sbdcsierra Chapter 255 Banquet Troubles
Chapter 255 Banquet Troubles
The banquet started at noon. Shen Li planned to go there an hour earlier. It would not be good to go too early, as there would be a lot of gossip where there were many daughters of officials.
"Aunt, you look so beautiful today!"
Shen Li pursed her lips and smiled, poking his fair and tender cheek, "Is aunt only good-looking today?"
"No," he said firmly, "Aunt is beautiful every day."
"I'm trying to make my aunt happy again."
"No, if you don't believe me, ask grandpa and grandma."
As he said this, he looked at Shen Changshan and Lin Cuicui who were sitting there, seeking confirmation from them.
Lin Cuicui nodded with a smile, "Where are you going today, A-Li?"
Shen Li took the little carrot head at her feet and walked over to sit down, "Mom, today is Ah Hui's birthday. She invited me to go. We will leave soon."
"Well, this dress is quite suitable for attending a party."
Shen Li nodded, thinking so too.
Shen Qian'an moved his fingers slightly, but thinking that it was a party hosted by a woman, it would not be appropriate for him to go.
Shen Li chatted with her family for a while before leaving in a carriage. Sitting in the carriage, she couldn't help but chuckle when she thought about her eldest nephew's behavior just now.
Shen Li agreed and went back to bring him some pastries. Only then did he smile and see her off the door.
I don’t know who this nephew takes his personality from. My eldest brother and sister-in-law are not like that.
Putting all these behind him, the past two years have passed in a flash. There is a great possibility that my third brother will take part in the imperial examination next year, and move up step by step from a student to a scholar.
Not really, I haven't thought about it in the past two years. Isn't the current situation unstable?
And now that the new dynasty has been established, it is time to employ people.
When Shen Li thought of two years, she remembered what Pei Yu said, that she would wait for him for two years. As the two-year deadline was just around the corner, she saw the person who had made the promise.
When she lifted the curtain of the carriage, she saw the withered scene of winter. She still liked spring the most, when everything was full of vitality.
……
Pei Yu, who was far away in the capital, was very busy during this period. It was not until the first snow fell in the capital that he threw away all the things in his hands and headed south with his two subordinates.
He was afraid that if he went later, what if he broke his promise and Ali thought he was a man of no credibility?
The emperor of Northern Yan, Xie Yunci, felt mixed emotions when he heard that Pei Yu had abandoned everything in his hands and ran out of the capital overnight.
He asked the commander of the imperial guards beside him: "Do you know why the Prince of Jingnan is in such a hurry to leave the capital?"
The commander of the Imperial Guards, He Hong, lowered his head and said in a low voice, "I don't know."
Xie Yunci thought for a moment and then said, "Could it be that he is going to see his sweetheart?"
"That should be the case. Last time I said I wanted to marry my cousin to him, he didn't agree. He even said he already had a lover. I thought he was lying, but it turned out to be true."
A hint of amusement flashed across Xie Yunci's face, "He wonders what kind of girl could catch the eye of King Jingnan?"
He Hong on the side lowered his head and said nothing. Besides, the emperor didn't expect him to answer. He could just listen. If he really said something, he would offend the emperor.
……
Shen Li came to the gate of the Su Mansion, followed by a maid named Xiuqin. She was holding a box in her arms. Shen Li took it and asked her to hold the pot of plum blossoms.
When he arrived at the door and showed the invitation, a maid led him in.
She arrived relatively early, and there were not many people there at the moment. The little maid, following her mistress's instructions, led the people directly to her yard.
Su Zhihui was wearing a goose yellow brocade robe today, which made her look pretty and charming.
"Ali, you're here!"
When she heard the maid report that Shen Li had arrived, she stood at the door waiting.
Shen Li handed the box to her, took off her cloak and walked in, followed by the maid behind her.
"Are you thinking about me? Or my flowers?"
Su Zhihui chuckled, "All of them, all of them!"
This girl has always been very honest, and Shen Li likes this most about her.
"Green calyx!"
Su Zhihui looked at the well-maintained green calyx in front of her, and joy appeared on her face.
He rushed over and hugged Shen Li, "Ali, you are so kind!"
Dong Shuang sighed when she saw this. Fortunately, there was no outsider in the room. As for Miss Shen, she was probably used to it just like herself.
"Ali, my mother is going to arrange a marriage for me."
"Has it been decided?"
Su Zhihui shook her head, "Not really, I'm still investigating."
"Then why do you look so unhappy?"
"I'm in the capital, which is too far away. If I go to the capital in the future, it will be difficult for me to come back. Although my grandfather and his family are also in the capital, my parents and brother are not here."
When you hear what made her sad, you don't know how to comfort her for a moment. After all, you are an outsider and can only listen to these things.
Just as she was about to open her mouth to comfort her, she heard the little maid outside the door report, "Miss, cousin is here."
The depressed expression on Su Zhihui's face instantly became serious, but Shen Li could still see from her eyes that she and this cousin did not get along.
Soon, the maid came in carrying a delicate girl. She had a soft and weak expression on her face and a faint smile on her lips.
"Why isn't my cousin here now?"
Jiang Yining took a wooden box from her personal maid and handed it to Su Zhihui, "Cousin, this is my birthday gift to you."
Su Zhihui had a generous and decent smile on her face. "Thank you, cousin. It's just that I'm entertaining friends now, so I'm afraid it's not convenient for me to talk to you."
Jiang Yining smiled softly, "It's okay, we are a family, and we have a lot of time to chat. You guys can chat slowly, and my cousin will leave first."
After saying that, he smiled at Shen Li, then stood up and left.
Su Zhihui curled her lips and talked to Shen Li for a while before leading her to the courtyard where the banquet was held.
Since all the guests were young ladies, they specially picked a courtyard and invited the good daughters of Commander Su's family and the daughters of my uncle's colleagues in the officialdom.
Shen Li sat aside and listened to their conversation. At first, some people came to talk to her, but after hearing that she was a country girl, they all stayed away.
She was not annoyed by this, but instead felt at peace.
Not long after, a young lady suggested: "I heard that there is a plum forest in Lord Su's backyard, next to the lake, and the scenery is very beautiful in winter. I wonder if Miss Su can take us to see it."
Su Zhihui nodded. He was also annoyed by the chattering of these people surrounding him.
The group arrived at the plum forest. The plum blossoms had not yet bloomed, but there were already many buds hanging on the branches. Even in winter, the scenery of the Su Mansion Garden was very nice.
Su Zhihui was entertaining the guests in the front, and Shen Li followed at the back. The group of young ladies were usually very pretentious, and when they saw a pavilion in the middle of the lake, they immediately wanted to go over and take a look.
As Su Zhihui was walking, she suddenly felt someone pushing her from behind, and she fell forward uncontrollably.
"Ah~"
The ladies around exclaimed, but their voices seemed to be choked halfway through.