As the sky gradually darkened, a full moon slowly rose, and the lights of the Xue Mansion appeared even more dazzling against the backdrop of the night sky.
The most important thing about Mid-Autumn Festival is moon-viewing. The banquet is held in the main courtyard. When you look up, you can see the moon, hanging high in the sky like a jade plate. In this scene, drinking under the moon is an elegant thing to do.
Everyone in the Xue Mansion took their seats, with Xue Zhentong and Fu Ling and his wife sitting at the head of the table.
Today the couple are dressed very formally and it can be seen that they are in a good mood.
Xue Zhentong's black robe was embroidered with gold thread, and the fabric was wide and straight, which made his broad figure look somewhat majestic.
Fu Ling also wore a light purple brocade skirt embroidered with golden chrysanthemums. She wore a phoenix hairpin with a pearl in her hair, a jade hibiscus in her temples, and a string of bodhi beads as white as mutton-fat jade around her wrist.
She was dressed in her usual elegant and graceful manner, and compared with Aunt Rong who was wearing a crabapple-colored dress, she looked even more dignified and elegant, and had the demeanor of a mistress of the house.
Although the banquet had not officially begun, everyone had already taken their seats.
Fu Ling and Xue Zhentong were talking when Concubine Rong interrupted: "Master, someone downstairs reported that Ting Liu's carriage is arriving soon."
Fu Ling was quite dissatisfied: "Erlang is really putting on a big show now. As a junior, he wants the whole family to wait for him."
Concubine Rong handled Fu Ling's criticisms with ease: "She said she was delayed a little by official business today, so she came a little late. If the young master can successfully pass the imperial examination next year, I'm sure Madam will understand Ting Liu's difficulties."
In such quarrels between women, Xue Tingliu's presence always makes Aunt Rong invincible.
Fu Ling's face darkened after being choked. She glanced at her own son Xue Tingsheng who was sitting not far away, and almost lost control of herself, squeezing the Bodhi beads in her hand until they made a creaking sound.
Xue Zhiyi was sitting very close to Fu Ling and could clearly hear their occasional arguments.
She was happy to see the conflict between Aunt Rong and Fu Ling. The more they fought to the death, the less trouble she would have.
Xue Zhiyi was in a very good mood today. She had a pair of hanging buns on her head, with osmanthus flowers pinned on her temples. Pearl tassels hung down, swaying gently with her every frown, smile and movement. The jade-colored vest covered with her red brocade jacket was embroidered with a pair of jade rabbits, which made her look more lively and smart.
She glanced at his nominal brother Xue Tingsheng. Xue Tingsheng looked about 70% similar to Fu Ling. Both had a pair of extremely calm eyes and seemed to have a very good temper. Although his academic performance was not as good as Xue Tingliu, he was already a juren at this age. His qualifications were not bad. If he had not been suppressed by Xue Tingliu, he would have been an exceptionally outstanding person.
Xue Zhiyi chuckled softly. Actually, he and his brother were not very close. Perhaps it was because they were a little bit older than each other. Xue Tingsheng always liked to talk about the words of those Zhihu people and saints since he was a child. Xue Zhiyi just found it boring. After a long time, they could no longer play together.
But there was one thing Xue Zhiyi knew: her brother was not as kind and honest as he seemed. She had seen everything about his true nature in her previous life and knew it all clearly.
At this moment, a servant came to announce: "The second young master is back! The second young master is back!"
Aunt Rong was so happy that the corners of her mouth almost reached her ears.
Xue Zhentong was also extremely excited about his son's return. He stood up in a hurry, not noticing that Fu Ling's face beside him was becoming increasingly gloomy.
Xue Tingliu was tall and graceful. Perhaps he didn't have time to change his clothes, or he was deliberately trying to fool Fu Ling, but he didn't change his dark crimson official robe embroidered with clouds and geese.
It has to be said that he was born with excellent looks, almost inheriting all the advantages of Xue Zhentong and Aunt Rong. His face was as clear as autumn water, and his eyes were as deep as the sea. However, countless calculations were hidden in the sea, and it was difficult to detect the hidden scheming contained in it. It seemed that he was always looking at the world around him, calculating every possible plan.
For some reason, Xue Tingliu met Xue Zhiyi's eyes as soon as he walked into the yard. Those eyes were sharp, as if they could penetrate people's hearts with just one glance.
But this glance only lasted for a moment, and almost no one noticed the eye contact. Only Xue Zhiyi silently clenched his fingers.
She knew that Xue Tingliu was not an easy person to deal with, and could even be said to be one of the few smart people in the entire Xue family.
After Xue Tingliu withdrew his gaze, he turned his attention to Xue Zhentong and Aunt Rong.
Pulling him, Aunt Rong exclaimed, "My son!"
Before Aunt Rong could make a move, Xue Tingliu bowed and said politely, "Father and Mother, I'm late. I hope you will punish me."
Although he was talking about father and mother, he never took his biological mother Fu Ling seriously from beginning to end. Instead, he welcomed the warm gaze of Aunt Rong.
"My son...you have lost weight!"
"After all, my son is a new official, so he always has to run around."
Xue Zhentong patted his shoulder: "I'm glad you're back, I'm glad you're back!"
They were having a great time, as if the three of them were a family.
Xue Zhiyi observed the expressions of Fu Ling and Xue Tingsheng, which were dark and unwilling, which was really exciting.
"Okay, stop standing around. Now that you're back, let's all take our seats."
Fu Ling's voice temporarily stopped the warmth between the three of them.
Now that Xue Tingliu has arrived, the banquet can begin.
A meal of seven meat dishes, seven vegetable dishes, and three desserts was placed on the table in front of Xue Zhiyi. She just ate silently while listening to Xue Zhentong and Xue Tingliu, father and son, discussing official business.
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