Chapter 606: The Young Lady Is Self-Taught; Truly Impressive! [Many Thanks!]

"Thank you, Lady."

After Rong Fei's personal female official spoke, she turned her head to glance sideways at Lianpeng, Dou Shi's personal maid, who was standing in attendance nearby.

After bowing her head slightly in greeting to Lady Fu Lady Fu Changhou, the female official turned and walked outward.

Lady Fu Lady Fu Changhou hurriedly quickened her pace to catch up, escorting the woman to the second gate where she boarded a sedan chair.

Watching the sedan chair depart into the distance, just as Lady Fu Lady Fu Changhou was about to return to the rear courtyard, a young attendant from the gatehouse rushed over, holding several invitation cards in his hands.

Returning to Xue Courtyard,

in the main hall,

a maid entered with hurried steps.

The elegantly simple outer room was empty,

"Joy fills the air~ ah~~"

The sound of a young girl humming an unknown opera drifted out from the inner room.

The maid hurriedly walked toward the inner room,

lifted aside the door curtain of the inner chamber,

and the first thing to meet her eyes was a table arranged with quite a few fresh flowers.

Rong Rong Feiyan stood behind the table, humming while examining a budding fresh flower in her hand.

Glancing up at the maid who had entered, Rong Rong Feiyan said, "Has the female official from Eldest Sister's side left?"

Seeing Ningxiang smiled and nodded, saying, "Miss, she has left! This servant observed that if it weren't for Wu Da Da Niangzi being with child, the female official would most likely have scolded her to her face!"

After humming an acknowledgment, Rong Rong Feiyan began using the scissors in her hand to trim the flower branches.

Seeing Ningxiang stepped forward, placed the invitation cards in her hand onto the table, and said, "Miss, these are invitation cards just delivered by the Duke of Britain's household; when the Lady returned to the courtyard, she instructed this servant to bring them over."

Rong Rong Feiyan set down the scissors and fresh flower in her hand, picked up the card to take a look, then placed it aside.

"Miss, is this inviting you to attend a banquet?" Seeing Ningxiang asked with a smile.

"Yes."

Speaking thus, Rong Rong Feiyan inserted the flower branch in her hand into the flower basket on the table.

【23】 After examining the flower basket from left and right for a moment and adjusting the position of the flowers, Rong Rong Feiyan nodded in satisfaction.

After examining the flower basket from left and right for a moment and adjusting the position of the flowers, Rong Rong Feiyan nodded in satisfaction.

Seeing Xi Bu approached with small, delicate steps from the side, placed a cup of tea she was holding before Rong Rong Feiyan, and then began helping Seeing Ningxiang clean up the scattered flower branches and petals on and under the table.

While working, Seeing Ningxiang said:

"Miss, it seems that during these recent days, at the elegant gatherings for tea tasting and flower viewing, there have been quite a few noble ladies from outside the capital! They are all unfamiliar faces; this servant does not recognize many of them."

Blowing on the hot tea, Rong Rong Feiyan smiled and said, "Those you do not recognize, when we go, the host family will naturally introduce them! Next time, you will know them."

Seeing Xi Bu nodded with a smile from the side and said, "Miss, why do you think that during these recent days, whether among noble ladies from within the capital or outside it, attending elegant gatherings, they have stopped playing pitch-pot and started popularizing archery?"

Taking a sip of tea, Rong Rong Feiyan said, "When Jinming Pool opened at the beginning of the month, two noble ladies caught His Highness's eye during Rudian! Consequently, some rumors began to circulate."

Hearing Rong Rong Feiyan's subsequent words, Seeing Xi Bu said in surprise, "Miss, are you saying that the daughter of the Tian family, Hui Rong Xian Bo's niece, failed to catch His Highness's eye precisely because she did not practice archery?"

"Correct!"

"No wonder!"

"Miss, since Huayan's elder brother is so skilled at archery, do you think her own archery skills might also be very good?"

After Seeing Ningxiang finished speaking, Rong Rong Feiyan asked puzzledly, "Huayan? Who is Huayan?"

Seeing Xi Bu smiled and said, "Miss, before Gu Gu Dalang and Xu Hou departed for the north, he told the Young Master that Hua Peng Erniang's name clashed with yours! Therefore, he specifically went to the Yuqing Temple outside the city to ask the Daoist priest to change his sister's name."

Rong Rong Feiyan shook her head with a smile and said, "Peng Erniang is not a household servant; what clash could there possibly be!"

Looking at the flower basket on the table, Rong Rong Feiyan added, "However, this name sounds quite nice!"

Both Seeing Ningxiang and Seeing Xi Bu nodded in agreement.

Seeing Ningxiang from the side continued, "Miss, during these last two elegant gatherings where you drew your bow and shot arrows, many noble ladies looked at you with shining eyes!"

Seeing Xi Bu smiled and said, "Of course! Our Miss's archery is so accurate!"

Listening to the conversation between the two maids, Rong Rong Feiyan chuckled and said, "Wu Niang and Miss Chai Zhengzheng, their archery skills are also quite good."

"Miss, this servant heard that Miss Chai Zhengzheng hired the daughter of the Zhou family, who serves in the Arrow-Guiding Battalion, to teach her archery! Yet you, Miss, without hiring any female master, managed to train so well; you are still the more impressive one."

Rong Rong Feiyan smiled with a hint of pride and said, "Seeing Xi Bu, since when has your little mouth learned to flatter people?"

Pouting her lips, Seeing Xi Bu said, "This servant is not flattering; I am speaking the truth!"

Seeing Ningxiang from the side said, "Sister Seeing Xi Bu, although the Miss did not hire any female master, she cannot help having seen experts within the palace."

Before she could finish her sentence,

"Slap."

Annoyed, Rong Rong Feiyan slammed the teacup in her hand onto the table and, without a word, reached out to pinch Seeing Ningxiang's small face.

Seeing this, Seeing Ningxiang hurriedly covered her cheek with her hand, pleading, "Ah! Miss! I was wrong. I will never speak the tr... I will never speak recklessly again."

A moment later,

Seeing Ningxiang rubbed her cheek, pouting her lips and about to mutter a few words in a low voice, but upon seeing Rong Rong Feiyan look over, she hurriedly covered her own mouth.

Seeing Xi Bu shook her head with a smile and said, "Seeing Ningxiang, take these flower branches and petals out and have the junior maids dispose of them."

"Oh, oh!"

Watching Seeing Ningxiang leave, Seeing Xi Bu said, "Miss, when Jinming Pool opened, the noble ladies from outside the capital were still on their way into the city, so they could not have known about this archery business! It seems that during these days, noble ladies from military officer families within the capital who can shoot arrows will be in high demand."

"Mm!"

Rong Rong Feiyan nodded with a smile.

Seeing Xi Bu from the side smiled and said, "This servant observes that the way you, Miss, defeated other families' noble ladies with arrow after arrow at the elegant gatherings, truly resembles the scene Zhang Family's Fifth Daughter described where the Xu family young lad defeated youths from other nations!"

Hearing these words, Rong Rong Feiyan pressed her lips together tightly to suppress her laughter and said, "Does it?"

Seeing Xi Bu nodded affirmatively: "It does!"

Rong Rong Feiyan wrinkled her nose: "Hmph! I'm nothing like him~"

Having spoken, she strode off to the side.

Sitting on a Luo Han chair, Rong Rong Feiyan picked up a small, round embroidery frame from the basket and began embroidering flowers.

A moment later,

the humming of a festive little tune sounded once more.

At the Chai residence,

six flatbed carriages stood parked at the second gate,

upon which bolts of red silk were neatly stacked,

while female servants and elderly nannies stood beside the carriages waiting, ready to carry the silk into the courtyard.

In the main hall of the front courtyard,

Chai Chai Zhengzheng sat beside Lady Chai, watching her mother wield a brush, writing and drawing in a ledger.

"Mm, this seating arrangement is well done! Although the women of the Qin family, Marquis Dongchang, and the Gu family, Marquis Lady Ningyuan, have been separated, they must be placed even farther apart! The Xu family, Marquis Marquis Yongyi, and the Xie family, Viscount Xie, are to be treated the same as the Gu family!"

"Yes, my lady."

"On the tables where the male guests and military officers sit, add three more meat dishes."

"Yes, my lady."

"The wine prepared for the civil officials' tables is somewhat insufficient; their capacity for drink is considerable."

The stewardesses below hurriedly assented.

After speaking for a while longer, Lady Chai finally closed the ledger on the table and handed it to Chai Chai Zhengzheng beside her.

"Mother, you are truly remarkable!" Chai Chai Zhengzheng praised with a smile.

"That goes without saying; there is much for you to learn in the future," Lady Chai replied with a laugh.

As she spoke, Lady Chai waved her hand at the stewardesses standing at attention, then lifted her tea cup to moisten her throat.

The stewardesses walked outward, while a female servant entered against the flow, bowed to Lady Chai and Chai Chai Zhengzheng, and said, "My lady, Miss, Zhou Da Niangzi has arrived."

"Please invite her in," Chai Chai Zhengzheng said with a smile.

"Yes."

A moment later,

Zhou Da Niangzi, the senior martial sister of Lu Lu Junyi and the others, walked in smiling.

"Greetings to my lady and to Miss."

"Zhou Da Niangzi, please be seated."

Lady Chai said with a smile, extending her hand.

As she spoke, Lady Chai's personal nanny placed an embroidered stool beside Zhou Da Niangzi.

After sitting down, Zhou Da Niangzi smiled and said, "In two days, the Eldest Young Master will wed; my father sent me to see if there is anything the household needs help with!"

Lady Chai laughed and said, "Many thanks for the kind hearts of Lord Zhou and Zhou Da Niangzi! Besides, you are Chai Zhengzheng's female master; on the day of Jin'er's wedding, you are to take your seat at the banquet, so how could you do the work of female servants and nannies!"

Zhou Da Niangzi waved her hand with a laugh and said, "What words are these, my lady! Helping today will not prevent me from taking my seat at the banquet in a few days!"

Hearing this, both Lady Chai and Chai Chai Zhengzheng burst into laughter.

Zhou Da Niangzi continued, "Come to think of it, had my lady and Miss Chai Zhengzheng not reminded us eight or nine days ago, our bow shop would not have purchased and decorated so many soft bows in advance."

"Without my lady and Miss Chai Zhengzheng speaking up, so many noble households in the capital would not have invited me into their courtyards to teach noble daughters archery."

Chai Chai Zhengzheng smiled and said, "Zhou Da Niangzi, I merely spoke the plain truth. Are those soft bows selling well?"

Zhou Da Niangzi nodded repeatedly: "They are selling extremely well! Whether they are outsiders or locals, upon seeing our decorated soft bows, the noble daughters buy them outright without even asking the price."

"That is excellent!" Chai Chai Zhengzheng said, nodding.

Zhou Da Niangzi glanced at Lady Chai and said, "My lady has already explained the reasons behind this to me; in my view, ever more noble daughters will come to buy soft bows in the future."

"Why is that?" Chai Chai Zhengzheng asked with a smile.

Zhou Da Niangzi laughed and said, "Miss, the nobles surrounding the Imperial Prince all enjoy drawing bows and shooting arrows! In the future, even if the future Da Da Niangzi do not care for this, they will still need to learn it to facilitate social gatherings and associations."

The Imperial Prince Zhao Fang will one day become Emperor, and his consorts will be elevated to Empress or Noble Consorts.

Since Zhao Fang favors this, and when a preference for something spreads from the top down, it is most likely that drawing bows and shooting arrows will become fashionable among the official families and noble daughters of the capital.

Archery with soft bows does not require a vast polo field; a single courtyard suffices for play.

As long as safety is observed, future titled ladies, official spouses, and noble daughters will have no shortage of opportunities to practice archery.

Chai Chai Zhengzheng nodded in full agreement, saying, "It seems that in the future, decorations on these soft bows and arrow shafts will become ever more elaborate!"

Zhou Da Niangzi nodded repeatedly: "Noble daughters have wealth and leisure; why would they allow their bows and arrows to look just like everyone else's?"

Chai Chai Zhengzheng smiled and nodded; her own soft bow had been decorated with floral tian and gold thread.

"Since you will be expanding and hiring more hands soon, do you have sufficient funds on hand, Zhou Da Niangzi?" Lady Chai asked with concern.

Zhou Da Niangzi glanced at Chai Chai Zhengzheng and said sincerely, "Replying to my lady, the silver Miss lent to our family has not yet been fully spent!"

Hearing this,

Lady Chai looked at Chai Chai Zhengzheng in surprise and said, "You little rascal, you certainly look far ahead."

Chai Chai Zhengzheng pursed her lips and smiled with great pride.

"Mother, it seems that in the future, once noble daughters take up archery, the trend will gradually spread beyond the capital as well. With so many of our family's shops across various regions, should we not invest more silver to recruit workers and open new stores?"

"Since there are men's archery societies, why should we not establish a women's archery society as well?"

After hearing this, Lady Chai nodded with a smile and said, "That is a fine idea; once these busy couple of days are over, I shall report it to the Empress."

Afterwards, Lady Chai exchanged a few more words with Zhou Da Niangzi.

At Zhou Da Niangzi's earnest request, Lady Chai also agreed that should any help be needed during Chai Jin's wedding, she would inform Zhou Da Niangzi.

Zhou Da Niangzi had already departed from the Chai residence.

Lady Chai and Chai Chai Zhengzheng were strolling through their own garden,

the sky was clear and sunny, a warm breeze blowing gently,

fresh flowers bloomed in the courtyard, their scents ranging from faint and elegant to rich and intense.

Lady Chai glanced at the daughter beside her and said, "Zheng'er, your idea to invest money with Zhou Da Niangzi shows great foresight; it is truly excellent!"

"Ah? Oh!"

Chai Chai Zhengzheng woke from her reverie, turned her head, and offered Lady Chai a smile.

Seeing her daughter's smile, Lady Chai asked, "Zheng'er, what is wrong with you? What were you thinking about just now?"

Chai Chai Zhengzheng pressed her lips together and said, "Mother, I was thinking that if the Archery Society can be established well in Bianjing, we could bring over the sons and daughters of those former guards; the girls could serve as female instructors or the like within the Archery Society."

Lady Chai reached out, wrapped an arm around Chai Chai Zhengzheng's shoulders, and stroked her arm, saying, "You wish to keep these people close to you so you can look after them?"

Chai Chai Zhengzheng nodded without speaking.

Lady Chai took a deep breath and said with relief, "That is good too! In the future, no matter what they do, you can secure a future for them. Chai Zhengzheng, you are right to think this way!"

Chai Chai Zhengzheng smiled at Lady Chai once more.

South of Bianjing City,

in the suburbs,

at Xiaoyuzhuang,

within the wheat field enclosed by walls,

Minglan, beaming with a smile, held a polo mallet high in one hand, her feet planted on the stirrups on either side of the horse, her legs clamping tightly against the saddle, standing straight up upon the stirrups.

"Clomp, clomp, clomp, clomp~"

Minglan rode her horse over to the Old Lady, who sat beneath a sunshade, and smiled, "Grandmother, how was my playing?"

Standing beside the Old Lady, Cui Cui Mama Fang and Cui Cui Mama Cui wore faces full of smiles.

The Old Lady nodded with a laugh and said, "Not bad! You have remembered every point of technique I mentioned, Ming'er!"

After chuckling, Minglan dismounted sideways from the horse.

"Ru'er, it is your turn!" the Old Lady said with a smile, speaking toward one side.

Hearing Rulan pressed her lips together and said, "Ah? Grandmother, I... I will pass. This horse simply never listens to me! Just sitting atop it makes your granddaughter feel dizzy."

The Old Lady nodded slightly, then glanced at Seeing Mo Lan standing beside Hearing Rulan, whose complexion was poor, and said, "Ming'er, go continue your practice."

Minglan looked at Hearing Rulan and asked, "Fifth Sister, are you truly not going to practice polo?"

Hearing Rulan shook her head repeatedly.

"Very well!" Minglan, her face bright with joy, mounted the horse again, smiled as she flicked the reins, and began galloping across the wheat field once more.

"Hahahaha~" Watching Minglan's joyful demeanor, the Old Lady also rose from her armchair and began stretching her body.

Hearing Rulan asked in surprise, "G-Grandmother, are you intending to ride a horse?"

The Old Lady nodded with a smile.

Cui Cui Mama Fang, looking somewhat helpless, stepped forward and began tying the arm guards onto the Old Lady.

After a short while,

the Old Lady mounted the horse with agile movements, accepted the polo mallet handed to her by Cui Cui Mama Cui, and just as she was about to urge the horse forward, she spotted someone approaching at the courtyard gate.

After waiting a moment for the person to draw near, the Old Lady listened to the report, then waved her hand toward Minglan, who was frolicking in the vast wheat field.

Minglan rode over, and upon hearing the Old Lady's recounting, her eyes suddenly lit up; she shouted with a smile, "Ah? Sister Sister Xiaodie has a son?"

Jiying Lane,

the Sheng residence,

Weirui Pavilion,

Wang Wang Ruofu sat by the table, watching Caihuan approach from outside the door carrying an object wrapped in a silk cover, and frowned, asking, "What is this?"

Caihuan curtsied and replied, "Replying to the Main Lady, Dongrong delivered it to the second gate and had people from the courtyard fetch it. He said the Master used his connections to purchase it!"

Cui Cui Mama Liu, standing nearby, took one look and said, "Judging by its length, it seems to be a polo mallet."

Wang Wang Ruofu stood up, shook her head, and said, "Where has there ever been a polo mallet this short? Could it be intended for the children?"

Speaking thus, Wang Wang Ruofu waved her handkerchief at Caihuan, signaling her to place it on the table.

Cui Cui Mama Liu also stepped forward, untied the knot securing the mouth of the silk cover, drew out the object inside, and handed it to Wang Wang Ruofu.

Looking at the object in her hand, Wang Wang Ruofu asked in confusion, "Is this... a soft bow?"

Cui Cui Mama Liu, seeing the mere four or five feathered arrows within the silk cover, nodded and said, "Main Lady, it is a soft bow! The Master truly has a thoughtful heart!"

"Is it only our courtyard that has this?" Before Caihuan could answer, Wang Wang Ruofu sneered and said, "That is certainly impossible! Likely, what Linqi Pavilion received is even more exquisite than this."

(End of Chapter)