Chapter 118 Garden Stroll

Chapter 118: Garden Tour

"My little uncle has a painting of the Changping flood, so exquisitely painted that the figures seem ready to leap off the page!"

A young female friend asked in confusion, "Doesn't Mr. Xiang only have one son, Vice Minister Lin? Where did you get a little uncle?"

Xuanniang explained to her inexperienced friend, "My grandmother took on another disciple a few years ago, a xiaoge. So isn't he my little uncle?"

"To be accepted as a disciple by Mr. Xiang, he must be incredibly skilled in painting." The young friend's face was full of admiration. Mr. Xiang was practically an idol for all boudoir maidens and xiaoge.

For a woman to be revered by the entire nation in this feudal society—you couldn't even dream of it.

Xuanniang became animated, the tiny pearls on her earlobes gently swaying as she spoke. Her expression was proud. "Exactly. My little uncle's painting is too divine. I don't know how to describe it, but just looking at it a few more times makes me want to cry."

Hearing this, her friend grew even more curious. "Then take me to visit your little uncle another day. I want to see it too."

Xuanniang, worn down by her persistence, relented. "Alright, but my little uncle is about to be assigned an official post. He might not have time at home. I'll ask him in a few days?"

"Great!"

It was the height of summer in July. Before Xuanniang could bring her friend to visit, Meng Wan received an invitation from the Count of Huai'en's residence.

Geng Mama had already headed south to find Mr. Xiang in the good weather after the palace exam results came out. Meng Wan stared at the invitation, thinking hard, until he finally remembered that Geng Mama had mentioned before she left that her master's daughter had married into the Count of Huai'en's family.

No wonder all officials wanted to climb their way into Shengjing—even these tangled family connections played a huge part.

A xiaoge from the countryside like him—how could he possibly have any connection to a count's residence?

Sitting in the carriage, he also found his own experience inexplicable. When he got off, he unexpectedly ran into Nie Zhiyao.

"What are you doing here?" Nie Zhiyao looked surprised to see him, then quickly realized, "Oh right, you have that connection with Countess Huai'en and Mr. Xiang."

Meng Wan followed him inside. "Did today's garden party invite a lot of people?"

Nie Zhiyao's lips moved slightly. "The Count of Huai'en's heir also passed the metropolitan exam. Among the aristocratic scions, he's considered quite outstanding and ambitious, and they're just arranging a marriage for him. Basically, anyone with any status in Shengjing has been invited." His husband, Lezheng Qi, was merely a seventh-rank secretary in the Office of Transmission, and he'd still received an invitation, let alone others.

Meng Wan understood. It wasn't just close families being invited—they had ulterior motives and had simply included him as an afterthought.

This Countess probably wasn't too keen on acknowledging this relative, but she couldn't avoid it without causing gossip, so she called him here on such a day to make up the numbers.

That was fine. He actually thought the simpler the connections in the capital, the better, especially with noble families—they weren't so easy to associate with.

He and Nie Zhiyao presented their visiting cards and were led by a maid into the back courtyard's main hall.

After Geng Mama left, Meng Wan didn't have a capable person by his side for the time being, so he picked a relatively clever one from among the rough maids to bring along.

Nie Zhiyao was accompanied by his familiar young page, A Xun, who had grown up with him. The page was originally walking side by side with Meng Wan's maid, but suddenly leaned in and whispered to Meng Wan, "Meng Fulang, your attire is too plain. You'll surely be criticized later."

Nie Zhiyao scolded him first. "You and your big mouth."

But he carefully looked over Meng Wan's outfit: a blue brocade long gown—the fabric was good, but the style was an old one from Changping from years ago. His hands were bare, his earlobes bare, and he wore only a silver Xiangyun hairpin on his head. Even A Xun was wearing two more accessories than him, so no wonder he couldn't help but speak up.

"A Xun is used to being informal around me, don't mind him. But you really are dressed too plainly today. These noble ladies love to find fault—add at least one more accessory." Nie Zhiyao pulled a jasper bracelet off his own wrist and handed it to him.

Meng Wan hadn't expected today's occasion to be like this. Besides, he didn't have many accessories to begin with—even if he had dressed up specially, he couldn't have found many.

He put Nie Zhiyao's bracelet on his wrist, feeling a strange unfamiliarity with the accessory. It felt novel for a while.

Nie Zhiyao said, "Jade nourishes the person. You'll get used to wearing it. In this kind of environment, especially since your husband is about to enter officialdom, you need to put up a certain front of dignity."

"You're right. I should get used to it." Meng Wan wasn't one to refuse good advice. Some things didn't need others to remind him—he would realize them on his own.

He and Nie Zhiyao were led by a maid to meet the Countess of Huai'en. She was well-maintained, with a gentle and kind smile, but her words were polite and distant, carrying the posture of a noble lady.

Meng Wan already understood her attitude, so he maintained a respectful and tactful demeanor, not talking too much and not bringing up Mr. Xiang in front of everyone.

It was clear that the Countess was satisfied that he hadn't recklessly tried to claim kinship. She waved for them to freely wander the garden.

After greeting the hostess, Meng Wan and Nie Zhiyao went outside to get some air. This visit was a trial: the Count's residence didn't look kindly on the likes of their humble family, but not attending would offend them. Truly a dilemma. Well, they might as well treat it as an opportunity to see the sights.

The Count of Huai'en's estate had accumulated wealth over generations, and its grounds were astonishingly vast. Just the back garden's flower garden took Meng Wan and Nie Zhiyao about two quarters of an hour to walk along the lake. They estimated it was at least six mu in area—equivalent to about nine basketball courts.

From a glance, the garden started with the central lake view. The clear water was like a huge mirror, reflecting the pavilions' shadows. A gentle breeze passed, creating ripples.

Willow trees shaded the lake's edge, and occasionally a few birds flitted among the trees, agile and light.

The lotus flowers in the lake were in full bloom. White petals were as delicate as mutton-fat jade, glowing softly under the dazzling sunlight, pink and delicate.

Large patches of emerald lotus leaves spread across the lake surface, like skirts for the flowers. Fish swam beneath, enjoying the shade under the leaves.

Meng Wan and Nie Zhiyao chatted as they walked, taking round silk fans from the maid. After circling about half the lake, beads of sweat appeared on Meng Wan's nose. He fanned himself a few times, but the breeze felt just as hot.

Nie Zhiyao was also hot. "Let's sit in the pavilion for a while and have some tea to cool down."

They had arrived early, and now people were gradually arriving. Perhaps some high-status guests had come, as the Countess came out to accompany them.

Meng Wan and Nie Zhiyao were resting and enjoying the cool in a hexagonal pavilion on the lake. When they saw the group approaching, they quickly stepped forward to pay their respects.

Xuanniang must have arrived at some point—the garden was too large, and they hadn't run into each other earlier. Now she was mingling in the crowd, playfully winking at Meng Wan. He responded with a faint smile, which made the young girl next to Xuanniang blush as she looked at him.

The guests today were a mixed lot—daughters of high officials and low officials alike. The younger ones were all maidens, no xiaoge; the xiaoge present were all married fulangs.

In high-ranking families, maidens were usually taken as principal wives, and the rare cases where a xiaoge was married in, it was a high-status family marrying down.

Meng Wan observed carefully. Among the group of young noble maidens, they were subtly divided into three factions. One faction was richly dressed, with many servants in tow, likely from deep-rooted noble families.

Another faction had more refined features and a quiet pride in their conversation, subtly opposing the noble maidens, each keeping to themselves. These were likely daughters of scholarly families with clean reputations. Xuanniang and her little friend were among them.

The third faction was more interesting—a motley group of daughters from minor families, whose attire wasn't much better than Meng Wan's. But they all rallied around a leading young woman. Her clothes and accessories were decent enough, but her conduct and posture were improper, as if she rarely attended such occasions and seemed ill at ease.

Although Meng Wan's etiquette was also lacking, he had always been good at pretending. He blended into the crowd with relative calm, accompanied by Nie Zhiyao. Although no one paid them any attention, the two of them were at ease, purely there to enjoy the scenery without any agenda.

The Countess's gaze kept shifting between the noble maidens and the scholarly ones. Anyone could see she favored them, and she likely already had a suitable candidate in mind. But a private meeting would seem rude, so she had called everyone else to provide cover.

"The lotus flowers in your ladyship's garden are blooming so vibrantly, one bloom after another." As a guest visiting the garden, naturally one had to compliment the Count's garden.

The Countess replied politely, "Such splendid blooms today—it would be a pity for me to enjoy this rare beauty alone. That's why I invited you young ladies. I'm glad you like it."

She first addressed the young woman in the pink dress among the noble faction, "Miss Wu, if there's anything you like, just tell me. I'll have the servants pick a couple of blooms for you to take home and play with."

Then, without bias, she said the same to the young woman in green among the scholarly faction, "And the same for you, Miss Gu."

The young woman in pink was the granddaughter of Wu Wei, the Minister of Rites (a first-rank official). She had just turned fifteen. Gracefully, she curtsied to the Countess. "Thank you, my lady. Then I won't be polite. Over there, the 'Rong San Bian' lotuses—their inner pistils are pale green, the newly opened flowers are light pink, and the older ones are white. White and pink intertwined—I truly love them."

The Countess smiled faintly. Miss Wu from the Wu family was poised and had a wealthy family background with intricate connections. Her grandfather was favored by the emperor. Her only flaw was a somewhat spoiled temperament, and her looks were average.

Another cool voice rang out. "I prefer the 'Cui Gai Hua Zhang' lotuses over here. They combine red, white, yellow, and green all in one. The outer petals have an embedded layer of red-purple at the edges, and the inner petals are dotted with emerald green spots. Rich and vivid in color, they need no other accompaniment—this one flower alone is enough to catch the eye."

Miss Gu from the scholarly faction was the daughter of a Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat. The power of the Grand Secretariat had been weakened in the current court, lacking substantive authority, but at least it could face the emperor directly. Lord Gu's family had strict traditions, a model of scholarly integrity, and Miss Gu's appearance and temperament were also fresh and refined.

The Countess weighed the options carefully, balancing between the two, careful not to offend either side.

The overlooked daughters of minor officials knew their place, but the daughter of Count Fuen, who stood at the head of the group, looked embarrassed.

Count Fuen's manor originally held the same rank as Count Huai'en's manor, but its background was too humble—they were merely tenant farmers on the imperial estate. Only because their achievements in growing potatoes delighted the King did the King bestow the title of Count Fuen.

However, this title was not hereditary, lasting only one generation. Thus, none of the prestigious families in the capital took Count Fuen's manor seriously; only minor officials would curry favor with them.

By now, Count Fuen's daughter, Fu Peilan, was already regretting having come. The relationships and connections she had painstakingly maintained seemed like a joke when she saw the scene at Count Huai'en's manor.

Compared to her, Men Wan and Nie Zhiyao were truly ignored. Men Wan simply had no interest in watching others socialize while being left out—he wasn't a glutton for punishment.

He exchanged a quick glance with Nie Zhiyao and began to edge away. Xuanniang's close friend, who had been watching him, tugged at Xuanniang's sleeve and said, "Your uncle is heading to the shore."

Xuanniang turned and saw it was true, so she said to the Countess, "Aunt, I'm going to play on the shore."

After the Countess agreed, she immediately pulled her friend and chased after Men Wan.

After they left, a young lady from the "Pure Stream" circle asked curiously, "How does Xuanniang have an uncle? I've never heard of him before."

The Countess's smile faded, and she said indifferently, "He's just someone my mother once gave a few lessons to. He's not really a relative; the children just call him that for fun."

"He was taught by Madam Xiang? Then he must be very talented."

Some sharp-eyed ones noticed that the Countess was not very warm toward this nominal relative.

"He must be from a fallen family. His clothes are made of silk satin instead of gauze. In families like ours, we order new clothes each season, but he's wearing an old style from a few years ago—not even my favorite old nanny would wear something like that."

"Not only that—coming as a guest to the manor without even a decent hair ornament. How rude! And he doesn't even fear offending the Countess."

"His walk is not dignified either; he moves too fast."

"And who is that husband beside him? I've never seen him before."

"I've seen him once. He's just a merchant's son. His husband is a subordinate of my father, a seventh-rank official. But I've heard the merchant's son is from the Yuezheng family."

"Don't the Yuezheng family always marry within the clan? How could they marry a merchant's son?"

"You're mistaken. It's not a marriage; the merchant's son was taken in as a son-in-law. I heard it's a branch family with no one left."

...

They listed quite a few gossip items about Men Wan and Nie Zhiyao. Fu Peilan felt a chill in her heart: these were noble, well-bred young ladies? Half of them were gossiping; how were they any different from farm women in the village?

She had been desperately squeezing into this group, trying to dress herself up for fear of being laughed at, not knowing how these people would laugh at her behind her back.

Men Wan was unaware of this gossip. He and Nie Zhiyao found a quiet spot under a tree to talk. Soon, Xuanniang came looking for him, pulling her friend by the hand.

"Uncle, this is Yingniang, the daughter of the Director of the Selection Department of the Ministry of Personnel."

Yingniang slightly bowed and said, "Greetings, Uncle."

Men Wan, unsure whether to laugh or cry, returned the greeting, "Hello."

Xuanniang explained their intention: "Uncle, Yingniang wants to see your painting of the Changping flood. Can we go to your home to appreciate it later?"

Men Wan agreed casually, "Of course. Paintings are made to be seen, aren't they?"

They chatted and laughed together for a while. The Countess called Xuanniang to join her for tea. Xuanniang wanted to invite Men Wan along, but he declined, "You go ahead. I still want to enjoy this pond of lotuses."

Shortly after Xuanniang and Yingniang left, Men Wan unexpectedly encountered the daughter of Count Fuen. He didn't recognize her but noticed she seemed to be seeking him out deliberately.

"After you left just now, those people criticized you for wearing shabby clothes and not showing the Countess proper respect." Fu Peilan said this straight to Men Wan's face.

Men Wan was inwardly speechless but kept his expression unchanged. "Is that so?"

Fu Peilan didn't expect him to be so calm and couldn't help asking in surprise, "You're not angry?"

"What's there to get angry about? What they said is the truth. I'm from a humble family—why bother arguing about it? Fancy clothes don't do anything for me."

Men Wan didn't think much of it. That's just how it is with different social classes. Anyway, he'd already visited the manor; he simply wouldn't come back.