Chapter 263
Chapter 263
The rumors about the general from the Du Region being beaten back had become incredibly hot gossip. The villagers talked about it with great enthusiasm. Most of them sided with Official Mu, who was a noble of the Bai Region and a native of Bai. Whenever they saw someone from the Du Region, with whom they had been instilled with hatred for a long time, they always felt a desire to hit them.
Even though there were many beautiful women who admired General Deng’s appearance, when they spoke out, they found themselves even more appreciative of Official Mu. The sight of him fearlessly protecting his wife only added to their admiration.
The nobility who heard of this incident pretended not to know about it. If it wasn’t a case of collective bullying, even the diplomatic representatives didn’t mention it. Some directly asked General Deng, but he dismissed the matter. Since he wasn’t pursuing it, why should they step in to help?
As the last day of the visit ended, many people eagerly saw off the representatives. The Young General, now wearing thick clothes to cover the large wound on his chest, showed no emotion, as if he had never heard of the incident. However, his gaze fixed on Mu Heng was filled with rage.
Perhaps he had forgotten that he came here to harass his former fiancée, because now his target was no longer anyone but Mu Heng. Before, Yueqian had trampled on his confidence since they were children, making him feel he had to defeat her someday. But before he could overcome the young woman, he had to face defeat at the hands of this lowly man.
To him, Yueqian was an opponent he could respect. He had seen her grow up, and they had faced many trials and battles together. But Mu Heng, who was nothing more than a piece of trash in his eyes, had now grown into a trusted noble with superior combat skills. How well could a villager be trained in swordsmanship? Yet, this villager, trained long after him, had managed to surpass him.
"May the delegation have a safe journey," the Emperor of the Bai Region said. Today, he personally honored the delegation with his presence. With everything concluded smoothly, as the ruler of the Region, he was naturally pleased.
"Then, when there is another opportunity, I will have to trouble Your Majesty again," Delegate Qin said respectfully. After that, he signaled for his party to set out. Today, they needed to hurry a bit, as their destination was not a city but a forest where they had to ensure their own safety.
Once the representatives had departed, the highest-ranking person there looked around and saw the nobles and royal family members visibly relaxing. At last, this reception did not lead to any chaos. Despite the previous headaches, since the outcome was favorable, as the Emperor, he should reward them.
"I appreciate your cooperation in this matter. In a few days, I will issue a royal decree to reward everyone’s hard work," the Emperor said seriously. The nobles eagerly responded with anticipation.
"It is Your Majesty’s great kindness," they replied in unison, making the Emperor smile. The golden hem of his robe swayed slightly with his movement. Everyone thought the Emperor was about to return, as even the eunuch announced, "The Emperor is returning." However, his steps halted in front of a couple, as if he had just remembered something.
"I heard that you are preparing a banquet to celebrate your promotion in a few days. This is indeed a worthy event. However, you should also hold a banquet to elevate your wife’s status simultaneously. I will preside over the event myself, or do you think someone else is more suitable?"
Hearing the Emperor’s words, how could Mu Heng and Yueqian dare to object? The couple quickly knelt down, although Yueqian was promptly helped up by the empress’s court lady on a sudden order. Nevertheless, they had shown the utmost respect, and no one could criticize them further.
"This is an immense grace, far more than I deserve, Your Majesty. I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s kindness. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years," Mu Heng said, his voice steady and firm. He did not show excessive joy or sorrow, but his words conveyed a sense of honor for his life and lineage.
Naturally, the noble’s statement made Mu Heng even happier than his own promotion. It meant his wife would also receive the status she had hoped for. Moreover, with the Emperor personally attending the ceremony, it signified that they were directly endorsed by the Emperor. The position of First Ranked Furen for Yueqian was now assured.
"Haha," the person who heard this laughed heartily. He had already planned to promote Yueqian because she was truly capable. This time, they had gained numerous benefits due to her knowledge. She had saved many lives in the Bai Region; without her medicine, the number of patients who would have died would surely have been much higher.
Aside from her expertise in medicine preparation, she also had knowledge of growing herbs. By solving the first problem, she also addressed the second. Because of this, the Hu Region valued them more, willing to exchange many resources and increasing their regard for the Bai Region.
These benefits alone were enough to elevate her to a higher status as the Honored Furen. The representatives mentioned Furen Mu again, saying she was worthy of being called a royal physician. She knew how to treat heart diseases and identified the poison that other royal physicians didn’t even realize they had consumed.
Not only that, she could identify the poisons they ingested, which even the royal physicians had unknowingly consumed. This was true capability!
Representative Ma said he would send a letter inviting Furen Mu to the Hu Region to exchange knowledge as a royal physician of Bai. This exchange was incredibly important. Had any other royal physicians of Bai received such an invitation? The answer was no!
They were seen as a remote, valueless land. Never before had the Hu Region acknowledged their abilities. But Representative Ma’s words this time elevated their medical status, all thanks to Furen Mu! It could be said that having her in Bai Region was a significant strength.
Upon hearing these words from the Hu Region representative, he also spoke with his elder brother, who held the title of Wang of the Region and had traveled everywhere, even disguising himself as a bandit in the Du Region. This was a private conversation, but in his heart, he truly believed it.
The people of the Du Region were truly foolish! Not only had they let a crouching tiger and hidden dragon like Mu Heng go, but they had also lost a phoenix with the power to restore and elevate the land to greatness, now residing in the Bai Region.
Thus, the preparations for the banquet at Mu manor became much more hectic. Mu Heng and Yueqian later decided to move to the Cold Jade Palace they had previously received from the Wang. Now, it was beautifully decorated and ready to live in. The couple thought that since they had to hold a housewarming party and invite many guests for blessings, they might as well combine it with the banquet celebrating their new positions. The plan included a small ceremony in the morning, followed by a feast, drinking, and performances from the afternoon until evening.
Since the Emperor had said he would attend, the banquet had to be held after official hours. This meant that high-ranking officials would also need to attend at that time. Initially, they had only planned to invite the nobles allied with the Second Prince. Now, they had to change their plans. With the attendance of the highest authority in the land, they had to invite all the prominent figures as well.
The morning was planned for the ceremony, and from 11:00 AM onwards, minor officials would be allowed to come and offer their blessings. They couldn’t attend during the Emperor’s visit, necessitating an all-day event.
The problem of organizing the event was mitigated with the help of the Wang and the Second Prince, who provided their own people to assist. On the first day of planning, the helpers from both palaces, along with additional staff hired by Mu Heng, were ready to listen to orders and the plan.
"Furen, these people are waiting to hear how you will organize the event or if you have any instructions. They will be here to assist us at the manor for the next half month," Wan Gui said excitedly. She now seemed like a person of great importance, as even the court ladies from the two palaces had to report to her.
This was to ensure no one slacked off. The list of court ladies was directly sent from the palace supervisors. Every day for the next 15 days, they would assist in organizing the grand banquet at Mu manor. The Wang and the Second Prince believed that Master Mu and Furen Mu lacked experience in this area and needed help with the minor but different customs.
"Thank you very much. This Mu manor has only recently become the Mu manor, and there are still some matters that need attention. From now on, please help us take care of it," Yueqian said sincerely.
These individuals were crucial. This event was both an opportunity and a potential crisis. If the first banquet at the Mu manor went well, hosting the Emperor of the Region would certainly be significant. Afterwards, people would surely speak of them as prominent nobles.
But if it was not done well, heads would surely roll. She could not allow any mistakes to happen at her manor. The Wang and the Second Prince shared the same sentiment. Therefore, they needed to ensure everything was perfectly in order and selected over 100 trusted court ladies to assist. Each of them had experience in organizing grand events.
"We are ready to take orders, Furen," all the court ladies said in unison. Their demeanor showed that they were well-trained and disciplined, even in the tone of their voices. This reassured Yueqian.
She and her husband could only buy unskilled servants. It was extremely difficult to find servants knowledgeable in managing the affairs of a large household. Of the more than 100 servants they acquired, only 2 or 3 had such knowledge. The rest were poor, selling themselves for money, some forced into it, others in debt, selling themselves to avoid being killed by creditors. How could they have any skills?
"Ah, let’s get started then," Yueqian did not hesitate.
She had only a few days before the event. The first task already underway was cleaning and decorating the area. The laborers she bought were good at this kind of work, moving items without complaint. The next task was to prepare the materials for the ceremony and other activities.
"Who among you can go buy items for the ceremony? I need five of you. After purchasing the items, you will also need to help decorate for the morning ceremony and clean up before noon on the event day. Your duties will be to oversee the religious ceremonies," Yueqian asked. Five court ladies who were close friends quickly raised their hands, wanting to work together. If they raised their hands at different times, they would have to work with others, which might be more troublesome.
See, even the court ladies formed cliques...
"So, you five will handle this task. Next is welcoming the various nobles. For this, we need to prepare some small dishes to welcome them. We will need to hire many cooks and helpers, but we already have a list of ingredients from the cooks. Those taking on this task will need to go buy all the necessary items. After that, you will be responsible for bringing the food from the kitchen to the guests who arrive early. I need 20 people for this," Yueqian said. A group of people slowly raised their hands until there were 20.
"Next is the group that will handle the party favors. My husband and I have decided to give small gifts as mementos to those who attend the event at Mu manor. For the first group of guests, we will give a set of tea cups according to the seasons. Each family that brings a gift for us will receive a set for all four seasons."
When the furen of the manor said this, the court ladies were a bit surprised by this unusual custom. Moreover, giving a set of seasonal teacups would require a significant amount of money, wouldn’t it? This meant she would need teacups for the spring season (March-May), the summer season (June-August), the autumn season (September-November), and the winter season (December-February).
To say that a set of teacups for all four seasons must not lack any particular design was no small feat. It would not be easy for someone to create such works of art. Thus, it seemed impossible for her to give these to all the guests.
However, what Yueqian said next left them even more astonished. If they thought the idea of seasonal teacups was difficult, the next gift was downright impossible.