The next day, Qining had a long sleep, but no one came to disturb him. It was almost noon when he was awakened by a knock on the door. Then he got up and asked: "Who is disturbing my sleep?"
But the voice of Han Shou, the new general manager of the Hou Mansion, came from outside: "Master Hou, the Shenhou Mansion sent someone to invite Master Hou to come over for dinner. We have been waiting for a long time. Do you want to meet Master Hou?"
Qi Ning was stunned, thinking that people from the Shenhou Mansion came to treat him to a meal. What was going on? Is it because of the misunderstanding that night that I need to apologize
He got up and opened the door. Someone had already brought hot water for washing. After everything was done, Qi Ning went out. Han Shou was waiting outside the door. When he saw Qi Ning, he hurriedly said respectfully: "Master Marquis, here is someone." Lieutenant Qu said that Marquis Ximen sent him to invite the Marquis to have a meal."
"The Lord Ximen sent someone to invite you?" Qi Ning was greatly surprised. He thought that he had heard Ximen Wuhen's name many times, but he only heard his name but never saw him. What happened two days ago, Qi Ning was surprised. In fact, Ning had forgotten it and didn't remember it at all, but he didn't expect that Ximen Shenhou would send someone over again.
When he saw Qu Xiaocang, the greedy captain of the Shenhou Mansion, Qu Xiaocang still squinted his eyes and said with a smile: "Master Hou, I humbly accept the order of the Shenhou, and I specially invite you to have a meal. "
"The Lord Shen is too polite." Although there was a misunderstanding that night, Qining was already angry. In his heart, he really didn't want to have any grudge against the Lord Shen's Mansion.
Today, Ximen Shenhou sent Qu Xiaocang to come in person to invite him, which was considered a great favor.
Although Qu Xiaocang is just a school captain, this school captain is not comparable to ordinary school captains.
He is one of the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper in the Shenhou Mansion, ranking second. According to Qi Ning's understanding, besides Ximen Shenhou, Qu Xiaocang is the second most important figure in the Shenhou Mansion.
Qi Ning would try to be polite to such a person.
"The Marquis Shen has prepared wine and food and is waiting." Qu Xiaocang said with a smile: "The Marquis Shen said that if the Marquis cannot be invited, I will wait in front of the Jinyi Marquis Mansion, and I will not be able to follow him back until the Marquis comes. Otherwise just stay in front of the door.”
Qi Ning smiled and said: "If I don't go for three days, will Qu Xiaowei have to wait in front of Jinyihou's mansion for three days and three nights?"
"If the Marquis wishes so, I can only wait for my humble position." Qu Xiaocang smiled broadly, his fat white flesh squeezed together without losing respect. Although he was fat, he gave people a feeling that was not annoying. , when you smile, it will give people a kind of affinity.
Qi Ning knew that Ximen Wuhen was the most respected person in the Shenhou Mansion, and their way of doing things was in the style of the Jianghu. Since Qu Xiaocang said this, he might really do it that way.
Qi Ning knew that Qu Xiaocang was a very shrewd person, and did not want to embarrass him. He smiled and said, "Since Qu Xiaowei is here in person, I can't let Qu Xiaocang really wait." He asked: " It’s already dinner time, isn’t it a little late for us to go there at this time?”
He has been to Shenhou Mansion. Shenhou Mansion is quite far away from Jinyihou Mansion. It would take more than half an hour to get there by car.
Qu Xiaocang smiled and said: "Thank you, Lord Marquis, for the favor. Don't worry, Lord Marquis. The Lord Shen has said that he will wait no matter how late it is. Moreover, the Lord Shen does not live in the Lord Shen's Mansion. It is actually not far from here."
"oh?"
"The Shenhou Mansion is where errands are carried out. The Shenhou Mansion has been living in the Shenhou Mansion in the early years, but since... well, since the death of the master's wife, the Shenhou Mansion has moved out and bought a small place nearby. Yard." Qu Xiaocang explained: "Shenhou is a person who values loyalty. His old man and his wife lived in Shenhou Mansion for many years. After his wife passed away, Shenhou saw things and missed people, so he simply left."
Qi Ning nodded slightly.
The place where Ximen Shenhou lives is indeed not that far away. It is actually only three streets away from Jinyihou Mansion. Follow an alley to the end, which is the courtyard where Ximen Shenhou lives. There is also a simple plaque hanging on the door. , with the words "Xianleju" written on it.
The yard is not big, but there are some flowers and plants planted in the yard. In the late winter, most of the flowers and plants have withered, but a piece of bamboo in the corner of the yard is still lush and green, adding a touch of vitality to the bleak winter.
Duan Canghai followed the escort, but when they arrived outside the courtyard, Qu Xiaocang only asked Qi Ning to come in, while he and Duan Canghai stayed outside the courtyard.
Qi Ning knew that Ximen Wuhen was not only the leader of the Shenhou Mansion and had an extraordinary status in the world, but he was also one of the Four Arts and a top painter.
The courtyard is very clean, with three very simple rooms. If Qu Xiaocang hadn't led the way, Qining would have really suspected that he had gone to the wrong place.
Suddenly, I heard a "stinging" sound coming from a hut on the side. I looked over and saw smoke curling from the roof. It seemed to be a kitchen.
Curious, he walked over and took a look inside. Sure enough, it was a kitchen with an earthen stove. He saw an old man holding a spatula in his hand, cooking vegetables beside the pot. There was a fragrant smell of vegetables. When it hits your nose, the old man moves skillfully, and he looks like an old cook at first glance.
"Excuse me, is Shenhou here?" Qining asked the man.
The man raised his head, saw Qi Ning, and immediately smiled and said: "Wait a minute!" He picked up the fried vegetables and put them on the plate. Then he took the cloth and wiped his hands and walked away with the plate of vegetables. He came over and said with a smile: "Master Hou, come to the hall to rest."
Qining saw that the dish was fried with asparagus and meat. The style was not very good-looking, but the smell was very appetizing. He followed the man to the middle hall and saw a small square table in the middle. I ordered three or four dishes, all common home-cooked dishes.
Qi Ning looked around and saw that the decorations in the room were quite simple, but there was no God of Ximen. It was strange that the cook took off his apron and threw it aside. He said with a smile: "Master Marquis, please take a seat. You are here at the right time. It should be earlier." "This dish hasn't been cooked yet. If it's later, I'm afraid the dishes will be cold. Come on, by the way, what kind of wine are you drinking?" He actually sat down at the table, brought two jars of wine up, and said: " This jar has a sweeter aroma in the mouth, and the alcohol is not too strong. It is liked by southerners. This jar is a spirit that I have collected for many years. It was given to me by a friend from the north. He said that it tastes like fire when it enters the throat. , they call it Bei Feng Lie, haha, this name is quite interesting.”
Qi Ning was startled, and quickly understood something, and asked: "You... are you the Divine Marquis Ximen?"
The cook smiled and said: "Master Marquis, do you think the Lord God should wait for others to serve you? Haha, I think this is the way to live." He raised his hand and said: "Hurry up and sit down and eat the food. If you don't eat it, it will get cold. Here. Don't be shy here. When your father was still alive, he would come to this place often. Every time, I would cook the food himself. There were only a few dishes to go with the wine, but every time he would eat up everything."
Only then did Qi Ning become sure that the man in front of him was actually the Lord Ximen.
He had heard of Ximen Wuhen for a long time, but he never expected that the first time he saw Ximen Wuhen would be like this.
Ximen Wuhen looks like an ordinary ordinary citizen. He looks to be in his fifties. He has a slender figure and is dressed casually. However, his appearance is quite elegant. I think he was also a very handsome man when he was young.
He knew that in this era, even in ordinary households, few men went to the kitchen. The leader of the Shenhou Mansion actually wore an apron and cooked in person. This was something Qining had not expected.
After sitting down, Ximen Wuhen first poured wine for Qi Ning and said with a smile: "It's better to drink something lighter first. You are young and have never been to the north, so you may not be used to the strong liquor of the northerners." Pouring himself a glass, He then said: "I have also heard about that matter. I have asked the Shenhou Mansion to punish him severely, so Lord Marquis should not take it to heart."
Qi Ning came back to his senses and said: "The Lord Shen doesn't have to be like this. In fact, the misunderstanding was solved on the spot."
"It's not a misunderstanding." Ximen Wuhen shook his head and said: "In recent years, I no longer need to personally inquire about many matters in the Shenhou Mansion. The Shenhou Mansion is also left to my eldest disciple Xuanyuan Po to take care of it. Originally, everything Everything is fine, but what happened this time shows that there was still great negligence in the Shenhou Mansion."
Qi Ning smiled and said: "There are so many things, it is inevitable that there will always be some mistakes. In fact, the Lord Shen does not need to care too much."
"The Shenhou Mansion is where cases are handled, and every case involves Jianghu forces." Ximen Wuhen said seriously: "Even the simplest case, as long as the handling is slightly negligent, it may lead to a huge disaster. , so there is absolutely no room for any mistakes."
Qi Ning's expression suddenly became solemn and he said: "What the Lord Shen said is absolutely true. I made a mistake."
"Eat the food first." Ximen Wuhen said with a smile: "I invite you here today. Firstly, I want to apologize to you for that incident. Secondly, I hope that the Marquis has any suggestions for our Shenhou Mansion. You can put them forward. , and finally I asked Mr. Hou to admit me. If you feel greasy after eating delicacies from the mountains and seas, and want to change your taste, you can come to me."
Ximen Shenhou looked amiable, which was very inconsistent with his lofty status. Qining was greatly surprised. He picked up the chopsticks to pick up a dish, tasted it, and found that it was indeed extremely delicious. He praised: "Shenhou, what are you talking about? Are you kidding me? If I really want to eat home-cooked food, can I come here and eat it?"
"Hahaha...!" Ximen Wuhen laughed and said: "You are welcome at any time. Let's talk about it first. There is a rule when eating here. If you use the chopsticks first, if you don't finish all the dishes on the table, then you will be fine. You are not allowed to leave the table. When you were here, you never broke this rule."
Qining glanced at the dishes on the table. Although there were five dishes, the portions were not too large. If the two of them really wanted to go all out, five dishes would be enough.
At this moment, footsteps were heard outside, and a clear voice said: "Dad, are you secretly drinking again?" Amid the words, a beautiful figure floated in, Qining looked up and looked over, It was Ximen Zhanying.
Ximen Zhanying glanced at Qi Ning and immediately frowned. Ximen Wuhen glanced at Ximen Zhanying and said, "Ying'er, you came just in time. The Marquis is here. Come and pour the wine!"
Ximen Zhanying obviously didn't have a good impression of Qi Ning. He snorted coldly and turned around to leave. Ximen Wuhen frowned and said in a deep voice: "Stop!"
Ximen Zhanying stopped and Ximen Wuhen said coldly: "Didn't you hear what I said? The Marquis is here, why are you so ungrateful? The Marquis didn't care about what happened the day before yesterday. If it were another Marquis, , do you think it can be that easy? You can’t get over it yet.”
The Divine Marquis is worthy of being a Divine Marquis. Speaking coldly, he has an irresistible power.