Chapter 52
52 A family should be United (1)
The yingmei Pavilion hosted guests on the first floor. The door facing the courtyard was open, and a thin silk curtain was hanging down to block the cold wind.
More than a dozen guests were sitting in The Wine House, drinking, chatting, and admiring the plum blossoms.
The four corners of The Wine House were burning with burning charcoal basins to dispel the cold of winter.
A maidservant led Xu Qi ‘an in. Everyone turned their heads and looked at the tall young man who was wearing a moon-white scholar’s robe.
Xu Qi ‘an recalled the rules of the teahouse that Constable Wang had told him about. He tried to put on a gentle smile and bowed to the crowd.
I am Yang Ling, a scholar from Changle County. Greetings, brothers.
Among the people present, there were tyrants in brocade clothes;There were also students from the Imperial College whose status was neither high nor low.
Some of them looked away indifferently, some of them sized him up, and some of them smiled back.
It seemed that during the investigation in the capital, the officials of Da Feng had been a lot more well-behaved … If it was in the past, with miss fuxiang’s status, this place would definitely be reserved … Xu Qi ‘an sat down calmly, his eyes glued to the courtesan who was playing the role of “Xi Jiu.”
Her face was full of spring, her eyes were beautiful, her body was colorful, and her spirit was natural.
‘This woman is so nice …’ Even Xu Qi ‘an, who had seen countless girls, was stunned.
From her facial features alone, this courtesan was on the same level as his aunt, Xu lingyue, and Yan Caiwei. They all had their own unique looks.
She was the kind of beauty who could definitely make men gasp in surprise and look at her from the side.
However, in terms of temperament, this courtesan had the elegance and grace of a lady from a big family.In terms of clothing, she had a chiffon dress that no woman in this era dared to wear.
Her shoulders were half-exposed, her neck was long, and she was wrapped in a layer of pink tulle, her cleavage faintly visible.
There was a reason why she could be the courtesan.
Miss Fu Xiang took on Xi Jiu’s identity, also known as the commanding officer. The commanding officer was in charge of hosting the drinking order, which was the responsibility of maintaining the atmosphere at the banquet. This job was usually done by famous courtesans or courtesans. Ordinary women could not do it because it required a high level of literary cultivation.
This time, they were taking turns to speak a couplet, which was a pair. On Xu Qi ‘an’s left was a middle-aged man in a light blue robe with a ring.
It happened to be his turn. The middle-aged man raised his cup and pondered for a long time before saying,”One point, two points, three points for the cold wine.”
The courtesan’s wife raised the small flag beside her hand and gave a round of comments (flattery) on the first half of the couplet.
The smile on the middle-aged man’s face widened, and he was quite pleased.
This was the reason why Xi Jiu wanted to hire a famous courtesan with a deep literary Foundation. Without a certain standard, an ordinary courtesan would not be able to flatter him even if he wanted to.
After the comment, the beautiful courtesan’s eyes fell on Xu Qi ‘an.
Everyone at the banquet also looked over.
I’m not very good at matching couplets … It was difficult to match it neatly … Xu Qi ‘an’s expression did not change, but he was secretly anxious.
He looked at the plum tree in the courtyard and had a flash of inspiration. He deliberately drank a cup of wine, put on a carefree and heroic look, and said loudly, ”
“Lilac flowers in the hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands.”
“Excellent!” Everyone’s eyes lit up. They looked at Xu Qi ‘an with smiles on their faces.
It was acknowledging that he had the qualifications to compete for the top courtesan, treating him as a player of the same level.
The floating fragrance courtesan smiled and commented (adulation) on Xu Qi ‘an’s second half as usual.
The smile on his face was too professional … He immediately stopped looking at me after giving his evaluation … His sitting posture was a little stiff, and he only drank when he was urged to drink … Xu Qi ‘an observed the courtesan’s body language without a sound.
Combined with his knowledge of behavioral psychology, he came to a conclusion:This courtesan’s wife doesn’t think much of our standards.
She had been patiently accompanying him.
At this moment, the maidservant brought someone in. He was a handsome young man with fair skin, cool eyes, thin red lips, and delicate facial features. He looked like a man and a woman.
Everyone in the room looked at him. Even the floating Fragrance Flower head revealed a look of surprise. Even she had not seen such a handsome young man often.
After the scholarly youth entered the room, he casually swept his gaze and was stunned, frozen on the spot.
The corners of Xu Qi ‘an’s eyes twitched, and he finally said, “”What a coincidence,”
The handsome young man’s mouth twitched, and he also said, “”What a coincidence …”
“You two know each other?” The middle-aged man in a light blue robe beside Xu Qi ‘an asked in surprise.
Not only do I know him, he’s my little brother … Xu Qi ‘an suppressed his overwhelming sense of shame and embarrassment and smiled calmly. we’ve met a few times before. I’m sure brother Xu still remembers me. We’ve met in Changle County.
He deliberately gave his surname to remind Xu niannian to use a fake name.
This was the most basic anti-reconnaissance awareness.
Xu niannian lacked such awareness, but he was smart and immediately understood his cousin’s meaning. He cupped his fists at everyone and said, ” I’m xu Pingan, a student from Changle County.
After he finished speaking, he sat down under the instructions of the maidservant.
Did you mix my name with second uncle’s name … Xu Qi ‘an drank to cover up the anger in his heart.
The drinking order continued, and after a moment, the servant led two more people in. The one on the left was a handsome young man wearing a sky-blue thick robe with a jade pendant hanging from his waist and an oily green jade hairpin tying his hair.
The person on the right was tall and sturdy, with a square face and good-looking facial features. He was dressed like a rich man, and his body exuded a fierce aura that was different from that of merchants and students.
This tall middle-aged man stepped into the tea room and casually glanced around. He was suddenly stunned and then petrified.
Xu Qi. an was speechless.
Xu niannian was speechless.
When the servant realized that the guest was not following them, she turned her head and said gently, “”Master, this way please.”
“Ah … Oh, oh …” Xu Pingzhi braced himself and entered The Wine House.
Xu niannian and Xu Qi ‘an straightened their backs silently.
After second uncle Xu took his seat, the three of them tacitly did not look at each other. They maintained a serious sitting posture and looked down.
Didn’t the two Rascals say that they didn’t have time … ‘It’s fine if we part ways. After all, I know a thing or two about his true thoughts …’ Ning Yan never went to the brothel …
Didn’t second uncle say that he was on duty tonight … In the past, every time I had a conflict with aunty, he would say that it was a blessing in eight lifetimes to be able to marry such a beautiful wife in this life, and he was not willing to scold aunty … PEI, didn’t he still come out to run away?
Didn’t big brother never go to the brothel … I was wondering why my robe was missing. Bah, shameless. Didn’t father say that he loved his mother deeply and would never go to the brothels …
The three’s inner drama was far more colorful than their stiff expressions.
Xu Qi ‘an felt that there was one more embarrassing thing in his life. When she went out for a walk, she met her second uncle and younger brother.
Oh my God, I’m also a social death …
On second thought, I’m not the only one who died anyway, so I feel much better.
The drinking order continued. Xu niannian’s response was still quite decent. After all, he was a scholar. Xu Qi ‘an, on the other hand, looked at the situation. Sometimes he couldn’t match it, so he had to drink as a punishment. Xu Pingzhi, on the other hand, was not drinking at all, so he was despised by everyone.
Second uncle really didn’t know what was going on. You haven’t even been to school, what are you doing here? the top courtesan is someone you can sleep with just because you want to? Xu Qi ‘an complained in his heart.
Father is really a waste of money … Xu niannian also complained in his heart.
The two of them were a little anxious because their performance was mediocre and they did not win the favor of the top courtesan. The good-looking Xu niannian gradually lost the attention of the top courtesans because he was too formal.
The worst thing was that there was a strong competitor on the field-the handsome young man in the sky-blue thick robe.
He was from the Imperial College and was quite talented. Although he entered the table a little late, he occupied the limelight with his extraordinary talent, making the courtesan’s wife cover her mouth and laugh from time to time.
The young man in the sky-blue robe raised his wine cup, took a sip, and said in a clear voice, “”This time, there’s no harm in letting this one take the lead.”
No one had any objections. Floating fragrance courtesan smiled and said,”Young master Zhao, please.”
Young master Zhao looked around and said:”Pine Leaf, bamboo leaf, green leaf.”
“It’s actually a double word couplet.” Someone at the table was shocked.
“Pine Leaf, bamboo leaf, green leaf …” Amazing, amazing, I’m ashamed of my inferiority.”
“Brother Zhao is a great talent, as expected of a scholar from the Imperial College.”
After a round of fighting, none of them could actually match up.
Young master Zhao had a faint smile on his face, his expression haughty.
Lady floating fragrance’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at young master Zhao.
Judging from her expression and subtle movements, Hua kui had a good impression of this Zhao and admired his talent … Xu Qi ‘an frowned and turned to look at Xu niannian.
The latter happened to look over, and the two brothers had worried expressions on their faces.
Originally, according to Xu New Year’s meaning, his big brother, who was good at poetry, should be like a fish in water in the Imperial Academy.
However, after half a day, he played drinking games and couplets, but there was no poem.
In fact, in the Imperial Academy, poetry had always been lukewarm. In the past two hundred years, there were few excellent poems, and scholars were not good at writing poems.
When they were having a Tea Party, they would naturally avoid those they were not good at.
However, the quality of the guests present tonight was uneven. It was a little difficult to match couplets. The floating Fragrance Flower chief had a pure heart and spirit, so she deliberately did not mention poems to avoid embarrassment and embarrassment for the guests.
At this moment, the floating fragrance courtesan stood up gracefully, curtsied, and said softly, “”This little girl is a little tired, so I will take my leave first. Please enjoy your drinks.”
The tea gathering was over.
Next, if the courtesan’s wife took a fancy to someone, she would ask the maidservant to keep them and lead them into the house.
If they didn’t, the maidservant would send them off and start the next round of tea gathering.
Everyone waited with anticipation and apprehension. Time passed bit by bit, and after half an incense stick of time, a maidservant walked over and said in a tender voice, ”
“My wife invites young master Zhao into the house for tea.”
The guests shook their heads and sighed. There were also people who smiled and congratulated young master Zhao.
Young master Zhao had a smile on his face, as if he was a winner.
This time, the three men of the Xu family could no longer sit still.