Chapter 138: The Li Family Banquet

People in the capital did indeed show a certain degree of exclusion toward newcomers, but toward those holding high official positions, their primary approach was to court favor and offer flattery. These noble matrons were not women of narrow experience; even if they might speak harshly behind closed doors, they remained all smiles and exceedingly tactful when facing others in person. However, with the Huang family stirring up trouble from the midst, these noble ladies sought to avoid misfortune and distance themselves from Lady Luo. Otherwise, given Lady Luo's benevolent and accommodating nature, she would have long since established a firm footing among the noble circles.

Presently, the father and son of the An family held significant favor and trust from the Emperor in the imperial court. Furthermore, this young Miss An not only had ties with Princess Lanyi, but also frequented the Estate of Duke Qu and the Marquis of Dingyuan's Residence, making the An family a force no longer to be underestimated.

In contrast, the Huang family was growing increasingly weak. News had drifted out from the imperial palace that the Noble Consort was gravely ill, that the phoenix seal of supreme authority had been transferred to Consort Li, and that the consort was living in secluded confinement to recuperate. In the imperial court, the father and son of the Huang family had been unsparingly reprimanded by the Emperor in front of all civil and military officials; the Noble Consort's uncle had his salary forfeited for three months and was ordered to stay behind closed doors for self-reflection.

Fawning upon the powerful and influential was merely human nature.

The various female guests smiled amicably at Lady Luo, their gazes devoid of contempt or indifference. This allowed Lady Luo to heave a silent sigh of relief, easing the tight tension she had felt upon entering, and she began to exchange pleasantries with the noble ladies with a smile.

Amidst the throngs of guests, An Yi spotted three familiar faces: Tang Qinian, Zi Wei, and Zhou Lianying. Both Tang Qinian and Zi Wei nodded at her with smiles, whereas Zhou Lianying cast a hostile and fierce glare in her direction.

An Yi returned smiles to Tang Qinian and Zi Wei, while directly ignoring Zhou Lianying.

Old Madam Li was already enjoying the rare fortune of having four generations living under one roof, surrounded by a numerous and flourishing progeny. Seeing that most of the guests had arrived, according to ritual and custom, several unmarried great-granddaughters stepped forward to present the birthday gifts they had carefully prepared for the old madam.

Those who came to offer birthday felicitations to Old Madam Li were all wives and daughters of officials. If the young maidens could win unanimous acclaim on such an occasion, it would undoubtedly leave a deep impression and prove beneficial for their future marriage prospects.

The eldest young miss of the Li family presented a cloisonné and gold-inlaid screen featuring tortoises and cranes symbolizing longevity. The pairing of the tortoise and crane carried the auspicious meaning of great age and earned high praise from many of the matrons.

The second young miss presented a set of garments she had sewn herself. The stitches were fine and dense, and the material selected was soft cotton, well-suited for an elderly person to wear, drawing yet another round of compliments from the ladies.

The third young miss studied painting under Madam Jin and presented a scroll depicting Magu bestowing longevity. The painting was skillfully executed with an auspicious meaning, and the matrons showered it with continuous praise.

The fourth and fifth young misses were twins of a tender age. One presented a sachet embroidered with symbols of boundless blessings and longevity, while the other offered a handkerchief embroidered with blooming peonies symbolizing wealth and honor.

Next came the presentation of gifts by the granddaughters born to Old Madam Li's daughters. The offerings of the preceding few were conventional and proper, lacking anything particularly dazzling that might overshadow the eldest Miss Li.

A young maiden dressed in a pink satin round-collared robe embroidered with lake-blue flowers walked up to Old Madam Li, curtsied, and said, "Tongyan pays her respects to the Old Ancestor, wishing the Old Ancestor a life as boundless as the Eastern Sea and a longevity stretching as the Southern Mountain."

Old Madam Li smiled and nodded.

Tongyan took a rosewood carved flower box from her maidservant and opened the lid. Inside rested a suet white jade statue of Guanyin, about a foot tall. The jade was fine-grained and exquisite in its carving, emitting a lustrous and gentle glow.

"My goodness, Miss Han's birthday gift is truly extravagant!" exclaimed one of the matrons in admiration.

Another matron chimed in with a smile, "The Old Madam is a devout Buddhist, and Miss Han specially procured such a white jade Guanyin; she is indeed a dutiful and filial child."

The value of this white jade Guanyin was on par with the jade screen, but because Old Madam Li was a devout Buddhist, this jade Guanyin suited her preferences all the more. Old Madam Li smiled and nodded, saying, "A good child, you have put much thought into this."

An Yi observed coldly from the sidelines, noticing that Han Tongyan wore a look of smug triumph, whereas the eldest Miss Li remained calm and serene, showing not a shred of anger at having her spotlight stolen. The character and breeding of the two young women were immediately apparent upon comparison.

The gifts presented by the remaining maidens were quite ordinary, leaving Han Tongyan to claim the top honors in this gift-giving segment.

Amidst the chatter, midday arrived, and the hosts invited the guests to move to their banquet seats.

Lady Luo grew nervous once more and grasped An Yi's hand. "Xier."

"Mother, do you still remember the dining etiquette Nanny Li taught you?" An Yi asked softly.

"I remember, I remember," Lady Luo nodded and replied.

"Just follow those instructions, and remember that one does not speak while dining," An Yi instructed.

"That's right, that's right. Nanny Li said: Do not speak while eating, and do not converse while sleeping," Lady Luo recalled.

"Just pretend you are at home and do not be nervous." An Yi smiled and gently released Lady Luo's hand.

Seating arrangements were strictly observed; the senior matrons sat together, while the wives were seated according to the official ranks of their respective husbands. The young maidens had more leeway to sit together with those they were well-acquainted with.

An Yi was not particularly close to anyone and was just planning to find a random spot to sit when Tang Qinian's maid approached her and said, "Miss An, my young mistress invites you over to sit with us."

"Very well." An Yi took her seat beside Tang Qinian, with Zi Wei also seated at the same table.

Han Tongyan, acting as a young maiden of the household, was also seated at this table to keep the guests company. The remaining maidens were unfamiliar to An Yi. Tang Qinian made the introductions for An Yi, who smiled and nodded at them without troubling herself to memorize their names.

Han Tongyan put down her hand warmer and remarked with a half-smile, "Miss Tang is truly able to strike up a conversation with just about anyone."

"Not necessarily. There are simply some people whom I disdain to acknowledge," Tang Qinian retorted, casting a sideways glance at Han Tongyan. Her meaning was exceedingly clear as to whom she disdained.

Just as Han Tongyan was about to retort, the sound of firecrackers echoed from outside, and the lively birthday banquet officially commenced. She glared resentfully at Tang Qinian and swallowed her words back down.

Maidservants filed in one after another, first serving the three major dishes: braised sea cucumber, steamed duck, and braised mandarin fish.

Next came the eight major cold platters: smoked ribbon fish, longevity peanuts, pine nuts...

Followed by the eight major hot platters: Longjing shrimp, fried chicken gizzards with peonies...

The maidservants methodically filled the table with a colorful array of dishes, and the young maidens partook of the delicacies under the attentive service of the maids.

"Miss An, the Longjing shrimp over here tastes quite good. You might want to try some," Tang Qinian kindly reminded her, noticing that Tao Ren was only serving dishes placed directly in front of An Yi.

An Yi had never been particularly picky about food, nor did she find anything amiss with Tao Ren only serving what was closest. On the contrary, she found the practice of having someone wait on her every bite stifling and harbored a deep aversion to such rigid rules.

Tao Ren was dividing her attention between serving An Yi and watching the theatrical performance, failing to notice that she had only been dishing out items from the plates directly in front of them, and she completely missed Tang Qinian's words.

Seeing this, Xiang Qin gave Tao Ren a gentle tug, took over the chopsticks, and placed a couple of shrimp into An Yi's bowl.

An Yi picked up a shrimp and popped it into her mouth. The shrimp carried a subtle fragrance of tea, and was tender, smooth, and thoroughly appetizing. "The taste is indeed wonderful."

"The Li residence engaged the chef from the Eight Immortals Tower in the outer city. The dishes on this table are all signature dishes from the Eight Immortals Tower, and they all taste quite good," Tang Qinian said with a smile.

An Yi smiled and replied, "My second brother once took me to the Eight Immortals Tower in the outer city. Their shredded duck with bird's nest and three delicacies has a wonderfully fresh flavor."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Qin hurriedly used her chopsticks to serve a portion of the duck shreds.

"Shredded duck with bird's nest and three delicacies is a newly launched dish; I haven't had the chance to try it yet," Tang Qinian said, smiling.

Tang Qinian's maid sensibly served a portion to her as well.

"Xier, is there anything you haven't eaten?" Zi Wei had been engrossed in the theatrical performance. The act had just concluded a segment, leaving her with the leisure to attend to other matters.

"You were far too absorbed in the play. Eat some food as well; watching a play won't fill your stomach," Tang Qinian chided, casting a glance at her. "The shredded duck with bird's nest and three delicacies is a newly launched dish from the Eight Immortals Tower. Have a taste."

"Oh, let me try it," Zi Wei smiled. No sooner had she popped the food from her bowl into her mouth than the actors on the stage struck up another tune, instantly drawing her attention back to the performance.

"She is an absolute theater addict. As long as there is a play to listen to, she can go without food and skip sleep," Tang Qinian said with a smile to An Yi.

Han Tongyan let out a cold snort and remarked with sarcastic insinuation, "It's fine to be infatuated with plays, but one must never be infatuated with people. If one were to make a laughingstock of oneself, that wouldn't be very pleasant."

An Yi frowned, her impression of Han Tongyan dropping a few notches further.

"There are only one or two fools in this world who cannot tell the difference between a play and reality," Tang Qinian retorted with a cold smile.

"Who are you calling a fool?" Han Tongyan's expression darkened slightly.

Tang Qinian let out two cold laughs and refused to engage further, picking up a shrimp from her bowl and putting it into her mouth.

"Tang Qi..."

"Cousin Tongyan, Eighth Aunt is looking for you. Come over quickly," the second young miss of the Li family interrupted, stepping over to cut off Han Tongyan's words.

Once Han Tongyan stood up and walked away, the second Miss Li turned slightly, picked up a wine cup from a carved floral tray held by a maidservant, and apologized to Tang Qinian with a smile. "Miss Tang, I propose a toast to you. Being a person of great magnanimity, please do not deign to bicker with her."

"Since the Second Young Miss puts it this way, I would feel rather embarrassed not to," Tang Qinian rose with her cup in hand. "Let us share a cup together!"

After finishing their wine, the second Miss Li went around to toast the other maidens seated at the tables before continuing on to the next table of honored guests.

After three rounds of wine and five courses of food, the maidservants cleared away the remnants of the banquet and replaced them with fresh tea and pastries. The remainder of the gathering was dedicated entirely to enjoying the theatrical performance. The matrons gathered in groups to gossip, while the young maidens were no longer bound by the rule of silence during meals, forming small clusters of three or five to watch the play and converse amidst laughter.

An Yi stood up to check on Lady Luo and, seeing her chatting happily with two noble matrons, she relaxed into a relieved smile. Deciding not to disturb them, she took Xiang Qin and Tao Ren with her as she left the Hall of Fortune and Longevity to visit the latrine and freshen up. By sheer coincidence, she crossed paths outside the restroom with Zhou Lianying, who was coming from another direction.

"I got here first," Zhou Lianying said, lifting her chin slightly and casting a sidelong glance at An Yi.

Noticing that the two guests were about to get into a dispute, the Li family's maidservants stationed outside looked rather nervous and prepared to intervene with words of persuasion. An Yi maintained a calm and faint smile, stepped back, and made a graceful gesture inviting the other to go first.

Zhou Lianying let out a cold snort and haughtily swept past with her maidservant in tow.

An Yi paid no heed to her childish behavior. Based on her experience from attending the previous floral appreciation banquet and the advice given by Nanny Li, large-scale household banquets of this nature invariably included several resting chambers for guests to take temporary respite, wash their hands, freshen their faces, and change their garments. There was simply no need to squabble over such matters.

"Miss, please walk along this corridor and make a turn around the corner; there is another restroom located right there," the Li family's maidservant said, overflowing with gratitude toward An Yi for choosing to yield.

An Yi and her maid walked along the corridor, rounded the corner, and spotted a small garden. At the far end of the garden stood a row of three rooms. Just as they were about to walk over, they heard the sound of carriage wheels rolling across the ground.

An Yi cast a glance to the side and saw Bai Wuming approaching them in his wheelchair. She furrowed her brow slightly. Why was he here? What connection existed between the Han family and the Li family? Why would a male guest wander into the inner residential quarters? Surely he wasn't trying to imitate Lin Xijun by sneaking into the Li residence to steal some orchids, was he?

This book was first published on Xiaoxiang Academy; please do not plagiarize or reprint!