Wu Anzhi is not a man of words, but the sincerity of the invitation can still be seen.
Seeing Zhang Yue's hesitation, Wu Anchi couldn't help but ask: "Sanlang, is there any change?"
Zhang Yue said with a smile: "Thank you Erlangjun for your kind invitation. Unfortunately, in the past few days, I have been a little... 'bad for my stomach'."
Zhang Yue originally wanted to mention "feeling the wind", but this word was overused in Taixue, and now it seems hypocritical to mention it, so Zhang Yue changed it to "harming the belly".
Zhang Yue also touched his belly, seeming to be serious.
Wu Anzhi changed his expression and said: "Oh, Sanlang, what should I do... I have already..."
Seeing Wu Anzhi's expression, Zhang Yue smiled and said, "But don't worry, Mr. Erlang, I will take a few more pills and I will definitely go there the day after tomorrow."
Zhang Yue thought to himself that he was going for Wang Anshi, so there was no reason to go back on his word.
Besides, it was his second brother who was blamed from the beginning to the end, so why was he the one with a guilty conscience? She is too shy to see people, which is no different from my mother.
When Wu Anchi saw Zhang Yue's look, he knew he was joking. He immediately patted Zhang Yue on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Sanlang, please don't joke, otherwise my brother will think that I was not considerate of you in Taixue. It's time to blame me."
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "How dare you do this? If I don't go, my brother will feel that I am separated from him."
They both laughed.
The next day, Zhang Yue had to think about what to wear to the banquet.
Speaking of which, Zhang Yue brought a lot of clothes from Fujian, but there was one thing he didn't consider thoroughly, and that was that he was growing taller at the age of fourteen or fifteen.
Therefore, the clothes I brought before were much shorter, but there is no need to pay attention to these clothes in Taixue. But it is not suitable to wear to a banquet. As for the 襕衣, you can wear it outside on weekdays, but you can't wear the 'school uniform' to banquets.
Fortunately, Liu Ji gave him this robe, which even fit him perfectly. Zhang Yue liked it very much. It just so happens that Bianjing gets a little cold in the autumn, so wearing a robe with cotton wool between it can keep out the wind better than ordinary clothes.
Zhang Yue borrowed some ironing clothes from the studio and just finished ironing the new robe Liu Ji gave him.
Zhang Yue starched and washed the boots he had bought for less than two months.
Regardless of the clothing matter, with so much trouble, we can't just wear a cloth shirt and linen shoes and go to someone else's house to be a "drunk celebrity".
As the saying goes, 'Words persuade gentlemen, clothes overpower villains'.
Except for a few people, most people still look at clothes and their attitude towards you. If you go there wearing a cloth shirt and linen shoes, you are deliberately trying to make someone else's servants angry.
Of course, it doesn’t mean that all the money is worn on the body.
There is an old saying that "there is no shame in a long robe." That is a Luo robe. Compared with a brocade robe, for Tai students, wearing a long robe is enough. It's not that the sons of officials are a bit pretentious when they wear brocade clothes and robes.
After leaving Taixue, Zhang Yue hired a car and headed to Wu Mansion.
Zhang Yue sat in the car all the way out of Wheat Straw Lane, passed Yujie, then walked straight west via West Street, then turned north after crossing Maiqu Bridge.
Then the carriage went all the way north, after passing the bustling Xuanqiu Gate, then headed north along the city wall of the inner city of Bianjing, and finally arrived at Jinliangqiao Street.
Even in a carriage, it took less than half an hour to walk. He and Tang Jiu had been to Jinliangqiao Street, where the Wu Mansion was located, once. However, I only had a brief meeting with Wu Anshi at that time and did not enter the house.
Now it's time to really visit.
Although Jinliangqiao Street, where the Wu Mansion is located, is in the outer city and is not as lively as the inner city, I heard Wu Anshi chatting and said that this place is more spacious and comfortable to live in.
Zhang Yue thought about the general meaning of this statement, that is, if you can't afford a big villa within the third ring road, you can still afford it outside the fifth ring road.
When Wu Chong bought a house, Wu Yu, as the eldest brother, helped out and advanced a lot of money.
Later, Wu Chong served as an eunuch for twenty years, constantly adding flowers and stones, and repairing pavilions and courtyards. In addition, the four bedrooms and two mansions of Wu's eldest family are now connected together. It can be regarded as a famous garden among the princes and ministers of Bianjing.
Of course, with such a garden, the only drawback for the Wu brothers was that the journey to court would be much longer.
However, what is strange to Zhang Yue is that Wu Yu passed away less than half a year ago. Logically speaking, it is not appropriate for the Wu family to host this banquet.
So what is the purpose of Wu Mansion?
Soon the carriage stopped, and the driver said: "Is this the way the official stopped?
Zhang Yue opened the curtain, but he saw two large stone lions standing on the street. Behind them were three ebony-red painted doors. There were several well-dressed slaves sitting on a bench on the stone steps.
It is true that he is a family of magnates. Although Wu Chongguan is not as tall as Ouyang Xiu now, he is better than Ouyang Xiu at first glance.
Ouyang Xiu's father, Ouyang Guan, passed the Jinshi examination at the age of 49. Ouyang Xiu was born when he was appointed as an official in Mianyang, but Ouyang Guan died of illness soon after. Not only did Ouyang Xiu's family fall into decline, but he also lost all his connections. He had no money to buy paper when he was young. His mother "Hua Di taught her son" and left a good story.
Therefore, in the history books, Ouyang Xiu and Fan Zhongyan can only be regarded as "Han Confucian" origins.
Wu Daiwen, the father of Wu Yu and Wu Chong, was also a poor scholar. He visited Yang Yi, a minister from his hometown, several times to seek advice.
However, Yang Yi's students all looked down upon Wu Daiwen's origins. But Yang Yi said to his disciples: "What he will enjoy in the future is beyond the reach of Ruocao."
Later, Wu Daiwen really passed the Jinshi examination in the third year of Xianping, and was appointed as the county lieutenant of Wanshou County in Yingzhou, and finally became the minister of the Ministry of Rites.
Wu Daiwen's three sons, Wu Yu, Wu Jing, and Wu Fang, passed the Jinshi examination at the same time in the fifth year of Tiansheng. Among them, Wu Yu even became the only one in the founding of the Song Dynasty to reach the third level in the system.
When he arrived in Wuchong, he became a Jinshi in the first year of Baoyuan. Since then, the Wu family has completed "one discipline and five Jinshi".
Although there is currently no Jinshi in the third generation of the Wu family, the imperial court will grant him a title sooner or later, so it is not an exaggeration to call the family three generations of officials and a hairpin family.
Facing the groom's question, Zhang Yue looked at the plaque on the Wu Mansion and nodded: "It is indeed this place."
Zhang Yue paid for the carriage and as soon as he got off the carriage, the servants waiting at the gate of the mansion came to greet him.
Zhang Yue took out the invitation, and the other party smiled and said, "It turns out he is an official of the Zhang family. Our two gentlemen have been waiting for you for a long time."
The main door is closed in the middle, and the servant leads Zhang Yue through the left corner door to enter.
When Zhang Yue entered, the servants in front of Wu Mansion couldn't help but whisper.
"Wearing a long robe and coming in a carriage?"
"I am a scholar, so what if I wear a long robe?"
"That's true."
"The master always told me not to judge people by their clothes."
Zhang Yue entered with the servants of the Wu Mansion. Although the things he saw could not be described as "qiong trees, jade halls, carved walls and embroidered hubs", it was not something that he, a young man who had lived in a "village in the city", could describe.
If you really want to describe the atmosphere of wealth.
Zhang Yue remembers someone saying that "using gold, jade, and brocade to describe wealth only makes the poet cold and stupid. It is better to express the atmosphere of wealth with the sentence "The music returns to the courtyard, the lights come down from the balcony."
At this moment, Zhang Yue felt like "the music is returning to the courtyard and the lights are coming down the stairs."
The sound of sheng and singing could indeed be heard from the terraces and courtyards. It seemed like a woman was strumming the strings and singing softly, like Wu Nong's soft words, or like Susu Cantonese songs.
Zhang Yue thought to himself, Wu Erlangjun lives here, no wonder he doesn't pay attention to his classmates in Taixue.
And... the seventeenth lady of the Wu family, although she knew she was born into a wealthy family, she still didn't expect to be so wealthy.
How to say?
Zhang Yue felt that he had a small thought, but he cut it off instantly.
Zhang Yue suddenly remembered that in his last life, he asked a senior brother for advice. When I met a girl he didn't like on a blind date, how should I behave to make her look down on her? The senior brother put out his cigarette butt, patted himself on the shoulder, and said sincerely: "Just behave normally."
Speaking of senior brother, Zhang Yue couldn't help but think of senior brother Guo at this moment. He must be in Nanjing Imperial College now.
I wonder which one he is thinking about more now, his wife or Miao Sanniang?
He and his second brother are both heirs of "beat him to death but don't tell anyone".
And now it's time for me to 'behave normally'.
When Zhang Yue was thinking carefully, he heard someone laughing: "Isn't this Saburo?"
Zhang Yue turned around and saw that it was Liu Ji.
Liu Ji looked Zhang Yue up and down and said with a smile: "Sanlang, this robe fits you very well!"
Zhang Yue smiled, and when he was about to speak, he saw Liu Ji wearing a brocade robe, but he was outdone by him. However, I remember that Liu Ji was clearly from the Han family. He might have bought a brocade robe after the second examination of the Imperial College, which is understandable.
When Ouyang Xiu got the provincial title, didn't he also order a 'number one scholar robe' for himself?
Zhang Yue said: "Thank you very much for the gift from the chief. It fits me very well. I just happened to be attending the banquet today. I don't have any good clothes, so I wore this piece given by the chief."
Liu Ji said with a smile: "It's a small effort, thank you for anything, as long as Sanlang is happy. It's just that when Sanlang came to the Wu Mansion for a banquet, he didn't inform you in advance, so that you and I can come in the same car. Yes, I remember that Sanlang still Not married yet!"
Zhang Yue said: "Indeed, why did the chief ask this? By the way, the chief is not married yet, but I heard in the Zhai that there was a good woman in the chief's family who married on the fingertips of her parents' orders. Is it?"
Liu Ji smiled and said: "Sanlang inquired very clearly, but this happened many years ago. Our two families have not had any contact for many years, and I don't know whether it is true or not."
"That's it." Zhang Yue nodded in relief.
"Let's go! I will introduce you to some young talents in Bianjing."
At this time, they heard a low-pitched Sheng song, which sounded like fairy music. The two of them couldn't help but stop and admire it.
After the music stopped for a while, Liu Ji said to Zhang Yue: "This must be the music and dance of Wu Mansion. Let's go and see it together."
"good!"
Zhang Yue and Liu Ji walked together through the rockery pavilions, bypassed several cloisters and courtyards, passed through several doors, passed through several winding bridges, and finally arrived at a pavilion covered by a bamboo forest.
But just above the pavilion, someone was playing drums, and several singers sang on the strings.
Several scholars in the audience were admiring it with their hands behind their backs.
Zhang Yue couldn't help but stop his feet when he saw a very tall man among the crowd, and his heart stopped.
Zhang Yue rubbed his eyes and looked again.
But I saw the man turned his head and said a few words to others, and I happened to see his face clearly.
Yes, I read it correctly. This person is his second brother, now named Zhang Dun!
