"Guest, are you full?"
Cui Weng of the Shishifang soup cake shop was very happy to see Zhuge Dan eating with gusto.
After all, as a cook, watching your guests enjoy your food is indeed the happiest thing.
Zhuge Dan took the hot towel handed by Cui Sanlang, wiped his mouth, and then replied with a smile:
"I'm full. Thank you Cui Weng. Xiao Ke will come again next time!"
"Okay, okay!"
That Cui Weng smiled like an enamel old man, looking very naive.
He looked at Zhuge Dan's handsome back in the distance with his weathered eyes, and with his same weathered voice, he said to his only son Cui Sanlang:
"Sanlang, you must remember that when dealing with these young men in the capital, no matter whether they are high or low, or prosperous or down, when interacting with them, you must always remember four words: neither humble nor arrogant."
Cui Sanlang, who was cleaning the counter seats, seemed a little puzzled:
"But why?"
The old man narrowed his weathered eyes, seemingly thoughtful.
After a long while, he opened his eyes again and said word by word:
"It's just to survive in Luoyang City."
Cui Sanlang heard this and scratched his head, thoughtfully.
————
Jiuzifang, Yejia Tea House.
He Zeng, who was dressed in civilian clothes and looked calm and relaxed, just like an ordinary civilian scholar, was sitting across from brothers Yuan Kan and Yuan Liang.
Naturally, other people in the store could not recognize that these three people, who were disguised as commoners, were He Zeng, an important staff member of His Royal Highness Cao Rui, the Prince of Pingyuan in the East Palace, and the eldest son of the famous minister He Kui and He Shulong: He Zeng. And the two sons of the Yuan family, Yuan Kan and Yuan Liang, are famous for their talents.
The three of them were discussing something in low voices at the moment, and the people on the side could not hear clearly what the three of them were talking about, but there was a man who was also sitting on the second floor of the Yejia Tea House, wearing a black hairband, and Wearing a black Kui dragon-patterned robe, the young nobleman was slowly tasting fresh tea leaves, but he could clearly hear the conversation between the three people.
This person is none other than the son of Guang Luxun and Hexi and Yangshi, He Kui.
He Kui came here today not to listen to the words of the three people he knew well, but because this is Jiuzifang where Xiahou Mansion is located, and the second floor pavilion of Yejia Tea House overlooks Xiahou Mansion. The scene in the outer courtyard.
In other words, He Kui came here today hoping to have the opportunity to meet Xia Houyu, the apple of Xiahou Zhengnan's eye, the younger sister of the young master Xiahou Xuan, and the second lady of the Xiahou Mansion.
Ever since he said goodbye to Xia Houyu on the last night of alert in Luoyang, He Kui fell in love with her at first sight and couldn't help himself.
Therefore, he often came here on his days off to enjoy tea and admire the scenery. He came here to wait, just to catch a glimpse of the beautiful woman from a distance.
Today was also He Kui's day of rest, and he who had come to see the beauty from afar accidentally overheard the conversation between the three people.
I could only hear the worried words of He Zeng:
"Brother Yuan, I heard about an unfair incident recently. I don't know, should I talk about it or not?"
When Yuan Kan and Yuan Liang heard this, they burst into laughter and said:
"Brother He, the three of you and I can just say what we have to say, so why bother hiding it?"
He Kui was originally really looking at the scenery and beauties, but at this moment, he was inadvertently attracted by He Zeng's words.
Just listen to He Zeng continue to say:
"He was in Luoyang and knew a high-ranking family. There were many children in this high-ranking family, and they all wanted their own share of the huge fortune left by the head of the family, and they didn't want other brothers to take advantage."
When Yuan Kan heard this, he couldn't help but said:
"This matter is not difficult. Since ancient times, the heir to the family must be the eldest son. Even if the other children want to compete, how can they win over this large amount of orthodoxy?"
He Zeng took a sip of tea, shook his head, sighed and said:
"Brother Yuan doesn't know something. If the status of the heir of the eldest clan is stable, then the other children would not dare to have such unreasonable thoughts. But the bad thing is that the head of that family once had a prejudice against the heir's mother, so this Only then did I have the idea of yi heir."
"I see!"
Yuan Kan and Yuan Liang suddenly realized what they were saying.
He Zeng continued:
"However, not long ago, the second son who wanted to seize the family property made a mistake, and therefore lost his father's favor. Therefore, his father no longer wanted to pass on the family property to the second son, and instead began to train the younger son. This It doesn’t matter if the first son cultivates the younger son, but it arouses the jealousy and hatred of the second son!”
"Ah!" Yuan Kan and Yuan Liang exclaimed in unison: "It's the second son who wants to get rid of the younger brother?!"
He Zeng nodded meaningfully and said:
"That's right. Unfortunately, I have contacts with the brothers in that mansion, so I don't want to see them fighting each other. Therefore, I came to ask two wise brothers to help me plan something."
Yuan Kan and Yuan Liang are both smart people, so they will naturally know what He Zeng is saying as soon as they hear it. It's just that they kept pretending to be dumbfounded in order to deceive others.
"The two of us are willing to help my brother solve his problems!"
He Kui had been drinking tea and looking into the distance as if nothing had happened. However, he heard what the three people just said inadvertently and in his heart.
However, at this moment, his attention was no longer on the words of He Zeng, Yuan Kan, and Yuan Liang.
In the high-walled courtyard of Xiahou Mansion in the distance, the girl, who is as smart and lively as a sacred deer, is playing shuttlecock with two playmates and maids.
And He Kui was smiling and looking at the wife he thought of as his future wife.
————
In the north of Luoyang City, outside Guangmo Gate, in the Xuanwu Field.
A group of young men wearing soft armor, riding horses, and holding moon sticks were currently playing games on the polo field.
Cao Jian, King of Dongwuyang, who is a forward himself, is commanding the three "generals" under his command at this moment:
"Li Yi, attack with me, Cui Zanxu Yun, hold your position!"
"only!"
After listening to the order, Li Yi, Cui Zan, and Xu Yun immediately returned to their respective positions and began to cooperate with Cao Jian.
I saw Cao Jian, who had just been crowned King of Dongwuyang, wearing a soft Pixiu armor, holding a carved dragon moon staff several feet long and resembling a crescent moon, galloping back and forth on the court on horseback.
As the auxiliary forward, Li Yi waved the moon stick in his hand and passed the Qibaohu, which was as big as a fist, light and tough, hollow in the middle, decorated with various colors and carved, towards Cao Jian, the main forward.
"Your Highness, pick it up!"
Li Yi urged his mount, and with a shout, he hit Cao Jian under Cao Jian's horse. Cao Jian, with quick eyes and quick hands, immediately danced the carved moon staff, urged the yellow-maned puma under his crotch, took the colorful banquet, and headed towards the opposite side. Sima Shi, Sima Zhao, Zhong Yu, and Chen Tai attacked the position.
The opponent's defenders Zhong Yu and Chen Tai saw it clearly and immediately began to wave their moon sticks and stepped forward to intercept the colorful ball flying towards their own goal.
Although Cao Jian has excellent equestrian skills, he is still young and therefore lacks arm strength. Therefore, this ball was not able to break through Chen Tai's defense.
Chen Tai has been practicing martial arts for many years, and he can see clearly. With a backhand stroke of his staff, he passed the seven-color sword to the horse of his own offensive forward, Sima Shi.
Sima Shi, who had been prepared for a long time, immediately waved his moon stick and hit Cao Jian's goal.
Xu Yun couldn't help but panic when he saw that the Caihui struck by Sima Master was so powerful and heavy. However, Cui Zan was indeed proficient in martial arts. He was bold and careful and used the January Staff in his backhand to hit the Caihui back again. Xu Yun He caught up again and passed the colorful banner to the horse of Cao Jian, King of Dongwuyang. Cao Jian missed once and did not dare to be careless again.
I saw Cao Jian dancing the moon stick three times in a row and hitting the flying colorful stick.
Everyone looked carefully and saw that Cao Jian's move was indeed extraordinary. In this move, he integrated the "three-five vertical and horizontal" skills of Cao Xia's swordsmanship inherited from his family into his polo technique.
Therefore, this move was so fierce and had a weird angle that it actually caused the four polo masters Sima Shi, Sima Zhao, Chen Tai, and Zhong Yu to miss one by one.
With a clang, Caihu entered the door and struck the golden bell.
Cao Jian also showed a proud smile on his crown-like face.
"Your Highness, what a great game!"
Everyone on the field agreed and praised him.
"Your Highness, this is really a long feast for a couple singing and screaming. They are striking at the ground in succession, and they are so skillful and agile!"
Zhong Yu has always been tactful, and now he flatters Cao Jian, a young man, with Cao Zhi, King of Zhencheng's "Famous Capital Chapter", which naturally makes Cao Jian very useful.
"His Highness is indeed very skilled. His Highness won again today."
Following the orders of his eldest brother, Li Yi, who wanted to protect Cao Jian's safety, now said:
"The time has just arrived. Why don't you let me accompany your highness to have dinner?"
Cao Jian took the sweat towel handed by his entourage, wiped the hot sweat from his forehead, nodded, laughed and said:
"In that case, it's okay. Let's return to the city after the clouds disperse and come back in the morning. The days are long, so go have a meal and drive!"
The seven riders immediately turned their horses and followed Cao Jian towards the south gate.
————
"Brother Zhuge is really a noble man and has done a lot of work these days. It's hard for us to even see you!"
As soon as they met, Wei Lie started laughing and teasing Zhuge Dan.
Zhuge Dan laughed and spat, laughing and scolding:
"Sooner or later, you will know how bad this minister is!"
Wei Lie smiled and said:
"I am already the Sima Governor of the East Palace Guards. I am afraid that I will not be able to hold such a prestigious position as Shang Shulang!"
Xuncan saw the two of them bickering happily, and the corners of his mouth kept rising. Xuncan didn't talk much these days, so he just smiled and said nothing.
Fu Guze held tightly the annotations of "Laozi" that Xun Can gave him in his hand. It seemed that he couldn't put it down for the ancient slips.
A few people were talking and laughing, and after a while, they were led by Zhuge Dan to the Su family tea house.
Wei Lie smiled and said:
"Why, brother on vacation, you finally invited us once, but you didn't go for a drink. Isn't it a bit unsatisfactory?"
Zhuge Dan smiled and replied:
"If you want to drink, naturally you have to wait until Brother Xuan returns to Beijing and get drunk before you stop!"
Wei Lie, Fu Gu, Xun Can, and Cao Xi all nodded and said with a smile:
"That's right, that's right. Without Brother Xiahou, drinking would really be less interesting."
Zhuge Dan chose a good seat and immediately shouted:
"Waiter, serve tea!"
