Chapter 382 Welcoming Guests

Chapter 382: Receiving Guests

The third day of the third lunar month—an auspicious day for marriage, travel, prayer, and praying for children.

At the Chen hour (7-9 AM), as the first light of dawn was just breaking, Chu Ci, who had barely slept all night, was personally seen to by Nanny Jin—washing his face, dressing him, and combing his hair. He was at that age of carefree indulgence, and he showed little sign of fatigue despite having pulled an all-nighter, though his posture was rigid, as if bracing for battle as he was dressed by others.

A deep crimson round-collar robe was draped over him, cinched at the waist with a plain silver leather belt, a black scholar's headwrap atop his head, and black cloud-patterned satin boots on his feet. After all this dressing up, Chu Ci transformed from a modest, unassuming young man into a handsome groom.

He inherited Chu Yujing's delicate Jiangnan looks—refined features with that unique youthful vitality of a young man. Now adorned in these wedding garments, he appeared even more striking, with a face like carved jade and eyes like gleaming stars. His eyes flickered with nervousness, yet there was no trace of the sullen young Daoist he used to be.

When the auspicious hour arrived, Chu Ci first followed Song Tingzhou to the incense altar in the main hall to pay respects to the Song ancestors, then performed the four prostrations before Song Tingzhou and Meng Wan.

Song Tingzhou helped Chu Ci to his feet. "Today you take a husband. From now on, honor your spouse and run the household. Uphold our family traditions and never bring shame to our name."

Meng Wan also gave the customary advice: "Be gracious to others, live harmoniously as a couple, and may you spend your lives together in peace and good health."

Chu Ci, being mute, bowed to show he would follow their instructions.

"Meng Fulang, you dragged me over here so early and won't even feed me?" Qin Jiao waited in the courtyard while Chu Ci completed his rituals, teasing Meng Wan as he did so.

A Yan was still young, so Meng Wan had called Qin Jiao to fill out Chu Ci's entourage. Hearing this, he had a maid bring over a plate of pastries. "Young Lord, have a few bites of these snacks to tide you over. Save room for the feast at noon, why don't you?"

Qin Jiao wasn't the only one eating—the anxious Chu Ci also ate half a piece without much appetite. Afterward, he was ready to lead the wedding procession out.

Leading the first group were two servant guides holding plain wooden placards carved with the words "Song Family Wedding Procession." Following them were four banner bearers carrying small red silk flags embroidered in gold thread with the characters for auspiciousness, fortune, joy, and smoothness.

Behind them came eight musicians, comprising ceremonial gong players, drummers, and sheng and flute players. Whenever they passed a street corner or alley, they would strike the gong three times and play elegant music such as the "Mandarin Ducks" tune.

Bringing up the rear were two ritual officers—subordinate officials that Song Tingzhou had brought in—holding the wedding invitation and gift list, in charge of the ceremonial protocol for the entire procession.

In the middle ranks were the accompanying servants, the porters carrying the betrothal gifts, the groom on horseback, the palanquin for receiving the new husband, and a spare palanquin brought up the rear.

The gifts the porters carried were not the betrothal gifts from the formal engagement ceremony, but the remaining supplementary gifts—mainly silks, seasonal fruits, and pastries—demonstrating to the new husband's family that the groom's side was trustworthy and respectful, with no hint of carelessness. This was mainly to show sincerity, and the gifts could also be used by the new husband's family to entertain their guests.

Additionally, the procession had to prepare bride-urging gifts, farewell gifts for the bride's attendants, and gifts to thank the matchmaker—all light and portable, meant to add to the festive spirit and fulfill proper etiquette.

Qin Jiao lingered at the very back of the procession to anchor it, waving breezily at Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou. "I'll learn how to do a wedding procession too. Someday..." He stopped mid-sentence, his expression shifting briefly before quickly returning to normal. Without another word, he gave a gentle tug on the reins and caught up with the procession ahead.

"Wasn't he insisting on marrying Pei Anyuan before? Why has there been no word since the New Year's Day banquet?" Meng Wan stood at the gate watching the procession depart, casually asking Song Tingzhou.

Song Tingzhou took his hand and led him back inside. "Marquis Zhongyi has already given his approval for their marriage. It should be happening soon."

"Approved?" Meng Wan said in surprise.

Song Tingzhou stood beside the gilt bronze lion at the doorframe, the red carpet stretching from the steps all the way to the second courtyard. "Marquis Zhongyi has his own reasons. No one else can fathom them."

The Marquis Zhongyi household, now basking in imperial favor and prestige, had grown increasingly low-key in its actions. But being placed at such a high position, it wasn't as simple as the Marquis wanting to stay low-key—he couldn't fully pull it off. It's lonely at the top—only the Qin family knew what that felt like.

"We've arrived just in time—you two are right here, saving me the trouble of sending in a name card."

Before the carriage from the Hui'en Earl's residence had even come to a full stop, Nie Zhiyao called out to stop Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou, who were about to head inside.

Meng Wan smiled and turned to greet him. "You're a real friend, showing up this early. Where's Fei Geer?" The carriage held only Yue Zhengqi and Nie Zhiyao, plus Nie Zhiyao's young attendant.

Yue Zhengqi first clasped his hands in a gesture of congratulations to Song Tingzhou and Meng Wan, then said, "He's used to studying at Songyun Academy and hasn't quite adjusted to being back home, so I sent Fei Geer to the Yin family's private academy. He's getting along well with the Yin family's young son and said he'd come along with the Yin family's carriage."

The Yin and Gu families were of similar standing—both were distinguished scholarly families. In such families, all children, boys and girls alike, began their schooling at age four, so they maintained private schools for their womenfolk and children, which were quite famous in the capital. Xiang Yun had been invited to give lectures there in the past.

For Chu Ci's wedding, Meng Wan had also sent an invitation to the Yin household. Given Song Tingzhou's standing, sending invitations required careful consideration of all factors—it was better to send out too many invitations than to leave anyone out, as that would be an insult.

Nie Zhiyao and his husband were close friends, so Meng Wan immediately dragged Nie Zhiyao to the main courtyard. From here, he and Song Tingzhou would have to part ways for the time being—Meng Wan would wait in the main hall's reception room until a servant announced a guest, then go out to receive them. Except for the wives of officials ranked higher than Song Tingzhou, Meng Wan would just wait at the main courtyard gate to greet the other ladies and husbands.

Song Tingzhou did much the same, waiting in the front hall to receive the male guests.

Nie Zhiyao was one of the earliest to arrive. Meng Wan chatted with him for a while, then carefully asked whether there was anything improper about the arrangements at his own home: "Everything is up to standard. You've really done your utmost as a godfather. If Fei Geer's future in-laws are even half this devoted, I'd be laughing in my sleep."

Meng Wan had raised his two sons by fumbling along and couldn't yet understand the worry Nie Zhiyao had over Fei Geer's marriage. "If you and your husband worry about Fei Geer being mistreated in the future, why not just find him a husband who marries into the family? With money and status, how could Fei Geer not live comfortably?"

Nie Zhiyao rolled his eyes at him. "Who do you think would be so eager to become a live-in son-in-law? Never mind live-in sons-in-law—even those from families of much lower status would be full of ulterior motives. Have you heard about what happened with the Vice Director of the Court of State Ceremonies' family?"

"The Vice Director of the Court of State Ceremonies?" Meng Wan thought it sounded vaguely familiar. "What happened with his family?"

The area where Nie Zhiyao and Yue Zhengqi had previously lived was mostly populated by minor court officials. One of their neighbors had been the Vice Director, and over the years, they'd seen quite a bit of drama unfold at his household. "He came from humble origins and somehow managed to get in with the Qi family, marrying above his station to take a Qi family daughter as his wife. He said all sorts of honeyed words at first, humbling himself completely, and sweet-talked the Qi family into marrying their daughter to him. They provided a dowry of real estate and shopfronts, but within half a year, he brought the mistress he'd been keeping outside the home back into the house. The next year, he took a sharp-tongued concubine. One day one of them has a miscarriage, the next another falls into the water—the household is a complete mess, with no peace to be had."

Nie Zhiyao sighed, feeling emotional. "So you see, before you marry someone, how can you know if they're a saint or a devil? Maybe the bigger the gap in family status, the more hidden agendas there are."

Meng Wan listened to the gossip in silence before finally remembering who this Vice Director was. "I know this man. I attended a banquet at the Cheng'en Earl's residence together with his wife."

Not all poor families were honest and hardworking—there were also troublemakers like the Chai family who didn't follow common sense. Qi Shunying seemed like someone without much cunning, and she'd have plenty of trouble ahead.

Nie Zhiyao had a thought. "Now I remember—isn't Lord Song a fellow jinshi of that Vice Director Chai? You didn't invite his family to today's wedding feast, did you?"

Meng Wan took a sip of tea. "We were fellow graduates, but we weren't close—there were even some minor grudges. Why would I send them an invitation?"

As he chatted with Nie Zhiyao, guests gradually began arriving with their invitations. Chang Jinhua, being the elder, took her seat in the central hall to preside over things, while Meng Wan was busy greeting people and showing them to their seats.

Song Tingzhou's position at court was extremely powerful, so even if some officials couldn't come in person, their wives came politely bearing gifts.

Besides the subordinates from Shuntian Prefecture and the families of officials in the Six Ministries who were familiar with Song Tingzhou, there were also the Song family's neighbors—Lady Zhu, the wife of Lord Kou; Qin Jiao's mother, the Marchioness of Zhongyi; Princess Qin, who had said last time she would come; and several families from the scholarly faction who weren't well known to Meng Wan but had accepted his invitations out of courtesy.

Ru Niang and her sisters-in-law brought her along, and Lady Gu served as today's auspicious matron.

With so many guests, the tables arranged in the main hall, side rooms, and corridors were nearly all filled.

"Sister-in-law, where's your little Cao'er? Why do I only see the wet nurse and not the child?" Meng Wan's throat was nearly parched. He didn't bother hiding it from Zheng Shushen, grabbing a moment to gulp down half a cup of hot tea—though he didn't dare drink too much, fearing he'd need to use the latrine later.

Zheng Shushen, having finished her month of postpartum confinement, had grown fuller, with a double chin appearing. She said with some helplessness, "Your eldest brother took him to the front."

Meng Wan: "..."

Zheng Shushen blushed, also finding Wu Zhaoyuan somewhat unreliable. "Don't worry, he's just showing off. I'll have Shishu go fetch the child in a moment."

Meng Wan called over Wei Ying, who served Chang Jinhua. "There are both civil and military officials up front, and plenty of servants coming and going. Cao'er is still so small—don't wait. Have Wei Ying and Shishu go bring the child back now."

After settling Zheng Shushen, it was nearly the auspicious hour. Zhi Mao then ushered in a woman dressed in brocade cotton cloth. She wore a simple lotus-shaped gold hairpin and heavy silver bangles on both wrists. Upon entering the courtyard, she looked around in every direction, her eyes darting about uncertainly.

"Sister Chunfang, why are you only arriving now? Did Scholar Feng pass the examination?" Meng Wan kindly led her inside, heading straight toward Chang Jinhua.

At the mention of Feng Jinzhang, Lu Chunfang perked up slightly, but what she said was, "He still didn't pass. However, we received word from home—the County Magistrate said he wants to hire him to teach at the county school."

Her expression showed no disappointment, but rather a hint of joy. Unlike the unwilling, repeatedly failing Feng Jinzhang, Lu Chunfang was an easily contented person.

Chang Jinhua was delighted to see her. "Chunfang, come sit with me for a while. After the feast this afternoon, don't leave—stay at my place for a couple of days."

"Auntie, I... I couldn't possibly stay." Surrounded by a table of high-ranking officials and nobles, Lu Chunfang stood out awkwardly. She sat stiffly beside Chang Jinhua, wanting to converse properly but too embarrassed to speak among such refined ladies and husbands.

Madam Shen the Second sat in her seat eating melon seeds. She was always blunt and outspoken, brushing the crumbs from her hands and saying, "Where did the Song family dig up this poor relative? Why is she dressed so..." Before she could utter the word "shabby," the young woman beside her raised a cup of tea to her lips. "Auntie, your mouth must be dry from all those melon seeds. Have some tea to moisten it."

Meng Wan had been speaking with the Marchioness of Zhongyi, who praised his wedding banquet as thorough and meticulous, noting that even the potted flowers in the courtyard were blooming peonies and crabapples at their peak, looking wonderfully festive.

Meng Wan smiled and exchanged pleasantries with her, but was actually observing the commotion from the corner of her eye. Chang Jinhua, after all, came from a rural background and had only barely learned enough etiquette to cope with palace visits. Those women and their husbands who fancied themselves refined and noble might not say anything openly, given Song Tingzhou's authority, but they'd definitely be snickering about her behind her back.

That aside, on his own turf, in front of Meng Wan himself, if any tactless person dared to bully Chang Jinhua, then it would be his own failure.

"You must be the third Miss Shen? This is my first time seeing you. Today's feast includes bear paw, which your second aunt adores—do make sure to enjoy it." Meng Wan excused himself from the Marquise of Zhongyi and stepped over to greet them.

The third Miss Shen quickly rose and curtsied to Meng Wan. "Thank you, Lord Meng, for your kind concern. My aunt and I once saw bears back in the countryside—my second uncle was the best hunter in the village, yet even he wouldn't dare provoke one. So today, I'll take advantage of Lord Meng's generosity to taste it. I hope you'll forgive us for being so provincial, having never enjoyed such delicacies before."

She was only fourteen or fifteen, the legitimate third daughter of Lord Shen, likely having traveled to the capital with her elder brother. She was tall, with large eyes and full lips, but spoke briskly and clearly, unashamed of her humble origins—open and straightforward, which won her favor.

She's a girl who knows what's what.

Meng Wan gave her a slight nod and turned back to continue chatting with the others.

The third Miss Shen sat down, patted her chest lightly, and whispered through her handkerchief to Shen Er's wife beside her, "Aunt! What did I tell you before we came? The Song family is not like others—even my father can't measure up to them. Don't say another careless word!"

Her elder sister was the favored Consort Rong in the palace, yet this girl showed not a trace of arrogance, more composed and sensible than her aunt, a grown woman.

Shen Er's wife took the scolding from her niece without irritation, seemingly used to it. "I didn't say anything, did I? It's just a poor relative... Fine, fine, Aunt won't say another word."

The third Miss Shen withdrew her round, glaring eyes and smiled apologetically at the other ladies and gentlemen at the table.

Late in the morning, around 11 a.m.—

Chi Yu came from the front courtyard to summon him. "Lord, the bridal procession is back; it will arrive shortly."

Meng Wan rose immediately upon hearing this and went to the main room to escort Chang Jinhua. The two needn't go out to greet the guests, but they had to sit properly in the main hall, awaiting the new couple's kowtow.

Seven or eight of the Song clan's elders had come, with the women among them going out to receive the guests, while those close to Meng Wan, like Nie Zhiyao and Zheng Shushen, also went out to help.