Chapter 276: Chapter 276

Li Xing’an furrowed his brow, hesitating whether to agree to let Mu Yuanxiu run an errand.

Mu Yuanxiu continued, "You don’t even know where to buy wine and dishes. Wandering around blindly would only waste time! You might as well let me find them for you. I guarantee I’ll bring them back for you."

Li Xing’an looked at him for a moment, then nodded as if driven by some invisible force, saying, "Alright, I’ll trust you this time."

He tossed the money pouch to Mu Yuanxiu, "Here are five taels of silver; use it all." After a moment’s thought, he added, "If you fail to handle this affair properly, then our family won’t repay the money we owe you."

Mu Yuanxiu’s mouth twitched, "Don’t worry, Third Brother Li. For those three hundred taels of silver, I’ll definitely buy the wine and dishes properly."

He jumped off the mule’s back, came over, and patted Li Xing’an’s horse.

Li Xing’an glanced at him and also dismounted.

The two exchanged mounts.

Mu Yuanxiu swung into the saddle, "Third Brother Li, I’ll be right back."

He waved the whip and spurred his horse toward the market.

"Remember your three hundred taels of silver!" Li Xing’an shouted to the departing Mu Yuanxiu before riding his mule back to the house.

The house was bustling with activity, for another dozen guests had arrived.

Many people greeted each other, some congratulating Prince Luling, and some pulling the princely heir aside to chat.

Li Xing’an tied the mule to a small tree at the side of the house’s entrance and stepped inside the courtyard.

Sitting inside the entrance recording the gifts, Second Young Master saw him return and exclaimed in surprise, "Old Third, how did you return so quickly?"

Li Xing’an waved his hand, "I got someone else to run the errand, so I came back."

Second Young Master glared at him sternly, "This is such an important matter, and you actually let someone else handle it? If it’s messed up, watch out, Dad will wallop you!"

Li Xing’an shrugged, "The one running the errand for me is Mu Yuanxiu. I didn’t let him go, but he insisted."

Second Young Master was even more shocked, "What? You let him go? What if he messes it up?"

Li Xing’an said, "He’s the one who insisted on going, not my fault." He looked around and whispered to Second Young Master, "I told him that if he doesn’t handle it properly, we won’t repay the three hundred taels of silver he lent us. Considering the money, he’s sure to handle it well, right?"

Second Young Master’s brow furrowed tightly, "What if he doesn’t want the money?"

Li Xing’an was taken aback, "No way."

Second Young Master said seriously, "From what I’ve observed, that kid’s not one for money. Whenever our family has needed his help, he’s always agreed so readily. If he messes up this time, he might not want the money, but he’s only losing money; our family will lose face! With so many people here, we’ve accepted their gifts but have nothing to entertain them with; we’ll become a laughingstock! The Chai Family will be laughed at by the villagers too."

Li Xing’an, startled by the reminder, jumped in fright.

"I’ll go follow up." He turned and started to leave.

"Exactly, you need to go and keep an eye on it to set people’s minds at ease." Second Young Master added.

So, Li Xing’an turned and left the house again, rode the mule up to the market in the township.

The mule couldn’t run as fast as a horse, but it was much faster than a donkey. Li Xing’an endured the blazing sun, whipping the mule in pursuit of Mu Yuanxiu.

Mu Yuanxiu was riding a horse from Li Lixing’s carriage, a good horse from the county magistrate’s family.

Mu Yuanxiu left earlier and had now already galloped off without a trace.

The number of guests in the house continued to grow.

Princess Consort Luling felt surprised and came to inquire with Prince Luling.

But Prince Luling was just as clueless; he shook his head, "I don’t know what’s going on. I just asked the village chief, and he doesn’t know either."

"I’m afraid the family’s wine and food won’t be enough. Did you arrange for the sons to buy more?" Princess Consort Luling hurriedly asked, thinking of this important matter.

"No need to worry about this, Old Third has gone to buy them." Prince Luling said.

"That’s good. This is the first time the family is hosting a banquet; we absolutely can’t make any mistakes." Despite Prince Luling’s reassurance, Princess Consort Luling still furrowed her brow.

When there was still half an hour left until noon, the banquet commenced.

First to be served were those who arrived early.

This was the village’s usual practice: the earlier you arrived, the earlier you ate.

Next, the important relatives were seated for the feast.

The Li Family didn’t have any important relatives, only the Liu Family and the Li Zheng’s house as close friends.

But most of these people were still busy helping in the kitchen, unable to be the first batch seated for the drinks.

Prince Luling arranged for Li Zheng’s father Old Qin and the elderly Liu the bricklayer to sit first, along with the young guest Li Lixing, and then Pei Shenyan, who had arrived quite early.

Pei Shenyan sent a generous gift, a thousand wen in cash along with a pair of copper basins for washing one’s face.

The copper basins were engraved with patterns and sparkled brightly.

The Great Princess continually protested against accepting his gift, but Prince Luling accepted it anyway.

Fuming, the Great Princess sat in the house in a huff, sulking for half a day before finally coming out.

Li Lixing, Pei Shenyan, Old Qin the village chief’s father, and Liu the bricklayer all sat at one table.

According to the old customs of the village, the elderly and seniors sat at the head of the table. However, this time Prince Luling arranged for Li Lixing to sit on the left side of the head seat, and the village chief’s father to sit on the right.

Liu the bricklayer and Pei Shenyan sat at the side seats.

This arrangement left everyone puzzled.

The others at the table curiously looked at Li Lixing, not knowing who this well-dressed little rascal could be.

Pei Shenyan, knowing he was the son of the County Magistrate, poured tea for Li Lixing and smiled, "Li Lixing, how is your esteemed father, Lord County Magistrate, doing recently?"

At this table, Li Lixing only recognized Pei Shenyan, as both had stayed at the Li Family for a few days.

Feeling uneasy around a table of boring old men, Li Lixing was delighted when Pei Shenyan spoke to him, "Ah, you know my father?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N()velFire.net

Pei Shenyan smiled, "We had the fortune to meet once, and I received a piece of his calligraphy."

Li Lixing was pleased, "Really? My father’s writing is excellent. He inscribed words on the two hanging screens he gave to Uncle Li’s house."

Pei Shenyan asked, "Oh? Where are those screens? I’d like to take a look."

"They’re hanging in Uncle Li’s main house." Li Lixing pointed toward Prince Luling’s North Courtyard Main House.

During the Li Family’s banquet, the main house’s doors were open. When important guests arrived, Prince Luling would invite them to sit and talk in the main house.

The Second Princess would wait there, serving tea to the guests.

The Princess Consort Luling would also occasionally go there to keep track of the banquet’s events.

Hearing Pei Shenyan mention the gift sent by the County Magistrate with inscriptions, many people went to see it.

Those who could read would recite the inscribed name on top, "Li Shang."

Someone remarked, "Li Shang? That’s the current County Magistrate’s name."

"Ah, so the little young master is actually the son of the County Magistrate. No wonder he sits at the head."

"No wonder everyone says the Li Family are relatives of the County Magistrate’s family. It’s really not false. Look, the County Magistrate sent such a valuable gift and even sent his son personally to the banquet."

Upon learning Li Lixing’s true identity, many people approached with teacups and wine glasses to flatter and get close to him.

The number of guests entering the house increased significantly.

The Second Princess told Li Yuzhu about the matter, "It’s strange. Everyone is running to the main house to see those two screens. Are they really that impressive?"

"I don’t know if they’re impressive, but at least they can read the characters." Li Yuzhu replied with a smile.

"The characters? They’re just average." The Second Princess shook her head, "The County Magistrate’s writing isn’t as nice as my brother’s."

"But the County Magistrate’s name looks good." Li Yuzhu chuckled.

Now she understood why there were more and more guests at home, as they all came to flatter Li Lixing.

No wonder many people would ask upon entering, "Who’s Landlord Li, and who’s related to Landlord Li?" They wanted to take the opportunity to curry favor with the County Magistrate and his son.

Since villagers can’t meet the County Magistrate, they come to see his "relatives," the Li Family.

As it turned out, more dishes had to be prepared.

Of the village’s eighty households and over six hundred people, only over a hundred had come. Seeing the increasing flow of people, the guest count would probably triple.

Li Yuzhu reported the situation to Prince Luling.

Prince Luling slapped his forehead, "So that’s what’s happening. I wondered why there were so many guests."

"Dad, more food and drinks have to be added." Li Yuzhu said.

"Yes, yes, quickly, find Old Third and ask him to buy more." Prince Luling hurriedly said.

But finding someone to inform Li Xing’an was another challenge for Prince Luling.

Li Yuzhu said, "I’ll go."

Just as she finished her words, Pei Shenyan came and said, "Uncle Li, let my attendant student Fusheng go. He’s quick on horseback."

Prince Luling said, "How can we trouble your attendant student to run errands? You are a guest today."

"I may be a guest, but I’m also your student. When something comes up at your house, how can I just sit by without doing anything?" Pei Shenyan smiled, "Uncle Li, please don’t be so polite. Given the urgency, let’s arrange it this way."

Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "Dad, Mr. Pei makes a valid point. Let’s get it done first and talk about other things later."

Prince Luling thought for a moment and had to agree, "Then I’ll trouble you."

"No need for politeness, Uncle Li." Pei Shenyan smiled.

However, worried Li Xing’an might not believe Fusheng’s message, Li Yuzhu asked Prince Luling to write a note for Fusheng to take along.

Fusheng untied the horse from his family’s carriage and sped off quickly to the market in town.

The Great Princess found out that Pei Shenyan had also gotten involved with her family affairs, and she looked annoyed, "Great, now that scoundrel has more excuses to linger at our house."

Li Yuzhu curiously asked her, "Big sister, you keep calling him a scoundrel. What did he do to you?"

The Great Princess blushed, "..." How could she tell anyone about someone touching her foot?