northernbook Chapter 328, let's use this one!
Chapter 328, let's use this one!
Tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve, and Xiao Han will enter the palace to attend the Lunar New Year's Eve banquet with the Emperor and the imperial family.
Therefore, the Prince's Mansion set the banquet for tonight, where about a hundred people from all walks of life in the mansion would gather together to have an early New Year's feast.
Of course, the manor will still prepare a New Year's Eve banquet tomorrow, but the prince will not be at the manor to dine with everyone.
Those who live in the suburbs or nearby towns and villages and wish to go back to spend the Lunar New Year with their families can ask for leave and return tomorrow morning.
Those who didn't go back and those who stayed to keep watch gathered together to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
After breakfast, Doctor Yuan also returned to the Prince's residence.
He came back today to join everyone for the banquet, and tomorrow night he will go home to celebrate the New Year with his son, grandson, and granddaughter.
The pharmacy will be closed on the afternoon of New Year's Eve, and the pharmacy staff and apprentices will go home to reunite with their families. Only Xiaoyu is an orphan, so Dr. Yuan decided to take him home with him the next day to celebrate the New Year.
"Good morning, Dr. Yuan!" Steward Zhong greeted cheerfully. "Why didn't you come back sooner? Have you eaten yet? I made dumplings this morning, there should still be some in the main kitchen. If you haven't eaten yet, I'll ask Chef Liu to cook you a bowl."
Doctor Yuan waved his hand: "No need to trouble yourself, I've already had breakfast and I'm not hungry yet!"
Steward Zhong said, "It's alright if you've already eaten; save your room for the banquet!"
Doctor Yuan laughed heartily: "Hahaha... Yes, yes, you know what! It's been a while since I've had a meal cooked by the Prince's chef. I can smell the aroma of meat coming from the main kitchen right here. I'm getting a little hungry. I have to save room for a big meal!"
Manager Zhong chimed in, "Haha...you're right! I've made several trips back and forth, and every time the aroma of the meat makes my mouth water."
"Oh dear, we can't talk about food anymore, it just makes us crave it more!" Doctor Yuan said. "Is His Highness in the courtyard? I'll go and pay my respects to him first."
"His Highness is in the courtyard! You can just go there."
"Alright, you go ahead with your work! We can have a few more drinks at the banquet later and then we can chat again."
"No problem." Doctor Yuan waved his hand and then walked towards Qinli Courtyard.
-
The prepared medicinal herbs were all processed yesterday, so Qiushui Pavilion is quiet today.
There wasn't much to do at Qiushui Pavilion, and since the Prince's Mansion was holding its annual banquet today, Granny Lin couldn't stay idle, so she went to help out in the front yard.
Only Long Chuqing and Ziguang remained in the courtyard. Bored, they sat in the living room by the fire. Ziguang brought out silk fabric and thread for embroidery, and the two chatted idly.
Long Chuqing sat beside her, resting her chin on her hand and watching. "Ziguang, I've noticed that your embroidery skills are getting better and better. You're almost catching up with Granny Lin."
The embroidery needle, with white silk thread, pierced through the sky-blue silk, and Zi Guang pinched the needle with his two fingers, pulling it out long.
Hearing Long Chuqing's praise, Zi Guang looked up at her with a smile.
"Miss, you're teasing me again. But thank you for your praise. I feel that my embroidery skills have improved a lot recently! It's just that I'm still not as good as you, Granny."
"It's okay, you're still young. You'll catch up in a while!"
Zi Guang shook her head: "It's still early! This servant has a lot to learn from Granny."
Long Chuqing agreed, "Yes, it's good to know how to be humble. Being too proud often backfires and can easily lead to stagnation."
Zi Guang smiled subtly and looked up at Long Chuqing: "Miss, what kind of pattern do you like? I'll embroider it for you later."
"Stop showing off to me, keep it for yourself! You and Granny Lin showed me so many before, I can hardly use them all."
Ziguang retorted, "That's different. Just leave the old ones behind. This is new. We should use new handkerchiefs for the New Year."
"Okay! What you said makes sense."
Under Ziguang's skillful hands, the needle and thread moved back and forth, and a lifelike white magnolia slowly emerged on the silk handkerchief.
"Qingqing, are you just going to stand there and watch?!" Feng Yu retorted mercilessly, "At least try to learn by holding a flower stand yourself!"
Long Chuqing still rested her chin on her hand: "I have no interest in these needlework things."
Feng Yu: "You don't know how to embroider, and you're afraid that your embroidery will be ugly and you won't be able to bear to look at it, and then you're afraid that Zi Guang will laugh at you, right?"
"What a joke." Long Chuqing sneered, her face full of disdain: "I can fight enemies with a sword and suture wounds with a needle. My painting skills are also top-notch. Embroidery is as easy as drinking water for me. Hmph... This thing, can it be difficult for me?"
Feng Yu said awkwardly, "Anyone can talk big, so why don't you embroider one for me to see!"
Long Chuqing curled her lip: "Tch, little brat, trying to provoke me."
Fei Feng reasoned with her, appealing to her emotions: "Qingqing, just embroider one! Give her a good slap in the face, so that Feng Yu won't keep questioning you about this."
They were trying to trick her, singing in unison. Was that all they were up to?
Long Chuqing: "Sigh... Fine, I'm just bored today, so I'll take pity on you and show you what a genius is."
Fei Feng and Feng Yu grinned mischievously.
Feng Yu: "Ahem, then let's wait and see. Let's see what level this genius's first embroidery masterpiece is at. Don't disappoint us!"
Long Chuqing slowly straightened up and sat upright: "Ziguang, give me a flower holder, I'll embroider one too."
"what?"
Zi Guang looked surprised, with a hint of suspicion: Just now... could she have imagined it?
Why did the young lady suddenly say she wanted to do embroidery? She and Granny Lin had invited her many times before, but the young lady had always refused.
Moreover, her tone when she refused was very firm, and you could tell that she had no interest in embroidery at all, and even some aversion to it.
It's incredible that I'm suddenly interested in this today.
Isn't it too boring to just sit there?
A flash of inspiration struck Zi Guang, and his eyes lit up.
Could it be... that the young lady wishes to embroider a handkerchief herself to present to the prince?
That must be it.
"Okay, sure." Zi Guang quickly agreed, afraid that she might change her mind at any moment.
She turned around cheerfully and picked up a basket containing embroidery cloth and thread.
“Look, look,” Feng Yu said, “It’s not just the two of us, Zi Guang’s eyes also have a bit of anticipation in them!”
Feifeng said, "After all, Qingqing has seen her and Granny Lin embroider flowers so many times, but she has never actually done it herself. She must be curious and want to see what she can embroider on her first try."
Long Chuqing ignored them: they wanted to see her make a fool of herself and see how she would slap them in the face later.
"Come, young lady, please choose one and see what color you'd like. I'll help you put it on the flower stand."
"Okay, I'll take a look."
Long Chuqing rummaged through the basket for a while and picked up a piece of peach-pink silk.
"Here, take this one!" Long Chuqing handed the chosen silk to Ziguang.