Chapter 477 - 182: The Zhu Family and the Sheng Family
Chapter 477: Chapter 182: The Zhu Family and the Sheng Family
The Vice Magistrate’s birthday was a major event in all of Xinghuai Prefecture. It happened to fall on a day of rest, so nearly every prominent figure in the Prefecture had come to the Vice Magistrate Mansion.
The Vice Magistrate Mansion was a riot of color, decorated with lanterns and streamers everywhere, bustling with excitement.
At the banquet, cups and goblets clinked as everyone laughed and chatted merrily, wishing the Vice Magistrate many happy returns.
Zhu Yingqian gazed at the full case of gift registers, raised his eyebrows with practiced reserve, and joined the crowd in their merriment.
Thanks to Zhu Caiwei, several tables were also set aside for the students from the prefectural academy.
As a member of the host family, Zhu Caiwei stayed to entertain the guests. Her spirits, which had been low, finally lifted a little when she overheard someone at the next table praise her, saying, "A tiger father will not raise a worthless daughter."
Seeing this, a student from Yueli Hall who had come to offer birthday wishes couldn’t help but purse his lips in disdain.
’A mere girl, getting such grand ambitions. No matter how much they praise your competence, do you really think you can make a name for yourself?’
’A woman’s only final destination is to marry and have children. No matter how capable she is now, it will all come to nothing.’
But he only dared to think these things, not say them aloud.
The student, intent on flattering her, raised his cup to Zhu Caiwei. "The Vice Magistrate is truly generous! A banquet this fine... common folk like us have probably never even seen such a thing, let alone eaten at one..."
He had barely finished speaking when he saw a flash of disdain in Zhu Caiwei’s eyes. The student instantly realized his mistake and, his mind jolting, scrambled to find a way to fix it.
"That Zhao Jing and Chen De’an are from some poor backwater. They’ve probably never even heard of a banquet like this, let alone seen one! You invited them, and they didn’t even come. They truly don’t know what’s good for them."
At the table, some people instantly lowered their heads, while others tugged on the man’s sleeve, urging him to stop. Gossiping behind someone’s back was not the behavior of a gentleman.
’Besides, they’re our classmates, and Zhao Jing has a bright future ahead of him. What good could possibly come from offending them?’
’He shouldn’t make enemies just for a moment’s satisfaction of running his mouth.’
Unfortunately, the student had already had two cups of wine. Unable to hold his liquor, he was already tipsy.
And once a man is drunk, the words he had kept hidden in his heart bolted from his mouth like a runaway horse.
"There’s something I just have to say. You, my lady, are the daughter of the Vice Magistrate, outstanding in talent, character, and learning. A lady of your stature should be matched with someone from a great house. Why on earth have you set your sights on that Zhao..."
CLINK! With a light sound, Sheng Saya’s wine cup collided with the chopsticks in Zhang Lingxin’s hand. The silver chopsticks fell to the floor, and the wine in the cup instantly spilled.
Zhu Caiwei hurried over to smooth things over. "Kaiyan, are you alright? And you, Lingxin? Did they hit your foot?"
"I’m fine, but my sleeve is wet. I’m afraid I’ll have to leave the table."
"Silver chopsticks are so light. Even if they did hit me, it’s not like they would punch a hole in my foot, would they? But my shoe is dirty, so I’ll have to go change into a new pair."
Zhang Lingxin and Sheng Saya exchanged a look. "Well, we’re mostly done with the banquet anyway, and we’ve already wished the Vice Magistrate a happy birthday. It’s getting late, so we’ll head back now. We’ll see you at the academy."
Zhu Caiwei froze for a moment. "But the banquet has just begun..."
"But we’ve already had our fill," Sheng Saya said, winking at her. "We’re young ladies, after all. With us sitting here, everyone else can’t really relax. And we have things to attend to at home, so we’ll be on our way..."
Since Sheng Saya and Zhang Lingxin were determined to leave, Zhu Caiwei couldn’t very well keep them, and could only personally see them out.
Sheng Saya was attending the banquet on behalf of the Lord Prefect.
In the Magistrate’s household, Mrs. Sheng was elderly and no longer went out for social events. The youngest son was only five this year, and there were no older brothers at home. The other daughters were all married. That left only Sheng Saya, who was of a suitable age. Thus, for any occasion where it was inconvenient for Mr. Sheng to appear himself, Sheng Saya would handle the social obligations.
Then there was the Judicial Commissioner’s family.
The Vice Magistrate and the Judicial Commissioner were both the Magistrate’s right and left hands. They had their own duties and held the same rank. For the Judicial Commissioner to personally come and wish the Vice Magistrate a happy birthday would have implied he was submitting to Zhu Tongzhi.
Therefore, Mr. Zhang had not come either, sending his daughter in his stead. However, he had adult sons at home, and he didn’t possess the same stature as the Lord Prefect. To avoid truly offending Zhu Tongzhi, he had his eldest son accompany her.
After seeing Sheng Saya and Zhang Lingxin off, Zhu Caiwei returned to offer two cups of clear tea to the instructors from the prefectural academy, and then it was time for the banquet to conclude.
Once all the guests had been seen off, the day’s social obligations were finally over.
Zhu Caiwei was just about to return to her own courtyard to rest when a message came from her mother, summoning her over.
Zhu Caiwei’s heart filled with anxiety. After a moment’s hesitation, she went.
Very few people knew that she was not the biological daughter of Zhu Tongzhi’s wife, Ms. Xie.