The old man in hemp clothes left the courtyard with the brass Buddhist lamp. Lu Gui stayed up late at night to read an old edition of the geography book he had asked for from the Xihe Province government. Stealing the emperor's mausoleum was a big deal. If he wanted to get into the details, he had to at least have a clear view of the overall situation. It was already late at night, but there were still guests. Hsu Fengnian restrained his Qi and did not move. When the young master and servant knocked on the door, he easily recognized them. They were Zhong Gui's elder brother, Zhong Tan. This eldest son of the Zhong family was followed by a personal maid who could not even be called average. She had a plump figure, but her appearance was not pleasing to the eye. With the Zhong family's wealth, it was unpredictable to find such a woman as a maid. Hsu Fengnian paid attention to her and took a few more glances at her. He remembered many details that ordinary people would not pay attention to, such as the small sachet on her waist that was used to remove impurities and the embroidered pattern of a woman dressed as a pipa. It left a deep impression on Hsu Fengnian. The maid seemed to be hesitating whether to follow her master into the house, so she paused for a moment. Zhong Tan, who was carrying two pots, seemed to be careless, but in fact, he was very careful. He shouted, "Lu Sibu, sorry to disturb you. I know you are a glutton. Come, try the drunken crab that I begged from next door. The wine is the local Yellow River honey wine brewed by the local method. The yellow crab's flavor is different from that of the Central Plains. By August or September, it will be too old to eat. Now is the best time to drink the wine.
While speaking, he pulled the maid and entered the quiet house hand in hand with her, regardless of whether the head of the Lu Family, Lu Sibu, agreed or not. With a pot of wine and a jar of drunken crab, Zhong Tan entered the house and hurriedly opened the lid of the pot, as if he was presenting a treasure. Even Hsu Fengnian could smell the tantalizing aroma that assailed his nostrils. He sighed that this Zhong Family's di son really knew how to enjoy life. Lu Gui stood up with a smile and crossed the threshold to welcome him. The Lu Family and the Zhong Family had been friends for generations. Although he was an elder, in the Southern Dynasties, the Lu Family had always been seen as a branch attached to the Zhong Family's great tree. Lu Gui was the Great General Zhong Shentong's echo and was ridiculed as a scholar serving the imperial court. At this moment, Lu Gui's eagerness and eagerness showed just how much confidence Lu Gui had. However, Zhong Tan had always been smooth and slick. Since Lu Gui gave him face, he didn't blindly put on the airs of the Gao Hua Family's di son. He entered the study, took the bowls and sauces from the maid, and began to do the work of a servant. Lu Gui casually pushed the books on the table away and jokingly said, "Old glutton, old glutton. Virtuous nephew is making fun of uncle for being old."
Zhong Tan slapped his forehead and said, "The term 'old glutton' is really asking for a beating. Uncle Lu Sibu is the number one eater in the Southern Dynasty. He once wrote the 'Su Pian'. Even Her Majesty laughed and said that Lu Sibu was worthy of the title of 'Clear Glutton' in our dynasty. Compared to the title of 'old glutton', 'Clear Glutton' is much more elegant."
Lu Gui had a gratified smile on his face regarding the empress's bestowal of 'Clear Glutton'. It would be impolite to refuse, but he wasn't modest and wasn't in a hurry to eat. He lowered his head and bent over to smell the aroma of the drunken crab on the plate. He was intoxicated by it. Then, he raised his head to look at the woman's waist and clicked his tongue in wonder, "Miss Daigu's scented sachet is the new Clear Agarwood, which has become an excellent seasoning. The aroma of wine, the aroma of crab, and the fragrance of agarwood.
The woman's face didn't show any flattery or shyness. She said calmly, "You flatter me. It's Liu Daogu who has made a fool of herself."
This woman was Zhong Tan's weak spot. Praising her was much more effective than praising him. However, when people flattered him, they either praised Maid Liu's countenance as a flower, or said that she was like a hibiscus. They didn't hit the nail on the head and would only annoy Zhong Tan. Her realm was far inferior to Lu Gui's. Without needing Zhong Tan to open his mouth, Lu Gui invited the woman to taste the exotic drunken crab together. Just as Zhong Tan had said, the taste of the summer crabs salvaged from the Yellow River wasn't inferior to the lake crabs from the Central Plains. With one hand holding a wine cup and the other holding a crab leg, Lu Gui ate slowly and with relish. When Liu Daogu poured the wine, some of it spilled on the table. She used her slender hand to slowly wipe it away. Zhong Tan didn't mind this kind of harmless detail. He looked at Lu Gui and said with a smile, "Uncle Lu, this little nephew took the liberty of visiting you this time to pass on a message to Helian Weiwu. The reason this Ji Ling is willing to hand over this jar of drunken crab is because he admires Uncle's wild handwriting. That's why he brought you the wine, wanting Uncle to borrow the strength of the wine to write some calligraphy. The Ji Ling said it's okay to write whatever you want, but he still wants to guess what you've written."
Lu Gui pointed at Zhong Tan and teased, "You, ah, you're just a common person. How can you compare to the rice girl who's pure and clean to the bone?"
Zhong Tan laughed out loud and said, "I don't deny it, I don't deny it."
After eating the crab and drinking the wine, Lu Gui also wrote a piece of calligraphy. It was incomparably sloppy. Nearly twenty words were written smoothly in one go, showing off his ability. Zhong Tan was a rascal and couldn't recognize a single word. However, after asking about the content, he found out that it was "One or two merits that benefit the people, far surpassing the eight or nine moral essays, close to a saint." This sentence obviously had the suspicion of flattery. However, Lu Sibu's calligraphy skills and noble status were all there. If this piece of calligraphy was given out, as he said to San Xiang Yi earlier, Lu Gui, Zhong Tan, and Helian Weiwu would all be happy. Moreover, Lu Gui was originally a scholar who wrote moral essays. He belittled himself to elevate the Ji Ling of Xihe Province who was a martial artist. He didn't hesitate to use the four words "close to a saint" to comment on it. It could be said that he had read a brilliant knowledge.
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