Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 43 Celebration Banquet

That night, the old lady frowned when she received the gift list.

Just then Xue Qingzhi came to pay his respects, and she asked in dissatisfaction:

"Isn't the fourth girl's dowry too generous? What will happen to the other girls when they get married?"

The gift list was very generous, and all the girls in the mansion were envious. The servants and maids were all saying that Fourth Miss Xue was appreciated by Princess Pingle, and the dowry given by the princess was even more generous than what the mansion gave. The old lady felt that it was inappropriate, so she asked someone to find Fu to question her.

Mrs. Fu came over dragging her sick body, her eyes drooping listlessly, and her tone stiff.

"Master, Madam, these are not from the public, they are all the blessings of the fourth young lady."

Xue Qingzhi glanced at her and said, "I'm asking you, the mistress, how to handle it."

Fu sneered, straightened her clothes and sat up straight, too lazy to pretend anymore.

"That's the master's own daughter. If the master wants to know, just ask her."

Xue Qingzhi saw the old lady's gloomy face and Mrs. Fu's weird expression, and his head ached slightly.

Ever since the last time the censor impeached Prince Duan, there have been more and more letters from censors impeaching Prince Duan and his party, and Xue Qingzhi has been very worried these days.

"It's good to be appreciated by the princess, but how can I feel at ease if I have too many things?"

Fu raised her eyebrows with a fake smile, "I have no control over these matters."

Xue Qingzhi was afraid that she would piss his mother off to death, so he mumbled a few words, left Shou'an Courtyard, and called Xue Yueying over to question him.

Xue Yueying and Gu Jie had already thought of an excuse. They just said that they were good friends with Princess Pingle, and the princess was afraid that she would marry in poverty and lose the princess' heart, so this added some luster.

Xue Qingzhi thought about Pingle's temper and could only sigh.

"You have received the princess's great kindness, you must know how to repay her... Don't get carried away and cause trouble in the mansion."

Xue Yueying lowered her head, twisted her handkerchief tightly with her fingers, and looked a little flustered.

"My daughter understands."
-
The celebration banquet for Master Xue San was held in the Moon-Watching Tower in the main courtyard.

Because the old lady advised not to be too ostentatious, only relatives and close friends came, and no one else was informed.

The third wife, Qian, is very active. She has been married to the Xue family for almost ten years, and she has never felt so proud.

However, in the past, the first lady was in charge of arranging the banquets in the mansion. This time, it was the third wife's wedding, and Fu was unhappy. She used the excuse of recuperating from illness to give up the matter. The old lady had no choice but to leave it to Qian.

Qian was able to marry into the Xue family because Xue Qingxiu was the youngest son. The old lady and the former Lord Xue both doted on him and let him make the decisions.

Otherwise, considering the merchant family of the Qian family, they would be marrying above their station.

Fu had always looked down on her sister-in-law and was secretly waiting to see her make a fool of herself.

Qian was also afraid of losing face, so she asked a few of her sisters from her natal family to help with the arrangements. However, she was still unsure, so she sent someone to Lixiang Courtyard to ask Xue Sui to come and take care of things for her.

"Sixth sister, you have good eyesight. Please show it to Third Aunt to see if there is anything missing or lacking. It would be bad to neglect our distinguished guest."

Xue Yue'e looked down on her when she saw her nervous look. Then she couldn't help laughing when she saw her actually asking Xue Liu.

"Third Aunt, what's the point of asking Sixth Sister about this? How could she learn the rules of banquets, the matching of dishes, the seating arrangement of guests and hosts, and other etiquette of being the head of a household? It would be better to let Fourth Sister come and make the decision for you."

Xue Yueying is usually good at dancing.

Several girls in the mansion were quite good friends with her.

Especially these days, she has more money, and she has given some benefits to the Eighth and Ninth Girls. Someone will come out to speak for her...

Qian Shi didn't buy it and sneered, "I, your third aunt, didn't learn the etiquette of preparing banquets and mixing dishes at my mother's house, but I'm still living well, eating and wearing everything, right?"

At the end, she said sarcastically, "Ninth Miss should worry more about herself. No matter what, Fourth Miss is marrying into the Marquis of Jingyuan Mansion, with Princess Pingle as the matchmaker. Ninth Miss is not born from the First Madam's womb, and she is not as flattering and pleasing as Fourth Miss. It is hard to say who will marry her. I am afraid that all the housekeeping skills you have learned will not be of any use."

Xue Yue'e was so embarrassed that her face turned red.

"Why did Third Aunt insult me?"

Qian: "Who told you to put your face in my palm? Do you know I am your third aunt? You don't respect your elders, and you still have the nerve to do that? Stay away and don't offend me."

Xue Yue'e had never suffered such an injustice before. Tears welled up in her eyes. She bit her lower lip tightly, then turned around and ran away in shame, going straight to the eldest lady to cry to her.

Qian curled her lips in disdain, "What a shame!"

Xue Sui had been silent until now, but at this moment he had already looked around the Moon Watching Tower inside and out.

Just as spring is just beginning to bloom, the painted bridges and red railings are covered with spring flowers, a sea of ​​green and red, which is extremely pleasing to the eye...

It has to be said that Qian had really put a lot of thought into keeping the Third Master's face. Every arrangement was very delicate and attentive, revealing the style of a wealthy merchant. The menu and decorations seemed to have the word "rich" clearly written on them, so that everyone would know that although the Third Master was not a high-ranking official, the Third Lady's family had plenty of money.

"The Third Madam even specially prepared a buffet with 20 tables, so that the servants could also enjoy the feast."

The banquet had sixty-six hot dishes, sixty-six cold dishes, and more than thirty kinds of snacks, not to mention the dazzling array of fruits. Ruyi and Xiaozhao were amazed just talking about it.

"We are in for a treat too." Xue Sui listened to their chattering and fixed his eyes on the peacock feather screen in the hall.

That thing was the third wife's dowry. It was made of the green feathers from a whole peacock's tail, carefully inlaid on golden nanmu wood. The tips of the feathers seemed to have flowing light, which was extremely luxurious.

Qian asked, "Sixth Miss, do you see any problem?"

Xue Sui blinked and said with a smile, "Aunt San, why don't you take down the peacock screen and replace it with an ordinary brocade screen."

Qian was stunned for a moment, then lowered her voice, "The peacock spreads its feathers, and all the birds herald good news. Isn't that auspicious?"

Xue Sui shook his head and did not mention Princess Pingle's peacock feather dress. He just said, "It's too expensive."

After that, he picked up the menu again, "There is also this 'Qiongtai Xianshan', which is a royal dish from the previous dynasty. It is rumored to have been created by the empress dowager of the previous dynasty. Although it has not been explicitly banned from being eaten by the public, it is served on the main table at the Third Uncle's celebration banquet. I'm afraid it is inappropriate."

There were many rules at the banquet, and Qian racked her brains for them, fearing that she would make mistakes and be ridiculed by Fu. She paid special attention to the number and variety of dishes, and even did not dare to violate the rules in the decorations, but she was completely unaware of these.

She was stunned for a moment, then exhaled heavily and laughed.

"You are so good, Sixth Miss, you really know a lot. Otherwise, Third Aunt would be embarrassed this time. Change it, change it now!"

She listened to the advice very much. Although she didn't quite understand, she was convinced by Xue Sui and did whatever she said. She immediately sent the maids to take down the peacock screen and quickly informed the kitchen to replace the fairy meal on the Qiongtai Terrace.
-
At noon, guests arrived one after another. Qian followed Xue Qingxiu to the main gate to welcome the guests, full of energy and enthusiasm. Although Fu was not happy, she had to put on new makeup and put on a forced smile to attend the social event.

Xue Qingzhi was genuinely happy.

The Xue family is also a prominent family. The third son had not lived up to his expectations and his father died with regrets.

Brothers go to the battlefield together, and if his younger brother succeeds, he will also be proud.

Before the banquet began, Xue Sui returned to Lixiang Courtyard, fixed her hair, changed her clothes, and put on rouge. This was to give face to the third wife, and she didn't want to look too shabby.

After packing up, I went to the Moon Viewing Tower, and saw a man coming from the other end of the bamboo corridor. He was wearing a long robe, a belt around his waist, and a sinister look on his thin face. He did not notice Xue Sui and the other two, and walked towards the Lianshui Pavilion leisurely.

Xue Sui didn't say anything.

Ruyi glanced at him and gritted her teeth in anger.

"Why is he here?"

Xiao Zhao asked: "Who is that?"

Ruyi snorted and lowered her eyes, "It's Second Uncle Yao. Poor Second Miss, he's going to suffer again. He didn't come to pick her up for so long, is he coming here today to embarrass Second Miss?"

Xiao Zhao was stunned when she heard this. "Isn't it common for couples to quarrel? Why are you so resentful?"

He laughed again and said, "The second young lady will inevitably be gossiped about if she lives in the mansion. If she lives in her parents' home for a long time, she will also be looked down upon by others. It is not a good thing for Second Uncle Yao to come and take her back and give her face?"

"Oh, how would you know?"

Ruyi is a chatterbox. When she saw Uncle Yao, she started talking.

"The second uncle Yao is a playboy with a bad reputation. The second young lady didn't want to marry him, but the first lady urged her to do so. Aunt Liu also felt that she was marrying up, so she had no say. A concubine's daughter was able to marry the legitimate son of the Minister of Internal Affairs. The first lady gained face, but the second young lady suffered."

As she spoke, she looked around and lowered her voice:

"After being married for several years, the second young lady found out that Second Uncle Yao not only had a lover outside, but also that the eldest sister-in-law of the Yao family had an affair with Second Uncle Yao. The child born by the eldest sister-in-law of the Yao family was actually Second Uncle Yao's biological child. What do you think about this matter..."

Xiao Zhao was furious when she heard this: "Then is Second Uncle Yao's eldest brother dead?"

Ruyi said, "You're right. She died a long time ago. The eldest sister-in-law of the Yao family was a widow, she was frugal and honest, and she got all the good reputation. Who would know that she was secretly having an affair with the second son-in-law of Yao? The most infuriating thing is that the second girl doesn't know about it. Sooner or later, she has to respect the eldest sister-in-law and take care of her eldest nephew for her. The whole family knows about it, but she is the only one kept in the dark. Isn't she a complete scapegoat?"

Xiao Zhao shook her head. "No wonder the second young lady didn't say anything in the mansion. Where can we go to seek justice for this dirty matter? It's really disgusting."

Ruyi sneered, "There's something even more infuriating. Originally, the Second Miss didn't know about it, and the family was hiding it. Now that the Second Miss saw it, they simply stopped pretending, saying that this is called the co-parenting, and it's in accordance with etiquette, and asked the Second Miss not to interfere."

The two girls were talking with snorting voices, which were full of disgust.

Xue Sui just kept walking forward with an expressionless face.

Suddenly a scream was heard.

She stopped.

Xiao Zhao practiced martial arts and had good hearing, so he followed along and spoke.

"Miss, is this the direction of Lianshui Pavilion?"

Xue Sui turned his head without saying a word.

Xiao Zhao and Ruyi looked at each other and followed.

　Xue Sui: The fourth lady’s good fortune is yet to come.

　　See you tomorrow, thanks for reading~

　　(End of this chapter)