Chapter 050
Chapter 50: The Matchmaking Banquet for Buddha’s Chosen
At dawn, the side gate of Heir Apparent Manor sat in the gray light.
Lin Yu Ning rushed over with three young maids and blocked the doorway, hands on hips as she barked orders: “All of you keep sharp and take the gifts fast, got it?”
She added with a stern wave: “And remember to move everything to General’s Manor first. These are my birthday gifts, so they go into my own little storeroom!”
The maids did not dare disobey and nodded again and again, though their eyes kept sneaking toward the road.
One squeaked, pointing: “Look, it’s the House of Qian’s carriage!”
A grand carriage trimmed in gold and silver rolled in, so bright it nearly hurt the eyes. When the curtain lifted, a jeweled shoe tipped with seed pearls peeked out first, its toe set with two pink tourmalines as big as longans.
Qian Shuang stepped down with a maid’s help. Three pairs of jade bangles on her wrists chimed softly. The boldest piece was the red gold choker at her neck, centered with a pigeon blood ruby that burned like a coal.
As her gaze swept over the Heir Apparent Manor plaque, her red lips curved, and her mind clicked like an abacus: [If I climb onto the golden signboard that is Buddha’s Chosen, maybe I can win incense contracts for several Imperial Buddhist Temples. If so, the House of Qian can make at least thirty percent more profit!]
Behind the House of Qian carriage, three more equally rich carriages followed, each with a lantern bearing the characters Zhao, Sun, and Qiu.
[Good grief, did they form a team to raid Lin Qing Xuan’s untouched level?]
In a corner, a small haze of black mist drifted by without a sound. No one noticed.
Inside Drifting Cloud Hall, four Noble Ladies were seated.
Qian Shuang, dressed in blazing red, moved her wrists and set her jade bangles ringing, but her eyes were nowhere near the tea treats. She kept glancing at the door, clearly waiting for the real star to appear.
Zhao Lv Liu brewed tea in perfect silence. Every movement was elegant. But if you looked closely, a slim brush hid in her wide sleeve, sketching fast lines across a snowy handkerchief.
[The brows of Buddha’s Chosen… should they look this cold and stern? Or this kind and gentle?]
Sun Qian Qian lowered her gaze. Paper and brush lay before her as if she were doing Calligraphy Practice, yet her heart was pounding like a drum.
[Father says Heir Apparent Manor is a great match, but to marry a monk… isn’t that a lonely life? I don’t want it!]
Qiu Ru Ying held a Buddhist scripture, reading with focus, though now and then she could not help sneaking a look at the entrance.
Lin Yu Jiao grabbed her and sat her down by her side, whispering encouragement: “Don’t worry, my Elder Cousin will definitely come!”
Tuan Tuan, now a swirl of black mist, floated among the Noble Ladies, judging each one.
He eyed the red-clad Qian Shuang and sniffed: [Pretty, sure, but she reeks of money from head to toe. Way too calculating.]
He drifted by the tea brewer Zhao Lv Liu: [The hanky inside her sleeve is probably already full of sketches of Buddha’s Chosen’s face.]
[Tsk. She acts high and pure, but in her heart she’s stripped someone’s clothes eight hundred times already!]
He hovered over the writing Sun Qian Qian: [Her heart drum is beating a whole symphony: Don’t want to marry a monk, don’t want to marry a monk!]
Then he checked the scripture-reading Qiu Ru Ying and nodded: [At least her mind is straight. But her heart is still closed. Books are all she sees.]
Tuan Tuan floated farther to glance at the other Cousin Misses and huffed: [No, no, no. None of them can beat my little Xiao Man!]
[What kind of crooked melons did First Madam pick!]
[Just wait. I’ll make them all take a good fall later…]
At the top seats, First Madam and Second Madam sat side by side, smiling like foxes that had stolen a hen.
First Madam bent toward Nanny Zhou and murmured: “Go call Xiao Man to bring in tea. Let her see what a real Young Lady is.”
Nanny Zhou moved fast; before she even reached the gate of Auspicious Cloud Residence, her voice carried ahead: “Xiao Man, Miss! There are honored guests in Drifting Cloud Hall. First Madam asks you to assist!”
Xiao Man answered at once, calm in her heart.
She was a maid of Heir Apparent Manor; this was her job. The master’s family was the boss. If the boss sent her, she went. She was a brick: pick her up and move her wherever needed.
In the courtyard of Auspicious Cloud Residence, Shi Tou whispered to his father: “Our manor isn’t short on maids. Why make Xiao Man go?”
Old Chen sighed: “First Madam likely wants to knock her down a peg.”
Old Madam Chen slapped Shi Tou on the back and snapped: “The master’s family is handling things. Who are you two to chatter? With so many Misses called here, it’s probably to show them to the Eldest Grandson Young Master. They’ll come for the Young Master later.”
Shi Tou chuckled: “Ma, then I’ll sneak a peek too and see how pretty the other manors’ Misses are!”
“Don’t make trouble,” Old Madam Chen glared. “You can look from far away. Remember to come back and tell us all about it!”
Inside Drifting Cloud Hall, First Madam suddenly waved to Xiao Man with warm cheer, as if greeting a dear daughter: “Xiao Man is here? Come, quickly, pour tea for the ladies.”
Eyes down, Xiao Man stepped closer and began to pour tea for Qian Shuang.
First Madam jumped in with a bright-voiced introduction: “This is the eldest Miss of the Imperial Merchant Qian Household, Miss Qian. Look at that red dress. So full of spirit!”
Xiao Man’s hand stayed steady. She poured at an even pace, then moved to the next seat.
First Madam spoke again, not too loud, not too soft, just enough for everyone to hear: “This is the only daughter of the Director of the Hanlin Academy, Miss Sun, calm and refined, with great talent.”
Sun Qian Qian wailed silently: [Please don’t choose me, don’t choose me! I really don’t want to marry a monk!]
When Xiao Man reached for the next cup, First Madam lightly tugged her sleeve and pointed to Zhao Lv Liu: “This is the legitimate second daughter of the Minister of War, Miss Zhao. She is seventeen and well known for her painting.”
Zhao Lv Liu fumed inside: [Why haven’t I seen anyone from Buddha’s Chosen yet? This is a rare chance! If he doesn’t come soon, this handkerchief will be full!]
Xiao Man smiled thinly in her heart.
[Why introduce them to me? You’re choosing a daughter-in-law. Do you need to report it to a maid?]
Keeping a perfect service smile, she finished pouring and stepped back in silence. That was a servant’s basic skill.
“Wait, Xiao Man,” First Madam called again, pointing to the seat by Lin Yu Jiao. “Pour tea for Miss Qiu as well.”
Xiao Man obeyed. As she drew near, Qiu Ru Ying’s eyes lit up. She stared with open curiosity, as if saying: [I know you. I know you!]
Xiao Man returned a small smile and stepped away once more.
Wang Yao, First Madam’s niece from her maiden family, quietly scooted closer. Hiding her mouth behind a handkerchief, she whispered: “Aunt, is this the maid named Xiao Man from Eldest Cousin’s courtyard?”
First Madam neither nodded nor shook her head; she merely sipped her tea.
Wang Yao understood at once: [It must be her! She looks decent and doesn’t seem timid.]
[But that boring Buddha’s Chosen Cousin actually likes a woman. If I had known about such juicy gossip earlier, I would have come sooner. I’ll tell Mother and my sisters later. They’ll be so envious!]
Zhao Lv Liu grew more and more anxious: [If I don’t see Buddha’s Chosen today, this trip is wasted. I’ll have to draw from imagination again. Sure, the Grand Dharma Assembly lets me see him from far away, but how can that compare to a living person right in front of me?]