Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Guests

As noon approached, the weather grew increasingly hot. Yet, the main hall of Chongli Manor remained cool; a large basin of ice, placed beside the twelve-fold Xuanji screen, emitted a palpable chill that maids fanned toward the Elderly Lady and her companions.

The banquet preparations were nearly complete, awaiting only the arrival of the guests.

The Elderly Lady instructed Yuan Xiang, "Go and summon the children. They will need to greet the guests shortly."

She picked up the menu from the table. Unlike the elaborate one sent to the imperial palace, this list was simply penned on humble hemp paper.

Ceng Huiyan spoke softly, "Mother need not worry. Eldest Sister-in-law has made all the arrangements; there will be no issues with the food sent to the palace."

Dong Yuting quietly sipped her tea, offering no reply.

The children arrived from Lanzhu Garden, passing through the corridor to enter the main hall of Chongli Manor, where they paid their respects to their elders.

They seemed to rush in as a group, but a closer look revealed their distinct factions: the children of the eldest branch clustered together, as did those of the second branch.

"Rise, everyone. Please be seated," the Elderly Lady said, her spirits lifting at the sight of her grandchildren.

All were dressed in new clothes today—the younger ones as adorable as carved jade, while the older ones already displayed hints of emerging grace.

The Elderly Lady regarded them with satisfaction, though her gaze lingered for a moment on Liu Wanqing.

She had seen that apricot-yellow dress before; in fact, she had instructed Liu Wanqing to wear it to the *Shao Wei Banquet*.

Though their interactions had been few, the Elderly Lady knew Liu Wanqing was not one to agree readily only to act differently.

Suppressing her unspoken question, she called Li Bohui and Li Bohan over.

"When the guests arrive later, you two must lead your younger brothers to greet them. Keep a watchful eye on them and ensure they don't cause any embarrassment," the Elderly Lady advised earnestly.

Li Bohui, the eldest, was only half a year younger than Li Nianyao. He had shot up quickly and was half a head taller than Li Bohan.

He lifted his chin confidently, "Don't worry, Grandmother. I will keep my younger brothers in line and prevent any mischief."

Ceng Huiyan's eyes sparkled with joy.

Compared to Li Bohui, Li Bohan possessed a more scholarly air. "Grandmother, rest assured. Leave it to Big Brother and me."

Both were future pillars of the Li family, and seeing them so sensible and polite brought the Elderly Lady immense pleasure.

The Elderly Lady beckoned Li Borui, pulling him to her side. "When you go out later, listen to your brothers, understand?"

Li Borui pouted, "I've always been obedient!"

"Good, you are obedient," the Elderly Lady said with a smile.

Dong Yuting looked at Liu Wanqing, finding her dress somewhat familiar. When her eyes fell on Li Nianyao, two figures seemed to overlap in her mind, eventually merging into Li Nianyao wearing the same dress as Liu Wanqing.

A memory surfaced: this dress was a birthday gift the original owner had given Li Nianyao two years ago.

Why was Liu Wanqing wearing it?

Surely the Elderly Lady wouldn't have asked Li Nianyao to give her clothes to Liu Wanqing.

A maid entered, announcing, "Lady Shizhong has arrived."

Then a servant boy came in: "The First Master requests all the young masters to come over."

Dong Yuting glanced at Li Bohan, offering him an encouraging look, while Li Borui eagerly peered outside, barely containing his excitement.

The Elderly Lady said, "Go quickly, and listen to your father and brothers."

She added another word of caution to Li Borui, her favoritism among her grandchildren clearly evident.

Ceng Huiyan then whispered to Zhu Er, "Go check on the side hall and see if it’s ready."

Zhu Er quietly departed.

At such banquets, the women naturally would not share a table with male guests. At most, they would exchange pleasantries before sitting separately.

The side hall was where the women would dine later.

Li Bohui and Li Bohan led their younger brothers outside, followed by servants and maids.

Li Lingchuan and his companions stood in Yifu Pavilion, conversing with guests.

"Uncle, Father," Li Bohui said quickly as he walked over, bowing with his brothers.

Servants and maids stopped at a respectful distance.

Li Lingchuan said, "This is Attendant Official Zhang."

Li Bohan and the others bowed to him.

Attendant Official Zhang took the opportunity to observe the two oldest boys.

Their hands were clasped together, raised to chest level, as they bowed slightly with perfect grace—neither dismissive nor overly submissive. Their voices were clear and bright, and after rising, they stood as straight as bamboo stalks.

Unlike their younger brothers, Li Bohui and Li Bohan were gradually growing taller, and their bows were elegant and poised.

Attendant Official Zhang, a lean middle-aged man with slender eyes and a high nose, looked kindly at Li Bohui and Li Bohan.

Li Lingchuan gestured, "This is my son, and this is the eldest son of my second brother."

Li Linghao stood behind Li Lingchuan, grinning foolishly.

Attendant Official Zhang couldn't help but feel a flicker of disdain.

Among this generation of the Li family, only Li Lingchuan had truly distinguished himself; his two younger brothers were rather useless.

Li Linghao was given to debauchery and held only a fifth-rank sinecure. Li Lingjun was even more laughable—he disdained official life, considering himself a lotus unstained by mud, yet he held no official rank and spent his days composing poetry. It was rumored he was involved with a virgin courtesan.

But Li Lingchuan, he had risen too quickly...

Attendant Official Zhang, collecting himself, smiled. "These young masters are all talented. Will they be sitting for the imperial examinations next year?"

Li Lingchuan said calmly, "There’s no rush. Let them study a few more years."

In the main hall of Chongli Manor, more guests began to arrive.

Male guests entered, offered their respects to the Elderly Lady, and then departed, while the women stayed behind, attended by maids serving tea.

Li Nianyao and the others also came out to greet the various ladies.

However, as Li Nianyao was the only daughter of the main wife of her generation, praise showered upon her alone.

Everyone couldn't help but inquire about Liu Wanqing, and the Elderly Lady simply explained she was a child from her son-in-law's side of the family.

Everyone had heard of the Liu family, and the quick-witted ones smoothly changed the subject, though a flicker of sympathy passed through their eyes.

Liu Wanqing, however, greeted them openly and spoke with grace, showing no trace of provincial air from Wuzhou.

A child beside one of the ladies fidgeted in the nursemaid's arms and suddenly broke free, running toward Liu Wanqing, who was standing in the center of the room.

The sudden rush made the hairpin in Liu Wanqing's hair sway slightly. She took half a step back, evading the boy's grasp, and handed him the sachet she was holding.

"Don't be in such a hurry, little brother. There are birds on this too," she said, handing him the perfume pouch embroidered with magpies heralding good fortune.

The boy had rushed over because he had noticed the finely embroidered birds on the hem of Liu Wanqing's dress.

Lady Cui quickly called out, "Young Master Lei, come back."

The nursemaid beside her hurried over to pull Young Master Lei back.

Lady Cui gently opened his fingers while apologizing with a smile, "This child has been spoiled by me. He's a little rascal at home and still doesn't let me rest easy when we're out."

Young Master Lei looked innocent and unaware of how rude his actions had been.

Fortunately, he was still young, only about four or five years old, so everyone could understand. If he were older, it would have been offensive.

Lady Cui returned the sachet with apologies to Liu Wanqing herself.

Such a personal item shouldn't be taken by Young Master Lei and given to an outside man.

A smile graced Liu Wanqing's dimples as she breathed a sigh of relief.

She had panicked earlier and used the sachet to divert Young Master Lei's attention.

Even though she had given it to him in front of so many people, it was still inappropriate for her personally embroidered personal belonging to end up with someone else.

The Elderly Lady was always tolerant of children. "They're just children. Keeping them here would only make them restless. Let the nursemaids take them to the courtyard to play."

Dong Yuting had arranged for attendants and page boys in the courtyard, so there was no fear of them getting lost.

They would likely be asked where they were going as soon as they reached the door.

As it happened, Li Borui and the other young children had also returned.

They were too young to be old enough to receive guests; having Li Bohui and Li Bohan outside was sufficient.

So, it was decided to let the young children go outside together.

Although Li Bokai wasn't the oldest among these children, he was the eldest among the Li family children, so the Elderly Lady put him in charge of minding his younger brothers and taking care of the guests.

"Miss Qing has been raised so well by the Elderly Lady. Her mannerisms are just as refined as Yao Jie'er's. It's fortunate she was sent to the Elderly Lady," Lady Liu said with a smile.

Dong Yuting was momentarily stunned. While the comment praised the Elderly Lady and Yao Jie'er, it was a veiled criticism of Li Jinhua. She sneaked a glance at the Elderly Lady and indeed caught a flash of displeasure in her eyes.

"Miss Qing's quiet and dignified temperament wasn't taught by me. She has only been here for less than two months," the Elderly Lady said with deliberate neutrality.

Dong Yuting looked at Lady Liu, who had just spoken, and searched her memory about the woman.

When Li Jinhua was still in the mansion, she was a pampered daughter and developed a spoiled disposition, clashing with many people. Lady Liu was one of them.

No wonder she had made such a remark—she likely still held a grudge against Li Jinhua, even though she had already gone to Wuzhou, and couldn't resist taking a veiled criticism.

However, Lady Liu probably had no room to talk, given her own family troubles.

Her husband's father, her father-in-law, was Earl Yufeng.

The same Earl Yufeng who, though he already had grandchildren, still wanted to take a concubine.

He was the one who had petitioned the Capital Magistrate regarding Yu Shuanger's death.

Moreover, he was already fifty and still refused to cede the title to his son.

Those who were granted titles at the founding of the dynasty, though without real power, occupied a unique position because no new titles had been conferred since.

The protagonist's family was in a similar situation, though their title was slightly better than Earl Yufeng's, and they also held official positions.

Lady Liu turned to Li Nianyao and said, "It's been years since I last saw Yao Jie'er. She was so small back then, but now she's grown into such a dignified and elegant young lady. Elderly Lady, I truly envy you for having such a granddaughter. I, alas, haven't had the fortune of having a caring daughter. Yao Jie'er, come here."

Li Nianyao didn't know what to expect, but since she had called her over in front of everyone, she couldn't easily refuse.

She moved gracefully, her steps light, a faint smile always on her face.

Lady Liu grew even more pleased as she watched. She took Li Nianyao's hand and, without hesitation, slipped the jade bracelet from her own wrist onto Li Nianyao's.