Zhao Jingyu returned to the Marquis' Mansion in a daze. Wei Jun had already called Xie Nanjia and Hualou to the secret room in the west wing and asked Hu Qianshan to take Hualou's pulse.
Xie Nanjia had never seen Zhao Jingyu since that day. Now, seeing him appear in front of her with a cold and dusty look, she actually felt like they were meeting again after a long separation.
However, Zhao Jingyu seemed to be in a very low mood, and it was unclear whether he was tired or cold.
She walked over to him, handed him her hand warmer, and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work on this trip."
Zhao Jingyu didn't take the hand warmer, but directly covered Xie Nanjia's hand with his big hand, staring at her in a daze, silent.
His hands were so cold that Xie Nanjia couldn't help but shiver.
"What's wrong with you? Are you tired?"
"No." Zhao Jingyu shook his head gently, "Have you heard about the incident at the Zhenguo Mansion?"
Xie Nanjia was slightly startled, then nodded: "I heard that the young lady Su Jinping who was lost in the Zhenguo Mansion twelve years ago has been found. To celebrate, the Zhenguo Mansion has sent invitations to all the mansions in Beijing, inviting everyone to attend the welcoming banquet for County Lady Jinping tomorrow."
"So you already knew." Zhao Jingyu sniffed, and his eyes, which were always bright and shining in the past, became dim at this moment. "I thought you would feel bad, but it seems that you don't."
Xie Nanjia lowered her eyes and smiled, not knowing how to continue.
Although the news came too suddenly, as Su Jinping's cousin and her aunt's niece, what else could she do except be happy for them
It’s just a pity that all Zhao Jingyu’s efforts were in vain in the end.
Seeing Zhao Jingyu's depressed look, she felt bad too. She pulled out her hand and patted him on the shoulder twice, comforting him: "It's okay. Everyone has their own destiny. You have tried your best. Whether it succeeds or not depends on luck."
"That's why fate plays tricks on us, isn't it?" Zhao Jingyu laughed at himself. "That's why I say that this damn God is not so kind to me. Every time I think I'm about to see the light, he'll pour a bucket of dog blood on my head."
Xie Nanjia smiled as well. Wasn’t it the same how God treated her
"But don't worry, I will always find a way. There are more famous families in Beijing than just the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion." Zhao Jingyu was depressed for a while, then turned around to comfort her.
"No need..." Xie Nanjia wanted to say no. The reason why she was willing to accept such a ridiculous proposal of recognition of relatives was because going to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion would be of great benefit to her. If it were not for the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, it would be meaningless to her.
But seeing that Zhao Jingyu was obviously very disappointed but still trying to comfort her, it was hard for her to say no, so she had to change her words and said, "Don't force it too much, just let it go."
The two were talking in the outer room when the door of the inner room opened with a creak, and Hu Qianshan walked out with his hands behind his back.
Xie Nanjia didn't see Hualou, so she hurried over to ask, "Sir, where is Hualou?"
"She just had an injection, let her sleep for a while." Hu Qianshan said.
"Thank you, sir. You have worked hard." Xie Nanjia said.
Hu Qianshan gave her a meaningful look, then turned to look at the listless Zhao Jingyu, stroking his beard and saying, "It was that brat who said there was a gourmet chef here, so I reluctantly agreed to come."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
How greedy is this person that he would come here in the wind and snow just for a bite of food
"In that case, sir, please talk to the second young master for a while. I will go to cook for you." She said with a smile.
The kitchen in the west wing is always stocked with all kinds of precious ingredients. With the help of several cooks, a table of delicious food was delivered to Zhao Jingyu's room in less than half an hour.
The maids set the table and left. Xie Nanjia was the last to come in, carrying a pot of vegetarian soup.
"I wonder if my cooking is to your liking?" She put the soup down and asked with a smile.
Hu Qianshan's eyes lit up as he ate, and he nodded repeatedly, "It's perfect, perfect, it's perfect."
Xie Nanjia smiled and served him a bowl of soup, holding it in both hands and handed it to him. "Because of the short time, I was afraid that the pigeon would not be cooked through, so I had to make a vegetarian soup first. Please don't mind, sir."
"It's okay, it's okay. Anyway, the girl's poison will take seven days to cure, so you can just stew it early tomorrow." Hu Qianshan said unceremoniously. He took a sip of the soup and immediately widened his eyes. "Hey, this vegetarian soup is delicious!"
"As long as you like it, sir." Xie Nanjia said, "Sir and the Second Young Master can eat first. I will make an extra portion and send it to the Marquis as a midnight snack."
"Tsk tsk..." Hu Qianshan watched her leave the door and said to Zhao Jingyu, "No wonder I saw that the Marquis looked much healthier a few days ago. It turns out that he has this blessing every day. I might as well live here permanently in the future."
Zhao Jingyu was in a bad mood and didn't bother to talk. He just held the wine jug and drank gulp after gulp.
Hu Qianshan was ignored and was very unhappy. He stretched out his long arm and snatched away Zhao Jingyu's wine jug.
"It's not a big deal, but it's worth drowning your sorrows in wine. If the road to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion doesn't work, don't you still have your master?"
Zhao Jingyu was shocked, sat up straight and looked at him warily: "You, how did you know?"
It is obvious that only I and Minister Cheng know about this. Where did he get the information
"Who am I? I am Hu Qianshan, who knows everything about astronomy, geography, yin and yang, and gossip. Is there anything in this world that I don't know?" Hu Qianshan shook his head proudly. "Besides, I have been your master since you were eight years old. Can you hide your little tricks from me?"
Zhao Jingyu: “…”
Hu Qianshan stretched out his hand and said, "Since things have gone wrong, return my ancient sword of the Western Zhou Dynasty to me, otherwise don't expect me to help you."
Zhao Jingyu: “…”
"Hurry up, give it back to me!" Hu Qianshan urged.
Zhao Jingyu took out the sword from his arms and handed it over hesitantly. Hu Qianshan reached out to take it, but he quickly took it back: "Do you really want to help me?"
Hu Qianshan glared: "When has your master ever lied to you?"
"You've lied to me so many times." Zhao Jingyu said, "When I was eight, you tricked me into jumping into a frozen lake. When I was nine, you tricked me into jumping off a cliff. When I was ten, you tricked me into reaching my hands into boiling water to fish out beans. When I was eleven..."
"Alright, that's enough." Hu Qianshan interrupted him quickly and coughed, "I did that to train you. I can't say I was lying. Didn't the saints say that when God wants to give a man a great responsibility, he must first make his heart and mind suffer and his muscles and bones work hard..."
"Tsk!" Zhao Jingyu snorted disdainfully, "Didn't you object to my getting involved with the little girl? Why are you offering to help me now?"
Hu Qianshan chuckled twice: "I didn't know she could cook at that time."
Zhao Jingyu: “…”
"How are you going to help me?" He threw the sword over.
Hu Qianshan reached out to take it, checked it carefully, confirmed that it was not dropped or damaged, and carefully put it in his arms. He poured himself a glass of wine, raised his head and drank it, smacked his lips and tasted it, then said slowly: "I haven't thought about it yet."
Zhao Jingyu: "... Believe it or not, I will overturn the table and prevent you from eating."
Hu Qianshan hurriedly pressed the table hard: "No, no, no, I want to think about it now, isn't it okay for me to think about it now?"
…
The next morning, the weather was clear, the red sun reflected the snow, and the young ladies in the mansion stopped classes for a day and followed Qin to the Duke's Mansion for a banquet.
Princess Jinping has been missing for twelve years and has now finally been found. One can imagine how the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion will celebrate this great event.
Because all the famous ladies and noblemen in the capital would be present today, all the young ladies at home had dressed up with all their might, putting on their best clothes and jewelry, and generously applying expensive rouge and powder on their faces, hoping that they could be the most dazzling girl at the banquet.
Fourth Miss Zhao Lanzhi did not have any clothes or jewelry to show off. Although the old lady loved her now, the banquet came too suddenly and there was no time to make her new clothes or buy her jewelry.
Besides, she is a concubine's daughter after all. Even if the old lady is partial to her, it is not good to let her overshadow the legitimate daughter. Even if the two legitimate daughters don't say anything at the time, they will find ways to retaliate against her later.
Based on this consideration, the old lady asked the maid in the room to give her a set of good-quality, low-key headwear and a cloak with forged light blue brocade fur. This outfit not only retained the purity and elegance of a young girl, but also did not make her look too flamboyant, thus overshadowing her elder sister.
"The old lady really has good intentions. It is obvious that she loves the young lady from the bottom of her heart." Xie Nanjia personally helped Zhao Lanzhi dress and drew her eyebrows for her.
Zhao Lanzhi also understood that her grandmother had spent a lot of time and effort on her. She looked at her face in the mirror and sighed, "It's a pity that I don't have the ability to repay my grandmother's kindness. And you, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have the chance to receive my grandmother's love. I really don't know how to thank you."
Xie Nanjia smiled and said, "Miss, you don't have to worry about these things. When you find a suitable husband, there will be plenty of opportunities to repay us."
Zhao Lanzhi's face suddenly turned red with shame, and a green figure unconsciously emerged in her mind.
Alas! She sighed quietly, stood up and said, "Let's go quickly, don't let mother wait anxiously."
Xie Nanjia and Su He accompanied her out of the door. Nanny Li was worried, so she chased Su He to the door and gave her many instructions, telling her to control her temper and not to embarrass the Fourth Young Lady.
This was the first time that Su He attended such a grand banquet since she followed Zhao Lanzhi. She was so excited that she didn't care that I was annoying her and readily agreed.
We walked along the clean corridor to the outer courtyard, where the coachmen had already harnessed the carriages and were waiting.
Zhao Lanzhi was worried that she would be late, but unexpectedly she was the first to arrive.
In order to show the grandeur of the Marquis's Mansion, Qin did not plan to let the sisters squeeze in, and arranged a carriage for each of the five young ladies, plus her own, a total of six carriages.
Zhao Lanzhi did not dare to get into the car first. She stood outside holding a hand warmer and waiting for her stepmother and sisters to arrive.
The sky was clear and cold, and there was a draught blowing in gusts. Soon her feet became numb and her lips turned purple from the cold.
After a while, the sound of chattering and laughter was heard, and Qin came over with a group of daughters wearing jingling jewelry.
The concubines were not qualified to attend the banquet, and the two aunts, who were worried about their daughters, sent them along as well.
Zhao Lanzhi looked at her sisters who were happily having fun accompanied by their mothers. She lowered her head to hide the sadness in her eyes, handed the hand warmer to Xie Nanjia, and walked forward to greet Qin.
Qin said no need to be polite and looked her over secretly. She was quite satisfied with her outfit, except that her face was too outstanding and a bit annoying.
The sisters behind were all dressed up as gorgeously as flowers, especially Zhao Lanshu, who even wore her favorite brocade cloak with a pattern of hundreds of butterflies embedded in flowers. Compared with her, Zhao Lanzhi was like the green leaves setting off the red flowers, which made her feel very happy.
Compared with her younger sisters, although Zhao Lanya was dressed more luxuriously and beautifully, she was not interested in competing with her sisters in makeup. Ever since she learned from her mother that Xiu'er already knew what she had done, she had been thinking all the time about how to make Xiu'er shut up forever, so as to prevent the matter from spreading and ruining her reputation.
Today was a rare opportunity, perfect for some trickery, so she had started planning since last night how to do it without anyone noticing.
Thinking of this, she subconsciously glanced at Xie Nanjia, and was horrified to find that Xie Nanjia was also looking at her with a half-smile, which frightened her so much that her heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked away and urged Qin, "Mom, it's cold outside, let's get in the car!"
The drivers put down the step stools, and the sisters went to find their own carriages in order of age. At this time, the fourth concubine suddenly came over breathlessly. Under the curious gazes of everyone, she walked up to Zhao Lanzhi and casually took out a long string of pearls from her bosom. She smiled and said, "I heard that you are going to visit the Duke's Mansion. This string of South China pearls was brought back for me by the Marquis when he went to Southeast Asia. Wear it to add some color, so that people won't laugh at our young lady in the Marquis' Mansion for being shabby."
After saying this, without waiting for Zhao Lanzhi to refuse, he personally put the necklace around her neck.
The bead necklace is very long, wrapping around three times, and paired with Zhao Lanzhi's lake blue cloak, it looks gentle and elegant, complementing each other.
The young ladies and concubines over there were all staring with their eyes wide open, especially the fourth concubine who boasted that the Marquis brought it back specially for her from Southeast Asia, which made them jealous to the point of going crazy.
Xie Nanjia couldn't help laughing. If she remembered correctly, when the Fourth Aunt sent her to the big kitchen, she also gave her a string of beads, saying that it was a tribute from the Southern Kingdom.
This Fourth Aunt has too many pearls.
However, she was very surprised that the Fourth Aunt would come to see Zhao Lanzhi off, which showed that the Fourth Aunt was really serious about adopting Zhao Lanzhi as her daughter.
Zhao Lanzhi also didn't expect that the Fourth Aunt would come to see her off. She felt her heart warmed by the Fourth Aunt's gentle smile and almost cried.
"Thank you, Auntie." She whispered, "I will give you the chain when I return from my visit."
"What gift? This is a gift from me. Why should I pay it back?" Fourth Aunt patted her hands with a smile and helped her into the car herself. "Hurry up and get in the car. Don't keep everyone waiting. Have fun when you get there. We'll talk when you come back."
Tsk! The people over there pouted and got on the carriages.
Zhao Lanzhi thanked her again and got into the car with the help of Fourth Aunt. Xie Nanjia and Su He also followed her and sat next to her on her left and right.
The wheels rumbled out of the Marquis' Mansion and were escorted by the guards to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
Originally, Qin Wanru was going to go, but because she was pregnant, Qin was afraid that something might go wrong if she wasn't taken good care of at the banquet, so she let her stay at home to recuperate.
Along the way, from time to time, we would encounter carriages from other prefectures going to banquets. Those who were familiar with each other would greet each other through the curtains and walk together. When we arrived at Suzaku Street where the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion was located, the carriages coming and going formed a long queue, which was magnificent and spectacular.
Fortunately, the Duke's Mansion had been prepared and sent a guard team of dozens of people to direct and ease traffic on the street. Therefore, although there were many guests, there was no congestion.
The ladies and daughters of the Dingyuan Marquis's family were of noble status and were naturally highly respected. Therefore, as soon as their carriage turned the corner, a servant went in to report. Not long after, the old duke's second daughter-in-law, Zheng, came out with people to greet them.
As soon as Qin got off the carriage, Zheng, who was waiting at the door, came to greet her warmly, took her hand and called her sister: "Sister, I am very sorry for not coming to greet you. I hope you will not be offended."
"You're too polite, sister." Qin held her hand back, "How could I not know how busy you are today? We are all family, you don't have to come to pick me up, I can just walk in by myself."
The "family member" she was referring to was the fact that Xie Nanjia was the niece of Young Madam Sheng Qingyun.
"How can that be possible?" Zheng said with a smile, "Originally, my eldest sister-in-law should have come to greet you personally, but she has been following us closely since the child came back, and refused to go anywhere. I hope you can understand."
Qin sighed and wiped her eyes: "Poor thing, they are all mothers, how can I not be considerate."
As they were talking, several young ladies got off the car and gathered in front of Qin, calling her mother.
Qin then introduced her daughters to Zheng and asked them to pay their respects to Zheng.
Zheng then held Zhao Lanya with one hand and Zhao Lanshu with the other, praising the two sisters for their beauty, saying that they were as beautiful as flowers and that they were pleasing to the eye.
After the praise, people naturally asked about marriage. Qin smiled and said that she had not seen anyone yet, and half-seriously asked Zheng to help her keep an eye out for a good family.
They entered the backyard with polite conversation and came to the courtyard of Young Madam Sheng Qingyun. The courtyard was bustling and festive. Xie Nanjia looked at the scenery around her and felt both familiar and unfamiliar, and was filled with emotion.
Ever since my cousin went missing, my mother was afraid that my aunt would be reminded of the past when she saw her, so she seldom brought her to see my aunt. Later, she married into the Marquis's Mansion, and she was not happy with her life. She never came to the Duke's Mansion even once, so much so that now she can hardly remember what my aunt looks like.
Therefore, she couldn't help getting excited at the thought of seeing her aunt soon.
When they arrived at the reception room, the ladies who had arrived earlier were already drinking tea and chatting. When they saw Zheng leading Qin and her daughter in, everyone stood up and greeted them.
Qin and her daughters returned the gifts one by one and exchanged pleasantries for a long time before sitting down with everyone else.
Zhao Lanya and Zhao Lanshu both had sisters they were familiar with. After greeting their mother, they sat down with their sisters to talk. The third lady, Zhao Lanyun, had always been Zhao Lanshu's follower, so she also went with them. So, only Zhao Lanzhi and Zhao Lanxin were left by Qin's side.
Xie Nanjia stood beside Zhao Lanzhi, looking at the empty main seat in the hall, thinking that what Zheng said was indeed true. In order to stay with her cousin, her aunt even refused to accompany the guests.
My cousin was only three years old when she went missing. I don’t know what she looks like now. Also, how did she find herself
Just as I was wondering, I heard the ladies talking about this matter, saying that Princess Jinping was found by chance through a distant cousin of Second Madam Zheng's family.
The cousin was a traveling performer. One day, he was performing in a place called Nanjiang County in the south of Dingnan and accidentally saw Princess Jinping on the street.
Because Princess Jinping had a pair of phoenix eyes like the young lady, and a butterfly-shaped birthmark on the back of her neck, all the relatives in the mansion went out to look for her. The second lady's cousin had been thinking about this matter for many years, so she became interested in the girl as soon as she saw her. After inquiring from many sources, she learned that the girl was sold to Nanjiang County, and she immediately wrote a letter to inform the second lady.
The second wife told the news to the young duke and his wife. The young duke took people to Nanjiang that day. After several twists and turns, he confirmed the identity of Princess Jinping. He then gave Princess Jinping's adoptive parents some money and brought her back to the capital.
Such a bizarre and dramatic process made everyone sigh with emotion, and several elderly people even chanted "Amitabha" repeatedly.
Xie Nan also silently thanked the Buddha for blessing his cousin and her family so that they could finally be reunited.
At this time, someone shouted that the Young Madam and Princess Jinping were coming.
The reception room suddenly became quiet. Everyone stood up and looked towards the door. They saw a group of maids and servants accompanying two beautiful ladies in gorgeous attire wearing the same bright red brocade and white fox fur crane cloaks walking in.
Young Madam Sheng Qingyun was a great beauty when she was young. She and her elder sister Sheng Qingluan were known as the two beauties in the capital. Later, because her only daughter was lost, she was heartbroken and stayed indoors for many years. As time went by, everyone had forgotten what she looked like. Now, when they first saw her with her hair tied up high, simple makeup, and walking slowly with her daughter who was dressed in the same clothes as her, they were stunned to see her as a stunning beauty.
And her daughter, the legendary Princess Jinping, had the same phoenix eyes as her and wore the same crane cloak. Her pretty face was set against the white fox fur and her hair full of pearls and jade, and was equally stunningly beautiful. The only flaw was that she lacked the nobility that a lady from a famous family should have, and her expression also revealed a hint of timidity that was unique to a small family.
But after all, she has lived outside for twelve years. It is inevitable that she will feel a little uncomfortable when she suddenly comes back. With time, she will naturally change slowly.
Young Madam Sheng Qingyun swept away the gloom of many years, and nodded to everyone with a bright smile. Starting from the door, she introduced each lady to her daughter one by one.
Although Princess Jinping was a little shy, she carefully memorized everyone's name and appearance. It was obvious that she was trying her best to integrate into the life of the big family as soon as possible.
When he arrived in front of Qin, Sheng Qingyun paused slightly, and the smile on his face became perfunctory.
When Qin entered the mansion just now, the old lady of the Duke's originally wanted her to go out to greet her, but she was extremely disgusted with Qin because of her niece's death, and she refused to go no matter what. The old lady of the Duke's had no choice but to let her second daughter-in-law Zheng go to pick her up.
When he met Qin at this time, he didn't want to pay any attention to her seeing that she was leading her five daughters in a prosperous manner, while her sister's only daughter died in their family.
Zheng followed her and knew what she was thinking when she saw her face change. She smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, you haven't been out for a long time. You look dazed. How come you even forgot about Sister Qin?"
Sheng Qingyun sneered: "The wife of Marquis Dingyuan, my niece's mother-in-law, how could I forget her? But I heard that she has become my niece's mother-in-law now!"
Qin's face turned red as she was told, and she said with a wry smile, "Nan Jia is a good child, we all miss her!"
Sheng Qingyun smiled without commenting, then took his daughter to the next lady. He neither let his daughter greet Qin nor let her get to know Qin's daughters.
This undisguised disgust made Zheng, who was following behind, feel embarrassed.
But what can she do? Her sister-in-law has always been clear about what she likes and dislikes, and dares to say and do what she wants. Not to mention her, even if the mother-in-law comes, she can only watch.
Fortunately, there were many people here today, so any embarrassing situations were quickly covered up, and no one would keep harping on it.
After Sheng Qingyun exchanged greetings with everyone, he took his daughter's hand and sat in the main seat in the hall. He politely invited everyone to drink tea and have snacks, and chatted and laughed with everyone about daily life.
As they were talking, a maid came in to report that the eldest son had come with the sons from various mansions.
Although there are differences between men and women, today is a special day. The lord of Jinping County has to be completely integrated into the aristocratic circle in Beijing, so it is impossible for him not to know these young men. So the old lady thought, since they have to meet, it is better to meet them openly. Hiding from them would make her seem petty.
Besides, each family brought so many young men and women here just to take the opportunity to see each other. It would be a good thing to use one's own wedding to help everyone get married.
Sheng Qingyun had already received instructions from her mother-in-law. When she heard that her son had brought someone here, she told the maid to invite them in.
The maid took the order and went out. After a while, the eldest son Su Jincheng entered the hall with a large group of young masters.
(End of this chapter)