Fang Yun and Zhao Hongzhuang came to the second table together, and then Zhao Hongzhuang introduced the six people at the table to Fang Yun one by one.
"This is the Right Prime Minister, Grand Secretary Cao De'an." Zhao Hongzhuang gestured to Fang Yun.
Fang Yun looked over and saw an old man with three long beards. He was slightly plump and had a very kind smile.
There are four prime ministers in a country, namely the Left Prime Minister, the Right Prime Minister, the Assistant Prime Minister and the Literary Prime Minister, and their official status decreases in order. Cao De'an's status is second only to the Left Prime Minister Liu Shan. Among the officials of Jing State, he is truly second only to the emperor.
This man was a well-known good guy, in charge of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works. On the surface, he was mediocre and had no outstanding qualities. He also turned a blind eye to the words and deeds of the Left Prime Minister. Some radical scholars called him "the clay sculpture of Cao Right Prime Minister."
Fang Yun is not one of those hot-blooded students. He has analyzed the situation of Jing State. This man is in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, which means he is in charge of Jing State's money and grain. If this man had not been secretly checking and balancing the left prime minister Liu Shan, the Queen Mother would have been powerless to compete with Liu Shan.
"I am Fang Yun, a student, nice to meet you, Grand Secretary Cao." Fang Yun greeted him as a junior rather than as an official, appearing more approachable and respectful. He was not like that group of upright people who looked down on this truly meritorious official who had endured humiliation and borne heavy burdens.
Cao De'an laughed and said, "As expected of you, you are the best scholar in the world. Today I see that your reputation is well-deserved! You didn't lose your dignity in front of the Wu people. Good!"
Fang Yun found it strange at first. This "clay sculpture of Right Prime Minister Cao" did not seem like such a straightforward person. But after thinking about it, he realized that this was the Chen family, and Cao De'an was doing this for the people of the Chen Sheng family to see, to show his loyalty to the Jing Kingdom.
Zhao Hongzhuang introduced another Grand Secretary and said, "This is Grand Secretary Yueqing, the assistant minister."
"My humble servant greets you, Lord Si." Fang Yun bowed, the smile on his face much lighter than before.
The assistant prime minister, Si Yueqing, was younger than Cao Dean. He had black hair, a particularly eye-catching moustache under his nose, and a serious demeanor. No matter how you looked at him, he was a sanctimonious old gentleman.
This man's nickname is the same as "the clay sculpture of Cao Youxiang". He was ridiculed as "the paper-made Si Fuxiang". However, Si Yueqing was more controversial than Cao De'an, not only because he was servile in front of the left prime minister Liu Shan, but also because his name "Si Yueqing" was misinterpreted as "Siqing" or "Siqingguo", which caused a lot of ridicule and anger.
Si Yueqing said solemnly: "Marquis Fang Wen is loyal to the country and has saved the reputation of Jing State from danger. He is a role model for all ministers. Please accept my greeting." After saying this, he really bowed down.
Fang Yun noticed that the people around him were indifferent, and Zhao Hongzhuang rolled her eyes at the sky, so he thought that this seemed to be the specialty of the assistant minister, Yueqing. No matter who he was with, he looked serious, but he was extremely mean when he did things.
"You are too polite, Grand Secretary." Fang Yun said.
Afterwards, Zhao Hongzhuang introduced the rest of the people one by one, and then they sat down together.
Zhao Hongzhuang smiled and said, "The wedding banquet hasn't started yet, so I can't toast. I'll offer Fang Yun a glass of tea instead of wine to thank him. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to sit here."
Another Grand Secretary, the Minister of Rites, Mao Shangshu, said, "Fang Yun, please don't leave today. I have a lot to ask you."
Cao Dean said with a smile, "Not only you, who in Jing State doesn't have a lot to ask Fang Yun? I really envy Wen Ying. If I had known that I would meet such a once-in-a-lifetime talent while in Jiangzhou, I would not have been the right prime minister, but would have just sat in Dayuan Mansion and waited for the genius to come to the fore."
People at the four tables around laughed and said they had something to ask Fang Yun.
Fang Yun secretly observed and found that the officials in the capital were different from those in Jiangzhou. The officials in Jiangzhou were naturally friendly and flattered him, but the officials in the capital were much more generous and also acknowledged his status and identity, but their attitudes were different.
Some are distant, but more of a gentleman's friendship, just like Li Wenying. Praise is praise, but stop at the right time.
Soon, a servant dressed in red silk came out and whispered, "The Madam is here."
Crash...
Everyone stood up at the same time. The people in the yard didn't know what was happening, but when they saw the people in the house stand up, they stood up too.
Soon, two maids wearing red fish swimming costumes walked out of the door on the right, each holding a jade ruyi in their hands, and lifted the door curtain.
An old lady with silver hair sat on a mechanical chair and slowly drove into the main hall, pushed by a strong scholar.
Fang Yun looked at the old woman. She was already dying, her breathing was very slow, her hands and face were covered with age spots, and she seemed to be in a coma.
"Grandma, your grandson greets you." Chen Mingding, the head of the Chen family, actually knelt in front of the old woman, reached out and held the old woman's hand with a smile on his face. He was obviously an old man in his eighties, but he had an expression similar to that of a child.
Fang Yun respected Chen Mingding even more in his heart. Not to mention that such a great scholar knelt so neatly in front of so many people, the fact that he was so old and still had such admiration for others was enough to move people.
The others were not in a position to kneel, so they all lowered their heads slightly.
"Hmm." Mrs. Chen snorted lightly, opened her eyelids, looked at Chen Mingding confusedly, a heavy smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, and then she closed her eyes.
At this moment, the sound of firecrackers was heard from the street outside Chen's house.
Chen Mingding waved his hand to block out the outside noise, and then said, "Grandma, Jing'er has brought the bride back. Please wait, they will be in front of you soon."
“Hmm…” Mrs. Chen didn’t even blink this time.
Chen Mingding then stood up and said, "Everyone, please sit down. I will go and greet the bride and groom."
Fang Yun and others sat down and spoke in low voices, for fear of disturbing Madam Chen.
Soon, everyone saw a group of people walking towards the gate of the compound and immediately stood up.
Fang Yun looked up and saw the groom slowly walking in with the bride. They were both dressed in red, and the bride had a bright red veil on her head. Many people followed behind them, some playing suona, some beating cymbals, with laughter and music.
Fang Yun looked at the newlyweds with a smile.
As the bride and groom were about to enter, the scholar behind Mrs. Chen suddenly whispered, "Madam? What's wrong with you?"
Everyone looked hurriedly towards Madam Chen, and saw that her head was tilted to one side, her hands turned outward and drooped at her knees.
The wind was blowing hard, and a figure in purple flew from outside the door to Madam Chen almost in the blink of an eye.
"Grandma! Grandma!" The great scholar Chen Mingding called softly, his voice full of anxiety.
After calling out several times, Chen Mingding felt Mrs. Chen's pulse with his trembling hands, quickly let go, and felt her pulse again, repeating this for more than ten times before he completely let go of Mrs. Chen's hand and slowly stood up.
Chen Mingding's face was only a little gloomier than usual. He looked around at everyone and said slowly, "Before she died, grandma wanted to see Jing'er get married the most. The interruption of the wedding not only displeased grandma, but also violated the etiquette. Jing'er and the bride will get married in front of grandma, fulfilling her last wish."
"It should be so." Everyone agreed.
Fang Yun and Zhao Hongzhuang looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes. It was supposed to be a happy day but someone died. It was neither fun nor sad.
The atmosphere in the Chen Mansion was a little weird.
The master of ceremonies, the great scholar Zhang Hu, had no choice but to preside over the wedding.
The young prince in the yard's eyes flashed, he quickly lowered his head, and slowly loosened his clenched right fist. (To be continued...)