Jing'an Birthday Banquet (middle)

Originally, the courtyard of a southern farmhouse or an apricot curtain was used to raise some chickens and ducks in a place that was compared to a tavern in the south of the Yangtze River, and seasonal vegetables and fruits were planted in the ground, so that the literati and artists who were accustomed to seeing the regular teahouses in the capital also had a sense of novelty. The eggs, duck eggs, fruits, and vegetables produced in these yards can be cooked or sold fresh to the guests upon request. These courtyards are on the shady side of a hillside, using the southern garden style, there are large areas of bamboo forests, the bamboo shoots produced can be edible, bamboo poles, bamboo shells and other baskets can be used to weave all kinds of basket brooms, made of simple bamboo tables and chairs and furniture, not only enough for the tea house and Yuehuaxuan, most of the rest are sold together through the flower beds of Baihuatang when selling flower seedlings and farm tools, and the money earned is used to subsidize the helpless orphans and widows of Baihuatang.

The climbing vines on the walls of the courtyards, the fruits and flowers of the four seasons, all kinds of spices, and rare plants are all taken care of by the sisters of Baihuatang, some of these things can be directly put in the flower shop and sold on consignment, some can be used for medicine, and some can be used to make various grease powder and ointment produced and sold by Baihuatang, etc., and all profits are also attributed to Baihuatang.

Today, the banquet hall is located in the Orchid Garden, which is the largest independent courtyard in the Aoki Tea House. Inside, there are large open halls, and the whole design is transparent and bright. It is also the place where the most exotic spices are planted, the houses are the most gorgeous, and the facilities are the most complete. There are large open rooms for large banquets, small halls and side halls on the side, independent kitchens and some small rooms, which can be used for the entourage of the people who come to the banquet to rest and drink tea and eat independently, and the small rooms can be provided for important guests to rest alone, or sit with three or five confidants.

Since the opening of the Aoki Tea Society, many literati have been proud to open a tea house and a poetry society at the Aoki Society. Those who stayed at home and tired sons and brothers, noble ladies, and boudoir confidants, also met to go around the yard, take a walk, look at the scenery, and even come to fish, eat the fruits and melons in the yard. These princes and nobles have to go out with pomp, and the larger the independent courtyard, the busier it is, and they often have to book long in advance. It's like this orchid garden, and now the reservations are scheduled for three or four months.

There are a lot of people coming today, Xintian specially took care of it, and set aside Xie Fanglou next door, and set up some chessboards, card tables or double-backs in the courtyard and various small halls of Xie Fanglou, for everyone to play freely. Now the people have not arrived, everyone is scattered in the courtyard, chatting, playing cards and chess, and so on.

Xinjie naturally walked into the hall with Lian'er's waist in his arms, this action is very eye-catching for ordinary people, not to mention the two of them at the moment. The acquaintance nodded his head, and the unfamiliar people exchanged their heads, surely recounting what had happened to the hostess in the past few days.

The fourth prince Yihe, who had not appeared for a long time, also showed up today, and a few princes and concubines in his house were also here, This person walked in front of them with a hippie smile at the moment and a few of his women, looking so peaceful: "Xinjie, it is said that this garden is yours, it is really discerning, and it is well tied." ”

"Where, Your Majesty has won the prize."

"Oh, by the way, it is said that you are married, and you don't notify your brother, although I, a poor prince, am not as rich as the Tang family, but the congratulatory gift will be given anyway. This must be the bride. ”

"Lian'er, haven't seen the four princes and the princess yet."

"The Four Princes, the Princesses."

Yihe deliberately squinted at her: "Seeing that my younger brother and sister are so familiar, isn't this a late girl?" Didn't you say that you died under Yixiang's sword, and Yixiang offended the old man of the Queen Mother because of this? Oh, Xinjie, don't mind, brother, I'm just too surprised. ”

The return of Zhou's late condensation was as early as the day of their wedding chapel, with the queen mother's reward and a large number of dowries, it has long been known to everyone in the capital, not to mention the prince in the palace. Even if you didn't give him an invitation or go to the wedding that day, you know it very clearly. For this pretentious gesture, Xinjie just smiled faintly.

Yihe deliberately justified himself and said: "It's good to be alive, it's good to be alive, I haven't seen you for many years." You're shining brighter today, better than you were back then. Hahaha, I remember that in the south study back then, you were outstanding, My eldest brother and sixth brother, even below, are all in love, but Yihe is too humble compared to them, not worth the girl's exposure. ”

"Your Majesty's words are wrong, the people's daughter was just a subordinate in the palace back then, a palace maid who was ordered to be a deacon, how dare she compare with the prince."

At this time, Yi Ting came over, this second prince's mind is not so easy on the surface, he is often used and instructed by others, and today he is pretending to be a gun. "Isn't the fifth brother the girl who was next to the sixth brother back then? Is it the one who let the eldest brother and the sixth brother fight in the south study back then? ”

Zhou Wanning smiled lightly, as if joking: "If it wasn't for the two Majests fanning the flames next to them, how could that fight be so easy?" ”

Yihe pretended to hurry out and be a good person: "The girl is joking, where do we dare to fan the flames, but at that time, I was young, and the second brother talked to me Meng Lang. The girl is so bright and beautiful, it has to make people think about it. We're all mortals, this, hehe..."

Yi Ting said again: "If I can witness with my own eyes the great things of Yixiang and a beautiful woman like you back then, I can't help but feast my eyes and give us children and men who don't understand the affairs of men and women with the best enlightenment, not to mention that people say that the girl is skilled, of course we want to see it, hahaha, I didn't expect the sixth brother to be so serious, and he didn't care about anything when he was jealous." ”

Originally, the mention of Yixiang back then made her very uncomfortable, not to mention that the meaning of their words seemed to be that she and Yixiang, Yiyi had really done something unseemly. Lian'er was angry, but she could clearly feel her husband's arm stiffening. If it was in an ordinary family, no matter what cousin was in front of her, the man next to her would definitely have done it a long time ago, and she wouldn't stop her. But what a conspiracy they are facing, they must be calm, Yiting's biggest purpose is certainly not to take advantage, but to provoke Xinjie, and create suspicion between them. So she knew she had to be calm first, not to fall into their trap.

"Two princes, please respect yourself. The prince is the purest and most filial person, I was sent by the Queen Mother to wait for him to study, if there is anything wrong, the prince is afraid that he will be sorry for the old man of the Queen Mother. The two of them are now commenting like this, I don't know where to put the Queen Mother, her old man and filial piety. Hearing this, Yihe hurriedly came out to be a good person: "Miss Wanning, don't be angry, I can't fight with my second brother when you say this." If it reaches the old lady of the Queen Mother, my two brothers will be guilty of great sins. ”

"We can't afford to say this to the four princes, Your Majesty is a royal noble, how dare the people let Your Majesty be unable to eat. ”

"Hahaha, Xinjie, your daughter-in-law is a powerful person, when she was studying in the South Study, not only were our brothers not her opponents, but even Teacher Ouyang couldn't argue with her." Yifeng came over to play a round game. This prince is considered to be an upright man among several princes. Maybe it's because of his mother's relationship that he didn't have a chance to be unified, but he was open-minded and open-minded, studying and doing things seriously. Although he himself has no intention of seizing the throne, he has been working in the DPRK and China in the past few years, and he has naturally cultivated his own considerable power. And his forces cannot be ignored, and most of them are pragmatists in the DPRK. Judging by his current attitude, there is no hostility. "Xinjie, I heard that your Aoki Garden has also been thanks to your younger siblings for helping you with some recently, it's really not easy to do it so well."

"Yes, Lian'er has been working hard lately, I am in Jiangnan to accompany my grandfather to heal, and she is busy inside and out."

At this time, Yi Heng walked over: "One or two hairpin skirts can be together, rare, cherish it." ”

"Yes."

"You're all here, what are you talking about?" The crown prince Yiyi came in with the crown princess from outside.

"We are commending our younger siblings, she is so capable, and it is really rare to help Xinjie take care of this place so well." Lian'er has been wondering why Yiheng keeps praising her? Do you want to tell them he's on their side? Or is he covering up for Yi and them? Maybe?

"Oh, really?" The prince glanced at Lian'er deeply. "That's a rarity."

"Brothers, don't talk patronizingly, let's all be seated, everyone is hungry. Brother Prince, if you don't sit down, everyone will not dare to sit down. Jing An came over and grabbed the prince's arm.

The luncheon was held in the hall of the Orchid Garden. Because it was the end of spring and the beginning of summer, there were a lot of flowers at the right time, except for Shou Mian, according to the meaning of Jing'an, there were not many delicacies from the mountains and seas, and most of the dishes were selected from the dishes of the Hundred Flowers Banquet invented by Lian'er. Some of the dishes of the Hundred Flowers Banquet are mainly flowers, some are guided by flowers, and some are decorated with flowers. Before the feast, everyone drank not only traditional tea leaves, but also various flower teas. During the banquet, those who can drink alcohol can drink alcohol, and those who can't drink alcohol can continue to drink tea, or Babao tea or Sydney wine specially prepared for early summer.

During the feast, not everyone can speak, but everyone can eat. The current Jing'an loves and hates Lian'er. For the original Xintian's pursuit of Lian'er, although he was angry, but now Xintian is holding a birthday banquet for her, and it is the territory of the Tang family, although this is Xinjie's personal one, giving her enough face, showing the relationship between the eldest young master of the Tang family and her. Moreover, this Hundred Flowers Banquet was only used by Lian'er when Yuehuaxuan invited her brothers and Jing'an to dinner. This is the first time in the capital to entertain guests, so that her birthday banquet is full of novelty, and it is undoubtedly a fight for face in the royal family. And Xinjie's return, the husband and wife are in and out of pairs, which further stabilizes the relationship between her and Xintian. Stabilizing Jing'an can be regarded as solving a trouble. This aunt's temper is difficult to talk about, if she is always on guard and mustard with Lian'er in her heart, it will be easy to be taken advantage of in an eventful season, and she doesn't know what she will do.