The Banquet
Sun’s Mansion was located in the middle of the west Liangzhou City. It is not far from the market and at the same time not too noisy. All the mansions around were big and beautiful. Xiao Jue did not like to travel by carriage so the two of them went on horseback together. Fei Nu did not follow and He Yan did not know where he was. He neither went with Chi Wu to protect Miss Song with Chi Wu nor went to the banquet with Xiao Jue. He Yan guessed that he probably was helping Xiao Jue with some errands.
Without Fei Nu, the only people left to travel were Xiao Jue and He Yan. Although Fei Nu never spoke much, He Yan was still able to catch a few words when she talked to him. Staying alone with Xiao Jue, He Yan became inexplicably nervous. Fortunately, they rode on horseback and did not need to say anything. In about the time of three incense sticks, they reached the gate of Sun’s mansion.
When the young man at the gate of Sun’s residence saw them, he greeted them as Sun Xiangfu might have informed him earlier of their visit. He said warmly, “This guest must be General Xiao, right? And this is Master Cheng? My master is already waiting in the front hall.” He took the horses of Xiao Jue and He Yan, while instructing the other maid. “Yingyue, show General Xiao and Master Cheng in.”
The maidservant named Yingyue was also very beautiful. It was already September and the autumn night was already very cool, yet she wore only a thin gauze. If she hadn’t worn it, there would be nothing left. If one put it bluntly, there would be nothing left to cover her body. He Yan almost could not help but to put on an outer garment on this girl. One of the guys in the barracks once said that when he was young, he used to be shirtless most of the time, and when he became old, he inevitably suffered from leg pain and back pain from time to time. Why bother?
Yingyue spoke — her voice sounded like an oriole flying out of the valley, ” General, please follow this maid.” As she said, a pair of affectionate eyes stared at Xiao Jue’s eyes, looking tender and watery.
Even though He Yan was a fool, she knew that this maidservant was eyeing Xiao Jue. Well, after all, there are not many girls who are like Song Taotao in this world, everyone in the world is not mundane. Moreover, Xiao Jue’s face was quite bluffing, and there are countless girls who love him. He Yan should have expected it.
However, no matter how great the temptation is, Xiao Jue, whose heart was like iron, didn’t even look at the maidservant. Instead, he glanced sideways at He Yan, and said coldly, “Why are you in a daze?”
“Huh?” He Yan returned to her senses. Seeing that he had already walked forward, she hurriedly followed. Thinking, this person really is sick, he didn’t even look at the girl who was like a flower. Why is he still finding fault with her?
The two of them walked into the gate of Sun’s Mansion with the maidservant.
The decoration of Sun Mansion was very extravagant.
It’s not that He Yan has never seen the houses of the Beijing officials, similar to this one. Although the He family was inferior to the Xiao family, it was still considered an official’s house and was reputable in Shuojing. The Sun family’s arrangements were actually comparable to the He family. But this was Liangzhou, not Shuojing, and Sun Xiangfu was just a prefect, not a capital official.
Three years of a clear county, yet there are hundreds of thousands of snowflakes silver.[1] This was true. He Yan looked at the rock bonsai and glazed jade tiles and was amazed in her heart. How can a prefect’s salary afford these? She wondered how many people had their money scraped by Sun Xiangfu. Also, depending on Sun Ling’s virtues, the father and son of the Sun family have done a lot of evil in Liangzhou, almost half as the emperor of the world.
She was thinking all this in her heart but was unaware that her expression was being noticed by the people around her.
Xiao Jue’s eyes moved slightly.
The young man was wearing Cheng Lisu’s clothes but was not as innocent and naïve as Cheng Lisu. Although people rely on clothes, horses, and saddles, a low-level recruit, pretending to be a young master of a large family, will eventually show his feet. What one has done and the people they have seen will be engraved into one’s body and would become clear vestiges.
Each person’s traces are different.
He Yan’s eyes were filled with emotions and contemplation, but there was no indication of shrinking or nervousness. If one was doing this kind of thing for the first time, going to this kind of place, such a reaction will not be justified.
At this moment, Yingyue had already stopped. rushed inside and said, “Master, General Xiao and Master Cheng are here.”
Suddenly, Sun Xiangfu’s exaggerated voice sounded, “General Xiao is here! This subordinate is afraid that the Governor and the young master will not come. It’s good that they have come!”
He Yan looked up and saw this person’s sincere and frightened appearance. There was no sign of the prestige he showed when they first met at the inn a few days ago, and as an official, he was not afraid of people making his joke.
Without waiting for Xiao Jue to speak, Sun Xiangfu turned his head sideways, revealing the person behind him, and said with a smile, “Master Yuan has also arrived.”
This is Yuan Baozhen? He Yan looked at him. She saw a white-faced middle-aged man smiling at them kindly, and in a moment, it overlapped with what He Yan remembered.
The first time she met Yuan Baozhen, it was outside the study of the He family. At that time, He Rufei had already gone to receive the merits, taken off his mask, and had truly become the “General Feihong”. As a young lady from the second house of the He family, she was waiting for the day to marry into the Xu family. When she saw this person, she was stunned for a while as she didn’t expect He Rufei to make a friend in the court so quickly.
She later asked He Rufei who that person was and He Rufei said it was Yuan Baozhen, the current supervisory official.
“What are you going to do with him?” He Yan asked casually at that time.
He Rufei looked at her and smiled weirdly. He said, “What you have to do now is to embroider your wedding gown, instead of worrying about these things. He Yan,” he leaned closer, his tone contained ridicule that she couldn’t understand, “You have to remember that you are now the lady in the second house of the He family, a woman.”
He Yan disagreed in her heart. She didn’t know how to embroider, nor was she embroidering her wedding dress. But she understood the meaning of He Rufei’s words that he was warning her not to get involved with General Feihong again.
Was he afraid that the truth would be discovered? He Yan sneered in her heart. It was ridiculous that she didn’t realize the murderous intent in He Rufei’s words.
Now that she suddenly sees this friend of her cousin, how should she obtain the news she wants?
Before He Yan could think clearly, Yuan Baozhen had already stepped forward, and first bowed his hand to Xiao Jue, “General.” Then he looked at He Yan, “This is Master Cheng, right?”
He Yan stared at him and gave him a smile as if surprised, “Master Yuan.”
“I have long heard that Young Master Cheng is a young man great in martial arts, and possesses extraordinary talents. Now that I have seen him, it was as expected.” Yuan Baozhen smiled and said, “Indeed, heroes come out of the youth!”
He Yan, “…”
Isn’t Cheng Lisu a famous “waste boy” in the capital? Fortunately, this person kept on speaking, and she understood that to be an official in Da Wei, probably the first thing to do is to learn this ability to ‘talk to people and talk nonsense even to the devil’.
He Yan had no choice but to say, “Thank you, I’m flattered. I’m now feeling embarrassed.”
As the two of them politely exchanged greetings, Sun Xiangfu rubbed his hands and said awkwardly, “Your excellency, I have a request to make.”
Xiao Jue, “What is it?”
“Didn’t my son collide with the general and the young man some time ago?” Sun Xiangfu looked very uneasy. “Although the officer had taught him a lesson, the child was very guilty in his heart and wanted to come and personally apologize to the general and the young Lord. This official thought since he knew that he was wrong, this subordinate came with this old face to beg the general for his unfilial son to have a chance to apologize.”
“No one is a sage, who can do nothing,” Yuan Baozhen said with a smile, “Besides, this matter is just a misunderstanding. It’s just a matter of solving the misunderstanding. The General would definitely not take this into his heart. You can call Master Sun over and talk to General Xiao. It’s good to clarify.”
“Really?” Sun Xiangfu excitedly ordered the young man, “Hurry up and call the young master over!”
He Yan watched the two of them singing in unison, and even finished singing the play without even asking Xiao Jue, she knew that the two must have discussed it beforehand. This Yuan Baozhen seemed to be the same as Sun Xiangfu, and also, he was the one close to He Rufei. What kind of person can he be?
Then Sun Ling was waiting outside the hall, and soon after they finished speaking, he followed the maidservant in. As soon as he came in, he knelt down to Xiao Jue with a “plop”, and He Yan almost bit her tongue.
This person used to be flaunting his power, but now, in just a few days, he has been haggard and the whole person seemed to be seriously ill, dressed extremely simple, bowing to Xiao Jue, and said weakly, “Before, I was ignorant and had a dispute with Young Master Cheng. Now that I know I was wrong, I hope the General and Young Master Cheng can forgive me for being young and frivolous.”
Is this how young and frivolous are used? Looking at him, he doesn’t even look young anymore. He Yan didn’t believe that this person would really be able to never commit a crime again in a few days. She looked at Xiao Jue, who appeared indifferent, neither saying good nor bad, and the atmosphere froze for a while.
He Yan still has to act in this play. Anyway, it’s all singing. If you don’t join in singing, wouldn’t it be embarrassing at the banquet? She stared at the top of Sun Ling’s hair with a smile, and said, “What are you talking about? It was just a misunderstanding that day. Master Sun need not have to take it seriously. It’s just that you should not mistake people again in the future. This time you met me and my Uncle. If you meet someone who is arbitrary, even if you apologize a hundred times, there will be no result.”
When he spoke, Sun Xiangfu heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly scolded Sun Ling, “Thank you Young Master Cheng. Young Master Cheng is younger than you and yet is more promising than you!” He probably didn’t have anything to boast about anymore, so he dryly threw down a sentence, “Learn more from Young Master Cheng in the future!”
Sun Ling hurriedly said a lot of good things to He Yan, and when she heard it she was about to vomit out the rice she ate overnight. She really doesn’t like to listen to these words, this was all fake, can this really bluff people?
Sun Ling went back to the house after singing the drama of “The Young Master of the County begging for forgiveness”. According to his father, the last time Sun Ling went home, he suffered a family law, became seriously ill, and was unable to get out of bed. Today, he came to Xiao Jue to plead guilty. Now that the pleading is over, he has to return to bed and rest.
He Yan smiled and said, “Then Master Sun, go quickly. Don’t hurt your body.”
This was probably because he was afraid of another mishap at the banquet. After all, his son was a troublemaker.
After Sun Ling left, Sun Xiangfu said, “General Xiao, Master Cheng, please sit down. When it gets late, there will be singing and dancing in the mansion, and then we will have a banquet to enjoy the dance together.”
He Yan sat down next to Xiao Jue. Sun Xiangfu was the only one who spoke. There was nothing special to talk about. It was nothing more than asking whether He Yan and Xiao Jue are used to living in Liangzhou City. The recent weather in Liangzhou City… and some meaningless greetings.
He Yan’s thoughts have always been on Yuan Baozhen.
Yuan Baozhen and He Rufei should be regarded as friends, right? At least she saw Yuan Baozhen go in and out of the He family more than once. And the attitude of He Yuansheng father and son did not look like just a casual acquaintance. So does He Rufei know about Yuan Baozhen’s current trip to Liangzhou? He definitely would know it. If they are good friends, maybe he would inform him before he leaves, then Yuan Baozhen should know what the recent situation of the He family is and He Rufei’s plans for the next few days.
But how can she make Yuan Baozhen say so much to her, “Cheng Lisu”?
He Yan was in a daze and forgot to hide her gaze. Yuan Baozhen was not an ordinary person. After the light was swept away, he noticed that He Yan had been staring at him. He didn’t say anything. He still listened to Sun Xiangfu’s words with a smile, and occasionally added a couple of sentences, which seemed very ordinary at first glance.
After a while, it was completely dark. Sun Xiangfu stood up and smiled, “I see that the time is almost up, let’s go to the hall for the banquet.”
Naturally, there was no objection. With Sun Xiangfu leading the way, He Yan and Xiao Jue behind, Yuan Baozhen was on her right. He Yan thought about He Rufei, and couldn’t help but set her eyes on Yuan Baozhen.
She was thinking about something. Suddenly, Yuan Baozhen turned his head to the side. He was a member of the officialdom and had a lot of cities under him. He was not smiling at the moment and his eyes were shining brightly. It was really scary. He had caught He Yan red-handed.
He Yan was shocked, and the secret was discovered. Before she had time to speak, she felt that his arm was gently pulled by someone. The next moment, a person stood in front of her.
Xiao Jue’s cold voice fell into her ears, “Watch the road well.”
She was surprised to see that Xiao Jue was taller than her. As a result, Yuan Baozhen’s terrifying gaze was completely blocked by him, and she couldn’t see it at all. Xiao Jue also looked at the other side, bending his lips, “Why does Master Yuan keep staring at my nephew?”
Yuan Baozhen froze for a moment, then laughed, and said, “No, the General is probably wrong.” He turned around and stopped looking at He Yan as if what had just happened was just a trivial joke.
Xiao Jue continued walking forward, He Yan was taken aback for a moment, and followed. There was something strange in her heart. Although the words “my nephew” referred to Cheng Lisu, he was protecting her. She hasn’t had this feeling of being guarded by someone for a long time.
Perhaps, never before.
By the time the banquet was set up in the hall, short and long seats were set up everywhere, and He Yan sat down next to Xiao Jue. The empty space in the middle of the hall was probably for singing and dancing. He Yan actually didn’t quite understand, why should such a banquet invite beautiful women to sing and dance? It’s common sense that genuine lords do not bother with this.
But Sun Xiangfu was not a real lord after all.
Looking at the dishes on the table again, He Yan couldn’t help but be speechless. What auspicious dragon Shuang Fei, bergamot gold roll, anchovy shark’s fin, dried Lianfu sea cucumber. That’s how it looks like when the third-grade official family organizes a banquet in their mansion in the capital. It seems that the life of the Sun family is very prosperous.
She turned her head to look at Xiao Jue again. She has to say that Xiao Jue always wears a cold face, whether it be anything, but when he arrived at the banquet, he was just sitting lazily, there was less indifference, looking a bit idle in his bones as if in leisure. He Yan suddenly remembered that this man was the real young master in the capital, who used to go to a cocktail party one day and a banquet tomorrow. He was the son full of affiliations, so, the current him at the banquet suddenly seemed like a shadow of the young master of the Xiao Family when he was young.
“What are you looking at me for,” Young Master Xiao’s mouth twitched, his voice low, falling into He Yan’s ears, “Be careful not to expose the matter.”
He Yan coughed lightly, “I was shocked by my uncle’s demeanor, and lost my mind for a while.”
She was used to flattering, and just opened her mouth as if she was inexplicable, and Xiao Jue didn’t bother to pay attention to her. At this moment, Yuan Baozhen spoke. He said, “The relationship between General Xiao and Young Master Cheng is very good.”
“Of course it is good.” Xiao Jue replied indifferently.
Yuan Baozhen was just looking for a conversation, and of course, he wouldn’t care about Xiao Jue’s attitude. He picked up the wine cup on the table and said with a smile, “I have never understood. Liangzhou is such a bitter cold place, while General Xiao was doing much better in Shuojing than here. Why would he come to Liangzhou?”
When He Yan heard the words, her heart moved, and she was also curious about this question. Xiao Jue was now the captain of the Right Army, and the entire Southern soldiers were in his hands, so there was no need to bring new recruits here. In the beginning, He Yan thought he was demoted, but looking at his arrogant appearance in front of Sun Xiangfu, it did not seem so.
Xiao Jue glanced at Yuan Baozhen, and instead of answering his question, he smiled and asked, “What do you think Imperial Secretary Yuan? Why did I?”
Why did this man kick the ball back again [return the question]?
Yuan Baozhen was also a powerful person. The same smile on his face did not change at all. He immediately used his ability that’s necessary for everyone as a member of the officialdom, talking nonsense, he said, “I think the General must be worried about the difficulty in training new recruits, and that the other generals may not be able to lead them well. The General has always not been afraid of hardships, so you took the initiative to volunteer to come to Liangzhou to garrison.”
After a long while, Xiao Jue said, “Really?” He asked casually, “Does Lord Yu mean that it’s a good thing for this General to come to Liangzhou?”
“Of course.”
Xiao Jue glanced at him and smiled indifferently, “I didn’t expect Lord Yuan would say this.”
“Oh?” Yuan Baozhen asked with a smile, “What does General Xiao mean?”
“The end must be folded, as the tail is too big to fall[2].” He said meaningfully, “Isn’t this why Master Yuan made a trip to Liangzhou personally?”
The atmosphere immediately solidified, and Sun Xiangfu dared not say a word, pinning his tail. Yuan Baozhen’s smile almost couldn’t hold on. He Yan looked sideways at Xiao Jue, and couldn’t help but yell at Xiao Jue in her heart.
Exchanging flatters. In the end, it’s all meaningless. It’s all a lie and nothing useful will happen until the end of the banquet. Just look at how powerful this second son of Xiao is, one sentence alone made the other party speechless.
The hidden mystery of this banquet was placed on the table so frankly!
Yuan Baozhen paused for a moment before he smiled, “General Xiao is really good at joking. I came to Liangzhou, but was only ordered to inspect.”
Xiao Jue was noncommittal.
“I wonder how well the recruits of the General’s guardhouse are being trained?” Yuan Baozhen asked again, “Is there any batch of good soldiers?”
Xiao Jue looked at him with a faint smile, “Is this also one of the contents of Lord Yuan’s inspection?”
Although Yuan Baozhen had heard of Xiao Jue’s fame in the past and had a face-to-face encounter with him, this was the first time he really sat down and talked. Therefore, this was also the first time that he truly experienced the rebelliousness of this young killer General. It’s no wonder that the killing of Zhao Nuo back then didn’t make any sense. Just sitting down and talking with this young master was exhausting both physically and mentally.
For the first time he couldn’t hold onto the smile he used to keep and only said, “It’s just one of my own concerns.”
“I’m afraid Lord Yuan’s concern is probably not only for the Liangzhou recruits,” Xiao Jue said slowly, “Why don’t you also take an interest in Southern soldiers and Nine Banners Battalion?”
Yuan Baozhen couldn’t answer this.
Sun Xiangfu looked left and right. Both of them were the characters he couldn’t afford to provoke, but he also couldn’t let the banquet be filled with such murderous intent, so he uttered out in a panic, “I say, the two lords must be tired, so why don’t you stop and enjoy the song and dance? Will you have something to eat first? This wine is freshly brewed from grape spring. Have a taste.” He then told the maid beside him, “Call Yingyue to come here.”
Not long after, several beautiful girls stepped into the hall. The leader was the maid who had just introduced He Yan and the others. At this time, she had her clothes changed again. The red dress was embroidered with clusters of plum blossoms, the sleeves were long, and the makeup was renewed. She was just a beautiful woman before, but now she wore a gorgeous look and, same as before, was looking at Xiao Jue affectionately.
With so many people sitting here together, He Yan didn’t say anything, Yuan Baozhen was also an official, but this girl only stared at Xiao Jue. What’s going on? This target is too clear, right? He Yan thought in her heart. When she turned to see Xiao Jue, she saw that the person’s eyes were as cold as ice and he was not moved at all.
He Yan felt that the gaze he looked at Fei Nu was much softer than when he looked at the girl. Could Xiao Jue have any problems, such as hating women?
She thought about it this way. Yingyue had already taken the other maids and saluted them, saying, “Let the maidservants show their meager talents.”
A girl was playing “Longing for each other” on the zheng. The lingering tune and the stunning girl formed a beautiful picture. Here, He Yan was a girl, Xiao Jue was not at all interested in singing and dancing, Yuan Baozhen was just told by Xiao Jue, so his thoughts have already flown elsewhere, and probably only Sun Xiangfu himself was the most satisfied.
Sun Xiangfu himself probably loved this dancer, but this Yingyue girl may also judge people by appearance. The long sleeves flung in the direction of Xiao Jue. Her glamorous glance can charm people to their bones, but every swing was facing the second son of Xiao.
He Yan was bored, so she started counting. Yingyue glanced five times at Sun Xiangfu, three times at Yuan Baozhen, seventeen times at Xiao Jue, and none at herself.
She was still at the bottom. Why is she being looked down upon?
If one goes to a banquet, it’s for the feast, but it can also bring such a blow to people’s self-confidence. He Yan said in her heart that she might not be blamed. Who told her to wear such wrong clothes today? This color was dark.
She stretched out her chopsticks and picked up a snack. This was Sun Xiangfu’s family banquet. So Sun Xiangfu likely wouldn’t have the courage to poison it. He Yan tasted it and it was pretty good.
After the song, Yingyue’s forehead oozed bright sweat. The beauty was sweating and looked even more charming. Her cheeks flushed, as she saluted everyone.
“Good, good, good!” Sun Xiangfu was the only one who was watching the dance seriously, clapped and said, “Wonderful, wonderful! What do you all think?”
Xiao Jue naturally wouldn’t answer him, Yuan Baozhen just smiled, and He Yan said, “It’s really hard to get away with the beauty, the heavenly performance was beautiful!”
“Young Master also finds it good?” Sun Xiangfu looked excited as if he knew him, and said, “How about giving Yingyue to Master Cheng?”
How can this work? He Yan stiffened and waved her hand, “No, no, I already have a fiancee. I’m afraid it’s not appropriate.”
“Ah.” Sun Xiangfu immediately regretted it and said, “That’s a pity.”
Now that there are officials present in the banquet, he’s still in the mood to give each other beauty at this time? Is he sick? He Yan was feeling unbelievable, and heard Sun Xiangfu smile again, “Yingyue, then you go and serve General Xiao.”
He Yan, “…”
She suspected that Wanhua Pavilion was not opened by this Master Sun, otherwise, why the tone of his speech was so similar to that of a pimp. Even if it was that old Madam, she should have an eye for it. Can’t he tell that every inch of Xiao Jue’s body is written with rejection?
Some people are blind, but their hearts are as clear as a mirror. Some people can see, but are in fact blind.
Fortunately, this girl Yingyue knew how to measure herself. She didn’t do anything stupid like touching his hands, she just stood beside Xiao Jue and served him dishes.
There was also a maidservant next to He Yan, who was serving her food. She raised her head and saw Yuan Baozhen sitting on the opposite side of her. It was not a maidservant behind him who was preparing the food, but a person who looked like a guard.
Odd, is he one who hates women?
He Yan looked at the guard behind him, as she was bored. At first glance, she felt that her blood was about to freeze and her whole body froze in place.
The attendant was not very tall, even among the guards, he could be regarded as thin and short and his facial features were mediocre. Hiding behind Yuan Baozhen, he was almost in the dark, it was difficult for people to notice such a person. He hasn’t said a word. He Yan hasn’t realized his presence since she saw Yuan Baozhen. At this moment, she was struck by lightning.
In an instant, all the banquet dishes on the table were gone, and the scenery was like a tour, quickly retreating to that day. She was sitting in the Xu family’s mansion, and her personal maid presented a bowl of soup medicine, which she said was specially boiled in the kitchen to replenish her body, hoping that she could become pregnant with a child soon and help the Xu family.
The view was perfect and the sun was shining. She was sitting at the table and looking out the window, she saw a small servant passing by. The maid smiled and explained that the medicinal materials used to make the soup today were sent by the small servant.
That was He Rufei’s little servant, a member of the He family.
He Yan was newly married back then. Although she was occasionally disappointed in Xu Zhiheng, she never took it to heart as she still had a trace of warmth towards the He family. Little did she expect the medicine that she thought would supplement her body would bring damage to her eyes.
That was the last time she saw sunlight in her previous life. On the second day, her fever did not go away and then she turned blind.
It was just a short glance, but she remembered the person’s face vividly in her heart. Even if he changed his dress as a guard and followed Yuan Baozhen, she could see it at a glance.
“Let’s have a drink together.” Sun Xiangfu smiled with a toast.
The crystal liquor was poured into the white jade cup. She saw the man beside her, holding the cup close to her lips. In an instant, all the past appeared before her eyes. He Yan was extremely frightened. She only felt that the previous scene was about to repeat itself. She was shocked and angered. She split the wine cup in Xiao Jue’s hand with her palm.
“Don’t drink!”
[1] the proverb refers to the irony of officials who advertised incorruptibility, in fact, they are also squeezing the people on a large scale.
[2] In the old days, it was a metaphor for the power of the subordinates to be so great that they could not be commanded or dispatched. The metaphor is that the organization is huge, and the command is not effective.
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