After entering the city from the North Gate, they would enter the Imperial Palace from the Black Tortoise Gate. Wu Chongxun naturally had no excuse to continue protecting the flower. He had previously said that he wanted to reminisce with Yang Fan, so he could only watch Li Guo 'er's guard of honor drive towards the majestic and solemn palace in the distance.
Yang Fan stood beside the horse and also watched the carriage go far away. Under the tall city wall, the wind blew slowly from a distance and just happened to rub the mist-like gauze curtain. In the carriage, there was a beautiful and graceful figure. It was difficult to see clearly, just like the ever-changing thoughts of the person in the carriage.
No one was born the same. Some things of nature gradually formed as they grew up and eventually became the most essential thing that distinguished them from others. If Yang Fan had not experienced a great disaster when he was young, wandered from place to place, and had a fortuitous encounter, would he be today's Yang Fan?
Perhaps he was still living in Shaozhou, going to the market every half a month and going to the city every three months. Most of the time, he lived in that small valley with his wife and children, who were as simple and inarticulate as him. His sky was only so big, his land was only so wide, and in his heart, there was only such a small home.
Xiao Man was used to a hard life since she was young. A beggar had finally changed her fate, but some things that had been deeply engraved in her bones would not change. Until now, she still liked to make money. She would use the money she earned to make more money, or exchange it for land and real money, hiding it in the place that she thought was the safest.
Originally, A Nu had a happy family, but after a great drought, everything changed. She was pushed into a dry well by her biological father. For her father, that was the most helpless action. Perhaps he was already numb from hunger at that time, but if he was still alive, that scene of the past would definitely be a nightmare that he would never be able to forget for the rest of his life.
For A Nu, who was still very young at that time, she could not understand these things. When that skinny girl who was only six years old crawled out of the dry well step by step with her face covered in blood, the wound could no longer be healed. From then on, she sealed her heart, until that winter desert, when Yang Fan used his own blood and life to open the lock on her heart.
Wan'er had been confined to the palace since she was a child. Her greatest joy was when she accompanied the emperor to the Dragon Gate. She dismissed her attendants and ran alone in the uninhabited forest to release the emotions she had been suppressing for a long time. Her country was burdened with peace. Most of the time, she was like a politician. She had no time to think about how to be a wife, a mother, or a woman …
Every adult had traces left on their bodies by fate since their childhood, as if they had been chopped out by an axe and a chisel. The current Li Guo'er couldn't have become like this overnight. She … what exactly did she experience? What had she become?
The wind from afar swept over, brushing past the curtains of the carriage. The curtains then turned into a ball of misty surging fog, brushing past Wu Chongxun's eyes. His eyes still lingered on that jade-like dimple, brushing past the tip of Yang Fan's hair. His thoughts were in a mess, full of confusion.
Oh, it's a pink skeleton?
…
There were clearly more people attending Wu Sansi's family banquet this time. Wu Chengsi's health was deteriorating by the day, and everyone in the Wu clan was well aware of this. Even those who were still watching from the sidelines and hadn't decided to rely on Wu Sansi didn't want to give him any face at a family banquet where they couldn't clearly choose a side.
As usual, there would be some people who weren't treated as outsiders at the banquet. The greater the clan, the more so, unless you wanted to show that you didn't have many friends and connections. However, there weren't many people who were fortunate enough to be invited by Wu Sansi today. Apart from the 'Sansi Five Hounds', there were only four people in total: Zhang Yizhi, Zhang Changzong, Li Zhongrun, and Yang Fan.
Song Zhixun and Li Jun, who were jokingly referred to as King Liang's Five Great Hounds, had to come. Otherwise, how could they be considered trusted aides? Moreover, it was unavoidable for them to recite poems to match the scenery. These people were all scholars, and they could help the host flatter himself.
Li Zhongrun was the Prince of Luling's eldest son, and he had been invited to witness the friendship between Yang Fan and Wu Sansi. The Zhang brothers were both a cover and a way to keep an eye on Li Zhongrun. Li Guo 'er was a young girl, so she wouldn't attract much attention if she left the palace to enjoy the sights and socialize. The Prince of Luling's heir could represent his father to a large extent, so it would be difficult for him to casually leave the palace to interact with others.
Since the two Zhang brothers had arrived, the 'empress' and 'imperial consort' were naturally seated at the head of the table. The host of the banquet, Wu Sansi, was also seated below them. The Prince of Luling's heir, Li Zhongrun, and the Prince of Liang's heir, Wu Chongxun, who had rushed back in time, were seated across from Wu Sansi. Surprisingly, the one seated below Wu Sansi was Yang Fan.
From the looks of it, the father and son were supposed to receive the two honored guests separately. However, the Prince of Luling's heir had come in place of his' sick 'father, so he should have sat together with Wu Sansi. However, Wu Sansi had arranged for Yang Fan to sit beside him, leaving his son to accompany the Prince of Luling. This was very thought-provoking. It must be understood that in the officialdom, seating arrangement was also a form of knowledge.
Other than flattering Er Zhang, Wu Sansi only chatted cheerfully with Yang Fan. Because Wu Yizong, Wu Youyi, and other members of the Wu clan were also flattering Er Zhang, Wu Sansi spent most of his time chatting and laughing with Yang Fan. Because the banquet was too noisy, the two would often whisper in each other's ears, and all of this was seen by Li Zhongrun.
This Prince of Luling's heir was nineteen years old, and he was Li Xian's second son. The eldest concubine son, Li Zhongfu, was two years older than him. Because the Prince of Luling's four sons and seven daughters (actually, there were eight daughters, but one of them died at a young age) were born to different imperial concubines, their ages weren't all that different, and there were quite a few siblings born in the same year.
The nineteen-year-old Li Zhongrun had been banished from Luoyang when he was only three years old, and had been trapped deep in the mountains. His mind was pure, and he didn't understand the ways of the world. He didn't notice Yang Fan's smile and response at all, and was just acting reluctantly. The so-called intimate scene between him and King Liang was completely a result of Wu Sansi's enthusiasm.
The two Zhang brothers were good at singing and dancing, so how could everyone at the banquet not please them? After about thirty minutes of drinking, Zhang Yizhi walked up to the banquet and began to sing a song. Amidst the enthusiastic cheers, Wu Chongxun received his father's signal and stepped forward to invite Zhang Changzong to join the singing. The Wu clansmen, Sansi, the five dogs, and even the two Zhang brothers all began to sing and dance.
Li Zhongrun wasn't good at singing and dancing, so he was forcefully dragged out by Wu Chongxun. He clumsily began to dance along with everyone else. As he turned around, he suddenly noticed that Wu Sansi and Yang Fan's seats were empty. His eyes darted around, and he happened to see Wu Sansi and Yang Fan walking side by side, talking as they walked. They were slowly strolling toward the winding corridor in the distance.
Yang Fan was half a step behind Wu Sansi, following half a step behind. Wu Sansi said, "Erlang was ordered by the emperor to establish the 'Thousand Horsemen', and everything is still in the process of being organized. This prince heard that the Ministry of Revenue has been making things difficult for you regarding the army's provisions."
Yang Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he replied with a smile, "I didn't expect this matter to even alarm Your Highness. There were indeed some Ministry of Revenue officials who put on airs and deliberately made things difficult, but this matter has been resolved. "
Wu Sansi chuckled and said, "Hmm, Erlang used the soldiers' unreasonableness to deal with the Ministry of Revenue officials' sophistry. It was a brilliant move. You can be unreasonable, but they can't. They dared to make things difficult for the Emperor's personal army. Minister An must have lost his head a little, thinking that Erlang, you are easy to bully."
As they talked and walked, they saw a pavilion in front of them. The window was open, and there was a round table in the middle of the hall. Someone was already sitting there. Seeing the two of them coming, that person stood up. It was the Prince of Hanoi, Wu Yizong. No one knew when he had quietly left the family banquet and came here alone.
Wu Sansi pointed to Wu Yizong with a smile and said, "This is the Prince of Hanoi, my cousin Yizong. Erlang must have met him before."
Yang Fan smiled and cupped his fists to Wu Yizong, saying, "Yang Fan pays his respects to the Prince of Hanoi." But in his heart he was secretly puzzled. Why did Wu Sansi put on such a show? Could it be that he wants to mediate between us? The corners of Wu Yizong's mouth twitched and he forced a smile.
Wu Sansi secretly glared at Wu Yizong, then said to Yang Fan, "I want Erlang to know that when the Ministry of Revenue made things difficult for you for no reason, it was actually my brother who caused trouble."
Yang Fan already knew, but hearing this, he put on a surprised expression and cried out involuntarily, "Is that so? How did this Yang offend Your Highness to cause Your Highness to be unhappy? This Yang is frightened and really does not know. I hope Your Highness can enlighten me! "
Wu Sansi said, "Isn't it because you protected the Prince of Luling back to the capital? Yizong thought that you wanted to make an enemy of my Wu clan, so he deliberately made things difficult for you. It is also this Prince's fault for not telling him your difficulties. After learning of this matter, I have already taught him a lesson. Today, I specially invited the two of you together so that Yizong can apologize to you in person. "
As Wu Sansi spoke, Wu Yizong made a gesture of bowing, but his back was very stiff. It seemed that he would not be able to bend down without the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn. Yang Fan rushed forward to support him, saying repeatedly, "You can't, you can't. This is really too much for this lowly official. In fact, to be able to resolve this misunderstanding and not make an enemy of the Prince of Hanoi, this lowly official is already very lucky! "
Wu Sansi said with a smile, "If Erlang no longer blame this Prince's impetuous brother, then please take a seat. Let us drink a cup of wine together and forget the grudge with a smile."
As Wu Sansi said this, he first sat down behind the table. Glancing at Yang Fan, he casually said, "Don't take what happened back then to heart. Now that my son has taken a liking to Princess Anle, this Prince will soon propose to the Prince of Luling. At that time, the two families will become one, and the grudge of the past will naturally disappear like smoke!"
The front hall was very lively. Wu Sansi, Wu Yizong, and Yang Fan had left, but no one seemed to notice them. After the dance, everyone returned to their seats and continued drinking. Li Zhongrun took this opportunity to ask Wu Chongxun, "I see that General Yang seems to be very familiar with the Old Prince?"
After returning to the residence, Wu Chongxun had already received his father's instructions and knew the purpose of this family banquet. Hearing this, he replied, "Yes, my father has always favored General Yang. It can be said that General Yang was able to embark on an official career because of my father's strong recommendation. In the past, when General Yang was framed by Lai Junchen and imprisoned, it was also my father who appeared to save his life.
When General Yang got married, my father, as a Prince, condescended to attend the wedding and gave the couple a generous gift. Hehe, my father has always treated General Yang like a nephew, and General Yang is also deeply indebted to my father! "
Hearing this, Li Zhongrun could not help but be secretly alarmed. After learning that Yang Fan had established the 'Thousand Cavalry', the Prince of Luling, Consort Wei, and Li Zhongrun had privately discussed to make friends with Yang Fan and secretly rope him in. At this time, hearing that Wu Chongxun had been coaxed out of him, Li Zhongrun's heart immediately turned cold, "This matter cannot be done!"
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