The clothes that Zhang Shou wore before when he dressed up as an old gentleman, with wide sleeves, a hemp scarf and black shoes, gave off an air of seclusion from the mountains. But at this moment, he looked simple and casual in his casual home clothes when he came out to entertain guests.
He spoke in a clear and husky voice, which was different from the one he used when he was pretending to be a master in Cui Yun Room: "It is so rare to have friends coming from afar. I am Zhang Shou, and I am honored to meet all the guests."
No matter whether it was Zhang Chen, the conceited and handsome man, or Lu Sanlang, who was always ashamed of his appearance, they could not help but be stunned when faced with Zhang Shou, a man of outstanding demeanor who was completely different from the rude country boy they had imagined.
They had been in the village for quite a while, but none of them had thought of meeting Zhu Ying's fiancé. Because in their minds, Zhu Ying was so arrogant that she didn't even like so many nobles and didn't even acknowledge the prince. Even if there was such an engagement, she would definitely go against it, so how could she live in someone else's house
The so-called fiancé was probably just an excuse Zhu Ying made to temporarily avoid the whirlpool of the capital and to fool others.
They were too stunned to speak, but the other two on the opposite side would not and could not remain silent.
The young man in the dark blue gauze robe sitting on the first chair on the left bowed slightly and said calmly, "I am Tang Ming, the champion of the Shuntian Prefecture provincial examination last year. I am visiting you with my friend Xie Wanquan, the head of the Imperial Academy. I hope you will forgive me, Master Shou."
"Haha, you two are really quite presumptuous."
Zhang Shou saw that Tang Ming and Xie Wanquan's faces suddenly changed because of his impolite words, while Zhang Chen and Lu Sanlang were stunned for a moment and then smiled at the same time, so he said calmly: "You two are talented scholars who are famous in the capital, but I am a country boy living in a remote corner. We don't know each other. Isn't it presumptuous for Jie Yuanlang to suddenly say the word "visit"? "
Tang Ming's face just darkened, but Xie Wanquan stood up suddenly with a ferocious look of anger on his face.
"Brother Tang was just giving you face, but you took it seriously? You haven't heard of us because you are ignorant; we know you not because you have a good reputation! Zhang Shou, you are a swindler, using your reputation as a hermit to trick the nobles of the capital into joining the Cuijun Palace, deceiving the world and stealing the reputation, do you dare to say that this is not true?"
"Oh, so that's why." Zhang Shou didn't even blink, and remained calm as usual, but his voice suddenly became a little more sharp, "You are in the capital, so it's not surprising to hear that the sons of the capital's nobles have joined Cuijun. But how do you know that I, Zhang Shou, am a swindler, deceiving the world and stealing the name? Do you have superhuman eyes and ears?"
He paused, but when Xie Wanquan showed a sneer on his face, he said word by word: "Or are you two so clever that you actually put spies in this rural area to monitor the movements of the eldest lady of the Zhaoguo Mansion and the noble children?"
On the roof on the north side of the hall, Zhu Ying, who had just been so nervous that she was sweating, couldn't help but brighten her eyes. Her stiff shoulders gradually relaxed and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but slightly curl up.
The crime Zhang Shou had charged was really good. To spy on these children of officials and nobles was a huge crime that would go against the will of the world!