Chapter 63 Dusty Banquet 4K

  "Go and call Juan'er, I have something to say to her." Zheng Suhui instructed her senior maid Yu Gu, and asked another senior maid Bai Ju: "Has the clothes made by Ma Pozi of Tian Gongyuan Embroidery House been sent to Juan'er?"

  The Wu family has been a top-notch aristocratic family since the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, and after passing down for a thousand years, it is now an illustrious and renowned family with a long history of prosperity and wealth.

  In terms of food, clothing, shelter and transportation, there are one's own set of rules.

  The Wu family has always been in charge of the country's finances with the Minister of Revenue, and the head of the household has always been a frugal person, accumulating a wealth that can rival a nation. The Tian Gong Institute of the Wu family is specifically responsible for making clothes, jewelry, porcelain, furniture, and building houses and villas for the Wu family. The craftsmen in the Tian Gong Institute are only slightly less than those in the imperial palace.

  Although Zheng Suxin also came from one of the four major families, the Zheng family, which was known for its beautiful literature, could not be compared to the wealthy Wu family.

  She was also shocked by the wealth of the Wu family when she first married into the Wu family.

  It's naturally difficult for Wu family's thrifty ancestors to raise descendants who spend money like dirt.

  Zheng Suxin is cautious and can manage the household thriftily, so Old Master Wu is very satisfied with her. He had Mrs. Wu transfer the power to manage the family's food supplies to Zheng Suxin a long time ago.

  Having married into the Wu family for over a decade, Zheng Suhui has grown accustomed to this understated wealth and the flamboyance hidden beneath her reserved demeanor.

  Yu Guilei was ordered to go and invite Wu Chanjuan.

  Bai Zhi took a step forward, smiling and said: "As for what Madam said, Ma Po sent the clothes over yesterday. I was worried that if they were folded in the bundle overnight, there would be creases, so I hung them on the clothes rack over there last night. When Second Miss comes over later, I'll take out those clothes and have Second Miss change into them."

  Although Wu Chanjuan is the eldest daughter of the first wife, Wu Chanying, the eldest daughter of the second wife, is two years older than her. The old master and mistress of the Wu family are still alive, and the fourth branch has not separated from the family, so the children of the grandchildren are all lined up together.

  Everyone in the family is used to calling Wu Yujuan "Second Miss".

  "Reasonable, you're more thoughtful than I thought." Zheng Suhui smiled and praised Bai Zhi. She took over the mouthwash tea and rinsed her mouth, then went to the bathroom to tidy up her makeup. When she came out, Wu Yanyan was already waiting for her in her room.

  Wu Chanjuan sat slantingly in the high-backed soft chair in front of the window, with her hands supporting her cheeks. She stared blankly at the two water lilies being cultivated on the windowsill with clear water.

  The water lily is a pale, misty purple color, and in the early morning light, it blooms timidly, unfolding its delicate petals, weak and unable to withstand the weight of the morning sun, which presses down on the lotus leaves, making them tremble and reside low in the crystal-clear waters of the snowy mountain spring.

  Amethyst crystal clear and transparent, spring water is clear and cold, like a mirror, reflecting Wu Yan's extraordinary and elegant appearance.

  A flower in front of a mirror, its reflection overlapping with itself, creating such a beautiful scene...

  Especially her pair of double pupils, so dark and so intense, two rows of long eyelashes as black as raven wings. Lying on the crystal white face, like two shocking arcs, but set off her double pupils to be more round and bigger, eyebrows and eyes even more profound.

  This is her daughter, a daughter who was once both blind and foolish...

  Zheng Suxin's face revealed a proud smile, with a faint joy of "having a young daughter growing up".

  "Mother, you're here." Wu Chanjuan saw Zheng Suheng's reflection walking over from the purple crystal lotus and hastily turned back to smile, standing up.

  Like Zheng Suxin, Wu Chuanjuan is tall and slender. Although she is only twelve years old, she is already a head taller than her fourteen-year-old cousin Wu Chuanying.

  Her face was originally born with a beautiful appearance, and she had a pair of double pupils. Looking at the entire Daxia Imperial Court's aristocratic families, there wasn't a single woman who could compare to her daughter!

  Zheng Suxin smiled and stroked Wu Cujuan's cheek, asking her: "Are you all ready?"

  Wu Chanjuan nodded, counting on her fingers, "Actually, there's nothing to prepare for. The people who came today are all familiar faces. The several brothers and sisters of the Zhou family, the cousins of the Zheng family, and also the young masters and misses from several ministerial families in the capital, it's not the first time we've met."

  Zheng Suxin smiled and said, "This is different. In the past when you saw them, you were a guest. Today when you see them, you are the host. And...” Zheng Suxin glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then whispered to Wu Cuiniang, “Today, both of the Zhou family's madams, as well as Princess Wei and even the Empress Dowager will be coming over for dinner at our place. You must seize this great opportunity."

  Wu Chanjuan is already twelve years old and also knows that her family will start arranging a marriage for her.

  The first and third branches of the Zhou family are both legitimate, with sons. The lady of the first branch, Madame Feng, rarely goes out to socialize, and today is her first time doing so. The lady of the third branch, Wu Yunji, is the eldest sister-in-law of the Wu family and the biological aunt of Wu Chuanjuan. Wu Yunji is the youngest legitimate daughter of Old Lady Wu, married to the youngest legitimate son of Lord Zhou of the Divine General's Manor, a perfect match between two noble families. After marrying into the family, she gave birth to three sons in a row, instantly surpassing Madame Feng, the lady of the first branch.

  Also, because the eldest son of the first house, Zhou Huai Xuan, had been weak and ill for a long time, everyone's hope for succession was placed on the eldest son of the third house, Zhou Hua Li. No one expected that the eldest son of the first house, Zhou Huai Xuan, would actually have a day where he recovered from his illness to go to battle!

  "In short, you have to treat everyone well and make each person feel at home. Your task for today is done." Zheng Suhui reminded Wu Cujuan for the last time.

  "Alright, Mother. How many times have you said that these days!" Wu Chanjuan scolded, "I'm not a child anymore, so please put your mind at ease."

  "You also know you're not a kid anymore, so remember not to be reckless and impulsive again!" Zheng Suhui raised her voice to warn Wu Yanjuan.

  At that time, Wu Chanjuan beat Sheng Siyan at the girls' school in Wangjiacun. Zheng Suhui has been muttering this to Wu Chanjuan's ears for years, but she didn't expect her to develop such an arrogant and domineering personality.

  Wu Chanjuan has also been very regretful in recent years. Her character is actually quite easy-going, and she's not someone who can't take other people's jokes.

  But Sheng Siyan was different, even if she didn't intentionally provoke her, she would still want to slap the other person a few times!

  Over the years, under her mother's guidance, she gradually calmed down and even if she saw Sheng Siyan again, she could handle it calmly.

  "Mother, today is the banquet for Sheng Guo Gong's return, everyone will definitely be surrounding Sheng Guo Gong's wife and daughter, so Mother can rest assured. I will take good care of them." Wu Chanjuan said with a smile.

  Zheng Suxin thought to herself, as long as Sheng Siyan doesn't come, her own daughter should still be able to handle this kind of situation.

  What if Wang really brought Sheng Siyan along, taking advantage of this opportunity?

  Na Sheng Siyan seems to be eleven years old already. It's also the age when one should talk about marriage.

  Zheng Suxin furrowed her brow, but as soon as she turned around, she saw Wu Yanyuan come to the window, bowing her head to gently sniff the lotus. That gentle and charming demeanor made even her own heart skip a few beats, and she felt greatly relieved.

  Sheng Siyan, a little girl who grew up in this countryside, even if she came today, is destined to be the foil of her own daughter.

  Zheng Suxin smiled and stood up, letting Wu Cujuan leave first.

  The banquets of the Great Xia Dynasty were all set up after dark.

  But guests arrive before nightfall.

  It's usually around dinner time that the guests start arriving, and they first go to the middle hall to sit for a while, chat, and wait until nightfall before formally taking their seats.

  The empress dowager agreed to leave the palace and attend the banquet, but she would not eat outside. So she will only go before dark and then return to the palace.

  As everyone knows that Empress Dowager also wants to go to Wu Guo Gong Fu, so all the guests arrived very early.

  It was almost time for dinner, and all the guests who had received their invitations had arrived except for the Empress Dowager.

  Madam Wu was chatting with Madame Wang, Princess Wei, Zheng Su'e's stepmother Kang and others in the central hall. As these four people were of the same rank, they should sit together according to seniority.

  Wang Shi, Wu Lao Furen and Kang Shi were all Guogong Furen, first rank. Wei Wang Fei was also of the first rank.

  Madam Feng, the wife of General Zhou, was a second-class noblewoman by imperial decree, one rank lower than these four women. However, among other female relatives, she was the highest. Because her sister-in-law, Wu Shi, was the youngest daughter of Old Lady Wu, and it was a return to her natal home, Madam Feng voluntarily gave up the first seat below Old Lady Wu to Wu Shi and sat in the first seat below Zheng Lao Ye Zi's second wife, Kang Shi. The two women had similar personalities and got along better than others, so they could also talk to each other.

  The queen looked at the room full of ladies and asked Zheng Suhui, who was standing beside her, "Zheng Yiren, where are your family's young girls? Why don't you call them out to meet everyone?"

  Zheng Suxin smiled and said, "In our family, the four girls rarely go out to meet people. Today, there are many guests, so I arranged for them to do some chores in the small peach garden at the back of the flower garden, chatting with their sisters who came today. There are also some young children. Anyway, they're all not very old, just passing the time together."

  The male-female segregation of the Great Xia Dynasty was not very strict and had not reached the point where seven-year-olds could not sit on the same mat.

  Mrs. Wu, who was sitting beside her, also smiled and said, "I'm old and I love peace and quiet. Those young girls chattering together are like a hundred skylarks, pleasant to listen to at first, but unbearable for the ears!"

  Everyone in the hall burst out laughing.

  Wang sat beside Princess Wei, not saying much, just smiling faintly, without being too showy.

  The Crown Princess said: "Has the wife of Duke Shengguo ever seen the second daughter of the Wu family? She was born with double pupils, and it is said that she has the appearance of a sage!"

  Zheng Suxin hastily said: "The Crown Princess is overpraising. She's just a child, how could she understand these things? As her mother, as long as she can live a peaceful and safe life, I'll be content!"

  Just as they were speaking happily, a servant rushed in from outside and reported: "The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

  Everyone in the room suddenly stood up.

  Led by Wei Wangfei, Wu Lao Furen, Wang Shi and Kang Shi followed behind, then other madams with imperial edicts went to the gate to welcome them.

  When they saw that Empress Dowager's sedan chair had arrived at the gate, everyone knelt down in the courtyard, a dense crowd of people.

  The female official Yao, following closely behind Empress Dowager Yi's sedan chair, hastily smiled and said: "Everyone, please rise."

  She was speaking on behalf of the Empress Dowager. Everyone in the courtyard said, "Obeying your wise orders!" and they all stood up to welcome the Empress Dowager to the central hall.

  The empress dowager looked up and gazed at the central hall of the Wu family, sighing: "It's been forty years since I last came here, and yet nothing has changed!"

  Zheng Suxin hadn't even had time to say two flirtatious words when Yao Nujiang hastily interjected: "Your Majesty, you're not unaware of who Wu Laoye is, are you? Getting Wu Laoye to shell out silver to repair the house is probably even harder than getting Zheng Laoye to write a novel!"

  Everyone thought of Wu Lao Ye Zi and Zheng Lao Ye Zi's appearance, and couldn't help but laugh nonstop.

  "Wu Guogong has been in charge of the national treasury for so many years, just like the Qilin in front of the treasury gate, only coming in and not going out!" The Empress Dowager laughed heartily. She had been in power for so many years, and the Great Xia Dynasty was prosperous and peaceful, with a full treasury, which was no worse than during Emperor Xiaming's reign.

  "It's all the Empress Dowager's blessing. Our master is just doing his own duty." Madam Wu said humbly.

  A group of people came and sat down in the hall.

  This time, of course, it was Empress Dowager who took the lead.

  She had a good impression of Wang, beckoning her to come over, giving her a silk cushion, sitting next to the Empress Dowager, holding her hand and asking: "How have you been lately? You look thinner than before, is it because you're too busy with family matters? Do you want me to recommend someone reliable to help you?"

  Madam Wang smiled and said, "My wife has been in the countryside for many years, indeed a bit lacking in energy, so day and night she is worried, afraid of losing face for our lord. Fortunately, now there are only a few of us in the family, it's still manageable. When there are more people in the future, my wife won't be able to handle it, even if Her Majesty the Empress Dowager doesn't say anything, I will have to go and ask her to grant us some suitable people to help out!"

  This remark not only quietly parried the Empress Dowager's probe, but also did not immediately kill the conversation, leaving room for maneuvering. It also reminded the Empress Dowager that the Sheng family was now sparse in population, and the Empress Dowager who had originally issued an edict to slaughter the entire Sheng family would naturally be embarrassed to mention the matter of granting a person again.

  Zheng Suxin listened clearly from the side and couldn't help but take a quick glance at Wang Shi. ——This rural village woman, how can she be so cunning? She was actually blinded by her own biases...

  The empress dowager smiled all over her face, nodded and said: "I was worried that you would be tired. Since you can handle it, the more capable one will work harder." Then she turned to ask Zheng Suhui: "Zheng Yiren, where is your daughter? The first person with double pupils in our Great Xia Dynasty is a living treasure!"

  "Ah, she's young and impulsive," Zheng Suxin said with a smile. "I was worried that she might unknowingly offend someone, so I had her stay in the rear garden to keep company with her siblings of similar age. Since Your Majesty wishes to see her, I'll go summon her now."

  The Empress Dowager turned to see the Crown Princess of Wei standing beside her, and smiled as she asked: "Has Zhi'er also arrived? Call her over together so I can take a look. Last year during New Year's, I heard that Zhi'er had contracted smallpox; is she all better now?"

  "The queen consort hastily said, 'It's all right, it's been all right for a long time. I was just worried that he would still be in danger of being overthrown, so I kept him at home for several more months. Now the doctor says there is no longer any danger of his being overthrown, and only then did I let him come out to meet people.'"

  While speaking, a group of young masters and misses under the age of fifteen, surrounded by maidservants, came over.

  The first update is 4,000 words. There will be two more updates in the afternoon. By the way, please vote for pink tickets and recommended tickets. Everyone, take a look at the ticket warehouse to see if there are any missed guaranteed pink tickets.

  ……

  ps：

  Thank you to everyone who rewarded me with a peace symbol yesterday. Also, this text is set in an alternate universe, and the Great Xia Dynasty is not the same as the Xia Dynasty of the Three Dynasties (Xia, Shang, Zhou). Don't get confused! Moreover, the four major families have been passed down for thousands of years and are always top-tier aristocratic families. Taking out 10 million taels of silver is really not an exaggeration at all!!! There will be an update this afternoon. I almost accidentally deleted it just now, what a close call!!!!