The Old Master of the Li Clan of Longxi wanted to hold a birthday banquet. Those who came were either high-ranking officials or noble families. Which one of them was short of money? Naturally, it was impossible for them to hold a banquet like other ordinary families, with lavish meals for their guests.
The purpose of the people who came to the banquet was not this. In addition to expressing goodwill to the Li family, the main purpose of these people who came to the banquet was to use this opportunity to get to know more people in the upper class. Knowing more people meant more connections, and this was something that money could not buy.
Therefore, the entire front hall and the middle hall, including the two courtyards, did not have tables and tables of banquets. There were only a few tables placed in unobstructed places with some wine, fruits, dairy products, and cold dishes. If someone was really hungry or thirsty, they could take them to fill their stomachs.
Therefore, as he strolled around the hall, under the trees and among the flowers, groups of people could be seen everywhere. Some were sitting on the tables, some were standing shoulder to shoulder, and the atmosphere was elegant and refined.
Yang Fan wandered around the crowd for a long time. There were many people like him who wandered around. They were all noble young masters looking for acquaintances to chat with, or officials and children of middle-class aristocratic families who were dissatisfied with their current status and wanted to curry favor with famous families.
Because of their different purposes, Yang Fan's behavior was very different from these people. These people wandered around with a goal in mind. Once they found a target, they would either greet with a smile and chat, or tidy up their clothes and greet and introduce themselves. Only Yang Fan didn't know anyone and didn't want to deliberately make friends with anyone. Therefore, he looked around leisurely.
This behavior was seen by the steward of the Li Clan who was secretly watching him. Naturally, he felt that the old steward's eyesight was extraordinary. This kid was indeed suspicious. However, so far, he hadn't seen him steal any noble young master's purse or jade pendant. He also hadn't seen him meet any naive and gullible young masters of aristocratic families to strike up a conversation. Instead, he ate a lot of fruits, snacks, and platters …
Yang Fan wandered around for a while and stopped at the left side of the garden. There was a large flower garden here. All kinds of flowers were in full bloom, and their fragrance assailed the nostrils. There were relatively few guests in the garden, so it was very quiet.
There was a long corridor in the midst of the flowering shrubs. The roof was covered with tiles, and every beam was painted with lush forests, tall bamboos, flowers, birds, insects, fish, mountains, rivers, clouds, and rivers. It was exceptionally gorgeous. There were four octagonal pavilions with heavy eaves at both ends of the corridor and in the middle. Most of them were occupied, talking and laughing.
There was a lot of wine and food on the long bench closest to each pavilion. Yang Fan picked up a glass of "three baskets of wine" and walked to the side. He leaned against a colorful pillar and crossed his legs. As he sipped the wine, he looked around leisurely.
Most of the people in the hallway were disciples of aristocratic families. Some of them were strangers, some were old friends, and some were new acquaintances. There were even women among them.
That was because those who came to the Li Mansion to celebrate his birthday were not only the aristocrats of Shandong, but also the local aristocrats of Chang 'an. The Guanlong Clan had a strong sense of propriety. It was normal for women to show their faces in public.
If someone brought a woman over, and she wasn't familiar with the women of the host's family, then she wouldn't have to go to the rear residence where the woman was placed. Instead, she could casually wander around the garden and chat with others. This wasn't considered rude at the time.
Because there were new friends and women, the noble young masters would try to show off their manners and accomplishments in front of the disciples of other aristocratic families. As a result, they could only talk about elegance. And among the elegance, the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as poetry, were the most suitable to talk about.
As Yang Fan drank, he listened to the moaning of the noble young masters in the pavilion to the side. They were like a swarm of flies buzzing around him. He felt very bored.
He had only come today because he had been invited by the Li family. Otherwise, according to his plans, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to visit. Especially after chatting with Dugu Yu, he already had a new idea of cooperating with the aristocratic families. He was in no hurry to take the initiative to contact these aristocratic families.
However, he also knew that since the Li family remembered a minor character like him and even specially sent him an invitation, there must be a reason for it. They definitely wouldn't treat him as an ordinary congratulatory guest.
Yang Fan took a sip of wine and thought to himself, Does Old Grandfather Li have something to say to me? That's not right. If that was the case, he wouldn't have chosen today. He's the birthday boy today, how could he have the leisure to chat with me? In that case, he probably wants to use this banquet to introduce me to someone, or … introduce me to someone …
Those who could come to the Li family were all people with a certain amount of status and power. They also had a wide network, so it was impossible for them to not see a single friend. Thus, it was rare for them to be sitting alone. One of the dozen or so people sitting and chatting in the pavilion happened to turn his head and saw Yang Fan sitting alone. He couldn't help but be curious.
The descendants of aristocratic families rarely wore gold and silver. They dressed up like nouveau riche. From Yang Fan's clothes, he couldn't tell who this person was. He only felt that this person was drinking leisurely and had an extraordinary bearing, so he got up and walked over.
This person's surname was Wang, and he was called Wang Siyuan. He came from the Wang family of Taiyuan. Among the seven sects and five families, the Wang family of Taiyuan had declined greatly since the early Tang Dynasty. Of course, this decline was only relative to the other aristocratic families. A starving camel was still bigger than a horse. In the eyes of others, the Wang family of Taiyuan was still an unreachable figure.
However, because of this, the descendants of the Wang family became even more low-key and lowered their attitude. They intended to make friends with some aristocratic families and use this to consolidate the Wang family's position. He saw this person sitting alone with a leisurely expression. Sitting among the many descendants of aristocratic families, he didn't have any reservations at all. He assumed that this person was a descendant of an aristocratic family and wanted to make friends with him.
Wang Siyuan walked to Yang Fan's side and smiled. He cupped his hands and said, "May I ask what this brother's name is?"
Yang Fan was thinking about this question and secretly analyzed Li Mubai's intentions. Suddenly, he saw that the other person was talking to him politely. He quickly got up and returned the greeting. He said, "My surname is Yang, and my name is Fan. I wonder who this brother is …"
When Wang Siyuan heard that his surname was Yang, his heart jumped. "Could it be the Hongnong Yang family?"
However, Yang Fan didn't report his family background. Normally, those with a county's prestige would report their family background. This wasn't because the descendants of aristocratic families liked to show off, but because it was a form of pride and respect for the family's inheritance. Yang Fan only said his name and didn't report his prestige. Wang Siyuan was a little puzzled at first. When he thought about the two words Yang Fan, he suddenly remembered that he had just heard this person's name. He couldn't help but cry out, "Ah! Are you … the Ministry of Justice's Yang Langzhong? "
Yang Fan was a little surprised. He didn't expect this person to have heard of his name. He quickly said, "Yes!"
"Ah … ah, it's an honor to meet you at last!"
Wang Siyuan originally thought that Yang Fan was a son of an aristocratic family. He didn't expect that it was Yang Fan who had offended the Lu family of Fanyang. He was greatly disappointed. He said a few polite words without sincerity, then cupped his hands and bid farewell. There was nothing to say about his demeanor. However, Yang Fan already saw that this person's expression was slightly awkward. It seemed that he had misjudged him. He couldn't help but secretly laugh.
When Wang Siyuan returned to the pavilion, he quietly explained Yang Fan's identity. Everyone in the pavilion began to look at Yang Fan one after another. The Lu family had all returned to Fanyang. How could these aristocratic families not know about this? Although the conflict between Lu Binzhi and Yang Fan was secretive, and some people wanted to cover it up, it slowly spread. Some of the core disciples of the aristocratic families already knew of this matter. Moreover, it wasn't because of a woman's jealousy, as the outside world had said. They understood the truth of the matter.
Because of the Lu family's withdrawal, the various aristocratic families received even more benefits. In their hearts, they didn't reject Yang Fan. Moreover, the Lu family had suffered a "small loss". They even had a kind of schadenfreude. However, this did not include the younger generation who didn't know the value of rice and daily necessities. They and Lu Binzhi were both sons of aristocratic families. Naturally, they had a feeling of being bound by a common enemy.
Yang Fan, a son of a commoner family, had unexpectedly caused the son of the Lu family of Fanyang to be disgraced. Even Old Grandfather Lu had fallen for his tricks and was forced to return to Fanyang. These sons of aristocratic families felt that the Lu family's loss of face was equivalent to them losing face. They looked at Yang Fan with a somewhat unkind gaze.
When Yang Fan had come, he had thought that the Li family would also treat the banquet with fish and meat, so he had come on an empty stomach. In the end, this was not the case at all. He was young and strong, and he also practiced martial arts. His appetite had always been large, and the bits and pieces of food he had eaten along the way were not enough to fill his stomach.
Now, he saw that among the food laid out on the long bench, there was one that had been arranged in the shape of a landscape garden villa. It looked quite pleasing, and the food on it was just right for his appetite. As for the sons of aristocratic families who were talking loudly, no one came to eat. Thus, he unceremoniously brought the food over and began to calmly eat. As he ate, he continued to think.
When the sons of aristocratic families saw Yang Fan's behavior, they looked at him with even more disdain. After whispering to each other, they stood and walked toward Yang Fan.
"Yang Langzhong, please!"
They greeted Yang Fan with smiles on their faces. Yang Fan's train of thought was once again interrupted, and he slightly furrowed his brow in displeasure. They acted as if they did not see him, and one after another introduced themselves. A youth with a face full of acne cupped his hands and said, "Taiyuan Wang Siyuan!"
Yang Fan tried hard to swallow the extremely delicious bacon, and raised his eyebrows to look at this person, thinking, "This person must be that Wang Siyuan's brother."
A square-headed, well-built young man cupped his hands and said, "Xingyang Zheng Yu!"
Another four handsome brothers, ranging from about thirty to fifteen or sixteen years old, cupped their hands together and said, "Boling Cui Shi, Cui Chi, Cui Ye, Cui Di!"
When they came, their aura was somewhat unfriendly. Although their smiles and demeanor were impeccable, they were still a group of young people after all, and they were not very shrewd. Although their hostility was well hidden, with Yang Fan's experience, he could still feel it immediately.
Since Yang Fan knew that these people did not have good intentions, he did not even stand up to greet them. He lazily put down the plate of "garden" that he had eaten earlier, and said indifferently, "How is it?"
The one who called himself Cui Shi said with a smile, "Today, you and I are attending Grand Duke Li's birthday banquet together, and it can be considered fate. I see that Brother Yang is sitting quietly drinking alone, unavoidably lonely. As the saying goes, having fun alone is not as good as having fun together. Why don't we use this Li Residence's garden as a topic, a scene, an object, or the scene of the birthday banquet, and recite a poem to answer, how about it? "
Yang Fan was stunned at first, and then he frowned and said with a faint smile, "Can you Heaven's Chosen be any more bored?"
…
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