On Li Mubai's birthday, even the imperial court specially sent a middle-ranking official to Chang 'an with gifts from the emperor to congratulate him. Although Wu Zetian used all kinds of means to suppress the aristocratic families, she still needed to save face.
Many officials of the imperial court in the capital also sent their sons and nephews to the Li Mansion in Chang 'an with generous gifts. As for the aristocratic families and officials in Chang' an, it was needless to say.
Today's day was undoubtedly a grand gathering for the descendants of the aristocratic families to socialize. For those who were much lower in status than them, it was also a rare opportunity to get to know them. Therefore, as long as they could come, they would all come. The fact that they could come meant that they were of high social status. Only at this kind of time and in this kind of family would such a strange scene occur.
Because the officialdom of the Southern Border was about to undergo a great purge, there would be a large number of vacant official positions. Those who wanted to find an official position for their sons and nephews would all rush to Chang 'an like sharks smelling blood. Among this group of sharks, the most powerful were the aristocratic families. Li Mubai's birthday party became a meeting for these bigwigs to "divide the spoils".
It should be known that these bigwigs were all influential heroes. If not for such a good opportunity, they could only hold a large-scale gathering secretly. Otherwise, once the emperor found out, he would not be able to sleep well.
However, with their status and extravagance, even if they were to travel incognito, they would still be escorted by numerous guards in the open and in the dark. It would be fine if one or two of them met, but if so many important people were to gather together, only a blind person would not be able to see it. With such a good opportunity, they could gather openly, and no one would be able to question them.
At the gate of the Li Mansion, the old steward and a few stewards dressed in fresh and clean cyan robes welcomed the guests with a smile. After receiving the name card, there would be someone leading the servants to hand the gifts to the gatehouse for registration. If an important person came, the steward would announce the name. Li Taigong's sons and grandsons were waiting inside. After hearing the name card, they would come out to greet them according to their corresponding status and seniority.
Gongsun Bufan and Yang Fan rode in two ox carts and arrived at the gate of the Li Mansion with a creaking sound.
Ox carts were a relatively slow means of transportation. Not only people who traveled long distances would not use such slow ox carts, but even in the city, few people would take ox carts. But this was only limited to officials and ordinary people. Aristocratic families were not included.
Ox carts were the favorite means of transportation of aristocratic families during the Han and Jin Dynasties. Because ox carts were spacious and stable, riding them could fully display the graceful demeanor of aristocratic families. So even though few people took ox carts in Luoyang nowadays, ox carts were still common in Chang 'an, the ancient capital of thousands of years.
Of course, as long as they saw people traveling in ox carts, they would know that it must be an aristocratic family with a long history. As soon as the Head Steward saw the two ox-carts, he knew that they must be from an aristocratic family. He immediately welcomed them with a smile, and at the same time, signaled the Deputy Steward to prepare to call out the names.
Gongsun Bufan got off the carriage and the steward who accompanied him immediately handed over the greeting card on his behalf. A few servants in green clothes carried many congratulatory gifts tied with red silk and pasted with the character 'Longevity' on them from the back of the carriage. Li Taigong's eldest grandson heard this and quickly came out to greet Gongsun Bufan. As soon as he saw Gongsun Bufan, he cupped his hands and greeted Gongsun Bufan with a smile. Then, he went inside to let the guest in.
The steward's eyes were sharp. He saw that Gongsun Bufan was sitting in the first cart and the gifts were also placed in the first cart. Seeing that there was no movement from the cart behind, the steward smiled and said, "Are the guests in the cart behind also from Gongsun Family?"
Gongsun Bufan glanced at the back and hurriedly pretended that he didn't know them. He shook his head and turned to Li Taigong's eldest grandson. He said with a smile, "I'm here to congratulate Old Master on his 88th birthday. Please lead the way. I want to pay my respects to Old Master in person!"
Gongsun Bufan glanced at the back and hurriedly pretended that he didn't know them. He shook his head and turned to Li Taigong's eldest grandson. He said with a smile, "I'm here to congratulate Old Master on his 88th birthday. Please lead the way. I want to pay my respects to Old Master in person!"
"Hahaha, Brother Gongsun, please."
"Brother Li, please!"
Gongsun Bufan was even more anxious than the host. He hurriedly entered the Li Family's gate. At this time, Yang Fan just got off the cart. He didn't have any servants to help him, so he didn't need anyone to help him with the gifts. He carried them and walked over leisurely, nodding to the white-haired old steward with a smile.
The old steward didn't dare to be negligent. Which family's steward was this old steward from? The Longxi Li Clan!
He was the steward of the Li Clan Lord and had served Old Master since he was young. He had seen all kinds of people and experienced all kinds of situations. He didn't dare to treat this Young Master lightly when he saw that he was dressed in simple clothes and had a calm demeanor. He didn't dare to treat him lightly.
He looked at this Young Master again and saw that he didn't have anything on him except for a small bag about a foot long. It was so light that it didn't weigh much. His face was even more affectionate, and the wrinkles on his face were like blooming autumn chrysanthemums.
According to the old man's experience, the smaller the gift, the more precious it was. His Old Master loved to collect rare things. If this young man's birthday gift was some rare antique or unique item, his Old Master would definitely be happy.
The old steward went forward and didn't let the stewards do anything. He personally took the gift from Yang Fan's hand. When he looked down, his smile froze. A pair of longevity candles appeared in front of his eyes. Although there was a paper bag underneath, since there was a pair of longevity candles on the top, how precious could the gift underneath be?
The old steward still couldn't believe it. He secretly squeezed the paper bag … It was broken!
The feeling from his hand was that it was clearly a bag of snacks! The old steward's face twitched violently. He raised his head and looked at Yang Fan in disbelief. When Yang Fan was about to say something auspicious, he suddenly found that the old man's face was a little strange. He couldn't help asking curiously, "Old man, what's wrong?"
The old steward seemed to have run around Chang 'an City three times before he came back. He took a few deep breaths and swallowed the malicious words that had rushed to the tip of his tongue. He forced a smile and said, "Young Master, do you have an invitation?"
There were only two kinds of guests today: those with invitation and those without. Basically, the number of people who had an invitation could be counted on one hand. Only the leading figures of the major families had an invitation. Most of these people were white-haired old men. The rest of them had all come uninvited. Even the magistrate of Chang 'an Local Government, Liu Qietian, came with an invitation himself.
The old steward was sure that this young man couldn't have an invitation in any case. However, the old steward had served Old Master Li all his life and had developed the habit of being cautious. So he still asked. If this young man didn't have an invitation, he would drive him away without any hesitation!
How could he come to the Li family with a pair of longevity candles and a bag of longevity cakes? Was he here to congratulate or to humiliate? Wasn't this just a trick played by those ruffians in Chang 'an City who wanted to borrow money for a living? Someone had eyes but failed to see and came to the Li family. Hey! If I don't beat you up, you won't know why the flowers are so red!
The old steward swore in his heart. He secretly gathered his Dantian Qi and waited for Yang Fan to say "no invitation". Then he shouted, "Come on! Beat this bastard out of here! "
As a result, the young man, who had two beautiful dimples on his cheeks when he smiled, let out a soft cry, as if he had just remembered something. He hurriedly took out an invitation from his bosom and politely handed it to him.
The old steward took the invitation and glanced at Yang Fan. He opened the invitation and made a sound as if he had a toothache. Then he glanced at Yang Fan and opened his eyes wide. He held the invitation and looked at it over and over again. He said, "There's no mistake. It's an invitation from the Li family!"
"Uh … Honorable guest, please come in!"
The old steward was cautious after all. He said with a fake smile. Seeing Yang Fan swaggering into the mansion, he immediately beckoned two stewards over and ordered in a low voice, "You go and keep an eye on him!"
Then he said to the other steward, "Go and ask Lin Zixiong if this person is really our guest. Hey! If someone comes to our Li Clan to swindle people and get free food and drinks, we will lose a lot of face if it gets out! "
"Yes!" The two stewards left in a hurry.
The old steward looked at the bag of snacks and candles in his hand. He pursed his lips and casually threw them into a trash basket next to the mansion's door. He turned around and stood at the door again with a humble smile on his face …
…
In a quiet room, the wooden floor glowed with a clear oil luster. The whole room was spotless. It didn't seem to have any magnificent or luxurious furnishings, but the screen, table, and utensils all exuded a simple and unadorned aura.
Everything in this room was very old. The oldest was the bronze wares from the Shang Dynasty. All the treasures of the dynasty were gathered in one room. Those who didn't know what was good and unadorned might feel that the furnishings in this room didn't match the identity of the master of the Longxi Li family.
But those who knew what was good and unadorned would find that the incense burner was from the Qin Dynasty. The table in front of him was from the Han Dynasty. The futon under his butt and the big jar next to the table were from the Jin Dynasty. Maybe the futon was where Ji Kang used to sit, and the jar used to be Liu Ling's wine vessel.
All the things in the room, big or small, were unique and priceless treasures …
On the small table on the green jade table of the Han Dynasty, there was a zither. The zither was one meter, two feet, and three inches long. The surface of the zither was one meter, one foot, and two inches long. The surface of the zither was slightly peeled. It could be seen that the paint was divided into three layers. The bottom layer was made of thin antler gray, the middle layer was made of hard black paint, and the surface layer was made of thin chestnut-colored paint. There was a small "Broken Snake Belly", a purple jade emblem, and a rectangular dragon pond and phoenix pond on the forehead. The back of the zither was engraved with the seal script "Green Damask", and the four characters "Sima Changqing" were engraved on the bottom of the pond.
Li Mubai, who had his 88th birthday today, pretended to walk back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. From time to time, he peeped at Ning Ke who was sitting cross-legged in front of the table and tried to suppress his complacency. Ning Ke was dressed in snow-white clothes. She was as beautiful as a cloud covering the bright moon or a lotus coming out of the water.
Her eyes were focused on the zither. From the back of the zither to the dragon pond and phoenix pond, she could see the wood of the inner belly of the zither. The wood was old, golden and a little soft. There were some fingerprints left by people of different ages on the zither. There was an obvious depression at the end of the phoenix pond. The texture was delicate and the paint was pure.
A ray of sunlight shone on the surface of the zither. You could see the glittering antler frost and gold, silver, copper and other powders in the paint. Ning Ke slightly closed her eyes and gently plucked the strings with her fingers. The sound of the zither was gentle and peaceful. Ning Ke took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She said happily, "It is indeed Sima Xiangru's Green Damask."
"Haha!"
Li Mubai smiled proudly and immediately stopped smiling. He pretended to be profound and said, "If it is a fake, how can it hide from my eyes? Haha, I have collected all my life. Only this zither and the purple bamboo flute of Prime Minister Qin Han Fei are my favorite. "
Ning Ke said sweetly, "Among the musical instruments, zither and bamboo flute are both gentlemen who are aloof from the world. Other musical instruments are for appreciating the sound, but bamboo flute and zither are for listening to the rhyme. They are the best objects for nostalgia and meditation! "
"Bosom friend, bosom friend!"
Li Mubai was very excited, "This is my bosom friend. Unlike my stupid children and grandchildren who only know how to flatter me. None of them can say the true meaning of zither!"
Ning Ke made a face at him and said mischievously, "Since we are bosom friends, how about lending this zither to Ke for a few days?"
"No, no!" Li Mubai's face changed. He hurriedly waved his hand and said, "If I lend this zither to you, it is like Liu Bei lending Jingzhou. It will be difficult for me to see it again! Haha, I said that I will play with it for a year and give it to you as a birthday gift next year. You little girl, can't you wait for such a little time? "
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Zixiong called outside the door, "Great-grandfather."
Li Mubai said, "Come in!"
When Lin Zixiong opened the door and came in, Li Mubai said, "What's wrong? Is it the right time?"
Lin Zixiong said, "It's not the right time. But … just now the old steward sent someone to ask me if I invited Yang Langzhong of the Ministry of Justice as a guest on behalf of Great-grandfather. "
Li Mubai said, "This old guy is really muddle-headed. All my guests have invitations. If they have invitations, they are invited by me. Does he need to specially send someone to ask?"
Ning Ke was fiddling with the "Green Damask" with a look of fondness. Suddenly hearing the name of Yang Fan, she couldn't help raising her head.
With a strange look on his face, Lin Zixiong said, "Yes! It's just because … Yang Langzhong's birthday gift is too shabby, so the old steward suspects that he is a ruffian who unintentionally picked up the invitation to eat and drink. "
Li Mubai was startled and asked curiously, "What birthday gift did Yang Fan give me?"
Lin Zixiong laughed dryly and said, "A pair of longevity candles and a box of longevity cakes."
Li Mubai was stunned at first, then he looked up to the sky and laughed, "Hahaha! This young man is really interesting. I have celebrated my 88th birthday since I was one year old. This is the first time I have received such a birthday gift as longevity candles and longevity cakes. Hahaha … "
Lin Zixiong laughed dryly and said, "The old steward suspects that he is a swindler and has sent someone to keep an eye on him."
Li Mubai's childishness was aroused and he said to Ning Ke, "Girl, do you want to go and see the ruffian who came to my mansion to cheat food and drink?"
Ning Ke covered her mouth and laughed, "Great-grandfather is the birthday boy today. When he goes out, he doesn't even wear his birthday robe. It will shock the whole mansion."
Li Mubai waved his hand and said, "Hey! Yang Fan was a junior, so he was naturally in the middle hall or the front hall. Those old guys were all in the backyard. How many of the guests outside could recognize this old man? Let Zixiong lead the way, so that people in the mansion don't make a fuss. "
Hearing Li Mubai's words, Ning Ke also became interested and said excitedly, "Okay! Then I will accompany you to see the little ruffian who cheats food and drink! "
…
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