Before the Hongmen Banquet began, Chongzhou was still calm and peaceful.
If one was more sensitive, they would realize that this was just the calm before the storm.
The noble ladies of each household were busy with their own affairs. Some handled household chores, served in-laws, educated their children, beat up their concubines, and played with antiques. The seemingly peaceful backyard was, in fact, surging with undercurrents. Everyone was scheming for their own benefit.
Banquets were an important channel for the gentry to connect. There was not a single day of rest.
Today, one family would host a gathering. Tomorrow, another family would host a poetry meeting. The day after, they would send out invitations and everyone would admire the flowers and the moon together.
The men went out as guests. The women in the backyard did not want to be outdone and often went out to attend banquets.
The moonlight in the sky was cool. The shadows of people on the ground flickered. Their clothes were fragrant and their hair was silhouetted.
Although the gentry of Chongzhou were criticized by the outside world as nouveau riche, they had decades or even centuries of history. They were far wealthier than the common people. The weather was cold, but the yard where the banquet was held was warm. There was not the slightest bit of chill.
A few of the ladies who were close to each other joked. The content revolved around their husbands, their concubines, mothers-in-law, fathers-in-law, illegitimate sons and daughters, as well as the gossip of each household. Most of it was nonsense about family affairs. There was not much substance to it. But when they gathered together to complain, even the most boring topic could become interesting. As they talked, they mentioned Liu She, the governor of Liu Prefecture, who was in his prime. The topic got further and further away.
Liu She was in his prime. He only had one illegitimate daughter and one illegitimate son. His second wife lived apart from him for a long time.
Ever since Liu She came to Chongzhou, many people planned to use honey traps and tried to stuff women into Liu She's backyard.
But he was slippery. No matter what others said or hinted, he always had a way to block the women sent by others.
The men said that Liu She was pretending to be serious, but the ladies of Chongzhou respected him.
Which ancient woman did not want her husband to only love her and have a woman in his backyard?
At least before Gu Min passed away, Liu She's backyard only had such a person.
Just this relationship was enough for them to be jealous and envious.
Every time this topic was brought up, the noblewomen of Chongzhou would be extremely jealous of the deceased Gu Min Furen. They would say that she died young, and in the end, they would fakely sigh about the unfortunate fate of a beauty. After saying that, a good man like Liu She couldn't help but complain about his flirtatious husband.
No matter if they were lowly concubines or noble concubines, he took them in one by one.
The main wife had to pretend to be magnanimous on the surface, but she also had to address those coquettish sluts as sisters. It was disgusting.
"I heard that the daughter of the Liu Prefecture Overseer is coming. Today's banquet is for that girl. "
It was unknown which Furen had blurted this out, but the reactions of the other Furens were very calm. Some of them even secretly sneered.
"She's just a little girl. How is she worthy of being treated so seriously by a man?"
In the eyes of many ladies, Jiang Pengji's arrival coincided with Liu She's invitation to the aristocratic families.
After all, she was just a woman. No matter how capable she was, she would still have to marry and have children. She would have to stay in the backyard and do housework for a man for the rest of her life.
For Liu She's daughter to be able to become Wanzhou's governor was already very impressive.
They didn't think that Jiang Pengji could go any further. They even thought that she was a little silly.
It would have been better if she had obediently enjoyed her father's protection and lived a carefree life as a noble daughter of an aristocratic family. Instead, she had to show her face in public and imitate Master Xu of the previous dynasty. What would happen in the end? She might not be able to compete with the men, and she would have wasted the most important years of a woman's life for nothing.
As for the rumors that Liu She was going to retire behind the scenes and give power to Liu Xi, that was even more ridiculous.
"This kind of unrealistic news will make people laugh if I say it."
"That's true. She's just a girl in the boudoir. How capable can she be?"
"I heard that Girl Liu is already 18 years old. She's still not engaged at this age. Won't she be an old lady in two years?"
"The Liu Prefecture Overseer is quite concerned about this daughter of the official wife. He should be keeping an eye out for her, right? However, a girl who hangs around outside all day … I heard that she often hangs out with those uncouth peasants … Who would dare to have a daughter-in-law like her? Even if he treats her well for the sake of the Liu Prefecture Overseer, a father-in-law can't simply interfere with his son-in-law's backyard. In my opinion, that Girl Liu … Tsk! "
This topic was very new to them. For a moment, they were talking enthusiastically and unknowingly, the topic had strayed.
A young madam said, "Could it be that the Liu Prefecture Overseer's banquet … is for the marriage of this daughter of the official wife?"
Liu She's influence was in Chongzhou and Hu County. For the sake of his daughter, he would definitely choose a son-in-law within his sphere of influence.
Many people felt that this speculation made sense.
If a reasonable person had heard their conversation, he would probably laugh his head off.
If the matrons of Chongzhou's "aristocratic families" were all like this, it was estimated that it would not be passed down for more than a few generations.
Chongzhou was close to the northern borderline, and the war between the two countries continued.
Because of environmental factors, the powers here changed very quickly. The so-called aristocratic families were, to put it bluntly, nouveau riche families that lacked heritage.
Taking some of the madams present as an example, their maiden families were butchers. They were illiterate, and naturally, their knowledge was shallow.
Of course, other than their lack of knowledge, the more important reason was that they did not care about the outside world.
If they had the time to care about those things, they might as well spend it on cosmetics, jewelry, and silk.
The noblewomen chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere of the banquet heated up.
It was at this moment that two lavishly dressed maids rushed in.
Their appearance caused everyone to look askance. It was as if they were asking with their eyes, "Which family are they from? Why are they so rude?"
One of the noblewomen recognized her personal maids, and her face, which was covered in makeup, instantly grew long.
She was hosting the banquet today, and it was going well. She did not expect that her own maids would run into trouble.
Before she could reprimand them, the two maids told her a piece of news that made her black out.
"Madam, bad news. The master has gone!"
The noblewoman's heart tightened, and she scolded them sternly, "Take them away and slap their mouths. Is the master someone you two little bitches can make fun of?"
The older maid said, "It's true, Madam. There are many soldiers outside, and they even brought back the master's corpse."
What!
This news was like a heavy hammer. Her eyes darkened, and her body, which had just stood up, almost fell to the ground.
When everyone heard this news, they all lost the mood to fool around. They prepared to observe the situation, and then find a chance to leave.
However, they did not expect that the same bad news was waiting for them.
The originally bustling backyard suddenly became deserted.
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