Yunze followed Mrs. Luo and Mrs. Luo into the Jing'an Marquis Mansion. The entire mansion seemed to be joyful and festive. The maids and servants in the mansion were walking back and forth, looking very busy.
When Yunze saw this scene, he remembered that today is the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month. According to the custom in the north of Jing Dynasty, this day is the off year. If it is the custom in the south, the 24th of the twelfth lunar month is the small year.
No wonder the streets were very lively when they came. At that time, Yunze was only thinking about what would happen if he came to visit the Marquis, but he forgot that today is the New Year in the north.
Fortunately, when he came, he brought a lot of gifts, which was not rude. Mrs. Luo and Mrs. Luo didn't mention it, maybe because they thought Yunze knew about it.
When passing the first courtyard, there were many carriages parked in the courtyard. Judging from the luxury of the carriages, it seemed that there were many guests coming to Jing'an Marquis Mansion today.
It was already Youshi, the time for the dinner. These people were probably coming to the Jing'an Marquis Mansion for the banquet. Yunze had a vague feeling that what Mrs. Luo said might mean something else.
Along the way, the servants of the Hou Mansion saluted everyone. After most of the people saluted, they secretly looked at Yunze and saw that Yunze was graceful and the maids all had faces full of joy. There was envy and jealousy in the servant's eyes.
Soon after turning around the front yard, everyone came to the middle yard. The huge courtyard was filled with banquets. The crowd was crowded, and everyone was surrounding them. It seemed that they were not seated at the table.
In the main hall in front, many people were gathered there talking about something, and in the middle was an old man who looked to be in his sixties. He seemed to be in good spirits.
The whole person exuded a sense of peace, but there was also a murderous aura about him, an aura that was not angry but powerful. That majesty showed that he had been in a high position for a long time.
Marquis Jing'an was a military general and once served as the head coach of the border army. He fought several tough battles with the Khitan. Although he did not win, he was not defeated either. His title was inherited from his ancestors.
His ancestors once followed Taizu to conquer the world. After Taizu founded the country, he named the ancestor of the Luo family the Marquis of Jing'an, and he and the Yang family, the Duke of Han Dynasty, were also regarded as the founding heroes of the country.
The old man in the main hall at this time should be Marquis Jing'an. The crowd focused on him and surrounded him. Most of them were full of compliments. Yunze saw familiar figures among these people.
Tong Ming, Marquis of Wu'an, was standing next to Marquis Jing'an. In front of Marquis Jing'an, Marquis Wu'an could only be regarded as a junior.
Moreover, the title of Marquis Wu'an was not hereditary, but was awarded by the current emperor, and could not be hereditary. In terms of title, Marquis Wu'an was inferior to Marquis Jing'an, not to mention that he was still a junior.
It's not surprising that he would appear at the banquet at Jing'an Marquis Mansion. In addition to Marquis Wu'an, there were many dignitaries gathered there talking and laughing.
These people were probably here to take pictures of the horses in Jing'an, so I chose to come here today. Judging from the lineup, there were at least a hundred people gathered here. The restaurant alone has more than ten tables prepared.
Marquis Jing'an is now the Crown Prince and Tutor, and can be considered a celebrity in the court. His son is also the Minister of Rites, a second-rank official, which is almost the same as the first-rank official of the Prince and Tutor, Marquis Jing'an.
Jing Houhou's two grandsons also hold official positions, the worst one is seventh grade, and the other is sixth grade. The future achievements will definitely not be low. It would be strange for the powerful people in the capital not to fawn over such a family.
As for the appearance of Marquis Wu An, Yunze was actually not surprised. He even had a vague feeling about the reason for his appearance. The most likely reason is that he wants to draw Marquis Jing'an into his main battle camp.
At this time, the bustle in the middle courtyard suddenly stopped with the arrival of Mrs. Luo and Mrs. Luo. Everyone looked over and hurriedly said hello to Mrs. Luo and Mrs. Luo.
As for Luo Qingcen who was following behind him, most of the people nodded to express their goodwill, but when they came to Yunze's side, these people simply ignored him. I don’t know if these people look down on Yunze, or if they don’t want to say hello rashly.
In the main hall, Marquis Jing'an also stopped talking and looked at Yunze. Standing behind him was a middle-aged man who looked somewhat similar to Luo Xuan. Behind the middle-aged ones are two young men in their twenties, who look somewhat similar to the middle-aged ones.
They should be Luo Qingcen's uncle and two cousins. Seeing Luo Qingcen come in, Mr. Luo and his son and grandson behind him showed joy on their faces. If it weren't for the presence of guests, they might have come to greet him.
However, when they saw Yunze following behind Luo Qingcen, the four men from the Luo family suddenly looked at him with some scrutiny. There was no disgust or liking in them, but they were just normal scrutiny.
"Grandpa...uncle, eldest brother, second brother!" Seeing the people in the hall, Luo Qingcen quickly greeted them with a sweet smile. At this point, Luo Qingcen looked at Wu Anhou again and smiled. A gift.
"My niece has met Uncle Tong!" She did not address Wu An by his title, but used a term of endearment. It can be regarded as giving face to his grandfather, and also giving face to Wu Anhou.
The four of them nodded to Luo Qingcen, but didn't say much. After all, there are so many guests watching around, so you can't show off too much.
Now that everyone is here, let’s start the dinner and let’s talk during the dinner! Marquis Jingwu nodded to a steward on the side.
The steward quickly invited everyone to sit down, while Marquis Jing'an led several officials and young people to a table in the main hall.
Marquis Jing'an sat in the main seat, and Marquis Wu An sat in the left-hand position of Marquis Jing'an. In ancient times, the seating order was based on the left and east. Marquis Wu An is sitting under the left hand. He is second only to Marquis Jing'an in terms of status in the field.
Yunze's position was arranged below Marquis Wu An. The arrangement of this position made Yunze slightly stunned. The position under Marquis Wu'an indicates the second highest status.
Yunze was filled with surprise. Judging from the seating arrangement, although Marquis Jing'an didn't seem to be enthusiastic about him, he obviously still gave him face.
He didn't mean to look down upon him, and arranged his position in second place, second only to Marquis Wu An.
Opposite Yunze sat two young men, both of whom looked to be in their twenties. Not to say handsome, but passable.
They looked at Yunze with a hint of jealousy, but they didn't show it on the surface.
There were only five people at the entire table, and there was no one on the opposite side of Jing'anhou. Even Luo Ming and his two sons did not sit here. Instead, he sat at other tables.
In other words, the only people who are temporarily qualified to sit at Lord Luo's table are Yunze, Marquis Wu An and the two young men opposite. Their status is probably not simple.
"Oze, grandpa, let me introduce to you. This is Wu'an Hou Tong Ming Tong, whom you should have met..." Just as Yunze was surprised, Mr. Luo, who was sitting on the main seat, suddenly looked towards Yunze said in a calm voice.
As soon as he said these words, Yunze looked slightly startled. He didn't expect that the old master would actually open his mouth and call him Ozawa, and even call himself grandpa.
What he meant was that he admitted his identity in front of everyone! Yun Ze originally thought that Mr. Hou might be trying to make things difficult for him.
Now it seems that he is overthinking it, but considering how favored Luo Qingcen is in the Luo family, if she insists on marrying someone, even if the Luo family is unwilling, she probably won't embarrass Luo Qingcen.
"Nephew Yunxian, we meet again! I didn't expect to meet you in this way... From now on, let's get closer and closer!"
At this time, Marquis Wu An finally spoke up and smiled at Yunze. He had not said a word to Yunze from the time he sat down until now. Yunze thought that this old guy had forgotten about him, or was just pretending and didn't want to pay attention to him.
Now it seems that this old guy is looking at Marquis Jing'an's attitude towards him. If Marquis Jing'an doesn't take him seriously, Marquis Wu An might find an opportunity to step on him a few times.
Marquis Jing'an was so close to him in front of so many people. He was probably telling others that Yunze would be his son-in-law, so don't mess with him!
"Tonghou, long time no see, my nephew is so polite!" Yunze cupped his hands to Wu Anhou, with an indifferent expression, and greeted Wu Anhou with a smile.
His expression was neither humble nor arrogant, and his attitude was calm and composed. This performance made Mr. Luo Hou nodded slightly, with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.
Luo Ming and his two sons, who were sitting at the tables nearby, also nodded to Yunze, with some appreciation in their scrutinizing eyes.
Facing Marquis Wu An, Yunze was able to remain calm and calm, and their calm personality made them very satisfied.
Speaking of this, Lord Luo pointed to the two young men opposite Yunze and said: "Of these two, the one on the left is Li Quan, the son of Prime Minister Li You, and the one on the right is Gao Ying, the son of Lieutenant Gao."
Yunze looked at the two people opposite who had jealous faces and cold eyes. He looked indifferent and nodded slightly.
"I've met these two young masters!" Yunze bowed his hands to them! The two looked at Yunze, with a look of arrogance on their faces, and just nodded.
Seeing such an expression in Yunze's eyes, his heart became cold and there was a trace of amusement on the corner of his mouth. It seems that those two guys were probably the ones reminded by Mrs. Luo outside the door.
The reason why they were able to sit where Jing'an Hou was was not because of their own status, but because of their father's shadow.
One of their fathers is the Right Chancellor, and the other is a Taiwei. They are both first-rank officials, with the same status as Marquis Jing'an. It is impossible for them to come in person to the small New Year's banquet of Marquis Jing'an's family. Sending two juniors here was enough to give Jing'anhou some face.
As for the official position of the Privy Councilor of the Marquis of Wu'an, his official position was from the first rank, which was one level higher than that of the Six Ministers, but one level lower than that of the Marquis of Jing'an. He should come over.
Of course, he might have come here with the intention of wooing Marquis Jing'an, otherwise, there might not be anyone more suitable for his alliance with the right minister and the Taiwei.
The two guys in front of them obviously didn't like Yunze, or they didn't take Yunze seriously at all. They just nodded to Yunze's greetings, probably for Marquis Jing'an's sake.
Marquis Jing'an looked at the two young men on his right, his eyes slightly cold, but he did not have an attack. That's where the father's status lies. Not easy to offend. It's not worth it to get upset over such a trivial matter.
"Let's have a dinner!" Marquis Jing'an nodded to the butler behind him. The butler hurriedly greeted and served the dishes.
During the dinner, Yunze toasted to Jinghouan and Wuanhou, but he still refused to toast to the two gentlemen opposite him.
Marquis Jing'an pretended not to notice this, but the eyes of the two young masters opposite him flashed with anger, and their eyes were cold, as if they were about to explode at any time.
Marquis Wu An sat there calmly, pretending not to notice what happened to the three young people at the table.
Marquis Jing'an raised the corners of his mouth slightly, glanced at the two young masters with a faint look, and there was a trace of teasing on the corner of his mouth. He had already openly praised Yunze in front of everyone.
But these two guys relied on their family backgrounds to ignore Yunze. How could he, the old marquis, spoil these two people.
You are rude first. If you have this grandson-in-law, you deserve it.
"Grandpa Luo, my grandnephew is here to toast you. I wish Grandpa Luo a long life, as old as a pine tree!" At this time, Li Quan stood up and toasted to Marquis Jing'an.
Upon hearing this, Marquis Jing'an smiled and nodded, but did not raise his glass.
Li Quan raised his glass and drank all the wine, then opened his mouth and continued: "Grandpa Luo, my grandnephew came here today to ask grandpa to marry Miss Qingcen. I hope grandpa will agree to the marriage!"
As soon as he said these words, everyone who was eating around him was stunned. Everyone looked at Li Quan in shock and then at Yunze.
Everyone who came back to their senses suddenly had amusement and amusement in their eyes. Marquis Jing'an's expression turned cold, and a gleam flashed in his eyes.
Just now he had made it clear that he recognized Yunze as his grandson-in-law, and now Li Quan proposed to marry him in public. What a big deal! Hit Yunze in the face in public? Or slap him in the face.
Before Marquis Jing'an could get angry, Gao Ying on the other side also stood up and said: "Grandpa Luo, my grandnephew is also here today on my father's orders to ask Grandpa Luo to marry Miss Qingcen. I hope Grandpa Luo will grant her permission!"
As soon as Gao Ying said these words, everyone was stunned again. It didn't matter that Li Quan came to join in the fun. At this time, Gao Ying also came to join in the fun. What a big deal! ?
Moreover, the two of them asked to marry Luo Qingcen at the same time, but they did not show any intention of not dealing with him. Instead, they looked at Yunze provocatively. This is obviously going to embarrass Yunze.
Marquis Wu An glanced at Yunze, and then at the two people opposite him. His expression was calm, as if he didn't hear the two people messing around here.
Marquis Jing'an looked at the two people in front of him coldly, and there was a trace of anger in his heart that wanted to explode. Speaking of which, the reason why he recognized Yunze as his grandson-in-law today was not just because his granddaughter liked Yunze.
It was even more because he wanted to reject Li Quan and Gao Ying in public. At today's New Year's banquet, Li Quan and Gao Ying came over, and he knew what these two people wanted to do.
Their intention was to take the opportunity to propose marriage to him, and their plan was not only to marry his granddaughter, but also to take the opportunity to draw him into the main battle camp.
As for the court that is now divided into a faction that advocates war and a faction that does not advocate war, Marquis Jing'an remains neutral and does not fall to either side. Because he was the Taifu, what he said had a great effect on the emperor.
