It will take a long time for the twilight to completely ignite the clouds in the sky, and the banquets in those restaurants and brothels in Kyoto have already begun.
Formal banquets always take a long time, so the start time will naturally be very early. This has nothing to do with saving lamp oil or candles. The strong monks and dignitaries, literati and young maids value it more. The light changes from dawn to dusk to nightfall, and the atmosphere and feelings that change accordingly.
Chen Changsheng didn't understand these things. To him, if a meal lasted more than a quarter of an hour, it meant it was unhealthy, just like the delicacies on the table in front of him at this moment, it meant unhealthy.
The banquet hosted by the Xu Mansion today is different from the ordinary family banquet last time, it is a formal banquet. Although he was the only guest, he was a junior, and he was still very young. The middle door of the East Imperial General’s Mansion, which could not be opened twice a year, was opened. I didn't eat much, but after being glanced at, I was removed and replaced with a new round of dishes.
Looking around, there are precious utensils and porcelain plates for serving dishes everywhere, which made him naturally think of what Mrs. Xu said on the first day when he first entered the capital. There are maidservants everywhere, and there is no need for him to do anything, so someone will serve them naturally. However, what is interesting is that none of Mrs. Xu, Nanny Hua, or that maid named Shuang'er showed up today.
Or it was because of the things that happened between Chen Changsheng and them back then.
Xu Shiji accompanied him alone.
Chen Changsheng didn't drink, and ate some food out of etiquette, and he was full soon.
Xu Shiji put down the wine cup, and waved his hand to signal for everyone to back down, waiting for him to speak.
Chen Changsheng didn't like and was not good at talking around corners. Looking at this posture, he knew that Xu Shiji was also mentally prepared, so he said directly: "You should already know the identity of my teacher."
"The day I found out that Taoist Ji was the dean of the business, I was as surprised as everyone else."
Xu Shiji didn't say anything about the long conversation with his father's portrait in the ancestral hall that day, but he looked at Chen Changsheng and said calmly: "Many people, including Master Zhou Tong, want to use this to attack you, but you don't have to Worry, I, Da Zhoulu, have never made any accusations that when the treason case happened at the Orthodox Academy, you were not even born yet."
"But after all, you are one of the most trusted generals of the Holy Empress." Chen Changsheng asked, "Why do you still insist on this marriage?"
"Everyone thinks I'm vulgar. I don't know how many lifetimes of blessings I have accumulated to be able to give birth to such a daughter... I don't know how many people are laughing at me in private."
Xu Shiji looked into Chen Changsheng's eyes, without concealing his indifference, and said, "As for this marriage, it has brought me endless humiliation... In the eyes of the world, it was because our Xu family looked down on you, a poor man, at first. Young man, wanted to repent of the marriage, and even suppressed and humiliated you a lot, and later, after knowing your relationship with His Majesty the Pope, he shamelessly pestered you and insisted on marrying you, so those things that were imposed on you The humiliation, now it all comes back to us, and it can even be said... this is shameless."
It was very quiet in the flower hall, and all the maidservants had already avoided it far away.
Xu Shiji said: "Fortunately, no one thinks that my Rong'er is not good enough for you, otherwise she might even be laughed at."
Chen Changsheng thought to himself, since you know this is ugly, why do you insist on it? The last time you came to divorce yourself, why didn't you just accept the marriage certificate
"But I don't care, or I can bear these humiliation and ridicule." Xu Shiji's eyes suddenly became sharp, staring at Chen Changsheng and said: "Because I am a father, I have to think about my daughter. The empress is loyal, but what is wrong with thinking about her own daughter?"
Chen Changsheng had thought many times these days, why the Xu family insisted on clinging to this marriage contract now, he thought of many reasons, but he never thought of such a reason.
——Xu Shiji just wanted to be good for his daughter.
Chen Changsheng should feel some joy, the joy of being recognized, but he didn't, because he didn't believe that Xu Shiji was such a person, such a father.
"I know what you're thinking, what people in Kyoto are thinking."
Xu Shiji said expressionlessly: "It's like everyone had the same view of Patriarch Qiushan before the Lishan civil turmoil, but it turns out that you were all wrong."
"Yes, if I insist on this marriage, if the Pope loses in the future, the Holy Empress will certainly not allow me to live any longer, but I am sure that even if I die, the Empress will still love Rong'er very much. And if... His Excellency the Pope wins, because of you, he probably won't have any bad opinion of Rong'er."
He looked at Chen Changsheng's side face, and continued: "The north-south confluence has become a major trend. The Lishan Sword Sect may still be able to maintain its edge. Qiu Shanjun just took advantage of the situation to go north because of his merits, and what else can Nanxizhai do? If Rong'er can't marry you, and the best ending for her in the future is to stay on the Holy Maiden Peak, but what if this marriage can be successful?"
"The pope and the saint, this is the true convergence of the north and the south."
"Whether north or south, everyone is willing to see such a picture."
"What is the general trend? This is the general trend."
"Regardless of whether I'm still alive or not, my Xu family will definitely be famous in history."
…
…
The true north-south confluence, the general trend, everyone is willing to see such a picture, so this marriage must continue.
Chen Changsheng felt that these words sounded familiar, and then remembered that after he came to the capital from Xining, he often heard similar words. The big girl named Shuang'er once said, that nanny once said, that at the Ivy Banquet Many people have said it, even Tang Sanshiliu once said it, but at that time the name associated with Xu Yourong was not himself.
He is not someone who is willing to hide his true thoughts, so he raised his head to look at Xu Shiji and said, "That's what you said about Mr. Qiu Shan back then."
"In my opinion, if you want to get married, Qiushan is of course a better choice than you, even now, the problem is that he is not as good as you now."
A better choice and a worse choice are the contrast between the two concepts.
Chen Changsheng was thinking about the news from the other side of Li Mountain. When the sun was shining on the main peak, Qiu Shan Jun stabbed himself calmly and casually, thus solving a long-planned conspiracy lightly. After a moment of silence, he shook his head, Said: "I am not as good as him."
Xu Shiji didn't understand what he meant, and said, "His Excellency the Pope is your uncle, and based on this alone, he will never be as good as you."
Just like what Qiu Shanjun said to his father on the main peak of Mount Li, young people and old people really cannot be the same way.
Chen Changsheng didn't know what he said, but he felt the same way. He stood up and prepared to say goodbye. At the same time, he took out the marriage certificate and put it on the table.
His movements were not very solemn, but they were not casual either. He didn't feel arrogance or inferiority. He just took it out and put it down.
He has come to this Divine General's Mansion three times, each time for the purpose of retiring the engagement, or because of this reason, he is no longer as nervous and awkward as before.
There was no embarrassment on Xu Shiji's face either. When he received a letter from the Orthodox Academy saying that Chen Changsheng was coming to visit, he guessed the reason for the visit.
"Last time I said, if you really insist on retiring the engagement, give Ronger the marriage certificate in front of her."
Chen Changsheng did have this idea in the Zhou Garden, but he never had the chance to meet Xu Yourong. Then he couldn't understand, why both Xu Shiji and Tang Sanshiliu had said similar things, as if they concluded that as long as he saw Xu Yourong's real person, he would never want to divorce again. Even if Xu Yourong is really as beautiful as a fairy, so what
He even felt that it was a kind of contempt for others to look at him like this.
"I heard that Ms. Xu will return to Beijing in the near future, and the marriage certificate will be placed in your residence first. If Ms. Xu has any ideas, please go to the Orthodox Academy."
He ignored Xu Shiji's words, and continued: "Please don't send the marriage certificate back to the Orthodox Academy, or you may lose it, and it will be really ugly."
Xu Shiji was furious when he heard the words, thinking that you dare to threaten me, but there was no emotion on his face.
Chen Changsheng wasn't threatening him, but was telling the truth. This marriage certificate was really almost lost in the Zhou Garden.
When he was fighting Nanke Shuangyi at the bottom of the lake, in order to break the opponent's wings of light, he threw everything out of the scabbard, including this marriage certificate, but he had no idea about this marriage for a long time. Any feeling, so that I didn't care much about this marriage certificate, and I didn't remember it until I was going to the Xu Mansion to withdraw the engagement a few days ago.
He looked at Xu Shiji and wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he gave up, said goodbye and left.
Xu Shiji watched his back disappear into the night with no expression on his face, and then he looked back at the marriage letter, his expression slightly concentrated, and he didn't understand why the edges of the marriage letter were slightly wet.
Walking in the garden of the East Imperial General's Mansion, looking at the somewhat impressive Zhishu Limestone with the help of the lantern carried by the maidservant in front, Chen Changsheng naturally thought of the past encounters here.
When he left just now, he really wanted to say something to Xu Shiji, but he couldn't find the right words for a while, and he didn't know how to organize it. If it was Tang Thirty-Six, he would probably ask Xu Shiji directly: You are so shameless, does your daughter know? But he couldn't say such words, but suddenly felt a little sympathetic to Xu Yourong.
Xu Shiji said that he insisted on this marriage for the sake of his daughter, but he kept talking about such words as the general trend, the convergence of the north and the south, and leaving a name in history, without concealing his true thoughts. He thought, but he is just a well-known person, he only thinks about the lintel of glory, the Xu family will last for generations, what is the difference between a daughter and a memorial arch in his eyes
Thinking about it this way, Xu Yourong was really pitiful.
Thinking about it like this, he came to a stone gate.
A girl stood at the stone gate.
It's very similar to what happened a year and a half ago.