Mo Sang – CH 298

Chapter 298. New Year’s feast

On the afternoon of the fifth day, Hei Ma meticulously groomed himself, first changing into the half-length silk robe he’d worn on the first day, then taking it off after a quick glance.

His Boss had said to bring Pang’er along, and he held Pang’er in his arms; such a fine silk robe would not survive more than three scratches from Pang’er’s claws.

Hei Ma took off the half-length silk robe, carefully selecting a dark purple fine-cloth half-length robe, and then a lilac silk turban. He examined himself in a small bronze mirror for a long time, quite satisfied.

Then he put on a plain sheepskin overcoat, the same style as his Boss’s, and pulled out the famous folding fan he’d bought for twenty coins when he first arrived in Jianle City. He unfolded it with a whoosh, waved it a few times, then folded it up again, tucking it into his waistband.

Over the years, he’d acquired many fine fans, but he always felt this one was the best.

First, the calligraphy and painting on this fan were by a true master, praised by the Seventh Master repeatedly; second, it cost a full twenty large coins, making it the most expensive fan in his collection.

Hei Ma emerged from the house. Da Chang had already dressed Pang’er in the tea-drinking dog outfit pieced together from scraps of silk, complete with a gleaming gold chain and pendant around his neck—quite impressive.

Hei Ma reached out to take Pang’er from Xiao Lu’s arms, but Xiao Lu, still holding Pang’er, turned away and walked out, saying, “I will carry him. Brother Chang said you get all excited at literary gatherings, and he’s worried you will not be able to look after Pang’er. He wants me to go too.”

“Da Chang, how can you say that? No matter what, I cannot neglect Pang’er. Fine, carry him if you want, but hold him tight. Pang’er’s timid; do not scare him.” Hei Ma reluctantly followed behind Xiao Lu, hands behind his back.

The three met Pan Dingbang at the entrance of the Imperial Academy and went inside together.

Chancellor Huang hurried out to greet them. “The Boss has arrived! It is an honor to have you here!”

“You flatter me!” Li Sangrou quickly returned the greeting with a bow. “We, brothers, are just roughnecks, barely literate. We’ve come to broaden our horizons. Chancellor, please do not bother with us. We will just wander around and look around.”

“Boss, you are too kind. Alright, alright, please make yourselves at home, Boss and the two brothers and Seventh Master as well.” Chancellor Huang wanted to offer some flattery, but when it came to scholarship, this Boss had nothing to offer.

While Li Sangrou and Chancellor Huang were exchanging pleasantries, the chubby dog in Xiao Lu’s arms was barking loudly at the surroundings.

“Look, look! The chubby dog is scared, is he not? I told you you were not good enough. Give him to me.” Hei Ma darted forward, snatched the chubby dog from Xiao Lu’s arms, and patted him affectionately.

“Do not be afraid, Pang’er. These are all familiar faces, no strangers. Do not be afraid, and stop barking all the time; it is undignified.”

Pang’er, nestled in Hei Ma’s arms, barked even more fiercely.

“Your dog is not that big; why is it so fierce? Does it really dare to bite someone?” Pan Dingbang, looking at the opulent Pang’er in the brocade robes and gold badge, hesitated, wanting to touch him but not daring to.

“Put it on the ground,” Li Sangrou instructed, looking at Pang’er.

“It’s in a hurry; what if it bites someone?” Hei Ma looked at the group of scholars and students watching the spectacle.

“It’s alright,” Li Sangrou smiled.

Hei Ma bent down and put Pang’er down, not daring to fully straighten his back, his arms outstretched, ready to scoop him back if he lunged at someone.

The chubby dog, paws on the ground, immediately stopped barking. Its ears perked up, and it nervously looked around, then suddenly turned and pounced on Hei Ma’s hooves, grabbing its leg and climbing up.

Hei Ma stared at the chubby dog, utterly incredulous.

Pan Dingbang’s eyes widened too, then he burst into laughter.

Laughter filled the air.

Hei Ma, speechless, picked up the chubby dog. As soon as it held him in its arms, the boy’s bravado returned, and it barked loudly.

“Come on! Put it here; let’s see if it dares to bark here,” a student said, placing a felt mat used for lining Xuan paper on the table, indicating it to Hei Ma.

Hei Ma took a few steps forward and put the chubby dog down.

The chubby dog backed away, its rear end pressed tightly against Hei Ma’s waist, its whole body nervously scanning its surroundings.

“You know what it means to be a dog relying on its master’s power, right?” Pan Dingbang was still a little scared and did not dare to reach out; instead, he used his folding fan to stroke Pang’er’s head.

Pan Dingbang stroked it once, and Pang’er’s little head tilted back, then it simply turned around, stood up, and gripped Hei Ma’s coat tightly with its two front paws.

This time, Pan Dingbang was not afraid anymore. He reached out and stroked Pang’er’s back a couple of times. “Look at your smooth, shiny skin, all that flesh. This tag is nice—gold-plated? Pure gold? Hmm!”

Hearing it was pure gold, Pan Dingbang quickly held it in his hand and carefully weighed it. “Your Boss is so generous; even a dog tag is pure gold!”

“There are words on this tag, this word, ‘Pang’? Who wrote this word? It does not seem very good, not as good as my Second Sister-in-law’s. Why did you not ask my Second Sister-in-law to write the word ‘Pang’?”

Pan Dingbang weighed the gold plaque in his hand with a pained expression, pursing his lips and stroking the character “fat” on it with a look of disgust.

“This character looks familiar,” said a student next to Pan Dingbang, carefully examining the character.

“If you do not recognize this character, are you an idiot? Even a three-year-old can recognize the character ‘fat,’ and you say it looks familiar!” Pan Dingbang’s lips curled into a wide, disdainful grin as he glared at the student.

“Come and see, does this character not look familiar?” The student ignored Pan Dingbang and beckoned to the others nearby.

“Let me see.” A young scholar stepped forward, holding up the dog plaque. He stared at the character “fat,” his eyes widening after a moment. He looked again, stunned, and then called out, “Scholar Wang, come and take a look! Look at this character!”

Wang Yuan, the top scholar who was speaking with Li Sangrou, bowed apologetically to her and moved over.

Li Sangrou turned around and followed behind Wang Yuan.

“Look at this character ‘胖¹‘; is it not… that one?” The young scholar who had called Wang Yuan over whispered, his face filled with alarm.

“It really is!” Wang Yuan glanced at it and exclaimed in surprise, looking at Hei Ma and asking, “This plaque, this calligraphy, what is this? Which family?”

“I do not know; ask our Boss.” Hei Ma had already picked up Pang’er.

There were too many people around, and Pang’er, its mane bristling, clung tightly to Hei Ma’s chest, head down, letting the group touch and examine it, looking at its gold plaque, not daring to move.

“This one?” Wang Yuan looked at Li Sangrou.

Li Sangrou smiled and nodded. “From the palace, the clothes are too.”

“You think this calligraphy is good? I really think it is just average!” Pan Dingbang squeezed forward, pointing to the gold plaque.

“This is the Emperor’s own handwriting!” Wang Yuan glared at Pan Dingbang.

“The Emperor’s handwriting… Imperial… cough!” Pan Dingbang coughed violently.

Li Sangrou, Hei Ma, and Xiao Lu did not linger for long before quietly slipping out.

Pan Dingbang hurriedly followed, the four of them slipping out one by one, leaving the Imperial Academy.

Wang Yuan had been secretly watching Li Sangrou and the others, watching them quietly slip away, occasionally glancing at them as if he had not seen them.

“Is it really the Emperor’s own handwriting?” the young scholar from before came over, lowering his voice to ask Wang Yuan.

“Yes.” Wang Yuan nodded with absolute certainty. “Did the Boss not say that those, including their clothes, are from the palace? Think about it.”

“The Boss’s favor is truly immense!” The young scholar clicked his tongue.

“I heard Minister Wu mention it once: the Emperor treats the Boss with the courtesy due to a friend,” Wang Yuan said, lowering his voice.

“I’ve heard that too. I heard it from the Minister of Personnel,” the young scholar said softly.

“Speaking of which, the Imperial Academy certainly has a lot of influence,” another scholar, who was craning his neck to listen, chimed in. “The Boss never socializes. In all these years, I’ve never heard of her going to any other family for New Year’s banquets. Coming to the Imperial Academy, this is the first time, is it not?”

“This is a literary gathering, not a New Year’s banquet!” the young scholar corrected. “The Boss loves watching literary gatherings. In the past, whenever she had free time, she would accompany the Princess and the County Princess from King Rui’s residence to the gatherings to watch the excitement, and I heard it was also to see the people.”

“That’s true. During the years when the Boss had free time, I often ran into her at literary gatherings.”

“Speaking of which, has the princess really decided not to choose a husband?” another scholar asked, crowding around.

“Choosing a husband? You do not even know that?” The scholar next to him patted the one who asked the question with a look of surprise. “The princess has already chosen her husband. She’s just waiting for the world to be unified, for him to achieve fame and success, and then they will get married.”

“Ah? Achieve fame and success? That’s not the Shizi; the Shizi is…” The scholar who asked the question was shocked.

“What are you thinking about?” The scholar who answered slapped the one who asked the question hard. “It’s that Master Wen! You really are! Just like the Seventh Prince!”

“My mouth!” The scholar who asked the question slapped his own mouth hard.

“Hey! Did you send your visiting cards to the Boss this year?” a student next to him asked, sticking his head out.

“Of course, we have to send one! How could we not? Whether the Boss returns the gift or not is her business. If she does not, we cannot not send one. Besides, the Boss only accepts visiting cards; she never returns any, not even to Prime Minister Wu.”

“The Boss is really something else! She only accepts visiting cards and never returns them. I heard she receives stacks of New Year’s invitations, but she has not visited a single one! Tsk! So carefree!”

“That’s for sure! The Boss is no ordinary person!”

A group of scholars and students chatted amongst themselves, their conversation escalating further and further off-topic.

………………………………

The Wei family was the first to hold their New Year’s feast on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

When Li Sangrou arrived at the Wei family’s, almost all the guests had already arrived.

The Eldest Madam of the Wei family had received a message from Li Sangrou saying that she would definitely come to the New Year’s feast if she had time, but the Eldest Madam had not taken this message too seriously. After all, since the Boss came to Jianle City, she had never attended a New Year’s feast at any other family’s.

Seeing that all the guests had arrived but the Boss was nowhere to be seen, the Eldest Madam, though not daring to worry, still felt a deep sense of disappointment, her shoulders slumping considerably.

The Eldest Madam sighed inwardly, instructed a few reliable stewards to keep watch, and turned to go inside.

She had to hurry inside to greet the guests.

She had only taken a few steps when the head steward rushed in from outside. “Eldest Madam, Eldest Madam, the Boss! She’s here!” The steward’s eyes lit up.

“They’ve really arrived?” The Eldest Madam of the Wei family turned sharply, hurrying out to greet them while urgently instructing, “Quickly, go and invite Ninth Madam! Hurry!”

The head maid agreed and hurried inside.

In their household, Ninth Madam was the closest to the Boss!

Li Sangrou looked hesitant, but upon seeing the Eldest Madam, she quickly stepped forward, bowing deeply. “I am late; please forgive me, Eldest Madam.”

“Not at all, not at all. It is an honor for our humble abode to have the Boss come! Besides, it is not too late; as you can see, I am still entertaining guests in the second gate!” The Eldest Madam of the Wei family smiled broadly.

The Boss, coming to their household for this New Year’s feast, giving the Wei family such face—what a wonderful thing! What a great honor!

Even if she had not arrived yet, even if she had just passed by the door shortly after the feast was over, that would have been extremely kind!

“I was planning to come early, but I am late because I honestly did not know whether to bring a gift for the New Year’s feast or, like me, come empty-handed.”

Li Sangrou explained with a wry smile as she was led inside by the Eldest Madam of the Wei family.

“As you know, my family is a bunch of roughnecks; none of them knows proper etiquette. I thought it was better to be polite than not to bring one, so I planned to pick out a gift.

Coincidentally, on my way to pick out the gift, I ran into Seventh Master Pan. He laughed when he heard my name and said that bringing a gift to the New Year’s feast would be impolite.

Thanks to the Seventh Master’s advice, I hurried over, but I am still a little late. Please forgive me, Eldest Madam.” Li Sangrou apologized again.

“The Boss is so polite; we cannot accept that! Our Wei family, no matter what, cannot argue with the Boss about gifts. From now on, the Boss can come whenever she wants. We do not care about etiquette; all those kinds of gifts are just idle talk for idle people,” the Eldest Madam of the Wei family said, all smiles.

Upon entering through the moon gate, Liu Rui, the ninth mistress of the Wei family, hurried out to greet her, lifting her skirt. “Greetings, Ninth Mistress.” Li Sangrou stopped and curtsied.

“How could I dare! It is wonderful that the Boss could come,” Liu Rui looked at Li Sangrou with a radiant smile.

“I’ve come to learn etiquette from the Eldest Madam and the Ninth Mistress,” Li Sangrou said, stepping aside from Liu Rui and walking forward while smiling. “The Ninth Mistress is not an outsider. To be honest, because the Wei family has been renowned for its wealth and literary tradition for over a hundred years, I thought that if one wanted to learn etiquette, the Wei family would be the best choice. That’s why I’ve bothered you with this trip.”

“What etiquette does the Boss need to learn? Is there any etiquette that the Boss does not understand?” Liu Rui laughed.

“I do not understand the etiquette of attending the New Year’s banquet. Because I do not understand it, I’ve never dared to accept an invitation. Tomorrow I am going to Prince Changsha’s Mansion. The day I received the invitation on New Year’s Day, I was scratching my head in despair until I saw your invitation. It was like a lifeline,” Li Sangrou said with a smile.

The Eldest Madam of the Wei family raised her eyebrows and then lowered them again, returning to normal. She smiled at Liu Rui and said, “Then you should accompany the Boss today and talk to her about the customs of the New Year’s banquet. Actually, there are not many customs. At the beginning of the New Year, everyone just wants to be happy and start the New Year joyfully.

We also received an invitation to the Prince Changsha’s Mansion’s New Year’s banquet. The other day, I was talking to Rui’er’s grandmother about the invitation. I even told her that if too many of our family members go, I wonder if they will find it annoying,” the Eldest Madam of the Wei family said with a smile.

She had begun to understand why Li Sangrou had come to their house for the New Year’s feast.

When did Prince Changsha’s Mansion and the Boss develop this relationship? She’d had to ask Rui’er about it later.

The Eldest Madam of the Wei family accompanied Li Sangrou into the main hall, introducing her to everyone, leaving Liu Rui to accompany Li Sangrou while she busied herself entertaining the guests.

Li Sangrou sat for about half an hour before taking her leave.