Chapter 199 Birthday Banquet, Crowded

A day later, Yu Qingyi and others arrived at Chongshan Pass, and six horse-drawn carriages stopped directly in front of the gate of the Yang family's courtyard inside the pass.

"Is this our yard?" Yu Qingyi got off the carriage with the help of Qingxia and looked at the small courtyard in front of him with some curiosity.

"Madam, this is our home in Guancheng." Ding Qiu hurriedly stepped forward and replied.

This courtyard is the one Zhou Lan gave it. Although the Yang family has not lived here permanently in recent years, occasionally when someone from the Yang family comes to Chongshanguan, someone will stay here for a few days.

On weekdays, the yard is cleaned by the servants of the Luo family, so it is very clean and all kinds of daily necessities are available.

Although Yu Qingyi knew that the Yang family had a courtyard in Chongshanguan, she had never been there.

Everyone got off the carriage, and when Ding Qiu was about to knock on the door, the door opened from the inside.

"Hey, it turns out that Steward Ding is here!"

There was a white-haired old man standing inside the door. He looked at Ding Qiu with his eyes stunned.

This old man is the person arranged by the Luo family to look after the yard.

He opened the door only after hearing some noise outside.

Ding Qiu often came to Chongshan Pass with the Yang family, so the old man was very familiar with Ding Qiu.

"Old An, the lady and the two young ladies are here." Ding Qiu nodded as a greeting and said at the same time.

Madam and Miss!
Old An was startled, then looked towards the carriage outside the door, and saw Yu Qingyi walking over surrounded by her maids. He quickly pushed open the two doors and said, "This old servant greets the Madam!"

"Yes!" Yu Qingyi nodded to him kindly, and then entered the courtyard under the guidance of Ding Qiu.

The courtyard is not big, but it can still accommodate thirty or forty people. Of course, they don’t squeeze in the main house, but in the front yard and the back room.

This time, so many servants and guards came to the Yang family at once, and it was the first time that the courtyard was so lively.

Yu Qingyi walked around the courtyard and started to arrange his own accommodation.

Although they would only stay in Guancheng for a few days, they still had to make the necessary arrangements, especially for Yang Yunxue. An unmarried girl must pay special attention to her accommodation.

Yu Qingyi had just finished arranging things when Nanny Song beside her came over to report: "Madam, Madam Luo is here!"

"Mrs. Luo!" Yu Qingyi didn't react for a moment to who this Mrs. Luo was.

"She is Shopkeeper Luo Zhen's mother!" Nanny Song reminded.

Yu Qingyi suddenly realized that she had not had much contact with the Luo family, and all contacts with the Luo family were handled by Yang Zhengshan himself, so she did not know much about the Luo family.

She looked around the main room and saw that there was nothing wrong, so she said, "Then invite the people over!"

"Mrs. Luo also brought the eldest daughter of the Luo family!" Nanny Song reminded again.

Yu Qingyi nodded, "Well, please come over together!"

Needless to say, the relationship between the Yang family and the Luo family is very clear. Yu Qingyi also knows that Yang Zhengshan attaches great importance to Luo Shang and his son.

Soon, Nanny Song came over with a lady in her forties and a girl about thirteen or fourteen years old.

The mother and daughter were dressed simply, unlike the other merchants who were dressed fancy.

"Greetings, Madam!" The two men came in and greeted respectfully.

Yu Qingyi stood up and said with a smile: "Sister Zhang, there is no need to be polite. Please take a seat!"

When she heard Yu Qingyi calling her Sister Zhang, Luo Zhang immediately showed a relaxed smile on her face.

She is not a stupid woman. It can even be said that she is smarter than most women. She has contributed to the development of the Luo family to its current level.

If she hadn't been in charge of Chongshan Pass, how could Luo Shang and Luo Zhen have left Chongshan Pass so confidently and traveled outside.

The importance of the Yang family to the Luo family is self-evident.

Without Yang Zhengshan's support, the Luo family would never have been able to develop, and in the future the Luo family would need Yang Zhengshan's support even more.

It can be said that the future of the Luo family is inseparable from the Yang family. Perhaps the Luo family will be able to find other backers in the future, but even if they have other backers, who can guarantee that the new backers can support the Luo family as much as Yang Zhengshan, and be as generous and magnanimous as Yang Zhengshan.

That’s right, Yang Zhengshan is generous and magnanimous.

Collusion between officials and wealthy businessmen is common, but such relationships are mostly centered on officials, and most of the profits made by wealthy businessmen will be taken away by officials.

In comparison, Yang Zhengshan didn't ask for much, or one could even say that he asked for very little.

Therefore, the Luo family had already reached a consensus, which was to hold on to the Yang family tightly.

Well, Zhou Lan is Yang Zhengshan’s close friend, and Yang Zhengshan is the Luo family’s close friend. There is nothing wrong with that.

Before Luo Zhang came, she was worried that Yu Qingyi, Madam Yang, would be difficult to get along with, but now she is relieved.

"Madam, please sit down first!"

Yu Qingyi didn't refuse and sat down first.

Luo Zhang then sat down and said, "This is my eldest daughter, Xi'er."

"Xi'er greets Madam!" Luo Xi bowed to Yu Qingyi again.

Yu Qingyi took a look at the little girl. She looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old. She was not very pretty, but had a delicate appearance like a pretty girl from a small family.

"She's so pretty!" Yu Qingyi praised.

As she spoke, she stretched out her hand to Nanny Lin beside her, and Nanny Lin immediately handed her a small wooden box.

"Here, I don't have anything good here. I just happened to see a nice piece of white jade some time ago, so I made a few jade ornaments. These two bracelets are for you!"

Yu Qingyi handed the wooden box to the little girl. The little girl looked at Luo Zhangshi, who smiled and said, "Since it was given by the Madam, you should keep it!"

"Thank you, ma'am!" The little girl accepted it.

Then the two of them started chatting, mainly Luo Zhang who was talking about the situation in Chongshan Pass, especially the birthday banquet at the Marquis' Mansion.

Although the Luo family was not qualified to attend the birthday banquet at the Marquis' Mansion, the Luo family had been operating in Chongshan Pass for many years after all, and they were well-informed about the news, so Luo Zhang knew a lot about the Marquis' Mansion and the birthday banquet.

And now Yu Qingyi needs this information.

"Madam, I heard that even people from Kyoto came to attend the birthday banquet this time!"

"Kyoto, do you know who is coming?" Yu Qingyi asked.

"That, I don't know!" Luo Zhang smiled a little uncomfortably, "It is said that those who came here are from noble families, but which ones they are specifically, it is not something that we lowly merchants can find out!"

Yu Qingyi thought about it and felt that it was a bit stupid to ask this question.

Not to mention the Luo family, even the Yang family couldn’t find out about this matter.

"Are there any rumors about Chongshan Pass?" Yu Qingyi asked.

Luo Zhang's eyes lit up slightly, and she lowered her voice and said, "Yes, but I don't know if it's true!"

"Someone will go out to conquer the Hu bandits next year. Few people know about this rumor. It's only because our Luo family has more business now and has done a lot of business with some military officers that we heard a little bit of it."

Today, the Luo family’s business covers a wide range, and they have connections with many low-level military officers in the Chongshanguan Town Standard Camp.

Of course, these relationships are just ordinary ones and cannot be considered intimate.

For example, the Luo family often has to maintain relationships with those who are responsible for guarding the city gate of Chongshan Pass and those who are responsible for patrolling and maintaining security inside the city.

Although the Luo family has the support of Yang Zhengshan, it does not mean that the Luo family does not need to take care of other relationships.

When Yu Qingyi heard this, he knew in his heart that the expedition against the Hu tribe in the East China Sea next year was probably a reality.

After that, the two chatted a lot until dusk, when Luo Zhang finally said goodbye.

Originally, Yu Qingyi wanted to stay for dinner. She had a very good impression of Luo Zhangshi and didn't mind chatting with her more.

But they had just arrived today and many things had not been sorted out yet, so Yu Qingyi had to give up the idea of ​​keeping them for dinner.

"Sister Zhang, let Xi'er come with me to the Marquis' Mansion to celebrate his birthday tomorrow."

When seeing Luo Zhang off, Yu Qingyi suddenly said.

Luo Zhang was stunned, then surprised and happy, "Is this appropriate?"

"What's wrong with that? I'm just going along to see the world. It's not a big deal!" Yu Qingyi said with a smile, "It's a good opportunity for Xi'er and Xue'er to keep each other company."

The door of the Marquis' Mansion is not something that ordinary people can step into, and the Luo family is just a merchant, so it is almost impossible for them to enter the door of the Marquis' Mansion.

Yu Qingyi also thought that Luo Xi was a very well-behaved girl, and wanted to let her keep Yang Yunxue company.

However, this is a great thing for Luo Zhang and Luo Xi.

A place like the Marquis' Mansion is definitely not something they can get. It is a great honor for them to have the opportunity to attend the birthday banquet at the Marquis' Mansion.

Even if they just go to take a look and broaden their horizons, it will be of great benefit to them.

Rosie is also at the age of getting married, and they don't want to find an ideal husband at the birthday party. After all, most of the people who attend the Marquis's birthday party are out of their reach. But they can use this opportunity to raise their own status.

Apart from anything else, the fact that Luo Xi attended the Marquis's wife's birthday banquet made her stand out among all the merchants, and it was also a point worthy of praise when discussing marriage.

After Luo Zhang thanked her, Yu Qingyi sent her out the door.

Silent all night.

The next morning, just as the sky was getting light, the entire Chongshan Pass became bustling.

Every family and every household is preparing to attend the birthday banquet.

There were quite a lot of people attending the Marquis's birthday banquet this time. There were hundreds of officials and their families from Chongshan Town alone, not to mention the nobles from Kyoto.

And these officials' families did not come to Chongshan Pass alone. Each of them was accompanied by a group of servants and guards.

With such a large group of people pouring into Chongshan Pass, it was naturally very lively.

Just after 9 o'clock, carriages appeared on the street and soon the mansion was filled with people.

The Marquis' Mansion in Chongshan Town is not actually a real Marquis' Mansion, but should be a general's mansion. The real Marquis' Mansion of Changping is in Kyoto.

Of course, wherever the Marquis of Changping is, that place can be called the Marquis' Mansion.

The general's mansion is also divided into the front yamen and the back yard. The back yard also has a gate, and it is a very solemn gate.

The gatehouses of dukes and marquises had three rooms and five frames, and the doors were painted with gold and animal faces and had tin rings.

This is not a real marquis's residence, but it is the residence of a general, so it also has a gatehouse with three rooms and five frames, decorated with green oil and animal masks, and decorated with tin rings.

In front of the solemn gate, all kinds of carriages had formed a long line, extending to the end of the street.

The gate opened, and ladies dressed in brocade got off the carriages and walked into the gate, surrounded by servants.

In the gatehouse next door, a group of servants were compiling the gift lists brought by the guests. As for the gifts, they were moved into the mansion through the side door.

In front of the door, there were two ladies in their thirties welcoming guests.

These two ladies were the young ladies of the Marquis’ Mansion, Mrs. Han and Mrs. Fan.

(End of this chapter)