On August 12th, Yu's Mansion hosted a banquet. Baochang Street was crowded with people. Most of the guests had arrived at dusk. Fortunately, Xue Rui had arranged twenty diligent servants for her in advance. Otherwise, she would not have been able to receive all of them.
After the Water and Land Conference, Yu Shu became famous. In just a month, even the common people knew that there was a Messenger Miaoling in the court. She had learned the skills of immortals and could summon the wind and rain to help the current sage.
There were countless dignitaries in An Ling city who wanted to see Yu Shu, but only a few actually got to see her. Therefore, when there was an opportunity like today, those who got the invitation would not be absent, and those who didn't get the invitation would think of ways to 'smuggle' in.
The number of guests was much more than what Yu Shu had expected. In the end, she had no choice but to add twenty tables at the last minute to accommodate all of them. He Fangzhi and Pei Jing were helping her to entertain the male guests in the front courtyard while Xue Rui introduced them one by one.
Xin Liu came in advance with her mother, Second Madame Xin. Before she got married, Second Madame Xin was the daughter of the Dong family of the Imperial College. She came from a family of scholars and was very popular. Even without the title of Honorary Lady, it was enough for her to accompany Zhao Hui to entertain the womenfolk who came today.
After all, Yu Shu's seniority was there. There were not many female guests today. The one with the highest status was Yu Shu's boss, the wife of Celestial Commissioner Ren Qiming, who had the title of Honorary Lady, Madame Ren Rui.
The matrons of the various families had all done their homework before coming and knew a thing or two about Yu Shu's background. They knew that the amiable-looking and restrained Madam He in front of them was the adoptive mother that Maid Yu had adopted, not her biological mother.
Most of them chose to play dumb because they didn't see Yu Shu's mother. There were also some who were quick with their words —
"Why didn't I see Madame Yu on such a good day?"
The room, which was filled with laughter, suddenly became quiet. Zhao Hui was a little slow. When everyone was looking at her, she said with a fake smile, "Xiao Yu's mother got a cold yesterday when she went out to the garden. She only took the medicine after prescribing a prescription. She's resting in her room now."
Most of the people could tell that this was a perfunctory excuse. Of all times to be sick, she had to be sick at this time. However, when they thought about the identity of this' Madam Yu ', they realized that she seemed to be a concubine of the down-and-out Yi Xue Ji Family. It was very unpresentable. After Maid Yu had a meteoric rise, it was normal for her to despise her birth mother's background and not want her to see guests.
Madam Xin immediately came out to smooth things over, "She got sick early in the autumn. She needs to take good care of herself. Otherwise, she won't be able to stand it when the weather turns colder."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Originally, the matter was already over, but there was someone who didn't want to let it go, "Speaking of Lady Yu, I met her once at Assistant Minister Yin's residence a few months ago."
Zhao Hui looked at the woman sitting at the head of the table. She remembered that Second Madam Xin had just introduced Madam Ren to her. This Madam Ren was a third-rank Lady of Honorary Title, so she couldn't neglect her.
Zhao Hui didn't know how to answer, but someone else answered for her. It was the one who had asked about Aunt Cui just now —
"So, Lady Yu and Assistant Minister's wife are familiar with each other?"
Everyone pricked up their ears and heard Madam Ren say with a smile, "How would I know that they are familiar with each other? Before Lady Yu got married and had children, she used to be a maid in Madam Yin's house. The two of them were master and servant, and only reunited after more than ten years. I heard that Madam Yin intended to marry Miss Yu to the third young master of her family. The two families almost became in-laws. At that time, Miss Yu had just taken the Dayan Examination and became Teacher Yi. Who would have thought that she would have such a good fortune later? "
Like everyone else, Zhao Hui heard about this for the first time. After Madam Ren finished speaking, she looked at the strange expressions on the faces of the women in the room. Only then did she realize that Madam Ren's words were wrong.
What did she mean by "Yu Shu almost married someone"? Not to mention whether there was such a thing, she also mentioned that Yu Shu's future at that time was not what it was today. It made people think that the two families had originally agreed on a marriage, but later Yu Shu became successful, so she went back on her word.
After hearing Madam Ren's words, Yu Shu almost became a villain who forgot her roots for power. If these words were spread out, how could she talk about marriage in the future?
Zhao Hui was an emotional person. When she came to her senses, she instantly blushed with anger. She wanted to refute Madam Ren, but she didn't know where to start. She could only reply with one sentence,
"I didn't know there was such a thing."
Madam Ren was about to speak, but she was interrupted.
"The third young master of Assistant Minister Yin's house? Did the young supervisor's wife hear it wrong? "Xin Liu was a straightforward person. She didn't see Second Madam Xin winking at her. She stared at her and said,
"How could the lotus room like him?"
He's just an ignorant and incompetent playboy with a bad reputation. Bah!
With her interruption, everyone finally remembered who the Third Young Master of the Yin Family was, and all of them began to feel suspicious.
Madam Ren was choked by a little girl and frowned at Xin Liu who spoke. Second Madam Xin secretly scolded this wicked girl for being so troublesome. She put on a smile and said to Madam Ren,
"This girl has been spoiled by the elders. She doesn't know how to control her words. Lady, please don't blame her for being a child."
Since she was a child, Madam Ren didn't want to argue with Xin Liu. She turned to Zhao Hui and said with a smile, "Look, I accidentally said a few more words and made people dislike me. If Madam He doesn't know, just take it as a joke."
Although Zhao Hui was angry, she remembered that it was a happy day today. She couldn't argue with a third-ranked lady. It would be worse if it got out of hand.
Seeing this, the madams of the other families laughed and skipped the topic. Anyone with eyes could see that Madam Ren was deliberately finding fault. They just didn't know how Maid Messenger Yu had offended her to the point that she had to come all the way to expose her and embarrass her.
Seeing that Zhao Hui didn't dare to argue with her, Madam Ren picked up the teacup in front of her and covered the corner of her mouth with a sneer. She thought, "If it wasn't for Sister Zizhu, she wouldn't have shown up today. Who cares if she's a female fortune teller or a Miaoling Messenger? She actually dared to criticize the young lady of the Rui family at the Gentlemen's Hibiscus Banquet and ruined her sister's marriage. She really should be taught a lesson."
Xin Liu still wanted to interrupt, but Second Madam Xin pressed her thigh and gave her a warning stare.
Xin Liu was very depressed and found an excuse to go out for a breath of fresh air.
.....
Yu Shu was entertaining the guests in the front yard and was flattered by a group of people. Occasionally, someone would notice a maidservant behind Yu Shu who was pouring wine. But because she was fair and lovely, even if someone found her familiar, it was difficult to associate her with the young Onmyoji who came from Dongying at the Aquatic and Land Conference.
After a few rounds of wine, Yu Shu used dizziness as an excuse and left the stall to Xue Rui and the others. She retreated to the Reception Hall to drink a bowl of soup to sober up the hangover. She changed out of her sweaty outer cover and sat with her legs bent under the screen. She asked An Bekui, who was squatting in front of her and massaging her feet.
"Kuizi, you saw so many people with me just now. Did anyone show any signs of dying?"
There were many people tonight, and those who came were either rich or noble. Yu Shu brought An Bekui with her, intending to test her intelligence.
"Master, Kuizi didn't find anything unusual with the guests. I didn't see anyone emitting a ghostly light." An Bekui learned the etiquette from Xin 'er and Lin' er. She spoke the Daan language fluently and became more fluent every day.
"Then is there anyone like me who has a light between my eyebrows?" Yu Shu touched her forehead subconsciously. Compared to whether there were any guests who were close to dying, she was more concerned about whether there were other people who had lived two lives like her.
An Bekui shook her head and looked up at Yu Shu. She said respectfully with a serious face, "Master, such an extraordinary person is one in a million."
Seeing that she was flattering her so obediently, Yu Shu smiled and patted her head. At this time, Xin Liu came over.
After sitting for half a cup of tea, Yu Shu listened to Xin Liu talk about the situation of entertaining guests in the backyard. She only raised her eyelids when he talked about Madam Ren.
"… Madam Ren's way of talking about you is clearly to discredit you. Even I can tell what others will think of you. They will really think that you almost married that rotten persimmon Yin Zhicong, and now that you have a bright future, you look down on him. You should think about how to explain it later. Don't let people misunderstand. "Xin Liu liked to fight for justice.
Yu Shu heard Madam Ren's criticism of her, but she was not in a hurry to get angry. Instead, she first thought about what she had done to Madam Ren.
Thinking it over, she finally remembered something that could make other people come to find her for trouble — two months ago at the Dingbo Hall's Hibiscus Gentlemen's Banquet, Miss Rui of the Countess Mansion, together with Princess Xi Wen and the others, splashed dirty water on her, and in the end they were scolded by her.
This young supervisor's wife came from the Countess's Mansion. Before she married, she was the eldest daughter of the Rui family, which was also Rui Zizhu's sister.
Did the elder sister find an opportunity to help the younger sister vent her anger?
Yu Shu thought it was ridiculous, and a smile really appeared on her face.
"You still laugh? Do you think it's a good thing?" Xin Liu was anxious for her and reached out to hit her.
Yu Shu said, "It's not a good thing, but it's not a big deal. Don't worry about me. The innocent will be innocent. Let them talk."
Madam Ren really didn't know Yu Shu's background. She thought that by making a few words about her marriage and making people question her character, she could make her unhappy.
It wasn't that she didn't care about her reputation, but it depended on what it was related to. For example, at the Hibiscus Banquet, Commandery Princess Xi Wen slandered her and accused her of being unrighteous and unfilial. If it was true that she wanted to affect her future, she would definitely not agree.
As for Madam Ren implying that she was snobbish and broke the marriage, it would at most affect her finding a husband. This kind of slander was not painful to her, so she didn't care at all.
This was the difference between the knowledge of a woman in the backyard and a woman who was an official in the court.
"It's fine if you don't worry. Just take it that I'm meddling." Xin Liu saw that she didn't take it seriously, so he couldn't force her to argue with Madam Ren. If he said more, she would be stirring up trouble.
The two sat and rested for a while. Yu Shu took off her loose robe and put on a long satin skirt. She first told Xin Liu to go back, but she arrived a little later.
The backyard was placed in the pavilion in the east corner of the garden. When Yu Shu walked to the door, she was hit by a mixture of various women's incense. It was so suffocating that she lowered her head and sneezed loudly.
She heard that the noisy laughter inside suddenly stopped, and a group of female guests in the pavilion looked toward the door.
Yu Shu covered her nose and raised her head with a smile. She raised her hand and bowed to the crowd. "Thank you, Madams, for coming to congratulate this little girl today. Please forgive me if I have not been a good host."
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