Chapter 492

In the night sky,

the bright moon hung high,

casting a sheet of clear radiance,

allowing people in the night to see the flowers, trees, and paths in the courtyard even without carrying lanterns.

In Yingxiang Lane,

at the Sheng family,

the doors of the back hall usually used for receiving guests were wide open tonight,

and maids carrying dishes went in and out from time to time.

Looking from the outside, one could see that the candles lit around the hall made the interior very bright.

The Mid-Autumn Festival coincided with the children and grandchildren passing the provincial examination,

and the married Hualan had brought her husband, who had also passed, back to the Sheng family.

This made the atmosphere in the back hall of the Sheng family very happy and relaxed.

At the large dining table in the middle of the hall,

the Old Madam and the Old Madam of the main branch sat side-by-side in the seats of honor with smiles on their faces, chatting and laughing from time to time.

Below the two elders sat the cousins Sheng Wei and Sheng Hong, each with their respective wives.

Further down were Zaizhang, Changbai/Wu/Feng, who were seated according to age, and the six Sheng daughters after Hualan was added.

Lin Qinshuang, who had rarely appeared at banquets attended by the Old Madam since Quanzhou, had also broken precedent today and stood at the very last table with Wei Shuyi.

Li Daniangzi, the mother of Changwu who sat opposite Wang Ruofu, watched Wang Ruofu and Hualan, who was holding Changzhen, finish a conversation, and took the opportunity to say, "Sister-in-law, why didn't Scholar Zhuang come to the banquet tonight?"

Wang Ruofu smiled: "Sister-in-law, Scholar Zhuang was invited by his peers to go to a restaurant in the city to enjoy the moon today, so he didn't come."

Li Daniangzi nodded slowly and said, "Oh!"

Then she said thoughtfully, "I wonder how my two nephews from my maiden family did in this provincial examination!"

Hualan, who was sitting opposite, heard this and said with a smile, "Aunt, don't worry! I heard that the two younger brothers of the Li family study diligently, so they must have passed!"

"Then I will borrow Hualan's auspicious words!"

Hualan smiled and continued, "If the two younger brothers have any doubts in their studies, they can send a letter; Father and Scholar Zhuang can both resolve them!"

Li Daniangzi's smile grew wider.

In the seats of honor,

the Old Madam raised her wine cup and said to the Old Madam of the main branch, "Old sister-in-law, come, let us sisters-in-law have another drink."

The Old Madam of the main branch raised her cup and nodded. After the two elders clinked their cups, they both drank them down crisply.

Putting down her wine cup, the Old Madam of the main branch looked at the lively scene in the hall.

Perhaps because she was getting on in years,

or perhaps because the new wine she had drunk several cups of was quite strong,

the Old Madam of the main branch was filled with emotion in her heart.

In a blur, she seemed to see the Sheng family of several decades ago.

At that time, her eldest daughter Sheng Shu had already passed away, and the man who had favored his concubine and destroyed his wife, ruining the family fortune, had also died.

And the sister-in-law from the Marquis Prefecture had also lost her husband and biological son.

The two of them, one with Sheng Wei and her youngest daughter, the other with the concubine-born Sheng Hong.

The entire Sheng family was withering,

and during the New Year and festivals, the dining table was very cold and cheerless.

In the blink of an eye, decades had passed,

the Sheng family business was thriving,

and at this Mid-Autumn banquet, both branches were prosperous with children and grandchildren filling the hall.

No matter how she thought about it, she never expected to see such a lively scene.

"Sanlang, come, let's have a drink together."

Sheng Wei stood up habitually and said to Zaizhang, raising his cup.

Zaizhang hurriedly stood up: "Uncle, please sit! You are an elder; how can you stand up to drink with a junior?"

Sheng Hong was tilting his head, watching Hualan taking care of her younger brother's meal.

Listening to the words of his son-in-law, who was from a high family and knew etiquette,

he smiled with great satisfaction, revealing the dimples on his face.

Watching Hualan's happy appearance, Sheng Hong looked at the Old Madam in the seats of honor with emotion and raised his cup: "Aunt, Mother, your child toasts you both."

At the banquet, cups were exchanged,

and after the Old Madam and her sister-in-law had a few more toasts, they stood up and left the banquet for Shou'an Hall.

Sheng Hong, who was feeling a little tipsy, glanced at the two people standing at the last table and said a few words to Wang Ruofu.

Wang Ruofu, who was happily talking to Hualan, immediately put away her smile and said to the last table, "You two, sit down as well!"

"Thank you, Madam!"

Wei Shuyi and Lin Qinshuang hurriedly bowed to thank her.

Then,

in Wei Shuyi's surprised eyes,

Lin Qinshuang walked to Hualan's side and said softly, "Eldest Young Lady, you have been taking care of Zhen-ge'er for so long; let this servant take your place."

Hearing this,

Wang Ruofu's eyes almost rolled to the sky, but because there were guests present, it was not easy to say anything more.

Sheng Hong, who was holding a wine cup in the seats of honor, saw this scene and nodded with great appreciation, the look of 'good Shuang'er' almost overflowing from his eyes.

"No need, I haven't spent much time with Zhen-ge'er, so I'll just take this opportunity to get familiar with him," Hualan said with a smile while hugging Changzhen, and at the same time, she gave a warning look to Rulan, who had the same expression as Wang Ruofu.

"Yes, Eldest Young Lady!"

Lin Qinshuang replied softly and turned to walk toward the last table.

Hualan tilted her head to look at Lin Qinshuang's departing figure, then took the opportunity to look at Cuichan, who was standing to the side.

Cuichan walked over: "Madam, what is it?"

"Go ask the kitchen if the fish soup is ready."

"Yes."

Wang Ruofu also looked at Mama Liu and said, "You go follow and take a look too."

"Yes, Madam."

When the two walked out, Wei Shuyi followed, but Lin Qinshuang sat peacefully in her seat, smiling as she used serving chopsticks to pick food for the younger Pinlan and Minglan.

Before long,

Wei Shuyi, Mama Liu, and the others walked in carrying a large fish bowl.

Placing the fish bowl on the table,

Pinlan, who was sitting opposite Minglan, looked curiously at the steaming fish bowl, smelled the fragrance wafting from it, and smacked her lips.

Then Pinlan was tugged on her clothes by Shulan, reminding her to mind her manners.

Minglan and Rulan also swallowed, clearly attracted by the fragrance.

Shifting her gaze from Mama Liu, who was serving her a bowl, Rulan asked, "Eldest Sister, what kind of fish is this soup made of? It smells so good!"

"Hualan, is this sea bream?"

Li Daniangzi asked tentatively.

Hualan nodded with a smile: "Yes, Aunt! Because my husband and the Fifth Young Master passed the provincial examination, the Qiao family sent it specially, and my mother-in-law instructed me to bring it before I came."

Zaizhang, who was drinking, waved his hand a bit drunkenly: "This has... I don't have... much to do with it! They are looking at... the Fifth one."

Hualan gave Sheng Hong, who still wanted to urge him to drink, a reproachful look.

Wang Ruofu and Li Daniangzi nodded with a smile, very satisfied, and said, "My good son-in-law is truly humble."

Everyone drank the fish soup,

and Zaizhang was pulled by Sheng Hong and the others to continue drinking at the table with Changbai.

The women went to the side.

Looking at Lin Qinshuang, who had followed, Wang Ruofu pursed her lips and said with disgust, "Alright, there's nothing for you here, go back to your own courtyard."

"Yes, Madam!"

Lin Qinshuang bowed softly and walked toward Linqi Pavilion with Seeing Mo Lan, Zhou Xueniang, and the maids.

On the way,

"The moonlight is so bright, put out the lanterns."

"Yes, Little Niang!"

After standing by the road and looking at the moonlight,

Lin Qinshuang led Seeing Mo Lan to continue walking.

When Seeing Mo Lan's maids Luzhong and Yunzai wanted to follow, they were stopped by Zhou Xueniang: "Let's wait a while before following!"

Lin Qinshuang led Seeing Mo Lan forward: "Mo'er, how was the fish soup tonight?"

"Mm! Delicious!"

"Then do you know how much these large bowls of fish soup are worth?"

Seeing Mo Lan shook her head: "Mother, daughter doesn't know."

"Thirty or forty strings of cash at least."

"Ah? Mother, so expensive?"

"Mm! We didn't really eat this kind of live sea fish when we were in Yang Zhou."

Watching Seeing Mo Lan nod, Lin Qinshuang touched her hair bun and said, "In the future, if you want to drink such good fish soup, you must be like your Eldest Sister and marry into a high-ranking and wealthy family."

"It must be a family like Young Master Qi, the Second Young Master of the Gu family, or the Fifth Young Master of the Xu family."

Seeing Mo Lan shook her head and said, "Mother, daughter doesn't dare to look for Jing-ge'er of the Xu family! I heard that the three maids who often come to our school with him have quite a lot of dowry and private savings!"

Lin Qinshuang grabbed Seeing Mo Lan's shoulder and said while walking, "You have so little ambition! If you can marry into the Xu family, you will be the legitimate wife! Those little hoofs are just concubines! What dowry or private savings do they have? That's all stuff in your hands!"

Seeing Mo Lan nodded, half-understanding.

"However, I think the other two families are even better than the Xu family. Yuan Erlang Young Master of the Gu family's maternal family are salt merchants, with mountains of gold and silver. The Qi Duke's Prefecture goes without saying!"

"Mother, can... I enter these high-ranking families?"

"Why not? Your grandfather was a top scholar, your grandmother was the daughter of a Marquis, your father is a Jinshi, your sister is the second wife of a Marquis, and your two brothers at home are looking to be Jinshi in the future! The Hai family has five Hanlin scholars in one family, and this Sheng family will also have four Jinshi in the future! Why can't you enter?"

"And that Hai family has a rule that one can only take a concubine if one has no heir at forty, but the Sheng family doesn't!"

Listening to this, Seeing Mo Lan nodded in agreement.

At this time,

the mother and daughter also returned to Linqi Pavilion,

and looking at Seeing Mo Lan in the lantern light, Lin Qinshuang sighed with some regret and said, "The pair of twin maids by Xu family Jing-ge'er's side are indeed a bit better in appearance, but they don't understand poetry, do they!"

"Mother, Jing-ge'er rarely speaks to daughter, but the Second Young Master of the Gu family and Brother Qi Heng speak to daughter more often. Brother Qi Heng often praises daughter's calligraphy and appreciation of poetry."

Lin Qinshuang nodded with a smile: "Mm, Mo'er, you must work twice as hard in the future. I learned some things about incense burning and flower arranging from that old woman by Shou'an Hall before, and I will teach them all to you in the future!"

"Mm!"

In the back hall,

on the Luo Han bed in the side room,

Wang Ruofu sat there with her sisters-in-law, daughters, and nieces.

Mama Liu stood to the side and bowed: "Madam, the hangover soup has been served."

After Wang Ruofu nodded, she said to Hualan, "Hua'er, continue."

"After His Majesty's birthday passes, the prefecture will find an excuse to invite those young captains into the prefecture for a chat, and then Aunt can take a look from behind the screen."

Hualan said 'Aunt', but her eyes were looking at Shulan, who wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground.

"This is really troubling our relatives!"

Li Daniangzi said with deep emotion.

"Aunt, how could it be trouble to find such a good wife for the captains under your command?"

Listening to what Hualan said, Li Daniangzi nodded with a smile.

Hualan wasn't just talking nonsense,

whoever could get engaged to Shulan, even if not a biological sister, would be Zaizhang's brother-in-law.

In the future, the civil officials would have Sheng Hong and the Wang family, the meritorious officials would have the Xu family, and the business world would have Sheng Wei,

and among their peers, there would also be the cousins who passed the provincial examination (Changbai, Changfeng) and the cousins who studied (Li Yu, Li Du) to help the family; this is not something just any family could have.

At the door of the side room,

Wei Shuyi stood there holding her son and instructed in a low voice: "Zhen'er, you must study hard in the future! When you pass the provincial examination in the future, you will also have such liveliness."

Sheng Changzhen raised his head and said seriously: "Mother, will there be the fish soup you like so much tonight then?"

Wei Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "Mm! There will be!"

Young Sheng Changzhen nodded heavily.

That night, at the Marquis Yongyi's Prefecture.

An imperial edict came from an eunuch in the palace: the day after tomorrow, the Empress will go outside the city to watch a polo match, and all relatives of the Marquis Prefecture are invited to go.

The provincial examination results had already been posted,

and after the Mid-Autumn Festival, there was the birthday of the current Emperor,

so Bianjing in the eighth month was always full of joy.

The colorful stages set up for performances along the roads in the city were increasing day by day.

Pan Lou Main Street was prosperous and lively,

and in the bright autumn afternoon,

a carriage with a wooden sign reading 'Tan' stopped outside the Sibaozhai shop along the street.

Listening to the pleasant pipa music vaguely coming from the second floor,

a woman holding a round fan lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the plaque hanging at the door of the wooden building.

The woman stepped on the carriage stool, got off the carriage while holding the hand of the steward Mama beside the carriage, then turned to reach out and hold her daughter down from the carriage.

The woman held her daughter's hand and said to the steward Mama beside her: "Ji'an, is this the shop where you found the rare book?"

"Yes, Young Lady! My husband saw quite a few capable guards at the shop entrance, so he guessed that the shop owner had come."

The shop boy at the entrance,

seeing the quality of the carriage, hurriedly turned and ran into the shop.

Before the three women reached the door, the shop steward greeted them, cupped his hands, and said: "Two distinguished guests, what can I do for you?"

On the second floor of Sibaozhai,

the steward who had just greeted the guests walked upstairs under the guidance of the maid Ziteng, bowed, and cupped his hands:

"Owner, there is a woman downstairs who claims to be the wife of the Fourth Branch of the Tan family of the Duke of Anguo, saying she has something to request."

"Invite her up."

The steward replied and retreated.

Chai Zhengzheng looked at Miss Yun Mu in confusion. After Miss Yun Mu's thoughts raced, she bowed and whispered in her ear: "Young Lady, this Madam is the younger sister of the Marquis of Dongchang and is the second wife of the Fourth Branch of the Tan family of the Duke of Anguo."

Chai Zhengzheng nodded.

Miss Yun Mu hesitated for a moment before continuing: "Her sister was the first wife of the Marquis of Ningyuan."

"That is to say, the biological aunt of Pingmei sister's husband, Eldest Brother Yu?"

"Yes, Young Lady."

Miss Yun Mu said a few words in Chai Zhengzheng's ear about how the two Marquis Prefectures had not had much contact over the years, and the people they were talking about had already led people up.

"Greetings, Madam Qin!"

"Greetings, Zhengzheng Young Lady. This woman has come to visit rashly; if there is any disturbance, please forgive me, Zhengzheng Young Lady."

The two bowed to each other and said.

The little girl who followed Madam Qin also bowed in a proper manner.

"Madam Qin, what are you saying! Please sit!"

Chai Zhengzheng reached out from behind the table and said.

After the two took their seats,

Chai Zhengzheng looked at the guest who was staring straight at her and asked in confusion: "Madam Qin, what is the matter?"

Madam Qin, who was the original Little Qin Shi in the story, smiled and said: "Zhengzheng Young Lady, please forgive me. This woman has seen many noble daughters in the capital, but this is the first time I have seen one whose appearance is so beautiful."

Being recognized and praised,

Chai Zhengzheng's mouth curled slightly upward and said: "Madam, you flatter me! Feiyan sister of the Rong family is even better looking than me! The younger sister beside you is also very beautiful."

The girl beside Madam Qin leaned toward her mother shyly.

Chai Zhengzheng was not just making polite conversation;

the little girl beside Little Qin Shi indeed had a kind of detached temperament.

After drinking some tea and saying a few words, Madam Qin smiled and said: "I heard that in your shop, Zhengzheng Young Lady, you have collected a rare copy of 'Nanyue Guangji'?"

Chai Zhengzheng thought for a moment and shook her head: "I have collected quite a few rare books; I will have someone ask."

(End of chapter)