Attending a banquet
The Ji family invited young masters and ladies from all over the city to a flower banquet.
When Mu Qing and Lu Tongxue arrived at the Ji residence as agreed by the Wei River, they were surprised to find so many carriages and horses. Fortunately, the reception was orderly, and they entered the inner courtyard in turn, which was no different from usual.
The Ji family mansion was originally built by a wealthy merchant. It covered a large area, with gardens spanning several miles and enclosing a lake. Waterside pavilions and terraces were built on the lake, with carved railings and jade steps. Precious flowers and trees were planted around it, and the flowers were in full bloom, with petals falling in profusion.
Lu Tongxue was so amazed by the luxurious scenery she saw along the way that she couldn't close her mouth. "How could the Ji family be so extravagant?"
Her father was only a fifth-rank official, but this place was worlds apart from her home in Chongzhou.
Mu Qing knew a little about it. "The Ji family is a powerful family in Jiangnan. This is a mansion that their ancestors bought. When Uncle Ji came to Weizhou to serve as the Assistant Magistrate, the whole family lived here."
Lu Tongxue was overwhelmed by what she saw and was deeply moved. When she was arranging the marriage with the Ji family, she had no idea that the Ji family had such a wealth. Neither the Ji sisters nor the young master Ji had flaunted their wealth, so she assumed that they were a good match. But now, seeing all this, she felt uneasy.
The pavilion in the lake, with its green tiles and flying eaves, is tall and spacious, standing on the water's surface and open to the air. Perhaps to accommodate the ladies, the frosty white gauze curtains are all lowered, covering the white marble railings.
When Mu Qing and Lu Tongxue arrived, they saw a semi-circle of vermilion tables and chairs, adorned with platters of flowers, fruits, and cups, where young ladies from various families were seated. Liu Lingchun was also among them, beckoning them to sit in the front.
As soon as he sat down, he noticed that Zhen Xiangling was nearby. Mu Qing thought it was troublesome, greeted her, and then turned his head to look at the scenery in the lake.
The seats are at the front, on the edge of the waterside pavilion, near the center of the lake. The white gauze curtains surrounding the lake are occasionally blown open by the wind, offering a panoramic view of the lake.
Mu Qing used the excuse of looking at the lake to avoid talking to Zhen Xiangling.
When the Ji sisters arrived, the servants were asked to leave, and about ten women had already gathered in the waterside pavilion.
Besides Ji Shucai and Ji Shuzhen, the unmarried daughters of the Ji family also had two or three other girls around the age of fifteen. They all had close friends sitting together in the waterside pavilion, chatting happily.
"Qingxue, what are you looking at so intently?"
Hearing the question, Mu Qing turned around and saw that Ji Shucai had been sitting next to her at some point. Her hair was styled in a cloud-shaped bun with a fan hairpin, and she was wearing a light pink Liuxian dress with begonia patterns, which made her look quite elegant and graceful.
When Mu Qing arrived, she thought it was just a small gathering, and perhaps they would even go boating. She dressed up neatly and wore a light purple jacquard lily dress, which made her look like a girl from a modest family.
She wasn't very perceptive about this, and smiled lightly, saying, "The lake view is beautiful, I couldn't help but take a few more glances."
Ji Shucai smiled gently, glanced outside the gauze curtain, and said, "Lake view? Didn't you come to see it a long time ago? I thought you were just staring at people."
"Where are the people?" Mu Qing looked outside again and found a group of young men gathered on the grass by the lake.
She had been looking at the lake, where the surface shimmered like scattered gold, and hadn't noticed when the man had appeared on the shore. Feeling a little embarrassed, she quickly looked away.
"I didn't look that way just now."
Those around her chuckled softly at her dry, unnatural way of speaking.
Ji Shuzhen teased, "I thought so too. The young prince is so good, how could Sister Qingxue go and peek at other men when he's not around?"
Mu Qing was speechless and simply gave up arguing.
"Zhen'er, what nonsense are you talking about men?" Ji Shucai scolded, then laughed and said, "When I told the family that I wanted to invite you all over, the other sisters also said they wanted to invite you too. Our second brother joined in the fun, saying he also wanted to invite his friends over to get to know each other."
"Everyone invited others, which led to the current situation. However, my second brother and the others said that they would stay on the other side of the lake and would not wander around and disturb us."
Those around listened and fell silent.
The person who recently met with Lu Tongxue was none other than the Second Young Master Ji.
Before arriving at the Ji residence, Lu Tongxue got up early to dress up, wearing a flying phoenix bun, a floral silk robe, and a peach-red and gold-embellished gauze skirt. She looked light, gorgeous, and sweet, as if she were preparing to meet the Second Young Master Ji.
Now that Ji Shucai said that the Second Young Master Ji would not come to disturb them, the few people in the know all looked at Lu Tongxue.
Lu Tongxue clutched the handkerchief in her hand and forced a smile, saying, "Why are you looking at me? I just came here to play with Sister Qing."
The so-called "meeting" was actually just a formality. Since neither side had the intention to refuse, the two families were still in contact and had not yet formally agreed to a marriage. Therefore, it was inconvenient to arrange a meeting with the Second Young Master Ji.
She sat on the other side of Mu Qing, glanced at the lake, and said, "We can see the other side, so can they see us too? Did you arrange this on purpose?"
Ji Shucai's smile froze slightly. "Isn't there a gauze curtain separating us? This arrangement is because there will be singing and dancing on the lake later, which can be enjoyed from both the pavilion and the lakeside."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Xiangling asked what kind of song and dance it was, and the Ji sisters took turns answering, making the atmosphere cheerful again.
Singing and dancing are common occurrences, but performing them on bamboo rafts on the lake adds a unique flavor.
Seeing the dancers leaping on the bamboo raft, risking falling into the water, their beautiful reflections shimmering in the water, creating a magical and ever-changing spectacle, everyone was full of praise.
After the singing and dancing had stopped for a while, flower tea and various snacks were served into the waterside pavilion to entertain the guests.
After two rounds, we expected another round of singing and dancing, but then we heard Ji Shucai say, "I'm sure everyone knows about the musician from Yiyeju. She's no longer at Yiyeju and probably won't be performing anymore, but we've put a lot of thought into it to make everyone happy. We specially invited her to play music here today."
The young ladies present chattered amongst themselves, all with expectant expressions.
A moment later, a row of bamboo rafts appeared on the lake, drifting in with the gentle sound of a zither.
The bamboo rafts are made of green bamboo. A boatwoman wearing a straw hat stands on the edge, holding a long pole, while a woman in plain clothes with a veil sits cross-legged in the middle of the raft, playing the zither on her lap with deep emotion.
The music of the zither was as clear as flowing water; it was the carefree melody that made her famous.
Everyone held their breath and listened intently.
Suddenly, the sound of a flute accompanies the music. At first, it is ethereal, as if it comes from the sky. As the flute music grows louder, it can be heard that it comes from the shore of the lake.
As the wind lifted the gauze curtains, one of the young gentlemen who had been sitting at a table on the grassy shore of the lake stood at the front, dressed in flowing white robes, holding a flute across his chest and playing it leisurely.
The zither and flute harmonized, one melodious and the other lingering, reaching their peak together at the end, neither inferior to the other.
The group of young men on the shore then stood up, chatting and laughing with the one holding the flute. They said something, then all looked into the lake with smiles.
The musician on the bamboo raft in the lake held his instrument still, as the boatwoman rowing him gradually sailed away to a more distant shore.
Seeing this, Mu Qing couldn't help but look back at Lu Tongxue and noticed that she looked unwell. He couldn't help but say, "Sister Tong, this is just a scholar's hobby. There's no need to take it to heart."
The young master playing the flute was none other than Ji Wenjie, the second young master of the Ji family.
Ji Shuzhen was boasting to other young ladies: "My second brother is proficient in all six arts of a gentleman: rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics. He is also a first-rate musician and flute player, and has countless female confidantes."
Lu Tongxue turned around, glared at the Ji sisters, and whispered to Mu Qing, "Sister Qing, let's go back. I need to tell Third Aunt that we don't want this marriage anymore."
Mu Qing was taken aback. "Wasn't this a bit hasty?"
"I only admired him because of his talent," Lu Tongxue pouted. "But he uses his talent to seduce women and even has female confidantes. I don't care for someone like that."
Mu Qing felt that what she said was not wrong, but it was a bit abrupt to leave immediately.
Everyone was listening to Ji Shuzhen speak. Ji Shucai glanced at Lu Tongxue and, seeing her unpleasant expression, leaned closer and said, "Tongxue, don't misunderstand. Zhen'er just loves to exaggerate. My second brother is usually quite low-key, but maybe he just wants to show off this time, since he knows you're here today too."
"Is that so?" Lu Tongxue said lazily.
She had previously been so eager to please them only because she was concerned about the marriage. If the marriage were to end, she would not want to pay any attention to the Ji sisters.
Ji Shucai laughed and said, "Look at you, are you sad? If my second brother knew, he might blame us for talking nonsense in front of you. He was quite happy when he came back from the Lu residence that time, and he asked us about you. He practically had his feelings for you written all over his face. In my opinion, he played the flute today to take the opportunity to play it for you."
Seeing that Lu Tongxue still ignored her, she looked out of the gauze curtain and said, "Oh dear, my second brother is looking over here."
Mu Qing and Lu Tongxue turned their heads and saw Ji Wenjie sitting in a prominent position on the grass, looking towards the waterside pavilion from time to time. He was indeed handsome and talented.
Ji Shucai said, "I told you, he must care about you to do this. If you think he's wrong, you should tell him so he can give up on you and understand why."
Lu Tongxue wavered.
"Sister Qing, what do you think?"
"..." Seeing Lu Tongxue looking straight at him, Mu Qing pondered her thoughts, "If there's a chance, it would be good to make things clear."
Ji Shucai smiled and said, "That makes sense. When I said before that my second brother wouldn't come, it was just a formality. If needed, I can arrange a meeting for you two."
Lu Tongxue asked warily, "Why are you being so kind?"
"When have I ever treated you badly?" Ji Shucai's smile faded, and she lowered her eyes, feigning anger.
Lu Tongxue thought about it. Her dislike for the Ji sisters began when she saw them playing the good cop and the bad cop to her cousin. She didn't actually have any direct conflict with them.
She replied sheepishly, "No, not at all."
Ji Shucai smiled and whispered that she would make the arrangements for her later. Soon after, she left the table.
Seeing that Lu Tongxue seemed lost in thought, Mu Qing wondered to herself, since they usually wore veils when they went out, and even when they stayed in this waterside pavilion, they had to lower the gauze curtains. Could they really meet the young master in secret?
Not long after Ning Gu arrived at the waterside pavilion, she was led away to another place because of the crowd, and she didn't even have anyone to ask.
On second thought, in operas, it is common for young masters and ladies to meet in private. She herself and Zhong Linlan are not clear about their relationship, so why should she lecture Lu Tongxue?
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