novelaction Chapter 275 Flower Appreciation Banquet (Part )
Chapter 275 Flower Appreciation Banquet (Part )
Chapter 275 Flower Appreciation Banquet (Part )
Time slipped by quietly, and early summer arrived in the blink of an eye. On this beautiful, sunny day, filled with the fragrance of flowers, news arrived at Fengwu Palace from Khalkha. Princess Kejing hoped that Burhe would find a suitable marriage for her son, Yuanshou, and specifically requested a noblewoman from the capital. More importantly, Princess Kejing specifically insisted that Burhe be the sole person responsible, as none of the girls recommended to her by others met her standards.
Upon receiving this assignment, Buerhe fell into deep thought. After careful consideration, she hit upon a brilliant idea: have her ninth sister-in-law organize a grand banquet and invite numerous distinguished ladies. This would not only create more opportunities for Yuanshou to meet beautiful women, but would also allow her to gain a deeper understanding of the outstanding ladies in the capital.
Recalling his initial refusal to marry Kejing, Buerhe couldn't help but feel a surge of guilt. While, logically, this was entirely out of consideration for the children's future and to ensure the continuity of the family bloodline, emotionally, he still felt somewhat guilty towards his best friend and sister-in-law. Therefore, Buerhe was completely dedicated to selecting a wife for Yuanshou, not slacking off even a bit.
Finally, after much anticipation, the third day of the fifth lunar month arrived. The gardens of Prince Min's mansion were festooned with lights and bustling with activity, as a unique flower-viewing banquet was being held. Pots of lustrous, rare, and precious peonies, like graceful beauties transported thousands of miles from distant Xi'an, added endless splendor and charm to the feast.
The flowers come in many colors and varieties. There are red, purple, purplish red, pink, white, blue, green, yellow, black, and complex colors. Each color has many beautiful names, such as the complex colors Jiaorong Sanbian and Erqiao, the yellow ones Yaohuang, Jingui Piaoxiang, and Yuxi Yingyue, the pink ones Taohua Feixue, Guifei Chacui, and Xueying Taohua, and the purple ones Wei Zi and Shenggejin, etc. The ladies were dazzled by the dazzling flowers.
Although the Ninth Consort was nominally hosting this gathering, it was actually Princess Jing'an who sent out the invitations. Therefore, the guests attending today were primarily princesses from various families, while the Consorts mostly chose to stay at home and did not come along.
Although Buerhe arrived at Prince Min's residence early, she did not immediately show up to greet the guests. Instead, she arranged for Princess Jingyi and Princess Jing'an to take charge of the reception. She, along with the Ninth and Tenth Concubines, quietly hid in the back, leisurely drinking tea and taking the opportunity to secretly observe the noble women's every move.
At this moment, the Ninth Lady suddenly asked, "Second sister-in-law, why hasn't Fourth sister-in-law shown up today? Didn't you send her an invitation?"
Upon hearing this, Buerhe shook his head slightly and replied, "My servants came back to report that your fourth sister-in-law will be arriving shortly. And this time, she's said to be bringing Yaliqi from their family with her. Everything was originally ready, but Yaliqi insisted on coming along, so the departure was delayed."
In recent years, the Tenth Lady's life has become increasingly smooth and prosperous. Perhaps because of this, she is no longer as cautious when speaking as before, and now often reveals the liveliness of her youth.
As soon as she heard Yaliqi's name, she couldn't help but mutter, "Oh, why is it her again? What on earth is this niece up to?"
As Buerhe mentioned Yaliqi, he swung his handkerchief with an unhappy look on his face and muttered, "Humph, that girl is so arrogant that she actually looks down on the nephew of the fourth brother's wife! She keeps saying that she must find someone with a prominent family like the ninth sister.
A few days ago, the fourth brother somehow ran to the emperor to mention this matter. Fortunately, I reacted quickly and refused it on the spot.
The illegitimate daughter of Prince Yong's mansion, my eldest nephew from my fourth brother's wife's family, is already considered marrying up! Although our royal princess is extremely noble, it still depends on what kind of person the other person is!
Just based on how noisy Yaliqi is on a daily basis, if it weren't for the fact that Fourth Brother had always insisted on marrying into the Nara family, and Fourth Brother's wife was embarrassed to refuse directly due to feelings, such a good thing would never have come to Yaliqi.
But even so, she was still picky, complaining about everything, dissatisfied with this and disliking that. Now that Yaliqi herself is unwilling to marry into the Nara family, Fourth Brother's wife is really happy and is hurriedly urging her family to arrange a marriage for her eldest nephew, fearing that Fourth Master will suddenly remember such a person in the future.
Hearing this, the Ninth Lady couldn't help but shake her head and sigh, "Oh, this is truly a rare talent!"
The Tenth Lady beside him also echoed, "That's right! From ancient times to the present, children's marriages have always been based on the orders of their parents and the words of the matchmaker! How could she be so willful and reckless?"
Buerhe frowned slightly and said slowly, "This is a bit complicated, but in my opinion, Fourth Brother is truly a kind father. As for Fourth Brother's wife, she is even more kind-hearted and generous. Otherwise, for all these years, with so many illegitimate sons and daughters in Fourth Brother's family, I have never heard of any negative gossip."
The Ninth Lady, standing by, took over the conversation and replied, "That's right, Fourth Sister-in-law is truly patient. Putting aside other things, just the Second Prince in their household—I've heard a lot about him from my own children. He's always looking down on everyone, relying on his father being Prince Yong to act like an older brother."
Upon hearing this, the Tenth Lady curled her lips and interrupted, "Humph, just him? Speaking of which, the eldest of our imperial grandchildren is naturally the Crown Prince. Even if we take a step back, the Fourth Master's Prince Honghui is older than him. How can he be the elder brother? This is outrageous!"
The Ninth Lady shook her head slightly and continued, "Ah, you don't know, the key is that the child always likes to act like he's lecturing. Even if it's just a small matter, he'll immediately blow it up into a big deal, just like a pedantic old scholar, nagging endlessly, and he won't stop until he's had a cup of tea. That's why the children hate him so much."
After listening to these words silently, Buerhe's face showed an indescribable expression. He thought to himself: If his personality is really as they say, then it's no wonder that others don't like him. After all, who likes to be lectured?
As they were talking, they saw the door curtain being lifted by the servants, and then the Fourth Lady, dressed in green, was welcomed in.
The Fourth Lady said: "I pay my respects to the Empress. I am late today. Do you blame me?"
Buerhe stretched out his finger and tapped the Fourth Lady's head: "Alright, you're about to become a madam, and you're still not quiet. How is Minyan doing recently? Is she feeling better? I have a jar of sour plums here. I'll have the servants bring it to you when we get back."
The Fourth Lady said, "Thank you very much, Second Sister-in-law. I'm still having severe morning sickness and have lost a lot of weight recently."
Ninth Concubine: "Fourth sister-in-law, I have some pickled cucumbers, and I happened to bring some back today. I'll give you the recipe later. This is the case at the beginning, and it's normal to have a reaction. It will be fine after three months."
Originally, Minyan's pregnancy was not to be announced until three months had passed, but who would have thought that she would react so strongly? Look, this was not the first time that Buerhe had given plums as a gift.
The Tenth Lady wanted to help, but all she had were recipes for barbecue, so she really couldn't help at this moment.
The Fourth Lady's face was full of smiles: "Okay, I'll take it with me later. Thank you very much, Ninth Sister-in-law."