My Lord, your wife is spreading rumors about you again.

Chapter 15 Flower Viewing Banquet (1)

The banquet was held on the Qionghua Island in the back pond of the Ming Mansion. In the pond, pink lotuses were competing for beauty, overlapping in thousands of layers. There were pavilions and waterside terraces, and cups flowed in the winding pond. The maids opened the windows wide, golden light danced on the water, and everyone laughed loudly.

The two water pavilions stand side by side, divided into men's and women's sections, and connected by a stone path in the middle. Men and women sit separately without interfering with each other.

Zhu wiped the slight sweat from her forehead. Lai Mama arranged the men's seats and hurried back. When Zhu saw her, she asked, "How is it? Have you arranged everything for Yun'er?"

"Don't worry, madam. The fourth young lady always knows the importance of things and will be absolutely safe." Nanny Lai replied.

Nanny Li at the side was puzzled: "Madam, are you really going to do this to the Second Young Miss? Once this guy falls, it will be tantamount to declaring war. Didn't you just say that the Second Young Miss is different now, and it's better not to make enemies for the time being, wait until she and the old lady have a fight, and then we can make a comparison?"

"I'm afraid I can't wait any longer."

Ming Yun is discussing marriage with Zhang Yang, the youngest son of the second branch of the Zhenbei Marquis Zhang family. Given Ming Yun's status, being able to marry into the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion is already a very good match. Although Zhang Yang is born in the second branch of the family out of wedlock, the Zhang family has not split up after all. Regardless of whether it is the first branch or the second branch, they all live in the Marquis's mansion and have the surname Zhang.

Just now, Zhu met with Madam Wang from the second branch of the Zhang family, and she said openly and secretly that if she wanted to marry his son, the dowry must be high. But Zhu was only the mistress of the third branch after all, and she depended on the first branch for her living. Her husband was a playboy, so she couldn't afford such a high dowry even if she sold everything she had.

After thinking it over for a while, looking at the entire Ming family, the only one who can afford and is willing to pay is the old lady. But if he wants to make this stubborn old woman bleed, he must offer a token of his allegiance.

There is no doubt that this token of surrender is a clear courtesy.

By the creek and among the pavilions, there were several noble ladies in gorgeous clothes and make-up sitting at the head of the table. The one in the lead was graceful and elegant, wearing a green pearl skirt with crystal clear pearls that sparkled all over. She was Madam Wang from the second branch of the Zhang family.

"Madam Zhu, I heard that the eldest daughter of your family has returned home? Can you come out to meet her today?" Madam Wang deliberately led the topic to Mingli.

Madam Zang, the commander of the city gate department, laughed in response, "Oh, Madam Wang, you are joking. How dare you see a woman who is stained with blood and divorced by her husband's family?" Madam Zang smiled contemptuously, "Madam Zhu, you'd better let your second girl go away. Everyone present is a high-ranking official with a decent reputation. You can't tolerate such dirty things."

After that, Madam Wang and Madam Zang smiled at each other. Their conversation was heard by the other ladies and sparked another round of discussion.

"This is a flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Ming family. You are sitting on their stools, drinking their tea, eating their snacks, yet you are still gossiping about them."

The one who spoke was Mrs. Jiang from the family of Zuo Jianyi Doctor. She sat alone in one place and didn't talk to anyone. At this moment, all the eyes of the female members of the household were focused on her.

She sneered, "Even a three-year-old child knows that the mouth that eats is soft, and the hand that takes is short. Madam Wang and Madam Zang are both from high-class families, how come they don't even have this little bit of upbringing?"

"Bah! Gossiping behind one's back is disgusting and despicable!"

Mrs. Zang glared: "You!"

"Madam Zang, don't be upset." Madam Wang held Madam Zang down and looked over. "Madam Jiang has always been quiet and reserved. Why are you defending her like this today? Could it be that your Sanlang has taken a fancy to this unlucky star from the Ming family?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang's eyes suddenly became sharp. She slammed the table, knocking down all the fruits on it. "Nonsense! You are from the Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion, but you are full of shit and slandering a woman's innocence all the time!"

Mrs. Jiang's mother's family was not a family of officials, but a blacksmith shop far away in Jiangnan. She grew up in the market and could say all kinds of vulgar words. Because of this, she had been married to Mr. Jiang for more than ten years, but she could not integrate into the official families in the capital. They looked down on Mrs. Jiang's family background, and Mrs. Jiang also looked down on their faces.

Zhu waited until they finished their argument and the feud was over before she stepped out to smooth things over: "Oh, ladies, today is a good day for a flower-viewing banquet. Please don't hurt the harmony. Just consider it as a favor to my Ming family."

On the water, the golden gongs were struck and the music of the sheng gradually rose.
"Auspicious day! Ladies, take your seats——"

Boats and small boats came along the winding waterway, and the weeping crabapples planted on both sides of the pond were even more beautiful. On each boat stood a beautiful lady from an official family in gorgeous attire.

There were voices of amazement and admiration coming from the two waterside pavilions, some praising their daughters, and some praising their sisters. The music came through the sound of the water, like ethereal fairy music.

Madam Wang had no daughter, so her attention was naturally on Mingyun, who was discussing marriage with her son. She waited for a long time but still didn't see her, so she asked, "Madam Zhu, it seems that everyone is almost here, and it seems that only your second and fourth daughters are left?"

"Madam Wang has a good eye. I specially made a dress for my second daughter to meet guests. Yun'er is trying it on with her. I guess it's because the second daughter loves beauty that she delayed us for some time. After all, she just returned home not long ago. As her aunt, I can't say much, right?"

Mrs. Jiang on the side sneered disdainfully: "It's not good to say more, you've already said almost everything."

Zhu had cursed Madam Jiang a thousand times in her heart, but Madam Wang was still around, so she couldn't say anything rude to her. If it affected Zhang Yang and Yun'er's marriage, it would be bad.

She pretended not to understand and smiled with her hands covering her mouth.

She knew right away that Ming Yun must have dressed up carefully, hoping to make her final appearance to amaze everyone. As for Ming Li, she might have already developed a rash, taken aphrodisiacs, and gone into the arms of some young man.
"Yun'er greets mother, Madam Wang, and all the ladies."

As soon as Ming Yun appeared, she attracted exclamations. The young men on the other side of the waterside pavilion all stared at her. Some young ladies couldn't help but sigh, "She's so beautiful."

When Zhu heard this, she was filled with pride. She raised her head with a smile on her face, but the moment she saw Mingyun, her whole face turned as black as charcoal.

She felt dizzy and grabbed Lai Ma's hand, suppressing her voice and asking, "What's going on? How did the floating brocade dress end up on Yun'er? Did you tell her clearly that the dress was for Mingli?"

"Your servant, Madam, said it." Nanny Lai's lips were pale. She had already seen a clear small red rash on the fourth girl's neck and clouds around her ears, which were the precursors to the effect of the aphrodisiac.

On the other hand, Zhang Yang was also in high spirits. Everyone knew that he was discussing marriage with Ming Yun. Now Ming Yun was very attractive with a glittering brocade dress, and he was praised to the sky by the young men of the same generation around him.

"Brother Zhang is so lucky to have such a beautiful wife. If it were my turn to have such a beautiful wife, I would wake up laughing in my dreams!"

"Yes, yes. Although she is only the daughter of the third wife, I am sure that this Fourth Miss Ming is tens of millions of times better than the Second Miss Ming! Third brother has good taste!"

"No, no, you are too polite." Zhang Yang had a smug look on his face. Just as he was about to praise Ming Yun and belittle Ming Li, Yu Guangzhong, a figure that he had been afraid of since childhood, suddenly broke in.

Zhang Yang immediately stopped smiling, bowed respectfully to the visitor, and said, "Second brother."

(End of this chapter)