Chapter 444: Princess Weiâs Birthday Banquet (1
Having the best ideas in the world alone is not enough. One needs to have the resolution to give up something in order to make ideas a long-term reality.
Manager Qin admired his mistress a lot for this quality of hers. If he had been the one to come up with this idea, he wouldnât have the generosity to give away forty percent of the profits just like that.
Manager Qin noted down all of Chu Lianâs instructions for him.
âAlso, I want to be there for the opening day.â
Manager Qin was happy about that, of course. It was going to be a very important day; the culmination of all of his efforts over the past few days. If he were to get Chu Lianâs approval from this, that would make him even prouder and more satisfied compared to getting ten percent of the profits.
Before all these events, there had been something else important happening in the capital: Princess Weiâs birthday. It was on the the day right before the eve of the New Year.
Although Prince Weiâs Estate had always been favoured by the Emperor, both Prince and Princess Wei remained as low-key and humble as possible. It was also precisely because they didnât go around flaunting or boasting of their favour that they were able to remain in the good graces of the Emperor.
Princess Wei usually kept it quiet for her birthday and would only hold a small family banquet in their estate. Her birthday was so close to the end of the year anyway, so she didnât want to disrupt the New Year celebrations of the other noble houses. However, this year was different, because it was Princess Weiâs fortieth birthday.
Even before her birthday had come, even the Empress Dowager in the palace had instructed her to host a large celebration this year, let alone her husband.
Royal Princess Duanjia was in her motherâs room right now, writing invitations together with her.
âMother, Chu Liu isnât around now. What are you doing, inviting those people from House Jingâan!â Royal Princess Duanjia pouted, showing her displeasure on her face. She didnât like a single person from that house except for Chu Liu and He Erlang.
Princess Wei petted her daughterâs hair helplessly, âYouâre already fifteen. If not for your father and I wanting to keep you with us for two more years, youâd be married by now. How are you still so rash when it comes to these social matters?â
Royal Princess Duanjia continued pouting, âMother, youâre still nagging at me! Itâs not that I donât understand what you mean, but I just canât see eye to eye with that Madam Jingâan! Did you forget what happened at the mid-autumn banquet?â
âAlright, thatâs enough. Weâre just inviting them for a meal. Even if you donât like them, theyâre Jinyiâs in-laws. Since you like Jinyi so much, youâll have to get along with House Jingâan if you want to keep associating with her.â
Royal Princess Duanjia rolled her eyes, âFine! Mother knows best!â
Thus, House Jingâan received an invite from Prince Weiâs Estate the next day.
Even though Princess Wei was hosting a large celebration this year, it was still very low-key compared to other members of the imperial clan. There were only ten or so noble houses who received invites, so these invites were extremely precious. They were a mark of association with Prince Weiâs Estate.
House Jingâan wouldnât receive an invite normally, since their house didnât have any connections with Prince Weiâs Estate. However, thanks to Chu Lian, Princess Wei had sent House Jingâan an invite this time.
Those who didnât know about Princess Weiâs connection with Chu Lian would think that it was House Jingâanâs prestige that had earned them an invite. He Ying was one of them.
Matriarch He was extremely happy about receiving an invite and took it very seriously. She immediately ordered Senior Servant Liu to prepare the gifts. He Ying pleaded with her mother for half a day before the matriarch finally agreed to bring her and her daughter to Princess Weiâs birthday banquet.
If not for the lack of other female family members to accompany her, since her daughter-in-law was still bedridden and her granddaughters-in-law werenât present, Matriarch He wouldnât have agreed to bringing He Ying and Miss Pan so easily.
On the morning of Princess Weiâs birthday, He Ying and her daughter got up early to prepare.
The two of them were staying in a side room in Qingxi Hall now. Matriarch He had given them some of her maidservants to serve them and all of the maidservants had been trained well, so their standard of living was much better than before.
Eldest Madam and her daughter, Miss Pan, had brought a maidservant each back from Siyang. The one serving He Ying was called Qiuyun and the other serving Miss Pan was called Pinglu.
Pinglu was older than Qiuyan by a year and was already sixteen this year. She was small and frail-looking. Apparently, she had been trained as a female escort before entering the estate as a maidservant.
Once mother and daughter were both dressed up, they went to Matriarch Heâs bedroom in Qingxi Hall together. Matriarch He inspected their dressing and accessories personally and made sure that there was nothing offensive about them before leading them to the carriage that would take them to Prince Weiâs Estate.
The entrance at Prince Weiâs Estate was currently filled with arriving guests. The young royal princes were standing at the door to welcome their guests, along with Princess Weiâs trusted senior servant and court ladies.
It was Pan Nianzhenâs first time attending such a grand banquet, so she was a little timid. Once she was helped out of the carriage by a maidservant, she kept her head low and followed right behind her mother and grandmother, imitating their every step.
When Princess Weiâs trusted senior servant, Senior Servant Lan, noticed that House Jingâanâs matriarch had arrived, she walked towards their party with a welcoming smile.
âThis old servant greets the matriarch. Itâs already the end of the year, but our house has troubled Matriarch He to make the trip all the way here. Princess Wei was still telling this old servant last night that she feels guilty for it!â
Senior Servant Lan had a rank as a court lady in the palace, as she acted as Princess Weiâs subordinate. With her rank, she didnât actually have to bow towards the madams of the various noble houses. She was treating House Jingâanâs party with respect purely due to Princess Weiâs affection for Chu Lian.