lcionline Chapter 149: A Grand Banquet
Chapter 149: A Grand Banquet
Nanny Lin knelt down with tears in her eyes, and Nanny Liang followed suit. "Old slave, I greet the Duke, I greet the eldest young master. Eldest young master, this old slave congratulates you!"
Seeing the two maids, Gu Changyun thought of his deceased sister, and his eyes were filled with nostalgia. "Please get up, maids. It's been a long time since I last saw you. Are you all right now?"
The two maids nodded excitedly, "Okay, okay, the old slave is very good, and the young lady takes good care of us."
The Duke smiled and said, "Since you're back, stay at the mansion for a while. It's been ages since you've been back, right? Thank you for taking care of me when Qingshuang was here."
Tears welled up in Nanny Lin's eyes, her eyes filled with guilt. "I didn't take good care of the young lady. I'm sorry for her and for the Duke's instructions."
Ye Qingyu hurried forward to help Nanny Lin up, patted her back and said softly, "Nanny, don't feel guilty. Mother and grandfather are very grateful to you."
The Duke sighed, "Yes, you have done a great job. Come, help the two maids down to rest."
Ye Qingyu's eyes were filled with different emotions. She blinked her beautiful eyes and looked at her grandfather. "Grandfather, since our Duke's Mansion is so grand this time, shouldn't we hold a banquet to entertain the dignitaries and ministers in Kyoto?"
A glint flashed in the Duke's eyes, and he smiled and said, "Yes, our Duke's Mansion has been very low-key these years. We must do it well this time!"
Xu looked at the Duke in astonishment, "Father, our Duke's Mansion has made such a big splash this time. If we hold another banquet, wouldn't that be a bit excessive?"
Before, my father had solemnly instructed me to keep a low profile. Even when Huai became the top scorer in the imperial examination, they didn't dare to hold even a small banquet at the Duke's Mansion, for fear that it would cause too much attention and arouse jealousy.
The Duke smiled and said, "It's okay. Our Duke's Mansion hasn't held a proper banquet in years. Besides, the whole of Kyoto knows about the boss's promotion. If we don't hold one, it would seem like we're afraid of trouble. Didn't we also not hold one for the top scholar in Huaizhong? Let's make up for it this time and have a grand one!"
Ye Qingyu smiled and said, "Third aunt, such a big happy event naturally needs to be celebrated."
Xu was convinced and sighed, "I was too cautious. Such a big happy event really deserves a good celebration."
At this moment, the doorman ran in breathlessly, "Duke, someone else is coming from the palace!"
The Duke stood up quickly and said, "Quick, let's go and greet him together."
As they left the side hall, they saw Eunuch Wei walking into the main hall, holding the imperial edict in one hand and smiling, "The imperial edict has arrived!"
"The minister accepts the order!"
"By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: The wife of General Guarding the Nation, Mrs. Jiang, is virtuous, respectful, and intelligent. She has accompanied the General Guarding the Nation in guarding the border, working tirelessly and without complaint. She is hereby granted the title of First-Rank Imperial Consort. Furthermore, the wife of General Auxiliary to the Nation, Mrs. Guo, is granted the title of Third-Rank Lady. This is decreed!"
"Your Majesty, your wife will receive your order."
Eunuch Wei smiled and said, "My Lord, congratulations! The Duke's Mansion has been full of happy events recently."
The Duke laughed triumphantly, "Haha, it's all thanks to His Majesty's grace. Thank you, Eunuch Wei. The Duke's Mansion will be hosting a banquet in a few days. I hope you will do me the honor of coming for a drink."
Eunuch Wei smiled and said, "Of course. Even if the Duke doesn't send me an invitation, I will still shamelessly come and ask for a glass of wedding wine."
The Duke and Gu Changyun smiled as they escorted Eunuch Wei out of the Duke's Mansion.
In the main hall, Jiang and Guo were still dazed looking at the imperial edict in their hands, and they still couldn't believe that they had been granted an imperial decree.
She said dreamily, "Third sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, please hit me. Am I dreaming?"
Xu and Zhong laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, my elder brother was granted the title of a first-rank general, so isn't it normal for you to be granted the title of a first-rank consort? It seems that we must hold this banquet in a grand manner."
Mrs. Zhong smiled and said, "Yes, there are so many happy events. Just like father said, the whole capital knows about it. If we don't hold a banquet to celebrate, it would make us look hypocritical."
Xu nodded, "Yes, we have to hold a good banquet. Second sister-in-law and eldest sister-in-law can't be lazy. I can't host such a big banquet by myself."
Zhong and Jiang smiled and said, "I know, I know. They must be following the instructions of the third brother's wife."
In the past few days, the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion has been in the limelight in Kyoto. Previously, Gu Huaizhi's victory in the imperial examination made the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion glorious, but the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion has always been low-key. After the Qionglin Banquet, Gu Huaizhi entered the Hanlin Academy and worked honestly as an editor.
This time, Gu Changyun won a victory in the northern border. Not only did the eldest branch of the Gu family receive continuous promotions and rewards, but even Gu Huaizhi, who had just been an editor in the Hanlin Academy for more than a month, was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel as a sixth-rank official.
This was the first top scholar to be promoted so quickly since Emperor Jingyou ascended the throne.
Anyone can see that the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is in the emperor's good graces.
For a while, there was an endless stream of people coming to the Duke's Mansion to give gifts and congratulations. After the Duke's Mansion rejected them one by one, it spread the news that in a few days, the Duke's Mansion would hold a banquet to celebrate the reward that the Gu family had received.
At this time, in the Fifth Prince's palace, the Fifth Prince Shen Yuyan and the Fourth Prince Shen Mingxiu looked at the bright red invitation on the table and drank tea in silence.
A cold glint flashed in Shen Mingxiu's eyes. "Fifth brother, seeing how the Duke's Mansion is now so popular, what do you think?"
Shen Yuyan had a cold face, "What ideas can I have?"
In the past, when the Zhenguo Mansion was in decline, he had no way to get the military power into his own hands. Now that Gu Changyun has won the favor of his father and is being valued by his father, he has no way to do anything. His father has always liked loyal ministers, and now with the support of his father, the Zhenguo Mansion does not need to choose sides.
Shen Mingxiu smiled gently and said, "The current Zhenguogong Mansion is even more enviable."
He also didn't expect that Gu Changyun could turn the situation around. Not only did he seize the granary of Yanzhou Prefecture in such a difficult situation, but he was also able to come up with a way to use grain trading to resolve the Huns' crazy attack.
No, this method is not something that someone as straightforward as Gu Changyun can come up with.
Thinking about the month that Ye Qingyu disappeared, this incident must be related to her.
Shen Mingxiu felt a little regretful that he had been too cold to Ye Qingyu, which allowed her to escape from his hands.
Shen Yuyan sneered, "So what if I'm jealous? Do you have a way to make Gu Changyun stand on our side?"
Shen Mingxiu smiled calmly, "Fifth brother should be worried about whether the two people brought back by Gu Changyun will betray you."
Shen Yuyan clenched the teacup in his hand and gritted his teeth, "Didn't I ask you to deal with this thing that is more likely to cause trouble than help?"
Shen Mingxiu smiled helplessly, "Fifth brother, that's the prison of the Ministry of Justice. Father has sent the Jinyiwei to heavily guard it. Not even a fly can fly in. How do you want me to solve this problem?"