In Duke Ping's mansion, Xue Yujin was sitting in the room, cutting clothes with scissors and wiping tears.
This dress was a gift given to her by Xue Ne on her birthday the year before last. She originally regarded it as one of her most precious treasures and would only wear it on important occasions.
Now she just wanted to destroy and throw away everything Xue Ne gave her.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door outside the house.
"Go away! Don't bother me!" Xue Yujin shouted.
The knock on the door disappeared, and the door was pushed open.
A man with a serious face entered the house. He was silent for a while and sighed: "Little sister, I'm sorry, I lost my head for a moment yesterday."
Xue Yujin felt even more aggrieved, tears streaming down her face, and loudly said: "Go away, I don't want to hear your voice!"
Xue Ne was about to speak when he suddenly caught a glimpse of something in her hand, and his face suddenly turned gloomy.
"What are you doing?"
Xue Yujin threw the tattered clothes on him and said: "This is your thing, I don't want it anymore, I will give it back to you!"
The muscles on Xue Ne's cheeks couldn't help beating. After a long while, he said in a calm voice: "I have really spoiled you over the years."
Xue Yujin was furious: "You sold everything in the house to please that bad woman, and you blame me?"
Xue Ne said in a low voice: "I don't allow you to scold Qing'er again."
"I'm going to scold her. She is a bad woman. If it weren't for her, how could you be like this!"
Xue Ne raised his hand and was about to slap him in the face.
However, when he saw Xue Yujin looking at him stubbornly, his face as pale as paper, and tears streaming down from the corners of his eyes, he finally softened his heart.
He took back his hand, was silent for a while, and said:
"Little sister, no matter what, this is our family matter after all. For the sake of the face of our Duke Pingguo, I hope you won't tell others about it."
Xue Yujin wiped away her tears and said loudly:
"Do you still care about your face? All the wealth that dad worked so hard to save has been used by you to please that woman. Who is it that is embarrassing the Duke of Pingguo's house?"
Xue Ne turned his head and said: "I spent all my own savings, not my family's money."
Xue Yujin said angrily: "You are still lying. Let me ask you, where is Daddy's most beloved horse, Zhaoye White Dragon?"
Xue Ne's face changed slightly, and he lowered his head and said nothing.
Xue Yujin's eyes were red and he said: "And where are the "Golden Arhats" that Brother Wu and Zhiying gave to our house to congratulate our father on the canonization of the country?"
Xue Ne's face turned red and he remained silent.
Looking at his embarrassed expression, Xue Yujin felt uncomfortable and begged: "Brother, you...don't go there again, okay?"
Seeing his sister's miserable face, Xue Ne sighed and said, "Actually, I didn't plan to go to Zuimeng Tower anymore. In a few days, I will go to His Highness King Zhou and apply to join the Xitu Camp."
Xue Yujin was surprised and happy: "Seriously?"
Xue Ne nodded: "I accompanied Qing'er to Zuimeng Tower before, just because I wanted to spend a few more days with her before going to the military camp."
Xue Yujin thought to herself that she could no longer control her brother. If she wanted to keep him away from that woman, entering the military camp would be the best way.
At that time, you can ask Wu Chengsi for help, and let him step in and cut off the contact between your brother and the second lady of the Wei family.
Thinking of this, she said solemnly: "I will accompany you to Brother Wu to talk about this matter."
Xue Ne nodded:
"You have a good personal relationship with Her Royal Highness Princess Zhou. I came to you just to ask for your help."
"So you must not tell her what happened yesterday, otherwise if she tells His Highness King Zhou, I may not be able to enter the Xitu Camp."
Xue Yujin said in astonishment: "No, it can't be."
Xue Ne saw her expression and asked urgently: "Have you told her yet?"
Xue Yujin said hurriedly: "It doesn't matter. Even if Brother Wu knows about it, as long as I intercede for you, he will definitely let you go to the west to attack the camp."
Xue Ne was silent for a long time, then sighed and said, "I hope so."
After easing the relationship with his sister, Xue Ne left Xue Yujin's room.
At this time, the sky was gray, it was already four o'clock in the morning, and it was only half an hour before the dinner at Wei Mansion.
Xue Ne put on a pair of brand new clothes, picked a handsome white horse in the stable, and then left the mansion and headed to Duke Xu's mansion.
When we were still a hundred feet away from the Wei family's wealthy mansion, the street was blocked by carriages coming to attend the banquet.
Xue Ne walked through the carriage and soon saw the gate of Wei Mansion.
The walls of this mansion are more than two feet high. The dark gray walls give people a sense of age and thickness. The two stone lions outside the door are also different from other homes.
Outside ordinary mansions, stone lions are standing, but the stone lions of the Wei family are lying on the ground, seeming to be sleeping soundly.
The nearly two-foot-thick vermilion-lacquered door opened entirely inward, with four pagoda-like red lanterns hanging on both sides.
Above the lintel, the four large gilt characters "Xu Guogong's Mansion" shine brightly under the light.
After getting closer, I suddenly heard a sharp sound.
A closer look revealed that between the two stone lions, there was a middle-aged man who seemed to be arguing with the Wei family.
It was precisely because this man blocked the road that people behind him could not get in, causing congestion.
Under the lintel of the door in the distance, a short, fat old man wearing a purple robe stood with his hands folded. The light illuminated his uncertain face extremely clearly.
He is Wei Xuanzhen, the old man of the Wei family.
Xue Ne also recognized the man blocking the road. His name was Yang Wande. His father was a founding hero. After his father died, he was given the title of county Duke.
Relying on the legacy of his father's generation, he became Kingo's general at a young age.
It's a pity that this man was lazy, uneducated and incompetent. Soon he was kicked out of the Jinwu Guards because he had been away from office for a long time.
Relying on the title of County Duke and the house and property his father left to him, he still lived a happy and happy life for more than ten years.
However, there will always be a day when Yang Wande's county dukedom can feed 1,500 households, but it is far from enough for his expenses.
Over the past ten years, he has sold all the things he could sell at home and lost his house. Now he lives in a dilapidated courtyard and lives on a living.
After being reduced to this situation, he no longer cares about his face. Whenever an official entertains guests, he will shamelessly eat.
Because of his title as County Duke, it is difficult for others to drive him away.
However, in the past, he would only choose some officials below the third rank to work with him. Today, for some reason, he ended up at Duke Xu's mansion.
It's no wonder Wei Xuanzhen's face looks so ugly.
Xue Ne got off his horse, searched around, and soon found an acquaintance. He took two steps forward and asked, "Brother Zhang, what's going on? How dare someone named Yang come here to cause trouble?"
The person he was questioning was a handsome young man with a female companion.
He looked at Yang Wande with sympathetic eyes and said: "It seems that Yang Wande's father had a favor for Xu Guogong, so Yang Wande came here shamelessly."
After a pause, a sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"Xu Guogong must be in a very difficult situation now. If we drive this person away, he will be accused of being ungrateful. If he is allowed in, the quality of tonight's banquet will be lowered."
The female companion next to him snorted and said: "If this plague god comes in, I won't want to stay for a long time."
The man surnamed Zhang said with a smile: "It's hard to say whether we can go in or not. Maybe today's banquet will become a laughing stock."
In front of his sight, Yang Wande seemed to be angry and sitting on the ground unable to get up.
The guests who came to the banquet immediately whispered to each other and pointed in the direction of the door.
Xue Na said displeasedly: "Brother Zhang, why do you need to take pleasure in others' misfortune?"
The title of the man named Zhang was not lower than that of Xue Na, so his words were not polite.
"Brother Xue, I know that your relationship with the second lady of the Wei family is unusual, but you don't have to regard yourself as the son-in-law of the Wei family so early, right?"
Xue Ne snorted and walked away from the man named Zhang. He looked at Yang Wande who was sitting on the ground and playing rogue, his eyes twinkling slightly.
At this moment, a man in white suddenly walked out of Xu Guogong's mansion.
I saw that the man was wearing a light coat and had a handsome face. He was about thirty years old. There was an indescribable sense of chicness in his walk.
Xue Ne had been to Wei Mansion many times, so he naturally knew this person. He was Yan Yaosheng, the number one scholar in the third year of Xianqing's reign, and the great talent Yan Yaosheng who was famous at that time.
This man once made countless women in Chang'an City go crazy for him. A county magistrate even kidnapped him back home and tried to beat him up, but he finally escaped by going to the toilet.
In the end, Yan Yaosheng chose the eldest daughter of the Wei family.
Although he was both talented and handsome, he was born into a poor family. In order to marry the eldest daughter of the Wei family, he was willing to marry into the Wei family, which broke the hearts of countless women.
Now ten years later, Yan Yaosheng's status as a son-in-law has not dimmed, but has given him a mature and persevering charm.
It is said that he and the eldest daughter of the Wei family are harmonious as husband and wife, and treat each other as if they were guests, making them the envy of countless people.
The only pity is that they still have no heirs.
Maybe even God is jealous of these two people.
I saw Yan Yaosheng slowly walking to Yang Wande, and I don't know what he said to him. Yang Wande actually stood up, bowed to him, turned around and left.
The crowd became smooth again, and Xue Ne secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Every guest who enters the Wei Mansion will hand over a gift at the foot of the steps, and then a servant of the Wei family will sing a promise loudly and call out the gift.
When it was Xue Ne's turn, he took out an exquisite box from his arms and handed it to Deacon Wei.
The deacon had no other abilities but a pair of piercing eyes. No matter what gift he took a look at, he would know its origin.
No, as soon as he opened Xue Ne's box and took a look, his face showed excitement and he shouted:
"Prince Xue of Pingguo Palace presented a set of 'Golden Arhats from the East for Good Luck and Longevity'."
There were eight golden arhats in a set. Such precious gifts were rare, and all the guests glanced at Xue Ne.
Xue Ne walked along the steps to the gate. Xu Guogong smiled and said: "My nephew, you are here."
Xue Ne bowed respectfully and said: "I wish you longevity and happiness, uncle."
Yan Yaosheng behind him smiled slightly and said: "My son-in-law takes orders."
…
In the luxurious carriage, Princess Taiping stuck her head out of the carriage and kept looking at Wu Chengsi, who was dressed as her bodyguard, and found it indescribably interesting.
Suddenly, she found Wu Chengsi looking in the direction of the gate of Duke Xu's mansion, and waved to him, gesturing for him to come closer.
Then asked: "Wu Er, what are you looking at?"
Wu Chengsi now had a fake beard glued under his nose and his eyebrows were thickened, making it difficult for even people he knew well to recognize him.
"Back to your Royal Highness, Princess, I seem to have heard that the gift from the eldest son of the Xue family is: Good Luck, Longevity and the Golden Arhat from the East."
Princess Taiping felt extremely fresh when she heard Wu Chengsi talking to her like this. She smiled and said, "Is there anything wrong with this gift?"
"As far as I know, His Royal Highness King Zhou and Princess Zhou also gave the same gift to Miss Xue."
Princess Taiping was stunned for a moment and said:
"Ah, I remembered. This set of Arhats is a tribute from the Kingdom of Tianzhu. My father gave it to my second cousin. Do you suspect that Xue Ne gave the things that your second cousin gave to the Xue Mansion and gave them to the Wei family?"
Wu Chengsi nodded.
Princess Taiping curled her lips: "Huh, the eldest son of the Xue family is really worthless."
Wu Chengsi sighed, it was a very shameful thing among nobles to pass on gifts given by others.
Thinking of what his wife said yesterday, it seems that the Xue family is indeed in some financial difficulties, otherwise Xue Dalang would not take the risk to give this gift.
Princess Taiping suddenly smiled slyly and said, "Wu Er, do you think this princess is beautiful today?"
"beautiful."
"Huh, you didn't even look at me, you're not sincere at all!"
Wu Chengsi turned his head helplessly and lowered his voice: "Be careful, I am your guard now, don't let anyone see any flaws."
Princess Taiping took the opportunity to say: "You haven't told me yet, why are you pretending to be my guard?"
Wu Chengsi glanced around and whispered: "Do you think I would come to this kind of banquet under normal circumstances?"
Princess Taiping thought for a while and shook her head.
"That's it. People from that organization are likely to do something at this birthday party tonight. They already know that I am sending people to investigate them, and they must be very afraid of me."
Princess Taiping clapped her hands and said, "I understand. If you suddenly come to the banquet, it will definitely arouse their suspicion and think that you are here for them."
Wu Chengsi nodded. Currently, there are only two clues related to that organization, one is Cai Yang and the other is the birthday banquet of Wei Mansion.
If the other party gives up the action, Wei Mansion's clue will be cut off.
At this moment, the carriage came closer, and many guests recognized Princess Taiping's carriage and looked sideways at it.
Princess Taiping retracted her head, and Wu Chengsi also moved farther away from the carriage.
After queuing for a while, the carriage came to the door, and Princess Taiping got off the carriage.
Xu Guogong had already descended the steps and was waiting beside the carriage.
"I am flattered and overjoyed that Her Royal Highness the Princess can personally come to celebrate my birthday."
As he spoke, he turned around and personally led the way for Princess Taiping.
"Please come this way."
Princess Taiping smiled and said, "Thank you."
Wu Chengsi followed Princess Taiping through the gate.
I saw that the courtyard was gorgeously decorated with flowers, and the entire ground was covered with red carpets. Not only were the corridors decorated with lights, but even the branches were hung with vermilion silk and satin, showing the luxury of a wealthy family.
"Her Royal Highness Princess Taiping presents: a set of white jade statues with a hundred longevity patterns."
The shouts of Wei's servants came from outside the door.
Entering the hall, everything you see is filled with festive red. This hall, which is larger than the lobby of Prince Wu Chengsi's Mansion, is divided into three sections by the Wei family.
Corresponding to the three sections, there are also three layers of wooden boards on the ground, with different colors.
The outer layer of wood is the shortest. From the outermost layer to the middle layer, you have to go up one wooden step, and then go inside and you have to go up another step to reach the innermost layer.
Two large stoves are placed on the left and right sides of the third floor to keep the room warm like summer.
The Wei family is worthy of being an aristocratic family with a long history. Every detail shows a strict hierarchy. Not only the guests are divided into different layers, but the furniture on each layer is different.
Even the stove is the most exquisite and luxurious in the innermost layer.
As Princess Taiping, the seats are naturally in the innermost range.
The birthday boy Xu Guogong sat at the top, and Princess Taiping was separated from him by a seat.
Wu Chengsi was slightly surprised, could there be a more distinguished guest than Princess Taiping coming?
Most of the guards and servants who come with the guests will be led to the side hall for the banquet.
Only one or two servants were left for each guest, and they were all asked to stand at the edge of the hall.
Wu Chengsi and Zhili stayed with Princess Taiping. Although it was against the rules, there were many people like Princess Taiping who left their entourage behind.
Because these people were of high status, Deacon Wei turned a blind eye.
Zhili knew Wu Chengsi's identity and would glance at him secretly from time to time, as if he was worried that he would suddenly get lost.
Wu Chengsi's eyes scanned the hall.
Every guest sitting here may be the person behind that mysterious organization.
Especially those who sit at the same table as Princess Taiping are the most suspicious.
The round table made of Yu wood is nearly one foot long in diameter, and there are nine chairs surrounding the table.
Each armchair is not only extremely gorgeous, but also very spacious. Even if two people sit at the same time, there is still room.
This arrangement of the Wei family is also reasonable, because many guests come with female companions, and since it is a birthday, the male and female guests are not separated.
There were two pairs of men and women at Princess Taiping's table, one of which was the eldest lady of the Wei family and Yan Yaosheng.
As expected, the eldest daughter of the Wei family has a pretty face. Although she is over thirty, her skin is fairer and more delicate than some girls in their twenties.
The best thing is her laughter, which is not only clear and sweet, soft and soft, but also has an indescribable sense of intimacy.
It's easy for people to like her.
After Xu Guogong brought Princess Taiping over, the eldest lady of the Wei family took over from her father and kept telling interesting things to prevent the guests sitting there from being bored.
Yan Yaosheng watched his wife quietly from the side, with a gentle smile on his face.
Just listen to the eldest lady saying with a smile:
"You didn't see that scene. At that time, the monks were sitting in three rows, with ten people in each row, totaling thirty bald heads. When the sun shone like this, all of us couldn't open our eyes!"
She was talking about the scene a few days ago when the Wei family invited a monk to exorcise evil spirits.
At that time, the monks were sitting in the courtyard, exorcising evil spirits from Duke Xu's mansion, to prevent evil spirits from ruining the birthday.
Wu Chengsi thought this joke was not funny at all.
However, one female guest kept laughing wildly. She was quite pretty, but her laughter was a little scary, like a duck quacking.
The other guests didn't say anything out of courtesy, but her male companion was so embarrassed that he hurriedly poured a cup of tea and put it in her mouth.
"You drink some water."
Miss Wei was encouraged by the female guest's laughter and prepared to tell another joke.
At this moment, a woman wearing an apricot-yellow dress walked out of the corner door.
The woman's walking posture was like a huge colorful butterfly, fluttering towards her.
Wu Chengsi looked at her and saw that her lips were thin, her nose was straight, her eyes were quiet, and her eyes were extremely long.
There was no expression on her face at first, and she seemed to have a cold temperament.
However, when she looked at Xue Ne, a smile appeared from the corner of her mouth, and soon extended, and a small dimple appeared on her cheek.
The second young lady of the Wei family finally arrived.