Chapter 12: New Year's Eve Dinner at the Marquis' Mansion
Yun Qiao lived next to Fang Jia and Zhang Yuqing. The three of them were carried into the Marquis' Mansion together and lived together. They had been playing together during this period.
We usually get together to share what we eat, drink and play.
Not long after the three of them sat down, the other three concubines came.
Yun Qiao and the other two did not have a good relationship with the three concubines of the Marquis, and they did not interact with them much in normal times, but if they met in the yard, they would of course say hello.
The one walking in front is Sister Mei, who is gentle and virtuous. She is twenty-three years old this year. She is the first to arrive, and everyone calls her Sister.
Following behind Sister Mei was Lianxiang.
Lianxiang was a person assigned by the old lady. Lianxiang's mother died last year after serving the old lady.
When Lianxiang's mother was still alive, Lianxiang was arrogant for a while. Later, the old lady sent a nanny to scold Lianxiang in a few words, and she has been quiet since then.
However, she is not sociable.
The sister who followed Sister Mei was named Sun. Her father was a scholar, but he still failed the imperial examination many times.
Sometimes she would rely on her reputation as the concubine of Marquis Zhenbei to come to the Marquis's mansion to ask for money. This sister Sun had a good personality and was good at cooking and housework.
Seeing that everyone was present, the marquis and his concubines were seated at one table, which was considered settled.
Yun Qiao called out "Sister Mei" in a low voice.
Sister Mei's surname is Cheng, and her original name is Cheng Danmei. She is the only one that the Marquis brought from outside. After she first came to the Marquis' Mansion, the Marquis went to the battlefield. For several years, the Marquis had completely forgotten about the woman in the backyard.
But this sister Mei abided by the rules very strictly.
In Yun Qiao's eyes, if there is anyone who deeply loves the Marquis, it should be Sister Mei.
Hearing Yun Qiao calling her, Cheng Danmei looked over and smiled gently at her.
Then he waved again, "I'm dressed a little more simply today. I have some jewelry in my room, but I don't like to wear it. I'll give it to you when you go back."
Cheng Danmei knew Yun Qiao.
Among all the concubines of the Marquis, only this girl has an outstanding appearance and is not at all arrogant. Whenever he does something fun, he likes to share it with her.
"Sister Xie Mei, that's my sister's stuff, I can't just take it."
However, Sun Sisi, the girl from the Sun family who was sitting next to Cheng Danmei, looked at Yun Qiao and smiled brightly.
"Sister Mei has quite a few good things, and this is because you caught her eye and she likes you, so she gave them to you."
As concubines, they received a monthly salary of five taels of silver, and their food and drink expenses were all provided by the Marquis's mansion. Although they were half masters, they were actually almost the same as maids, except that their work divisions were different.
Ordinary maids serve their masters in eating, drinking, defecating, urinating and sleeping.
As for these concubines, sleeping with the emperor is the most important thing, and the others are irrelevant.
Yun Qiao was speechless.
Cheng Danmei said with a smile: "Listen to your sister Sun's nonsense."
"Hurry up and sit down. Look, the old lady and the eldest lady will be here soon. When they arrive, the banquet will begin."
The banquet room is not small and can easily accommodate ten tables.
However, the positions of these concubines were naturally a bit remote, in the corner.
Yun Qiao looked up and saw that the seats in the middle had already been set. Except for the old lady sitting in the first seat, the rest of the people also came one after another.
Old Madam Li has two sons. The eldest son, Chen Jiankang, and his wife, Yu, have one son and two daughters. Her son is now married but has no children. Her two daughters are seventeen or eighteen years old and are still waiting to be married.
And Marquis Chen Jingyan was born to the second wife.
Chen Jingyan's parents died in an accident, leaving only thirteen or fourteen-year-old Chen Jingyan to grow up with his grandmother, the old lady.
There are two illegitimate sons and three illegitimate daughters in this marquis's mansion, but they are all married. Those who should move out have moved out, and those who should get married have married.
But during the Chinese New Year, the concubines who had been separated from their parents would come with their families.
The main seats were occupied by the old lady, Marquis Chen Jingyan, and the eldest wife and her husband. Also present were Chen Jingyan's cousin Chen Yusheng and his wife Ms. Cai, and the Chen family's two unmarried daughters, Chen Yanhao and Chen Jinghao.
At the lower seats were the two families from the Chen Mansion who had been separated and were living alone. They had quite a few family members, and there was one table for the men and one for the women.
The other two tables were for the concubines in the marquis's mansion who had no children, but there were still a few left. After the old marquis passed away, the childless concubines also passed away one after another, all due to the fate of birth, old age, sickness and death.
After the concubines and illegitimate children from the main house came to the table, there were several tables together.
It looks like there are eight tables.
After everyone was seated, the old lady said, "Let's start the meal."
Only then did everyone dare to pick up their chopsticks and eat.
Yun Qiao's outfit today was particularly simple and elegant, which made her a unique one. It was the New Year's Eve, and everyone was dressed festively, mostly in crimson clothes. Even if they were not red, they were brightly colored, like orange-red or yellow-red. People always wanted to dress in a festive way.
Unlike Yun Qiao, who was dressed like a Taoist nun. Her grey clothes were loose and her hair was tied into a bun, but it was the simplest bun. She only used a small plum blossom hairpin on her head, which was particularly simple and elegant.
But it only made her already fair and delicate face look even more extraordinary.
How can the New Year's Eve dinner in this marquis's mansion be complete without a stage?
The stage was specially hired by Marquis Chen Jingyan at a high price. The play on it was singing the play of the drunken concubine. The actress who played the concubine on the stage was full of romantic charm. The old lady watched attentively, clapped her hands and cheered, and immediately gave her money as a reward.
"If grandma likes it, then I can stay at the Marquis' Mansion for a while, and sing for her anytime."
"Second brother, the actor who plays the imperial concubine is Master Ma, right? He's notoriously hard to hire. I heard that even the virtuous prince wanted to hire him but couldn't."
The person who was speaking was Chen Yusheng. Chen Yusheng was now an official in the court. His official position was not high, but he was still a person with a serious job.
Chen Jingyan said, "I have some friendship with Mr. Ma."
Chen Yusheng's face turned pale and he chuckled dryly.
The old lady looked at Chen Jingyan and said, "You are thoughtful."
"Let's stay in the backyard tonight."
"It's time to get your marriage on track. I asked your aunt to ask around for you. They all have some good looking women. Go back and look at the portraits and choose the one you like."
"Don't worry, ancestor. I have already selected a few and will let the Marquis take a look later. Choose one that suits you." Mrs. Yu, the eldest wife of the Chen family, said with a smile.
It just so happened that there was a good girl in her family, and if she married Chen Jingyan, the Marquis of Zhenbei, she would think it would be a good choice.
Chen Jingyan was unhappy. If it were in the past, he would not say anything, but today, when he saw Yu's smile, he felt unhappy.
"Like Grandma said, if I choose the one I like, then I can choose it myself, okay?"
Seeing him say this, the old ancestor was not angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "I'll leave it to you to choose a wife. I'm afraid that even when I die, I won't look down on my great-grandson. If you choose a suitable one for me, I will let you do whatever you want."
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