Madam Zhou, wife of Local Commander Liu, had already brought their daughter Liu Xiuxiu and the wife of the Minghu prefect, Madam Huang, along with other officials’ families to the Fengyue Pavilion. When they heard the servants report that the lords were about to arrive, they quickly led the women downstairs to welcome them.
The women lined up in two rows outside the building, watching as a carriage procession led by yamen officers approached from afar. At the front was Local Commander Liu and a man in red. Liu Xiuxiu only saw that the man had ink-dark eyes, a handsome, jade-like face, and wore a pomegranate-red robe with a black cloak—so dashing it made her heart skip. Even Minghu’s number one handsome man, Admiral Zhen, paled in comparison.
Madam Zhou was stunned to see her normally serious husband speaking so warmly with the man and had her suspicions. Could that really be the famed general Xing Muzheng? How could someone so young and handsome be that renowned warrior?
The carriages pulled up in front of them. Madam Zhou and Madam Huang quickly led the women to kneel and greet them. The red-robed man dismounted from a tall black horse, handed the reins to a servant, and strode to a carriage that had just come to a stop. He opened the carriage door.
Liu Xiuxiu sneaked a bold glance and saw a pale, slender hand emerge first, followed by a graceful young woman in a snowy-white cloak and a red gown—matching the man’s robe exactly. Clearly, they were a pair. The handsome man held the woman’s arm to help her down from the carriage. Her father and the other officials all stood nearby with their hands respectfully lowered.
“Marquis, Madam—those kneeling are our family members, here to welcome you both,” said Local Commander Liu.
“You may rise,” came the voice of the handsome man.
He really was the former Grand Commander of the Armies—Xing Muzheng! Liu Xiuxiu had heard her father mention him many times and had imagined a rough and burly man. Who would’ve thought he’d be so refined and striking? She didn’t even bother stealing glances at Zhen Hao anymore and stood quietly behind her mother, sneaking peeks at Xing Muzheng as her heart pounded.
Helping Madam Zhou to her feet, Local Commander Liu introduced them to the lady beside Xing Muzheng. “Marchioness, this is my wife, Madam Zhou, and our daughter, Xiuxiu.”
Qian Jiaoniang gave Madam Zhou a nod, but inwardly she regretted coming. She had only thought it’d be a meal of big crabs—how was she to know there’d be such a swarm of women here? These were all official wives, likely mostly from noble or well-bred families. Judging from the setup, men and women would surely dine separately. Was she to face all these madams and young ladies alone?
Liu Xiuxiu studied Qian Jiaoniang closely and thought she must be born under a lucky star, to have married someone like Marquis Xing—such a perfect husband.
Madam Zhou then introduced Madam Huang to Qian Jiaoniang. Zhen Hao said, “Madam Liu, it’s such a cold day—if the ladies remain standing out here to greet us, they’ll catch a chill. Better to go upstairs to properly greet the Marchioness. What do you say?”
Admiral Zhen truly lived up to his reputation for being considerate toward women. Madam Zhou could only lament that Zhen Hao was already married—otherwise, she would’ve married Xiuxiu to him in a heartbeat. While regretful in her heart, she smiled warmly at Qian Jiaoniang. If Qian Jiaoniang weren’t present, she might’ve acted on her own authority—but with the Marchioness right here, she dared not overstep.
Qian Jiaoniang nodded in agreement, and Local Commander Liu and Madam Zhou led the way. The group made way to let the Dingxi Marquis and his wife walk ahead. Qingya stepped up to support Qian Jiaoniang and whispered at her ear, “In here, you’re the highest-ranking. Even if you say nothing, they’ll find ways to speak to you. If you want to talk, then talk. If not, just nod along—it’s all up to you. They won’t dare to say a word more.”
Qian Jiaoniang nodded, her grip on her cloak finally relaxing a little.
As expected, male and female guests dined separately. On the third floor of Fengyue Pavilion, there were only two banquet halls, specially prepared for the wives of high officials. Though noblewomen only came to eat here once in a while, the space still existed, and Fengyue Pavilion’s reputation had spread as a result.
Xing Muzheng, along with Xing Pingchun and Mr. Cao, entered the left-side main hall with Local Commander Liu and the others. Qian Jiaoniang, accompanied by Madam Zhou and Madam Song, entered the right-side hall. Both sides offered a scenic view of the Minghu River. Usually at mealtime, large boats sailed across the river, with brightly dressed noblemen arriving in groups, bringing along concubines to drink and revel to music and dance. But today the river had been placed under lockdown, and since many of those young masters’ fathers were here in the building, no one dared act up even if they had the guts of a tiger.
Qian Jiaoniang sat alone in the main seat. Madam Zhou and her daughter sat to her left, the Prefect’s wife sat to her right, and the rest of the women were seated in two rows according to rank. Madam Song and Qingya stood behind Qian Jiaoniang to attend her. Qian Jiaoniang tried to get Madam Song to sit, but she wouldn’t dare, saying her husband had instructed her to serve Sister-in-law properly. Since she treated Zhen Hao’s words like sacred decree, Qian Jiaoniang had no choice but to let it go.
The crabs hadn’t been served yet. Meanwhile, the music began—silken strings and bamboo flutes, songs and dances to enliven the banquet. As Qingya had predicted, Madam Zhou and Madam Huang found all sorts of topics to talk to Qian Jiaoniang about, and the rest of the women followed suit, chiming in. Qian Jiaoniang simply nodded lightly and occasionally replied once or twice. At most she would smile, but whenever she did, the whole table would follow suit.
So this was how useful the title “Marchioness” could be. The very same official wives she used to have to bow to were now all smiles and flattery. Qian Jiaoniang glanced at Qingya, who returned a knowing look.
Soon, the maids of Fengyue Pavilion entered, each carrying silver trays. On each tray sat a large, plump crab, golden and glossy, positively adorable. Next to each crab was a small three-legged silver vessel. Then another group of maids brought over lotus-shaped trays. Qian Jiaoniang peeked inside and saw an array of dainty tools—mini hammers, scissors, picks—clearly used for eating crab. As expected, rich people had far more rituals. In her view, all it took was two hands to break it open and your teeth to bite through the rest.
Of course, Qian Jiaoniang didn’t know how to use the tools. She looked up at Qingya, who unexpectedly shook her head. Qian Jiaoniang whispered, “You haven’t eaten it either?”
“I have,” Qingya whispered back, “but someone else always prepared it for me.”
Qian Jiaoniang: “…”
Madam Song saw the two whispering and had a flash of inspiration. She said to Qian Jiaoniang, “I imagine Sister-in-law doesn’t usually eat crab. Shall I have my maid prepare it for you?”
“That would be kind of you,” Qian Jiaoniang nodded.
Madam Song quickly called forward her senior maid, Cuizhu. After cleaning her hands, Cuizhu knelt by the table, snipped off the two large claws and eight crab legs, gently tapped a circle around the shell with a hammer, then split open the back and belly with a tiny axe. Using various tools—picks, tongs, forks, and hammers—she extracted the sticky, creamy, yellow-white crab roe and placed it in front of Qian Jiaoniang. One bite, and the taste was truly unmatched.
Cuizhu then carefully extracted the snow-white, tender crab meat and placed it into the three-legged silver warmer. Qian Jiaoniang ate it all and nearly bit her tongue in bliss.
Madam Zhou herself didn’t eat much. She just watched Qian Jiaoniang with a smile, sharing some amusing anecdotes about eating crab, and urged her to have some yellow wine. The other women chimed in carefully. Among them all, the one enjoying the meal the most was undoubtedly Qian Jiaoniang.
After two quarter-hours, Qian Jiaoniang had polished off one crab completely. Looking again at the silver tray, she was surprised to see that Cuizhu had reassembled the shell into the original crab’s shape—as if it had never been eaten. Qian Jiaoniang couldn’t help but marvel.
The maidservants brought hot towels for hand-washing, and another came in with a steaming female crab. Cuizhu began to crack it open again, while Qian Jiaoniang, unable to help herself, pulled Madam Song and Qingya to sit beside her and eat too. She went on to eat three crabs in a row, and even then felt it wasn’t quite enough. By this point, though, she was starting to feel full. She had found Cuizhu’s crab-prepping process quite amusing, so she dismissed the girl and started trying to crack one open herself.
The Prefect’s wife quickly said, “Marchioness, crab shells are hard and sharp—you might hurt your hands. Leave that rough work to the servants.”
Qian Jiaoniang was secretly amused. Just because her status had changed, even peeling crab shells was considered “rough work” now? “It’s fine. I just think it’s fun.”
A monitor’s wife spoke up from below, “I also find shelling crab to be a refined pastime. Let me join the Marchioness.”
Qian Jiaoniang looked up at her and smiled. “Alright.”
Once she said that, the rest of the women agreed that shelling crab was indeed a refined pleasure and dismissed their maids, all rolling up their sleeves to try it themselves. Qian Jiaoniang could only inwardly chuckle and shake her head. She picked up the scissors and snipped off the two big claws.
Just then, a maid walked in from outside and came to Qian Jiaoniang’s side. “Madam, the Marquis said that while crab is delicious, it’s very cold-natured. You’re not to eat too much—no more than three. He sent me to keep watch over you.”
Qian Jiaoniang’s hand, holding the crab claw, froze mid-air.
The women around her chuckled softly—some envious, some sighing. Madam Huang smiled and said, “The Marquis is so protective of the Madam—truly a blessing!” Though her words were light, her heart was shocked. Looking at Xing Muzheng’s face—handsome yet stern, with sword-like brows—he seemed the type to kill without hesitation. How could such a man show this kind of tender affection toward a woman?
The other ladies chimed in with admiration, all praising Marquis Xing as a rare, considerate husband.
They didn’t know, of course, that his mind had been tampered with by a venomous parasite. Qian Jiaoniang’s cheeks flushed slightly. She cleared her throat, put down the crab claw, and picked up the small axe. “I’m not eating anymore—I’ll peel it for someone else.”
Madam Zhou teased, “If my husband were as considerate as the Marquis, I’d feel full even without eating.” The women all agreed, “Isn’t that the truth!”
Qian Jiaoniang’s face flushed even deeper.
Just then, a loud cry came from outside: “Fire!”
