Kuaiwen: Apart from beauty, I only have money in my eyes

"Ah Yue, what kind of tea did you prepare for the chrysanthemum banquet?" Fang Ziyi asked Fang Ziyue.

"I have prepared Dahongpao, Shiyabai, Bijian Mingyue, and Haoding Stone Flower." Fang Ziyue said with her fingers, "I have basically prepared all the teas that everyone likes. Sister, can there be any mistakes? ?" Fang Ziyue said with uneasiness. She had just realized that organizing a chrysanthemum banquet was so laborious. She almost collapsed from exhaustion. She really didn't know how Changsun Ji managed more than ten gatherings a year.

"The Dahongpao is for Yuyu, right?" Yuyu is Changsun Ji's diminutive, and because Fang Ziyi is very close to her, she directly calls her her by the diminutive.

Fang Ziyue said: "Yes, doesn't she only drink Dahongpao? I spent a lot of effort to get the Gu family sister to get some for me."

"Hey." Fang Ziyi said, "Sister Gu asked for the big red robe from Concubine Rong in the palace, right?"

Gu Jingwan is Concubine Rong's niece. Naturally, she asked Concubine Rong to ask for the Dahongpao. Fang Ziyi asked this deliberately.

Fang Ziyue nodded, "Of course."

"Concubine Rong has lost her favor for a long time because of her old age and beauty. She only gave birth to a princess. The big red robes in her house are all scum. The big red robes in Princess Jinyang's mansion were all given by the emperor. It is said that they are only on the top of the rock. A few tea trees produce authentic Dahongpao, which is only one or two pounds a year. All of it is given to the emperor, and the concubine Rong can’t get a share." Fang Ziyi asked her still somewhat naive little cousin, "What do you think? Why does Yuyu only drink Dahongpao?"

Fang Ziyue said ignorantly: "Isn't it because I like it?"

Fang Ziyi sneered, "How is that possible? Yuyu has such a mouth, she only drinks expensive things and not the right ones. In short, she drinks whatever is rare, and it has to be something that others can't drink, otherwise she won't look like the county boss. Your Majesty is coming?"

Fang Ziyue was stunned when she heard this.She had only been in the capital for a few months. She saw that her cousin and Sun Yuyu, the eldest son of Huaning County, had always been close to each other, but she didn't expect that they weren't so compatible in private.

Fang Ziyi naturally saw Fang Ziyue's surprise, so she smiled and said, "Yuyu has many advantages, but he also has many bad flaws." It seemed like the sarcasm just now was a joke.

"Sister, should the Lord Huaning drink the big red robe that Concubine Rong asked for from him?" Fang Ziyue asked again.

"Don't use Dahongpao, or she will definitely kill you. I have some Emei white buds that my brother brought back from Sichuan last time. Although it is not a particularly famous tea, it has a unique and rare flavor." Fang Ziyi said. , "Let's see if we can handle her mouth."

Fang Ziyue nodded quickly.

"This is enough for tea, but we still need to look at the refreshments." Fang Ziyi said, "I asked Chef Lin to make a portion of all the refreshments for the Chrysanthemum Banquet to try. You and I Let’s go try it together.”

Fang Ziyue immediately followed Fang Ziyi to the "Xinxin Pavilion" on Pipa Island in the yard.Ladies in the capital must find a quiet place to have tea, otherwise they will not be worthy of the elegance of tea. Naturally, the refreshments paired with tea must be tried in a quiet place.

After the two sisters sat down in the pavilion, a group of twelve maids wearing green coats and yellow skirts with branches and chrysanthemum patterns came meandering along the waterside holding twelve lacquer plates. Ting Lai first bowed to the two girls, and the 12 people gently raised their hands to form a wavy dance and placed the twelve plates of snacks on the table in a floral pattern.

Fang Ziyue started to order with her fingers, "Chrysanthemum cake, cloud cake, poria cake, jade cake, lotus cake, kidney bean roll, goose pine nut roll, crystal osmanthus cake and that..."

"It's the jade dew group." Fang Ziyi saw that Fang Ziyue couldn't name it, and then she spoke, "That's the flower carved from soufflé."

Fang Ziyue said "tsk, tsk" twice, "Ah, sister, the pastry cook in our house is so good when she goes out to open a shop. There are many styles, some of which I can't recognize."

But Fang Ziyi frowned, "The colors don't quite match. There are too many white ones, and they look a bit monotonous."

"Why is it so monotonous?" Fang Ziyue was puzzled. In her opinion, this was enough to be used as a banquet snack in the palace.

Fang Ziyi sighed, "Hey, forget it, the cook in our house is indeed not very good at desserts, that's it, but she will definitely be despised by Yuyu again."

Are you still being despised for this?Although Fang Ziyue was puzzled, she also said anxiously: "If sister is not satisfied, why don't we ask someone to go out and buy some snacks."

Fang Ziyi quickly shook her head and said: "No, please don't. Do you think you can be rare with things that you can buy outside with money? What people want to eat is the craftsmanship of the cooks and cooks in our house. If you really have to buy it outside, They thought our family couldn’t afford a cook.”

Fang Ziyue couldn't help but start cracking her fingers again, "In the past two years at Princess Jinyang's house, I probably ate no less than twenty kinds of pastries. I thought some of them were bought from pastry shops outside. They were so delicious. , I’m thinking of asking the owner of Huaning County another day to find out where I bought it.”

"But you laughed me to death." Fang Ziyi covered her mouth with a fan and said with a smile. The weather in September was actually quite chilly, but the ladies in the capital still held fans in their hands, mainly to hide their expressions, otherwise it would be easy Offend. "Then where can I buy it? If that's the case, Yuyu's face will be completely lost. There are four cooks in her family who make snacks. One comes from the northwest and specializes in making noodles, and Huaiyang ’s, Lianghu’s, and Ludi’s.”

Speaking of which, Fang Ziyi said again: "Let me tell you a joke, it's from Yuyu's house."

When the joke was mentioned, Fang Ziyue became interested and nodded hurriedly.

"It is said that a girl from the Yuyu family who made dim sum moved out due to illness. Later, she recovered and was hired by a wealthy businessman in Jincheng. The wealthy businessman thought he could taste the dim sum from Princess Jinyang's house now. I ordered seventeen or eight dim sums in one go, but the girl kept shaking her head and said she couldn't make any of them."

"Ah, how is this possible?" Fang Ziyue asked in shock.

Fang Ziyi covered her face with a fan and said with a smile: "But the truth is like this. After the rich businessman asked her carefully, the girl found out that she was in Yuyu's house and she was only responsible for making bun skins." Fang Ziyi also gave the "skin" The two words dragged on for a long time.

Fang Ziyue also covered her mouth with her hand and laughed. "So you just said that the four cooks who make dim sum must be the chief? Plus the other ones who make skins, stuffings, carvings, etc., wouldn't there have to be one hundred and eighty? ?”

"How can it be so exaggerated?" Fang Ziyi laughed again, "But it's about the same."

"In the Princess Mansion, there are only two masters, the Huaning County Master and the Jinyang Princess. How can we eat so much? No wonder there are gatherings held every month. Isn't there too much to eat?" Fang Ziyue said naively.

Fang Ziyi almost died laughing at her silly cousin, and the fan never left her mouth.

After tasting the snacks, Fang Ziyi took Fang Ziyue to the chrysanthemum garden to have a look, and made some comments on the arrangement of the chrysanthemums. While walking, she said to Fang Ziyue: "Forget the other ones that are almost meaningless. After all, our family's Chrysanthemums are so good. Even when I am happy, I envy Uncle Wang in our family. His chrysanthemum care is very famous in the whole capital. Look at the pot of 'scratched beauty face', which was raised by Uncle Wang and cannot be found anywhere else. ." Speaking of this, Fang Ziyi's face lit up with a lot of pride.

If her family had not been an expert in serving chrysanthemums, it would not have been her turn to host this chrysanthemum feast.

But when it came to the first night of the chrysanthemum banquet, Fang Ziyi was a little worried about Fang Ziyue, because she went to her room and asked, "What are you wearing tomorrow?"

In order to integrate into the circle of ladies in the capital, Fang Ziyue was also serious about taking out the new clothes she had prepared and hanging them on hangers.She pointed to the clothes when Fang Ziyi asked, "Sister, I made this new one. I haven't worn it out to see anyone yet." Fang Ziyue now knew that it didn't matter what she wore at home in the capital, but it definitely didn't matter when going out to be a guest. You cannot wear clothes you have worn before.I don’t know what kind of brains those people have. They all remember who wore what clothes a few years ago. If it is repeated, they will be laughed to death.

That's all.Last time Fang Ziyue followed Fang Ziyi to a gathering of little sisters. One of them wore a piece of clothing that was fashionable in the capital two years ago. It was something she had never worn at the time. This time she was ridiculed for wearing it as new. There was a hint of sarcasm.

This is the circle of ladies in the capital, and there is nothing wrong with it.

Fang Ziyi shouted "Oops" as soon as she saw it, which made Fang Ziyue immediately grimace. "Is there anything wrong with this? These are all popular styles in the capital this year. They were made just two days ago."

"Yuyu has sent someone over to deliver a message. The two clothes she is preparing for tomorrow are goose yellow, and the other is primrose green like yours." Fang Ziyi said.

Fang Ziyue didn't understand, "What does what she wears have to do with me?"

Fang Ziyi poked Fang Ziyue's forehead, "It's a big deal. She doesn't like others to compete with her."

Fang Ziyue muttered: "Isn't this too overbearing? We are not allowed to wear the same color she wears?"

Fang Ziyi said: "It's not that you are overbearing. The main thing is that you wear the same color as her. If she doesn't tell you if she is unhappy, you will inevitably be made ugly. Aren't you afraid of people whispering behind your back that you are imitating me?"

Fang Ziyue thought about the face of Huaning County Lord, and her shoulders slumped down. She said anxiously: "But I only have this new set of clothes, and I haven't had time to make anything else. What tricks are you talking about for the clothes made in Ruzhou before?" If you wear something too old, you will be laughed at."

Fang Ziyi hurriedly said: "Don't worry, don't worry, I have two new ones over there, you can wear them first."

"How can that be okay? Cousin, you are taller and thinner than me. How do I look in your clothes?" Fang Ziyue was about to cry, feeling like she was being bullied.The guest is a big bully to the host.

Fang Ziyi sighed, "It's nothing, my shirts are all made loose."

Fang Ziyue couldn't help complaining, "Didn't she have one of her two sets of clothes just as a spare? As long as it doesn't get dirty, she doesn't have to wear the second set."

"Silly Ah Yue." Fang Ziyi said, "The second set won't get dirty. She has to change her clothes after lunch as usual. She dislikes the smell of food on her clothes in the morning and makes her uncomfortable."

Fang Ziyue was dumbfounded, "Her? She still smells like food. Does she think she is a fairy? Don't eat, don't poop, and don't fart if you can."

"Yeah." Fang Ziyi immediately covered half of her face with a fan and looked at Fang Ziyue with disapproval, as if she had farted just now, "How can you, a girl, say such a shameful thing?" Words?"

Fang Ziyue gave up, "Okay, okay, I'll wear yours tomorrow. But are you tired of living like this with her?"

Fang Ziyi put down her fan and said, "Are you tired? Do you know how many people want to associate with us but are not qualified? If you are not my cousin, do you think they can look at you?" Fang Ziyi consciously defended herself. My own elegant gathering circle is here.

Fang Ziyue threw herself on the bed in distress, her eyes red.

Fang Ziyi sighed and walked to the bed, sat down next to Fang Ziyue, and gently touched Fang Ziyue's head with her fan, "Silly girl, why do you think we have worked so hard to integrate into this circle?"

Fang Ziyue buried her head in the quilt and shook it.

"Ah Yue, let me tell you a secret, but you must not tell anyone else."

Fang Ziyue stopped crying when she heard there was a secret. She sat up and leaned on Fang Ziyi's shoulder, "What secret?"

"Third uncle's term has expired this time. His evaluation on defense, politics, and talent are only average. He was originally supposed to stay in his original position. Why do you think he was transferred back to Beijing?" Fang Ziyi asked.

Fang Ziyue said in surprise: "Is my father just average in the evaluation?"

Fang Ziyi was choked in one breath and couldn't say anything else. She could only hate it and said: "You, what are you thinking about all day long? You don't care about such a big thing. What?"

Fang Ziyue rubbed his head, "My father usually doesn't tell me this."

"Forget it, forget it, you just need to know that your third uncle wants to be transferred back to the capital for your marriage, so that you can talk about your marriage in the capital, and you can also watch your future uncle from bullying you," Fang Ziyi said.Of course, this was only the superficial reason for her third uncle to return to Beijing. There were too many things involved behind it, and she wouldn't understand it even if she explained it to Fang Ziyue. "You know my dad, he is in the Ministry of Rites and can't reach into the Ministry of Personnel. In the end, it's up to me to pull the strings." Fang Ziyi felt proud again when talking about this.

Upon hearing this, Fang Ziyue immediately looked at Fang Ziyi with admiration, "Cousin, why do I rely on you?"

"Actually, it's not up to me. As you know, Sister Zhong's uncle is in the Literary Selection Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the doctor in the Examination Department is Sister Xu's second uncle." Fang Ziyi said.Although the two positions are not high-ranking, they are actually positions of real power. They are extremely lucrative. Speaking of it, sometimes even the six ministers are not as effective as them when it comes to handling small things.

After hearing this, Fang Ziyue realized that everyone in Fang Ziyi's circle had a background behind them, but they really couldn't be entered casually.

After all, he was also the child of an official family. Fang Ziyue only had to count the people in Fang Ziyi's circle with her fingers to understand the meaning. "Then speaking of which, the Lord of Huaning County is useless?"

Although the names of princes and princesses may fool people, they have no real power at all and rely on their fiefdoms to make a living. There are many people who are not getting along as they wish.

Fang Ziyi raised her eyebrows, "But Princess Jinyang is different. She is the emperor's only sister, and naturally she can't be used for small things, but when it comes to big things when no one else is useful, you can only rely on her. "

"How do you say this?" Fang Ziyue became interested.

"Huanru, you know, right?" Fang Ziyi said.

Fang Ziyue knew it, and knew it very well.Wei Huanru is the daughter of Xianggong Wei.In this dynasty, only the bachelors of the five major halls can be called Xianggong, and there are only five bachelors of the five major halls in order to prepare for the emperor's consultation on weekdays.

Even though they are not of high rank, all affairs in this dynasty are determined to be learned from the cabinet, and if these five people join forces, they can return the emperor's edict.

Fang Ziyue heard a story, saying that a court official wanted to be promoted, and a concubine in the palace wanted to get an official position for a relative. They went to the emperor to ask for a favor, but the emperor avoided him and just said, "It's useless to ask me. My note, Wei Buliu, has been returned to me."

Wei Buliu is Wei Huanru's father, Mr. Wei Xianggong, and Buliu is his nickname.It was said that he would not read the notes written by the emperor when they were sent to him. When he accumulated twelve notes, he would send them back to the emperor intact without leaving any, hence the nickname "No Leaving".

Look, this is what a bachelor is capable of.

It can be said that Wei Huanru's family background is the least inferior to that of the Huaning County Lord in Fang Ziyi's circle.

"What's wrong with sister Huanru?" Fang Ziyue asked anxiously.

"Her uncle Mr. Guo is famous for his integrity..."

Before Fang Ziyi finished speaking, Fang Ziyue said loudly: "I know, I know, Guo Beihai. Is he very honest? Wasn't it said that he embezzled 5 taels of silver and was beheaded by order? At that time, my father He also sighed and said, this is a rare and good official."

Fang Ziyi said: "That's not true. Do you know why he changed from an honest official to a corrupt one?"

Fang Ziyue shook her head.

"Speaking of which, this is also a family matter. Mr. Guo has been honest all his life, but God has not been able to deal with him. It was too difficult for him to have children, and he never had a son. Later, when he went to Yanzhou to take office, he actually got pregnant by a dancing girl. The child, he coveted the 5 taels of silver just to redeem the dancing girl." Fang Ziyi said.

Fang Ziyue didn't expect to hear such secret information, and couldn't help but exclaimed, "That's it."

"It was precisely because he was honest at the front but greedy for so much money at the back that the emperor was extremely angry. He felt that he had been deceived and wanted to chop off his head. No one could persuade him. In the end, it was Princess Jinyang who came forward and broke into the palace before the execution. When he met the emperor, he cried and said that he was willing to use his life to guarantee that Mr. Guo would not commit the crime again in the future, and that the imperial court would not be without him as an expert in flood control."

It sounds simple, but it was really dangerous at the time. At the moment before the execution, the imperial edict arrived and barely saved Guo Beihai's head. "Even the horse under the eunuch's seat was also a thousand-mile horse brought by Princess Jinyang. If it hadn't been for that horse, the imperial edict would not have been able to catch up." Fang Ziyi sighed, "Just this one thing, Princess Jinyang has made a lot of money in the officialdom. Everyone will respect her since she has a good name." Fang Ziyi thought about her father's evaluation of Princess Jinyang. She was really a powerful woman. She even prepared the horse in advance, which created a legendary story.

When Fang Ziyue heard that Guo Beihai was going to be executed, her heart tightened for a while. Later, when she heard the story of Qianli Ma, she became curious again, "Ah, it seems that when it comes to life-threatening matters, it is Princess Jinyang who has the right to speak. Talk."

Fang Ziyi poked Fang Ziyue's forehead, "So you know how powerful your sister is in this circle, right? You, stop being so petty and go to my place to try on the clothes. If it doesn't work, you can change it if you stay up late. change."

Fang Ziyue nodded.

The chrysanthemums are blooming in September, and it is also a beautiful day. The autumn air is crisp and the sun is shining brightly. The warm sunshine shines on your body, soothing you like lazy feathers, which is very comfortable.

The person waiting outside the second door to welcome the guests was Fang Ziyi's mother. She knew all these noble ladies and was not worried about making mistakes. Moreover, she had a silver face and a very festive smile.

Seeing Sun Ji, the head of Huaning County, get off the carriage, she hurriedly ran over, "Oh, my county head, I haven't seen you for more than two months, why have you grown taller again? You are so slim. You You are the only one who can look energetic in this dress, while others look like short winter melons when they wear it."

Fang Ziyi, the mother-in-law, is full of local flavor in both her speech and behavior. I don’t know where she got it from. Changsun Yuyu cursed, but there was always a reserved smile on his mouth. Answer what Mrs. Fu said.

As soon as Fang Ziyi heard the movement in the yard, she knew that her eldest grandson Yuyu must have arrived. Sure enough, when she looked up, she saw a group of people surrounding her eldest grandson Yuyu, who looked like the Jade Emperor Princess, heading towards the water.

Fang Ziyi hurriedly led Fang Ziyue to greet him.

Fang Ziyue wanted to laugh when she saw the big umbrella on Changsun Yuyu's head with red lotus flowers on the white ground. Fortunately, she had a fan in her hand to cover her mouth.She had never seen such a big umbrella in Changsun Yuyu's place in her life.The umbrella was so big that even with five grown men standing under it, it didn't feel crowded.