After the competition of new recruits, the martial arts school officially started, and the management was very strict. The martial arts students were not allowed to leave the school. They studied the art of war and practiced riding and shooting from morning to night. The martial arts students only had a moment of rest in the evening.
The hot summer has passed, and the weather is getting cooler day by day. In the blink of an eye, it is mid-September, and the martial arts school begins its ten-day autumn vacation for martial arts students to visit relatives and do errands.
That afternoon, Chen Qing received an invitation.
"Old Chen, who sent this invitation?" Hu Yantong stepped forward and asked curiously.
"Ms. Lu sent someone to deliver it. The day after tomorrow is his sixtieth birthday."
"Ms. Lu is sending you an invitation?"
Hu Yantong's eyes widened. Chen Qing was only a seventh-grade general. Would the right minister invite a seventh-grade general to celebrate his birthday?
"I don't know either!"
Chen Qing threw the invitation into the drawer and said, "Give me a birthday gift! I don't think you need to go."
"Don't do this!"
Hu Yan quickly took out the invitation and smiled at Chen Qing: "This is a formal invitation, not a verbal invitation. Every guest is decided by the host after careful consideration. If you don't go, you will offend others. I am a gentleman."
Chen Qing smiled bitterly, "He and I actually have nothing to do with each other."
"It's the lack of interaction that shows that he thinks highly of you. You may be the only invitation to the entire martial arts school. If you don't go, you won't give him face."
Chen Qing thought about it and decided that he really had to go. Lu Yihao had helped him during the last military camp incident, so he had to repay the favor.
"Then what birthday gift do you think I should give you better?"
Hu Yantong smiled and said: "Gifts are very particular. You should give what kind of gifts according to your relationship and status. For example, if you give five thousand coins, Xianggong Lu will be very happy, but where should you put other people's face? But if you give ten
You can't afford a gift of several thousand dollars, so I suggest you buy ten pieces of the best palace satin and give them to you first. Generally, you don't accept gifts on your birthday."
"Ten pieces... of the best palace satin."
Chen Qing thought for a while and said, "Okay, how much will it cost?"
"It's only about one hundred guan."
Chen Qing was a little worried. He had given all the money he had to Zheng Ping to take away. He just received his salary yesterday and paid back the money he borrowed from others. He only had a total of sixty coins left, which he originally thought was enough.
, I didn’t expect Lu Yihao to celebrate his birthday.
"Huyan, please lend me some more money!"
"You!"
Hu Yantong pointed at him and smiled bitterly: "I gave tens of thousands of dollars to the fallen soldiers, but I am so poor that I can't even get out a hundred dollars. How much do you want?"
"Fifty guan is enough!"
"I'll lend you a hundred guan! You still need to buy an outfit."
"I have clothes!"
Hu Yantong sighed and said, "Your clothes are made of fine linen. Even the servants in the Prime Minister's Palace wear silk. You will be laughed at. How about I lend you a piece of clothing?"
"I won't do this kind of thing by borrowing other people's clothes to make money. If anyone wants to make fun of you, just let him or her do it."
"Hey! You have a stubborn temper. If you are not afraid of embarrassment, I am. If that doesn't work, then you can wear public clothes! Although it is also fine linen, at least it suits your status."
The public uniform is the military uniform without the armor. The generals of the ninth rank and above of the Song Army have three sets of clothes. One is the court uniform, and the second is the public uniform. The public uniform is also called the seasonal uniform. One set is given to each in winter and summer, which is equivalent to what the generals wear when not in war.
In casual clothes, Chen Qing nodded, it would be nice to wear official clothes.
.........
Chen Qing always thought that there were no horse-drawn carriages in Lin'an, and transportation mainly relied on ox-carts or boats. But today he realized that he was wrong. There were many horse-drawn carriages in Lin'an, more than he expected.
There were a lot of black carriages parked in front of Lu Yihao's house, one after another, each more gorgeous than the last. They were parked for two miles, and there were at least three or four hundred of them.
Chen Qing came relatively late, only in the afternoon. He was just here to deal with it. It would be best to report the situation and leave. Anyway, Lu Yihao would not notice him, a young officer.
In front of the mansion, Lu Yihao's two sons were warmly welcoming the guests. A row of tables were set up next to them, and several aides sat at the tables to register the names of the guests.
The Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty entertained guests, and the guests were almost all high-ranking officials. However, there is another unspoken rule that the birthday of the Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty itself is the best social place and a way to establish connections. This is probably true for all guests except Chen Qing.
Everyone knows it.
It is for this reason that the guests were very active, and many of them came to the Prime Minister's Mansion in the morning.
When Chen Qing arrived, there were not many guests, and the gate seemed a little deserted.
"Excuse me, do I need to register?" Chen Qing stepped forward and asked.
Lu Yihao's two sons had already entered the house to chat with the guests. There were only the housekeeper and two staff members responsible for registration at the door. The two staff members were checking the guest list and pointed at the housekeeper with their pens without raising their heads.
The housekeeper had noticed Chen Qing a long time ago. When he saw him coming in a bullock cart and wearing a military uniform, he felt a little contempt in his heart. You must know that even a general will be followed by his own soldiers. This man came alone and was dressed in shabby clothes.
The housekeeper, who is accustomed to judging people by their appearance, really didn't take it seriously.
"Is there something wrong with this official?" the steward stepped forward and asked politely.
Chen Qing took out the invitation and handed it to the butler. When the butler saw that it was a white invitation, he immediately smiled and said, "It turns out to be General Chen. Sorry! Sorry!"
There are two types of invitations for this birthday. One is a white-skin invitation, which is mainly given to the relatives of high-ranking officials or guests that Lu Yihao values more. The other is a green-skin invitation, which is mainly given to the Jin gentry and celebrities in Lin'an, mainly big businessmen.
Chen Qing was one of Lu Yihao's valued guests, so he gave Baipi the invitation. However, the housekeeper misunderstood. He thought Chen Qing was the yamen of a dignitary. His father could not come, so he came to attend on his behalf.
"I already gave the congratulatory gift yesterday, can I just sign it?"
The housekeeper was stunned for a moment. It turned out that he was the one invited. Who is this young man?
He said with a smile on his face: "Yes, General Chen just needs to sign."
Chen Qing picked up a pen and signed his name. The butler smiled and led him into the mansion. A staff member looked at Chen Qing's name and nudged his companion with his elbow, "Look!"
The companion came forward and saw Chen Qing's name in the list. There were 372 guests in total, and Chen Qing's name was actually ranked 29th. The staff was stunned. Who is this young man?
?To make Xianggong Lu pay so much attention to him.
Lu Yihao sent out more than 370 invitations, but there were thousands of guests. Basically, they came with their families. Not only did he need to socialize, but he also had to go the route of his wife and his children.
A means of forming connections.
Fortunately, Lu Yihao's Xiangguo Mansion is the largest official residence in Lin'an. It covers an area of 30 acres and can basically support the activities of thousands of people.
However, no guests can stay in the kitchen, stables and servants' living area of the outer house, and guests cannot go to the study, bedroom and other private areas of the inner house. In fact, there are not many places for guests to stay, mainly in the atrium and
There are two side courtyards, so every pavilion and every guest room is basically full of guests.
Chen Qing found his seat first. In the third greenhouse in the left courtyard, although Chen Qing was ranked first in the guest list, it only meant that Lu Yihao valued him and considered him first when considering guests. It did not mean that he could sit there.
Dining in the atrium is very particular about the official rank of the imperial court. Chen Qing is only a seventh-rank military officer, so of course he can only sit in the side courtyard. Those who can sit in the atrium are officials of fifth rank or above.
The Song Dynasty emphasized civility and suppressed military power. Except for the Taiwei, the generals of the Song army were generally lower in rank than civilian officials. However, their salary was twice that of civilian officials as compensation.
In addition, many generals also have the title of Wusanguan, but Wusanguan is only an honorary official position and has neither salary nor social status. It is not as attractive as a military position.
Chen Qing sat in his seat for a while. In addition to him, there were more than a dozen guests around him, both men and women. Opposite him was a lady in her forties, with a head full of pearls and some sagging flesh on her face.
, but still painted white with powder, wearing a jacket made of extremely fine materials, the clothes were very tight when he sat down, and there were three thick golden bracelets on his thick, white and fat wrists.
Sitting next to the lady was a young man, about the same age as Chen Qing. He seemed to be the lady's son. He was being scolded by his mother with his head lowered.
"Who asked you to compare your wealth with Wang Yanei and others? Those people are thicker than our waists even if they pluck a hair out of their hair. I asked you to make friends with him just to flatter him. Lower your stature. It would be better for you to go and be on an equal footing with them.
Aren’t you asking for trouble?”
"Mom, Wang Bo is rich, but the people around him are similar to ours. That Qi Yanei boasted that his family bought ten acres of land by the West Lake, and Zhao Yanei said that he paid hundreds for a drink at Fengle House.
Guan, what do you think I can show off?"
When Chen Qing heard Wang Bo's name, his eyelids jumped, and this bastard was actually here.