Chapter One Hundred Sixteen: Banquet for Guests

  There was a pot of narcissus in the living room.

  There was only a shallow layer of water in the plate, and the rounded stones were clustered beside the roots of the narcissus. The bright green leaves looked like scallions - uh, this description isn't very elegant, but Chao Sheng wasn't exactly an elegant person either. She spent all day running in and out of the kitchen, seeing mostly onions and garlic, so before the narcissus bloomed, Chao Sheng thought it was just a pot of scallions. Look, there's the bulb at the bottom and the sprouts on top...

  Then narcissus grew out of flower buds.

  It finally looks a bit like flowers.

  Chao Sheng put the flowers on the windowsill and would glance at them when he was tired.

  That green color is comfortable to look at.

  The plum blossoms in the garden have also bloomed, and Chao Sheng and Aunt Li picked a big bag of them. When they get back, they can be used to make cakes, and they can also be put in sachets or makeup boxes. They smell better than any other fragrance, and the scent can last for a very long time. Even when summer arrives, opening the box still reveals a faint floral scent.

  The fourth prince invited people to come and appreciate the plum blossoms.

  This can be considered as the first formal banquet of Cheng Wang Fu.

  Madam Wen also invited many female guests, some of whom were her old friends from the boudoir, as well as Princess Shou, Princess Chang, and the county princesses. Half a month before the banquet, the mansion was bustling with activity, cleaning and sweeping. The fourth prince was very elegant and set up a pavilion in the plum forest, covered with pine branches, but unfortunately, there were not many guests who could appreciate it, especially the eighth prince, who was like a bird out of its cage and couldn't stay still for a moment.

  The female guests were chatting and laughing in the warm pavilion, looking down from the upper floor of the pavilion. The scenery of the plum forest was all within sight. You could also vaguely see the men in the distant shed, but the people in the shed couldn't see the situation on the upper floor.

  Chao Sheng thought this arrangement was good, separating men and women while not appearing isolated. The people in the shed couldn't see what was happening on the warm attic, but they could vaguely hear soft voices and laughter.

  This is what they mean by "a beauty is like a flower beyond the clouds". Imagination is always more beautiful than reality, and those men in the pavilion must be itching with desire, yet having to maintain their elegant composure.

  Those ladies of elegance and noblewomen lingered by the windows, chatting and laughing, it was unclear whether they were admiring the plum blossoms or watching people.

  The arrangement of the fourth prince is really clever.

  Chao Sheng didn't go after her, but Xiao Shun was her informant, telling her everything.

  "The princes are drinking and composing poetry, and they're also roasting deer meat to eat. I'd say it's quite a challenge for those people - this kind of seasonal poetry, isn't it always about snow or plum blossoms? But then they say you can't use the words 'snow' or 'plum', isn't that just making things difficult?"

  Chao Sheng smiled and handed a bowl of hot tea to Xiao Shun: "Just being idle is also idle, if you don't make it difficult, how can you show off your skills?"

  Xiao Shun shook his head: "Alright, there aren't that many poet immortals in the world. We've had plenty of wine to drink, but not much poetry has been written. The princess even sent someone over to copy down the finished poems and take them to the ladies in the pavilion for their critique."

  Is Mr. Wen trying to be a matchmaker?

  Yes, it's possible.

  Today, many of the young men from the Zong family have not yet started their own families, and there are also several unmarried ladies on the Wen side. Although marriages at this time were all arranged by parents and matchmakers, it's still good to get a glimpse in advance, so you can roughly know what to expect. Even if you can't see clearly, having a general impression is not bad either. Moreover, poetry compositions are also a way of getting to know someone from the side.

  "Since everyone is writing poetry, shouldn't we choose a champion poet?"

  Xiao Shun said: "Then I don't understand, it seems like a poem has been evaluated."

  Xiao Shun came back for his things, had a sip of tea, and left in a hurry without staying long.

  Back to the old routine after the Spring Festival. When it's cold, fingers are stiff; when it's hot, hands sweat easily - neither winter nor summer is a good season for working. Some people also say that in the first month of the lunar year, one should not touch needles, threads or scissors.

  At this moment, it's just sorting out a few strands of colored thread. The light green and dark green are twisted together, the two shades of green are different, the light green looks frivolous on its own, the dark green looks dull on its own, but when twisted together they look very harmonious. The light green appears bright, the dark green appears stable, complementing each other, simple yet elegant.

  The last time Chao Sheng gave the fourth prince a handkerchief with two rolled edges, which were white and copper green. These two colors are not good to look at separately, but after rolling them together, the effect is very good. The copper green is like deep water waves, and the white is like a line of white foam on the water waves.

  The fourth prince unfolded the handkerchief and looked at it, saying: "This is too much trouble."

  "It doesn't cost much anyway, and I don't have anything else to do."

  "It's so exquisite, I don't even want to use it." The fourth prince said: "When you're alone and have nothing to do, you can also read a book."

  Chao Sheng lowered his head.

  Does he think she didn't see?

  How is that possible?

  When he has nothing to do, Chao Sheng will flip through the books on the bookshelf and pretend to recognize the characters when he can't understand them.

  There are many books on the shelf, and Chao Sheng can naturally find some that interest her.

  For a very long time after crossing over, Chao Sheng had no contact with written words.

  At first, there was no feeling, at that time the top priority was survival.

  Later on, I gradually felt out of place.

  She grew up in an era of information explosion, where everywhere she looked there were words, even on discarded newspapers, advertisements, and plastic bags floating around with words and patterns printed on them.

  But in this era, words and paper were precious things, readers were proud and few. Those who could read the classics were all "officials", and most ordinary people had no access to books and texts, she was a palace maid, naturally with even fewer opportunities.

  This cultural desert makes my heart dry and feel lost.

  So Hu Xiang then and there asked Eunuch Xiao Wang to find a few sheets of paper, which he treasured like precious jewels, carefully storing them away.

  Now that she has the opportunity, can she be expected to keep a house full of books without looking at them? Is that possible?

  But since the Fourth Prince is now saying it's allowed, Cao Sheng was naturally even more delighted.

  "Yes, thank you, Your Highness."

  The fourth prince looked at her with a smile that was not quite a smile.

  Chao Sheng felt a little guilty.

  Uh... The Fourth Prince probably knew about her peeking at the book a long time ago, right?

  After all, he knew she could read and write.

  Moreover, all the books in this house are managed by Chao Sheng. The Fourth Prince doesn't need to find any book himself, just mention it and Chao Sheng will immediately bring it out, like treasuring his own family jewels.

  However, Chao Sheng didn't know that Xiao Shun actually had something unsaid to her just now.

  The King of Longevity has also arrived today.

  Moreover, he drank a lot and asked the Fourth Prince, "By the way, that person next to you... Ah, yes, that grape. Why isn't it visible?"

  Others who heard a word or two had no idea why he was asking about grapes in the middle of winter.

  Ke Xiao Shun knows it.

  This grape's allusion is known by everyone who comes from the Imperial Palace of Yi Qiu.

  The nickname given by the second prince in the past to a little girl can't help but leave a deep impression.

  The master said: "She is serving in the study and should not be assigned to tasks within the inner courtyard."

  Shou Wang thought for a moment, chuckled and patted his shoulder saying: "You're really something, Old Fourth. You're indeed a serious person. Someone even mentioned to me the other day that you've been living with just one wife all these years, what a great gentleman... Ha! What do they know? A wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a mistress... The wonder of a mistress lies in the time before you get her... Hmm, but you understand."

  The master of his own destiny just smiled——

  Xiao Shun's heart suddenly churned up.

  What does the king's smile mean?

  Do you think King Shou's words are nonsense and not worth discussing, or did King Shou hit the nail on your king's heart, and this smile is a tacit agreement?

  The old king shook his head, swaying the wine cup in his hand, spilling wine all over his sleeves: "Alas, women are all the same after a long time, always thinking about trivial things, never stopping for a moment. No matter what they were like at first, once you get them, they all become the same, very boring."

  The master of the house remained calm and composed, saying, "Pour hot tea for Master Shou."

  Xiao Shun poured it skillfully.

  Anyway, they are serving their masters, no matter how turbulent their hearts are, their faces should still be the same.

  The tide is growing beautifully.

  Xiao Shun spoke from the heart, he thought that Chao Sheng was more beautiful than Wang Fei. Although she usually didn't wear makeup or dress up, she looked better than those who wore luxurious clothes and jewelry.

  Moreover, Chao Sheng's demeanor is also different, not at all like a servant girl. If you say she's the young lady of a wealthy family, no one would doubt it.

  Unfortunately, she was born with a poor fate and had a humble origin just like me, so she could only be a palace maid.

  Chao Sheng may not know that Shou Wang Ye has a theory in his mouth, she puts the thread in order, winds it on different spools, so next time it's convenient to use directly.

  Look at the sky, it's getting late, and I don't know if those elegant scholars in the garden behind have had enough of the northwest wind - just hope they won't be frozen to tears.

  When I was discharged from hospital after giving birth to my child, I met a person face-to-face.

  Judging from their attire, they should be today's guests.

  Guests should all be in the back at this time, how did this person come here in the alley?

  The person saw it was a maid and suddenly lit up: "Miss, please wait."

  He turned sideways and bowed: "I don't know what instructions the young master has?"

  "Is this path going to Houyuan?"

  Oh, I got lost.

  It's true that there are many guests in the mansion today and it's busy and chaotic, but even the wife of the gatekeeper is not around, which shouldn't be the case.

  Chao Sheng pointed the way for him: "You can't get through this side, you have to go through that round moon gate in front and walk straight ahead to get there."

  He said: "Thank you."

  He is quite tall.

  The fourth prince was not short in stature, and this person seemed to be even taller than the fourth prince.

  And...the aura around this person is different.

  He doesn't seem like a bookworm. His voice is mellow and his footsteps are steady; he speaks and walks without any unnecessary words.

  Perhaps this guest is a military general?

  It's possible.

  The gaze shifted downward, and the boots that person wore on their feet were also different from those worn by ordinary people.

  These boots have thin soles.

  It wasn't until dusk that the guests departed one after another. Cao Sheng guessed that the Fourth Prince would probably not return to the study at night, so he closed the window and extinguished the incense burner's flame. After everything was tidy, he stood in the doorway for a moment to make sure nothing had been left behind before closing the door.

  Auntie Li left her some food, steaming hot and delicious.

  Chao Sheng asked: "Auntie, you must be very tired today."

  Auntie Li shook her head and said: "It's not worth the trouble, but two sets of cups were broken. Now no one knows who did it."

  ——————————－

  It's only 5 degrees today, I'm freezing to death!!!

  Thank you for everyone's comfort, I feel much better now.

  Yeah, it's the 25th today, by the way, I'd like to ask for a vote