Chapter 20
The flowers of Chang'an City were all in bloom, and the days were moving towards late spring. Shen Yi lifted the curtain of his carriage to let in some of the noisy voices on the street. "Young Marquis, we've arrived at the singing hall."
He lazily responded and naturally changed into a new crimson dress. It was Chunri's first time attending a banquet. He got out of the car, glanced at the familiar madam, and let her lead him to the upstairs wing.
The incense in the singing hall was also changed, and the beauty's hair was decorated with newly opened peonies. Even though the music of the piano was soft, it was still refreshing for a moment when you saw it, and you felt a kind of pretended elegance.
Shen Yi bowed in return before looking up at a vaguely familiar face, probably a colleague he had stood with during court. He took the seat of honor and nodded in response to the call of "Young Marquis" several times.
The maids were mostly dressed in light green shirts, draping themselves with the spirit of spring as they slowly poured clear wine into the cups. A faint aroma of wine wafted out, and Shen Yi stopped the other party from getting closer and closer and tasted the wine with a smile.
"Even if he comes... I will still drink. Even if you don't recognize me, you should recognize the Liu family, right?" A voice sounded in his ears. He looked towards the source of the voice and indeed caught a glimpse of someone he was very familiar with.
Liu Qianshan and he had a contrasting color today, wearing the same crimson robe, and still looked as ravenous as ever. Since everyone hadn't gathered yet, there was only music playing outside the wing, but Liu Qianshan had already nearly finished half a bottle of sake.
Shen Yi thought that Liu Qianshan seemed to be the same as yesterday, preferring to get drunk and causing chaos everywhere. Just as he was about to look away, he met Liu Qianshan's gaze.
He paused for a moment. Ever since his grandfather went to Longxi, he and Liu Qianshan had not seen each other again. There were many things going on in the meantime, and they had not even exchanged letters.
As for the coming-of-age ceremony in early spring, Liu Qianshan had it a little earlier than himself. Shen Yi could no longer remember whether Liu Zongzheng was among the guests when he was coming-of-age.
Now that they had unexpectedly met again, he felt his tongue was choked when he tried to say hello. He didn't know what name Liu Qianshan had chosen, but he assumed he looked at him the same way.
Besides, Shen Yi still remembered it clearly. The last time they drank together, Liu Qianshan had first told him about the battle in Longxi. He was so drunk that he was about to collapse on the ground, calling out to Shen Yi to save him, repeating over and over again that he didn't want to be an official, didn't want to die, and so on.
Shen Yi lowered his eyes first. It seemed that Liu Qianshan hadn't gotten what he wanted. No matter how spoiled the Liu family was, he couldn't avoid entering the court. Liu Qianshan...was working under the Minister of Grain, even holding a sinecure like himself.
But Liu Qianshan clearly got what he wanted. Just because he acted drunkenly in front of him, Liu Qianshan ultimately had no chance to go to Longxi, and there was no need for him to go there again.
Everything about Longxi is over, and those old things should be written off.
But he was still angry in his heart, and he knew very well that this had nothing to do with Liu Qianshan. Even if Liu Qianshan said a lot of drunken words that day, he could not take them seriously.
Chen Yi was still unable to sort out his thoughts, so he just turned his gaze away, no longer looking at Liu Qianshan, and deliberately stopped listening to the movement over there.
Fortunately, Liu Qianshan seemed to be getting drunk and started talking nonsense again. He was surrounded by people who had requests for help, some flattering him, some trying to make him laugh, and some urging him to drink.
The birds outside the window were chirping crisply, and a new round of noise began at the table. Shen Yi looked over and saw that the other person was wearing a white shirt, with only the knee-caps embroidered with dark silver thread to create a sense of elegance - Xue Heng stood alone in the middle, with a faint smile on his lips, accepting the greetings from everyone one by one.
"Young Marquis." A clear voice read out the name. Shen Yi met his calm eyes and frowned, "So it was Congzhi who organized the banquet."
Xue Heng always attended banquets with Wei Chen, but now he came alone. He pondered the key to this, listening carefully to others congratulating Xue Heng on his promotion.
Xue Heng drank with everyone one by one, and drank most of the wine before he even started eating, until no one mentioned toasting again.
Shen Yi didn't join in the fun, but just stared silently at Xue Heng standing on the main seat. He felt a little uncertain again, as if he had never met such a person before.
Wei Qianyu didn't know why he wasn't with Xue Heng, and ultimately didn't come today. The melodious singing voice accompanied the chirping of the orioles outside the window, and the dancers all wore thin gauze with wide sleeves, as if some dandy had invited his friends over for some fun.
Chen Yi poured himself more wine. Even their compliments were the same as they had said to him in the past, with just a few words changing to congratulate Xue Heng on his new house, promotion and salary increase.
He shook his head slightly, realizing that almost no one still cared about him. Shen Yi tasted the sake in the cup and found that the newly brewed sake had less of a lingering aftertaste. Now, he no longer had to quit drinking.
Perhaps it was because he hadn't had alcohol for too long, he rolled his Adam's apple, but felt that the wine in the singing house lacked a bit of astringency, which was just enough to choke his throat.
After the song and dance ended, the people surrounding Xue Heng dispersed. When Shen Yi looked up at him again, he met Xue Heng's gaze first, and then he realized that Xue Congzhi had probably been looking at him for a long time.
He stood up and read a toast to Xue Heng, imitating the people around him. Without waiting for Xue Heng's reaction, he finished the glass of wine and sat down.
If he had read it correctly, then since Xue Heng's relationship with the Wei family had weakened, he should naturally win over his own forces first. However, the guests at today's banquet were all from prominent families, most of whom held sinecure positions. It was unclear who was secretly trying to win over Xue Congzhi.
Shen Yi smiled and leaned back in the soft chair to enjoy the new round of singing and dancing. With Shen Qian around, Xue Congzhi would never have thought of turning his attention to the Shen family first.
Now that he has become a player in the game, he is increasingly confused about the interests and rights involved. But what he knows is that he is more than just a young marquis. No matter what Xue Heng ultimately wants to do, he still has the token left by his grandfather before his death.
There is no general's mansion in Chang'an City anymore, but the Huo family cannot be disbanded just like that.
Compared to Shen Qian, he still liked Xue Congzhi's personality more. How sincere was he when he knelt down in the hall to express his gratitude? Shen Yi secretly wondered in his heart.
Xue Heng possessed a different kind of character than the others, and since the Huo family had fallen, Shen Qian hadn't dared to make any moves recently. If Xue Congzhi could stay, it would save him a lot of trouble.
No matter what he wants, as long as the Yu Huo family, as long as Yu Chen'an and the Huo family are safe, it's fine.
The sun set over the west side of the city. A maid brought an oil lamp and placed it beside the table, lighting up the side rooms again. After a commotion, and with the drunk Liu Qianshan being taken away by someone he knew, most of the guests had left.
They were the only two guests left at the banquet. A melodious tune drifted in from somewhere else. Shen Yi poured the last half glass of wine from the bottle, "Do you have another appointment tonight?"
Xue Heng moved to sit directly opposite him, seemingly unconcerned about whether there was any wine left. "He has no other appointments. It's just that the young marquis is sitting here quietly, neglecting the feast."
Chen Yi took a sip of the wine, and continued with the faint bitterness, "I still remember the drunken words that Congzhi said at the first banquet." He recalled the situation at that time and laughed sadly.
"Today is different from the past, and people today are not like old friends," Shen Yi recited this sentence and looked directly at Xue Heng, "I don't ask why you are here, nor do I ask where you come from."
He whispered the words very softly, almost blending in with the music. "As long as it doesn't interfere with what I'm saying, whatever you, Xue Congzhi, want to do can also be what I, Chen Zixing, want to do."
He finished the remaining wine in the cup and stood up to see how Xue Heng reacted. The oil lamp illuminated their faces, and Shen Yi heard Xue Heng's chuckle first.
The chuckle seemed to ring in his ears. Xue Heng looked at him for a long time, and he let Xue Heng look at him.
Xue Heng also stood up and leaned in close to his ear to answer what he had just said, "Helping others achieve their goals is neither easy nor difficult."
The warm breath was still lingering around him as Shen Yi supported himself on the corner of the table, his fingertips clenched tightly, almost unable to suppress the horror in his heart. Of course, that was also the joy he had never imagined.
"But it all depends on how long the young marquis is willing to wait." He retreated again, sat at the table and continued to add to what he had just said.
Chen Yi closed his eyes and spoke after a long time, "When an old friend returns, it doesn't matter the age or the season." He saw Xue Heng's face clearly, and also saw the path he would take next.
He has never been good at chess since he was a child. Now that he has to make a move to solve a problem, sooner or later he will lose control of the chess piece in his hand.
Chen Yi exhaled heavily, picked up the chess piece and placed it here, "I don't care about life or death, or reputation."
Xue Heng seemed to notice that something was wrong with him, so he ordered the waiter to bring him another pot of hot tea. He then filled the cup for him personally and handed it to him.
"It's not late spring yet, young marquis, please take care of yourself. It's late at night, so why not continue the banquet another day?" Chen Yi watched Xue Congzhi walk away, then relaxed his muscles and let himself sink into the soft chair.
He actually didn't quite know whether what he did today was right or wrong, and how far Xue Congzhi was willing to go for the Huo family and for him.
But he really couldn't wait any longer. Regardless of the age, it was just words to comfort himself.
Such words could not comfort Mrs. Huo, who was still staying indoors, nor could they comfort Chen Qian, who lived in the deep palace and had almost no news. Even when he was sober, he did not believe these words.
At least he could see that Xue Congzhi and Shen Qian were indeed different people, two completely different people. The things they could do were also completely different.
Shen Yi picked up the cup of lukewarm tea and drank it slowly as he could. He was filled with warmth and suddenly thought of too many things that he couldn't make sense of.
He closed his eyes. None of that mattered to him now. He just wanted to see his sister again and spend more time with his mother.
In this way, perhaps if he could get drunk, he would be like Liu Qianshan, rolling on the ground or struggling to stand up and stagger, just wanting to drink, not wanting to be an official, not wanting the people around him to die, and even not wanting to stay in Chang'an City and not wanting this title.
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