The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

The day before Xiefang Pavilion opened, Zhang received an invitation from Madam Ma of Dingyuan Marquis's mansion, inviting her to the mansion for drinks and tea. Zhang wanted to turn it down, but the old lady told her to bring Lingjie'er with her.

Mrs. Ma had a son who was fifteen years old, only one year older than Lingjie'er. Zhang immediately understood what the old lady meant and immediately agreed with a smile.

One is the daughter of a marquis, the other is the son of an earl. Although one is born out of wedlock and the other is legitimate, as the saying goes, a rich family marries off their daughters and a poor family marries their wives. Lingjie'er is outstanding in appearance, temperament, manners, and housework. She is also the eldest sister raised by the old lady. Zhang felt that there might be something going on.

Qin uttered a few sour words, but Zhang pretended not to hear. That evening, Zhang received the inner garment Lingjie had made. Thumb-sized albizzia flowers were embroidered on the cuffs and collar, creating a delicate, soft, and non-scratching feeling. Along with the garment came a white brocade handkerchief embroidered with white peonies, small butterflies, and colorful flowers. The embroidery and color matching were both exceptional, and Zhang couldn't put it down.

"I guess the child started working after returning from the first day of the outing party. Look how neat the work is." Zhang showed the handkerchief to Nanny Chang.

Nanny Chang said jokingly, "In my opinion, Madam, you might as well use this handkerchief tomorrow." Zhang nodded.

At noon the next day, Zhang picked up Lingjie'er and took her in a carriage to the Dingyuan Marquis's residence. Lingjie'er looked worried, but Zhang didn't ask any questions. She asked Jinhe to take out a few gauze flowers and pin them in her hair.

Lu Ling suppressed her melancholy, pulled herself together, and thanked Zhang. Zhang patted her hand. Suddenly, she heard the sound of firecrackers outside the window, mixed with the exclamations of passersby. The carriage gradually slowed down, and Lu Ling curiously lifted a corner of the curtain to peek out.

This section of Suzaku Street was lined with shops selling expensive rouge, powder, gold and silver jewelry. The people of the Qin Dynasty were open-minded, and everywhere on the street one could see young ladies and wives walking alone or in groups of two or three, accompanied by maids and servants.

"Huh?" Lu Ling exclaimed in surprise, muttering to herself, "Is that the new trend these days? Why are so many people wearing these pink and magnolia-embroidered dresses?" Then she continued to look out the window. In the distance stood a two-story building with arched eaves and sloping walls. Atop it hung a red plaque, inscribed with the three glittering golden characters "Xie Fang Guan." A crowd gathered at the entrance, firecracker fragments littered the ground, and the smell of gunpowder wafted into the air.

Lu Ling gently covered her mouth and nose, with a look of longing on her face. It turned out that this was the famous Xiefang Pavilion. She couldn't help but raise her hand to touch the pink camellia in her hair.

As usual, the carriage stopped at the second gate. Mrs. Ma was wearing a gold-colored, wide-sleeved, double-breasted gown today. She had her hair in a bun, a hairpin with a heart-studded ornament inlaid with kingfisher feathers and gems, a headband, and a veil over her temples. She looked like a typical mistress of the house.

Mrs. Ma smiled as she stepped forward to support Mrs. Zhang and said angrily, "You've finally arrived after such a long wait. Everyone else is almost here, but you're the only one who's so late, Mrs. Zhang."

Zhang smiled and apologized, "I'm so sorry, it's my fault. I shouldn't have walked along Zhuque Street. It just so happened that Xiefang Pavilion was opening, and the area in front of it was crowded and difficult to pass by. I was delayed."

"Oh, it's actually open! What a coincidence! I can't get away today." Mrs. Ma felt very regretful, then looked at Lu Ling and praised, "It's getting better and better. I'm afraid we can go there every year from now on." After saying this, she covered her mouth and laughed. Lu Ling's ears felt hot and she lowered her head in embarrassment.

The banquet was held in Lanxia Pavilion, which was separated from the waterside pavilion where I watched the play last time by a curve of spring water. It got its name because standing in the pavilion one could have a clear view of the sunset reflected in the pool.

When Zhang arrived, several ladies sitting in the pavilion were talking. When they saw the newcomer, they all stood up to greet her.

Zhao Qingbo took Lu Ling aside and introduced her to several young ladies. Aside from Sister Qinglu, Lu Ling recognized two of them: Sister Xu Shiyun and Miss Cui, whom she had met on the Xunfang boat. However, she didn't recognize the other young lady, a red-dressed woman sitting far away from the others.

Seeing this, Xu Shiyun lowered her voice and introduced, "That's Mrs. Ma's niece, Miss Ma San. She has always been quiet."

Lu Ling understood the meaning of the music and nodded, indicating that she would sit there. Xu Shiyun smiled and whispered to her, seeing that she was small but smart and sensible.

Madam Ma introduced Zhang to everyone, then said to the crowd, "This is Madam Zhang from the Marquis of Ping'an. Her husband is the current prefect of Huaizhou." The ladies' expressions became even more enthusiastic. In the Qin Dynasty, scholars, especially those who passed the imperial examinations, were very popular everywhere.

Among them, the plainly dressed Mrs. Si was the most enthusiastic. She said, "My master is now working in the Hanlin Academy."

As she was about to finish her words, Zhang showed an expression of admiration, and Mrs. Si was indeed even happier.

Mrs. Hu, the wife of the Minister of Rites, also came over. She shook the handkerchief in her hand and walked straight past Mrs. Si to sit on the other side of Mrs. Zhang. "I have been in Beijing for a long time, but I haven't seen Mrs. Zhang very often."

Zhang smiled and said, "I have been with the master in his post in previous years. I only returned to Kyoto at the end of last year."

Mrs. Hu covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and laughed. "Oh, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, Mrs. Zhang. My master has been an official in Beijing his entire life, and I've never been outside. I heard that outside of the capital, ordinary people are barely clothed and hungry. Is that true?"

Zhang Shi felt helpless and could only respond, "Mrs. Hu must have misheard. Huaiyang and Qingzhou have always been prosperous places, and the people live a rich life. I have never seen the things you mentioned in my many years of exile with the master."

Mrs. Hu looked embarrassed, revealing a gold bracelet on her wrist that was as thick as her finger. She walked slowly and went to talk to other ladies without looking back.

Mrs. Si showed disdain on her face. "She was born into a merchant family in Beijing and was lucky enough to find a good husband. She looks down on everyone all day long and likes to show off her gold bracelet to everyone she meets. She never feels tired of it." Zhang covered the smile at the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief without leaving a trace.

"Ahem, this handkerchief is so pretty," a young woman's voice called from the front. Zhang looked over and saw a young woman standing in the hall, wearing a long, wide-sleeved jacket with a red, stand-up collar and embroidered clouds and flying flowers, and a dark green, gold-embroidered horse-faced skirt. The woman seemed unwell, her face shimmering with yellow, and she was breathing heavily.

Mrs. Ma's eyes flashed, and she quickly walked over to support the young woman. "Mingyuan's wife, if you're bored, just send someone to call Qingbo and Qinglu to talk to you. Why bother making this tiring trip?"

It turned out to be the Crown Prince's wife. I had heard for a long time that the Crown Prince's wife of the Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion was not in good health. It turned out that her condition had deteriorated to this extent. Everyone in the hall had different thoughts.

The Crown Prince's wife, Minghui, waved to her second aunt to indicate that she was fine, then looked at Zhang and said, "Please forgive my intrusion, Madam. I really like the pattern on this handkerchief. I wonder which young lady in the mansion made it?"