Chapter 32: Banquet: Is he saying that he is noisy?
"Greetings, my lord." The maids bowed as they saw Cheng Xianzhi approaching.
Only Lu Tingwan was carrying him on her back, and no one reminded her. Her back stiffened for a moment, and she slowly turned around and bowed.
Cheng Xianzhi ignored everyone, not even looking at Lu Tingwan. He just said to Gongsun Xue, "Get in the car. I'll help you."
The two of them got into the carriage as if no one was around. The axle started turning, and Lu Tingwan got into his own carriage.
The Queen Mother specifically asked her to follow her into the palace, probably because she had something to tell her. Cheng Xianzhi solved the housing tax case and eliminated corrupt officials, but he was not promoted to the position of Shangshu. She was also puzzled. Since Cheng Xianzhi could not take the position of Shangshu, her divorce would be a distant dream.
Thinking of this, most of the good mood I had for going out today was gone.
Feng Xin saw that she was uneasy and said soothingly, "The rouge that the Second Madam asked me to bring has been prepared. I will give it to the eldest lady after the palace banquet is over."
After hearing Feng Xin's words, she finally calmed down a bit. "Well, I haven't seen my sister in a while, and I have to ask her to do something today."
The carriage entered the palace gate, and the palace banquet was held in the imperial garden. After nightfall, the officials and their families took a rest and sat down.
The Imperial Garden was brightly lit. Atop the jade steps sat a dragon throne and phoenix throne. Empress Dowager Jiang sat to Li Tingfeng's left, and to his right sat Concubine Rong, the most favored concubine in Li Tingfeng's harem. Rong's family wasn't considered high-ranking in Kyoto; her father was the Minister of Rites. She held no power within the court, nor did she possess many complex connections. Therefore, she was favored by Li Tingfeng, and the Empress Dowager never commented on her.
The eunuch held a glass lantern with a dragon and phoenix painted on it.
All the ministers were present, dressed in brocade and embroidered robes, standing respectfully.
Sweet osmanthus filled the garden, golden chrysanthemums blossomed, and the moonlight, like silver, bathed the imperial garden. Golden plates and jade cups, nectar and fine liquor—this was Lu Tingwan's first time witnessing this scene. His eyes lit up, and he steadied himself, sitting upright at the table, a rare display of obedience.
At the banquet, all the ministers raised their glasses to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. As the string music sounded, the food bureau began to serve the dishes. At first, they served refreshing and delicious appetizers, followed by various delicacies.
As the banquet reached its climax, the full moon quietly broke through the clouds, and the entire palace was wrapped in a layer of moonlight. Beneath the silver-white light was the peaceful and prosperous lights of thousands of homes.
In the Imperial Garden, the Embroidered Uniform Guards lit sky lanterns. Countless sky lanterns rose slowly from all directions and gathered into a river. Everyone stood up on the steps, looked up at the moon, and everywhere they looked were lights.
Lu Tingwan was in the bustling crowd. This was her first time to feel the atmosphere of life in Kyoto. But when she looked up, the red walls blocked out the noise from the outside world. Standing in the crowd, her eyes swept around, but her heart could not find a place to rest.
No one could share her feelings at the moment. She felt lonely even though she was in the magnificent palace.
It's like duckweed floating in the vast ocean, being blown up by the wind and waves and then sinking to the bottom, with no place to go.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Lu Tingwu whispering to someone. She looked closely and saw it was Jiang Yanli, whom she had met that day. The Jiang family's seats were adjacent to the Lu family's, so the two were close together. Lu Mingqian was chatting and laughing with Liu, and seemed in a good mood.
She forced a smile and when she looked away, she caught a glimpse of Gongsun Xue pointing her finger at the sky lanterns in the night sky. She didn't know what she was saying to Cheng Xianzhi. From Lu Tingwan's perspective, Gongsun Xue was leaning against Cheng Xianzhi's chest.
The young man with a crown nodded in agreement from time to time, without showing much emotion on his face.
"Master, this sky lantern is so beautiful, Xue'er likes it." Gongsun Xue looked back and said coquettishly.
Cheng Xianzhi's expression remained normal as he replied calmly, "Yeah."
The moon waxes and wanes, and others can enjoy the moon with their loved ones to comfort their souls, but she can only use the bright moon to express her longing.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival in Jiangling, the streets are also bustling. The elders in the family will make lanterns specially for the younger generations. When the moonlight rises, the children will light the candles in the lanterns, and every household will look for friends to step on the moon together.
The so-called moon-walking means bringing mooncakes, finding an open place, sitting on the ground, eating and appreciating the moonlight.
That was what her heart longed for.
And the mooncakes her mother made. Perhaps, besides herself, no one else would think of her mother on such a day, at least not her father.
The deceased will not remain in the hearts of others, that means they will disappear forever, but she will not forget them.
The sky lanterns rose higher and higher until they dimmed, and those who had been watching for a long time withdrew their gaze.
The Shangshi Bureau started serving desserts after the meal. The dough was made with juice extracted from lotus leaves, and the filling was decorated with lotus flowers. If you smelled it carefully, you would first smell a faint fragrance of lotus leaves, and then the sweet fragrance of flowers.
The pastries made by the Shangshi Bureau were naturally delicious. Lu Tingwan hadn’t eaten enough to begin with, and after finishing her own portion, she still wanted to eat more.
Out of courtesy, I didn't feel comfortable asking any more questions.
Seeing her whispering and vividly reviewing the pastry with the ladies beside her, Cheng Xianzhi and Gongsun Xue, who were sitting in the front, couldn't stand it anymore. Cheng Xianzhi frowned, annoyed by her noise.
He didn't touch his portion of cake, Gongsun Xue had eaten half of hers, and Lu Tingwan kept on boasting without stopping.
Cheng Xianzhi, who was always calm, took the cake and turned to hand it to Lu Tingwan's table without saying anything, but his expression was not very good. Lu Tingwan stared blankly at him as he turned around and then turned back, her eyes falling on the stack of lotus crystal cakes, and she couldn't wait to taste it.
Gongsun Xue looked at him and said, "I didn't expect Sister Lu to be so lively. She's different from when she was in the mansion."
After Lu Tingwan sat down, the conversation almost did not stop. She was talking with other girls about rouge and powder, and then she talked about hairpins, jewelry, fabrics, silks, styles, and everything related to women.
She clearly didn't recognize those people, but she seemed to have known them for years, and was so familiar with them that even others had an illusion.
Cheng Xianzhi said, "Don't judge a person by appearance. Xue'er, you must observe people with your heart and never make generalizations."
How could someone who could become so successful in a short period of time and dare to negotiate with him openly be a good person?
Gongsun Xue suddenly realized that Cheng Xianzhi's decision not to allow Lu Tingwan to visit Yingyue Pavilion was a good thing. With her personality, Gongsun Xue was afraid that she couldn't handle it.
Unconsciously, those wives and daughters of officials were intimidated by her. Whenever they talked about rouge and jewelry, she could always mention Zhichunli without making any expression.
The officials' wives did not notice anything wrong, but she was able to point out the shortcomings in their outfits, the cosmetics, perfumes, hairpins and clothing styles they used today, and then put forward her own opinions on the shortcomings. The officials' wives liked her so much that they insisted on sending invitations to Cheng's house when they had time to invite her to choose jewelry and cosmetics together.
Lu Tingwan patted his chest and agreed.
Only Cheng Xianzhi knew what she was planning.
"Xue'er heard from father that the Lord has done a very good job in collecting the property tax. Today is the fifteenth day..." Gongsun Xue wanted to remind Cheng Xianzhi that he should go to Yingyue Pavilion today.
Cheng Xianzhi was in no mood to spend time with her under the moonlight, so he found an excuse: "I've had too much to drink, I'm going out to get rid of the alcohol."
"Lord..."
Cheng Xianzhi's eyes suddenly lit up as he stood up, and he smiled warmly at her, "It's so noisy here. I'll go with you to toast the gentleman later."
Gongsun Xue's heart was filled with sweetness after hearing this: "Yes, I'll listen to you, sir."
Noisy?
Lu Tingwan's ears moved slightly. She heard him saying that she was noisy?
There was constant music at the banquet, with old tunes from the Jiaofangsi, which made people feel drowsy. Empress Dowager Jiang glanced at Lu Tingwan and saw that she was having a cheerful conversation with someone.
Lu Tingwu and Jiang Yanli beside her were secretly expressing their feelings to each other. Queen Mother Jiang saw it all and a smile flashed across her eyes.
"I heard that Miss Lu's daughter is good at playing the zither. Her music is melodious and can soothe people's hearts. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. I wonder if Miss Lu can play a song for her." When the Queen Mother Jiang's voice sounded, the music of the Jiaofang Bureau stopped.
Lu Tingwan looked over at the sound, and Lu Tingwu retracted her gaze and quickly stood up to salute: "In reply to the Queen Mother, your parents have taught me since I was young. Although I have learned the art of playing the zither, I am not a master. I would like to play a piece for the Queen Mother and Your Majesty."
"Don't underestimate yourself. If I want to hear the zither, there are musicians from the Imperial Music Bureau who can play it."
"Then I'll show you my skills." Lu Tingwu moved and sat down next to the piano. He plucked the strings a few times and tested the sound before playing the music.
The melodious sound of the piano seems to be coming from the fairyland, mixed with the cold moonlight and moving with the wind, and it is like a breeze that blows into the heart. The crisp sound of the piano comes from the moon, and after getting closer, it disperses again and slowly fades away, leaving a feeling of wanting more.
"Sister's piano skills are truly exceptional." Lu Tingwan wasn't good at music, but he was mesmerized by the performance. "Why didn't I know this before?"
She caught sight of the stunned Jiang Yanli and thought to herself that this man and her sister were in love, and it would be a happy event if they could get married.
If I had not arranged for Lu Tingwu to marry into the Cheng family, my sister would have missed out on the person she loved.
Only after the song ended did Jiang Yanli's gaze slightly shift. Lu Tingwu stood up and stood in front of the banquet. "The Empress Dowager appreciates your kindness. I am honored to present my humble performance..."
"Miss Lu is a Jinshi who has passed the imperial examination. She has the talent to write poems about catkins, and she is both beautiful and intelligent. I like her," said Empress Dowager Jiang lovingly. "There is a man of marriageable age in my mother's family, about the same age as Miss Lu. Although not as outstanding as Cheng Pushe, he is also ambitious and has learned a lot since childhood. Duke Jiang went to Shanhaiguan for Dalan to stabilize the country. The younger generation in our family has no one to take charge. Today, I would like to take charge for them. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Li Tingfeng bowed slightly, "Duke Jiang is a pillar of the Great Lan Kingdom. It is only right that the Queen Mother grants his son a marriage. I just don't know which family the Queen Mother has chosen."
Queen Mother Jiang praised Lu Tingwu highly, and anyone with a discerning eye could see it.
"Jiang Yanli, the second son of Duke Jiang, is a man of excellent character. Lu Tingwu, the legitimate daughter of Lu Pushe, is exceptionally talented and virtuous. They are a perfect match, descendants of loyal and righteous men, a talented man and a beautiful woman. I think they are a perfect match."
Jiang Yanli had stood up and moved to Lu Tingwu's side, his manners reserved and the distance between them just right. He knelt on both knees and said, "Yanli thanks the Queen Mother for granting us marriage."
Lu Mingqian and Liu were surprised and stood there for a moment, then hurriedly stood up to express their gratitude.
Queen Mother Jiang never expressed her intention to marry the Lu family's daughter to the Jiang family in front of Lu Mingqian. A marriage between the two families would definitely be a good thing. Cheng Xianzhi could marry the Minister of the Central Secretariat to help the emperor consolidate power, and Queen Mother Jiang could also use the Lu family to strengthen the Jiang family's power.
Queen Mother Jiang could see that the two of them were in love, and when Jiang Yan entered the palace to pay his respects to his aunt before the formalities, he had expressed his feelings for Lu Tingwu. Queen Mother Jiang did her a favor and took advantage of the situation, killing two birds with one stone.
You can also use this incident to teach the disobedient chess piece a lesson.
During the banquet, Lu Tingwan talked to Lu Tingwu. Lu Tingwu was overwhelmed with joy at the granted marriage, and many officials came to congratulate the Lu and Jiang families.
Queen Mother Jiang left the banquet and returned to Jinhua Palace, and Palace Master Hong sent someone to invite Lu Tingwan.
Lu Tingwan was happily talking with her elder sister when she was interrupted by a palace maid who came with a message and led her into Jinhua Palace. The towering palace looked even more oppressive in the night. The palace was brightly lit with candles. Queen Mother Jiang had taken off her complicated hairpins and rings, and her phoenix robe.
Palace Master Hong spoke up, "Your Majesty, Second Madam Cheng has arrived."
Lu Tingwan greeted the person behind the screen.
Queen Mother Jiang slowly turned around and her eyes fell on Lu Tingwan, examining her carefully from head to toe. "I saw you chatting happily at the banquet. I guess you went to Jingzhao Prefecture to testify and helped Cheng Xianzhi escape. He treated you well, didn't he?"
The man with his head bowed immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, this has its reasons..."
Queen Mother Jiang's figure appeared behind the screen, and Lu Tingwan could only see a pair of gold-threaded peacock embroidered shoes.
"What happened? I heard that the person who went to Jingzhao Prefecture to provide evidence was Jiang Yanli, the shopkeeper of Zhichunli. Are you not going to give me an explanation for this?"
"Is this Jiang Yanli you?"
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