14 – The Banquet of Longevity One
The days were peaceful and warm, and Ye Chen, having lived two lifetimes, had never been as happy as he was now.
On the first day of the hottest period of summer, Ye Chen and Shen Qiu moved into the Cherishing Autumn Pavilion. Since the Water Pavilion had dedicated cleaning staff, they only brought Ming Yue and Xing Er, along with a maid who managed Shen Qiu’s dressing and makeup.
Happy days always passed quickly.
This morning, Shen Qiu woke up as soon as the mao hour (5-7 a.m.) began. The Old Duke’s birthday banquet had unsurprisingly fallen entirely on her shoulders. With the banquet scheduled for tomorrow, today would be busy—she needed to send people out for purchases, and she had instructed them to come collect tokens after mao hour began.
As she was about to get out of bed, Ye Chen wrapped his arm around her waist and said in a lazy, hoarse voice, “Where are you going, Qiu’er?”
Shen Qiu whispered, “I need to get up. I told the head matrons to come see me by the end of mao hour. It’s already mao hour—you should sleep a bit longer.”
With a slight exertion, Ye Chen pressed Shen Qiu back onto the bed, kissed her, buried his face in her neck, and pleaded like a child, “Qiu’er, I’ve only been able to see you during meals for the past few days. Don’t you miss me?”
Shen Qiu replied, “Don’t we sleep together every night? How is it only during meals?”
Ye Chen snorted, “Does that count? These past few nights, I’ve fallen asleep waiting for you, and by morning you’re already gone!”
Shen Qiu thought about it and realized he was right. Lately, she had been busy checking the storeroom inventory and account books. It was her first time organizing such a large banquet, and she was so anxious and overwhelmed that even meals sometimes depended on Ye Chen’s reminders.
Apologetically, Shen Qiu patted Ye Chen’s back and said, “Be good, alright? Once Grandfather’s birthday banquet is over, I’ll make it up to you. This is my first time handling something so important—I don’t want to make any mistakes, and I especially don’t want to embarrass you!”
Ye Chen looked up at her and said, “You won’t embarrass me. I’ll help you.”
Shen Qiu’s eyes sparkled with warmth and gratitude. She kissed Ye Chen and said, “Thank you, husband. But you have your own responsibilities, and I want to see how much I can accomplish on my own.”
A mischievous glint flashed in Ye Chen’s eyes. He lowered his head and gently kissed Shen Qiu, murmuring, “Alright, as you wish. But right now, I want you.”
Deepening the kiss, he left Shen Qiu flustered and unsure what to do. By the time Ye Chen had untied her inner robe and his hands had slipped inside, she knew there was no escaping. The only option was to hurry—otherwise, she would truly be embarrassed.
“Husband, please hurry. I told people to meet me by the end of mao hour. If I’m not there on time, especially before I’ve even started managing the household, it will look terrible.”
Ye Chen grunted in agreement and quickened his pace. But by the time Shen Qiu reached the study, it was already a quarter past the chen hour (7-9 a.m.).
The Water Pavilion where they lived originally served as Ye Chen’s study. Their bedroom was located behind it, connected to the front study by a waterside corridor.
When Shen Qiu entered the study, everyone was already waiting—the head matron and a group of maids and older servants.
Shen Qiu took her seat at the head. Xing Er handed her a ledger and said, “Madam, this ledger lists all the supervisors for tomorrow’s banquet and the staff assigned to them. Please review it.”
Shen Qiu took the ledger, glanced through it, and said, “Good. Xing Er, you hold onto this ledger.”Then she addressed the people below: “Several matrons, are you all clear about your specific responsibilities? If any link goes wrong, I’ll directly hold the responsible matron accountable. Tomorrow is a major day—I don’t want mistakes, nor do I want any dirty incidents. Keep your subordinates in check.”
She then turned to a plump young woman nearby: “Sun Gui’s wife, take people to inspect the storage area in the west room by room. Lock all unused storage rooms and woodsheds, as well as any remote, unoccupied courtyards.”
Truthfully, one couldn’t blame Shen Qiu for being overly cautious. Since she was twelve, she had returned to the capital every year during summer and early autumn—the peak season for social gatherings among noble ladies. Though she attended various flower parties and tea ceremonies annually, without fail, some dirty incident would occur.
These incidents always happened in the most inconspicuous corners of such banquets, yet someone always managed to discover them.
The Duke Manor had invited all prominent figures from the capital this time. If anything happened to these guests, while it wouldn’t affect the manor’s status, it would certainly create unpleasant gossip and unnecessarily make enemies for the Duke Manor.
There was even a possibility the Emperor might attend. Therefore, extreme caution was necessary to prevent any mishaps.
Shen Qiu continued: “Go to the storeroom to collect all the locks for these courtyards. Manager Zhang, give all matching keys to Sun Gui’s wife. Verify everything carefully and put your thumbprints on the ledger. If any incidents occur in these courtyards tomorrow, I’ll hold Sun Gui’s wife directly responsible.”
Shen Qiu had implemented a dual-ledger system for all matters concerning food, entertainment, and supplies—one copy for the custodians and another for recipients, with both parties imprinting their thumbprints for each item received.
The Duke Manor hadn’t hosted such a banquet in eight years, aside from her own wedding to Ye Chen. The first two years were spent campaigning abroad, followed by troubles in the manor. Since the Old Duke became bedridden, no major banquets had been held.
Having no prior experience, she had visited the Shen family several times for advice and consulted extensively with Xiao Taijun.
Listening from outside, Ye Chen thought his wife was stretching herself too tight—how could she not exhaust herself this way? But since he’d promised not to interfere, he let her proceed. Her arrangements might work for one day, but wouldn’t be sustainable long-term.
After all, water that’s too clear breeds no fish. Yet watching her work so diligently filled him with both heartache and helplessness! Never mind—they just needed to get through tomorrow!
With her thorough preparations, those hoping to cause trouble at the Duke Manor would likely find no opportunities. What a pity for them—such a perfect chance wasted!
Ye Chen smirked coldly. His Qiu’er was doing excellently. Those disgusting incidents from their previous life probably wouldn’t happen again this time.
During the Old Duke’s birthday banquet in their past life, someone had ruined his grandfather’s celebration while scheming for advancement. Though Shen Qiu had been in charge then, Ye Chen hadn’t paid attention, only knowing the subordinates resisted her authority.
This was partly because he had tacitly allowed it—due to his indifference, even the servants didn’t respect her in this household.
But this life was different. Shen Qiu was the treasure of his heart, and the experienced stewards in the manor knew better than to make things difficult for his Qiu’er!
When Ye Chen heard Shen Qiu dismiss everyone to make preparations, he finally entered the study. Ming Yue and Xing Er withdrew upon seeing his arrival.Ye Chen massaged Shen Qiu’s shoulders: “Are you tired?”
Shen Qiu looked at Ye Chen and said: “Don’t you need to arrange matters in the front courtyard too? How come you came over so quickly?”
Ye Chen smiled and said: “Food and drinks are all centrally purchased from your side. I just need to instruct Uncle Fu to arrange the opera troupe and beverages! Uncle Fu will handle the rest, these are all matters he’s accustomed to.”
Shen Qiu sighed and said: “There’s no established practice in the mansion for me to reference. For major matters I can consult grandmother, but for minor matters I still have to decide myself! I haven’t officially taken over household management yet, and just one banquet has exhausted me. What should I do in the future?”
Ye Chen offered her advice: “I think you could train Xing Er. This girl is meticulous and has the makings of a housekeeper. That way you could also take it easy sometimes!”
Ye Chen knew that Ming Yue and Xing Er were most loyal to Shen Qiu. In their previous life, Xing Er had died for Shen Qiu, but ultimately couldn’t protect her. In this life, both she and Ming Yue should be fine! After all, they also deeply loved his Qiu’er.