Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 528: Rong Xian, please keep your voice down! [Thank you! Thank you again! 44K more to go]

On the second day,
10:00 AM
Shouchangfang,
Chengguo Mansion,

As a founding lord, the courtyard of Duke Chengguo Feng's mansion is quite large, about two-thirds the size of the Marquis of Xiangyang's mansion.

But the Feng family was flourishing, with many descendants.
Over the past generations, most of the original racecourse and martial arts arena have been occupied and converted into residential houses.

Some time ago, the son of the second branch of the Feng family made great achievements in Beizhou, which made the elderly Duke Chengguo very proud.

There are no festivals in the twelfth lunar month, and even the snowy days that are convenient for hosting banquets are absent these days.

then,

In order to celebrate the reward for their grandson's meritorious service, and also to thank the Xu family of Marquis Yongyi and the Gu family of Marquis Ningyuan for taking care of their children, the Feng family of Duke Chengguo sent invitations.

The Feng family had extensive social connections in Bianliang, and their relations with the wealthy and powerful families in the capital were not at odds with each other.

(In previous generations, there were two noble families that had a bad relationship with the Feng family, but now those two noble families have long since disappeared.)

No matter they are nobles or civil servants, the Feng family has various old relatives and in-laws, and the relationships are complicated.

This is also the reason why the Feng family is the most well-informed in Bian Jing.

But the Feng family couldn't invite this relative but not that one.

So just send out invitations directly!

When relatives are free to come over, it will be a lively place with many people.

The Feng family didn't have any grudges about the relatives being too busy to come. As long as the ladies and ladies invited by the host came, everything else was a small matter.

But as mentioned before,

There are no festivals in the twelfth lunar month, and there are not many snowy days this year.
As the year draws to a close, there are not many happy events in the wealthy families, so the scale of banquets and gatherings of the ladies in the capital has always been small.

Therefore, after the families in Beijing received the invitation from the Feng family, a large number of ladies and ladies came to the Duke Chengguo's Mansion.

Fortunately, the Feng family's mansion is large enough and has enough rooms. The Feng family members and the four departments and six bureaus in the mansion are accustomed to scenes with large numbers of relatives and guests, so they can handle it with ease.

The main house in the backyard,

In the spacious hall,

Luxurious perfumed clothes are like clouds, and exquisite jewelry is sparkling.

At such banquets and gatherings more than ten years ago, although Sun was the mistress of the Yongyi Marquis's family, her seat was mostly near the door and few people spoke to her.

And today,

Sun was sitting just below the wives of several dukes. Several daughters-in-law of dukes also sat on chairs placed below her.

"Oh, sister Sun, you are wrongly accusing your Wu Lang! How could you not know that my home is in Chunmingfang?"

"I heard my brother talk about this yesterday. There were a few ignorant kids, all of them were lustful, and they relied on their good family background to try to get close to the maids of the Marquis' Mansion."

A certain lady said with a smile on her face.

"Knowing that I was coming to the Feng family today, they specially asked me to apologize to you."

Sun, who was sitting at the head of the table, smiled and nodded, and politely replied, "It's just a joke between children, nothing serious! I didn't expect that something like this would happen when he was kept at home studying every day."

Princess Pingning, who was not very old but held a high position, waited for Sun to finish her words before continuing, "Sister, it was our child that happened to you. If it was someone else's, who knows what would have happened."

As soon as this word comes out,
The smile on the lady's face froze, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.

When the awkward atmosphere was about to spread,
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family of Duke Cheng said with a smile: "My Lady, I heard that the Duke's Mansion has invited a great master to teach calligraphy to the young master. I wonder if it is a good opportunity today to let my boys open their eyes and take a look at the calligraphy of the young master?"

Princess Pingning smiled and waved her hands: "Yuan Ruo has only been learning for a few days, and he said that he would open the eyes of our brother of the Feng family. It's a bit too high of a view of him!"

Madam Chai, who was in a similar position to Princess Pingning, smiled and said, "Your Highness, what are you talking about? Yuan Ruo is already a juren now, so he must have made great achievements in calligraphy."

Princess Pingning continued to wave her hands: "Yuan Ruo's calligraphy is still far behind those of his classmates in Sheng's academy."

"Oh, my Lady Princess, you even praised the two sisters from the Sun and Bai families!"

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family said with a smile.

"When I have time, I'll have to talk to the princess and other ladies and ask them for advice on how to raise children!" said a lady with a smile.

A burst of laughter was heard in the hall at the right time.

At this time,

A maid from the Feng family came into the room and whispered something into the ear of the eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family.

"While we were talking about the Sheng Family Academy, the relatives from the Wang Family have already arrived. Ladies and gentlemen, please chat slowly. I will go and greet them."

Having said that, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family stood up with her sisters-in-law, smiling as they walked out.

Sun turned around and smiled at Hua Lan, saying, "Hua'er, you go too."

"Yes, mother." Hua Lan stood up with a smile, bowed to everyone around her, and followed.

Pingmei, who was standing behind Bai, took a look and continued talking to her sister-in-law Xie.

Out of the hall,

Hualan smiled and talked beside the eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family.
Speaking of which, Hualan's aunt is a girl from the Feng family, so they are very close relatives.

"Hallan, have you ever been back to the Sheng family these days?"

Hua Lan smiled and nodded, "I went back at the beginning of the month."

"Is the old lady still in good health?"

"Yes! Grandma is very nice. She looks after my sixth sister and seventh brother in her free time."

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family nodded, looked at Hua Lan with a smile, and said, "When I was a little girl, I attended such banquets and looked forward to your grandmother's arrival."

Hualan smiled and looked puzzled: "Aunt, why?"

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family smiled, and said with a look of nostalgia in her eyes, "Because when your grandmother came, she would bring the most fashionable makeup and clothes in Bianjing. I loved to be vain at that time, so how could I not look forward to it?"

Hualan smiled and nodded.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family said, "It's a pity that we were still young at that time and didn't remember much. We didn't get to see your grandmother Hualan."

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family laughed and said, "That's your loss! Alas, in the blink of an eye, I have become a grandmother."

Talking
Everyone approached the second gate.

"Hey, sisters-in-law, why are you out here? We're almost there!"

Wang Ruofu grinned and greeted the wives of the Feng family.

While she was speaking, Liu Mama, Caihuan, Xi Que and others behind Wang Ruofu bowed to her.

Hualan was smiling at first, but when she saw clearly Wang Ruofu's aunt Kang Wang beside her, her smile faded a little.

"Oh, the eldest sister is here too." The eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family greeted.

Kang Wang forced out an awkward smile and bowed, "Sister-in-law."

The big joke of the Kang family having their money intercepted by their servants was known to everyone in the capital.

Kang Wangshi also stayed out of the spotlight for a long time and only came out to attend the party at the end of the year.

aside,
After Hualan saw clearly the girl next to her mother and aunt, her smile faded even more.

"Quick, call someone!"

Wang Ruofu pushed Rulan and said.

Rulan glanced at Hualan's expression and called out awkwardly, "Aunt, Second Aunt"

Kang Yuner/Yuaner, who was following behind Kang Wangshi, also called for help.

When calling people,
Kang Yun'er was fine, but Kang Yuan'er was staring at Hualan's clothes and the jewelry on her head.

After the Feng family wives agreed, everyone walked towards the backyard.

On the way,

"Sister." Rulan smiled and came close to Hualan and called out in a flattering manner.

The Kang sisters also called her cousin twice.

Hualan looked at the elder who was speaking in front of her and whispered to Rulan, "Where are Molan and Minglan?"

Rulan pursed her lips and whispered, "Mother, mother listened to aunt and didn't let them come."

Hua Lan sighed slightly.

"Bring out a bastard's child, don't you think it's embarrassing?"

Kang Yuaner spoke as he looked at the building of Duke Chengguo's Mansion.

The sound of talking attracted the Feng family's daughter-in-law in front to look back.

The Feng family wives looked at each other and raised their lips slightly, showing some sarcasm and disdain. Seeing the looks of the Feng family wives, Wang Ruofu thought they were looking at Rulan, and hurriedly asked, "Sister-in-law, why didn't I see any brothers and sisters from other families along the way?"

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family smiled and said, "The children are playing Cuju in the courtyard of the martial arts arena!"

"Did the girls from each family go there too?" Wang Ruofu continued.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family nodded:

"Yes! When the girls get together, they either talk about clothes or perfume, or they study tea, flower arrangement and painting. It's quite boring."

"We in the Feng family don't have that many flowers to show off to the young ladies who come to visit us! Why not get something new and let the young ladies see how the boys play Cuju?"

Wang Ruofu smiled and nodded, "These boys are running and jumping well, full of energy! Speaking of which, I didn't watch Cuju very often when I was a girl. I'm sure these little girls will love to watch it!"

Everyone likes to hear nice words. After Wang Ruofu finished speaking, the wives of the Feng family all smiled.

"Ruru, you and your cousins ​​should go and see it too."

Wang Ruofu turned around and spoke to Rulan and the Kang sisters.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family waved her hand, and a maid from the Feng family walked over to Rulan and Hualan.

Hualan looked at her sister and said, "Rulan, be obedient when you get there and don't cause any trouble."

"Yes, sister."

Rulan said with a smile.

"Three ladies, please come this way."

The Feng family maid stretched out her hand.

martial arts arena,
Because of the Feng family's reconstruction,

There is a row of houses and corridors built directly on the north side of the martial arts field, and not far to the south is a large horse stable.

If you put tables and chairs in the veranda, a lot of people can sit there.

If there is not enough space on the veranda beside the field, you can open the door and place tables and chairs.

Because there are so many guests today, the door to the house next to the field is open.

Many noble ladies, with their maids, were sitting on the verandas at the edge of the field or at the doorways, watching.

There were also ladies who did not want to sit still, so they took the arms of one or two good friends and took their maids to stroll in the sunny space to bask in the sun.

In the martial arts arena,

There were many young noblemen with armbands, headbands on their heads, and gorgeous clothes.

When attending the banquet at Duke Cheng's Mansion, everyone brought several sets of clothes to prevent them from getting dirty when changing.

Youngsters who were afraid of getting dusty while playing Cuju mostly watched from the sidelines some distance away from the corridor, and would not take the initiative to fight for the ball even if they were on the field.

People like Xu Zaijing and Gu Tingye, on the other hand, wore shirts tied around their shoulders and shouted and laughed without any scruples.

In the martial arts arena, there was a young man in a bright red brocade robe, who passed the game of Cuju with great skill.

Watching Xu Zaijing stop the ball with his chest and then dribble past the defense, the young man panted and shouted, "Wulang, I've never seen you play Cuju before. How come you can stop the ball so well?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Zaijing made a powerful shot after passing the opponent, and the ball hit the high goal frame heavily.

There were exclamations from the boys and girls watching on the sidelines.

Gu Tingye, who was the opponent in this match, stood beside Rong Xian, panting, and said, "Brother Xian, you are already married, why are you hanging out with a bunch of young men like us?"

Rong Xian glanced at Gu Tingye and said:

"Are you still a virgin?"

Gu Tingye quickly raised his index finger and shushed twice, "Speak more quietly!"

Rong Xian smiled and said, "I'm not hanging around! I'm here to accompany my sister!"

"Speaking of which, Brother Jing has a talent for playing Cuju, but unfortunately he was delayed by polo, reading and practicing martial arts!"

Afterwards, Rong Xian sighed, touched his headband and said, "It's a pity that I don't come to the Feng family very often. If I knew there would be such a good opportunity to show off my football skills, I might have proposed marriage a few years later."

Gu Tingye sneered: "How dare you say that!"

courtside,

Before he went on stage, Qi Heng, who was wearing light-colored brocade, looked around from time to time.

When Qi Heng saw Buwei walking towards him quickly with his hands in his pockets, his eyes lit up.

When Buwei approached, Qi Heng's mouth corners slightly raised, and there was joy in his eyes. After looking around, he whispered: "What's the matter, are the Sheng family here?"

Buwei said with difficulty: "Yes! But, the young master only has the fifth daughter of the Sheng family."

"Fifth sister Rulan?" Qi Heng asked.

Buwei nodded: "Well, I didn't see the fourth and sixth girls."

Qi Heng became a little unhappy and said to himself:
"What's going on? You learned about this at Huixian Restaurant yesterday. Didn't Lu Zhong, the maidservant beside Fourth Sister, talk to you and ask you a lot of questions?"

Buwei glanced at Qi Heng and nodded:
"Yes, sir! I thought I had asked clearly after drinking wine, and I knew that we would come to Feng's house today and would come with the three girls."

"Sir, in fact, it's not a bad thing if fewer people see Miss Ming."

Thinking about Minglan's expression, Qi Heng felt better and nodded repeatedly, "That's true."

At this time, Buwei looked at the Rong family attendant who was smiling at him friendly at the sidelines and said, "Sir, I didn't expect that when we are playing Cuju, this Rong family attendant would actually smile and nod at us."

Qi Heng glanced at Rong family's attendant, hummed with a look of contempt in his eyes.

The time when the two talked,
Rulan had already arrived nearby with the Kang sisters.

After glancing at the corridor and the house, Rulan saw no familiar officials' wives and ladies, so she looked towards the sunny spot at the edge of the field.

Looking at Gu Tingyi who was walking with Chai Zhengzheng, Zhang Jiawu Niang and Rong Feiyan, Rulan walked towards them with a smile.

Gu Tingyi is the sister-in-law of Rulan's elder sister's eldest sister, and they are also relatives. They have met several times before.

On the way there,

From time to time, people looked over at them from the corridor and the house, and some people looked at them and whispered to their companions.

Rulan was fine, but Kang Yuner and Kang Yuaner, feeling the gazes from all around them, looked very embarrassed.

Especially after hearing the inexplicable laughter, the two wanted to turn back and flee.

At this time,

A maid walked towards Rulan and her group, stopped and bowed, then asked, "Is it the fifth young lady of the Sheng family who is here in person?"

Rulan nodded in confusion and asked, "You, where are you from?"

The maid bowed and said, "I am Zhujian, a maid of the Hai family. My lady wants to ask if Miss Molan is here?"

Rulan shook her head: "Mo Mu is here, but Fourth Sister is not free, so she didn't come."

Zhu Jian nodded and bowed, saying, "My girl heard from the second lady of the Xu family that Miss Molan has always been very talented in writing. It's a pity that she didn't come."

Rulan smiled and nodded, then continued walking towards Gu Tingyi and the others.

When they got closer, Rulan brought the Kang sisters to greet them. Zhang's Fifth Lady felt a little disappointed and said, "Hey, Sister Rulan, why didn't Minglan come?"

When Rulan spoke,
Kang Yuaner, who was standing aside, stared at the clothes and jewelry of the noble ladies with a rather rude look.

When Kang Yuaner looked at the faces of the noble ladies, there was a hint of jealousy in his eyes.

Although Kang Yuan Er felt that he had concealed it well,

But the noble ladies and the maids around them were all smart people.

Feeling Kang Yuaner's gaze,

First, Chai Zhengzheng put away her smile. Yun Mu, who was beside her, smiled at Kang Yuaner politely but with some warning. Although she smiled, there was no smile in her eyes.

Rong Feiyan, who had been smiling, gradually put away her friendly smile, slowly raised her chin, looked down at Kang Yuaner with contempt, and rolled her eyes.

After Rong Feiyan finished her contempt, the maid Xibu stood between Rong Feiyan and the Kang sisters.

Gu Tingyi and Zhang Jiawu Niang still had smiles on their faces, but they didn't even look at the Kang sisters, as if the two were not here at all.

The maids from the Gu and Zhang families followed behind, directly separating the Kang sisters and their maids behind them.

In a flash,

Looking at her sister's appearance, Kang Yuner wished a crack would appear in the ground. She would definitely jump in and disappear.

Looking at the people walking away from Rulan,

Kang Yuaner sneered with hatred in his eyes, then looked at the Feng family maid beside him and asked, "Where is the changing room?"

(End of this chapter)