After settling the teenagers properly, Pei Cheng hurriedly turned around, and at this time, guests began to arrive one after another.

The male guests naturally alighted from their sedan chairs in front of the house, and the carriages occupied by the wives and ladies of each family entered directly from the side door. They got off the carriage when they reached the ceremonial gate. In addition to their personal maids, there were also other guests.

The steward's daughter-in-law of the Duke's Mansion led a group of maids and women to accompany her. After entering the inner house, Mrs. Li personally greeted her.

Mr. Pei is wearing heavy makeup today and is sitting in the Ding'an Hall, waiting for the wives of Gaoming and the underage juniors from each family to come in and pay their birthdays.

Pei Rong, the uncle of Dingyuan, stayed in Dingding Hall, the main hall of Guogong Mansion. This hall name was given by the founding emperor of Daliang. He also wrote the four words "Dingguo Anbang" in his imperial pen, and made a plaque hanging in front of the hall. He is a member of the Pei clan.

A proud honor.

Although there are many guests here today, it is obvious that most of them are not qualified for Pei Rong to serve as a doorman, at least that is what he thinks. In the twenty-seventh year of the founding of the People's Republic of China, nearly half of the mansions have declined in the past hundred years.

Either due to the suppression of the Tian family, or because of their unfaithfulness, although on the outside they are still holding on to the lintel, in fact, their inner pockets have long been exhausted. In the remaining half, most of them still hold real power in the military, and most of the family heads are not here.

Kyoto. Even if we count the wealthy and powerful martial arts families that are not among the founding princes and have risen in recent years, Pei Rong feels that he needs to work hard to personally welcome them, only a few of them.

As for those whose mansions are in decline, or whose visitors are descendants of younger generations, it is enough to have their own three sons, plus the head butler Pei Yongnian to greet them.

Thinking of this, Pei Rong's eyes drifted unconsciously to Pei Yue's thin but handsome face and his calm eyes.

The servants and maids in the hall all had their heads lowered, so no one could see that Uncle Dingyuan suddenly had an anger in his eyes that was incompatible with today's festive atmosphere!

Besides, the people greeting guests at the main gate have been standing there for more than an hour. Although occasionally you can go back to the concierge to rest for a while when no one is around, but since Pei Cheng doesn't move, it's natural for others not to move arbitrarily.

Looking at Pei Cheng, who was still full of energy, Pei Yue suddenly understood that this was the martial arts they often talked about, right? It seemed that the body was really well trained. As for what kind of martial arts it was, Pei Yue didn't know. The memory of the original owner

There is no relevant content in the book, but what is certain is that it will not be the kind of magic that uses a sword to fly thousands of miles to take someone's head, otherwise the court would not have to raise an army.

Maybe... it's a similar concept to the national martial arts in the previous life?

Pei Yue is not sure, and there is no need to know too much details now.

After welcoming several groups of guests, Pei Yue estimated that it was probably close to ten o'clock in the morning. The guests coming at this time were becoming more and more important. He even saw Pei Rong coming out in person to welcome a powerful prince who was highly valued by the Tian family.

Got in.

Except for the brief exchange with Yin Dao and others before, Pei Yue stood aside honestly, watching Pei Cheng and Pei Yongnian greeting the arriving guests, with only a pair of eyes and ears, without saying a word.

.

A simple and old sedan was parked in front of Duke Dingguo's mansion, with two bearers and a young attendant holding a sword in his left hand.

Which of the guests who came today is not wearing fresh clothes, angry horses, and impressive figures?

But I don’t know the identity of the person in this sedan.

Pei Yue felt slightly curious. He turned around and saw that Pei Cheng's expression was very strange, while the expression of the chief butler Pei Yongnian became very solemn.

Obviously, they all knew the young man with the sword and who was sitting in the sedan.

Then I heard Pei Yongnian say to Li Rong behind him: "Go and inform the master."

Seeing these people facing a formidable enemy, Pei Yue was a little confused. If it was said that a large army was surrounding the house, this behavior would be understandable. At the moment, it was just a simple and old sedan, so how could they be frightened into this?

Not long after, a middle-aged man came out of the sedan chair and walked slowly to the door of the Duke's Mansion.

Pei Yue noticed that the young man always followed the middle-aged man within one meter.

It's hard to tell the age of the middle-aged man. His face doesn't look old, but his temples are already gray. His face is gentle and indifferent, his eyes are as warm as the spring breeze at this moment, and there is a hint of unquestionable majesty. As for the following

The young man next to him, Pei Yue didn't know what sharpness meant before, but now he understood the young man's cold face and ice-like eyes, and found it very dazzling.

This young man is not a good man, and that sword may have been stained with the blood of many people.

Before Pei Rong came out, Pei Cheng had to step forward and obediently salute and said, "Please greet Uncle Shen."

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "You don't have to be polite, Cheng."

This conversation made Pei Yue even more puzzled.

He looked very familiar and close, but just now Pei Yongnian had such a solemn expression, which was too contradictory.

The middle-aged man said gently: "If it hadn't been for the old lady's sixtieth birthday, it would be inconvenient for me to come. But if your father doesn't post, I can only be a bad guest."

Pei Cheng was not quick-witted at all, and facing the middle-aged man in front of him, he was far more afraid than close to him, and he was speechless at the moment.

Fortunately, Pei Yongnian, who was on the side, lowered his head and said: "Master Shen, it's not that I'm rude or that I have any intention of alienating you. It's just that your status is different after all. I don't dare to alarm you, for fear of disapproval in the court, and even more fear of worries in some people's hearts.

.”

These words made Pei Yue think about something, and at the same time he admired the courage of the chief steward to make both the Duke of Dingguo and the middle-aged man in front of him, who was obviously well-known, fearful at the same time, even to the point where he needed to avoid suspicion. Except for the emperor,

Who else is the one sitting in the city?

Sure enough, the middle-aged man glanced at Pei Yongnian approvingly and sighed: "It's not like this. It's normal. If I don't come for such a big event today, I won't be able to explain it to my old friend."

Pei Yongnian said "yes" and said no more.

The middle-aged man looked at Pei Yun first and said with a smile: "Yun'er, I heard from Mo'er that you haven't asked her to borrow books for a few days. Could it be that you finally figured it out and want to abandon literature and join martial arts?"

Compared with others, Pei Yun seemed much more calm and relaxed, but his face was a little bitter, and he sighed: "Uncle Shen, I will definitely not forget your teachings, but Sister Mo'er asks me to write my reflections every time.

Even if it is an article of a few hundred words, I still need to write tens of thousands of words, and the homework is too heavy. I just like to read, and I am not going to take the imperial examination."

The middle-aged man laughed and looked extremely cheerful: "I will tell Mo'er these words later and ask her to come to you to argue."

Pei Yun shrank his neck, then revealed some of the childishness that a thirteen-year-old should have, and shook his head repeatedly: "You can't be so unkind."

The middle-aged man stopped teasing him and turned to look at Pei Yue.

This look was naturally very gentle, but Pei Yue felt a little awkward, as if he couldn't hide his thoughts in front of this person.

While it shocked him, he also felt deeply on guard in his heart.

The middle-aged man looked at him for a moment, but did not say anything earth-shattering. He only nodded slightly and said, "Very good."

If it were any other powerful disciple, even one with a free-spirited character like Pei Cheng would be like a quail in front of this person, nodding his head as he said. However, Pei Yue didn't know the details of this person, and he was being watched a bit.

Feeling uncomfortable, he pretended to be dumbfounded and asked, "What's so good about it?"

The young man holding the sword frowned, but he didn't have an attack and was obviously abiding by the rules.

The middle-aged man was not surprised. His eyes were gentle, as if he were looking at his own son, and he said with a slightly teasing smile: "You have good looks, you have a good temperament, and of course, you also show a trace of courage."

Before Pei Yue could speak, he added: "I just lost some weight."

Pei Yue thought about it and gave up his plan to continue talking, because he couldn't see through the other party and there was no need to engage in a verbal argument.

At this time, Pei Rong also hurriedly came out and saw the calm and calm figure of the middle-aged man. Even though he was mentally prepared after receiving Li Rong's report, he was still slightly startled, and then smiled unnaturally and said: "Master Shen

I'm here in person, but I apologize for not being far away to greet you, as I might have offended you a lot."

The middle-aged man put away his gentle smile when facing the junior, looked far away, and said calmly: "Young Master, please take me to see the old lady. On this day, I have to come and kowtow to her birthday."

Pei Rong, also known as Shaoshi.

He hesitated when he heard this, but under the gaze of the middle-aged man, he forced a smile, nodded and said: "As it should be, Lord Shen, please."

The two of them walked towards the mansion, with Pei Yongnian and the young man holding the sword following behind.

Watching their figures disappear behind the door, Pei Yue walked up to Pei Yun and asked, "Second brother, who is this Master Shen?"

Pei Yun said softly: "Taishitai Pavilion's silent cloud is the most respected and trusted capable minister today."

Taishitai Pavilion?

Pei Yue subconsciously thought of Shiji. This Master Shen indeed seemed to have the character of a historian.

But if this is the case, why are these people afraid?

Seeming to see Pei Yue's confusion, Pei Yun lowered his voice and explained: "Taishitai Pavilion is in charge of all private affairs of the Liang court and the public. Both military and civilians can monitor, and officials below the third rank can be directly arrested and interrogated. The stability of Kyoto and even the imperial city

Most of our safety is in the hands of this person."

Pei Yue's eyes suddenly changed.

So it turns out that he is indeed a bad visitor.

But what did he mean when he said "very good" to me just now?
Chapter completed!