Earl’s Mansion, Yingchun Courtyard.

Since midsummer, sisters Yingchun, Daiyu, Tanchun and others have seldom gone outdoors.

Every day they chose a place, either Daiyu’s or Tanchun’s courtyard, where the sisters would gather together to keep each other company and cool off.

But the place where the sisters gathered most often was Yingchun’s courtyard, because her main room was the most spacious, and no matter how many people stayed, it would not feel cramped.

The main room was tidy and spotless. In front of the bed of the southern arhat, Yingchun and Daiyu were playing chess.

Tanchun sat behind Daiyu and watched the chess game with great interest.

Baochai was sitting idly, embroidering a handkerchief on an embroidery frame. Since Xiangyun often did embroidery at home, she sat next to Baochai and watched in fascination.

There are two square copper ice jars in front of the Arhat bed, filled with crystal clear crushed ice, emitting wisps of cold white smoke, which makes the room feel pleasantly cool.

The main hall in Yingchun Courtyard is so large that it needs to be equipped with twice as many ice jars as Wang Xifeng’s main room in order to relieve the heat and cool down.

Such luxurious use of ice is not uncommon in the imperial palace or the prince’s inner courtyard.

As there were special ice cellars built in the imperial city, it was customary to store ice in winter and use it in summer. However, storing large amounts of ice was very expensive and was not something that ordinary wealthy families could afford.

Such lavish use of ice as in the inner courtyard of the East Palace is rarely seen among ordinary wealthy families.

But now in the inner courtyard of the East Palace, ice is a very cheap commodity.

Jia Cong often saw his sisters fanning themselves with round fans to keep cool in the summer, which made him feel tired.

He specially built an ice room in the inner courtyard of the East Palace and also had someone dig an ice cellar.

Whenever he had free time, he would use his own method to make ice and store it in cellars for cooling off in the hot summer.

……

Baochai embroidered half of the handkerchief, then put away her needle and asked, “Why hasn’t Sister Xichun come out? Has she not woken up from her nap yet?”

Yingchun smiled and said, “She was not taking a nap at all. She borrowed Sister Lin’s painting of the Banquet of Grace and Honor and stared at it for several days, then she suddenly had an idea.

I want to copy that painting and draw a picture of the banquet for my brother Cong to celebrate his success as a Jinshi. Now I stay in my room every day and don’t want to go out.”

Baochai smiled and said, “Sister Xichun, this is good. Our Jia family is really good at painting.

The previous generation had the Lin family’s aunt, and now there is a sister Xichun, so it can be said that the family has a long history of learning. “

Xiangyun watched the embroidery for a while and then felt a little bored.

Lazily said: “You guys play chess, you paint, you guys are all enjoying yourself, but I’ve been bored to death these past few days.”

Daiyu laughed when she heard this and said, “Is it because Sister Xiuyan has gone out that you have no one to chat with?”

Since Xiangyun settled in the East Palace, she has been a cheerful and talkative person, but she gets along very well with the introverted and taciturn Xing Xiuyun.

The two of them talk and play chess every day and are almost inseparable, which makes them closer than other sisters.

These days, Xing Xiuyan and Zhishao went to stay in Muniyuan for a while, leaving Shi Xiangyun alone, which made her feel somewhat bored.

Baochai asked, “Miss Zhishao and cousin Xiuyan have been gone for several days. Have they said when they will return home?”

Xiangyun smiled and said, “I know this very well. I went to visit my third brother’s courtyard yesterday and asked him about it in person.

The third brother said that it was Master Xiushan’s birthday at the end of this month, and they would not return home until they were with her until her birthday.

Third brother even counted on his fingers and said there were exactly four days left. I can see from his expression that he is missing Sister Zhishao.”

After hearing Xiangyun’s last words, Yingchun couldn’t help but smile, but didn’t say anything. She just made a move.

As the eldest sister, she knew that her brothers had already established their own families, so there would be some intimacy between them.

Daiyu was also a person with a sharp mind. She heard the ambiguous and playful meaning in Xiangyun’s words, and thought of something. Her pretty face blushed involuntarily.

Tanchun smiled and said, “You know that sister Xiuyan went with us. Third brother might be thinking of her.”

Xiangyun smiled complacently and said, “You don’t understand this, do you? Yesterday, when I went to my third brother’s courtyard, I heard Qingwen and Lingguan whispering.

They said that Third Brother and Sister Zhishao have been getting along especially well recently, so he must be thinking of her when he counts the days on his fingers.”

Daiyu laughed and scolded: “Look at what you said. Third brother and the girls and maids in his courtyard are all good friends.”

Shi Xiangyun said: “I’m just saying you don’t understand, Sister Zhishao has served tea to the old lady, how can it be the same as other maids?

Let me tell you, my two cousins ​​are older than my third brother, and I have seen this kind of thing happen to me.

They are very close to the girls who have served them tea, and they love to chat and laugh with them no matter what happens. “

When Xiangyun said this, Baochai and Yingchun, who were a little older, probably understood what she meant and their faces turned red and they tried to hold back their laughter.

Daiyu was a smart girl, and although she had not yet reached the age of marriage, she was not completely ignorant. Her face turned red when she heard this.

However, they are all from wealthy families and have been accustomed to seeing their fathers and brothers having many wives and concubines, and the laughter and gossip in the inner chambers.

Jia Cong had grown old and had a room full of people. This was commonplace for them, and even though Daiyu had feelings for him, she didn’t take it too seriously.

When Tanchun heard Shi Xiangyun seemed to be teasing Jia Cong, she felt a little unconvinced.

He said to her, “You know everything, why don’t you tell me why they are so close and love to joke around.”

Xiangyun said with a naughty smile: “What’s there to say? You will know when you get married.”

Baochai, who was standing by, couldn’t help but burst out laughing when she heard Xiangyun’s bold words.

Tanchun’s pretty face turned red, and she was very embarrassed. She jumped up and chased Xiangyun to wrestle with her. The two of them chased and dodged back and forth in the main room, laughing all the time.

……

At this time, the maid Xiu Ju and a maidservant each carried a wooden bucket into the main room and added crushed ice to the ice jar in the room.

Xiu Ju said to Ying Chun, “Miss, I went to the ice cellar to get some ice just now, and I saw the Third Master entering the inner courtyard from a distance.”

Yingchun was curious and asked, “Brother Cong, why did you leave the government office so early today? It’s rare.”

Xiu Ju said, “I thought so at first, and on my way back I happened to meet Miss Ying Lian, who was heading towards the West Mansion.

I just chatted with her for a few minutes, and she said she had received instructions from the Third Master to go to the West Mansion to pass on a message.”

When Daiyu heard this, she stopped playing chess and said, “From what Yinglian said, it sounds like Third Brother has something urgent to do and that’s why he’s rushing back to the mansion.”

Yingchun thought it made sense, but she couldn’t help feeling a little worried, wondering what had happened to her brother.

She said, “Xiu Ju, go to the Third Master’s courtyard and take a look. If he is free, invite him to come over and sit with us. The sisters are all here.”

Xiu Ju agreed and went out quickly. Less than half a cup of tea later, she saw Jia Cong following Xiu Ju into the main room.

Yingchun asked, “Brother Cong, you left the government office so early today, and I heard that you asked Yinglian to run errands for you, but what happened in the West Mansion?”

Jia Cong smiled and said, “Second sister is well-informed, and she has indeed encountered some problems.

Today I got the news that the eldest wife of the Zhen family transported more than a dozen boxes of valuables to the capital.

They wanted to follow the second sister-in-law’s path and deposit these boxes in the West Mansion. Now that the Zhen family is involved in an important case in the court, they are already guilty.

If our family gets involved with these boxes, it would be like stealing and hiding private property, which is against the criminal law and will definitely bring disaster to our family.”

……

When Yingchun and other sisters heard this, their faces all changed. Although they had limited experience in the boudoir, hiding the private property of a criminal official was not a good thing no matter how they listened to it.

Tanchun said in a crisp voice, cutting through ice and jade: “The Zhen family is really good at scheming. Their second daughter is the Princess of Beijing, and everyone in Shenjing knows about it.

Instead of hiding their private money in their daughter’s home, they hid it in our Jia family, and they were not afraid of causing trouble for our family.”

Jia Cong smiled and said, “Third sister is really insightful. This is exactly the truth.”

Yingchun asked in confusion: “I don’t understand this. Princess Beijing is Madam Zhen’s biological daughter. She hid her belongings and didn’t think about her own daughter, but instead sent them to our house.”

Jia Cong said: “Second sister, you don’t know that since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the four kings and eight dukes have all inherited their titles by lowering their ranks.

Only the Palace of Prince Beijing stands out, and after several generations, it still inherits the title of prince.

This is not only because the ancestors of King Beijing made great contributions to the founding of the country, but also because the people who inherited the title of King Beijing in successive generations were all shrewd and well versed in the ways of self-preservation.

In short, there are no foolish people in the Beijing King’s family. Shui Rong is courteous to others in his daily life and has a good reputation among the people, but he is also very shrewd.

Knowing that the Zhen family’s empire was about to collapse, even though he was the Zhen family’s son-in-law, he would never touch anything that would involve hidden dangers.

I think Mrs. Zhen knows her son-in-law’s temper to some extent, so she would go for someone far away instead of someone near. As for whether she has other thoughts, I can’t tell at the moment.

But don’t worry, second sister. When I got the news, the carriage of the eldest wife of the Zhen family had just arrived at the Rongguo Mansion, and the consuls and the maids had entered the inner courtyard of the West Mansion.

I thought the matter had not been settled yet, and if I came forward now, I was afraid that it would only embarrass my second sister-in-law, and there was no need to create rifts in my family because of other families’ affairs. That’s why I asked Yinglian to pass on the message to me, and my second sister-in-law had already rejected the Zhen family’s request, and the matter was over.

Lin Zhixiao just sent a message, and the servants at the West Corner Gate watched the Zhen family’s convoy leave Ningrong Street. “

……

After hearing what Jia Cong said, Yingchun, Daiyu, Tanchun and other sisters put aside their worries.

Daiyu and Tanchun were both sharp-minded people, and they thought too much in their hearts. If the third brother had not learned the news in time and asked Yinglian to pass on the message to stop it,

Will Sister Feng from Xifu take it upon herself to hide the Zhen family’s private money?

I’m afraid Sister Feng will most likely do it. They all grew up in the West Mansion and have heard a lot of rumors about Wang Xifeng. This second sister-in-law Lian is a powerful and courageous person.

Jia Cong asked, “Why can’t I see Fourth Sister? Isn’t she taking a nap again?”

Because Xichun was young, she would feel sleepy every afternoon and would sleep for half an hour. Everyone in the family knew her temper, which was why Jia Cong asked this question.

Daiyu smiled and said, “Sister Bao was asking about this just now. I heard that Fourth Sister has been busy painting these days and has been hiding in her room all day, rarely going out.

She wants to paint a picture of my third brother based on my mother’s picture of the Rong En Banquet. Let’s all go and take a look at it.”

Jia Cong was also very interested after hearing this. They left the main hall, walked along the corridor into Yingchun’s main room, and then entered the green gauze cabinet in the left wing where Xichun lived.

Because of Xichun’s background, Jia Cong and Yingchun have always been very caring and loving towards this young fourth sister.

When Xichun first came to the East Palace, she lived and slept with Yingchun. As she grew older and her body began to weaken, Yingchun moved her to the green gauze kitchen in the main room.

The green gauze kitchen on the left wing of the main house is not only square, but also faces the sun on two sides, making it transparent and bright, which is perfect for a little girl to live in.

When Jia Cong and others walked outside the green gauze kitchen, a cool breeze from an ice-cold jar blew towards them.

When everyone entered the house, they saw Xichun sitting at the desk, carefully sketching with a paintbrush in hand, and from time to time she would look at an old painting hanging on the easel.

The little girl had her hair in twin buns, adorned with blue and kingfisher pearl flowers, and wore a pink embroidered double-breasted jacket and a goose yellow palace skirt with magnolia branches. She looked very pretty and lovely.

The nanmu pen holder on the desk is hung with all kinds of paintbrushes. A deep hole has been drilled in one corner of the pen holder, and an exquisite Huizhou clay figurine is inserted into it.

This clay figurine is wearing a blue robe and a scholar’s cap, and has a handsome appearance and elegant demeanor. He looks exactly like Jia Cong, and is very lifelike.

……

Xichun saw a group of people coming in, and when she saw Jia Cong leading them, her eyes sparkled and she smiled.

Curiously, he asked, “Why is Third Brother at home at this hour? He doesn’t have to go to the government office to do any work?”

Jia Cong smiled and said, “I happened to have time to go home early today. I heard that my fourth sister was painting a masterpiece, so I came here specially to take a look at it.”

Xichun smiled and said, “I am currently painting the scene of Third Brother attending the Enrong Banquet. Third Brother should come and take a look and tell me more about the stories that happened at the banquet.

What did the prince who presided over the banquet look like? And the high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel who attended the banquet looked like? They were young and old, fat and thin, and there was also the appearance of the top three candidates in the imperial examination.

When my aunt drew the picture of Uncle Lin’s banquet, all these characters and scenes were there. I asked my third sister, and she said the picture of my third brother’s banquet was almost the same.

I will naturally follow suit and draw everything. Now I have only drawn the scene, but not many characters. Third brother, come and take a look. “

Jia Cong was holding Xichun’s hand as they walked in front of the painting table. He saw that the painting had a rough outline, and it was depicting the banquet hall of the Ministry of Rites.

Xichun naturally had never been to the Ministry of Rites, and the layout of the banquet hall was copied from Jia Min’s old work.

However, this kind of painting is not wrong. Although many years have passed, the banquet hall of the Ministry of Rites has hardly changed.

Although Xichun is still young, she has a solid foundation in painting. The buildings, structures, figures and utensils she has already painted have 70% of the charm of Jia Min’s old works, which is quite rare.

Jia Cong noticed that many of the figures in the painting were only vague shapes, without their eyebrows, eyes and expressions being carefully sketched. He thought that this was what Xichun had said, that she did not know the appearance of these people and therefore found it difficult to start painting.

In the center of the painting, three Jinshi are raising their glasses to toast the host. They should be the three first-class Jinshi.

However, the faces of two of them are blurred and not depicted, but the person in the middle is depicted in great detail.

The man was wearing a jinshi robe, with clear features, a handsome appearance, and an extraordinary demeanor, looking exactly like Jia Cong.

Tanchun laughed and said, “Fourth sister is really amazing. She drew Third brother so like him that he looks like he came alive from the painting.”

Daiyu smiled and said, “You see the clay figurine of Third Brother on Fourth Sister’s desk. It is her treasure and no one else can touch it.

She looked at the clay figurine every day, so she could draw her third brother very vividly. What’s so strange about that?”

Daiyu’s joking remarks were replaced by Xiangyun and Tanchun, who said that they looked at Jia Cong’s clay statue every day, and they would probably feel shy and annoyed, and would inevitably chase after it and make a fuss.

But Xichun was young and naive, and had no romantic thoughts about men and women in her mind. She was not ashamed of Daiyu’s teasing, and even thought it was a nice thing to say, and was quite proud of it.

Jia Cong praised Xichun a lot, saying that she was very good at painting and had quite a lot of talent, which made the little girl very happy.

……

After the sisters looked at Xichun’s painting, their attention turned to Jia Min’s old painting.

Jia Cong had also heard his sisters talk about this painting, which depicts Lin Ruhai passing the imperial examination and attending a banquet bestowed by the emperor.

That was the highlight of Lin Ruhai’s life. He was on the list of successful candidates and became famous all over the world. This probably attracted the attention of the Duke’s Mansion and eventually led to his marriage with Jia Min.

Therefore, the Jinshi Enrong Banquet of that year had special significance for both Lin Ruhai and Jia Min, which was probably the reason why Jia Min painted this picture.

Jia Cong was born after Jia Min moved to the south of the Yangtze River. He had a very vague impression of this aunt whom he had never met.

People in the Jia family rarely mentioned the eldest lady of Rongguo.

Only Mrs. Wang had mentioned how precious and pampered Jia Min was in the mansion, and how much she loved him. Her words were full of envy and even jealousy…

It was difficult for Jia Cong to trace back to the glory of Jia Min in Rongguo Mansion in the past, nor was he clear about what kind of entanglement there was between Lady Wang and Jia Min in the past.

But he had heard from many people why Lady Jia loved Lin Daiyu so much.

That is, Daiyu looks very similar to her mother, which shows how outstanding a woman Jia Min was.

As for the fact that Jia Min was good at painting, it was not in his original memory. However, Xichun also had a talent for painting, and there was a family connection between them, so it was somewhat reasonable.

Jia Cong carefully admired the painting on the easel. Judging from the year when Lin Ruhai passed the imperial examination, this painting must be at least ten years old.

But the picture does not look dry or old at all, it is as clean as new and colorful, which shows that both Jia Min and Lin Daiyu have taken good care of the collection and maintenance of this painting.

The picture depicts the grand occasion of the Rong En Banquet held in the lobby of the Ministry of Rites more than ten years ago, which made Jia Cong feel quite familiar when he saw it.

The picture depicts a grand hall, gorgeous utensils, vivid characters, and detailed clothes and hats. Every object and scene is lifelike.

From this, it can be seen that this aunt, whom I have never met, is indeed a master of painting. She must have received instruction from famous artists when she was young…

In the center of the picture, the lobby of the Ministry of Rites is filled with single-person desks of the same style. Behind each desk sits a newly-appointed Jinshi in ceremonial robes. The whole hall is filled with culture and is spectacular.

At the front row of the tables, three Jinshi stood with their bodies bowed, holding up wine jugs to toast the host.

Jia Cong knew at a glance that these three Jinshi must be the top three of the class that year.

Jia Min’s description of the appearance of these three people is very vivid and detailed, because the three people in the first class are the core of this picture of the banquet of grace and honor.

Jia Cong did not recognize the first two or three people on the left, but the third person on the left had handsome features and an outstanding demeanor, and his appearance vaguely resembled that of Lin Ruhai when he was young.

Daiyu pointed at the man and asked with a smile, “Look, third brother, this is my father. Do you think my mother’s painting looks like him?”

Jia Cong smiled and said, “He is much younger than the Uncle Lin I met. His facial features and expressions are very lifelike. Aunt is really a master writer.”

Xichun, who was standing by, poked her little head out and said with a tilted head, “Of course Auntie draws Uncle Lin like him, just like I draw Third Brother like him.”

The sisters couldn’t help laughing when they heard this, Shi Xiangyun even laughed out loud, Yingchun smiled and said, “Children’s words are innocent.”

Tanchun pinched Xichun’s little face and said with a smile, “You are so arrogant and shameless.”

Xichun was teased by Tanchun, but she didn’t care at all. She even asked Jia Cong: “Third brother, what did I say wrong? My painting of you looks exactly like you.”

Jia Cong smiled and touched her hair, then said, “Of course what Fourth Sister said is correct.”

He turned to look at the painting again. The person whom the three men in Group A were paying respect to was a young man.

This man wore a crimson robe with a five-clawed dragon pattern and a gold-thread winged hat. He had a handsome appearance and outstanding demeanor. He was even more eye-catching than Lin Ruhai, who was ranked third in the imperial examination.

Judging from the robe this person is wearing, he must be a prince of that time, because the emperor wears a bright yellow dragon robe and the prince wears a crimson dragon robe.

Jia Cong passed the imperial examination and attended a banquet bestowed by the Ministry of Rites. The host of the banquet was Prince Kangshun Li Xiaocheng.

According to the custom of the Grace Banquet, the host of the banquet must also be a prince.

Jia Cong looked at the person sitting on the left side of the prince. He was a middle-aged civil servant with a gaunt appearance and elegant manner. He looked very familiar.

He was slightly surprised and said, “Sister Lin, this man seems to be my mentor, Master Jing’an…” (End of this chapter)