Chapter 5 Banquet

Ming Huazhang saw the young man and his eyes were unmoved. However, the young man did not care about Ming Huazhang's indifference and walked up to Ming Huazhang with a smile: "Jingzhan, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I thought I was the only one going to the banquet, and I regretted it for a long time on the way. I didn't expect you to come too. The banquet will be much more interesting."

The young man looked at Ming Huashang and said with a smile: "I guess this is your twin sister? I have heard of your name for a long time. Now that I see you, you are even cuter than I thought."

Ming Huazhang glanced at the boy coldly and said, "How can you call me sister? Second mother, don't worry about him, let's go."

The young man didn't care about Ming Huazhang's cold reception. His peach blossom eyes slightly curved, and he smiled softly and romantically: "I forgot to introduce you to my second sister. I am Xie Jichuan, your brother's good friend."

Ming Huashang had already guessed it. She bowed and clasped her hands, and saluted Xie Jichuan: "Master Xie."

Xie Jichuan leaned forward to return the greeting and said warmly, "Don't be so polite. You are Jingzhan's sister, so you are also my sister. Just call me brother."

Ming Huashang agreed with a sense of flattery. Unlike her, Xie Jichuan and Ming Huazhang were both well-known in the capital, and everyone in the official circle knew them.

It was previously stated that Hua Zhang was the lover in the dream of half of the Luoyang girl, and the other half was Xie Jichuan. Xie Jichuan came from the great aristocratic family Xie, a branch of the Xie family of Chen County, and was an aristocratic family that was even more ancient and noble than the Five Surnames and Seven Families.

Even though the Xie family lost many members in the war and never recovered from its glory and prosperity during the Wei and Jin dynasties, the good name of Wang and Xie has been passed down through the ages, and this surname is still the bright moonlight of many people.

Xie Jichuan was the eldest son of the Xie family. He was famous for his talent when he was young. He could recite at the age of three, write at the age of six, and write a piece of writing at the age of ten without changing a single word. His name as a child prodigy spread far and wide. He also had a very good appearance and good character. Regardless of their status, he always treated people with the same attitude, always gentle and kind, neither humble nor overbearing. He was exactly what people imagined a young man from a noble family to be like, and he won the hearts of many women.

Excellent people always make friends with excellent people. Xie Jichuan and Ming Huazhang have a very good relationship. The two often go to banquets together to write essays, and are called the two beauties of the capital.

Even someone as homely as Ming Huashang had heard of the reputation of the two beauties in the capital. When the girls from Luoyang gathered together, the topic always revolved around these two people. One of them was as cold and proud as the long moon, and the other was as elegant and graceful as the spring breeze. They had always had their own fans. Now, these two people were standing next to Ming Huashang, and Ming Huashang could already feel the sharp gazes from all directions.

Ming Huashang had known about Xie Jichuan for a long time, but she and Ming Huazhang were not familiar with each other, not to mention her brother's friend. Today was the first time they officially met. She felt that it was unfair for her to bear the murderous gazes of the young women, so she said tactfully: "It's a bit windy here, why don't we go inside and talk?"

Xie Jichuan understood and said, "I was so happy to see Jingzhan and my second sister that I forgot myself. Let's find a place to stay first, so that my sister won't be frozen."

Originally, only Ming Huazhang was there to escort Ming Huashang, but now Xie Jichuan was also there. Ming Huashang could not refuse, so she could only look for a place to live under the envious gazes of the two handsome boys.

With Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan around, Ming Huachang only needed to hold the hand stove. Xie Jichuan looked at the large and small bags in the servants' hands with curiosity and asked, "What did the second sister bring? Why do you have so much luggage?"

Ming Huashang said embarrassedly: "It's nothing, it's just that I brought a little food, so it looks a bit too much."

A little bit? Ming Huazhang raised his eyebrows and said nothing.

I'm afraid there's more.

Xie Jichuan was stunned to hear that Ming Huashang actually brought her own food, then laughed and said, "Second sister is really thoughtful. How could I have forgotten this?"

Ming Huashang waved his hands and said, "Thank you, brother. You and the second brother are well-read and brought a lot of ink, but I only think about food and drink, so I can only eat wherever I go. Brother Xie, do you like cakes? I brought many flavors. If you don't mind, we can eat together."

Xie Jichuan smiled and agreed, sighing, "Second sister is so cute, she is totally different from Jingzhan."

"What's good about that?" Ming Huazhang glanced at Xie Jichuan coldly, "She is a woman, how can you enter her room?"

Xie Jichuan was incredulous: "We are close friends. In my heart, she is like my own sister. What is there to hide?"

"That won't work either." Ming Huazhang was unmoved. Xie Jichuan was speechless when he saw Ming Huazhang was so stubborn and unyielding: "Jingzhan, you are only sixteen years old, why are you so conservative and like an old scholar?"

Ming Huashang was afraid that the two of them would quarrel, so she quickly said, "It's okay, it's okay. I have prepared food for your second brother, and I will ask Zhaocai to deliver it to your room when the time comes."

Xie Jichuan was stunned for a moment, thinking he had heard wrongly, and slowly raised his eyebrows: "To attract wealth?"

"Yes." Ming Huashang waved behind him, "Zhaocai, come over here and greet Brother Xie."

Zhaocai ran over in small steps and saluted Xie Jichuan: "Your servant greets Mr. Xie."

Xie Jichuan found that Zhaocai was indeed the Zhaocai he imagined. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He looked at Ming Huazhang with a pair of amused eyes. Ming Huazhang shook his head at him lightly, indicating that he should not say too much and respect the name given by Ming Huashang. Xie Jichuan held back his laughter and said to Ming Huashang: "Why didn't I get to know the second sister earlier? She is so interesting."

As he said this, he rolled his eyes at Ming Huazhang: "You are not like Jingzhan at all, serious and boring."

Ming Huazhang was too lazy to pay attention to Xie Jichuan. They had known each other for many years and were used to insulting each other. But Ming Huachang heard it and defended Ming Huazhang seriously: "Brother Xie, you can't say that. My second brother strictly abides by the virtues of a gentleman. A gentleman will not be respected if he is not serious. This is also for my own good."

Xie Jichuan was surprised again. He raised his eyebrows and glanced at Ming Huazhang. He saw that even Ming Huazhang was a little surprised. He obviously didn't expect Ming Huachang to say that. Xie Jichuan sighed and said, "It's great to have a sister. She is always protected. Why didn't I get a sister?"

Ming Huazhang was about to scold Master Xie Jichuan for putting on airs here, but suddenly his expression froze. He pulled Ming Huashang behind him with one hand and raised his other hand to block in front of him.

Ming Huashang didn't realize what was happening. She seemed to catch a glimpse of a yellow shadow in her peripheral vision. Before she could see clearly what it was, Ming Huazhang pulled it away.

Ming Huachang stumbled back two steps, and if Ming Huazhang hadn't held her wrist, she would have almost fallen. She looked up in shock and saw Ming Huazhang standing in front of her. The young man was holding the scabbard in one hand, and the red round-collared robe with dragon and phoenix patterns was fitting him. His waist was tightened with a black leather belt, outlining his straight shoulders, slender limbs, and thin waist.

The scabbard held a strange animal that looked like a cat but was much bigger than a cat, with long and strong limbs and long light brown hair all over its body. Ming Huachang was stunned when the cold and cunning green eyes of the cat met. At this time, Ming Huazhang suddenly spun the scabbard, and when the big cat lost its balance, Ming Huazhang raised his leg and kicked the big cat's belly hard, kicking it away.

The action was so smooth and neat that by the time Ming Huashang could react, the big cat had already been thrown into the snow. She blinked and asked hesitantly, "What is this..."

"Lynx." Ming Huazhang put away the scabbard and looked back at Ming Huashang, "You're not hurt, are you?"

Ming Huashang shook her head like a wave drum. She looked past Ming Huazhang curiously and looked at the snow behind her. The lynx got up from the ground, lowered its front legs, and snorted threateningly towards them, but in the end it didn't dare to get any closer.

Ming Huashang truly felt what it meant to be both civil and military, and what it meant to be bold and careful. She didn't even see where the lynx was hiding!

Maybe because Ming Huazhang was there, Ming Huachang was full of confidence and didn't worry about her own safety at all. Instead, she was interested in observing the big cat: "Why is there a lynx here?"

Xie Jichuan also came over, looked along the footprints on the snow, and said, "It must have been brought here by a guest."

Ming Huashang couldn't believe it: "A guest's? Who would bring such a big cat when visiting someone?"

Although Ming Huashang called it a big cat, the killing power of a lynx is much stronger than that of a cat. Half of Princess Taiping's guests were women, and if a woman bumped into it, being bitten or scratched by it would be fatal.

If it wasn't Ming Huazhang just now, Ming Huashang would have become the first victim.

What you fear will come true. Another group of guests came from behind, and they were all women. The women saw a long-haired animal that looked like a cat or a leopard lying on the snow, and they screamed in fear. Ming Huazhang frowned and handed Ming Huachang to Xie Jichuan: "You watch her, I'll go over there to catch the lynx."

Xie Jichuan nodded, took a half step forward, and stood in front of Ming Huachang. Ming Huachang was about to leave when suddenly a spear flew over and stabbed heavily into the snow.

The lynx was frightened by the flying snow and took two steps back. A woman in red shouted loudly, ran over quickly, and kicked the red lance in the snow into her hand: "You evil beast, how dare you hurt people?"

Ming Huashang's eyes widened as she watched the scene in shock. To attend a banquet at the princess's villa, some people brought lynxes, and some even brought guns?

It really opened her eyes. Ming Huashang suddenly felt that it was normal for her to only bring food.

The woman in red wielded her spear with great force, stirring up layers of snow mist. Ming Huazhang put away his knife, and turned around to see Ming Huachang leaning closely behind Xie Jichuan, frowning silently, holding her wrist and pulling it towards him, saying, "Okay, it's okay, go put your luggage away."

Ming Huashang didn't know if it was because she had rarely been out and had no experience, she looked curiously at the woman fighting the lynx and asked, "Who is this? That lynx looks so fierce, shouldn't we help her?"

Xie Jichuan smiled and shook his head, saying, "No need. Sister, you don't go out much, so you may not recognize this lady. She is also quite famous in Shendu. She is the daughter of Pingnan Hou - Miss Ren Yao. This lynx is no match for her. I think it is the owner of the lynx who should be worried."

Ming Huashang had been salting fish for too long and didn't recognize many faces, but she still knew their names. She leaned forward and looked behind her. It turned out that this was Ren Yao, the daughter of Pingnan Hou and the successor of the famous Ren family spear.

Ren Yao was also very famous in the capital, but unlike Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan, her reputation was not that good.

All the sons of Pingnan Marquis died in the battlefield. Everyone said that the Ren family would be extinct and it was a pity for the Ren family's gun. Ren Yao was the only surviving child of Pingnan Marquis. She was unwilling to be outdone. She practiced shooting hard since she was a child and vowed to carry forward the Ren family's unique skills, take over the class of her father and brother, and go to the battlefield to kill the enemy.

Such a woman is naturally unwelcome in the social circle. Ming Huashang only went out a few times, but she could always hear the noble ladies gathering together to talk weirdly about Ren Yao, and some even jokingly called Ren Yao "female marquis".

Even if Ren Yao is indeed the only bloodline of Marquis Pingnan, women cannot inherit the title. This statement is undoubtedly a satire on the fact that all the men in Ren Yao's family have died and he has no father or brother.

When Ming Huachang first heard about it, she thought it was a good thing for a woman to have the ambition to inherit her father's and brother's legacy. Why did they laugh at her? She did not follow the advice of those ladies. After meeting Ren Yao today, she found that Ren Yao's gun skills were indeed very good, and he was no less skilled than men.

Ming Huashang herself is a slouch, but she admires those who have ambition and can put it into practice, such as her brother Ming Huazhang and Ren Yao. Ming Huashang looked back every few steps and couldn't help but pull Ming Huazhang's sleeve: "Mrs. Ren is a great shooter. Should we stay and say hello?"

"You are the apple of the eye of the Duke of Zhenguo's house. You can make friends with anyone you want." Ming Huazhang really stopped and called the trembling servant hiding behind a tree, saying, "Go to the courtyard of the Marquis of Jiang'an's house and tell them that the lynx raised by their prince has escaped. If you don't come, you will have to collect the body."

Ming Huashang heard a familiar name again: "The son of Marquis Jiang'an? Second brother, how do you know this is the pet of the son of Jiang'an?"

Xie Jichuan laughed softly behind him, holding his sleeves and said with a smile: "Second sister, it seems that you really don't like going out. The Western Regions presented a batch of lynxes and leopards to the empress, and the empress gave them to Princess Taiping. Marquis Jiang'an loved his son as if his life, and specially went to ask Princess Taiping for mercy and asked for a lynx and a leopard for the prince. Jiang Ling carried these two treasures everywhere when he went out. Who in the capital of gods doesn't know the beloved son of Marquis Jiang'an?"

Jiang Ling, the son of Marquis Jiang'an, was also a well-known dandy. Ming Huashang said slowly, "Oh". Although she was oblivious to what was happening outside, she knew that Marquis Jiang'an was the right-hand man of Princess Taiping. Jiang Ling was the only son left by Marquis Jiang'an's original wife, and the degree of his doting on him was probably similar to that of the Duke of Zhenguo to Ming Huashang.

If it was him, no wonder he brought such a dangerous animal into the banquet.

Ming Huashang secretly sighed, Ren Yao and Jiang Ling are both tough guys. If they fight, it will probably not end well.

Just as she finished her thought, she heard a loud wail from behind: "Baby, who beat you like this?"