Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

At the side door of the mansion, Helan Ting was talking to Heng Zhi, who was leading the horse, beside the carriage frame.

Different from the current celebrities and young men who wear loose clothes and wide belts, exposing their chests and abdomens, Helan Ting wore a middle shirt today, and a moon-white robe with dark gold patterns on the outside. The lapels and cuffs were embroidered with silver bamboo patterns. He wore a jade ring at his waist and a jade crown on his head. He had a majestic posture, a bright look, and the demeanor of a dignified and noble young man.

Today is the Spring Banquet. Every year at this time, the crabapple trees in Princess Hexin's mansion will bloom as promised, and she will host the Spring Banquet to provide an opportunity for eligible young men and women to meet each other.

All the prominent families in Jiankang City would be invited. The Anguo Mansion had been very popular in recent years, so naturally it would receive invitations every year. However, in the past few years, He Lanting was studying abroad, and the two daughters of the second wife were far away in Shanzhou, so Xie did not join in the fun.

This year, the invitation was sent early as usual. Princess Hexin even made a special invitation in the invitation, saying that she had heard that the twin sisters of the second house were beautiful, and asked Xie to bring them out to show the ladies in Jiankang City. Xie thought that Lanzhi and Lanxue were in their prime, and Helan Ting should have been engaged a long time ago, so she readily agreed.

Of course, she did not leave out Lin Xi. She looked down on Wang Zhuo and felt that he was wasting her fairy-like niece. Therefore, she was determined to find a marriage for Lin Xi that was a thousand times better than Wang Zhuo's. Therefore, she specifically asked Xue Yun to dress up Lin Xi carefully and make sure she would shine at the Spring Banquet.

After waiting for a while, Yu brought Lanzhi and Lanxue out first. Helan Ting met the three of them and bowed to Yu first, then bowed to his two cousins. Yu saw that he was dressed very handsomely today, and laughed and teased him, "Brother Ting, why are you dressed so outstandingly today? I thought you only had black and white Hu clothing in your closet."

Lan Xue and Lan Zhi looked at each other and smiled softly. It turned out that since they met He Lanting on the way back, he had only worn a set of black Hu clothing. At first, Yu thought that he had run out of money on his study tour and had no money to buy clothes. He had not changed his outer robe for half a month, so she was busy preparing to buy him some clothes.

Later, we learned from Heng Zhi that He Lanting, like those other noblemen who went abroad to study, had prepared several sets of gorgeous and flowing robes of different colors. But later he found that the most convenient clothes for going out were the narrow-sleeved and long trousers of the Hu people. Since the black color was resistant to dirt, he bought several identical black Hu clothes to wear in rotation. That's why Yu and others thought that he didn't change his clothes for ten days or half a month.

He Lanting was not angry after hearing this. He smiled faintly and explained in a gentle voice, "When you are away from home, you can get whatever is cheaper. Now that I am back in Jiankang, if I still dress like that, my mother will probably chase me and give me a lecture."

The three Yu family members were laughing non-stop and chatting for a while. Zhenzhu, the maidservant beside Lan Xue, had sharp eyes and saw a piece of skirt fluttering at the door. She hurriedly called out, "The eldest lady is coming out." The people who were talking stopped talking and looked at the person who came.

Today, Xie wore a dark blue brocade lotus gown, a ginger yellow brocade palace skirt with phoenix patterns, and a filigree jade crown on her head. She looked both noble and bright.

Lin Xi was half a step behind her, wearing a silver tube top with a red Tianxiang gauze Begonia cross-collared large-sleeved dress, and an ivory white winding branch moonlight skirt. The extreme contrast of red and white made her skin look whiter than snow and her figure graceful. The oriental pearls on the gold-threaded flower crown on her head were round, and the tiny tassels inlaid with red jade on the crown hung on her temples, which made her snow-white cheeks and black hair look even more delicate and beautiful.

The two stood together, their eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar, just like a pair of beautiful sisters. Everyone outside the door forgot what to say for a moment. It was Yu who came back to her senses first. She took a few steps forward and held Xie's hand, her tone full of surprise, "Wow! Where did this pair of fairy girls come from? They ended up in my house."

Xie had always been close to her, so she took her hand and said with a smile, "It is my family's. How can you not kneel down and worship the immortal when you see him?"

Seeing the two of them joking around, all the masters and servants couldn't help but laugh. Lan Zhi and Lan Xue also stepped forward and held Lin Xi's hands, one on each side. "My cousin is really like a fairy today. When we stand next to her, it's like a reed leaning against a jade tree. I feel ashamed of myself."

Lin Xi knew that the two of them were kindhearted and that this was a sincere compliment, so she shook their hands and said seriously, "Who in Jiankang City doesn't know the two beauties of the He family? The sisters are beautiful and young, how can I compare to them?"

Seeing the sincere smile on her face, Lan Zhi and Lan Xue couldn't help but feel closer to her and pulled her into a carriage.

He Lanting watched the three people get on the car and came back to his senses, but the amazement in his eyes had not faded. He couldn't help but think of the few days when he went to pay his respects to Xie and met Lin Xi several times, but each time he only had a quick glance and only felt that she had a graceful figure and bright appearance. She was obviously a rare beauty, but he always felt that her temperament was somewhat contradictory.

It was not until today when he saw her in a red dress that he understood where that sense of contradiction came from. A beautiful woman like her should be like a blooming peony, shining brightly, instead of being like an orchid in an empty valley, cold and lonely, admiring herself in her own reflection.

These days he had also heard his mother talk about Lin Xi's experience, and he sincerely admired her for being a woman who dared to take up a knife and kill the rebels. Therefore, seeing her dressed so beautifully today, he thought that she must have come out of the haze of the past.

Xie and Yu got on another carriage, and He Lanting also got on the horse and followed the carriage. In the carriage, Lan Zhi and Lan Xue talked to Lin Xi about the fashionable clothes and jewelry in Jiankang, and guessed which young men and women would come today. Lin Xi just listened quietly and occasionally agreed with a word or two. He Lanting listened to the three people's chattering, shook his head helplessly, and was about to ride the horse to the front, but heard Lan Xue's voice with a bit of shyness coming from the carriage, "Cousin, what kind of man do you like?"

Helan Ting couldn't help but tighten the reins slightly. The horse felt the strength of its master and, in a very human way, lightened its pace and followed closely beside the carriage.

After waiting for a while, I heard Lin Xi's cold voice coming from inside the car, "I don't know either."

"How could I not know? Mencius once said, 'If you know how to love beauty, you will admire young girls.' Although nowadays marriages require equal status, parents' orders, and matchmaker's words, families like ours must find someone who suits our taste. For example, I don't like some of the young men in Jiankang City who put on makeup every day and look even more delicate than girls." Lan Xue was lively and her words were justified.

"You are such a little girl, don't you feel ashamed to say such things? Your mother will scold you again if she finds out." Lan Zhi, on the other hand, is the gentlest one, in contrast to her in character.

Lan Xue curled her lips, "Humph, ladies are all like this, they think one thing in their hearts, but say another. My mother herself fell in love with my father and insisted on marrying him, but now she won't let us say anything."

"You're becoming more and more rude!" Lan Zhi clapped her hands to stop her from talking nonsense.

"Forget it, forget it. I won't say anything." Lan Xue stuck out her tongue and stopped talking.

Outside the car, He Lanting listened for a long time but didn't get the answer he wanted. He pursed his lips and urged the horse forward. After about two quarters of an hour, the group finally arrived at Princess Hexin's mansion.

After everyone got off the carriage, Xie first told Hengzhi: "There are many people here today. Hengzhi knows that you and Haoting'er have something to do. If there is anything, send someone to the backyard to find me."

Then he turned to the girls' personal maids and ordered, "You must also keep an eye on the girls. The men are all in the front yard. Be careful and don't go over there. If the girls are bumped into, don't blame me for being cruel when you go back. I will definitely punish you."

Upon hearing this, several maids looked terrified and quickly said yes. The group then straightened their clothes and followed the maids and old women who came to greet the guests to the backyard of the princess's mansion.