The Virtuous Wife

Chapter 63

Jingyi accompanied Cui Xixi in the octagonal pavilion, talking and admiring chrysanthemums. It was not until the servant came to invite them to the banquet that they came out of the pavilion hand in hand and went to the flower hall.

This chrysanthemum garden was built in a very special way. The south side of the yard was dominated by chrysanthemums of various colors. Small patches of flower beds dotted the yard like stars, making people linger. And in the middle of the yard was built a small flower hall. The so-called flower hall has doors and windows on the north and south sides, so that you can enjoy the scenery outside.

On the north side of the yard, a small flower house was built, and there were several bungalows next to it. Two flower farmers lived there to take care of these chrysanthemums.

At this time, three banquet tables were prepared in the flower hall. Each table was served with chrysanthemum tea and chrysanthemum wine, as well as some delicacies made with chrysanthemums.

But the most conspicuous thing in the flower hall was not these delicacies, but several pots of rare chrysanthemums.

A rich lady couldn't help asking, "This chrysanthemum is so beautiful, what's its name?"

Jingyi and Cui Xixi happened to be nearby, and said with a smile, "This sister has a good eye. This is the best of the chrysanthemums, called 'Green Peony'. You see, the middle part of the flower is like emerald, and the petals on the edge are light green. The outer petals of 'Green Peony' are slender and stretched, which is quite free and easy, and the petals closer to the pistil are smaller, and the petals are slightly curled upwards at the end, which is very lovable."

The wife of Duke Dingguo smiled and said, "Look, this Madam Su is a good parent. She is only seven years old, but she knows so much."

The crowd also praised her.

The old lady chuckled and said, "Ladies, you are too kind. A child likes flowers and plants, which are not presentable. I'm sorry to make you laugh."

Everyone knew that this was just the old lady's humble words. There were still constant compliments.

Another lady said, "This flower is very peculiar, even rarer than the green peony. Miss Su, what kind of flower is this?"

Jingyi heard the words and walked over to the flower, smiling and said, "This is 'Green Clothes and Red Skirts;', which is also a treasure among chrysanthemums. This flower is unique. The center of the flower is green, and it turns red when it expands outward, and the outermost circle is white, which is very magical!"

"It really lives up to its name, no wonder it is named 'Green Clothes and Red Skirts'!" a lady exclaimed.

"Yes! This is the first time I have seen such a beautiful chrysanthemum!"

"Thanks to Madam Su's chrysanthemum banquet, it also opened our eyes!" The wife of Duke Dingguo smiled, and the other noble ladies also nodded and praised.

For a while, the flower hall was full of laughter and was extremely lively. The ladies also kept asking Jingyi and Gu some questions about chrysanthemums and how to teach children, but few people paid attention to the old lady. Although the old lady was unhappy, she didn't dare to show any displeasure on her face since it was in her own house and there were many celebrities and noble ladies there.

In fact, all the ladies were very smart. The chrysanthemum banquet was held in such a hurry. When they thought about Su Cheng demoting his wife to a concubine, everyone understood why the old lady held this banquet.

The ladies knew the old lady's thoughts clearly, so they naturally didn't want to get along with her. Think about it, although her son had a good reputation, he was ordered by the emperor to not be an official for life, not to mention any title in the future! The lowest of the ladies present was the wife of a fourth-rank official in Beijing. How could they be interested in such a person and entrust their daughter's life to him?

Lady Dingguogong sat on Gu's left and took a sip of chrysanthemum wine and said, "It tastes sweet and fragrant. Is there such a winemaker in Pingnanhou Mansion?"

Gu smiled and said, "Mrs. Cui is too kind. This chrysanthemum wine was brewed by an old man next to the old master. I heard that he used to run a wine shop, but later he suffered a misfortune, so he came to the mansion. If Mrs. Cui thinks it's still tasty, I'll have someone fill two jars for Mrs. Cui when she leaves, so that she can take it back and let the old Duke taste it."

Mrs. Cui nodded, "That's great! I won't be polite. Sister, I'm a few years older than you, so I'll call you sister. Sister's chrysanthemum garden is really unique and distinctive."

Gu bowed her head and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Cui, for the compliment."

Sitting on Gu's right was her sister-in-law Liu, "Sister-in-law, why didn't you let Yu'er come over today? Yiyi has been talking about her all the time."

Liu smiled and said, "I was thinking of asking her to come along. But she caught a cold last night, so I asked her to rest at home. When we have time, let Yiyi stay at our house for a while and accompany Yuer."

Gu nodded, "These two children are as close as one person." Then she turned to Madam Cui and said, "Later, let Yiyi ask Miss Cui to go to my brother's house to sit together. The little girls also need someone to talk to."

Madam Cui looked at Liu, "Madam Gu and Madam Su are famous ladies in Beijing for their good teaching of their daughters. Not only Xixi, but I also want to go to your house to sit. I wonder if Madam Gu welcomes you?"

This made Gu and Liu laugh in succession. Liu said, "What are you talking about, Madam Cui? If you can come, I will welcome you! I'm just afraid that you don't have that mind and just want to come to my sister's house to eat chrysanthemum wine!"

As soon as the voice fell, all the ladies laughed.Compared to the lively atmosphere at Gu's, the old lady's table was deserted.

The old lady took a look at the food in front of her, and then looked around at the ladies and young ladies around her. She was secretly unhappy, but she could only sulk. The ladies at this table were all husbands of lower official positions. Looking more closely, there were not many girls waiting to be married, which made her even more depressed.

And Jingyi's table was full of young girls and a few older ladies. The young girls at the table were whispering in groups of three or two, and some laughter could be heard from time to time.

On Jingyi's left was Cui Xixi, and on the right was Liu Wan'er, the daughter of Guanglu Temple Minister Liu He. Liu He was Gu Yu's uncle and Liu's biological brother. Liu Wan'er was thirteen years old this year, the same age as Gu Yu.

Jingyi carefully looked at Liu Waner and saw that she had a pair of butterfly eyebrows, which were black without any makeup; her pair of phoenix eyes were not big, but they were lively and energetic; her skin was fair, her fingers were thin, but there was a layer of calluses on the fingertips, and it was obvious that she was good at playing the piano.

"What is Yiyi looking at?" Liu Waner asked softly.

Jingyi was distracted and realized that she had lost her composure, and hurriedly smiled and said, "I am looking at sister Waner's pair of red gold and red pomegranate earrings, which look really good with sister's melon-seed face."

Liu Waner didn't expect Jingyi to say that, her face turned red, and she lowered her head and said softly, "Sister Yiyi is really sweet."

Cui Xixi on the side said, "Isn't it? When I first came, this girl praised my jewelry for being beautiful, and now she is praising Miss Liu. It seems that our sister Jingyi is a little money-grubber!"

As soon as these words came out, all the young ladies covered their lips and laughed softly.

Jingyi smiled generously, "Yes, I am a money-grubber. Sister Cui, Sister Liu, you are not money-grubbers, come, take off all your gold and silver jewelry and give them to me, your sister." After saying that, she picked up the small porcelain plate in front of her and held it with both hands, looking like she was asking for a reward.

This action made everyone laugh again.

Liu Wan'er snatched the porcelain plate from her hand and said, "You! You are seven years old, but you are still so naughty! Be careful, or your aunt will punish you and not let you come out."

Gu and others looked at the children at Jingyi's table talking and laughing, and they felt relieved and happy. They are all daughters of officials, so they are naturally willing to let them move around more. If they get married in the future, they will have a few boudoir confidants who can talk to them.

After lunch, everyone took a short rest and left one after another.

Gu sent off the last group of guests and returned to the Chrysanthemum Garden, where she saw the old lady still sitting in the flower hall. Then he stepped forward and bowed and asked, "What's wrong with the old lady? Are you feeling unwell?"

The old lady snorted and said coldly, "My eldest daughter-in-law! The chrysanthemum banquet is set up, but look, the ones who come are either ladies or young ladies who have not yet reached the age of 18. How can they be suitable for Cheng'er to be his principal wife?"

Gu sat aside and said softly, "Old lady, a lady just mentioned that she has a sister who is less than 20 years old this year and has just divorced. What do you think?"

"Oh? What's her family background?"

"Her family background is ordinary. She is a merchant. Because her husband's family favors concubines, they divorced."

"Merchant?" The old lady frowned, "Let's talk about it later. Let me think about it."

Gu didn't say anything else, just glanced at the old lady, and then stood up and left. It seems that the old lady still wants to find a daughter of an official for Su Cheng, and doesn't think about how Su Cheng is different from an ordinary citizen now? It's this age again! Gu thought as he walked, shaking his head secretly in his heart.

The old lady sat for a while until a maid came hurriedly and whispered a few words to her, then she hurriedly walked towards Heshou Hall.

Jingyi did not return to her own courtyard, but went to Su Qing's courtyard.

After entering the courtyard, she asked Haitang and others to guard the door, and she went into the house alone.

The doors and windows in the house were closed, and the light was dim. Jingyi entered the house and saw Su Qing sitting on a chair and looking at Aunt Peng on the ground expressionlessly.

Aunt Peng was still unconscious and tied up tightly.

"It seems that everything went well for my brother." Jingyi said lightly.

"Well, this woman really went out to see her master."

Jingyi smiled and said, "Brother, don't you plan to wake her up?"

Su Qing frowned and said to Su Hua who was standing aside, "Su Hua, wake this woman up for me. I want to hear how she quibbles?"

Jingyi sat beside Su Qing, smiling lightly and saying nothing. Su Hua brought a plate of cold water and poured it on Aunt Peng, who woke up with a start.