Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 60
Chapter 60 - Arranging a Match for the Younger Half-Sister
Guests arrived in a continuous stream, one after another.
Both the front and rear courtyards gradually grew lively and bustling.
Before long, the Marquis of Xuanwu's carriage pulled up to the estate, causing Xie Jingyu's complexion to turn somewhat unsightly.
Yet as a mere fifth-rank official, no matter how much he loathed the Qin family, he had no choice but to put on a smiling face and greet them warmly. "Marquis, Marchioness, Young Marquis, your gracious presence brings utter radiance to our humble Xie estate. Please, come inside."
Qin Mingheng had come to attend the banquet accompanied by his wife, Marchioness Luo, and their eldest legitimate son. The young marquis of the estate was around six years of age and possessed a remarkably fair complexion.
"I recall that back when I was still unmarried, I accompanied my mother to attend the young marquis's full-month celebration banquet," Yunchu said with a smile as she addressed Marchioness Luo. "In the blink of an eye, the young marquis has already grown this tall."
A gentle smile graced Marchioness Luo's face. "Back then, I also accompanied the Marquis to the Yun estate to partake in Madam Xie's pre-marriage banquet."
With this casual exchange, an inexplicable sense of closeness forged between the two women.
Because of the Marchioness's exalted status, Yunchu personally led her toward the inner courtyard, where the numerous matrons and ladies immediately rose to their feet to offer respectful greetings and bows.
Luo was of a kind and affable disposition, refusing to deliberately put on airs, and she swiftly blended into the gathering.
Yunchu returned to the front gates to continue welcoming the incoming guests.
When the appropriate hour arrived, the Yun family members made their entrance. Being close relatives by marriage, virtually the entire family had come—with the exception of the elderly General Yun, who was advanced in years, and the generals guarding the frontline borders.
Madam Lin of the Yun family, Eldest Young Master Yun Ze, Eldest Young Mistress Liu Qianqian, their eldest legitimate son and eldest legitimate daughter, alongside Yunchu's three concubine-born younger brothers and sisters, made up a massive family entourage that granted the Xie family an immense amount of face.
Yunchu escorted her own family members inside, deliberately seating Madam Lin right beside Madam Dai, allowing the two matrons to strike up an animated and delightful conversation.
Lord Dai served as a fifth-rank civil official in the imperial court, and his second legitimate son was nineteen years of age, having passed the certified scholar examinations the year before last. While he naturally fell far short of Xie Shi'an, to the majority of people, he was already considered an exceptionally promising match.
As for the scions of the capital's nobility and aristocracy, they either inherited titles and family estates or directly participated in the metropolitan examinations; before taking the examination paper, no one could truly gauge their actual capability... Lower-ranking gentry families were different. Being able to pass the scholar exams demonstrated that one could earn a living through scholarship, and it also proved that the individual was diligent and studious, far surpassing ordinary profligate playboys.
Madam Lin felt quite satisfied with the Second Young Master Dai, judging that Madam Dai—her prospective in-law—was likewise pleasant to get along with. Madam Dai, on her part, held a hundred-percent favorable view of the Yun family's young miss. With neither side finding any faults to pick, the match was already more than half-settled.
Stepping over, Yunchu spoke up, "Ran-jieer, accompany me to fetch some fruit wine for the esteemed ladies to sample."
Rising to her feet, Yun Ran obediently trailed behind Yunchu.
She followed Yunchu as far as the moon-gated flower doorway—the exact boundary connecting the outer and inner courtyards—where a covered corridor stretched out before them.
In the distance, Xie Shi-an could be seen conversing with a group of young masters and scions.
Yunchu said softly, "The one dressed in cyan robes who is relatively taller is the Second Young Master Dai. Take a look and tell me what you think."
Yun Ran raised her gaze for a brief moment before instantly retracting it. Her ears flared to a brilliant crimson red, and she gave a barely perceptible, gentle nod.
The gesture involuntarily reminded Yunchu of the past, when her own mother had led her behind a folding screen to steal a hidden glance at Xie Jingyu.
Xie Jingyu had truly been a dashing, elegant young lord back then. She had taken one quick look and immediately nodded, indicating her willingness to marry him, thus sealing her fate as a wife of the Xie family.
Having walked through that torrential rain herself, she was determined to protect her younger sister so she would never have to endure such miseries.
The Dai family was the finest choice she had handpicked out of hundreds of clans; once Ran-jieer was married off to them, her life should remain free of sorrow and worry.
Now that Yun Ran had expressed her satisfaction, the next step involved Yunchu leading her past that exact area so that Second Young Master Dai could catch a glimpse of her, officially cementing the arrangement.
Along the entire path, Yun Ran's face remained flushed to the extreme, resembling a thoroughly ripened red persimmon.
After Yunchu welcomed the final wave of guests at the front courtyard, noon arrived right on schedule, and the banquet officially commenced.
The men remained in the front courtyard, though younger boys—whether seven or eight years of age who lacked complete understanding—were all accommodated within the inner courtyard.
A handful of matrons possessing slightly loftier statuses were seated at the primary seats of honor, personally accompanied by Yunchu and the Xie Old Madam.
Several of these ladies had previously attended the Xie Old Madam's birthday banquet and had initially harbored lingering anxieties regarding potential mishaps. However, halfway through the festivities, they completely put their minds at ease; this banquet was indeed executed brilliantly, and when compared to the banquets hosted within their own estates, it was easily superior rather than inferior.
After three rounds of wine had been poured, Marchioness Luo could not help but remark, "Lord Xie is a top imperial scholar, and it appears Eldest Young Master Xie is likewise destined to claim the top rank. Leaving aside the fact that the Xie family simply possesses exceptional geomantic fortune, the core reason is undoubtedly that the Xie family excels at raising and educating children. Might Madam Xie share how the Xie household typically disciplines its youth?"
Hastily, Yunchu replied, "The Marchioness flatters us too much. They say that children of five or six are so troublesome even dogs loathe them, yet I observe that the Young Marquis is sensible and well-behaved, which clearly shows that the Marchioness is a master of proper upbringing."
"Him? He's nothing short of a havoc-wreaking demon king," Luo retorted with a shake of her head. "Everyone up and down our household lives in terror of him. If a bird flies past, he'll manage to pluck two feathers right off its body—tell me if that isn't utterly exasperating? If the capital is to host a notorious profligate playboy in the future, I'm certain he'll secure one of the top spots!"
"Mother!" Standing right beside her, the young marquis hearing his own mother speak of him in such a fashion before outsiders, let a look of displeasure cross his face.
"Children are easily embarrassed," the Old Madam said with a smile. "Wei'er, you are roughly of an age with the Young Marquis; why don't you take him down to the gardens to play?"
Xie Shiwei curled his lips in a silent sneer. This young marquis looked to be barely six years old—a mere snot-nosed brat. He loathed playing with young children more than anything else; they were always dripping with snot at a moment's notice.
His instinctive reaction was to refuse, but the moment he caught the Old Madam's icy glare, he checked himself.
The Old Madam looked as though she wanted nothing more than to grab him by the ear and drill it into his head that the boy before him was the son of the Marquis of Xuanwu—befriending the young marquis carried absolute advantages and zero drawbacks!
Although Xie Shiwei didn't grasp all these intricate machinations, he knew full well that if he dared refuse, once the banquet concluded, the Old Madam would undoubtedly scold him fiercely, and should his father's wrath flare up afterward, he would emerge battered and bruised all over.
Hastily stepping forward, he offered, "Young Marquis, allow me to escort you for a stroll through the back courtyard; there are plenty of amusing spots to explore."
The young marquis had long since grown weary of sitting about; he harbored zero interest in the topics being discussed by these matrons and old madams, and was more than eager to escape to a different venue, immediately trailing after Xie Shiwei toward the rear courtyards.
Turning her head, Yunchu instructed, "Jiuer, keep a close eye on the Second Young Master and the Young Marquis. Watch them carefully to ensure they don't trip or injure themselves."
Keeping her gaze lowered, Jiuer murmured a quick assent and hurried off to follow them.
While the women in the inner courtyard engaged in lively chatter, the banquet in the front courtyard was drawing toward its close.
Composed entirely of male guests—ranging from imperial court officials to various youths—the gathering saw Xie Shi-an leading boys of similar age out into the garden to play pitch-pot games, while Xie Jingyu arranged a tea-tasting and poetry-composition session for the literati.
After two rounds of play, Lord Yuan stood up to address the company. "Reciting poems centered entirely on winds, flowers, snow, and moon is far too commonplace. I hear that Lord Xie's estate features a vast grove of jujube trees, and jujube trees carry the most auspicious symbolism. Why don't we head over to the jujube orchard and compose poetry using jujubes as our central theme?"
Which of the literati present failed to recognize that the symbolic meaning behind jujube trees was the blessing of "early birth of noble offspring"? Lord Yuan was clearly taking a sarcastic jab at the Xie family for lacking a true, legitimate eldest son.
As colleagues and friendly acquaintances of Xie Jingyu, they naturally refrained from chiming in or endorsing such a pointed remark.
At that moment, Qin Mingheng burst into hearty laughter. "It is said this jujube orchard was planted by Madam Xie herself, refreshingly free of artificial literary affectations. Come, let us go take a look."
Since the individual with the highest status and authority among those present had spoken, the rest of the company naturally fell in line behind him.