After sending Lin Meiyu off, Li Xuan turned back to see a stunned Qing Wen.
He gave her a playful flick on the forehead.
“Stop spacing out, go get the breakfast,” he said.
“After all that activity, I’m really hungry. We’ll practice today,” he added.
“Yes,” she replied, slightly bewildered, then left.
Li Xuan knew what she was thinking.
She probably couldn't believe that the delicate and fragile Lin Meiyu was actually a skilled martial artist.
He wasn’t worried about getting breakfast at this hour.
He had already inquired with Qing Wen yesterday.
The Rongguo Duke’s Mansion followed the Lady Dowager’s schedule when it came to meal times.
Breakfast was at the Si time, which was between nine and eleven in the morning, and dinner was at the Shen time, which was between three and five in the afternoon. Aside from these meal times, there was also constant availability of snacks for the masters.
If he were still in his previous world, Li Xuan might not have understood the inner workings of this system.
But now, he knew it inside and out.
These two meal times were based on the timekeeping system used before the Qin and Han dynasties.
The Mozi, in the Miscellaneous Guards section, states that soldiers ate two meals a day. The first meal was called “朝食” or “饔”, and the second meal was called “飧” or “食”.
Zhu Xi also said, “Breakfast is called 饔 and dinner is called 飧.”
As for other banquets and entertainment, although there were dishes, there wouldn’t be any staple foods. These were mainly for drinking and having fun.
Regular meals didn’t involve drinking, and they were entirely different from banquets.
Thinking about this and that, he changed his clothes. Soon, Qing Wen returned with the breakfast.
There was a bowl of peach and red bean soup, a plate of boiled silk tofu, a plate of Taijun sesame cakes, a plate of Ruyi lock pieces (date paste and yam cake), a steamer of Yechun dumplings, a steamer of mushroom and vegetable buns.
Because he had paid for it, there were also a steamer of emerald dumplings, a steamer of five-flavor buns, a steamer of fine sand buns, a steamer of rock sugar oil and lard buns, and several slices of horseshoe sesame cakes.
He also had a plate of onion-flavored shrimp, a portion of fried crispy sesame balls, and a plate of braised beef.
The table was filled with food.
Looking at the diverse and delicious spread, Li Xuan couldn’t help but sigh.
The Rongguo Duke’s Mansion was truly luxurious. Just the breakfast for the masters was so elaborate.
It was a pity that the masters couldn’t actually eat that much, and the rest was enjoyed by their maidservants.
Forget it, time to eat!
After finishing the exquisite and light breakfast, Li Xuan figured he had about an hour to spare before the real breakfast. He said, “I’m going out for a walk. If you feel sleepy, take a nap.”
“Master Xuan, should we have a servant follow you to help with things?”
Qing Wen asked tentatively.
Li Xuan refused, “No need, I’ll just wander around the inner city.”
He put on an outer garment and strolled out.
As he exited the Yi Gate and reached the Corner Gate, the gatekeeper, who had been acting high and mighty yesterday, immediately came forward and said, “Master Xuan, are you going out? Do you need a carriage?”
“No need, I’m just going for a walk.”
He didn’t need to ride a horse or take a carriage. He just wanted to explore the city on foot and get a good look at this magnificent capital.
Soon, he saw a handsome young man with a slender figure, wearing a light fur-lined robe and a jade belt, a beautiful garment and a jeweled crown, exiting the Corner Gate of the Ningguo Duke’s Mansion on the east side.
He had a smile on his face, but his manner was frivolous. In a short while, he left Ningrong Street.
Li Xuan was curious, “Who is he?”
The gatekeeper gave a nonchalant sneer, “Him?”
“He’s Jia Rong, the Rong brother from the Ningguo Duke’s Mansion.”
He didn’t provide any more details, clearly assuming that Li Xuan, as a relative of Mrs. Zhu, would know the names of the sons of the Ningrong two estates.
Li Xuan did know.
But he had never imagined that this handsome man would be Jia Rong, not Jia Qiang.
It seemed that the Ningrong two estates had a lot of good-looking men.
Almost as handsome as he was!
“Alright, you can go back. I’ll just walk around.”
…
He looked at the Imperial City and the row of government offices in front of it, most importantly the Northern Town Commander’s Office.
He took note of the prices of goods in the capital.
He also looked at the brothels from afar, but he resisted the urge to visit them.
It would be too out of character to go there on his first day in the capital!
At least wait a few days…
Cough, at least wait until he made some friends who would take him there.
He had a simple lunch outside and returned to the Rongguo Duke’s Mansion close to dinner time.
Before he even reached his courtyard, he saw Qing Wen and a rough maid carrying food boxes as they walked slowly.
As they approached the hallway, a matron suddenly appeared and beckoned to Qing Wen.
After glancing at the matron, Qing Wen turned back to Ru Yan and said, “You go ahead. I’ll have a chat with Lady Lai.”
Ru Yan knew that Qing Wen was gifted by the Lai family to the Lady Dowager. Sometimes, having a chat would show closeness. So she nodded and went ahead.
Qing Wen then quickened her pace, “Lady Lai!”
“I know about the situation,” said Lady Lai.
“I don’t know why, but the Lady Dowager assigned Mei Ren to Master Bao and you to this young man who popped out of nowhere.”
“But you need to be careful and not be taken advantage of. Then I can find a way to transfer you over.”
Lady Lai pulled Qing Wen aside and gave her a lot of advice.
Whether she looked down on Li Xuan, thought Qing Wen had no future following him, or believed that Qing Wen would be more beneficial to the Lai family in Jia Baoyu’s room, she was determined to find a way to transfer Qing Wen.
“Lady Lai, Master Xuan is a proper gentleman. He wouldn’t do anything like that.”
“Besides… you don’t need to worry about transferring me.”
Qing Wen’s cheeks flushed for a moment, and then she simply refused.
She then remembered Master Xuan’s incredible martial arts skills from yesterday, his words about her managing the accounts, and the two hundred taels he had deposited into the courtyard’s account this morning.
All of these were very satisfying.
Even if she went to Master Bao’s room, she doubted she would reach such a position.
“You’re being foolish!”
Lady Lai was furious.
No matter which master Qing Wen followed in the Jia Mansion, it would be beneficial to the Lai family.
But following a mere Jinyiwei, what good would that do? How could it compare to the grand Rongguo Duke’s Mansion?
She quickly tried to persuade her, “That Li guy is a pauper, not even a passing god of wealth. He’s just a beggar passing through. He’s here today, but who knows where he’ll be tomorrow.”
“What good can you get by following someone like him?”
“When he leaves, won’t you be sent to serve another master? You might as well go there voluntarily.”
She paused and said with a concerned tone, “Good girl, don’t be afraid to trouble Lady Lai.”
“Leave this to Lady Lai, and I’ll make sure it gets done properly!”
The Lady Dowager held the highest status in the Jia Mansion, but Jia Baoyu was the most favored.
No matter what Jia Baoyu’s maidservants did, they had fewer rules than the ones serving the Lady Dowager. Their food, clothing, and daily necessities were better than other maidservants, and they also had the potential to become concubines in the future.
Naturally, maidservants were eager to serve him.
“Lady Lai, I really don’t need to be transferred. I’m fine here with Master Xuan!”
Master Bao’s room might be nice, but no matter how nice it was, how could it compare to the benefits Master Xuan offered?
So, she refused. She absolutely refused!
Lady Lai was about to try again.
Qing Wen snorted, turned away, and left with the food boxes.