That night.
The lights were dim, glasses were clinking, lanterns were hung high in front of Zhuyanfang, and laughter was heard continuously.
Today is Zhuyanfang's annual winter celebration banquet, and all the noble sons and beautiful ladies have gathered together.
A bronze sedan with gold carvings stopped in front of the door. Tan Hongbo dismounted and walked into the gate with ease. Once inside, there was a wide alley. Scholars were telling stories, and talented women were playing the zither and painting. It was a thriving place. Going further and passing through the back door, a lake came into view.
The sound of the trickling water and the music of the piano reached the ears of the visitors. A winding bridge was built on the lake, with sails on both sides.
Tan Hongbo walked along the corridor and soon found a perfect spot to sit down.
"Mr. Tan!" The servant trotted forward and bowed respectfully to Tan Hongbo. "Still the same as before?"
"Wait a moment." Tan Hongbo lowered his head and took a sip of tea. "I have another friend coming. I'll go up when he arrives."
The servant understood, agreed immediately, and went outside.
From time to time, people around him would talk and exchange ideas about literature or politics. When they saw Tan Hongbo, they would greet him politely. After all, Tan Hongbo's father was the current imperial tutor, so Tan Hongbo could be considered to be from a family of scholars.
No one had arrived yet. Tan Hongbo leaned leisurely on his chair, squinting his eyes and watching the performance on the stage not far away.
"Master, how about we find a way to lure him away?"
On the second floor, a man was sitting upright, drinking by himself. The servant next to him was talking in a low voice, glancing at Tan Hongbo from the corner of his eye.
"No problem." The man didn't care. "Teacher Tan's eldest son is famous for his romantic life. It's not surprising that he comes to Zhuyanfang."
When talking about Tan Hongbo, the man spoke with disdain.
The servant thought what the man said made sense and just as he nodded, he suddenly saw a dark figure sitting opposite Tan Hongbo.
"Master, the Seventh Prince is here!" The servant was shocked, his eyes widened.
Wei Xun had a cold expression on his face as he looked into Tan Hongbo's eyes.
"It's a rare occasion for us two brothers to have a drink together today, so don't be so stern." Tan Hongbo advised Wei Xun with a smile, completely ignoring Wei Xun's serious face.
Wei Xun seemed to be covered by a layer of ice, which made him out of place in the lively atmosphere.
The waiter at Zhuyanfang had a sharp eye. When he saw Tan Hongbo and others coming, he quickly served wine and did not leave the table empty.
"Try the pear blossom wine from Zhuyanfang." Tan Hongbo raised his eyebrows proudly and poured wine for Wei Xun personally.
Wei Xun glanced at Tan Hongbo suspiciously and took a sip.
"How is it?" Tan Hongbo's eyes were full of anticipation.
"It's slightly inferior to Zuixiaolou." Wei Xun spoke bluntly, without any mercy.
"Tsk." Tan Hongbo was dissatisfied and sat back in his chair.
Wei Xun raised his head and drank the wine in the glass. No one noticed that his peach blossom eyes swept to the right and stared at the man on the second floor.
After drinking a glass of wine, Wei Xun's expression returned to calm.
The two chatted casually. Tan Hongbo was very familiar with Zhuyanfang, and whenever he ran into someone he knew, he would talk to him. Before they knew it, half an hour had passed.
On the stage, Miss Wanyin was playing the zither and singing behind a white curtain, her voice was melodious and beautiful. Everyone was attracted and looked in the direction.
"I'm going to the bathroom." Wei Xun whispered to Tan Hongbo, then stood up and left his seat.
On the second floor, the man watched Wei Xun's actions.
"Go and keep an eye on him." The man ordered the servant.
The servant nodded and rushed to the door. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, which scared the servant. He turned to look at the man, and only after getting the man's permission did the servant dare to open the door.
Seeing that it was the girl from Zhuyanfang, the servant was slightly relieved.
"Mr. Tan downstairs ordered a pot of pear blossom wine for you and asked me to bring it up." The girl told the man truthfully and meekly.
The man frowned.
The girl walked to the table with the wine jug and bent down to pour wine for the man.
"No need." The boy stepped forward, ready to stop the girl. The girl was startled, her hand trembled, and she knocked over the wine glass, soaking the man's clothes.
The servant got angry and kicked the girl hard.
"What's going on?"
Tan Hongbo heard the noise from a distance. He strode into the room and looked around confidently.
The servant helped the man wipe the wine stains off his clothes. Tan Hongbo pretended not to notice the hostility in his eyes and looked at the man with a smile.
"It was my negligence that caused the wine to spill and soil the young man's clothes." The girl was frightened and took the blame meekly.
"Go down." Tan Hongbo waved his hand and told the woman to leave.
There were only three of them left in the room.
"Your servant, Tan Hongbo, greets the eldest prince." Tan Hongbo clasped his hands together and bowed to Song Zhicheng.
Song Zhicheng smiled and asked the servant to leave the room.
"There's a performance going on on stage, how come Brother Tan has time to come and chat with me?"
Tan Hongbo straightened his sleeves and sat down on the chair without waiting for Song Zhicheng to speak.
"I just heard someone say that the eldest prince went up to the second floor, and I wanted to come and pay you a visit. But I had an appointment with the Seventh Prince, so I couldn't get away. So, the Seventh Prince went out to relieve himself, and I just happened to have some free time, so I came here." Tan Hong smiled broadly.
"Oh? The Seventh Prince is here too?" Song Zhicheng pretended to be surprised.
"He is used to being well-behaved on weekdays. Today, Zhuyanfang holds a banquet, so I asked him to come and relax. You know, among the three of us, the Seventh Prince, Ling Xiao, only the Seventh Prince is like a wooden stake. He wishes he could lock himself up in the Prince's Mansion all day long." Tan Hongbo teased Wei Xun, and in just a few words, he seemed to become familiar with Song Zhicheng.
On the other side, Wei Xun followed the guidance of the servant from Zhuyanfang and went all the way to the backyard.
"Yawn!" He couldn't help but sneeze.
Wei Xun rubbed his nose and without thinking too much, he ran straight to the side room on the left side of the backyard.
A gust of cold wind brushed Wei Xun's cheek, and he dodged it quickly. The arrow penetrated the wood and stabbed into the pillar in front of Wei Xun.
Then, more than a dozen black shadows came from all directions and surrounded Wei Xun in the blink of an eye. Wei Xun drew the sword from his waist and fought with the men in black.
For fear of disturbing the people outside, Wei Xun and the man in black moved very quietly, making only slight noises.
These men in black were very skilled, and Wei Xun was outnumbered and gradually fell into a disadvantage. When he was at a loss, Wei Yi and Wei Shi rushed in and fought side by side with Wei Xun.
"Your Highness, it's done." Wei Yi reported to Wei Xun.
Wei Xun took the note handed to him by Wei Yi, and under the cover of the two of them, he retreated to the backyard.
"The Seventh Prince is back." Song Zhicheng looked out the window and saw Wei Xun returning to his original seat and sitting down.
His slender fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the table. Hearing Song Zhicheng's reminder, Tan Hongbo stopped and looked in the direction he was looking.
"Then I'll go back first. We'll go to Zuixiaolou for a drink another day. It's quieter there." Tan Hongbo said with a smile. Before leaving, he did not forget to exchange a few polite words with Song Zhicheng and say hello.
After Tan Hongbo left, the smile on Song Zhicheng's face suddenly stopped.
“Oh no!”