My wife has a secret

Chapter 162: Feast of Bliss
Facing this newly-promoted nobleman dressed in gorgeous clothes and who was very favored by the empress dowager, Yao Cheng did not dare to be impolite.

Although when Xu Qing first came to the Nie Mansion, Yao Cheng looked down on him for a while, thinking that this boy was just a playboy from a noble family who came to the capital to have fun by relying on the empress dowager's connections.

As the poem that was hailed as a classic that day spread, and as Xu Qing's performance in the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, Yao Cheng had gradually realized that this marquis might be different from what was widely rumored by the outside world, and was not a man who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun.

"I am visiting you today because Master Nie sent me to present gifts and congratulate you, Lord Marquis."

Qin Shuying brushed her skirt lightly and smiled faintly, "It is a copy of calligraphy written by Master Nie himself and a painting by a student under his tutelage. It is about ten feet long... I have sent someone to store it in the treasury and will display it in the hall when the palace is opened in the future."

As a literary giant, Master Nie is regarded as a teacher by many literati in Da Qi.

The calligraphy and paintings he gave away naturally had great collection value, and hanging these paintings would symbolize his close relationship with the Nie family.

But Xu Qing was obviously more concerned about something else.

"Where's Wan He?"

"Miss Lu is still tutoring the young master in his studies in the mansion...Recently, a school has been established in the Nie mansion. Scholars from all over the Imperial Academy have sent their children to the mansion, and they are full of praise for the young lady's knowledge and skills."

Xu Qing stared at Yao Cheng for a while, which made the butler feel uneasy and he didn't dare to look him in the eye.

I don’t know what this young marquis has experienced to have such a meaningful and frightening look in his eyes.

"Since Steward Yao is here to congratulate you, you should know that Lu Wanhe is the concubine of Marquis Guangping, so she should naturally move back to the Marquis's mansion."

"Yes Yes."

Yao Cheng responded twice, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Just when he was feeling a little embarrassed and considering whether he should go back to discuss the date of his return to the Marquis' Mansion with Master Nie and Miss Lu, Xu Qing's expression suddenly changed and he asked about the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven.

"It seems that Master Nie was not seen in this Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony."

Xu Qing clearly remembered that no matter in the square of Qifeng Palace or on the top of Laojun Mountain, he never saw the figure of Master Nie, who was over 70 years old.

Yao Cheng replied respectfully: "My Lord, my Master Nie is old. The terrain of Laojun Mountain is dangerous and the roads are rugged. He is not very suitable for physical work such as mountain climbing."

Although what Butler Yao said made sense, Xu Qing understood the meaning.

Although the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven required all officials to eat and travel with the emperor, some elderly people also enjoyed privileges and were transported by horse-drawn carriages.

Although the road to Laojun Mountain is winding, judging from what Xu Qing saw when he last visited him, Master Nie should be still strong and have the energy to participate in such celebrations.

"Butler Yao, Master Nie did not attend the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony. Perhaps he was dissatisfied with the Queen Mother's plan to change the imperial system, right?"

When Yao Cheng heard Xu Qing's guess, he looked up in surprise.

As a doctor of the Imperial Academy and a leader of Confucianism, Master Nie naturally took this into consideration.

The statement just now was indeed an excuse to fool outsiders. After all, there were more and more rumors coming out of the palace. It was said that this empress dowager, a relative of the emperor, seemed to want to change the imperial system that had existed for thousands of years and ascend the throne as a woman.

This kind of act of usurping power and seizing the throne, especially by using a woman's body, sounds contrary to the secular moral code.

So Master Nie chose to stay out of the matter and wait and see what changes the Queen Mother's actions would bring to Da Qi.

Yao Cheng didn't expect Xu Qing to consider this step, and he didn't expect the latter to take the initiative to put forward another suggestion.

"Then I will follow Wan He's advice and let her stay in Nie Mansion for a while longer."

Yao Cheng remembered that Xu Qing really wanted to take Lu Wanhe out of the mansion. If Miss Lu had not taken the initiative to ask to stay in the Nie Mansion for a few more days, I'm afraid Miss Lu would have been taken back to the palace that day.

Now seeing Xu Qing taking the initiative to let Lu Wanhe stay for a few more days, he thought he had heard wrongly.

"What do you think, Steward Yao? Do we need to discuss this with the people in the mansion?"

Housekeeper Yao woke up from his trance and waved his hands, saying, "My Lord, I can make the decision for you on this matter. Miss Lu... Madam Lu is well-known in the capital now, so why would the Nie family be unwilling?"

Then, as if he was afraid that Xu Qing might change his mind at the last minute, he bowed and said politely, "Your Majesty has a lot of important matters to attend to, so I will go back to the mansion to inform the master and Madam Lu first, and will not bother you any more."

"it is good."

Watching Butler Yao being led away from the hall by Cui'er and walking towards the mansion gate, Qin Shuying looked back at Xu Qing with a smile.

Her eyes were as flowing as autumn water, her eyebrows were slightly raised, with a hint of lazy charm that made people unable to help but be fascinated.

"My husband left Sister Lu in the Nie Mansion because he was worried about her weak body and afraid that she would be involved in the affairs of the White Lotus Sect?"

"Yes."

After Xu Qing learned about Master Nie's position and attitude, he decided to let Lu Wanhe stay in the Nie Mansion temporarily.

After all, the White Lotus Sect and Princess Danyang that he was going to deal with next were both extremely difficult to deal with, and many of the opponent's forces were hiding in the dark.

If she showed her concern and care for Lu Wanhe, these omnipresent guys would definitely find an excuse to attack her.

Qin Shuying saw an unshakable will in the eyes of this usually gentle boy.

She gradually realized that the other party was no longer the weak young man from a noble family.

After a moment's silence, Qin Shuying sighed softly and stood up.

She walked forward, took Xu Qing's arm, gently sat on his lap, and then stared at Xu Qing with her bright eyes.

"Husband, since you are worried that Sister Lu will be targeted by thieves, don't you have to show that you care more about Shuying during this period of time?"

Xu Qing thought about it and suddenly felt that what Qin Shuying said made sense.

Then, a faint blush appeared on Qin Shuying's beautiful and delicate cheeks. She slowly closed her eyes and lowered her head to kiss him.

Xu Qing subconsciously raised his hand to touch her back and could feel a burning temperature and the trembling delicate body.

Yang Liu at the door secretly peeked inside, and after seeing her master doing it in broad daylight and asking for a kiss without any reservation, her face turned red with shame and she closed the door carefully.

It happened that Cui'er had just sent the Nie Mansion's steward away and was walking back from the direction of the main gate.

"Have the young lady and the young master returned?"

"Shh, don't ask."

Yang Liu interrupted Cui'er's question, pushed her away and was about to walk away.

But as she walked, she looked back at the door of the hall, imagining the style and charm of her young master, and ripples of emotion began to form in her heart.

...Although there were turmoil in the capital, the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven and the death of Emperor Xuan this month, the paradise banquet of Princess Danyang was still held as usual.

Xu Qing had been in the Guangping Marquis' Mansion for less than two days when Princess Danyang sent a servant to deliver an invitation.

The font on this invitation was made of gold powder glued to the grooves, which shocked Xu Qing, who had seen all kinds of patterns.

Moreover, Princess Danyang also presented rare and precious gifts to the distinguished guests on the first batch of invitations. The one sent to the mansion was a blood jade coral that was two and a half meters tall. According to Qin Shuying, this was almost comparable to the treasures in the palace.

From this we can see how extravagant this paradise banquet was before it even took place.

The day before the Paradise Banquet was held, the Five Cities Military Division and Kyoto Prefecture in the city even joined forces to seal off the markets and streets near the princess's mansion.

On the day of the banquet, when Xu Qing arrived at the princess's mansion in a carriage, the place was already crowded with people and very lively.

As soon as Xu Qing got off the car from the back door of the princess's mansion, he saw gorgeous palace lanterns lighting up the road in front of him. Colorfully painted screens filled the entire mansion, emitting a faint fragrance.

There are also countless pear wood supports holding up the light-colored curtains, connecting this place from beginning to end.

Because it is winter, many places have charcoal grills wrapped in colorful boxes to make the outside seem less cold.

"Xu... Marquis!"

Xu Qing turned around and saw that it was Huang Sheng.

The two had met once in the square before the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven. The other party was the heir of the Yunnan medicinal materials family.

"Brother Huang."

Huang Sheng was delighted to see that Xu Qing did not distance himself from him because of his promotion and title, and was extremely grateful that he had mustered up the courage to get to know Xu Qing.

He smiled and asked, "Is the Marquis also coming to the Paradise Banquet today? I heard that the Marquis has four beautiful wives and concubines in his mansion. Won't they be jealous?"

The expression on Huang Sheng's face was filled with meaning that all men could understand.

After all, the Paradise Banquet organized by Princess Danyang herself was a well-known ecstasy cave in the capital. Even a place as extravagant and decadent as Wangyue Tower was not even one-tenth as good as this banquet.

"In my family, I have the final say."

Xu Qing's attitude towards Huang Sheng could not be described as good nor bad, but seeing the dense beads of sweat under the other's neck, he thought that the other party had arrived at the princess's mansion in advance and had figured out the situation here.

"My Lord is generous."

Xu Qing nodded, looked back at the officials and dignitaries who were coming and going at the door, and asked Huang Sheng in surprise: "I remember that the princess's mansion is large, but most of it is a garden with rockery and strange rocks? I heard that Princess Danyang has distributed more than 30,000 invitations in the capital. Where can I find the space to accommodate so many people?"

"To be honest, my Lord, I have been here for a while and have learned almost everything about the Paradise Banquet... A mere princess mansion cannot accommodate so many people, but what if the banquet is held underground instead of above ground?"

"underground?"

Huang Sheng nodded seriously, then he revealed a mysterious smile, waved away the maid from the princess's mansion who came to lead the way, and brought Xu Qing to the main hall of the mansion.

As soon as he walked into the house, Xu Qing saw that the mural on the wall was divided into two halves, and a long corridor appeared there, for the distinguished guests attending the Paradise Banquet to go to the venue.

The two of them went down the corridor.

"It is said that the rockery and strange rocks in the princess's mansion, as well as each house, have secret passages leading underground... These secret passages were originally built by a prince of the previous dynasty for escape and food storage, but after they were discovered by Princess Danyang, she painstakingly managed them and transformed them into what they are today."

As soon as the words fell, the two of them stepped out along the long and narrow corridor, and the scenery in front of them suddenly became clear with the bright light.

The place they entered happened to be on the surrounding high ground. They could see that the rock cave below, which was supposed to be uneven, rugged and winding, had turned into a huge square surrounded by lights and colorful paintings, which was almost comparable to the regular football field in Xu Qing's memory of his previous life.

Not only that, the floors were smoothed by Princess Danyang using some technique and covered with soft Persian long-haired carpets.

With their bright colors and soft fur, these rugs are worth a fortune on their own, let alone when used to cover an entire space.

Looking around, the luxurious and elegant tables, stages, and countless delicacies below are almost like the legendary paradise.

"The Royal Merchant of Yunnan and Yunnan, Young Master Huang has arrived."

"Marquis Guangping, Lord Xu is here."

The young eunuch standing at the door to sign up had a feminine voice, but he had practiced some special technique so that his guttural sounds could spread throughout the entire space.

When the people below heard Xu Qing's background, they all turned around and saluted him to show their respect.

Xu Qing looked down at so many people who were in awe of him. He raised his eyebrows and nodded in response.

Although this attitude and behavior was somewhat disrespectful, given his current identity and status, no one in the entire Da Qi dared to make trouble for him.

Then, a girl dressed as a maid came over from the crowd and whispered, "My Lord, Princess Danyang has prepared the best seat for you. Please come with me."

Huang Sheng originally wanted to be Xu Qing's guide and take the opportunity to bring the two closer.

When he heard that the Lord of Danyang wanted to meet Xu Qing in person, he quickly stepped aside and bowed.

Xu Qing responded with a "OK" and followed the maid through the high place and came to a high platform.

The view here is extremely broad, and you can almost overlook the entire stage and the surrounding area while sitting here.

It was a pity that his was the only stand with a good view, and apart from himself and the wine and food on the table, there were no other spectators.

Xu Qing was stunned for a moment, then realized that he had come to the legendary VIP box.

I didn't expect that I would be treated like this even if I traveled back to the ancient society with low productivity.

"My Lord, if you have anything to say, just tell me."

"Where is Princess Danyang?"

Xu Qing originally thought that Princess Danyang would be waiting for him here, but judging from the maid's expression and the table on the ground, it seemed that he was the only one here.

"The princess is still preparing for tonight's dinner and will not be here for the time being... After the treasure show is over, the princess will be the one to prepare for the show."

The servant had obviously prepared her words, and answered clearly: "After the show is over, this blissful banquet will begin. My Lord, you can go down and enjoy the beautiful scenery with the princess."

Xu Qing glanced at the people sitting below and had his own guesses in his mind.

Although the name of the Paradise Banquet is a bit intimidating and the venue is luxuriously decorated, the so-called banquet is definitely inseparable from singing and dancing.

He didn't think that there was anyone in the entire Da Qi who could dance better than Qin Shuying. It was just because of the purpose of investigating the White Lotus Sect tonight that he had to sit here and watch this boring show.

(End of this chapter)