Not only the female family members were throwing pots and drinking and having fun, but the male guests were also in a lively atmosphere.
People had fun and enjoyed the fine wine and food in the spring.
Today's banquet for Pingyang included nineteen dishes, four cold dishes, four main dishes, five hot dishes, three soups, and three desserts, not counting fruits and vegetables.
Bird's nest, sea cucumber and deer tendon are all top-notch nourishing dishes, especially the Buddha Jumping Over the Wall, which is secretly made with eighteen ingredients including abalone. It can be described as extremely luxurious.
After the main course was removed, the hot dishes that were passed on included the richly red roasted goose, the light steamed sea bass, the tender and juicy hydrangea scallops, the rich onion-flavored scallion oil chicken and the braised spring bamboo shoots.
Cui Wenxi had a light taste and ate a few spring bamboo shoots and seabass, as well as a piece of hydrangeas and scallops, and then was dragged by Pingyang to play guessing and drink.
Noble ladies like them are proficient in almost everything, such as riding horses, guessing, playing leaf cards, playing juju, listening to music, drinking and having fun, and there are many who are more handsome.
For example, Princess Yongning was widowed in her early forties. She felt lonely within two years, so she kept two handsome men as pets.
As long as you have power and money in your family and are not afraid of worldly constraints, you can be as absurd as you like.
Then again, with Emperor Wu's old gangster as an example, the Zhao family was born with a rebellious gene in their bones.
Back to the topic, I don’t know whether I am happy or sad. Originally, Pingyang was trying to persuade me to drink, but I didn’t know that I actually got myself drunk. I hugged Cui Wenxi and cried uncontrollably, saying that I have endured hardships these years.
Grandma Chen looked at her disgrace and quickly helped her down.
Pingyang refused, and insisted on pulling Cui Wenxi, as if she was his man.
Cui Wenxi coaxed and lied, and finally got Granny Chen and others to help her down.
Now the host of the spring banquet is drunk, and the guests are still drinking and having fun!
Cui Wenxi was worried, so he first said hello to Liu and others at the banquet, and then went to the side room to have a look.
Grandma Chen had already helped Pingyang lie down. Cui Wenxi asked softly from outside: "Mammy, have you given Pingyang hangover soup?"
Grandma Chen responded: "It has been used."
Cui Wenxi: "That's good."
Nanny Chen stepped forward helplessly, feeling sorry for her master and said: "Your Highness has been going through a difficult time since the death of Prince Consort Xu. He should be very happy to host the spring banquet today. He drank a few more glasses happily, and now there is no master outside." I don’t even have a son, so I really don’t know what to do.”
Cui Wenxi comforted her and said, "Don't worry, Nanny Chen. With Princess Yongning here, I will help you and nothing will go wrong."
Aunt Chen nodded, "Then there is Princess Hou Qing." Then she said to the maid, "Hurry up and call Ling Guan'er and let Princess Hou Qing arrange it."
Fang Ling knew that Cui Wenxi had also drank a lot, so she quickly asked the servant to bring her a bowl of sobering soup and said, "Madam, please don't be greedy again, or I'll miss the point."
Cui Wenxi responded: "I know."
After she drank the sobering soup, she went to the Ruyi Pavilion to find Princess Yongning. She was too young to socialize with the male guests there, so it was best for Yongning to come forward.
So the two divided the work and cooperated, Cui Wenxi was in charge of the female guests, and Yongning was in charge of the male guests.
After the discussion, Cui Wenxi went back to the banquet to accompany the female guests. She has been in charge of the central government all year round and arranged all the affairs of the house, so this unexpected incident could not trouble her.
When the three soups were served, Fangling knew that she loved tofu soup, so she specially served half a bowl for her.
After a while, Ling Guan'er, who was in charge, came over. Cui Wenxi asked her where to go for tea after lunch. She responded: "Princess Huiqing, the tea room over at Lingxiang Pavilion is ready. You can go there at any time."
Cui Wenxi nodded and asked, "Has the guest room for rest been arranged?"
Ling Guan'er: "The arrangements have been made. It will be in Lingxiang Pavilion." He added, "The male guests will be arranged in Songtao Pavilion."
Cui Wenxi warned: "Be careful in the prince's guest room and don't make any mistakes."
Ling Guan'er: "I understand."
Cui Wenxi raised her hand to indicate that she could go down, and then tasted two more bean curd soups. She did not use the other two stewed mutton soup and gastrodia pigeon soup.
The banquet was not coming to an end until the last three desserts and fruits were delivered to the table.
The milk cake presented by the maids was rich in milk fragrance and as white as frost; the salty shredded pork waffles were baked to a golden brown and fragrant, with thin skin; the almond milk was mellow, fragrant and smooth, with a delicate texture.
Cui Wenxi thought almond milk was pretty good and used a little.
After the girls had had enough wine and food, they went to Lingxiang Pavilion in groups to have tea and eat. If they felt sleepy, there were guest rooms for them to take a nap.
In the afternoon, there are entertainment activities such as playing juju, listening to Pingtan, watching operas, and playing leaf cards. People eat tea, chat, and take a nap. They can arrange it by themselves.
After everyone was settled properly, Cui Wenxi went to Cuiweixuan to rest for a while.
She drank wine and fell into a deep sleep. She had never slept so deeply since King Qing came back from Weizhou, which showed that her daily life was not easy.
Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, Fang Ling quietly retreated outside to wait. In the afternoon, the ladies also had to visit the garden, listen to Pingtan, watch operas, play ball, etc. She also needed to make arrangements, so they needed to be energetic enough to cope with it.
At the end of the day, some of the female guests at Lingxiang Pavilion began to go to Yaotai Xiaozhu to listen to Pingtan, while others went to visit the garden, and people started to move around.
Cui Wenxi only rested for less than half an hour before getting up to wash up and go to entertain the female guests.
Mrs. Cao loves to read "The Legend of Pipa". She is an elder. Cui Wenxi does not dare to neglect and goes to accompany her in person.
The prince Zhao Yue was also there at that time, and he was entangled by the old man and couldn't escape. When he saw Cui Wenxi coming over, he managed to deal with it patiently for a while.
When Mrs. Cao asked about Pingyang, Cui Wenxi responded: "Pingyang is drunk and is still resting now."
Mrs. Cao shook her head and said, "That girl values love and righteousness, but sometimes it's not good to be too sentimental." She added, "Xu Huima has been away for more than three years and he still can't come out. What will happen in the rest of his life?" How are you doing?"
Cui Wenxi: "That's what aunt said."
Mrs. Cao looked at her with a smile and said lovingly: "As the emperor's aunt, you are very transparent and have a very good personal relationship with her. You need to persuade her more, otherwise you will still have to suffer when you live to my age. "
Cui Wenxi responded yes.
Zhao Yue, who was next to her, endured it for a long time before asking, "Sister, are you still resting now?"
Cui Wenxi: "I went to see it when I came here, but I haven't sobered up yet."
Zhao Yue frowned, "There are so many guests outside, how should we arrange them if we leave them?"
Cui Wenxi: "Your Highness, please be at ease. With Princess Yongning and me, we can handle it."
Zhao Yue didn't answer. He knew that she was good at handling middle-level officials and was recognized as a good hand in the clan. With her in charge, nothing would go wrong.
After watching "The Story of Pipa" with Mrs. Cao here, Cui Wenxi went to the Juju venue, where there were gongs and drums, and Yongning hosted the Juju competition.
Prince Qing was also there, sitting under the stage and gearing up.
When he saw Cui Wenxi, he smiled at her and said, "Yuan Niang, we will have some fun later."
Cui Wenxi was so busy that he didn't even think about bowing. He replied: "Silang will do it by himself. I don't have time."
She went to talk to Yongning for a while.
After a while, Ling Guan'er came looking for her, and Cui Wenxi left again.
Later in the evening, when Pingyang woke up from alcohol, he could faintly hear the sound of gongs and drums, and the sound of horse hooves. He asked in a daze, "What time is it?"
Nanny Chen stepped forward and responded: "It's already the time of day to return to Your Highness."
Pingyang said "Ouch", slapped his forehead and said, "Look at my memory. I was so happy and greedy today that I forgot about the real thing."
She sat up with difficulty and ordered: "Wash me quickly, I have to go outside and take a look."
Nanny Chen supported her and said, "Your Highness, don't worry. The guests outside are being taken care of by Princess Qing and Princess Yongning, so nothing goes wrong."
Pingyang: "That's good."
After waiting for a while, Pingyang packed up and went to find Cui Wenxi. At that time, she was talking to Mrs. Zhang of Xibohou.
When the two saw her coming, Mrs. Zhang saluted her, and Cui Wenxi asked, "Have you rested in Pingyang?"
Pingyang said: "I made the Fourth Emperor laugh. I am so happy that I drank a few more drinks today."
Cui Wenxi smiled and said: "You should take it easy in the future, there will be many opportunities to drink."
The two parties talked with Mr. Zhang for a while before going to the bowing field.
Nobles of Daliang, both men and women, like to play ball, and the common people also like to watch it. Sometimes when other countries come to contribute, the court will also host ball games.
Almost all high-ranking ladies can perform bowing, and Cui Wenxi is no exception.
Not only that, her bowing skills are considered top-notch, and she used to play husband-and-wife team with King Qing.
When the two of them passed by, a game was finishing there. Zhao Chengyan could not sit still for a long time, and he was eager to drag Cui Wenxi onto the field to play as a husband and wife team.
I thought that Cui Wenxi was not interested in accompanying him.
In the past, the husband and wife worked together, with one as the forward and the other as the assistant. They worked together seamlessly. Whenever the two of them took the field, they almost never failed.
But today Cui Wenxi doesn't give face, and the two people who seem to be inseparable can no longer have the tacit understanding as before.
There were rumors that the couple was having a divorce, so Zhao Chengyan felt that he could not lose face, so he said angrily: "In the past, Yuen Niang had to fight every time she bowed, why did she have stage fright today?"
Cui Wenxi said pleasantly: "I've had a lot of wine today, and my hands are unsteady and I can't hold the bow stick."
Zhao Chengyan didn’t believe her nonsense at all.
Many people in the court looked at them curiously, and all of them looked interested in gossiping.
Yongning was afraid that the two of them would get into a fight and lose face, so he smoothed things over and said, "Changyue's skill in bowing is very good. Can I, the sister-in-law, be lucky enough to watch it today?"
She spoke, but Cui Wenxi had to show off his face no matter what, so he responded: "The eldest princess has spoken, and Chang Yue dare not disobey her." After a pause, "Is there any good news?"
Yongning looked at Pingyang and said with a smile: "Pingyang, present the best lottery to your Aunt Four Emperors."
Pingyang immediately sent someone to present a pair of mandarin duck jade combs she had collected.
The pair of jade combs are white and soft in color, one male and one female. The jade teeth can interlock with each other to form a complete circle.
The two mandarin ducks on the back of the comb are vividly carved, one on the left and one on the right, like little lovers chasing each other. The metaphor is beautiful and perfect for couples.
Pingyang Xianbao said: "I have hidden this pair of mandarin duck jade combs for a long time without taking them out. If Auntie Four Emperors wins the prize today, I will give them to you."
Cui Wenxi said in disgust: "Giving it to me is really a waste."
Pingyang: “…”
Cui Wenxi felt unhappy after all. He looked at Zhao Chengyan and said, "It's okay to have a fight with Shiro, but let's play some tricks today, how about it?"
Zhao Chengyan frowned, "What does Yuan Niang want?"
Cui Wenxi challenged: "In the past, my husband and wife teamed up, with you as the striker and me as the support. Today we will split up and form a team to play. I also want to have a taste of being a striker."
As soon as these words came out, Zhao Chengyan's face darkened.
However, Yongning was a little excited. He didn't mind watching the fun and said jokingly: "Okay, let's split up the team today and see who is more powerful between you two."
Everyone looked at the couple fighting in the ring with gossipy eyes, and they were all full of interest.
Yongning showed the prize of this kick-ball competition to the people present, and said loudly: "Everyone present, whoever has the courage to come out and team up with Princess Qing to defeat King Qing, I, Yongning, will be heavily rewarded!"
People look at me and I look at you, but they don’t have the guts to get involved in this muddy water.
Yongning asked several times, but no one present dared to go on the court to team up with Cui Wenxi.
Zhao Chengyan said with a half-smile but not a smile: "Yuan Niang, look, who dares to come and tear me down?"
Cui Wenxi was not convinced, and said to Yongning with his neck raised: "There are so many husbands out there, I don't believe they are all grandsons!"
These words made everyone laugh.
Yongning also found it very interesting, and immediately said to his personal maid Caiyun: "Go outside and ask who has the courage to team up with Princess Qing to play a game."
Caiyun responded yes.
Everyone whispered, thinking that this jutsu match was impossible to win.
Who dared to dismantle King Qing after eating a leopard
I'm just tired of living and want to die!
Who would have thought that Caiyun would come back not long after, Yongning asked curiously: "Why did he come back so soon, but he was found?"
Caiyun smiled and said: "Go back to Your Highness, I have found you!"
Yongning asked with great interest: "Who is he?"
Caiyun replied: "Prince."
As soon as these words came out, the whole audience booed and their jaws dropped in shock.