Tianliangyuan

Chapter 327 Beating

It's a fact that the old lady is celebrating her birthday.

It is true that some distant relatives and friends will come.

Moreover, it had been several years since the old lady had held such a grand celebration. In the past, she would simply call her children together for a meal, or perhaps invite some powerful and influential families from the capital.

But this time, the old lady wanted to hold a grand celebration.

Firstly, Xie Zheng, the heir of the Duke's mansion, got married; secondly, Xie Xiaolin, the Duke of Protector of the State, returned to the capital.

These two major events are far more important than her birthday as an old woman.

Therefore, the old lady wanted to take this opportunity to hold a grand celebration, so that everyone would know that she was very satisfied with her granddaughter-in-law and that her children and grandchildren were very filial. At the same time, it was also a signal to all the families.

The Xie family has a rising star, and he has married a woman from a prestigious family. The Xie family's prosperity can continue for decades to come.

The old lady's maiden name was Lin, and since she wanted to hold a grand banquet this time, she naturally had to invite many relatives to come over, including the Xie family and the Lin family.

Some families live in the counties below, and some even live in the countryside. The closest ones are just a few streets away, while the furthest ones may be hundreds of miles away.

Therefore, it is perfectly normal for the Duke of Huguo's mansion to prepare some guest rooms for relatives and friends to stay for a while.

Xu Zhaozhao was just about to take a break when Madam Yu came knocking on her door.

"Second Aunt, just tell me what you need. It's my fault for troubling you to come all this way."

Ms. Yu was pleased with these words, but still felt a little embarrassed.

"That's right. Our matriarch is celebrating her birthday, and many relatives will definitely be coming. Some of them live far away, so it's impossible for them to go back on the same day. Besides, the matriarch is getting old, and some of her old friends might stay for a few more days. I've already calculated that even if the guest house is fully booked, there won't be enough room for everyone."

"Please enlighten me, Second Aunt."

“Zhaozhao, your Jinxiu Garden is a large place. Without going into anything else, arranging for two or three more families is absolutely no problem.”

Xu Zhaozhao smiled: "Was it Second Aunt's idea, or someone else's?"

After glancing at her, Madam Yu couldn't help but say, "I knew I couldn't hide it from you. It was your fourth aunt who reminded me, but I felt it was inappropriate. However, the old lady was there at the time, so I had no choice but to come and ask."

“I see. That’s not a difficult matter. As far as I know, our Duke’s Mansion has a separate residence in Pingkang Ward, right? We can just settle some relatives there.”

Madam Yu nodded: "That's what I meant too, but there's a curfew in the capital now. I'm worried that if they chat late and can't leave, that would be troublesome."

“Grandmother is getting old and has always been an early riser, so how could we chat too late? Besides, guests should follow the host's lead; how can we let the guests bully the host?”

This makes sense.

Yu still faces some difficulties.

"Others are easy to deal with, but the Xie and Lin families are large, and there are bound to be some elders who rely on their age and seniority. We are the younger generation, so there are some things we can't say, and the old lady also finds it difficult to say them."

"It's alright, it's nothing serious. This is the Duke of Huguo's mansion, our own home. How can we let guests bully us? Besides, there are rules and regulations. The rules of our Duke's mansion cannot be changed according to the seniority of the guests. What would people think of our Duke's mansion if word got out?"

These words actually reassured the Yu family.

In the past, for similar banquets, the entire Duke's mansion would be busy for a month.

As the head of the household, Madam Yu naturally had a lot to worry about.

If it were just about food, clothing, and daily necessities, Madam Yu wouldn't have any worries. However, some elders, relying on their age and seniority, tried to boss her around, which Madam Yu naturally didn't like.

"Zhaozhao, you are the wife of the heir apparent and the eldest grandson's wife. Are you really not going to do anything about this banquet?"

Xu Zhaozhao shook her head: "No. I don't know many of the clansmen, and I don't understand many of the rules. It's better to see how you and Fourth Aunt arrange things first. Besides, I'm just a junior and haven't seen much of the world. If something goes wrong, it will be our Duke's Mansion that loses face."

Xu Zhaozhao was being modest when she said that.

You, a county princess who can enter the palace to see the emperor at any time and dine with the empress, actually say that you have never seen the world.

Who believes?

The Duke's Mansion has a separate residence in Pingkangfang, and Xu Zhaozhao also has a dowry house in Pingkangfang. So after discussing with Madam Yu, it was decided that some of the Xie and Lin families' close relatives and guests would stay at the mansion for two days, while the remaining guests would stay at the two residences outside for one or two nights.

This arrangement may seem simple, but it is actually anything but easy.

Since neither of these residences had many servants, it was inevitable that more servants would need to be added to accommodate the guests.

Xu Zhaozhao thought it was easy to handle. She only needed to send her dowry servants to serve her at her own residence for two days. As for the Duke's mansion, in addition to arranging for her own dowry servants to go there, Yu also spent money to find more than ten day laborers from a brokerage firm.

With such a grand birthday banquet to be held at the Duke's mansion, and so many guests expected, everyone was incredibly busy. Madam Yu was worried that they wouldn't have enough manpower, and she even considered bringing in some staff from the estate.

When Madam Lin learned that she couldn't move into Jinxiu Garden, she wasn't too disappointed. This also shows that Xu Zhaozhao is a woman of her word.

not to be trifled!

Mr. Kobayashi has learned his lesson; since they're not to be trifled with, he'll no longer confront them head-on.

They seem to have arranged everything perfectly right now, but it will be interesting when the guests actually arrive and they don't want to leave.

As usual, Xu Zhaozhao went to pay her respects to the old lady that day. After sitting down, she soon saw Madam Song and Madam Jia come over to pay their respects together.

"Now that you're back, live a peaceful life. In principle, you two are both concubines and have no right to teach the younger generation of my Xie family, but my eldest daughter-in-law died young. I raised the two girls by my side, but I'm old and my eyesight is failing, so there are times when I can't take care of them. That's why I called you here today to formally inform you that from now on, Xie Chan and Xie Juan's affairs will be managed by Sanlang's wife."

Madam Song's heart skipped a beat, her face fell, and she cautiously asked, "Madam, the matters concerning the Sixth and Seventh Misses are nothing more than their food, clothing, and daily necessities, or perhaps needlework. Such trivial matters need not be brought to the Young Master's wife's attention, right?"

Madam Song deliberately avoided mentioning the marriage, actually because she didn't want Xu Zhaozhao to interfere in the two sisters' marriages. She was Xie Juan's birth mother, and now that the mistress was gone, it was natural for her to make the decision. Why should a sister-in-law make the decision?

The fact that Madam Song showed no awareness of her status as a concubine caused the old lady's face to turn cold instantly.