Lin Daiyu's Rebirth

Chapter 34 Birthday of the Queen Mother

"My lady, I am the wife of this mansion.

It’s so late. If you were from here, I would send Xiao Quanzi to take you back.

If you are from out of town, you can stay in our house for the time being if you don’t mind,” said the eldest wife kindly.

In this way, the eldest wife took her back to the mansion and let her rest for a night.

The next day, before dawn, the first wife got up early, washed and put on makeup, and asked Cailian to help her pick out suitable clothes for today's banquet.

Xiao Quanzi suddenly came in and said, "Madam, the girl we rescued yesterday wants to see you."

At this time, Cai Lian was drawing eyebrows for the eldest lady. After hearing this, the eldest lady waved her hand and asked Cai Lian to go down first.

The eldest wife thought that she was just a country girl. Maybe she had encountered difficulties in Beijing, or there was an emergency at home. If she gave her a few taels of silver, she could go to find her relatives or buy things, and they would still know each other.

At this time, the girl walked in and said, "Greetings to Madam. I have come to the capital to look for relatives. Madam, your family is either rich or noble, not an ordinary family. I hope Madam can help me find an old friend."

The eldest wife's eyes lit up, and she smiled and said, "Miss, who are you looking for? Tell me, if I can help, I will definitely be happy to help."

The girl fell to her knees and cried, "I am from Suzhou in the southern province, and my girl is in love with Prince Beijing in the capital.

The prince has been busy with family matters recently and hasn't visited the girl for a long time. Meanwhile, the girl was falsely accused and taken to the prefectural jail."

The eldest wife waved her hand and smiled, "I don't know the Prince of Beijing in the capital. How about this, you stay in the mansion for a few days, and I'll send someone to help you find out, okay?"

The eldest wife smiled and asked Cailian to take her to the backyard, and instructed her to let her live, eat and play with the maids, and not to treat her badly.

After the girl left, the eldest wife ordered Xiao Quanzi not to let her meet the prince until today's banquet was approved.

"Go tell the maids to serve her well and keep their mouths shut. Don't tell them this is Prince Beijing's mansion."

Xiao Luzi came over and said, "Big Lady, the prince asked me to see that we are ready to set off."

The eldest wife quickly put on her clothes, put on makeup, took Xiao Quanzi with her, and went to the courtyard.

When she arrived at the front yard, everyone had been waiting for a long time.

The prince had sent a carriage, and his two concubines, Lang Gege, were dressed neatly and waiting for her respectfully.

Everyone paid their respects to the eldest wife, who smiled and told them to leave their formalities and wait for her return. She took the prince's hand and got into the carriage.

Humph, aren't you very good at vying for favor? On such an important day as today, why didn't you get on the carriage with the prince? This wife treats you well, otherwise you wouldn't have such a good life. The eldest wife thought, with a smug smile on her face.

Humph, you are all like fairies. You haven't sorted out the things at home, and you can't help yourself outside. When I'm done with my work today, you'll be in trouble.

In order to show off that the prince was taking her to the palace, the first wife leaned her head on the prince as soon as she got on the carriage.

The palace is so crowded and bustling today.

The word "longevity" was pasted everywhere in the palace, and red streamers were stuck on the trees, creating a festive atmosphere.

The princes and their wives from all the royal palaces, as well as the masters and wives of the Duke of Gong'an and the Duke of Rong of Qing State, had all arrived. They all wore Manchu clothing and came behind the rockery, waiting for the arrival of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.

At this time, the eunuch came to announce: "The Empress Dowager and the Emperor have arrived!"

The concubines, palace maids, eunuchs in charge of each palace, as well as the princes and their wives in the palace, all the masters, ladies and ministers knelt down and paid their respects to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.

The birthday ceremony began, and the prince led the eunuchs to arrange everyone's seats.

A large character for "longevity" written in gold was pasted on the rockery. The emperor, the empress dowager and the queen sat in front of the character, and a red carpet was laid on the ground.

There is an open space in the middle, which serves as a stage for performances.

Everyone is looking forward to the next performance.

On the east side, a group of concubines sat elegantly. They were wearing Manchu clothing, gorgeous mandarin headdresses, and smiling, like flowers blooming in spring.

On the west side sat the princes, dukes, and their wives from various palaces, all of them with dignified demeanor, composed expressions, and extraordinary bearing.

On the south side are the court ministers, who are dressed in official uniforms, with serious faces and eyes that reveal wisdom and loyalty.

Prince Beijing walked to the center of the stage and said with a smile, "Today we wish the Queen Mother a long life and everlasting beauty."

After saying that, he clapped his hands gently, and three young women with veils walked to the center of the stage.

A woman in a green Mongolian gauze skirt sits quietly beside the table, holding a pipa in her arms, her fingers gently plucking the strings, producing a melodious tune.

The other one was wearing pink Hanfu, a traditional Chinese dress from the Central Plains. She stood gracefully, holding a long flute and playing sweet notes lightly.

The third woman sat between the two of them, wearing a purple-red cheongsam and playing the guzheng gracefully. Beautiful music flowed from her fingertips like flowing water.

I saw a woman playing the guzheng, while playing the instrument, she softly chanted:

The tide of the Chunjiang River connects to the sea, and the moon and the sea coexist.

Yanyan followed the waves for thousands of miles, where is the spring river without moonlight.

The river flows around Fangdian, and the moonlit flowers and forests look like hail.

The other two women followed her rhythm, sometimes rising and falling, sometimes gentle and melodious.

Everyone watched their performance quietly. The three women seemed to bring everyone into the rippling river.

Everyone was attracted to them.

Suddenly the woman's voice changed and she said

Last night the dream of Xiantan fell, and Poor Chun didn't return home.

The river flows and spring is gone, and the river pond falls to the west.

The oblique moon sinks into the sea fog, and the Jieshi Xiaoxiang Road is endless.

I don't know how many people will return to Chengyue, but the moon is full of love.

The whole piece of music is graceful and lingering, hazy, ethereal and full of ups and downs.

At this time, the woman playing the guzheng took off her veil and said to everyone with a smile: "This is an ancient song, Spring River Moon Night, by Zhang Ruoxu from the Tang Dynasty.

Based on his poem, I used the music of the guzheng, changxiao, and pipa to wish our Queen Mother a long life and good health, and may every year be filled with joy and happiness.

When everyone looked, they found that it was the eldest wife of Prince Beijing.

Everyone told the prince that he was so lucky and that his first wife was truly a remarkable woman with both talent and beauty.

After the eldest wife finished speaking, she took the other two women, bowed to the empress dowager, and left.

At this time, the emperor said: "Today is my mother's birthday. Thank you, Prince Beijing, for preparing the ceremony for her.

The prince and his wife are truly a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman."

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "This Thirteenth Prince, I really like him more and more. I didn't expect that his wife is also beautiful, talented and virtuous.

Emperor, I must find some good things to reward them later."

At this time, Prince Beijing and his wife hurried over to kowtow and express their gratitude.

Everyone looked at the couple with envy.