For a long time, I hadn't meticulously brewed tea, and now, in front of so many people, Qi Zhenzhen put in her utmost effort.
Lifting the teapot, she let the water cascade down, then, using the strength of her wrist, she pulled it up and down three times, agitating the tea leaves in the water.
Qi Mingzhu watched Qi Zhenzhen's movements intently. This "phoenix nodding three times" pouring technique was the most intricate step in tea brewing, and the one that tested skill the most. Her tea ceremony master was a renowned tea artist from Da Feng, and her specialty was precisely this "phoenix nodding three times."
With her elbow and wrist level, her wrist was gentle, as if boneless, and the water poured down like silver satin.
The onlookers heard the water sound three times with distinct resonance and three times with subtle tones, the water stream three times thick and three times thin, the water flow three times high and three times low, and the teapot spout three times rising and three times falling. After this display, everyone was stunned. To achieve the same resonance and subtlety, same thickness and thinness, same height and lowliness, same rising and falling, one had to be a master of tea ceremony!
But how old was this young girl before them to possess such mastery in the art of tea?
Qi Zhenzhen heard the gasps of surprise and smiled. Her hands danced over the tea soup, wisps of steam swirling. Though it was only for a fleeting moment, the crowd clearly saw the rising steam transform into a phoenix, circling and flying.
Amidst their astonishment, Qi Zhenzhen presented a tea bowl to the Old Madam, "Grandmother, please taste the tea soup specially brewed for you by your granddaughter."
There were four bowls in total: one for the Old Madam, one each for the Marquis and his wife, and one for the Princess of Qin.
Qi Zhenzhen felt a pang of reluctance but had no choice, given the Princess of Qin's distinguished status.
"Good tea, excellent tea ceremony!" Qi Tianming couldn't help but exclaim. Although it was his mother's birthday banquet, he was the one stealing the spotlight today. Why? Because both his son and daughter had made a public appearance. Qi Yi was steady beyond his years, handsome, and possessed extraordinary conversation skills. Zhenzhen's exquisite tea ceremony would undoubtedly make her a standout among the young ladies of the capital! Look at the undisguised admiration in the eyes of those madams.
"Was that a phoenix just now? Was I seeing things?"
"I think I saw it too. Ancient texts record that the true 'phoenix nodding three times' pouring technique is just like this, with a phoenix circling and flying."
"What a profound level of tea ceremony mastery!"
"It's a shame we won't get to taste tea brewed with such skill."
Qi Mingzhu, standing beside Madam Qin, smelled the faint aroma of tea. Her expression remained calm, but her heart was in turmoil. She had once mocked Qi Zhenzhen for not understanding tea ceremony, and Qi Zhenzhen hadn't argued, but had been waiting for this moment. By displaying her almost divine tea ceremony skills in front of so many people, was this a way of slapping her face? Qi Mingzhu didn't want to admit it, but she had to. Qi Zhenzhen's tea ceremony was far superior to hers, and even to her master's.
Er Xi stepped forward to collect the tea set and remove the tea table. Qi Zhenzhen then stood behind the Old Madam, her head bowed demurely, as if she were not the one who had confidently performed the tea ceremony moments before.
With the three of them having made their appearances, the subsequent birthday gifts held little excitement.
Qi Xuanxuan's "Hundred Longevity Painting" only received a few perfunctory compliments.
However, Qi Tianming looked at the "Hundred Longevity Painting" with genuine interest, his gaze towards Qi Xuanxuan filled with encouragement. He knew how timid this daughter had been before, and now being able to present a gift in front of everyone was a significant improvement.
After the Qi family presented their gifts, it was the turn of the guests who had come to offer birthday wishes. Most of the gifts were standard and unremarkable, neither outstanding nor subpar, which was the customary way for noble families to interact.
When Gu Sinian and Qian Yuanbao stepped forward together, Qi Zhenzhen was taken aback. She hadn't heard of any particular connections between the Marquis's mansion and these two families, so why were they here to celebrate together?
The old lady seated in the first position on the left was chatting happily with the Old Madam. "This is my unpromising grandson. What do you think of him? I have three granddaughters I'm quite pleased with. Would you be willing to spare one to be your granddaughter-in-law?"
Qi Zhenzhen followed the direction of the old lady's finger and realized she was Qian Yuanbao's grandmother.
From the familiarity with which she spoke to her own grandmother, it was clear that these two had a deep friendship.
"The young girls are all shy. If you talk about this matter so openly with me, are you intentionally trying to embarrass them? My three granddaughters are very precious, and their marriages must be carefully considered. You can't just snatch my granddaughters away with a single sentence." The Old Madam said with a playful chiding.
"That's simple. After the banquet disperses, I'll come to your courtyard for a chat, and we can discuss it properly." Madam Qian said with a hearty laugh.
"You never come to talk to me normally, but now you're so diligent?"
The Qian family's birthday gift was two blood-red corals, perfectly intact and of similar size, which were extremely rare. The Old Madam beamed, clearly very pleased.
Gu Sinian's gift was a walking stick, said to be carved from Dragon-Subduing Wood, making it incredibly precious, likely the only one of its kind in all of Da Feng.
The Old Madam usually walked with a cane, and upon hearing how wonderful this one was, she was delighted.
Madam Qin, sitting beside them, felt uneasy. The Qi family had no personal dealings with the Gu family. Now, Gu Sinian's personal attendance at the birthday banquet suggested he had intentions. Was this a warning? Because she hadn't replied to the Duchess. The Duke's mansion held immense power and prestige, but why would they take a liking to her daughter? Today, Mingzhu had stolen the show, and the Duke's mansion would likely not back down. What was she to do? If she had known the Duke's mansion would send someone, she would never have allowed Mingzhu to steal the spotlight.
Her original intention was for Mingzhu to shine at the banquet, letting more people know of Mingzhu's excellence, hoping it would reach the ears of the Lu family.
Now, it was uncertain when the Lu family would find out, but the Duke's mansion had personally witnessed Mingzhu's brilliance.
After the birthday gifts were presented, Madam Qin and Qi Tianming separately invited everyone to be seated.
Dishes of mountain delicacies and seafood were continuously placed on the tables, making people sigh at the importance the Marquis's mansion placed on this birthday banquet.
The Li family members were seated at the very last table. Although they weren't the last to present their gifts, they were among the final few. Moreover, their gifts were ordinary and didn't elicit much reaction, except for the two prayer bead bracelets with the characters "Fu" and "Shou" inscribed on them, sent by Li Qing, which earned a compliment from the Old Madam.
"Why didn't you give me such a good thing, so I could present it to the Old Madam?" Li Qing asked in a low, reproachful tone.
Li Nuan's eyes were calm. "Sister, you know as well as I do that my needlework is not presentable, and the maids around me are also poor at needlework. The only thing I excel at is making incense. If I gave you the bracelets, I would have no birthday gift to present myself. Besides, I thought you had already prepared a valuable gift."
A valuable gift? Li Qing gritted her teeth. In Yun Gui, a double-sided embroidered screen with a forty-fold stitch was considered a valuable gift, but in the capital, it was completely ignored.
"Alright, alright, you two, stop arguing. Losing today is nothing. Did you see how prosperous the capital is? How glorious it would be to stay in the capital! You two, put in your best effort and try to please your grand-aunt, and successfully stay here. Then, you might have a chance for a marriage arranged through the Marquis's mansion, which would be immensely beneficial to you." Madam Lu reprimanded them. "Qing'er, you should interact more with your eldest cousin. If you gain her favor, and she brings you along when attending banquets, you won't have to worry about not being able to make an appearance before the other madams!"