Chapter 459: No need to bother you guys.
There were more and more female guests behind. Mrs. Zhou snorted coldly, took the eldest princess' hand, and went straight inside.
Jiang Lianzhu did not follow and continued to greet guests at the door. Mrs. Lin took them in.
The Prince Xiang’s mansion was large, and a courtyard with a good environment was specially used to receive female relatives.
In the courtyard inside, a large stage was set up, on which several actresses and actors were performing. In front of the stage were some tables, chairs and small tables. Ladies gathered in groups of three or five around the small tables, eating fruits and snacks while listening to the opera.
No one is sitting at the best tables and chairs in the front row.
Madam Lin led Madam Zhou and the eldest princess to the front row, and told the maids and nannies serving them to serve them well before leaving.
After Mrs. Lin left a few steps, she heard Mrs. Zhou getting angry. She flipped the fruits in front of her to the ground and said they were unpalatable and had a strong earthy smell. She wondered where they were grown in the countryside...
It's like making a veiled criticism of someone else.
Mrs. Lin hurriedly turned back and asked someone to move her away. She then asked Mrs. Zhou what she liked to eat and what to serve her.
She was smiling all the time, making people feel like they were in spring breeze. It was embarrassing to find fault or lose temper.
Jiang Lianzhu was not around, and Mrs. Zhou didn't feel any sense of accomplishment in always making things difficult for a merchant's wife, so she just gave up.
The eldest princess lowered her voice and asked, "Aunt, has Brother Wuyang been staying at home every day these days?"
Speaking of this, Mrs. Zhou couldn't help but smile. "Yes, he said he wanted to take a break. Since his official duties are not so busy, he moved back home. Sometimes, he can even have a meal with me and chat for a few minutes. It's not easy."
"Really? Brother Wuyang, how's your appetite lately? What do you like to eat?"
The two of them talked about topics of common interest, which made the time easy to pass.
After a while, Xuanhuang arrived.
No one expected that a sea of people would form in front of the gate of Prince Xiang's Mansion, and Emperor Xuan even deliberately entered through the front door. He wanted to let everyone know how much he valued Prince Xiang's Mansion.
As soon as Xuan Huang arrived, all those who stretched their necks came closer to try to get close to him. The atmosphere on the scene became extremely heated, as if everyone had been injected with chicken blood, and everyone was excited.
Before the arrival of the eldest princess, many families who had good-looking sons of the right age had secretly sent people home to bring their good sons over, just in case they were able to catch the princess's eye.
Now, the emperor is here again. What if the princess doesn’t like him, but now she catches the emperor’s eye?
Everyone was rubbing their hands excitedly.
The women listened to operas, ate and drank, and the men's activity area was equipped with chess boards, books and other entertainment activities, but most people were chatting and exchanging pleasantries in groups of three or five.
Liao Jiu accompanied Xuan Huang to the place where the men were resting, and everyone stood up and saluted.
Xuan Huang waved his hand and said, "Everyone, there's no need to be so polite. I'm just a guest today, just like you all. There's no need to be so formal."
Several old ministers, including Duke Zhou, came up and said, "Your Majesty, welcome, welcome. Why did you come just now? Come, come, play another round with me. I am now unbeatable in the whole arena, and I am just waiting for you, Your Majesty, to suppress me."
"Your Majesty, this shows how much you value the young Prince Xiang. In fact, it's not just you, Your Majesty. Today, when several of our old ministers saw the young Prince Xiang, they all said that this child is extraordinary. It's true that a tiger father has a dog son. He is no less elegant than the Prince Xiang in his youth."
This is what everyone feels when they praise the young King Xiang.
Everyone was unwilling to be left behind and praised the young King Xiang highly.
It was also thanks to Dabao that he was able to remain calm. After all these praises, he was still as steady as an old dog, with a faint and slightly embarrassed look on his face.
"Thank you all for the compliments, I cannot accept them enough."
Xuan Huang laughed heartily, a rare occurrence. "Alright, alright, all of you stop. Go back to your work!"
Everyone went back to their seats, leaving only a few senior officials with status, position and qualifications, who stayed with a lecherous look on their faces and stayed to chat and play.
Liao Jiu had a lot of things to do and did not accompany Xuan Huang. He left Dabao, the most important protagonist of the day, to talk to Xuan Huang while he went to do something else.
When Erbaozai first stood with Dabao, he was like an invisible person. Everyone's eyes were on Dabao. People praised Dabao and sometimes praised him as well, but most people just ignored him. He was like a supporting role, and it was really uncomfortable for him to be there. Plus, he was a person who couldn't sit still, so he slipped away early.
Go play with Lin Ziyi.
***
Apart from Mrs. Zhou who came to Jiang Lianzhu's house to pick a fight with her today, no one else gave her any particular embarrassment.
Even if someone looked down on her, at least there was no more verbal conflict.
She found a pattern: the bigger the family background and the more famous the noblewoman was, the more she looked down on her.
Those upstarts actually liked talking to her, and their words were full of flattery.
It was getting late and the guests were almost arriving. It was time to start preparing for lunch. Jiang Lianzhu went into the backyard to talk to the ladies.
"Everyone, please get ready. The banquet will start in the front hall soon."
Several richly dressed ladies stood up and greeted Jiang Lianzhu enthusiastically. "Madam Renyi, you look so busy and sweaty. Your Xiangwang Mansion is small and newly built, so there aren't many people you can call upon. We're idle anyway, and we usually do most of these chores at home. If you have anything to say, just tell us. We dare not say anything else, but when it comes to treating people, at least we are a little more respectable than the merchants' wives..."
This is what they said when Mrs. Lin was not present.
But even so, Jiang Lianzhu was not happy.
"No need to bother you guys."
In her eyes, Madam Lin was her friend. What was the use of these people having only family backgrounds? They kept calling her a merchant's wife, but behind her back, they probably cursed her as a country girl!
Those women were all smart and some of them reacted quickly.
"That's not what I meant. Madam Lin is a friend of Madam Renyi. She's definitely a first-rate, wonderful person. I'm just worried that some people might look at her with a worldly eye. I just want to help you out and talk to you, Madam Renyi, and get closer to you."
"Yes, yes, yes, I admire Madam Renyi's great reputation and want to use this opportunity to get close to her. Madam Renyi's reputation has been rising rapidly in our capital these past few days. Everyone who mentions her gives her a thumbs up and praises her. She is capable, has superb medical skills, can bring the dead back to life, and is also the adopted mother of Prince Xiaoxiang. Prince Xiaoxiang respects you as much as he respects his own parents. The Emperor personally conferred upon you the title of Fifth Rank Imperial Consort..."
After all the flattery, Jiang Lianzhu was almost praised to the sky.
Jiang Lianzhu said with a forced smile, "Everyone, please sit down. I have something else to do."
Several women stopped her and wouldn't let her go, obviously wanting to say something.
"It's a rare occasion for us to get together. We haven't introduced ourselves to Madam Renyi yet. I'm afraid she won't recognize us next time we meet."
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