Chapter 305: The Art of Sending Invitations
Old Madam Luo had originally wanted to hold a modest gathering at home, simply inviting the families they knew, and that would be enough.
At this point, Qiu Zhi suddenly spoke up: “Brother Wen holds a minor official rank now after all. Why not take this opportunity to get acquainted with everyone worth knowing and expand your network?
“Besides, it will show the Xie family that Rongrong isn’t left without backing just because she left them. What do you all think?”
Qiu Zhi looked at the people in the courtyard. Apart from Xie Anyi, who was still sniffling and crying, and a few little heads peeking out from the windows and doorways of the side rooms, everyone turned their eyes toward him and Wen Xiuyi.
Qiu Zhi turned to look at Wen Xiuyi: “What do you think?”
Wen Xiuyi said, “But I don’t know anyone.”
Magistrate Chen felt this was his moment to shine. Patting his chest, he volunteered, “You’ve got me! Rest assured, I’ll arrange everything for you—who to invite and where to send the invitations.”
Saying that, he patted Wen Xiuyi on the shoulder like a good brother and promised, “Don’t worry, I won’t let our eldest niece suffer any slight.”
Qiu Rongrong and Wen Yao exchanged a quiet glance—and just like that, she’s his eldest niece now.
Qiu Rongrong quietly instructed Qiaoyan, “There’s a famous painting from the previous dynasty among my dowry. Lord Chen saw it when he visited the estate before, but Xie Yushan couldn’t bear to give it to him. Find it when you go back and send it to Lord Chen’s house.”
Holding back a smile, Qiaoyan nodded: “Yes, Young Mistress.”
Magistrate Chen looked at the female members of the Wen family. Wen Xiuyi didn’t have a wife, and he wasn’t sure if the old lady could handle such a big event on her own. So he tested the waters: “When the time comes, many guests will surely bring their families… How about I have my wife lend Auntie a hand?”
“That would be wonderful! We’d be troubling Your Lordship then,” Old Madam Luo said, nodding repeatedly. She looked at Nanny Shi, who gave her an encouraging nod. With that, Old Madam Luo felt much less flustered.
Originally, hearing Qiu Zhi say they should make a grand occasion of it, she assumed the invitees would all be prominent figures. Old Madam Luo had worried that as a country woman, she might accidentally snub the guests. Now, with the magistrate’s wife helping out and Nanny Shi advising from the side, her worries evaporated.
Seeing this, Old Mistress Qiu hurriedly gave her daughter-in-law a look. Madam Qiu immediately caught on: “Count me in as well, Auntie! I’ve organized plenty of banquets like this at home. If you need help, just say the word.”
Master Qiu hadn’t expected the Wen family to value this matter so highly, and he was deeply moved.
In the end, after much discussion, the group decided to hold the kinship banquet right at home. Since men and women needed to be accommodated separately, the old compound would entertain the male guests, while Wen Xiuyi’s own house would host the female guests.
The Wen family were all rural folks who had never hosted such a banquet. Lord Chen possessed some experience, and Madam Qiu added her own suggestions. They had initially thought about renting a scenic courtyard to hold it, but in the end, Wen Xiuyi spoke up:
“Although I hold the status of a scholar and am now an official, at heart I’m just a farmer. There’s no need to make a big show just for appearances. I think hosting it at home is great. Our house is brand new, and Gutong Village has lovely mountains and clear waters—what’s lacking?”
The members of the Qiu family looked at one another. This was the first time they had encountered such an approach. It wasn’t that they felt Wen Xiuyi didn’t value their daughter—after all, if he truly didn’t care, wouldn’t it have been much easier to just lay out a few tables at Zui Xian Tower?
In truth, hosting the banquet at his own home was what truly demonstrated his sincere care.
“I think home is great too,” Old Mistress Qiu chimed in. She even gestured for her son and daughter-in-law to express their agreement, fearing they might develop a misunderstanding toward the Wen family.
“That’s a good idea. In fact, I think doing it this way makes it easier to see who is genuine and who is fake,” Master Qiu nodded in agreement. Having seen far too much hypocrisy behind masks in the business world, he cherished the Wen family’s genuine nature all the more.
Madam Qiu had no objections either.
And so, the matter was settled.
The next day, Father Qiu and Eldest Brother Qiu took the betrothal gift inventory, hitched up the gifts the Xie family had originally presented, and went over to the Xie estate. For the items that no longer existed—such as the livestock from the original gifts—they converted them into cash silver, dumping every last bit right at the Xie family’s doorstep.
Had Old Mistress Qiu not warned them not to cause unnecessary trouble at a time like this, the father and son would have beaten Xie Yushan up all over again.
News of this quickly spread, becoming another topic of post-meal gossip among the people of Yunwu Town. It made Xie Yushan so furious that he didn’t step out of his house for several days, while Old Mistress Xie cursed the Wen and Qiu families at home every single day.
Shortly after, news that Wen Xiuyi—who had suddenly been granted an official post—was hosting a kinship banquet spread throughout the surrounding areas. Not only prominent families in Yunwu Town received the news, but even those in the prefectural city heard of it.
Magistrate Chen was truly a veteran master at manipulating people’s minds. For the first two days, he merely penned a few invitation cards and sent them out to people with whom he maintained decent relations. He didn’t send out many—just around ten households.
When everyone saw that the banquet was set at a house in a rural village, quite a few people felt reluctant to go.
No one wanted to lower their status to attend a peasant banquet in a village; wouldn’t that lose them face?
Some households returned the invitations right away, falsely claiming they didn’t have time, had conflicting engagements, or were traveling away.
Magistrate Chen wasn’t surprised. He waited another two days until no one else returned invitations, then casually leaked a bit of inside information. In the end, no one knew which family started spreading it, but word got out that the Heir of Prince Fu was currently staying with the Wen family and shared an exceptionally close relationship with them.
At once, the few households that had originally planned to attend merely to give Magistrate Chen face were thoroughly astonished. Soon, however, they understood Magistrate Chen’s intentions and felt immensely fortunate. The few households that hadn’t had time to return their invitations were even more relieved, thanking their lucky stars that they had waited a few extra days to observe.
As for those households that had already returned their invitations, they weren’t so fortunate. Regretting their actions deeply, they came to Magistrate Chen in eager desperation, wanting their invitations back. This time, Magistrate Chen refused every single one of them.
Aside from those who were actively invited, people who hadn’t received invitations tried every possible trick to cozy up to Magistrate Chen upon hearing the news. Many even sent gifts to Magistrate Chen’s residence just to secure an invitation card.
During this period, Magistrate Chen accepted gifts until his hands grew numb.
The magistrate’s wife, however, was quite worried. She feared his actions might offend the Heir of Prince Fu and Wen Xiuyi, leading to an uncontrollable situation in the end.
Magistrate Chen, on the other hand, was entirely at ease.
He had reported the list of people to invite Wen Xiuyi and Li Yi right from the start. What kind of influence each person held had been thoroughly sorted out long ago—they were all people they believed could be useful when promoting the new high-yield crops in the future.
If the magistrate’s wife had observed a bit more carefully, she would have noticed that among those who came to deliver gifts or cozy up to him, Magistrate Chen didn’t hand out invitation cards to just anyone.
For the grand vision promised by Wen Xiuyi, he was exhausting both his people and his wealth; he had to fetch some benefits back, or he really wouldn’t even have his coffin savings left.
Furthermore, with a heavy stroke of his brush, Magistrate Chen directly allocated a sum of money to Gutong Village to properly repair the stretch of road leading from the official highway to the village. Even the main road within the village was repaired along the way, all the way up to the front door of Wen Xiuyi’s house.
Wen Xiuyi teased him, saying he was using public power for personal gain. Magistrate Chen, however, declared with righteous severity: “Repairing the road is for better transportation of the new crops!”
Seeing his solemn and righteous demeanor, Wen Xiuyi almost believed him.
