A Mei dressed up early in the morning. Today she was going to attend the wedding banquet of Grand Secretary Li's youngest legitimate grandson.
Since her husband had told her to go out more, socialize more, and not always focus all her attention on him, A Mei would really listen and do so.
A Mei also wanted to find something to do, because whenever she had free time, she couldn't help but miss An Sheng, and that feeling was truly unbearable.
The invitations received on ordinary days were sorted by the servants according to rank. Only invitations from third-rank mansions and above were delivered to A Mei's hands. She ignored those inviting her to admire flowers or drink tea. Occasionally, when encountering formal occasions like marriages, births, or funerals, she would discuss it with her godfather or An Sheng and send someone over to observe the formalities.
Today, she simply decided to attend in person. She heard her husband's words clearly and kept them in her heart, but there was one thing she didn't tell him. She secretly thought to herself that even if her husband was not in the capital, she had to let others know that the An family still had someone present.
As long as she went out often, the people in the capital would be constantly reminded of An Sheng, the Commander of the Inner Depot who was out on patrol, even if they didn't want to.
This was A Mei's own little secret thought.
The matter of her outing was handed over to Wu Da. With Wu Da around, the grand display of the Commander's wife was naturally fully adequate, all arranged according to the highest standards of An Sheng's current official position.
In addition, not counting the guards and hidden guards following the trip, Wu Da also specially found two highly skilled and meticulous women from the Inner Depot to act as maidservants. As long as the madam left the mansion, they would attend by her side without a moment of carelessness.
Before leaving, An Sheng had issued a death order: if the madam suffered even the slightest mishap, none of them would live!
There was an etiquette for official families when hosting events and welcoming guests. Both male and female guests were personally greeted by the main members of the family.
On this joyous day, as it was the marriage of the Grand Secretary's grandson, the arriving guests were endless, almost encompassing all the ranked officials in the capital.
The An family's carriage did not arrive early.
Today, the host family members responsible for greeting female guests at the main gate were Grand Secretary Li's two daughters-in-law and one granddaughter-in-law.
Arranging the three of them naturally had a purpose. These ladies were all women from aristocratic families who lived in the capital year-round. They were familiar with almost all the madams and young ladies of the various official families, big and small, in the capital.
Several carriages of the An mansion stopped securely in front of the Li mansion. A woman, dressed extremely luxuriously, with a petite figure, pretty face, and an indifferent expression, was helped down from the carriage by a maid. Looking at her age and figure, she was clearly quite young. The three of them were instantly dumbfounded.
Looking at the style of the carriage, it was definitely the family of a high-ranking official, but this person... The few of them looked at each other and confirmed that she was a stranger.
Among the three, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Li family was the most composed. She went up with a smiling face: "Perhaps it's because I haven't attended banquets for a long time, but this madam looks unfamiliar to me. May I ask which mansion our distinguished guest is from?"
A Mei's expression was indifferent, but she also smiled politely. With a glance, the maid beside her handed over the invitation.
A Mei spoke softly, "My husband is An Sheng, the Commander of the Inner Depot."
As soon as these words came out, the surroundings felt silent for a moment.
The smile on the face of the eldest Li madam instantly froze, and then she raised an even more enthusiastic smile: "Oh my, so it is Madam An. Please come in, please come in quickly!"
As she spoke, the eldest madam cast a subtle glance, and a servant beside her quickly ran into the mansion to announce the arrival.
Not to mention the female guests' side, even Grand Secretary Li's side received the message.
"The wife of An Sheng from the Inner Depot?"
"Replying to the master, exactly."
Those personally received by Grand Secretary Li were naturally several high-ranking ministers of equal status to him. When these words came out of the servant's mouth, not to mention him, the other adults present were also startled, coincidentally recalling the miserable scratch marks and slap prints on An Sheng's face in the imperial court some time ago...
Grand Secretary Li frowned and immediately said, "Then she must be someone hard to get along with. Go inform my wife to receive her personally. Make absolutely sure not to neglect her and provoke an outburst."
"Yes, Master!"
A Mei naturally did not know that her appearance instantly caused Grand Secretary Li's family to act as if facing a formidable enemy. At this moment, keeping a straight face, she was led by this madam through the formalities and walked toward the banquet hall.
The Li mansion was a century-old aristocratic family. The residence was magnificent and possessed profound heritage. Right now, it was decorated with lanterns and colored banners everywhere, bustling with excitement.
A Mei was, after all, a teenage girl, and it was her first time attending a wedding banquet. Her heart was naturally excited, but the more excited and curious she was, the more she held it back. She thought to herself that she was, after all, the Commander's wife, and could not embarrass the An family by acting so unpromisingly.
But in the eyes of outsiders, this Madam An had a cold face as soon as she entered the door, looking very difficult to get along with.
Grand Secretary Li's wife, having received the news, specially instructed her personal momo to wait at the entrance of the main hall. The seating arrangements were also particular. Their table was set in the inner hall, not in the outer hall. When the eldest daughter-in-law led the person over, this momo invited her to the main table where the Grand Secretary's wife sat.
Not to mention, A Mei was originally worried about socializing and felt a little nervous, but when she actually arrived, she unexpectedly relaxed. The reason was that A Mei saw many familiar faces.
The madams at this table were mostly elderly. A Mei had a good memory; she had seen most of them the last time she was ordered to mourn when the late emperor passed away.
Although there was not much interaction at that time, in A Mei's heart, they had all suffered together, so A Mei felt a bit more at ease, and her expression relaxed slightly.
A Mei was led to sit beside Grand Secretary Li's wife. Most of the madams at the table held imperial titles. Introduced by Madam Li, they politely greeted each other.
Recalling the servant's message that the master wanted her to be well entertained, Madam Li, despite her old age and extensive experience, didn't know what to say for a moment when seeing A Mei, who was about the age of her great-granddaughter.
Put it this way, when old madams of their age gathered together, they either chatted about the marriages of their children and grandchildren, or talked about their grandsons and great-grandsons. Not to mention that Madam An was too young to have common topics with the old madams present, more importantly, this Madam An was the wife of a eunuch. This... required even more caution when speaking...
The atmosphere instantly grew a bit cold.
After a brief thought, Madam Li spoke with a smile: "Madam An is truly blessed. I heard from my old man that your husband, Lord An, is resourceful, possesses great talent and bold vision, and is deeply relied upon by His Majesty. His future prospects are limitless, which is truly enviable to others."
Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, the smile on A Mei's face could no longer be held back.
Her eyes lit up, and in a joyful mood, she said without any modesty, "That's right, my husband is indeed amazing. Being able to marry him is truly my blessing."
Madam Li paused, thinking to herself that this Madam An was rather straightforward. Seeing her smiling eyes and a much more relaxed expression than when she entered the door, completely unlike the difficult person her old man had described, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
When she spoke again, her tone was much more relaxed and casual. "Seeing Lady An today, you are so young, beautiful, and straightforward. No wonder rumor has it that the Commander of the Inner Depot cherishes his wife so deeply. Now, this old woman understands."
A Mei's eyes widened slightly. What? The outside world was spreading rumors that her husband cherished her? A Mei felt a burst of joy in her heart. Her face flushed, and feeling a bit shy, she simply gave a dry laugh and lowered her head to hide her embarrassment.
At this moment, an elderly lady sitting nearby, who was on good terms with Madam Li, chimed in, "Indeed, Lady An is truly blessed. Lord An is highly capable, and for you to receive a third-rank imperial mandate at such a young age is a rare honor, practically unique among women."
A Mei loved hearing these words. The corners of her brows curved upwards in delight, but she still tried to be modest. "Not at all, it's just that I have good luck."
The ladies: ...
Once the conversation started, the elderly ladies at the table began chatting warmly with one another. A Mei truly had little in common with them, and after a short while, her interest waned.
Madam Li took all of this in. She thought to herself that although An Sheng held immense power, his wife was ultimately still a tender teenager. This reminded her of her own lively and innocent teenage great-granddaughters. So, she turned to A Mei and offered, "Lady An is young, after all, and naturally wouldn't find much to talk about with us old folks. The chrysanthemum garden in our Li Manor is currently at its best for flower viewing, and it is quite lively over there. How about I have my personal momo take you for a stroll, and you can come back for the ceremony when the auspicious hour arrives?"
A Mei was so bored she could hardly sit still. Recalling her husband's advice to just be herself and do as she pleased when going out, she immediately smiled and gave a gracious nod. "Alright, thank you for your thoughtfulness, Madam Li."
...
