The Wanliu Meeting is held once every ten years, but it is not held every time in the divine capital. In the more than two hundred years of the Liang Dynasty's history, this is the first time in the divine capital, so this is also the first time for such an imperial banquet to be held.
The ten young people attending the banquet were naturally notified by their respective places. Xie Nandu, as one of the four members of the academy, was naturally notified long ago, and her senior brother Wei Xu personally told her. In addition, whether it was Tianyuyuan or various
Be it those from the big family, someone will naturally inform them.
As Chen Chao belonged to the Guarding Envoy Yamen, the person responsible for notifying him was naturally his nominal immediate superior, Song Lian.
This is because Commander Song is currently focused on the girl he has longed for and has forgotten about it, which is reasonable.
But this is not a good thing for Chen Chao.
It's just that in this situation, what can he say? Could he point at Song Lian's nose and curse him? Not to mention that the other party is still his immediate boss. Even if he is not, the real realm of the opposite party is there, even if he is reasonable.
, I’m afraid I won’t be able to take advantage.
"Master Song, I am really convinced!" ??
Chen Chao gritted his teeth and turned to leave.
Song Lian smiled and said, "I said a few days, but I haven't said which day it is yet."
Chen Chao's face was expressionless, too lazy to pay attention to him, and left on his own.
Song Lian shouted from behind, "After entering the palace, remember to come and continue to help me!"
Chen Chao ignored him and just headed back. He returned to the academy with a helpless mood. When he walked by the lake this time, he was not in the mood to look at the weeping willows on both sides.
When he came back, the dusk was getting thick, and Xie Nandu had just finished reading a book. He rubbed his forehead and then reached for a piece of preserved fruit.
Seeing Chen Chao walking over, Xie Nandu raised his eyebrows.
Chen Chao got straight to the point and asked, "Why didn't anyone tell me that there will be an imperial banquet in the next few days?"
Xie Nandu said, "You should ask the governor's Yamen about this question."
Chen Chao raised his eyebrows and said, "I thought you would take the initiative to mention this matter."
"Since someone will tell you, then why should I waste any more words." Xie Nandu took a sip of the tea at hand and said with a smile, "Don't you still know now? It's not too late."
Chen Chao frowned and said, "If I had known earlier, I would have made more preparations."
Xie Nandu shook his head and said indifferently, "It's just some young people eating something together and being polite. It may not be a big event. What preparations are needed?"
"That's not what I'm talking about." Chen Chao's face was a little solemn, and he thought of something else.
"It's said to be a pre-banquet, but in fact His Majesty the Emperor may not actually attend. It's like saying that this Wanliu Festival is a grand event for young people, but those truly first-class geniuses will not be present at all."
Although Xie Nandu is studying in the small courtyard these days, he also knows a lot of things
.
Chen Chao asked, "Why?"
Xie Nandu smiled and said, "Of course they look down on us. It's held in the capital of the gods, and if they don't come, it's naturally a silent contempt."
Although Xie Nandu was smiling when talking about these things, Chen Chao could not feel her smile.
Chen Chao said softly, "Of course this is not the first time such a thing has happened, but it seems difficult for people to get used to it."
Xie Nandu said, "Some things cannot be obtained by praying, such as dignity."
Chen Chao remained silent and agreed with this.
This is also silent approval.
Xie Nandu turned to ask, "Are you afraid of going to the imperial banquet?"
Chen Chao said indifferently, "What are you afraid of when you eat and drink?"
Xie Nandu shook his head and said, "Are you afraid of His Majesty the Emperor?"
Chen Chao said, "I shouldn't be able to see him."
Xie Nandu nodded and said, "No matter how important the Wanliu Society is and how important it is to the face of Daliang Dynasty, it is still a contest between young people. As for losing, Daliang Dynasty has never lost before. So what if it loses again at home? Is it possible?
Has the Liang Dynasty been destroyed? There are still many things in the world worthy of His Majesty the Emperor, and he will not waste his time on these children."
Chen Chao thought for a long time, nodded and said, "You are right."
"You should have thought of this kind of thing. If you haven't thought of it, it means you are a little panicked at the moment, so it can also be said that this matter is very important to you."
Xie Nandu looked into Chen Chao's eyes, but had no intention of pressing him.
Chen Chao said, "I don't think the banquet is necessarily a good one. Maybe there are many people like Xia Yuan."
Xie Nandu said, "Since it is an imperial banquet, there will naturally be some small competitions. It is natural that you will be targeted."
Chen Chao asked doubtfully, "Aren't you ready to help me?"
"Now the whole world thinks that I like you. I think this is not good, so I am not going to do anything."
Xie Nandu's understatement always makes people feel that it means something else, at least not that light.
Although this sentence is not trivial.
Chen Chao said categorically, "I will tell them tomorrow that I like you!"
Xie Nandu looked at him and said, "You are so shameless."
Chen Chao said angrily, "When did liking a girl become shameless?!"
…
…
As early as a few days ago, Shendu
Delegations from various major sects have begun to enter the divine capital one after another.
It is very common for foreign monks to look down on the Liang Dynasty and ignore the imperial power, but it does not mean that there are no sects that have good relations with the Liang Dynasty. These sects who have good relations with the Liang Dynasty, at least on the surface, are also the first batch to come.
The monks who came to the capital of God.
The etiquette department responsible for reception has been very busy these days. It is responsible for arranging the residence of these monks and taking care of their daily needs. It is not an easy task.
Song Lian, as the commander of Zuowei, is also like this. Now he has to focus more on the safety of the capital. In the past few days, he has not left the Zuowei yamen, but has been listening to his subordinates lead them there.
The message came back.
"A monk from the Taiyin Sect drank in a brothel without paying, and beat up many ordinary people for no reason."
"Several monks from Wanqing Mountain went out in the middle of the night and encountered a night guard. They refused to listen to dissuasion and got into a fight. One of them was seriously injured."
"..."
"..."
After listening to this news, Song Lian's expression did not change. This was not the first time he had experienced such a thing. Although Shendu was the safest place in the Liang Dynasty, in the eyes of these foreign monks, it was just...
It's just a bigger city. They have a sense of proportion and won't kill innocent people indiscriminately in the city, but that's it. Whether it's beating people or going to a brothel without paying, it's actually a small matter, as long as no one is killed.
, but no one will seriously pursue it.
What's more, these sects are still on good terms with the Liang Dynasty. Even if they make any mistakes, they will be reduced to trivial matters. Is it really possible to damage the friendship between the two parties because of this matter?
This is definitely impossible to happen.
Song Lian said calmly, "Tell them that there will be more people patrolling at night in the future. If they encounter such monks who refuse to listen to dissuasion, they will take a detour and avoid any disputes."
After saying this, Song Lian waved his hand and did not give the man a chance to speak.
He sat in the lobby, watching the guards walking back and forth in the courtyard, and felt a little tired. He had experienced this kind of thing more than once, but it didn't mean that he was indifferent after experiencing it so many times.
On the contrary, he still wanted to deal with those people according to the laws of the Liang Dynasty, but these thoughts could only be suppressed in his heart.
There are definitely many people who have the same idea as him. There are also many people who want to see the Liang Dynasty one day without worrying about the faces of the monks outside the country. They just don't know how long it will take before they can see that day.
Or maybe that day will never happen.
Just like the former court, the former front court.
…
…
The day of the royal banquet came soon.
When dusk was getting thick, four carriages drove into the academy and each went to a different place.
One of them parked in front of Xie Nandu's small courtyard.
A white-faced and beardless chamberlain came to the door, knocked gently, and said loudly, "Your Majesty has a decree. Please invite Miss Xie to the palace for the banquet."
The door was quickly opened, but the person who came out was not the girl, but a young man dressed in black. He had a knife hanging from his waist and a pair of exceptionally beautiful eyes.
The waiter was startled but said nothing.
Soon, Xie Nandu, who was wearing a green shirt, came out. After greeting the chamberlain, he boarded the carriage. Chen Chao wanted to follow, but the chamberlain stopped him and said, "Your Majesty has a decree. It is Miss Xie who is invited."
His voice was not cold, but his meaning was clear.
Chen Chao retracted his hand in embarrassment and asked, "Is she the only one?"
The four carriages that came to the academy were to pick up the four people from the academy, so naturally they had nothing to do with him.
The chamberlain did not speak, let alone ask about Chen Chao's identity. He just waved, turned around, and the carriage slowly moved away into the distance, the sound of horse hooves gradually getting further away.
Chen Chao stood there, feeling his face so hot.
These days, I have been hitting people in the face, but today I was hit once, so naturally I felt a little embarrassed.
Fortunately, there was no one around the lake at the moment, otherwise Chen Chao would have felt even more embarrassed.
Fortunately, this embarrassment did not last long, and soon a simple carriage came from a distance, and the driver turned out to be an old acquaintance.
It's Weng Quan of the left guard of Shendu.
"My lord, deputy commander, my subordinates have been ordered to take you into the palace!"
Weng Quan jumped off the carriage and saluted Chen Chao. Now Chen Chao was the deputy commander of Zuowei. Although it was a false position, the due etiquette was unavoidable.
Chen Chao covered his forehead, "Why is it you again?!"
Weng Quan smiled and said, "The commander said that the deputy commander and I know each other, so I came just in time."
Chen Chao looked at the carriage and said with some displeasure, "Since I am now the deputy commander of Zuowei and I am attending the banquet in the palace, why is the carriage so simple? Does Zuowei not have a good carriage?"
Weng Quan immediately explained, "Zuowei naturally has a better carriage, but when my subordinates went out, they thought that the deputy commander must be a nostalgic person, so he chose this carriage."
Chen Chao felt vaguely that something was wrong when he heard the first half of the sentence. Now he frowned after hearing what he said.
He said in disbelief, "Are you talking about this carriage or the dung truck?"
Weng Quan nodded naturally and said, "Exactly!"
Chen Chao stopped talking. He stood by the lake, twitched his lips and cursed.
He was very curious about how a small Zuowei Yamen could have two great geniuses, Song Lian and Weng Quan.