#461 - Madam, I haven't given you a gift yet.

After the performance ended, thunderous applause erupted in the courtyard.

It seemed many people enjoyed the play.

Some were even quite engrossed in it, more so than when watching the courtesans dance.

As Xu Ming expected, it wouldn't be long before this play appeared in theaters everywhere, perhaps even an adult version in brothels.

Xu Zheng even excitedly asked Xu Ming, "Son, what do you think of the play your father rehearsed for you?"

What could Xu Ming say? He could only say it was alright.

Xu Ming felt his cheap old man was either careless or doing it on purpose.

Then, Wu Yanhan lightly snorted and took a sip of tea.

From the beginning to the end of the play, Wu Yanhan didn't know how many sips of tea she had taken to suppress the fire in her stomach.

Seeing the relationship between the princess and Xu Ming, Madam Qin couldn't help but worry.

Anyone could see that Xu Ming and the princess were very close, even to the point of being intimate. It was impossible to say there was nothing between them.

They were like two people separated by a thin veil, which could be pierced with just a little effort.

But they seemed to deliberately avoid piercing it.

Clearly, they both knew of their mutual affection, yet they weren't together.

However, as they spent more time together, they would eventually grow closer and closer, and that thin veil between them would be nothing.

"Ming'er and the princess are so close, what about Qingwan?"

The princess would definitely not be a concubine; she could only be the first wife.

Could her daughter be a concubine?

What mother in the world would want her daughter to be a concubine?

The more Madam Qin thought about it, the more worried she became for her daughter.

After the various performances of the banquet, the old matriarch of the Xu mansion walked to the front of the stage.

At this time, the guests in the courtyard should begin presenting their gifts.

The first person to present a gift was naturally Wu Yanhan.

Wu Yanhan was a member of the royal family and represented Emperor Wu, so how could she be second?

"Greetings, Old Matriarch Xu," Wu Yanhan said respectfully as she stepped forward. "This time, my father, the Emperor, has sent Yanhan to present a painting of mountains and rivers, which he personally painted, to commemorate the glorious years when Duke Xu and Duke Qin joined the founding ancestor in conquering the country."

The old matriarch Xu personally stood up and tremblingly accepted the painting, saying gratefully, "It is an honor for our Xu and Qin houses to have helped our ancestor conquer the country. Not only in the past, but in the future, the sons of our Xu and Qin houses will also serve His Majesty to the death!"

"The Xu and Qin houses have produced many talents, worthy of their ancestors' names, and are the pride of our Wu Kingdom," Wu Yanhan said a few more complimentary words.

However, half of what Wu Yanhan said was true and half was false.

The false part was that people like Xu Shuiyai and Xu Zheng were all relying on the legacy of their ancestors.

The true part was that the younger generation, like Xu Ming, were indeed talented. Not to mention Xu Ming, Xu Pangda achieved a high rank in the imperial examinations, and his good name had already begun to spread in the Wu Kingdom's court during his years as an official.

Xu Yi and Xu Shan had now descended the mountain and would become backbones of their respective sects, and their sects had close ties with the Wu Kingdom's military, often sending disciples to the Wu Kingdom's court for training.

In the future, the descendants of the Xu house would probably be able to form their own faction in the court.

After Wu Yanhan and the old matriarch Xu exchanged a few more pleasantries, Wu Yanhan stepped down.

Wu Yanhan truly respected the old matriarch, not to mention that she had fought alongside her ancestors on the battlefield and was a heroine among women.

After Wu Yanhan and Xu Ming got married, they would be family, and it was indeed necessary to leave a good impression on her elders.

The old matriarch of the Xu mansion also felt a special affection for Wu Yanhan.

Naturally, it was because the princess was likely to marry Ming'er and become family.

Although Ming'er would be marrying into the royal family, so what?

How many people dreamed of marrying into the royal family?

However, if that really happened, the old matriarch Xu felt that the Xu house should maintain a certain distance from the royal family.

Otherwise, the Xu and Qin houses were likely to be targeted by His Majesty, leading to their doom.

After Wu Yanhan stepped down, one prominent official after another stepped forward to congratulate the old matriarch of the Xu mansion, while some accompanying relatives or servants held gifts.

"Old Matriarch Xu, my uncle is unable to congratulate you in person today due to some matters, but he has sent his nephew to bring a Thousand-Snow Lingzhi mushroom, wishing the Xu and Qin houses prosperity for a thousand years," a refined man stepped forward and said loudly.

Xu Ming couldn't help but be a little surprised to see this contemporary man who was about twenty years old.

When did Prime Minister Xiao let a nephew come to assist him?

In Xu Ming's impression, Prime Minister Xiao was very careful to avoid suspicion.

Xu Ming felt there were only two possibilities.

One possibility was that Prime Minister Xiao had no one else to use.

The second possibility was that Prime Minister Xiao's nephew was very talented, and even if it would cause controversy, Prime Minister Xiao felt he needed to cultivate his nephew.

"Prime Minister Xiao is busy with many affairs, and it is already rare for him to remember our Xu and Qin houses. How could I blame him?" The old matriarch waved her hand, and a maidservant stepped forward and respectfully accepted the gift. "Please convey the gratitude of the Xu and Qin houses to the Prime Minister."

"Yes," Xiao Hui, Prime Minister Xiao's nephew, nodded, bowed again, and stepped back.

After Prime Minister Xiao, it was the Minister of Rites who presented a gift.

After Wu Yanhan and Prime Minister Xiao's nephew presented their gifts, the other officials no longer followed the order of rank, but rather the order in which they arrived at the Xu mansion.

Amidst the announcements of gifts, some marveled at how rich the givers were, assuming they must have embezzled a lot, while others uncomfortably looked at those who considered themselves pure and righteous, feeling out of place with them.

I was corrupt, you weren't corrupt, and yet you used your meager salary to give gifts, wasn't that just making me look out of place?

An hour later, all the guests had finished presenting their gifts, and everyone had eaten and drunk their fill for so long.

The old matriarch stood up, wanting to give a final speech, and then today's ancestral sacrifice banquet would basically come to an end.

But at this moment, an old man stood up and said loudly:

"Old Matriarch, I haven't given my gift yet."