GBP Chapter 412 The Ouyang Family’s Invitation
Chapter 412 The Ouyang Family’s Invitation
Chapter 412 The Ouyang Family's Invitation
Xiao Ming left satisfied after having another free dinner at the Jiang family's house.
Jiang Xiaoqi also assigned Li Mo the task of delivering meals to the Hanlin Academy at noon tomorrow.
Wangchuan wanted to help, but Wenbin and Aniu called him away. Recently, Liuxiang Pavilion's business has been too booming, and they are really short-handed.
As the person who had been with Jiang Xiaoqi the longest, Wenbin naturally knew his young master's thoughts. This Wangchuan could be used, but it had to be used sparingly.
Recently, Liuxiang Pavilion did receive a large order. The women of the Ouyang family in the capital wanted to hold a banquet and ordered a set of eighty-eight perfume powders and lotions from Liuxiang Pavilion.
Each set is worth over a hundred taels of silver, and eighty-eight sets would amount to a deal worth nearly ten thousand taels of silver, which Wenbin takes very seriously.
Yes, we take it quite seriously, since this isn't the first time we've received an order like this.
This is the capital city, where nothing is lacking, especially wealthy people.
Wenbin had just reported on the business of Liuxiang Pavilion to his young master, and also mentioned the large order from the Ouyang family.
Shortly after, Old Li, the gatekeeper, took an invitation from the Ouyang family and delivered it to the courtyard of Landlord Jiang and his wife.
The old woman in the main courtyard was also a little puzzled after receiving the invitation. It seemed that her family had no connection with the Ouyang family in the capital.
"Madam, look, this is a new invitation that the gatekeeper just delivered."
"The Ouyang family?"
The only person Madam Jiang knew about the Ouyang family was her grandson's teacher, a reclusive sage and a great Confucian scholar of the time.
However, it seems that Mr. Ouyang Zheng has no relatives, only a junior brother who is serving in the army on the border.
Then this Ouyang is not the same Ouyang as before, but the Ouyang family of the capital?
Madam Jiang suddenly remembered that her husband had once mentioned that the current Empress Dowager was from the Ouyang family!
Oh dear, why is the Empress Dowager's maternal family sending invitations to the home of such a minor official?
Madam Jiang put down the invitation and decided to wait for her husband to return so they could discuss it together.
After all, the flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Ouyang family is for appreciating chrysanthemums, and there is still some time to prepare.
Whether to go or not, and who to take, all need to be carefully considered.
While Old Madam Jiang was waiting for Landlord Jiang to return home, Jiang Xiaoqi also learned about the invitation sent by the Ouyang family.
The person he thought of was Master Ouyang, who had taught him at the clan school for a period of time. After arriving in the capital, he had someone send him a gift, but after learning that Master Ouyang was not in the capital, he did not bother him again.
After all, in the capital, the Ouyang family was a prestigious family among prestigious families.
If you come from a humble background, you shouldn't give people the impression that you're trying to climb the social ladder.
After all, his own family didn't have that intention either, as did the Prime Minister Liu's family, who were closer to him, and the family of his good brother's new parents, the Minister of War's family.
Neither of these two families went out of their way to curry favor or build relationships, let alone the Ouyang family, who had little involvement to begin with.
When Landlord Jiang returned home, it was already completely dark. Old Madam Jiang personally watched over the hot soup and dishes in the kitchen.
After watching his old man finish his meal, he had the servants bring out hawthorn tea to aid digestion and quench his thirst before finally taking out the invitation from the Ouyang family.
"A flower viewing party next month? Appreciating chrysanthemums in autumn sounds quite fitting!"
Madam Jiang rolled her eyes at her husband. "Just for the occasion? Is that the point?" The point is the Ouyang family; this is an invitation from the Ouyang family!
This isn't a post from your cousin's family! Nor is it a post from one of your colleagues who only know how to use an abacus!
Under the barrage of eye-rolls from his wife, Landlord Jiang belatedly realized, "The Ouyang family?! Which Ouyang family?!"
My first thought was that he was the master of my beloved grandson, but the great scholar Ouyang was far away in Yunqing Mountain, so how could he send an invitation to the capital?
My second thought was Master Ouyang, who had taught calligraphy at the Jiang family school. We had met Master Ouyang once at a poetry gathering at the Tan family's residence after they arrived in Beijing.
However, when Mingfei visited him out of politeness, he learned that the master had gone on a journey, and they lost contact afterward.
"This...could it be the Ouyang family from the capital?"
"What do you think? If it's not the Ouyang family from the capital, then which family could it be?"
The surname Ouyang is already quite rare; over the years, haven't we only encountered two people with the compound surname Ouyang?
Landlord Jiang put down the invitation and frowned.
"Why are they suddenly sending us an invitation? Master Ouyang isn't even in the capital, so they shouldn't be sending us one."
Landlord Jiang did not want to curry favor with the powerful, especially not the most powerful of them.
It has to be said that the Jiang family, grandfather and grandson, are on the same page and share the same thoughts on this matter.
"That shouldn't be, that shouldn't be. The invitation has already been sent. Old man, what do you think, should we bring Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu with us?"
The two children's marriages are still undecided, but the guests at the Ouyang family's banquet must all be people of high status and extraordinary family background.
But if we actually bring our children, won't people think we're trying too hard to curry favor with a prestigious family?
Landlord Jiang's brows were so furrowed they could trap a mosquito, and he paced back and forth in the room.
"Sigh, going would seem like I'm trying to curry favor, but not going would be impolite, especially since they sent the invitation so far in advance..."
Forget it, don't bring Fifth Sister and Sixth Sister. When the time comes, you and Mingfei can go together.
Just go early and come back early, so as not to be impolite.
“Mingfei? That makes sense. Mingfei is now a sixth-rank compiler, a top scholar in the imperial examinations, and has connections with Master Ouyang. It would be more legitimate for him to attend the Ouyang family banquet.”
There wouldn't be any gossip circulating, which would be more suitable than his two half-sisters.
But will Mingfei be able to take a day off that day? He can't very well ask the Hanlin Academy for leave just to attend a banquet, can he?
"Mingfei has been in office for so long, and he's never once taken leave for personal reasons!"
Landlord Jiang opened the Ouyang family's invitation again and calculated it according to the ten-day rest period for court officials.
"Don't worry, the day of the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet happens to be a day off."
"What a coincidence?"
"What a coincidence! The date was obviously chosen by someone else, probably to allow more court officials to attend the gathering."
That's good too; with colleagues in the court, Mingfei's visit won't attract too much attention.
However, being only a sixth-rank official, he wouldn't be noticed by those high-ranking officials and nobles.
"Just tell Mingfei that you and your grandson only need to go through the motions."
Madam Jiang nodded: "Won't the master go that day? Wasn't it a day off? The master must have been free, right?"
Landlord Jiang waved his hand, "I'll pass. Mingfei is a promising young man, who would want to bother with an old codger like me?"
With you, as an elder, leading the way, there's no need to send so many people. It's not like we're going to a wealthy relative's house to freeload.
Madam Jiang covered her mouth and chuckled to herself, thinking that her husband was still too concerned about saving face.
She didn't believe that other families who received invitations wouldn't go with a bunch of people, chattering away.
Which family wouldn't be eager to attend a flower-viewing banquet hosted by such a large family?
What's so strange about Xiao Ming getting a meal or two for free? There are plenty of people trying to freeload on invitations around this time too!