Xie Xue'e did not issue an order to expel guests.
But when she looked at Wang Lengran, who had a stern look on her face, her stern and cold face made even a fool see the disgust and disgust in it.
What's more, the hall is full of distinguished and distinguished people.
It was only because of Xie's upbringing and the 600-year-old family tradition of not humiliating gentry scholars in public that they didn't explode on the spot.
The banquet continued as planned.
It's just that tonight's birthday girl has already run away with others, so naturally the rest of the session is just a formality, with Xie Xue'e appeasing the guests and apologizing to end it.
Wang Lengran was sitting on pins and needles in front of the table, even though Xie Xue'e had never looked at her since she had stared coldly for a while.
But Wang Lengran still felt hot on his face as he sat among the guests who were famous in Jiangnan Road.
Losing face.
As things have developed so far, the verbal reactions of the distinguished guests around have already pieced together the overall picture of the incident.
Wang Lengran didn't know that Xie Xue'e's pressure on Ouyang Rong was their own family matter.
From beginning to end, he was the only outsider jumping up and down.
Even Xie Xue'e just agreed to his proposal and took out Ouyang Rong's gifts and opened them in public to check, possibly to help Ouyang Rong clear away the corruption suspicion of "giving expensive gifts"...
When I think of the fact that not long ago, he was a dignified governor of a state, but in the eyes of the old nobles who understood tonight's incident of "Xie's suppression of his son-in-law", he looked like a clown.
Wang Lengran's face looked like an overripe rotten eggplant, with patches of blue and purple.
Master Sihui asked carefully: "Master Wang, are you okay?"
"No...it's okay."
"But why is your face so red..."
"Hahaha, drink tonight, I'm too drunk, I'm too drunk."
Wang Lengran forced a laugh twice and laughed.
"laugh."
There seemed to be a few disdainful sneers from the nobles coming from the dining table next door.
Wang Lengran's smile froze, a burst of energy and blood rushed to his head, his fists clenched and trembled, but he did not dare to turn around and look over there.
Even keep smiling.
Wang Lengran faintly heard the voice coming from behind, the voice of Uncle Qin, a veteran and noble man who seemed to have deep connections in the army.
The old man told the younger generation around him in a calm tone not to invite some "miscellaneous people" from Jiangzhou to banquets and celebrations related to the Qin family in the future.
Master Sihui, Daochang Qin and other Jiangzhou celebrities who were sitting at the table with a certain "miscellaneous person" couldn't help but look at him with side eyes.
The person who was originally going to say a few words of relief quietly closed his mouth.
Then, they calmly moved away from Wang Lengran, and some of them even turned their heads to look at the door, where a certain Jiang governor held the hand of the noble daughter of the Xie family and left.
By now, everyone can see the inner meaning of the dinner party held tonight by Mrs. Xie and Mr. Xie of Chen County:
In addition to following the tradition of supporting the Xie family's daughter and routinely "humiliating" his own son-in-law in public, he was also implicitly supporting Ouyang Lianghan, the newly appointed son-in-law.
Perhaps the Xie family of Chen County would not interfere in Jiangzhou affairs, and would not take a clear-cut stand and get involved in the Liwei dispute.
But Ouyang Lianghan, as the new son-in-law of the Xie family, would not allow outsiders to insult him, especially in Jiangnan Road.
Even in the unlikely event that he fails in the struggle, everyone should treat him a little less favorably and don't do too much because of his status as the new son-in-law of this century-old family.
It's almost an upright declaration.
Of course, there is also the purpose of introducing Ouyang Lianghan to the old nobles of Jiangnan Province and attracting him into the circle.
Some circles are not something you can join if you have money or even power.
Let's not mention money. Look at Pei Qiniang. Isn't the wealthy salt merchant still trying his best to please and befriend Ouyang Rong?
The seemingly glamorous power of Jiangzhou Governor and other officials also has a shelf life, and they cannot be held for a long time, and they may lose power one day.
Therefore, tonight, the old nobles from all over Jiangnan Province, as well as Xie Xue'e, who represents the Xie family, are able to show cold faces to Wang Lengran, the governor of Jiangzhou, who is a big official, and even sneer behind his back.
A circle similar to the nobility, just like old money, needs a kind of solidification of class that has completed a reasonable transformation. This is the long-term wealth, which is often said to be a noble man.
One of the most concise and efficient ways to achieve identity recognition is through blood or marriage...
At this moment, I listened to Uncle Qin and other veteran nobles around me talk about and smile kindly towards a young man with fox-white fur.
Needless to say, in the future, the concierge of the Lord Changshi's residence will inevitably have to carefully receive invitations to banquets from various princes and nobles, and the dress he wears for each banquet may have to be that of the Lord Changshi. Little annoyances for adults.
Daochang Qin and other local celebrities in Jiangzhou were somewhat envious.
These are the glorious benefits of marrying a luxurious woman with the fifth surname. This does not include the addition of honor to the family name, etc. There will be various invisible gains for the rest of your life, which will bring face bonus to the individual and the family.
The above is especially true for a poor scholar.
A certain Jiangzhou governor also understood this, and his feelings of envy and regret were unspeakable. After a while, as soon as the banquet was over, he felt restless and hurriedly said goodbye and left this humiliating hall.
Since then, the Jiangzhou governor's reputation has been tarnished in the circle of noble nobles in Jiangnan. Even the attitude of Jiangzhou's elite circles towards him may have become subtle...
No one paid attention to Wang Lengran's back as he left the scene in despair.
Xie Xue'e kept smiling and stood at the door of Xunyang Tower, sending away the distinguished guests attending the banquet in the cool river breeze.
I saw the dark night on the horizon, suddenly covered with silver snakes.
Boom——!
The thunder was long overdue.
Water drops hit the eaves above everyone's heads in front of the door.
The sound of rain outside the building changed from sparse to frequent and loud.
A little bit of rain blown by the river wind hit the hems of Xie Xue'e and Uncle Qin who were about to leave.
"Thank you, little lady, please come back. I've worked hard tonight to help my niece...it's raining."
Uncle Qin took the umbrella handed by the junior, turned around and said with a smile:
"The gift from your son-in-law is quite unpredictable."
Mentioning someone and a gift, Xie Xue'e's mouth twitched, helplessly:
"Tonight, I made Uncle Qin laugh."
"No, no." Uncle Qin waved his hands cheerfully, turned to look at the rain curtain hanging from the eaves, and sighed:
"Oh, it's great to be young. Flowers will bloom again, and people will never be young again."
After saying that, the tall old man took the junior entourage and left under the umbrella. Before leaving, he did not forget to smile and shake the lady:
"It will rain a little today, and my wife will get married, hahahaha."
Xie Xue'e laughed and shook her head.
After the guests had left, she turned her head and looked at the rain curtain, frowning slightly.
"Speaking of which, did you achieve your goal tonight, or did you fail? Hey, why did it end up like this? It didn't scare that kid at all."
The noble lady Bu Yao had a complicated expression on her face.
Tonight, she and Mrs. Xie were clearly going to support Seventeenth Mother and show off her wealth, in order to wake up someone's stupid head.
But now it seems that Yu Mu's head has been awakened, but this awakening is too complete. He does not regard her and everyone as outsiders at all, and directly takes away the seventeenth mother in public. This progress is too fast. Yes, although it’s not impossible...
But in the end, the stall was lost and she had to stay and clean it up.
Although Seventeenth Mother's expression at that time seemed to be very happy, Xie Xue'e certainly knew that her niece must be satisfied with tonight with her silly look.
But as her sister-in-law, she felt a little unhappy... This guy didn't follow her script at all.
Xie Xue'e couldn't help but turn her head and look at the rain curtain in front of her that was getting heavier and heavier and gradually became hazy and foggy. She frowned and muttered:
"For her to eat? But it's windy and rainy outside. Where is this kid going to take my seventeenth mother?"
…
After leaving the first-floor hall filled with heaters, I just walked out of the door and felt the river breeze blowing on my face, refreshing and refreshing.
But Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang's fingers were intertwined and their hands were holding each other tighter and tighter.
The two held each other tightly, afraid of losing each other for a moment.
Ouyang Rong strode forward, leading her forward.
Xie Lingjiang held a precious oil-paper umbrella in one arm and followed step by step. His face was a little dazed and his pink cheeks were getting hotter.
The scattered passers-by around them stopped curiously and looked at this strange man and woman.
Ouyang Rong didn't care at all about the gazes around him and moved forward without squinting.
He didn't know where he was going. He just wanted to lead his little junior sister out. After going out, he didn't even know the direction and plunged into the beautiful night beside the Xunyang River.
Ouyang Rong felt that the palms of his hands were covered with sweat. He didn't know whether it was his junior sister's sweat or his own sweat.
Her bare hands were like catkins, soft, moist and warm, like a piece of warm Hetian jade that could squeeze out water, which made his heart flutter, and he couldn't help but squeeze it...and then squeeze it again.
The stunning little girl behind her seemed to have reacted to something. She noticed the gazes of passers-by and her cheeks turned red. Fortunately, the night covered her, otherwise she would have been too shameless to see people.
Ouyang Rong felt the little junior sister's bare hand behind him retract with a little force, and struggled symbolically.
He still didn't let go, and even held it tighter.
Finally, walking to a deserted path, Xie Lingjiang's weak voice came:
"Let go and I'll tie the hem of your skirt so it won't get in the way when you walk. We'll hold hands later."
When it came to the second word holding hands, she was as weak as a mosquito.
Ouyang Rong stopped and turned around. Xie Lingjiang had no time to brake and ran into his arms.
Ouyang Rong took advantage of the situation and held her shoulders. Just when he was about to look into her eyes and speak, Xie Lingjiang immediately squatted down and tied the hem of her skirt in a hurry.
Xie Lingjiang's face turned red as she lowered her head. The man's breath that hit her face just now made her heart beat fast. She almost thought that the senior brother was going to kiss her domineeringly.
But after shyly squatting down to avoid it, Xie Lingjiang suddenly felt regretful in his heart. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it.
She raised her head with a guilty conscience and was about to explain, but saw her senior brother also squatting down and pulling out the skirt knife from his waist.
The young man in fox white fur lowered his head and cut off the hem of the stunning little girl's long skirt that trailed to the floor.
But he didn't throw it away as Xie Lingjiang expected. He rolled up the skirt of the dress, which he regarded as a treasure, and stuffed it into his arms.
Stand up again and pull her up again.
"Okay." Ouyang Rong calmly sheathed his sword.
Xie Lingjiang: "..."
Ouyang Rong asked: "Are you distressed?"
Xie Lingjiang shook his head, then smiled and looked at the confused him with bright eyes.
Ouyang Rong asked blankly:
"What are you laughing at?"
Xie Lingjiang turned his gaze away and mustered up the courage to curse: "You are so stupid."
Ouyang Rong thought for a while and smiled. Thinking back carefully, he was indeed a straight man in doing things, purely based on intuition.
Ouyang Rong suddenly said: "But doesn't someone just like elm heads?"
Xie Ling Jiang blushed and looked away: "Whoever likes it, don't talk nonsense."
A certain "Old Love Talk Assassin" smiled and extended his palm, tilting his head slightly to signal her.
"snort."
Xie Lingjiang silently raised his hand halfway, shrank back, raised his face, puffed up his cheeks and asked:
"Let me tell you first, what is our relationship now?"
Ouyang Rong raised his palm, gently lifted up a few strands of hair hanging down her forehead, and rolled it behind her delicate right ear.
Then he couldn't help but pinch Xie Lingjiang's round, round chin with two fingers.
The young man with fox-white fur didn't say anything, but carefully combed her hair and looked at her with gentle eyes.
Everything is left unsaid.
Xie Lingjiang suddenly felt a surge of sweetness in his heart, the sweetness that comes after all the hardships.
She took the initiative to grab his palm.
"where are we going?"
Ouyang Rong thought for a while: "Go back to Huaiye Lane first. I was walking in a hurry just now and forgot to call the carriage, but now I'm halfway there, so I might as well walk back."
"Okay." Xie Lingjiang said immediately.
Ouyang Rong held her hand and continued to walk on the road, but after only taking a few steps, thunder suddenly sounded above his head.
Immediately, it rained heavily.
"Oops, why is it raining?"
"Where's the umbrella?"
"oh!"
An oil-paper umbrella was opened, and the two of them were huddled under the umbrella, shoulder to shoulder.
She held the umbrella handle with her left hand.
In his right hand he held catkins and an umbrella handle.
Ouyang Rong quietly turned aside and gave up half of his shoulder space.
A certain delicate figure under the umbrella moved quietly and gave up half of her shoulders.
As a result, this "no tacit understanding" of humility caused both of them to get half wet.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and suddenly a strong river wind mixed with rain swept towards the two of them. The bamboo oil-paper umbrella rattled, and the ribs were difficult to hold and began to bend.
Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang were immediately soaked.
The latter cried out sweetly, but Ouyang Rong suddenly laughed and looked up at the rain: "Hahaha, using an umbrella is just like not using one at all, forget it."
He threw the oil-paper umbrella worth eight thousand taels into the wind and rain.
Hold the important people around you and run forward.
"Yeah, my umbrella!" Xie Lingjiang turned around, his beautiful eyes widening.
"You're so stupid. Stop holding an umbrella. Let's go quickly and find a place to hide from the rain."
In the wind and rain, he continued to say loudly:
"If you like it, I will make an umbrella for you every day to protect you from the wind and rain."
Xie Lingjiang turned her head and shouted loudly amidst the thunder and rain:
"Okay! This is what you said, Ouyang Lianghan, don't lie to me!"
After a pause, the stunning little girl turned her wet pretty face and said seriously:
"Also, you are not allowed to default on my longevity noodles."
Ouyang Rong nodded helplessly: "Okay, okay!"
The stern-faced Xie Lingjiang suddenly broke into a smile, the corners of her lips curled up sweetly, and she followed him forward very obediently.
Wherever the eldest brother goes, she will follow him, and she is not afraid of getting wet in the rain.
After a while, the two turned around a street and suddenly saw a temple standing in front of the rain curtain, with dazzling warm lights and the temple door was not closed.
Ouyang Rong turned around and said, "We can't go back to Huaiye Lane in time. Let's go to the temple to take shelter from the rain and warm up the fire. This kind of temple in the city should have a guesthouse for the donor to stay overnight."
"good."
The two hurriedly ran away, knowing that it would be faster if they let go and each ran his own way, but they clumsily held hands.
After a while, I finally rushed into the temple.
After a while, several monks who were keeping vigil in the main hall of the temple saw two wet figures rushing into the main hall from the rain curtain.
This pair of handsome men and women looked at each other as if there was no one else around. They both put their hands on their knees and panted. When they saw each other soaked in water, they both smiled stupidly.
Several monks were stunned for a moment.
Let’s call the next chapter a short story after the rain.
(End of chapter)
