Yan Chongxun is Wu Sansi's eldest son. Logically speaking, he should have arrived earlier than the other guests but because An Le took a long time to dress up, he arrived late.
An Le lifted the hem of her dress and gracefully walked up the stone steps under everyone's gaze. She threw a provocative look at Yang Fan before she swayed her body and walked forward.
Wu Chongxun did not have any prejudice against Yang Fan. All along, his vigilance and hostility towards Yang Fan was due to the fact that his most beloved woman seemed to treat Yang Fan specially. But ever since Yang Fan humiliated An Le in the east market, An Le would gnash her teeth and curse at the mention of Yang Fan. Because of this, Wu Chongxun had a better impression of Yang Fan.
He smiled and nodded at Yang Fan before catching up to his wife.
Wu Chongcao saw them and quickly greeted: "Big Brother, Sister-in-law."
Wu Chongxun grunted: "You go and take care of the guests. This brother will accompany Sister-in-law to see Father."
Wu Chongcao acknowledged and went to meet Yang Fan.
If an official like Yang Fan was placed in a local area, he would be on equal footing with a prefecture's governor. But in the capital, where there were as many high-ranking officials as dogs, he was nothing. Now that the hall was filled with nobles, Yang Fan did not stand out at all.
There were not many military officials invited today and there were even fewer who knew and were friends with Yang Fan. Yang Fan was happy to be at ease and hid alone in a secluded corner. Sitting on a stone table with his legs crossed, he coldly looked at the high-ranking officials who were greeting each other.
"Hey!"
A young girl's voice suddenly rang in his ear. Yang Fan turned his head and saw Li Chiying, who was dressed in a light yellow dress, smiling as she flashed out from behind a pillar. She made a face at him and said: "General Yang, why are you so free?"
Seeing this' little old friend ', Yang Fan could not help laughing and said, "You little debt collector, you also came to the banquet today."
Li Chiying wrinkled her pretty nose at him. She couldn't help but laugh, revealing two shallow dimples on her cheeks. Unconvinced, she said, "You're so annoying. Who wants to collect debts from you? If you have the ability, why didn't you agree to it back then? If you didn't agree, would I still bother you?"
Yang Fan ridiculed, "That's right. I agreed to help a certain lady not because that lady hugged my thigh, knelt on the ground and cried, and even pulled a bunch of sisters to kneel with her, but because I was in a hurry to ask for help. It really has nothing to do with that lady."
Li Chiying defended herself: "I didn't hug your thigh, I was tugging on your lapel!"
As soon as she said this, she realized that her previous words about not bothering him were a little unreasonable. She could not help but blushed and rolled her eyes at Yang Fan coquettishly. She hugged her light yellow dress and sat down next to him. She tilted her head and thought for a while before she said seriously: "Alright, I am grateful. This matter … I really have to thank you."
Yang Fan burst into laughter. His impression of this little girl improved a lot. He asked in a pleasant voice: "Where are those sisters of yours? Why aren't they with them?"
Li Chiying pouted and said: "They are all surrounding Older Sister Guo Er to look at her new dress. Look at her smug expression. She even said how much effort she spent, how much money she spent, and how many ways she came up with to buy this dress. She could not bear to even touch it even if she wanted to. Hmph! I don't care about it anymore. "
Although Li Chiying said this, the expression in her eyes was still extremely envious. A woman's resistance towards beautiful clothes was really limited. Yang Fan looked at her expression and could not help but feel a little funny. He then recalled Li Guo Er's manner of showing off in the rear residence. He unconsciously frowned.
Although Li Chiying was young, she was very perceptive. She quickly caught the flash of disgust in Yang Fan's eyes. She could not help but ask: "General Yang, do you dislike Older Sister Guo Er?"
Yang Fan said lightly: "I don't dislike her. I just … don't like her character."
Li Chiying nodded seriously and said: "Yes! I don't like her either. "
"Oh?"
Yang Fan turned his head and glanced at her. He asked with a smile: "Did your Third Brother tell you this again?"
Li Chiying said indignantly: "I'm not a child. Do I need someone else to tell me everything? I just … I just don't think she's a good person. "
Yang Fan turned his head and casually swept his eyes over the increasing number of guests. He said unhurriedly: "You'd better hide these kinds of words in your heart. Don't casually tell others. If it's only the conflict between you and your cousin sister, it's fine. I'm just afraid that it might be used by someone with ulterior motives and cause discord between the Crown Prince and your esteemed father. "
"Yes!"
Li Chiying smiled sweetly. She nodded vigorously and said: "I'm not stupid. Of course I won't blabber and tell whoever I catch. Don't worry. Do you think I'm someone who can't keep things in my heart? I'm only telling you because it's you. "
Yang Fan laughed and teased her: "You can say it because it's me? If that's the case, then the two of us are bosom friends who don't hide anything from each other. "
Li Chiying was too young. She was only two years older than Yang Fan's daughter. Yang Fan only thought of her as a cute junior to tease. He didn't think about the matters between men and women at all. Similarly, the young Li Chiying had not yet awakened to love. She didn't have any romantic feelings for Yang Fan. She only liked to talk to Yang Fan and had a little admiration for Yang Fan.
Li Chiying made a face at Yang Fan naughtily and said with a giggle: "Of course, don't. I know your little secret."
Yang Fan's curiosity was piqued. He wanted to ask her what secret she had when the head steward responsible for welcoming guests in the Liang Mansion suddenly used a loud voice to announce: "Duke Ye has graced us with his presence!"
There were twenty to thirty wangye in the Wu Mansion today, but in terms of reputation and status, they couldn't compare to this Duke Ye. The guests in the courtyard instantly quieted. A moment later, they saw Wu Sansi, Wu Yizong, and the other senior members of the Wu Family hurriedly come out of the hall to greet them.
The guests naturally followed behind them to greet them. Seeing this, Li Chiying pouted and said angrily: "Really a group of flatterers!" Then she narrowed her eyes and looked at Yang Fan: "Hey! Do you want to go flatter that Duke Ye? "
Yang Fan puffed out his chest and said proudly: "A real man lives in this world. How can I bend my back for five buckets of rice? I'm not going! "
Li Chiying immediately smiled like a flower. She gave him a thumbs up and praised: "Good one! A man that this lady has a whole new level of respect for should be different. "
Yang Fan rubbed his nose and said with embarrassment: "However, the tallest tree in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. If the dam is taller than the shore, the waves will destroy it. It's fine if we don't greet them, but if we sit here like this, we will definitely attract attention. Do you think we should find a place to hide first? "
Li Chiying burst out laughing and said angrily: "You, so hypocritical!"
As she spoke, she quickly jumped up as if she was playing a game. She said with great interest: "Let's go!"
… …
In today's welcoming banquet, the ones sitting at the very top were naturally the master of the mansion, Wu Sansi, and the most honorable guest, Zhang Changzong. However, the one that attracted the most attention was Wu Yanxiu who had just returned from the Tu Jue.
Wu Yanxiu was chosen by Wu Zetian to be her relative out of all the Wu Clan's sons and nephews. He naturally had his outstanding points. Among the Wu Clan's sons, Wu Yanxiu was the most handsome. He was tall and had a graceful demeanor. Six years of living in the grasslands had tempered his body and made him strong and healthy.
In the hall, many of the officials and nobles asked Wu Yanxiu about his life in the grasslands. The noblewomen in particular were the most curious. Wu Yanxiu slowly told them about his experiences in the grasslands. These nobles who were not familiar with the Tu Jue's situation would occasionally exclaim in admiration.
Although Wu Yanxiu was held as a hostage by Mozi, Mozi did not mistreat him. Moreover, there was no need to worry that he could escape on the grasslands. Therefore, he usually followed the Khan tribe to nominate and migrate. His life and activities were not too restricted.
In these six years, Wu Yanxiu learned the Turkic language, learned many local folk songs, and learned a set of Turkic dances, including the popular Huxuan dance in the court and among the people of the Central Plains. This kind of experience was more like an adventure than a prisoner. Naturally, it satisfied the curiosity of the nobles and nobles.
A grey-robed Taoist sat next to Zhang Changzong. The table in front of the Taoist was covered with vegetarian dishes. This Taoist quietly enjoyed his food. Whether it was Wu Yanxiu talking about his experiences in the grasslands or the interjections of others, he turned a deaf ear to them. He did not fit in with the noisy and lively atmosphere in the hall.
This Taoist was brought here by Zhang Changzong. When he was introduced to Wu Sansi, Zhang Changzong boasted about this Taoist's abilities. It was obvious that he thought highly of him. However, Wu Sansi only laughed it off. He did not believe it at all and kept a respectful distance from him.
Wu Chengsi had once set up a Daoist to bewitch Liu Sili and Liu Lianyao to rebel, thus enticing Wu Zetian to use Lai Junchen again, causing this ruthless official to go crazy for the cruel politics of the Wu Zhou Dynasty.
Although Wu Sansi didn't know that this incident was Wu Chengsi's plan, ever since that incident, Wu Sansi kept a respectful distance from these Jianghu warlocks. When the three charlatans, the old nun of Hanoi, Taoist Shifang, and the barbarian Molei, fell from power, a large number of officials were implicated. Wu Sansi was even more wary of them.
Zhang Changzong was drinking when he heard Wu Yanxiu say that he was proficient in Huxuan dance. He suddenly interrupted him and said with a smile, "Duke Huan, have you learned Huxuan from the Turks? I have also practiced Huxuan, but unfortunately, I did not have a good teacher to guide me. Since Duke Huan learned Huxuan dance from the Turks, it must be authentic. Can you dance it in court and let me see it? "
Wu Yanxiu was stunned and did not answer.
In this era, it was common for high officials and nobles to dance and dance when they were in a good mood. When the fat old man Di Renjie was drunk, he would also hold his long beard and shake his buttocks in front of his colleagues and juniors. He did not mind his Prime Minister status at all.
In the past, the Retired Emperor Li Yuan even played the pipa in the palace hall. Emperor Li Shimin also came down and sang and danced in front of the officials. This was the current trend. Therefore, when Zhang Changzong invited Wu Yanxiu to dance, it had nothing to do with their status. He did not treat her as a dancer or deliberately humiliate her.
But how did Wu Yanxiu learn Huxuan dance? It was a skill that he learned during his six years as a prisoner when he was detained for six years and was close to the Turks. Now that Zhang Changzong asked him to entertain the public with Huxuan dance, he could not help but be suspected of exposing someone else's scars.
When Wu Yanxiu was detained by the Turks, the second Zhang was not favored by Wu Zetian yet. Wu Yanxiu had just returned to the court, so he naturally did not know how important Zhang Changzong's status was. However, from the attitude of the guests towards Zhang Changzong, and from the fact that this handsome young man was the only one sitting next to King Liang, he knew that this person was of high status. Therefore, he could not reject him rashly.
Just as he was hesitating, an extremely pleasant voice suddenly said, "An Le also loves the Huxuan Dance. Since cousin is good at dancing the Huxuan Dance, why don't you dance for everyone in court? An Le also wants to take the opportunity to observe and comprehend the most authentic Huxuan Dance."
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