Chapter 465 - 465: The Battle Begins
After the young maidservant noted it down, she quickly went out to greet the guests.
It wasn’t until noon that all the guests finally arrived.
When guests came, they first had to greet their elders. As soon as the madams and young misses arrived at the guest courtyard and saw the three old madams sitting in the room, they consciously became reserved.
They had to explain carefully to their juniors, “The few old madams are all respected elders in the capital. They’re all gathered in the Yu Residence today because they’re giving the Yu Residence face. Your words and actions in the Yu Residence are all under their watch. You have to be careful with your words and actions. Don’t cause trouble and embarrass them.”
The adults had a rare solemn attitude. They had all been raised well, so they naturally knew the severity of the matter.
The Yu Residence treated the elders well.
The tea was according to everyone’s taste, and there was nothing wrong.
The food was also meticulously arranged. There were many different dishes, and there were no different ones.
The elders gathered to listen to the show and chatted.
The juniors were also entertained by Yu Youyao.
Song Wanhui held a poetry recital and even asked the elders for a prize. A group of young misses gathered together to recite poetry. It was really a lively competition.
Qi Sinian started a chess game. The young misses who did not like crowds gathered together to play chess against Yi.
Those who weren’t good at needlework chatted with Tang Yunxi.
Yu Jianjia also got to know a few people who liked flowers and plants and chatted about her experience in nurturing flowers.
Yu Shuangbai couldn’t sit still. It was inevitable that she would meet people of the same background, so they went to the lotus lake to pick lotus pods.
When there were too many people, it was inevitable that there would be some quarrels. All the young misses knew their limits, so they naturally wouldn’t make too much of a fuss. In addition, Yu Youyao was always on guard, so they didn’t go overboard.
Unknowingly, it was time for the banquet.
The dishes on the table were also very sumptuous. In fact, there were also rules for banquets held by wealthy families. As each family walked over, they saw many different dishes. Whenever a family produced a good dish, people would compete to imitate it. The taste was different, but there was not much difference.
However, the dishes of the Yu Residence were very fresh.
They used the same ingredients to make different tastes. For example, a dish called “Three Dishes of Sea Cucumber”.
The first dish was sea cucumber cut into slices. They dipped it in the sauce and ate it. The taste was sweet and refreshing.
The second dish was fire garlic sea cucumber. It was stir-fried with fragrance, and the taste was a little heavier.
The third dish was sea cucumber medicinal soup, which was light and nourishing.
It was clearly three dishes, but they were fused to become one dish. People of different tastes could eat one dish, and they immediately received many praises.
After the banquet was over, the Yu Residence sent someone to send over medicinal tea for digestion.
The room was lit with incense, and the fragrance was deep and pleasant.
Unknowingly, it made people relax and gather to chat and laugh harmoniously.
It wasn’t until seven o’clock that all the guests in the residence were sent out.
Yu Youyao was so tired that her feet were sore, but she still forced herself to stay awake. “Second Aunt, you’ve had a long day. Rest for a while. Leave the rest to me.”
She was tired, but Madam Yao was even more tired than her.
Madam Yao was indeed so tired that her head felt heavy. She thought about how the servants were in charge of cleaning up, and Yu Youyao was only in charge of commanding. It wasn’t impossible to hand it over to her, so she said,
“Then I’ll have to trouble Yao Yao.”
She had also understood what happened at this banquet.
Not only was Yu Youyao smart and magnanimous, but she was also very capable. The allocation of the dishes in the manor was done well and she did not make any mistakes. The arrangements for tea, snacks, fruits, and snacks were also very meticulous. When she greeted the guests, she heard many praises. Her family ate a lot of snacks.
She also entertained the young misses of the various residences well.
Nanny Xu brought over some medicinal cuisine. “Have some medicinal cuisine first to fill your stomach and recuperate. I’ll bring Chun Xiao and Xia Tao to arrange the packing.”
Yao Yao had eaten five to six portions at the banquet just now. After the banquet, she was indeed hungry. She quickly picked up the bowl. Before she could take a bite of the medicinal porridge, she placed the spoon into the bowl.
“How’s Grandmothers health?”
Although her grandmother did not interfere in the banquet, it was still noisy for the entire day.
Nanny Xu smiled and said, “I see that Old Madam is in good spirits. She ate the medicinal cuisine just now and has already returned to An Shou Hall to rest.”
When one was old, their days were cold, so it was inevitable that they liked crowds.
It was definitely impossible to host an event every day. Occasionally, it would happen once or twice. When she saw more people and spoke more, she would feel more relaxed.
Yu Youyao was relieved.
After the house was tidied, Yu Youyao went to An Shou Hall.
Yu Zongzheng and Second Uncle were both there.
When Madam Yao saw her coming, she quickly asked, “Is everything done at home?
Yu Youyao nodded. “I’ve roughly packed up. As for the details, I’ll have to wait for Second Aunt to arrange it tomorrow.”
When Madam Yao heard her words, she smiled. “It’s been hard on Yao Yao today. You’re the one who’s responsible for entertaining the guests. I didn’t hear anyone say anything bad.” At this point) her smile couldn’t help but deepen. “I heard many madams praise you for being polite and capable today.”
Yu Youyao quickly said, “It’s all thanks to your good arrangements and my sisters’ help.”
Yu Zongshen glanced at Yu Youyao and lowered his eyes, staring at the walnut in his hand. No one knew what he was thinking.
On the other hand, Yu Zongzheng sighed with emotion. “Like mother, like daughter. Yao Yao takes after her mother.”
At this point, he also thought of how good Madam Xie had been after marrying into the Yu Residence. Only after comparing them would he know who was good and who was bad. Compared to Madam Xie, Madam Yang was simply unbearable.
The atmosphere in the room froze.
Old Madam Yu changed the topic. “The banquet was held decently today. All of you have contributed. I think you’ve been busy all day. You’re all tired. Go back and rest!”
When she returned to the Jade Courtyard, Yu Youyao collapsed.
In the blink of an eye, it was the 15th of September. The commotion in the capital had yet to die down, and Yu Youyao did not go out again. Second Aunt, on the other hand, brought Yu Shuangbai out twice.
As soon as Yu Shuangbai returned, she ran to the main house. “Eldest Sister, let me tell you, when we went to the Assistant Minister of Revenue’s house today, the table that they prepared was modeled after ours. They prepared three dishes of sea cucumber and some medicinal cuisine, but they’re not as delicious as ours.”
Yu Youyao could not help but laugh.
Mother Zhao had been taught by Nanny Xu and was very good at making medicinal cuisine. It was normal that others could not compare to her.
In the blink of an eye, it was late September.
There was finally news from the army that had gone to Shandong to quell the rebellion. Yin Huaixi had captured the head of the Ye Residence in Jinan and used his blood sacrifice flag to provoke Li Qiguang. Finally, he declared war on him.
This news made those who had already underestimated Yin Huaixi and did not like the war in Shandong shut their mouths completely.
Killing the head of the Ye Residence was killing the dignity of the Imperial Court that could not be provoked, and destroying Li Qiguang’s morale..