Jiang Sui also bowed generously to everyone. She had a very decent smile on her face and her clothes were elegant and exquisite.
Seeing that she was so sweet and well-mannered, everyone couldn't help but be polite and said that Xiao Hechuan was very lucky to have such a virtuous wife.
By taking the initiative to introduce his wife, he also discouraged those who had girls of marriageable age in their families from wanting to find a son-in-law from the list.
No matter how outstanding the man is, he already has a wife. You can't let your spoiled daughter become his concubine, right?
…
In the evening, Xiao Hechuan and Qi Xiuyuan went to Juxian Tower for a banquet, while Jiang Sui and Lu Yao stayed in the rented house. It was not convenient for Lu Yao to stay at home alone with Jiang Sui, so he went to find Luo Ming and discussed with him about going back to Jeju together so that they could take care of each other on the way.
Jiang Sui knew that these two guys would definitely come back drunk after going out tonight, so she would prepare some sobering soup for them at home!
Inside the Juxian Building, today the party was hosted by the son of the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Supervisory Council, who had booked the largest banquet hall in the building. The son was the one called Fu Yinghuai.
In addition to the few who were there to check the list in the morning, other children from aristocratic families were also invited, a total of ten.
Xiao Hechuan was the focus of the evening. As soon as everyone arrived, they were eager to get to know him, say hello, and introduce themselves.
Fu Yinghuai is a smart man. He did not invite Guo Gan today. I wonder how upset he must be feeling right now. He always boasts that he can get the top three honors in the imperial examination, but now he feels slapped in the face, right?
Moreover, Guo Gan's daily behavior was very flamboyant and he was frivolous and unruly. Many children from aristocratic families would not want to greet him with a smile, if it were not for the influence of their families.
At the beginning, everyone was communicating quite harmoniously, drinking and chatting happily, and even invited dancers and musicians to dance to liven up the atmosphere.
They are all quite serious. If it were in Jeju, they would have been surrounded by beauties on both sides in such an occasion, but this is Kyoto, at the feet of the emperor.
The current emperor is very concerned about the private behavior of his subjects. They must be strict with themselves and not do or say ridiculous things.
Perhaps this capital city is full of invisible spies. If you are not careful, say the wrong words, do the wrong things, or behave uncivilized, the emperor may find out. When the emperor goes to court, he will scold you in front of all the civil and military officials and execute you on the spot.
Or, they might suddenly summon you into the palace and ask you to stay in a side hall of the Shangshufang for a few days and nights without seeing you, so that you can think for yourself what you did wrong.
These are all possible. After all, in the entire Kyoto, except for the mother and family of the eldest prince, Prince Chu, who are both in Kyoto, the mothers of the other three princes and three imperial concubines are all sent outside.
Everyone supervises each other and needs to be careful in every word and action.
Everyone was having a great time, but suddenly an uninvited guest arrived. The door of the banquet hall was rudely pushed open and the singing and dancing had to stop.
All the dancers stopped dancing and quickly retreated to the side.
The musicians did not dare to continue playing. The young masters of noble families who were drinking and reciting poems looked at the person coming at the door and fell silent tacitly.
The visitor was not a stranger, but the grandson of the Minister of Rites, Guo Gan, who was familiar to everyone.
He looked a little unfriendly, with his hands behind his back, looking like he was looking for trouble.
"Oh, everyone seems to be having a great time. Everyone who should be here is here. Why didn't anyone invite me? Did they forget about me on purpose?"
All those present were legitimate children, and their family's official positions were no lower than the third rank.
Xiao Hechuan and Qi Xiuyuan were exceptions. Qi Xiuyuan came to a banquet of this level thanks to Xiao Hechuan.
It's not that he wanted to curry favor with the powerful, but he happened to be standing next to Xiao Hechuan at the time and was on the list, so people invited him along out of courtesy. Otherwise, he wouldn't want to come and was too lazy to deal with these children from aristocratic families.
The host this time was Fu Yinghuai, the eldest son of the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Supervisory Council. In this situation, it was natural for him to step out and laugh it off.
"Brother Guo, are you here? Please take a seat. I was so confused today that I forgot to ask someone to inform you. I had remembered it, but I was busy with something in the afternoon and forgot about it. I am really ashamed. I hope Brother Guo will forgive me. By the way, I would like to congratulate Brother Guo for getting the second place in this spring exam. I think the palace exam later will not be a problem for you!"
When the time comes, when you become an official and a new noble, you must not forget us brothers! ”
Who here isn't a smart person? Each one is better at acting than the other, and Fu Yinghuai is a very good one.
This kind of scene happens every now and then, and everyone has some acting skills.
However, his words seemed to be a compliment to Guo Gan, but in fact, he was deliberately trying to provoke him.
Didn’t he always say that he wanted to win the top three places in the imperial examination? Now, if I can’t even pass the exam to become the first place, how can I expect to pass the exam to become the third place? Isn't this a joke?
I deliberately didn't invite him here today because I was thinking about him, but he is so shameless that he even comes here eager to find fault.
Of course Guo Gan could hear the mockery in his words, but he didn't take it to heart. This was all caused by his own overconfidence.
He sneered and looked around the scene. There was no empty seat at all. Instead, he saw two unfamiliar faces.
He had already inquired before coming and found out that Xiao Hechuan, who had snatched his position as the top scholar, was here, so he wanted to go and see him even at the risk of embarrassment.
He wanted to see what kind of person was actually stepping on him.
"I don't think there's a place for me here, does it?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Yinghuai smiled awkwardly and then asked his servants to add more seats.
Guo Gan disagreed. He walked around Fu Yinghuai and went straight to the position of the man opposite Xiao Hechuan.
"Brother Zhou, I want to sit next to you, can you give me a seat?"
This is Zhou Yizi, the second son of the Guanglu Temple Minister. His father is a third-rank official in Beijing, but Guo Gan doesn't take him seriously at all and actually comes up to grab the position.
Zhou Yizi knelt on the mat and looked up at him. Seeing his determined look, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes, raised his head and drank the wine in the glass, then stood up with a fake smile and said:
"Of course you can. Brother Guo, you can sit wherever you want. We are all brothers and friends, so why not? Brother Guo, if you don't mind, the food on the table is my leftovers."
"It's okay, just change the table. Could it be that the eldest son of the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Supervisory Council is short of money for this small table of wine and food?" Guo Gan retorted without any politeness, and also dragged Fu Yinghuai down at the same time.
This time, Zhou Yizi and Fu Yinghuai's faces looked unhappy, and they didn't even want to pretend to smile.
Guo Gan sat down with his horse and sword in his hand, and looked directly at Xiao Hechuan who was calm and composed opposite him, squinting his eyes to examine him carefully.
Xiao Hechuan's appearance could be said to be the best in the entire venue today, while Guo Gan could only be considered to have regular facial features. He was far inferior to others in appearance, so he was naturally even more unhappy.
"I guess this unfamiliar young man must be the top scorer in this spring's imperial examination, right?"
He came here today for Xiao Hechuan.
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