King He Xing appeared in the garden with his concubine.
Looking at the smile on his face, he seemed not to be affected by what he just said.
"My lord is well."
"Hurry and get rid of the gift. Mr. Qian is so happy. Is there something good going on?"
"Thanks to the prince, a grandson has been added to the family."
"What a happy event! Let's have two more drinks later."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Isn't this the Marquis of Jiading? It's rare to see you go out."
"The prince's invitation, of course I have to come in person..."
King He Xing walked along, greeted each other in a circle, and finally sat down at the main seat, with Mrs. Qiao and Mrs. Xiang on the left and right.
Then came the toast. There was nothing new in the content. Xu Yin listened and looked at it distractedly.
The banquet was held in the main garden, separated by flowers and trees, and the male and female guests sat separately on the corridors on both sides. The main seat was set in the middle, with a slight distance.
Xu Yin sighed in his heart. As expected, etiquette in the Hexing Prince's Palace has been abolished for a long time. It is not uncommon for concubines to serve wine during banquets, but what does it mean to sit on the left and right like this?
Look at the way these people were enjoying the banquet, they were all frivolous and frivolous, and some even invited maids to accompany them on the spot.
However, King Hexing seemed not to notice, and asked people to dance and dance with high spirits.
Looking at the female guests, no one thought it was wrong. The more sophisticated ones would at most not look at it.
Xu Yin was an informal person, but this scene made her frown. Everything must be done appropriately. If this was a few friends drinking and having fun in private, they could play whatever they liked, but today was clearly a public occasion.
There are still girls who have not left the court!
She moved her eyes and saw Master Chu Jiu sitting aside. Although there were many people around him, they were all talking normally, and she felt relieved.
At least he's a normal person.
"Miss Xu San?"
Xu Yin came back to her senses, and the lady opposite raised a glass to her, with a smile on her face: "It's really fate that we can meet here today, so I'd like to toast you."
She immediately smiled and said affectionately: "Ms. Zhou, you're welcome. It's my turn to respect you. Come on!"
After the two of them finished drinking, another lady came next.
At the table, cups were exchanged for cups, and Xu Yin had no time to feel any longer.
After three rounds of lively and noisy drinking, many people left the table after drinking to the fullest. Some went to enjoy the flowers and some went to the lake to enjoy themselves.
Xu Yin was accompanied by the head of Kangle County to change clothes. When he came out, he was wandering and didn't want to go back.
The Lord of Kangle County saw her unsteady steps and asked, "Miss Xu San, would you like some hangover soup?"
Xu Yin waved his hand: "It's just fruit wine, no need, just find a place to rest."
The Lord of Kangle County looked up and looked around: "Then we..."
"That's it." Xu Yin pointed out, "It's close and you can see the scenery."
She was referring to the small pavilion on the covered bridge. The Lord of Kangle County did not object: "Okay, then I will ask someone to bring some tea."
The two of them arrived at the small pavilion and sat down next to the window. The maid quickly brought refreshments.
Xu Yin looked up and nodded with satisfaction.
The view here is excellent, the entire lake is in sight, and facing the Yanyu Tower from the side, you can clearly see people coming in and out.
The Lord of Kangle County saw her staring at the Yanyu Tower and said: "This Yanyu Tower was built by my father at the request of a famous master from Dongjiang. When it rains lightly, it is most beautiful to sit upstairs and enjoy the lake view."
Xu Yin said: "I came at a bad time. It hasn't rained in a while."
The Lord of Kangle County nodded in agreement: "If Miss Xu San is not busy and stays a little longer, it might rain someday."
Xu Yin was noncommittal, but thought in his heart that it would not be a good thing if it didn't rain. It was the spring plowing season now, and if it didn't rain, there might be a drought.
Gu Tu
While chatting, someone came over there.
This covered bridge is transparent, and the front and back of the pavilion are wide open, so guests can come in and rest at will.
Because it was a place for enjoying the scenery, the Lord of Kangle County did not order anyone to guard it, so the visitor just walked up to it in a swaggering manner.
These were two young gentlemen. When they saw them, their eyes lit up and they came over to say hello: "The Lord of Kangle County, Miss Xu San."
The Lord of Kangle County stood up and returned the greeting: "Mr. Xia, Mr. Wu."
Then he introduced to Xu Yin: "This is the son of the Marquis of Jiading, and the son of Wu Sima."
Xu Yin stood up and returned the greeting, smiling and saying: "You two gentlemen, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Mr. Xia came over with a smile: "Miss Xu San, are you here to enjoy the scenery?"
"Yes, I heard that this garden was created by a famous master from Dongjiang. It's a rare opportunity, so of course I have to take a good look at it."
"What a coincidence, I happen to know about this..."
Mr. Xia was extremely enthusiastic, and his words were obviously meant to please. Mr. Wu was also there to help.
Xu Yin listened with a smile, interjecting a few words from time to time, and seemed to be enjoying the conversation.
While we were chatting, another person came over there. The Lord of Kangle County introduced them as Young Master Qian and Young Master Lin.
Then people came one after another, and soon Xu Yin was surrounded.
The Lord of Kangle County sat with him, occasionally looking up, his eyes full of confusion.
Logically speaking, it is not etiquette for so many outsiders to be courting a young lady, but the atmosphere at the scene was not romantic at all. These young men sat in a neat manner and did not look around. The topic of discussion had long since started in the garden.
Moving away, some talked about the weather, some talked about farming, and some talked about products... The Lord of Kangle County recalled seeing his father discussing affairs when he was a child, as if those officials were trying to please Shangfeng.
For example, when Miss Xu San mentioned the mineral resources of Shagang, a young man whose ancestral home was Shagang immediately started to explain it in a eloquent manner, as if... a shopkeeper was selling his own goods.
What do they want to do?
Before the Lord of Kangle County could figure it out, his eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.
"Brother Ninth!" She stood up.
Master Chu Jiu is here.
All the gentlemen looked like they had been caught. Some felt guilty, while others laughed.
"Why is Ninth Young Master here?"
"Aren't you throwing pot?"
Young Master Chu Jiu smiled lightly and said, "My father ordered me to entertain Miss Xu San well, how could I fail in my duty?"
He glanced at her and said, "By the way, Miss Mu Bing'er from Baihua House is performing a dance. Why don't you go and take a look?"
Although all the gentlemen were reluctant, they still stood up one after another.
"Your Majesty invited Miss Mu? This is really rare. You must not miss it."
"Yes, Miss Mu rarely comes out. It's hard to book a seat in Baihua Tower."
"Let's go and have a look."
"Miss Xu San, goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Everyone turned around and walked away, leaving only a few of them in the small pavilion.
Xu Yin leaned against the window sill and said with a half-smile, "Ninth Young Master, it seems that you are quite hated by others. Everyone wants to poach you."
Young Master Chu Jiu smiled bitterly: "They don't want to undermine me, they want to undermine Prince Hexing's palace."
Xu Yin nodded: "In short, your family is hated by everyone."
There is a pack of wolves outside, and there is Mrs. Xiang inside. Father and son still don't trust each other. No matter how you look at it, you feel that the huge palace is teetering on the edge of internal and external troubles.
Young Master Chu Jiu sighed silently and looked up at the colorful garden. The ladies were playing under the flower trees, the gentlemen were chatting and laughing on the boat, and there was music and singing everywhere, and the flowers were everywhere.
"It's almost time." He said in a deep voice, "It's time to work."