This banquet was much smaller than the last one, but it was much more grand and dignified.
Red satin was laid out from the main gate of the mansion all the way to the main courtyard, and the maids, servants and young men were all dressed in new clothes and shoes.
Bird's nest porridge and fish maw soup were used as desserts. The tea was a gift from the imperial palace. Even the water used by the guests to rinse their mouths and wash their hands was made with the finest dried flowers. The busy feast on the stove was a delicacy that even many wealthy families rarely saw.
Poor commoners would sigh at the extravagance, but today the guests are all wealthy and powerful people from the capital, and they can only marvel at the riches of the Marquis's family.
Knowing that the banquet was to find a spouse for the heir apparent, they realized that this showed how much the old lady valued her eldest grandson's marriage.
Considering Xie Tingzhou's family background and the fact that the person in charge of the household is no longer his stepmother Liu, but the widowed Ye Zhen, many people couldn't help but have designs on the younger sister-in-law, since she could never surpass the elder sister-in-law.
The old lady said the same thing about the Marquis of Zhongyong: "Our Tingzhou's appearance is indeed damaged. I heard that he has recently offended many people by making bold moves in the Wude Division."
He is indeed not young anymore. This time, we must find him a woman who is excellent in both appearance and character. After much thought, I decided to let the noble family of the Marquis help him.
Although the expenses are higher, it's all for the children. As elders, all we want in life is for our children to have a good life..."
If the Marquis of Zhongyong did not know the true nature of the old lady, he would surely believe it to be true.
But now, this incident reminded him of something he hadn't noticed before: since his father's death, his mother had started to live extravagantly and ostentatiously.
When he first went to Qingzhou, he said he was worried about the Marquis's residence and would always come back to stay for half a year. At that time, Tinglan was in charge of the household. His mother often sighed in front of him, "Tinglan is truly the best daughter-in-law in the capital. She was afraid that I would suffer in Qingzhou, so she gave me the best of everything when I came back."
"It's just too extravagant. Mother thinks about how hard you and your father worked to achieve this wealth, and she feels a little uneasy about it. But since Lan was pampered and spoiled growing up in the Wang family, she doesn't want to let her come to our house and suffer."
He had begged Tinglan to marry him, and he couldn't bear to see her suffer. When he heard his mother's words, he simply took it as Tinglan's filial piety and hoped for harmony between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, so he never asked Tinglan about it.
After Tinglan passed away, the Marquis's mansion was once again taken over by his mother. His mother arranged for Liu to marry him and handed the mansion over to her. His mother returned to Qingzhou and did not return to the capital as frequently as before.
He was often away from home, so even if he saw his mother being extravagant and wasteful, he couldn't think too much about it.
Looking back now, I realize that my mother was two-faced, and I'm afraid that Lan suffered a lot of grievances at her hands back then.
When he thought of his first wife, Marquis Zhongyong was always filled with guilt and sorrow, but these emotions were of no use.
He took out his official business to handle.
Today's guests are mainly the ladies and their younger family members, so he doesn't need to entertain them.
He made a brief appearance, met a few people of the same generation as the old lady, and then returned to his study, occasionally listening to the servants' reports on the banquet.
Xie Tingzhou was picking out clothes in front of the mirror, trying on several outfits in red, blue, cyan, white, black, and purple.
None of them were satisfactory.
Xing Ze and Fu Guang looked at each other in bewilderment. When had their master ever been so particular?
The two knew perfectly well that their master's unusual behavior today was to impress the young mistress.
But my master is tall with long legs and a broad figure, so he looks good in anything.
If this comparison continues and there's still no result, then people might blame the two brothers for not knowing how to choose clothes.
Xing Ze had a sudden inspiration and pretended to mutter to Fu Guang, "Brother, next time don't make so many colorful clothes for the master. Too many colors will make it difficult to choose."
Wanxing said that the young mistress prefers pure white, and most of her wardrobe consists of these colors; she can just grab any piece in the morning.
Fu Guang was worried that her younger brother would come up with a bad idea, "That's because the young mistress is a widow and it's inconvenient for her to wear other colors."
He just thought his master looked best in bright colors.
Xing Ze had indeed inquired about this matter and firmly stated, "The young mistress prefers plain colors."
Xie Tingzhou listened to his advice and ultimately chose a smoky blue brocade robe.
He used to wear robes of this color often, but in recent years at the border, he has mostly worn black robes.
Therefore, this was the first time Ye Zhen had seen Xie Tingzhou dressed in light colors. He had a gentle and refined appearance. Thinking of his handsome face under the mask, Ye Zhen wondered how many women he would bewitch if he took off the mask. Ye Zhen couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Xie Tingzhou then felt that letting Xing Ze get close to Wanxing was somewhat useful, and he would reward him more in the future to encourage him to keep up the good work.
His attire, along with his overall demeanor, also amazed many of the other women.
Especially Cui Yihuan.
After Xie Tingzhou appeared, her gaze never left him. The old lady glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and was very satisfied.
After Xie Tingzhou paid his respects to everyone and finished his appearance, the old lady instructed Ye Zhen to invite the female relatives to the waterside pavilion to watch a play.
The opera troupe invited today has performed for the Empress in the palace and is very popular in the capital, attracting many female members of the family.
As Cui Yihuan got up, the teacup on the table was somehow knocked over, and the tea soaked her clothes. The old lady asked a maid to take her to change.
She said to Madam Cui, "The opera troupe's new play is being performed for the first time today. It would be a pity to miss it. You should go ahead first. I will wait for Miss Cui to come with me."
Madam Cui roughly guessed that she wanted to say something to Cui Yihuan. She didn't particularly like her eldest granddaughter, but if she could get married into the Marquis's family, it would be a good thing that the Cui family had raised her.
But she also knew that her own old maid was unlikely to catch Xie Tingzhou's eye, and the old lady of the Marquis's mansion would have to resort to some dirty tricks if she wanted to make the marriage happen.
These are people who have spent their entire lives in the inner quarters. To force a man and a woman to marry, the only methods they can use are drugs or physical intimacy.
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