
Fu Zhiqiao followed behind Zuo Murui at a leisurely pace, focusing all her attention on Zuo Murui. When Zuo Murui was enthusiastic towards the newcomer, she smiled more gently. When Zuo Murui was indifferent, she would put on a cold but polite smile.
They chatted with various ladies along the way, which took some time. When Zuo Murui and Fu Zhiqiao arrived at the main hall, it was already full of people.
The weather in July and August was rather sweltering, but Fu Zhiqiao felt a cool breeze as soon as she entered the main hall.
The hall was filled with noble ladies, and the one in the very center, surrounded by them, was the old lady of the Rongguo Mansion.
She was dressed in a dark blue dress with silver thread embroidered with the Five Blessings, sitting on a rosewood chair. Her full head of silver hair was neatly combed, and she wore a headband inlaid with gemstones. Her air of wealth and nobility was natural.
Fu Zhiqiao glanced at it and then lowered her head. It would be impolite to casually look around when visiting someone else's home for the first time, so she stood still with her eyes down.
Upon seeing Zuo Murui arrive, Wang Yiqiu, the first wife of the Duke's Mansion, rose to greet her, smiling and saying, "This humble woman greets Your Highness. Your Highness has finally arrived."
The other ladies and young women also stood up and bowed to Zuo Murui.
The old lady also saw Zuo Murui, stood up and wanted to curtsy, "Your Majesty..."
Zuo Murui immediately stepped forward and supported the old lady's arm, saying, "Old lady, please don't make me feel so bad."
The old lady was a Buddhist, so Zuo Murui, knowing her preferences, asked a Buddha statue from a temple as a birthday gift. The white jade Buddha statue was warm and lustrous, and it was clearly a rare and precious item.
The old lady's smile grew even brighter. "I am truly blessed that even the Princess Consort came to wish me a happy birthday."
"Madam, you are too kind. Mu Rui is a junior. How can a junior not come to offer birthday wishes to an elder?" As she spoke, she called out again, "Zhi Qiao, come and greet Madam."
Fu Zhiqiao then stepped forward, curtsied in a junior's greeting, and said a few words of blessing with a faint smile on her face.
Upon seeing Fu Zhi Qiao, the old lady was slightly surprised and exclaimed, "What a beautiful woman!"
Everyone in the room turned their attention to Fu Zhiqiao.
With a small, delicate face, fair skin like solidified cream, and a natural blush on her cheeks, she possessed a slender figure and a refined, elegant beauty that captivated everyone's attention.
I had heard that the Crown Princess came from a merchant family, and I thought she would be a woman with a vulgar appearance and a commoner's air. I never expected her to be so charming and intelligent.
Many of the people present had attended the wedding banquet that day, but only a few were able to enter the bridal chamber to see the bride. Therefore, most of them did not know what the bride looked like. They had only heard people praise how beautiful the bride was. Today, they finally saw her in person.
Yes, she was indeed born with a rare beauty.
After exchanging pleasantries, everyone returned to their seats.
They sat according to seniority and in order of seniority.
Apart from the princesses and empresses in the palace, no one in this room had a higher status than Zuo Murui. She was seated to the right of the old lady of the Rongguo Duke's household, while Fu Zhiqiao sat in the seat below Zuo Murui.
The Rongguo Duke's Mansion is a large family.
The Rongguo Duke's Mansion has three legitimate children, two illegitimate sons and one illegitimate daughter, all of whom are married. The number of descendants is even greater in the grandchildren's generation. The eldest grandson of the eldest branch is Sun Lixuan, the second grandson is Sun Chongguang, plus the people of the second and third branches... Roughly speaking, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion has a core circle of over a hundred people, not to mention the relatives and clansmen.
As expected of a prestigious and powerful family, Fu Zhiqiao clicked her tongue twice in her heart and secretly memorized the appearances of the people in the room.
*
As guests arrived one after another, the elderly lady, being of advanced age, did not have the energy to sit in the main hall and chat with the guests, so she went back to her room to rest.
After the old lady left, the voices in the room became louder. After all, with an elder present, one should be more reserved in speech and actions. Once the elder left, the atmosphere instantly became more relaxed.
"Your Highness is truly blessed. Not only is your son outstanding, but even your daughter-in-law surpasses all of ours." The lady who spoke clearly wanted to flatter Zuo Murui. She had a round face that exuded peace and prosperity. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had a refined demeanor. Fu Zhi Qiao didn't recognize her and didn't feel comfortable asking who she was. She could only smile and face her.
Wang Yiqiu smiled and looked at Fu Zhiqiao, "That's right, the young master is already a rare good-looking man in the world, and now he can marry a wife who is one in a million."
Fu Zhi Qiao smiled shyly at her.
The round-faced lady continued to praise, "The Crown Prince and his wife are so good-looking, they could be described as celestial children under the Bodhisattva's seat. I wonder how beautiful their child will be."
There was a moment of stillness in the air.
Soon, the round-faced lady realized that she had said the wrong thing.
That's just bringing up the very thing you don't want to talk about!
The rumors that Xie Zhuo might have difficulty having children once caused a great stir in the city. Knowing that it was difficult for him to have children, he still brought it up. Wasn't that like stabbing people in the heart?
The smile on Zuo Murui's face faded.
Fu Zhiqiao raised an eyebrow, remembering the rumor that Xie Zhuo had difficulty conceiving, and immediately came to her rescue, saying, "Thank you for your kind words, Madam!"
Zuo Murui smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes: "The two children are still young. We'll leave the matter of having children to fate. There's no rush."
The round-faced lady's cheeks flushed. "Yes, yes, the young master and his wife are still young. There's no rush, no rush!"
The little incident passed just like that.
Zuo Murui was of high status, and everyone present was intentionally or unintentionally flattering her.
Fu Zhi Qiao is her daughter-in-law and the only new face here, so the conversation naturally turned to her.
Most of the people here are meeting Fu Zhi Qiao for the first time and don't know anything about her knowledge or character; all they can praise is her appearance.
Fu Zhiqiao guessed that perhaps it was because Zuo Murui was the highest-ranking person here that these ladies and young women only used nice words to describe her, exaggerating her beauty to the point of being overrated.
Fu Zhi Qiao was a little embarrassed by the praise.
After the ladies finished praising Fu Zhiqiao, they praised Xie Zhuo. Zuo Murui felt very comfortable from the flattery, so she returned the compliments. On one hand, she praised the third son of the Imperial Censor's family for his handsome appearance and extraordinary demeanor, and on the other hand, she praised the eldest daughter of the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies for her graceful figure and both beauty and talent.
Fu Zhiqiao: ...
In an instant, words of praise filled the entire room.
Compared to Fu Zhi Qiao herself, these ladies were more curious about the alcohol. After all, Fu Zhi Qiao's journey from a merchant's daughter to being granted the title of County Lady by His Majesty and being betrothed to the Crown Prince of Duan's mansion was inseparable from alcohol.
It was a lady from one of the families who spoke first: "Princess Consort, could you tell us about this precious commodity, alcohol? We've heard that His Majesty values it highly!"
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