Chapter 632 - 315 Bug_2
Qian Sangui was much more amiable than most, smiling and greeting the villagers as they passed, his voice loud and clear as he said, "In a couple days we’ll host a banquet, and you’re all cordially invited to feast. Please be sure to come, please do..."
Upon entering Qian’s Main Courtyard, Steward Wong, Landlord Li, Wan Lizheng, Doctor Lin, Mr. Zhang, and other distinguished guests all rose to welcome them.
Qian Sangui was invited into the main hall. Once everyone was seated, Old man Qian began to boast. Wearing his brocade robe and soap-colored boots, with a turban on his head, he was even more formally dressed than the groom, Qian Sangui. He spoke with great eloquence about how majestic the Palace gates and walls were, how the Capital City was a world of splendor, how he spent his days leisurely taking his bird for a walk, drinking tea, listening to operas, and spending money like water... Seeing the envious gazes of those around him made him both proud and happy.
In the room, only Mr. Zhang wasn’t listening to the old man. Clutching the letter from Zhu Sujin and his brush and inkstone, he was thrilled that the Princely Heir, having been his student for just over a year, was still so thoughtful of him.
No sooner had Yixiu entered the gate than Yiduo pulled her straight into her own little room. Stepping into this room was like entering another little world. The courtyard outside, though affluent, still betrayed its rural roots. But this room was akin to a young lady’s boudoir, with some of its arrangement even resembling Yixiu’s own bedroom: a canopy bed, a desk, an embroidered stool, a carved round table, and a vase filled with chrysanthemums.
Yiduo, once a little friend, had completely blossomed into an upright and graceful young girl, albeit slightly more voluptuous. With her fair skin, smiling eyes, and face like a full moon, one could tell at a glance she was destined for a life of fertility and fortune. She had been betrothed the previous year to a certain Liu, the grandson of a big landlord from Wenzhou Prefecture. Not only did his family own thousands of acres of fertile land and run a tavern, there were even relatives holding official positions in the prefecture of Wenzhou.
This marriage proposal had originally come from the Liu family head, which had sent Lady Wang into an ecstatic frenzy as she eagerly accepted. To help Yiduo resemble more the daughter of a distinguished family, they purchased two twelve-year-old maids for her to accompany her after her marriage.
Inside the small room, Qian Manting and Yiduo asked Yixiu which family she was set to marry into. When Yixiu told them she wasn’t betrothed yet, they didn’t believe her.
Yiduo said, "How is that possible? Sister Embroidery is so beautiful, and with Grandfather being the groom and Father serving by the Emperor’s side, all the young men in the Capital surely must be lining up to propose."