When Wu Youji arrived at the gate, Yang Fan was somewhat surprised to see that it was the Prince's son-in-law. However, Wu Youji's expression remained the same, so Yang Fan did not bat an eyelid. Of the two guests and host, one was Taiping's husband in name and the other was Taiping's man in reality. They bowed respectfully and chatted merrily. After a brief exchange of etiquette, they entered side by side.
The shadows of the trees swayed and the chirping of cicadas sounded like rain.
In the long corridor, palace maids and maids shuttled back and forth, holding gold and silver utensils filled with all kinds of fruits, wine, and delicacies. When they saw the Prince's son-in-law accompanying a handsome guest of about twenty years of age with a calm bearing and as steady as a mountain, they all moved aside to make way for him.
Without speaking, Wu Youji led Yang Fan straight to the 'Moon Sweeping Pavilion' in the rear residence. When they got close to the pavilion, they saw a group of women inside and outside the pavilion, all of them dressed like noble women and noble ladies. Yang Fan was instantly startled. "Why are all these accompanying guests today women?"
In truth, this was truly an injustice to Taiping. This time, Taiping had come to thank Yang Fan on behalf of her brother, and it could also be considered a family banquet of the Li clan. Everyone who came was a member of the Li clan, and the reason why it had become like a crowd of fragrant countries with colorful clothes and beautiful hair and a group of women was because almost all the men of the Li clan had been killed by Wu Zetian.
Of those attending today's banquet, the Prince of Luling's residence was represented by Heir Li Zhongrun, as well as the seven princesses. As for the other three princes, it was said that the Prince of Luling had yet to recover from his illness, so they remained in the palace as filial sons.
On the side of the Prince of Xiang, Li Dan, who still bore the title of Crown Prince, was represented by the crown prince, Li Chengqi. The rest were either married or unmarried princesses.
The two houses of the former Emperor Li Zhi still had male descendants. Even if there were still men alive in the other Li royal family, they were suffering in Lingnan. As far as the eye could see, naturally there were only four generations of Tang dynasty princesses, led by Princess Qian Jin. The Li family was now in a serious situation where there were more women than men.
Apart from Li Zhi's branch's two surviving princes and Prince Consort Wu, there was at least one man present. This person looked mighty and majestic. Even though he was sitting there lazily, he had a masculine aura that surged with blood and qi. He was far from the gentle young masters like Li Chengqi and Li Zhongrun. This person's name was Li Qianli. He was the general who had quelled the rebellion of Gao Lishi's father, Feng Junheng, in Lingnan.
Li Qianli's original name was Li Ren. He was the eldest son of Li Ke, the son of Li Shimin. Li Ke had been framed and killed by Zhangsun Wuji in the struggle for the throne. At that time, Wu Zetian did not have this ability. By the time Wu Zetian came to power, Li Ke's four sons had already been banished to Lingnan.
Li Ren was as cunning as his father, Li Ke. He was used to playing the fool and pretending to be a fool in front of others. Other than occasionally finding auspicious signs to give to Wu Zetian, he did not care about anything else. He was the provincial governor of Lingnan. All government affairs were entrusted to the chief scribes sent by Wu Zetian. He spent all his time sightseeing and did not pay attention to government affairs.
Many of the imperial censors in the court criticized him for his neglect of government affairs, but he continued to ignore them. In this way, he actually managed to preserve his life. If Wu Zetian wanted to ascend to the throne, she had to first get rid of the obstacles. She had massacred Li Tang's members of the royal family, but she did not touch Li Ren. Not only did she not touch him, but she also specially sent someone to comfort him and gave him these words: "You, my family's horse of a thousand miles!"
Li Ren, who had always played the fool, suddenly became clever and immediately changed his name: Li Qianli.
Li Qianli had been wandering in the south. Now that Wu Zetian had decided to pass the throne to her son, she no longer suppressed Li Tang's members of the royal family. The political environment had eased up, so he was transferred back to the capital. As Li Ke's eldest son, he had not yet regained his father's former title. At the moment, he was a general in the Jin Wu Guards and lived with the pig-riding general Wu Yizong.
Today was a family banquet. Regardless of official rank, Li Qianli was Li Ke's son, and Li Ke and Li Zhi were brothers. Li Chengqi and Li Zhongrun were both Li Zhi's grandsons. Li Qianli was the Imperial Uncle and had the highest seniority among the male guests, so he sat at the head.
Sitting at the head, Li Qianli could not hide his tall and strong physique, but he also did not show his calm, dignified, wise, and experienced side. Even in front of Li Tang's members of the royal family, he still looked wooden and taciturn. It was unknown whether it was because he was worried about his own family or because he had been playing the fool for too long and was used to it.
Seeing Yang Fan walk in, his movements calm and steady, Li Qianli's eyes couldn't help but narrow slightly. Then, his expression returned to normal. He first picked up a bowl of wine and drank it all in one gulp.
When he was in Lingnan, he had led troops to suppress the Feng family's rebellion. Although this rebellion was not forced by him, and the punishment after the rebellion was not decided by him, he was, after all, standing on the opposite side of the Feng family. And at that time, Yang Fan was the Imperial Envoy of the Six Paths of the Southern Frontier. The strategy he adopted was to appease the Feng family. He and Yang Fan, one suppressing and the other appeasing, their actions could be considered as poles apart.
He also heard that Provincial Governor Feng had a son who entered the palace under Yang Fan's care. Since the establishment of the Tang dynasty, there had not been a single eunuch who could act like a tyrant and rule the court. The eunuchs at the end of the Han dynasty could not be compared to them. He did not feel that a small eunuch entering the palace could pose any threat to him. But Yang Fan's actions, after all, seemed to be going against him, so when he saw Yang Fan, he felt a little uneasy.
The Emperor's son-in-law Wu Youji welcomed Yang Fan in. Princess Taiping also went up to welcome him. As the hosts of today's banquet, the husband and wife introduced Yang Fan to the guests.
"This is the General of the Jin Wu Guards, General Li, our Imperial Uncle. This is the Golden Princess, this Consort's … eldest sister … "
When Princess Taiping introduced the Precious Princess, she blushed and felt a little embarrassed.
The Precious Princess was Li Yuan's youngest daughter and Li Shimin's younger sister. Wu Zetian was Li Shimin's daughter-in-law and should have called her aunt, and Princess Taiping should have called her grandaunt. But this old woman had chosen to recognize Wu Zetian as her adoptive mother, and as a result, she had become Duke Taiping's elder sister.
Princess Taiping looked embarrassed, but the Precious Princess's expression was normal. She smiled and nodded at Yang Fan. Not only did she not mind Princess Taiping's introduction of his identity, she also acted as if she had never invited Yang Fan into her bedroom. As an old woman, she wanted to seduce this young man to become her guest.
"What a talent!" Yang Fan looked at the noble princess, who had a calm expression, and secretly admired her from the bottom of his heart.
For a moment, other than the Prince of Luling's Crown Prince, the Imperial Grandson, and the General of the Jin Wu Guards, the hall was filled with female guests. They were either princesses or princesses, each with their own titles. Yang Fan was so confused that he could not remember so many of them. When the introduction came to Princess Anle, she also raised her skirt and bowed, looking very well-behaved and refined. It was only when she pursed her lips and smiled at Yang Fan that her lively eyes revealed a feeling that only Yang Fan could taste.
The 'Moon Sweeping Pavilion' had just been renovated before the new year. The painted beams and carved rafters were gorgeous, the curtains fluttered, and the cool breeze blew gently. Several tables and chairs were painted bright and clean. Singing and dancing musicians were arranged in a circle on a balcony with a circumference of several dozen zhang. Screens were added on both sides of the balcony. Musicians and zither players were hidden behind the screens, and the sound of stringed and bamboo instruments drifted out.
As soon as Yang Fan arrived, the banquet officially began. Because the male host was a member of the Wu Clan, Princess Taiping could not openly introduce the original intention of inviting Yang Fan. In any case, everyone present was well aware of it. For example, Li Chengqi, Li Zhongrun, and the others all stepped forward to personally toast to Yang Fan before expressing their thanks implicitly.
As soon as the banquet started, twelve dancers with long sleeves came out from the balcony, singing and dancing. These dancers were elegant and charming, and their bodies were enchanting. Most of the people sitting at the banquet were women of various colors. This time, the hall was truly filled with beauties, reflecting each other brilliantly.
Unfortunately, the women sitting in the hall were all of noble status and could not stare at them. Besides Yang Fan, there were only four men at the banquet. There was no need to mention Prince Consort Wu. No matter how magnanimous he was and how he had long since accepted the relationship between Yang Fan and Taiping, he still could not talk to him as if nothing had happened.
Li Qianli adhered to the principle of playing self-preservation and had always played the role of a foolish martial man. In addition, he had a bit of a grudge against Yang Fan, so he would not chat with Yang Fan much. He still understood the principle of saying too much was bound to make mistakes.
The one Yang Fan saved was the Prince of Luling. Due to the difference in their relationship, the crown prince, Li Chengqi, had no reason to overstep his cousin, Li Zhongrun, and strike up a conversation with Yang Fan. Moreover, Li Zhongrun had seen Yang Fan and Wu Sansi talking intimately at Wu Sansi's residence, so he was already wary of Yang Fan. As a result, he had no interest in talking too much.
On such an occasion, it was also not convenient for Princess Taiping to be too close to him. Wu Youji was her nominal husband, and in this public setting, these nominal matters still needed to be taken care of. As a result, Yang Fan could only stare at the dancers and enjoy the show with pleasure.
As soon as Yang Fan paid attention to these dancers, he immediately found that one of them looked somewhat familiar. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Gao Lishi's older sister, Feng Miner. Yang Fan was secretly surprised. "Could it be that this group of dancers is not the Princess's residence, but is invited from the Musical House?"
Sure enough, after the group dance, the women retreated, as if they were stars surrounding the moon. A woman walked out from the crowd, elegant and charming. Her sandalwood mouth was like a blossoming cherry. Unexpectedly, it was the High Priest of the internal court, Great Master Rumei. To be able to invite this Great Master, this banquet immediately appeared to be somewhat grand.
The princesses and princesses who had been chatting and laughing in the pavilion and did not pay much attention to the song and dance stopped talking at this time and turned to listen attentively to Rumei's singing. This was the benefit of reaching the level of Great Master. Even those who did not understand or did not like to listen had to pretend to be intoxicated. This was the so-called attaching themselves to the elegance.
Seeing this scene, Yang Fan suddenly understood the meaning of today's banquet. He understood why Princess Taiping insisted on holding this banquet of thanks. She was testing, testing the Emperor's intentions. And Wu Zetian's agreement to hold this Li clan banquet was undoubtedly a political goal. Today's main character was not him, but the Prince of Luling's heir and the Imperial Grandson.
Ever since Wu Zetian seized power and began to vigorously suppress Li Tang's imperial clan, the Prince of Xiang's family had been placed under house arrest in the Eastern Palace, the Prince of Luling's family had been imprisoned in Fangzhou, and the Li Tang imperial clan had been massacred, there had never been another opportunity for such a gathering. Today was the first time, and its significance was extraordinary. This was a signal of enormous political significance. If everything went as expected, the news that the Crown Prince and the Prince of Luling had both sent heirs to attend this banquet would quickly spread throughout the capital. This was a declaration to the world: the Li clan had once more stepped onto the political stage. How could such a celebration not be grand?
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