Chapter 39 - Marquis Xuanwu arrives.

 Yun Chou personally took the Yun family inside to wish them a happy birthday.

Three people came from the Yun family, Mrs. Yun Lin, Yun family sister-in-law Liu Qian Qian, and Yun family's second young lady Yun La.

"I wish the old birthday girl the sun and moon shine together, and that she will not age in spring and fall." Lin ordered someone to present a congratulatory gift, "A small gift, no honor, just a token of appreciation."

The birthday gift is a flush high potbelly vase, the vase is full of beautiful peony flowers, embedded with gold filigree, extraordinarily expensive, at least all five hundred taels of silver.

Yunchu was a little heartbroken over this silver, but there were many things she couldn't say explicitly to her mother, and saying too much would make her mother anxious and worried about her days.

The surrounding ladies could tell through this birthday gift that the marriage between the Yun and Xie families would have to continue.

With the Yun family as their backing, those ladies were a bit more attentive to Old Madame Xie.

The women accompanied the old lady to talk in the flower hall, while the men were entertained by Xie Jingyu and accompanied by Xie Zhongcheng and Xie Shi'an.

Not long ago, the birthday banquet hour arrived, the people in accordance with the status of the official rank, each family has been seated.

 Just then, the guards at the door suddenly shouted, "Marquis Xuanwu has arrived!"

 Old Mrs. Xie's face showed consternation.

Marquis Xuanwu, that is their Xie family simply can not contact the honored, she did not give the Marquis Xuanwu House to pass the invitation invitation, how will the young marquis come?

Xie Jingyu's face suddenly changed, raising his head in a somewhat ugly manner and looking at the person who walked in.

Marquis Xuanwu had just inherited the title passed down from his ancestors three years ago, and was only in his early twenties this year, wearing a silver-colored shirt and holding a paper fan in his hand, he appeared graceful.

"The late generation has come to wish the old lady a happy birthday." Qin Mingheng walked in, closed the paper fan, and offered a congratulatory gift, "This is the Snow Skin Cream that is only available in the palace, young women applying it will make their skin look like snow, and older people applying it can get rid of wrinkles, and my juniors are here to wish the old lady a great birthday, and the younger she lives, the younger she gets."

Hearing that it was something from the palace, the old lady's eyes lit up, and she busily got up and said, "The Marquis of Xuanwu came all the way here to wish for his birthday, and it's a real treat for my old self."

"Old madam what are you talking about, Lord Xie and I are close friends, it's only right that I come to wish you a happy birthday." Qin Mingheng looked at Xie Jingyu, "Why does Lord Xie seem to not quite welcome me to come?"

Xie Jingyu clenched his fists in death and opened his mouth, "Marquis Xuanwu's arrival has made my Xie family's house shine, please take a seat."

A marquis was a title and ranked above the hundred officials, so Qin Mingheng's position was right above the Yun family, next to the main family, the Xie residence.

 Between Yunchu and the young marquis, there was a Xie Jingyu and a passageway.

I don't know if she was being paranoid or not, but she felt that the young marquis' gaze always seemed to fall on her body if at all since she entered the door.

When she looked over, the little marquis was talking to someone else, rather like she was being paranoid.

When she thought she was overthinking, Qin Mingheng suddenly looked at her, "I heard that Mrs. Xie is terminally ill, I wonder if she's feeling better?"

Every person who comes to the banquet will ask one or two questions, Yunchu did not feel wrong, and was about to open his mouth to reply.

Xie Jingyu then took the first step and said, "Thank you for the marquis' care, I am just occasional wind and cold, not as serious as the outside rumors, now the body has been much better."

Xie Zhongcheng, as the head of the East Family, stood up and spoke, "Thank you for coming to my mother's birthday banquet from your busy schedules, today I have prepared a little wine, not a tribute, please bear with me if there is any hospitality that is not good enough, now, let's raise our glasses to celebrate with each other!"

 Those present raised their glasses at the same time.

Just when that wine entered their lips, the faces of the people changed, the birthday banquet was considered a big event, I don't know how the Xie family could prepare such ordinary drinks.

But guests follow their hosts, and they drink whatever their hosts prepare, so naturally they don't make a point of bringing it up.

Only Qin Mingheng spoke up, "Tsk, it's the first time I've had such bland drinks, Lord Xie, your family's wine is just like you as a person, it's too bland."

 Xie Jingyu pursed his lips.

This Qin Mingheng was obviously here to pick a fight, but his status and position made it so that he had no way to kick the person out.

Yunchu also felt that this Marquis Xuanwu seems to be not dealing with Xie Jingyu, but how did Xie Jingyu offend the Marquis Xuanwu when he is a small official of the fifth rank and has no dealings with the House of Lords at all?

But, this was not something within her scope of concern, as she sat in her seat with a light smile on her lips, exchanging pleasantries and talking with a few ladies on the side.

 At this time, the maids brought up the dishes for the birthday banquet one by one.

Each table had the same menu, four large dishes, four hot dishes, four cold dishes, and four fruit plates of snacks, which seemed to be quite hearty.

However, Yun Chou noticed that each dish was only filled with half a bowl, so it was obvious that the people underneath had cut corners.

Men might not pay attention to such trivial matters, but the noblewomen present were all in charge of their families, how could they not see the cattiness, glancing at each other, they really didn't understand.

The Xie family is at least a five-piece family, although it is a humble origin, but for so many years for the official, there should be some family background, how even a decent birthday banquet are not out.

 Old Mrs. Xie was now beginning to regret it.

She shouldn't have given something as big as the birthday banquet to Xie Ping, an unmarried girl.

Look at the eyes of those ladies, all contempt and despise, as if their Xie family has how not on the stage.

Xie Ping didn't even dare to look at the old lady, hung her head low, and once again cursed He Xu in her heart.

"All of you do not know." Yunchu opened his mouth and said, "The lack of rain in the spring in the south will lead to no harvest in the fall, and there will definitely be a lot of stragglers at that time. The Xie family doesn't dare to waste money on this birthday banquet because, organizing a big birthday banquet can only allow the Xie family to earn some face, but if the silver is used to provide relief for the disaster, it will surely save dozens of human lives. Face and human life, which is more important, I think you have a scale in your heart."

"Good!" Qin Mingheng was the first to applaud and applaud, "For Lady Xie to have such a heart of concern for the country and the people is truly humbling to us!"

The old lady is really convinced of this granddaughter-in-law, seeing that the birthday banquet is going to fall into the hands of the people, but these words, but let the Xie family's bad, turned into merit.

Even the Marquis of Xuanwu has called it good, now let's see who dares to say that the Xie family's birthday banquet is not on the table again?

Sure enough, the contempt in the eyes of the crowd faded quite a bit, laughing and saying that the Xie family has a great merit, the old lady will be able to live a long life and so on.

The old lady picked up her chopsticks, "After chatting for so long, I'm sure everyone is hungry, let's dine first."

Her old man picked up the crispy fish and took a bite, and in her heart, she couldn't help but marvel that it was truly worthy of being the Yun family's private cuisine, even the dead fish could be made so fresh and delicious.

 She was sighing when a discordant sound came from underneath.

Qin Mingheng took a bite of the meatball and immediately spat it out, saying in a loud voice, "I only knew that Lord Xie was a langzhong in the Ministry of Revenue, I never knew that the Xie Household was even a salt peddler."

 The guests were also talking about it.

 "This dish is also too salty to eat."

"How can it be salty like this, after drinking two cups of tea it can't be suppressed, it's intent on salting people to death."

"Xie House's cook even made such a big mistake, it can be seen that there is a problem with the management of the backyard, the mother of the house is the first born young lady of the Yun House, how can she not even take care of the house?"

"Because Mrs. Xie has been sick lately, look at that face, the disease is probably not well, where there is energy to take into account the matter of the house, to say the least, it is that Xie's eldest miss has no talent to manage the family, will be this birthday banquet to do a smash."

"I heard that she is a commoner daughter born of a foreigner, occupying the name of first daughter for nothing, what can she know about managing a household?"

"Just now, Mrs. Xie even helped to round out the conversation, I'll see what else this salty dish can come up with to round out the conversation."

 "..."