Although Sima Lan was promoted to Duke of Zhenguo, the plaque of Zhongyi Marquis still hangs in his residence and has not been replaced.
At the beginning of the lanterns, the Sima Mansion is hosting a banquet for the Crown Prince of Eastern Qi tonight, and has invited many officials from the court and central government to accompany him. The King of Huainan and the Jin Yi Hou Qining have both been invited.
Among the four marquises, Wuxiang Hou Suzhen was also invited to attend the meeting. The Jindao Tantai family has always kept a low profile, and the old Tantai Marquis is old. It is said that after returning from the last court meeting, he lay on the couch and He hadn't gotten up much, and some people were talking privately. Judging from the situation, the old Marquis Tantai wouldn't be able to hold on for long. Naturally, he couldn't come to this night banquet even if he wanted to.
There are two rows of towering ancient cypresses in front of Sima Mansion. The gate is brightly lit, and wind lanterns are hung on the high walls on the left and right, making it as bright as day.
Qi Ning took away the two murderers from Kyoto Mansion and handed them over to Duan Canghai for temporary custody. He returned to the mansion to tidy up, and then rode to Sima Mansion for the appointment.
When we arrived at Sima Mansion, the sky had already darkened. After announcing his door, someone immediately led Qining into the manor.
This is the second time Qi Ning came to Sima Mansion. The last time he came here was because of the outbreak of the epidemic. At that time, he had no intention of seeing the scenery of Sima Mansion. At this time, he walked leisurely and passed a stone slab with small garden buildings on both sides. The vast garden lights on both sides of the road are everywhere, and the pattern is symmetrical, making people feel that the stone road under their feet seems to be the central axis of the mansion.
After walking for a while, I saw bright lights not far ahead. A huge pavilion appeared in front. It was erected on a pool. It had a double eaves roof, covered with red tiles, and a gorgeous pavilion on the top. Below the treasured roof is a white stone platform. When you get closer, you will find that the railings are exquisitely carved. Regardless of the exotic flowers and plants in the courtyard, the small bridges and flowing water, this water pavilion shows the taste and ingenuity of the builder.
The water pavilion was crowded and lively. Qining knew that they were all guests invited by Sima Lan for the banquet. From a distance, he saw Su Zhen leaning on the railing, chatting and laughing with two officials.
"Jinyi is waiting!" Qining walked along a stone bridge to the pavilion, and someone shouted loudly.
For a moment, the restlessness in the hall suddenly calmed down. Everyone looked at Qining. Qining had a smile on his face. Of course, this kind of occasion was nothing. He walked in slowly, and everyone looked at each other, but There was no disrespect, they all bowed their hands to Qining, and Qining returned the favor.
The water pavilion is very spacious, with tables arranged in a circle, brightly lit, and a cool breeze blowing on the lake. This is much more comfortable than having a banquet in the hall. It seems that Sima Lan really spent a lot of time on this banquet tonight. Thoughts.
Qi Ning originally thought that he came relatively late and everyone who should be there should be there, but after scanning around, he didn't know many people. Only Su Zhen was relatively familiar. Although Wuhen, the west gate of Shenhou Mansion, did not come. , even King Huainan didn't arrive. Qining was thinking that King Huainan had promised to come to the palace to keep the appointment. Could it be that he wanted to let Sima Lan go
Before I thought much about it, I heard someone shout loudly: "The prince has arrived, the prince of Qi has arrived!"
Although the King of Huainan is not as powerful as Sima Lan, he is clearly the uncle of the Great Chu King and a direct descendant of Emperor Taizu. Everyone did not dare to neglect him. They arranged their clothes and lined up on both sides to greet the King of Huainan and the Prince of Dong Qi.
Qining saw Sima Lan leading the way, followed by King Huainan and Prince Duan Shao of the Eastern Qi Dynasty. They all looked good. Sima Lan pointed to the left and right from time to time, as if he was explaining something to Duan Shao. King Huainan The one beside him was also smiling and stroking his beard, and he seemed to be enjoying himself.
Behind King Huainan, there followed a man in brocade clothes. He was not very tall, but had clear outlines and sharp eyes. At first glance, he was not a good person.
Qi Ning was wondering who that person could be, when someone beside him whispered: "Is that the ghost behind King Huainan?" Qi Ning turned his head and looked over, only to see two officials whispering in a low voice. In fact, these two people were already there. It was a whisper, the sound was so low that most people couldn't hear it at all, but Qining's current martial arts was extraordinary, and he could indeed hear the two people a few steps away from him clearly.
The two people didn't know that they were heard by Qin Ning. They only heard one person whisper: "Bringing a ghost figure out. It seems that King Huainan is worried about someone assassinating him. Hehe...!" The voice stopped suddenly, but it turned out that Sima Lan had already led the army. The king of Huainan and the prince of Dongqi entered the pavilion.
Everyone saluted immediately, and the King of Huainan and the Prince of Dong Qi also returned the salute.
Duan Shao saw Qi Ning, quickly came up to him, smiled and said: "Jin Yihou, I heard that you will come to the banquet tonight, I'm afraid you won't be able to come as promised. Thanks to your escort, it was safe and smooth along the way. .”
Qi Ning smiled and said: "Your Highness, you are too polite. Something delayed me on the way, so I had to leave without saying goodbye. Fortunately, the prince is here to take care of everything, so everything is safe and sound."
King Huainan was also on the side at this time and said with a smile: "Prince, Jin Yihou said this, just to show my old face. This trip to Eastern Qi was handled by Jin Yihou from the beginning to the end. How can he get any credit? After crossing the river, he left without saying goodbye. I have always suspected that he deliberately wanted to give me the credit for the last part of the journey, hahaha...!"
Duan Shao couldn't help laughing at the side, but he reached out to hold Qining, patted the back of his hand, and said with a smile: "Jin Yihou, I am in a foreign land now, so you have to take care of me."
At this time, Sima Lan invited everyone to sit down. Everyone knew their status and took their seats. The Crown Prince of Dong Qi was a guest, and the banquet was held for him tonight, so it was natural for him to sit in the main seat. King Huainan and Sima Lan were They sit one on the left and one on the right. Qi Ning, as one of the four hereditary princes, sat first under King Huainan, Wuxiang Marquis Su Zhen sat under Sima Lan, and Sima Changshen took the first seat under Su Zhen. .
The "ghost" of the man in brocade did not sit down, but stood one step behind King Huainan, as motionless as a stone sculpture.
There are seats all around the pavilion, but there is still a large space in the middle.
Sima Lan stood up with the cup in hand and said with a serious face: "Everyone, the prince has been working hard on his horse and escorted the princess all the way from Qi to Chu. I think we should toast the prince with this first glass of wine!"
Everyone stood up with their cups and toasted to Duan Shao. Duan Shao laughed and stood up with his cup, saying: "This time I, Da Qi, have entered into a marriage relationship with the State of Chu. From then on, our two countries are one family. Everyone here My lords, you and I are all of our own, and we will advance and retreat together, so you must drink this glass of wine."
Qi Ning was amused, thinking to himself that these scenes were just talk and should not be taken seriously.
The Chu officials present here are all suspicious of each other, let alone calling you one of Qi's own.
Everyone drank the first glass of wine. After sitting down, Sima Lan smiled at Duan Shao and said, "Tonight's banquet was originally arranged for some kabuki performances, but your highness has seen so many kabuki musicians. If you want to recruit me, I'm afraid His Highness won't say anything and will feel annoyed."
Duan Shao immediately waved his hands and said with a smile: "Don't say that, my lord. The lord really wants to find some beauties to come and perform songs and dances. I really won't be bored by this junior. I don't think any of you here would have too many beautiful wines, right?" "
When everyone heard this, they burst into laughter.
Sima Lan also smiled and said: "There will be no shortage of beauties, but recently I met an expert. This person has extraordinary abilities, which also opened my eyes. Now this expert is still in the house, and it just so happens that he is your highness tonight. If your Highness is interested in hosting a banquet, I would like to invite this master to come and perform."
"Exalted person?" Duan Shao asked: "I wonder where you are?"
Sima Lan smiled and said: "His Highness will know when he comes." He winked at Sima Changshen. Sima Changshen had already stood up and raised his hand to pat them. Everyone was wondering when they suddenly heard something strange. A seemingly non-existent babbling sound sounded, and for a moment I didn’t know where it came from. Soon, I saw a man wearing a bamboo hat and dressed in black walking towards the pavilion, holding an erhu, and the babbling sound came from The sound of ah is made by the erhu.
Many of the officials present knew some music, and they were surprised to see that he could still play the erhu notes while standing. However, this man was wearing a bamboo hat, and when he lowered the bamboo hat, all he could see was a white beard fluttering under his chin. , but for a moment I couldn't see what he looked like.
The eyes of everyone present were fixed on the man in the bamboo hat. The man in the bamboo hat walked to the center and sat on the ground. The sound of the erhu's babbling sounded quite sad.
Qi Ning thought that Sima Lan claimed that this man was a master. His so-called mastery should not mean playing the erhu, right? Although the music played by this person was passable, it was not very good. Qining even thought of the old erhu monster Kongshan Xian he met in Xichuan. Compared with the old erhu monster Kongshan Xian's technique, the man in the bamboo hat in front of him was better at playing the erhu. Still a long way to go.
All the officials around were also quite puzzled, thinking that no one would listen to this kind of craftsmanship even if they were singing and singing on the street. They really didn't know why Sima Lan would bring such a person to such an elegant banquet.
But this was the person invited by Sima Lan. Who among the people present dared not say a word. Even most people did not dare to put a look of disgust on their faces. They all looked at the man in the bamboo hat and seemed to listen. Very serious.
When the erhu sound stopped, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Duan Shao felt strange, he knew very well in his heart that the person Sima Lan called could not be as simple as playing an erhu. Since Sima Lan admired this person very much, there must be a reason. He looked towards Sima Lan said with a smile: "Old Duke, is this the master you call him, right?"
Sima Lan smiled slightly and said: "Your Highness, this person is called Xiao Weng. His greatest ability is not playing the piano, but seeing things!"
"Seeing things?" Not only Duan Shao was surprised, but all the officials present were also a little confused.
Qi Ning was sitting at the head of King Huainan, calm and composed, holding a wine glass and staring at Xiao Weng from a distance.
As the saying goes, there is no such thing as a good banquet. Sima Lan held a banquet tonight and even invited his rival, the King of Huainan. He always felt that something was a little strange. When he saw Sima Lan recruiting such an inexplicable person, he felt that things were not simple. I was on guard, vaguely feeling that something was going to happen at the banquet tonight.