It was already late at night, the lights in the two young ladies' rooms had been turned off, the yard was extremely quiet, and the sounds of songbugs and frogs could be heard one after another.
Chen Qing sat at the small table, silently stroking a jade plaque. The jade plaque became very greasy from being worn against his flesh for a long time.
He once cherished this jade plaque so much, could it be that it would never be with him again?
Chen Qing sighed softly, hung the jade medal back around his neck, and put it into his lapel.
He looked up at the dark night sky outside the window. At this moment, he felt extremely lonely in his heart.
........
In the afternoon of the next day, Chen Qing came to Zhang Jun's mansion. Zhang Jun's mansion was not far from the West Lake and covered an area of more than 20 acres. This was the prime minister's official residence. It might not be big in Bianliang, but it was already big in Lin'an.
It's the largest house.
Today is the 60th birthday of Zhang Jun’s mother. Hundreds of posts have been sent out a month ago. Zhang Jun is the most trusted favorite of the official family and is in the prime minister’s position. His mother is celebrating her birthday, and of course there are a lot of congratulators.
After a while, even the emperor sent people to send congratulatory gifts.
Chen Qing hired an ox cart, which was still a few hundred steps away from the mansion. The ox cart stopped. The driver said to Chen Qing, "My lord, the front is blocked. I can only ask you to walk there by yourself!"
Chen Qing looked around and saw that the streets were completely blocked by horse-drawn carriages of various colors, making it impossible to get through.
Chen Qing took a handful of money and gave it to the coachman, picked up the gift box and walked towards the door of the mansion.
Today he is wearing a blue muslin thin shirt, a gauze hat on his head, a leather belt around his waist, and a long sword at his waist. He looks very refreshing and elegant. Although it is not as expensive as silk and satin, it matches the temperament he has honed on the battlefield.
The fierce temperament he exudes has a subtle sense of coercion.
Holding a wooden box in his arms, inside was a white jade Guanyin. This jade Guanyin was the treasure of Cai Jing's mansion. Chen Qing specially selected non-palace items to avoid Zhang Jun's embarrassment.
There were many guests standing in front of the gate. Some were chatting and some were queuing up to register. Most of them were court officials and celebrities. Interestingly, most of them brought their families.
In the past two years, this kind of gatherings among wealthy families have become very popular. Today the Li family celebrates their birthday, tomorrow the Zhang family gets married, the day after tomorrow the Wang family gets a child, etc. The gatherings are held for various reasons. It is not necessarily to make money, but it is more of a
This kind of communication is an important means of accumulating and expanding contacts, and of course it is also an important occasion for children to get to know each other.
The Song Dynasty also paid great attention to the congeniality between men and women. Of course, this congeniality was based on being well-matched. Often such gatherings would already have a fixed circle. Basically, they were all well-matched. Then the young men and women would look for the other half of their choice. If
Once the relationship is in harmony and they are satisfied with each other, the remaining matters such as matchmaking and marriage proposal will be taken care of by the parents.
Therefore, the men and women who came to the party were all dressed up to be particularly attractive. The girl was pretty and charming, while the man was handsome and elegant. When Chen Qing just arrived at the gate, he saw an acquaintance at a glance. He actually saw Wang Bo, Qin Hui's wife and nephew. They were really enemies on a narrow road.
.
Wang Bo also saw Chen Qing, with a look of astonishment in his eyes. Then he lowered his head and squeezed through the door in a panic. He had something in his heart. Last year, he led people to hunt down Chen Qing and killed one of Chen Qing's companions. He had been
I am very afraid of Chen Qing’s revenge.
Chen Qing snorted, ignored Wang Bo for the time being, and came to the registration table.
"May I ask for the official's invitation?"
"I was invited verbally by Mr. Zhang, there is no invitation card!"
It was a bit difficult to register the master of ceremonies. How could he do it without an invitation? He asked Zhang Jun's staff next to him in a low voice. The staff came over and asked with a smile: "Do you have any credentials in the Yamen?"
"Is this jade pei okay?"
Chen Qing took out the jade Pei that Zhang Jun gave him yesterday and said, "This is what Mr. Zhang gave me."
The staff were shocked. This piece of jade was Zhang Jun's favorite. It was made of mutton fat and half of the red skin. There was a line of words engraved on the side, "To the Xiaoxiao dusk rain sprinkles the river sky." At first glance, it was not ordinary.
The staff quickly clasped their fists and said, "Disrespect! Disrespect! Please register in the office."
Chen Qing wrote his name, ‘Chen Shangyuan’.
He handed the wooden box to his staff, "This is my gift, please accept it!"
The staff member opened it and took a look, his eyes were a bit straight. Today is the old lady's birthday. Gifts from guests usually range from dozens to a hundred guan. If you have a good relationship, there will be a little more, but usually it will not exceed 300 guan.
After all, there are many such gatherings, and I can’t afford too many gifts.
The staff know the goods well. The white jade Guanyin statue presented by Chen Qing is warm, delicate, and as white as fat. It is extremely rare. You can't buy it without thousands of dollars, and even if you have money, you can't buy it.
The staff shouted with a trembling voice: "A white jade Guanyin statue, Chen Shangyuan wishes the old lady a long life."
Chen Qinggong cupped his hands, turned around and went into the house.
There was a lot of chatter at the door, "This young man is so rich! He actually gave me such a precious jade Guanyin."
"It must have been given to me by my elders. It has nothing to do with this young man."
"Cai Jing also had a white jade Guanyin like this before. He boasted that it was unique in the world, but now another one has come and slapped Cai Jing in the face."
"Who is this Chen Shangyuan?"
"I guess he wants to apply for a job from Mr. Zhang."
.........
Chen Qing's gift-giving caused a small commotion at the gate, but he himself didn't know about it.
There were so many guests that Zhang Jun's entire mansion was open except for the two bedrooms. The back house could also be entered and exited at will. Generally, the atrium was occupied by officials, while the young people went to the back house.
Everyone was very casual and no one greeted them. Of course, there were domestic servants and maids standing by to provide guidance services at any time. They all carried lanterns and you could tell at a glance.
"Excuse me, eldest sister, where is the banquet hall?" Chen Qing asked a maid.
The maid blushed and asked, "Sir, what color is the invitation?"
"I don't have an invitation, it's a verbal invitation."
"Well... let me ask the butler, please tell me your surname."
"Chen Qing!"
"I understand, sir, please wait a moment."
The maid left in a hurry, and Chen Qing was a little depressed. The invitation was very useful. There was a number on it, which related to his seat. Without an invitation, he lost a lot of benefits.
Not long after, the maid came back and said with a frustrated look: "I'm sorry, I didn't find the seat of the young master. Just wait a moment! The housekeeper will ask the master for instructions."
Chen Qing became even more depressed. He probably forgot about Zhang Jun and sent him such an expensive gift without even giving him a bowl of rice.
"Okay! I'll just walk around."
"Master, go to the back house! There are many activities there, and there are rewards."
"How to get to the back house?"
"Master, please come with me!"
The maid took Chen Qing to the back house and walked through a moon gate. Chen Qing's eyes suddenly opened up. How can we say that the officials of the Song Dynasty were the ones who enjoyed the most?
The back house is a large garden, with a gurgling river, small bridges, fish, rockeries, and various pavilions and pavilions scattered throughout it. Chen Qing has been to Suzhou gardens. Suzhou gardens are in the style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with dense buildings and various kinds of buildings interspersed between them.
Exquisite little scene.
However, the style of the Song Dynasty was devoted to mountains and rivers, and was more integrated with nature. Houses and nature are one. A small hill is an expression of this kind of attachment to mountains and rivers. The soil is piled into a mountain and planted with big trees, creating a deep and deep atmosphere.
Atmosphere, there is a pavilion on the top of the mountain.
"There is a pot throwing competition in the big tent over there. You can take part in it, sir!" the maid pointed to a temporary tent on the grass and smiled.
"I understand, thank you eldest sister!"
The maid bowed and left. Chen Qing liked the scenery in the backyard very much, especially the forest scenery on the hills. It was actually in his own house. This feeling made Chen Qing very comfortable.
He simply walked slowly up the mountain along the tree-lined road. There were towering trees on both sides. They were transplanted from nowhere. The huge tree crowns were intertwined and blocked the sun, making the scorching sun even cooler.
Occasionally, a cool breeze blows, which is really refreshing.
There was a group of young people in the pavilion on the top of the mountain, about ten or so people, both men and women. They seemed to be arguing about something and it was particularly lively.
Chen Qing walked to the pavilion and looked into the pavilion. The smile on his face suddenly froze. He unexpectedly saw Lu Xiu, wearing a pink long dress embroidered with mandarin ducks and her hair in a bun. She was extremely pretty. She stood there.
What are you talking to a companion woman in front of the pavilion pillar?
Behind her stood a tall young man with fair skin and handsome appearance. He held a folding fan in his hand and had an extremely elegant temperament. However, his eyes were intense and he looked at Lu Xiu without concealment, showing a lot of excitement.
Admiration.
Chen Qing watched in silence for a moment, then turned and walked down the mountain...
In the pavilion, Lu Xiu was arguing with everyone, "I think the purpose of our poetry club is the most important. Without a purpose, people have no soul. Why do we write poems? Isn't it just to boost everyone's morale against gold? This
I don’t agree to delete any of them!”
"Miss Lu, if the poetry club has obvious political leanings, it will be suspected of being a party, and we don't need to write it down."
"No! This is the principle!"
Lu Xiu's attitude was resolute. At this moment, she felt something. She raised her head and looked towards the mountain road. She seemed to see a familiar figure. Could it be...
Lu Xiu said quickly: "Everyone, continue, I have something to do, come as soon as you go!"
She pulled up her skirt and chased out of the pavilion. The man behind her chased her for several steps: "Miss Lu, I'll go with you!"
"No, I have personal matters." Lu Xiu refused.
Everyone burst into laughter, and a woman joked: "Mr. Shen, I have private matters!"
The young master's face suddenly became unnatural.