Arriving at the inn, Sui Sui first went to the courtyard where he was staying to wash up, changed his clothes, and prepared to go to the hall for the banquet.
Since it was a casual banquet, there was no need to wear court dress, so he wore a purple brocade round-collared robe according to his rank and tied a long belt around his waist.
Just after she changed her clothes and was sitting at the dressing table combing her hair, Chun Tiao came in through the curtains: "Madam, Master Cheng is waiting outside the courtyard."
Sui Sui said: "Please ask him to wait for a moment, it will be fine in a moment."
Cheng Zheng is a promising talent, but he is young and immature, and still has some scholarly pedantry. This time, he left Duan Beicen in Heshuo and brought Cheng Zheng to the capital specifically to give him some experience and to make himself familiar with the rich and powerful. Although he is determined to be his staff, he still has to come to Chang'an to take the imperial examinations and pass the exams to get a good job so that he can be assigned a corresponding official position. In this dynasty, most of the time for the imperial examinations is spent outside the examination hall. Only by relying on literary talent to win the appreciation of the dignitaries and be recommended by the examiners can one pass the exam.
Sui Sui had made up his mind to make use of him, so naturally he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to go to Beijing to promote him.
Chun Tiao looked at the general in the mirror, hesitating to speak: "Madam, are you going to bring Master Cheng to the banquet today?"
Sui Sui nodded. Today, there was a Vice Minister of Rites at the banquet. The chief examiner of the Jinshi imperial examination was usually the Vice Minister of Rites. It was such a good opportunity, so of course he had to introduce it to Cheng Zheng.
A look of worry appeared between Chun Tiao's brows. His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi was Young Master Cheng - when he came to Youzhou to look for someone, it was Young Master Cheng who pretended to be the young master of the Bai family. Now when they meet at the banquet, won't their deception be exposed
Although the wife of this family has been lying from the beginning to the end, and it can be said that a person with too many lice is not afraid of itching, but that time the King of Qi almost died of illness in Youzhou. If he knew the truth, wouldn't he go crazy
She pursed her lips and said, "My lady has just arrived at His Highness's place?"
Sui Sui put down the comb, looked at the spring stripes in the mirror, raised her hand to tie up her hair: "I'm here."
Chunjo said, "Your Highness didn't say anything?"
Sui Sui smiled softly: "It's been so long, and in front of so many officials, what can I say?"
After a pause, he said, "Don't be afraid, Sister Chun Tiao. You were kidnapped by the enemy. No one can blame you."
Chun Tiao sighed softly: "Is this what I am afraid of?"
If he was afraid of being blamed by the people in Prince Qi's Mansion, he could have stayed in Wei Bo. However, he still followed General Xiao to Chang'an. On the one hand, he didn't want to leave his wife alone to take care of her, and on the other hand, he missed Grandma Gao and Xiaotong and was secretly looking forward to seeing them in Beijing.
He quickly tied up her hair, put on the golden crown, and fixed it with a golden hairpin. Then he stood up and pinched Chun Tiao's plump cheeks. "Don't worry, your wife knows what's going on."
Having said this, he lifted the curtain and walked out.
As soon as he walked out of the courtyard, Cheng Zheng immediately came forward to greet him.
He had not yet achieved fame and honor. He was dressed in white, with his hair tied up with a jade hairpin and a white fox fur coat. There was a faint medicinal fragrance lingering on his body, as elegant and refined as an orchid in a valley. In the cold winter, he was tired from traveling by boat and carriage, and his old illness had flared up a little. There was a slight blue under his eyes, but this slight sick look was not ugly at all. Instead, it gave him an ethereal and immortal aura.
Sui Sui looked him over and nodded with satisfaction: "Don't be restrained at the banquet later, just be calm and wait."
Cheng Zheng said yes, and couldn't help but glance at Sui Sui. She usually wore a dark suit for convenience in the mansion, but today she wore something bright, which made her jade-like face and red lips stand out even more. Although she didn't deliberately dress up as a man, she had a kind of androgynous beauty.
Just one glance and his ears began to burn. He lowered his eyes and dared not look again.
Sui Sui brought Cheng Zheng to the hall, where Huan Xuan and a group of officials had already arrived.
Huan Xuan's gaze lingered on Sui Sui's face for a long time. After they sat down, he noticed the young man with lowered brows and eyes beside him.
The man was handsome and weak, and seemed to be kind.
Huan Xuan's face suddenly changed. His memory was already very good, and the encounter was deeply engraved in his mind. After a brief recollection, he remembered that this person was the "Mr. Bai" he met in the Bai family's mansion in Youzhou.
When he first met Xiao Ling, he was extremely anxious and had no time to think about the whole thing from beginning to end. He had not even thought about the affairs in Youzhou until he met this person. Only then did he realize that he had made the right choice. The Bai family mansion was indeed Xiao Ling's hiding place.
It turned out that the whole thing was part of 's calculation. He traveled day and night from Chang'an to Youzhou just to let see what happened.
He introduced the man to the Minister of Rites as if nothing had happened. His surname was not Bai at all, but an orphan of the Cheng family in Luoyang.
Huan Xuan just felt it was ridiculous and the whole thing was an absurd lie, and the most ridiculous person was himself.
After the greetings, delicacies and fine wines were served like water, and the musicians played joyful music. At that time, the sheng and pipes sounded together, and the singing and playing were magnificent.
The host, the King of Qi, remained silent, but stared at his guest with a sullen face, as if there was some unsolvable grudge between the two of them.
The officials present may have seen Lu Suisui disguised as a guard in the autumn hunting, but even if they were slightly impressed, who would have associated a guard with the governor of three towns? No one would have thought that the concubine who was buried in the sea of fire by the King of Qi and Xiao Ling were the same person.
Everyone was a little confused. The host had a stiff face and said nothing. The Minister of Rites cleared his throat and signaled with his eyes that His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi should make a toast and say a few polite words.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi just turned a deaf ear.
The Minister of Rites had no choice but to cover his mouth with his sleeve and pretend to cough.
Huan Xuan coughed until his face turned red. He then picked up the wine pot, filled his own cup, and raised it to Xiao Ling: "General Xiao, I am sorry for not welcoming you in person."
Without waiting for a reply, he tilted his head back and poured the wine in the glass down his throat.
Sui Sui raised his glass as if nothing had happened: "Thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness."
The two of them asked and answered each other, and it seemed that they had said everything they wanted to say, and the atmosphere became even colder than before.
The Minister of Rites had no choice but to take on the responsibility.
The old man picked up the wine glass, stood up tremblingly, and toasted Sui Sui: "I have long heard of General Xiao's great name, but it is true that fame is not as good as hearing it. I am honored to be your companion. I would like to offer you a glass of wine in return. I hope you will not refuse."
Sui Sui raised his glass in response: "I have long admired your reputation and it is my great honor to meet you today."
After saying that, he drank the wine in the glass.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of War and the ten generals of the imperial guards also came forward to toast.
After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere finally eased a little.
The Minister of Rites greeted him and said, "It is difficult for General Xiao to come to Beijing, so I must take a good look around."
The old man had a kind face and was very supportive. "I left Beijing when I was young and have not been back for many years. There are countless scenic spots in Chang'an. I don't know which places I should visit. I will need to ask the Minister for advice when the time comes."
The Minister of Rites said, "I don't deserve it. There are several famous ancient temples in and outside the city. If General Xiao is interested, you can go and have a look. For example, the Da Ci'en Temple and Huguo Temple in the city, and the Qinglong Temple outside the city, which offer Buddha relics. The amulets there are said to be particularly effective. When the general goes to the battlefield, he can take the time to go and get a amulet to carry with him."
He glanced at Huan Xuan, pointed at the brocade bag on his waist and said, "Look, General, our Prince Qi is also wearing one, so what I said is true, isn't it?"
He felt that there was inexplicably some tension between the two of them, so he said this naturally to ease the atmosphere and bring them closer together.
It would have been fine if he didn't mention Qinglong Temple. As soon as he mentioned it, Huan Xuan's face suddenly became so gloomy that water seemed to drip from it.
He said coldly: "General Xiao knows everything about Chang'an, especially the Qinglong Temple."
Sui Sui said calmly, "When I was a child, I went to Beijing and went to Qinglong Temple with my mother to worship Buddha. But it was many years ago and I can't remember it clearly."
He turned to the Minister of Rites and said, "Thank you very much, Minister. I will definitely visit this place again someday."
The Minister of Rites, Prince Qi, had a dark face again for some reason, and changed the subject, saying, "The Lantern Festival is also worth seeing, especially the lantern wheel and acrobatics at Chengtian Gate. General, you must not miss it. In addition, there is also the Shangsi Festival at Qujiang Pond. Although the willows and apricot blossoms are not as beautiful as those in the south of the Yangtze River, they are not far behind."
Sui Sui nodded nonchalantly: "I'm afraid I will have to leave Chang'an before the apricot blossoms bloom, but I've heard that the Lantern Festival in Chang'an is very lively, so I must go and take a look."
Huan Xuan drank one cup after another with a serious face, and chatted happily with his ministers.
Halfway through the night banquet, the music suddenly stopped and the singers and musicians retreated outside the hall.
The Minister of Rites perked up and squinted his eyes as he said, "The general has come from afar, and His Majesty has specially sent a group of dancers from the Imperial Academy to entertain the general."
Before he finished speaking, a group of young men in tight-fitting clothes and colorful painted Hu clothing filed in.
Several of them seemed to have Hu ancestry, with fair skin, blue eyes, high noses and deep eyes. Regardless of whether they were Hu or Han, they all had handsome faces and were tall and slender.