A big Han netizen uploaded the second volume of "Shan You Mu Xi Mu You Zhi" Eighty-sixth Spring Banquet Without Worries

  "Mother," Zhang Yan was taken aback, not expecting Lu Yuan to mention herself, and her face flushed slightly as she scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm still young."

  "It's not small anymore." Lu Yuan chuckled and stroked her black hair, "When your mother first met your father that year, she was only 11 or 12 years old." A gentle smile appeared on her lips, and her eyes also became distant, obviously recalling the sweet memories of her youth.

  "So," Lu Yuan withdrew his attention and smiled at his daughter, "Does Ah Yan have someone she likes, for example..."

  Zhang Yan's heart skipped a beat in her mother's prolonged teasing tone.

  "Is it Zhang He?"

  Zhang Yan took a deep breath, "How could Mother think that?" She spoke softly, unable to articulate the emotions swirling inside her - whether it was relief or disappointment. "Yan Yin and I were just..." The scene from the previous year's Lantern Festival flashed before her eyes, where the elegant young man had gently combed her hair with his slender fingers, and for a moment, the warmth of their skin touching seemed to return to her heart.

  "Siblings' feelings." She hesitated.

  Lu Yuan didn't ask further, but looked at her thoughtfully. "A Yan, do you know that the ruler of Chu State, Liu Xian, has been pining for Zhang He all these years? Why hasn't it come to fruition after so many years?"

  "Is Yan Hui not concerned about her?"

  Lu Yuan was stunned for a moment, shaking his head and saying, "You don't know Ah Ru, from childhood, Ah Ru has been proud and arrogant, never willing to lower her head to her peers. But after getting to know Zhang Xie, she did all sorts of humble and submissive things. In fact, the reputation of Chu Guo's young master is renowned throughout the world, how many people have a crush on her? Liu Hou's son Zhang Bu Yi has been infatuated with her for a long time. Zhang Xie respects his elder brother and won't make Zhang Bu Yi uncomfortable because of Ah Ru. So Ah Ru was very wronged. She never gave Zhang Bu Yi a good face to look at. And Chu Wang Shu actually didn't want to marry her off to Zhang Xie either..."

  She spoke vaguely and intermittently, but Zhang Yan understood the meaning in between. "Mother," she interrupted Lu Yuan, pursing her lips, "what does this have to do with me?"

  Lu Yuan smiled and said, "Although Liu Hou and your father are not of the same clan, they share the same surname. According to the Zhou Li, people with the same surname should not intermarry, as their offspring will not thrive. Therefore, although Zhang He is a talented person, he is not a suitable match for my daughter."

  "Hmm," Zhang Yan muttered in response. "I understand."

  "That's good - I and your aunt have taken a liking to you for the Crown Prince Xiang of Qi, this time on the Empress Dowager's birthday, he will come to pay his respects in place of his father, so we can take a look at his character, if it's good..."

  "Mother," Zhang Yan was startled and hastily interrupted her, "I don't need..."

  Yu Rong said, "If you don't want to listen, Mother won't say it. It's just that Mother wants you to know, a mother always wants to give the best to her child. With the care of your grandmother and uncle, in the future, you can sit stably as the Queen of Qi."

  Lu Yuan's words were as gentle as a spring, but they felt stifling to Zhang Yan. Her mother knew her intentions, but she couldn't accept this marriage that was purely for status and benefit. "Mother," she suddenly raised her eyes and looked straight at Lu Yuan, "If the Zhao Wang's son wasn't Father back then, would you have agreed to marry him?"

  Lu Yuan was speechless in front of his daughter Jing Liang's shining eyes. Being able to combine interests and sincerity is a kind of luck, but how many people can be so lucky? She firmly believed, just like her mother before her, that her own daughter should become a noble princess to be worthy.

  But even if one's status is noble, if the person by their side is not the one they truly care for, how can they truly be happy?

  This day is Fan Qiang and Cao Rui's eldest son Jing's hundredth-day banquet.

  When Fan Jing was born, Zhang Yan was far away in Xuanping and had not come to congratulate, so this time he was exceptionally solemn and chose a thick gift to visit early.

  On the water pavilion, Cao Rui hummed a lullaby to the child in her arms and handed Fan Jing over to the wet nurse. Turning around, she saw Zhang Yan looking at her with curious eyes and smiled, asking, "A Yan, what's wrong?"

  "There's nothing," Zhang Yan smiled with downcast eyes, "I think, Elder Sister Rui is a bit different from before." Less lively and playful, more gentle and calm.

  When she married into the Fan family, Cao Rui was only fourteen years old, and when she gave birth to Fan Jing, she wasn't even seventeen yet. If it were two thousand years later, seventeen would still be an age of carefree youth, but in the Han Dynasty, it was already old enough to be a wife and mother. Zhang Yan sighed inwardly, thinking that this era had a low survival rate for children, and mothers getting pregnant at too young an age was also one of the important reasons. When Chen Huo "fell ill" and passed away, aside from the Lu family's factors, it was also because she got pregnant too early and her body wasn't good. Cao Rui let out a snort of laughter and sighed, saying, "After marrying for two or three years, how can you still be like before? Wait until Ah Yan gets married in the future and she'll understand."

  "Madam," a servant reported from outside the pavilion, "Lü Jiuniang has arrived."

  "Please come in quickly." Cao Rui hastily got up and said.

  This was Zhang Yan's first time seeing the famous Lü Jiuniangzi.

  Lü Wei was not tall, but her slender figure made her look very elegant. Her black hair was tied up in a bun at the back of her head, and when the servant led her to the Water Pavilion, the white flowers on the trees by the lake fell off, and the girl picked up one of the fallen petals that had landed on her chest, contrasting with the clear reflection in the lake. For an instant, it made people's eyes dizzy, beautiful like a crystal carving beauty.

  The aristocratic men and women of the Great Han Dynasty were in the habit of marrying early, and at the age of sixteen, Lv Wei was already old enough to be married off, but she had not yet been betrothed. The princes and nobles of Chang'an all knew that Empress Dowager Lv and Prince Jiancheng had a tacit understanding, and after Emperor Xiaoming passed away, they would arrange for him to marry Lv Wei. Therefore, it can be said that in reality, Lv Wei was already the future empress of the Great Han Dynasty.

  This is also why Cao Rui particularly respected Lü Wei.

  When she saw the robust and lively baby boy in his swaddling clothes, a gentle smile flashed across Lv's lips, and she wanted to bend down to touch him, but immediately gave up, wiped away her smile, and presented the gift.

  She gave him a handwritten copy of the Book of Songs.

  In ancient times, Confucius edited the Book of Songs, which was later passed down to Xun Qing. When King Liu Jiao of Chu was young, he studied the Book of Songs with Shen Pei, Lu Mu and Bai Sheng under the tutelage of Xunzi's student Fuchu Lingbo. Lü Zhi was eager to learn, although she was confined to the inner chambers, her ambition was not small, after learning about this, she personally asked King Liu Jiao for instruction when he came to pay respects. And King Liu Jiao, considering her family background, also taught her for a while.

  This volume of "The Book of Songs" is the result of her annotations based on the teachings of Chu Wang and her own understanding. After Qin Huang burned books and buried Confucians, "The Book of Songs" became obscure, with some subtle words and grand meanings being vague or having different interpretations. Therefore, this volume of "The Book of Songs" is extremely precious.

  However, Zhang Yan was a bit black-lined. This is a 100-day banquet for a little doll, sending "The Book of Songs", isn't it a bit...inappropriate?

  The gift from the future empress, no matter how unsuitable, had to be accepted with a smile. After saying a few words, Cao Rui smiled and said, "Ninth Lady has not met Ah Yan of the Xuanping Marquis's household yet. She just returned from Xuanping."

  Zhang Yan stood up and bowed, saying "A Yan has seen Ninth Aunt."

  Lü Wei slightly nodded her head, her eyes were very clear and beautiful.

  More and more people came to congratulate, the noble young lady was welcomed into the garden of the Fang family, Zhang Yan stood under a tall tree with sparse flowers, turned around and looked at Lü Wei sitting alone on the water pavilion. Her white dress fluttered in the lake breeze, forming a rippling arc, like an immortal who did not eat human fireworks.

  "Lü Jiuniang indeed lives up to her reputation." Behind her back, people couldn't help but click their tongues in disapproval.

  "How can I not eat the smoke and fire of the world?" Zhang Yan muttered, how could she help her uncle bear the weight of the great Han dynasty's vast territory? She had always admired and respected Lyu Ji's enthusiastic mention of Lyu Jiu Niangzi. But when they met, she was secretly disappointed. Such a self-sufficient woman wasn't bad, it's just... not worthy of her imperial uncle.

  In an instant, Zhang Yan was speechless with laughter. In fact, Liu Ying himself had many shortcomings, but he had been extremely biased and had ignored them all along.

  "Ah Yan," beside her, Ta Bao Xia Hou's daughter Xia Hou spoke in a soft and gentle voice. "The clothes you're wearing today are really beautiful, hmm, how did you embroider this four-leaf pattern?"

  Zhang Yan came back to her senses, smiled and said, "I don't have any special skills in embroidery, I just saw some wild flowers by the fields when I was out for a walk in Xuanping. I drew their shapes. The seamstresses at home can embroider them."

  She bears the aesthetic imprint of a later era, having come from it. Although she did not intentionally flaunt herself, her adornments showed novelty, and due to her status as the Empress Dowager's grandson, she unknowingly became the leader of Chang'an's fashion trend.

  "Indeed very beautiful." Another noble lady, Fu Lanxin, admired.

  Someone outside the garden suddenly announced, "The Chu State's Wengzhong has arrived, the Wu State's Liuweng has arrived."

  Zhang Yan turned her head to look, and indeed saw Liu Xuan walking into the garden in front of her. Not having seen him for a year, Liu Xuan had become even more beautiful, with a mole under his right eye that added to his charm.

  And the girl in yellow behind her, who was about the same age as Liu Xiang, at first glance did not have a face as delicate and lovely as Liu Xiang's, but after looking a few more times, one could feel that the girl had a calm and elegant temperament, refreshing and generous.

  She had never seen this Wu Guo Weng Zhu before.

  "A Yan may not know," Xiahoudao explained, "in the twelfth year of the previous emperor's reign, he returned to Pei County and made Liu Pi, Marquis of Pei, King of Wu. This Lord You is actually the younger sister of the King of Wu."

  She smiled and nodded slightly.

  The girls giggled and said, "These two old ladies, why have they come together?"

  "What's wrong?" Zhang Yan was taken aback and asked strangely, "Don't they get along with each other?"

  "Xī Wēng's master likes Yàn Yǐn Gōng Zǐ, ā Yuān you know that." Xià Hóu said in a low voice, "In the past, she was of noble status and the most beautiful woman in the imperial family, others didn't dare to compete with her. Since the King of Wu brought his sister to Chang'an, somehow Liu Liú became acquainted with Zhang Jiǎo, they seemed to be on good terms. You say, how could Chu Guó's Xī Wēng endure it, every time they met at banquets and outings, they would openly or secretly compete with each other?"

  Indeed, men are like ripples in the water.

  Zhang Yan burst out laughing and looked towards the center of the garden, where Liu Xian and Liu Liu were indeed arguing about something. Liu Xian was questioning fiercely, his expression agitated, while the yellow-clad girl opposite him remained calm and composed, parrying each question with a hidden sharpness that didn't let her fall behind.

  Before long, the steward came to instruct them to start the banquet, and the womenfolk all walked out of the garden.

  Hou let out a soft sigh.

  As Zhang Yan walked out of the small path, her sleeve got caught on a stretched-out tree branch, and the fragrant sachet fell from it, rolling all the way to the feet of the girl in yellow.

  Liu picked up with a bent waist.

  "Thank you, Master Liu," Zhang Yan said with a smile.

  The girl looked up and gazed at the girl standing on the winding path of the artificial hill, who was about ten years old, with a tender beauty, like an unopened flower bud, so she smiled slightly and returned the sachet.

  "A Yan, let's go." Xiahou called out from a short distance away.

  Liu Liu stopped in her tracks, turned around and asked, "Are you Zhang's wife from the Xuanping Marquis' household?"

  Zhang Yan was taken aback for a moment and replied, "Yes."

  "What is the meaning of 'yan' in a single name? The 'yan' in 'yanyan'?"

  It is.

  Liu Liu gave her a fierce glare and turned away.

  "Ah," Xiahou murmured, "Ayan, have you offended this Master Liu?"

  "...I had never seen her before, how could I have offended her?"

  Zhang Yan sighed, this banquet had not yet begun, but she already felt that the food was tasteless. Having been away from Chang'an for a long time, those people, those things, in an instant, she felt somewhat estranged.

  Chang'an Chu Wang Mansion

  Liu Xian returned from the Fan residence and saw the groom driving the horse-drawn carriage into the compound. A young servant came forward to greet him, saying, "Master Liu, the prince is waiting for you in the study."

  "Your Majesty," Liu stepped forward and bowed, "You weren't supposed to enter Chang'an until the day after tomorrow, why have you arrived today?"

  As he walked faster on the road, he simply entered Chang'an. Liu Jiao put down the bamboo scroll in his hand and turned around, the candlelight on the desk shining on that calm and peaceful face with a hint of dust.

  "Wait until after Empress Dowager's birthday this time, then you will follow me back to Chu State and perform the hairpinning ceremony." Liu Jiao said.

  "I won't." Liu's eyes widened in surprise as he raised his head and firmly refused, his eyes shining brightly and unwavering.

  "Enough!" Liu Jiao raised his voice, sternly saying, "Do you want to continue making a fool of yourself and letting the people of Chang'an laugh at you until when? You're not young anymore."

  Liu dropped tears and said, "I just like someone, is it a mess?"

  Looking at his beloved daughter, Liu Jiao was dazed and lost in thought. He recalled his late wife and unconsciously softened his tone, sighing, "Niang'er, you should understand clearly. You've been following Zhang Heng for so many years. If he had any intention, he would have proposed to me long ago. Since he hasn't, you should also give up."

  Liu Ya shook her head and said, "Maybe Father is right, but for me, maybe if I hold on a little longer, he will love me. Unless he gets married, otherwise, giving up like this, I won't be able to bear it."

  Liu Jiao snorted, "Even if Zhang Xie repents and returns to his senses, as his father I won't agree. Although Zhang Xie has a good character and temperament, he's only the second son and doesn't have the right to inherit the title. It would be better to consider his older brother Zhang Bu Yi..."

  "Father," Liu interrupted him with an unpleasant expression, "has Zhang Buqi said something to you?"

  "Let him give up then. Even if I couldn't marry Zhang Xie, it's absolutely impossible for me to marry him."

  She stormed out with a slam of the door. Liu Jiao watched her back, sighing after a long while, "Fool."

  She is just like her mother.

  This chapter is just a transition, introducing several new characters.

  I think I should sort out a character list for "The Grand Mansion Gate" so that it's easier for people to understand the relationships between characters, sigh.

  It's almost the end of the month, and the competition on the recommendation ticket chart is getting fierce.

  Seeking pink tickets.

  Still the same, pink tickets are invalid after this month if left at home, might as well take them out to support Jiang. If you're not sure whether you have any tickets, you can check in your personal book house. However, a more direct method is to click on "Recommend" below this page and keep clicking until it says "You've used up all your pink tickets for this month, thank you for participating".

  Thank you.