As the saying goes, enemies are bound to meet on a narrow road. Now that they had bumped into each other, the atmosphere was a little awkward.
Fortunately, the corner where Li Yi and Ruyi were at was remote and secluded enough. Cui Yanxin's attention seemed to be on the King of Shu and did not see him.
She shifted her gaze away from Cui Yanxin's body. Suddenly, she felt as if someone's gaze had landed on her.
Li Yi looked up and saw a familiar face diagonally in front of him.
If he remembered correctly, that scholarly young man's name was Chen Licheng, a member of Duke Chen's Estate. Just a few days ago, under the plum tree in the Cold Mountain Temple, Chen Licheng had argued with him. In the end, Li Xuan's bodyguards had broken the legs of the servants in his clan. Speaking of which, the conflict between the two of them was not small.
It was a mistake to attend the King of Shu's banquet tonight. He only had a few enemies in the capital, but he had met almost all of them …
The King of Shu stood in front of the crowd with a cup of wine in his hand and said, "Thank you for giving I face and attending the banquet in my mansion. I will drink the first cup of wine as a sign of respect."
Of course, this sentence was out of politeness. Among all the young talents in the capital, except for Li Xuan, who dared not to give face to the King of Shu?
No one would be willing to offend the future Emperor. Due to their status, their clans might not have official dealings with the King of Shu, but the relationship between the younger generation had always been more ambiguous. On this point, regardless of whether one was a staunch supporter of the King of Shu, the decisions made were generally the same.
There was nothing wrong with befriending the King of Shu. They had to leave a way out for their families.
After the King of Shu drank a cup of wine, the atmosphere in the banquet became lively.
Eating, drinking, and having fun were the main theme of the banquet. Some people took this opportunity to connect with old friends, while others talked in low voices with the King of Shu. They were full of smiles and their eyes were full of lust. The King of Shu listened and nodded his head repeatedly — it was unknown what kind of shady deals they had secretly made.
The dancers had already retreated, leaving behind a group of men who were whispering to each other. Those who were in the know would have thought that this was the banquet of the King of Shu, while those who didn't would have thought that they had come to a large scale gay dating party …
Li Yi, on the other hand, was different. Although Miss.Liu was not very willing to talk, it was impossible for them to be intimate. However, she was still beautiful. Glancing at her would inexplicably improve his mood, wouldn't it?
Li Yi was in a good mood, but some people were in a bad mood. Cui Yanxin was one of them.
As a new Jinshi and a descendant of the Cui family, although he was only a member of a branch family, under the influence of the Cui family, he could seek a better job and work hard for a few years. Although he might not have a bright future, it would be much better than his current situation of waiting at home.
Wasn't it because in Ning Wang Fu, he had belittled a lowly performer? A new jinshi, how did he end up like this?
Of course, Cui Yanxin knew why he ended up like this. He didn't dare to hate Ning Wang, the Ministry of Personnel, and of course, he didn't dare to hate the current Emperor.
He only hated the detestable Anxi County Magistrate, who had stood up for the lowly performer, causing him to lose face that night. Even now, the hat of "expressing sorrow because of a new poem" was firmly pinned on his head, becoming a lifetime of shame.
If he didn't take revenge, he wouldn't be a gentleman, but not now. Cui Yanxin clenched his teeth. What he had to do now was to closely follow the King of Shu and do his best to gain the Prince's attention.
When the Prince ascended to the throne in the future, he would definitely not mistreat him. It was never too late for a gentleman to take revenge ten years later. Moreover, everyone knew that the Emperor's physical condition would definitely not last another ten years. At that time, he would definitely pay back the humiliation he had suffered a hundredfold.
"Greetings, Young Master Cui!"
Cui Yanxin raised his wine cup and repeatedly toasted the people around him. They were more or less related to the Cui family and were also close to the King of Shu. Naturally, his status had also risen. From a certain perspective, the incident at Ning Wang Fu was not completely without benefits for him.
Tonight, the people at the King of Shu Wang Fu were the true upper-class people in the capital. If he could befriend one more person, he would have one more way out in the future. Cui Yanxin's gaze swept across the hall. Suddenly, his body stiffened and a look of disbelief appeared on his face.
"It's him, how could it be … impossible, how could he be here!"
Cui Yanxin shook his head fiercely and chased that unrealistic thought out of his mind.
That detestable fellow was the Anxi County Magistrate. He should be in Qing 'an Prefecture now. How could he appear in the capital and at the King of Shu's banquet? His hatred for him must be too strong, causing him to hallucinate.
Cui Yanxin gulped down a mouthful of wine and swept his gaze across the crowd again. That detestable face once again appeared in his line of sight.
"Pfft!"
He spat out all the wine that he had not swallowed in time.
One of the people who passed by Cui Yanxin was lucky enough to enjoy a wine bath. He wiped his face, but before he could show his anger, he saw that the person opposite him was even angrier than him. The person strode towards the corner with large strides.
"What are you looking at?" No matter how calm she was, she could not stand being stared at for so long. Ruyi turned back and glared fiercely at Li Yi.
"Stingy. It's not like I'll lose a piece of flesh if I stare a few more times." Li Yi pursed his lips. Miss.Liu was usually cold and gave off a mature and aloof feeling. However, she was only 17 years old. Her face was so tender and full of collagen. When he looked closely at her, he could see the tenderness under her cold exterior.
He was a little curious. Logically speaking, two people who grew up in the same environment should not have such a big difference in their personalities. Ruyi was gentle and Wanru was gentle, while Miss.Liu was like a tigress. How did they develop such a tigress?
Out of curiosity, he had wanted to interview her. However, after careful consideration, he gave up on the idea.
If she knew that he had compared her to a tigress, Li Yi could not guarantee that he would be able to return home in one piece.
"Why are you here!"
At this moment, a voice full of suppressed anger came from the front. Li Yi turned his head and saw Cui Yanxin, who was gnashing his teeth.
It was his own embarrassment. Li Yi looked up at him and asked, "Why can't I be here?"
He felt depressed in his heart. The reason why he had a conflict with Cui Yanxin was because Cui Yanxin had bullied his friend in front of him. Cui Yanxin had copied the poem and slapped his face because he had forced him to. Why was he still biting him?
People often said that meeting an old friend in a foreign land should be one of the four happy events in life. Even if he did not put this matter on the same level as the wedding night, he should not be so unfriendly as soon as they met, right?
Although Cui Yanxin was only a small official in the King of Shu's Residence, who was the King of Shu? No one dared to look down on the people around him. Who knew that he would become a high-ranking official in the court in two years. Therefore, his every move attracted the attention of many people present.
The young scholar sitting beside Li Yi was slightly startled when he saw this. Then, joy appeared on his face. He knew that his opportunity had come.
He stood up from his seat and pointed at Li Yi. "Yes, someone like him who does not respect the King of Shu has no right to sit here."
Cui Yanxin looked at him. The young man immediately said, adding oil to the fire, "Sir, you may not know, but just now …"
Li Yi rubbed the space between his eyebrows. The King of Shu really did not reject talented people. Take the person beside him for example. If he was a storyteller in a brothel, he would definitely have a much better future than studying.
He quietly watched the young man's spittle fly. Cui Yanxin's face was gloomy. Occasionally, he would look at him with eyes that seemed to be spewing fire. Several people around them had already noticed the strange situation and looked over with puzzled eyes …
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