While Ouyang Rong was observing his surroundings, Yan Liulang asked in a low voice.
"Where's the junior sister?" Ouyang Rong asked without looking back.
"I don't know." Yan Liulang shook his head:
"Maybe she's accompanying someone from the family. Miss Xie is the birthday girl tonight, so everyone is eyeing her. She may not appear until later."
Ouyang Rong nodded: "This birthday banquet is quite particular."
Yan Liulang smiled: "As the legitimate daughter of the Xie family, her birthday must be different from ours. It cannot be dismissed with a bowl of longevity noodles."
"Why not."
Ouyang Rong looked at the delicious food on the table and no one took their chopsticks, turned around and said with a smile:
"Maybe after one night, due to the exchange of favors, she won't even be able to take a few bites of the delicacies at the banquet. She will be secretly hungry, so she might as well go back and eat a bowl of hot longevity noodles."
Yan Liulang thought for a while, "That's true."
Ouyang Rong looked around, then turned around and asked, "Where are Dalang and the others, and where is Miss Li?"
Yan Liulang shook his head:
"Dalang helped me prepare gifts and clothes, but neither he nor his sister came, and no one came from the entire Xunyang Palace.
"Listening to what he said, it seemed that his sister meant that not everyone in the Xie family in Chen County was as willing to contact Prince Xunyang's Mansion as Mr. Xie and Miss Xie were.
"It's better for their family to come less and take the initiative to contact them."
When Ouyang Rong heard this, he was quiet for a while and nodded: "That makes sense."
Like him, Yan Liulang looked around and said a little doubtfully:
"Mingfu, Miss Xie, who are the people invited to this dinner? They seem to have good status, but why don't we know many of them? We have been in Xunyang City for a long time."
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"I don't know. It seems that many of them are not from Jiangzhou. They may have come here specially from elsewhere."
Yan Liulang was a little surprised.
At this moment, a young man wearing a purple embroidered robe was led by the welcoming maid and sat down next to Ouyang Rong and Yan Liulang.
This young man, with a pale face and beardless appearance, was dressed like a nobleman. He said goodbye to the maids who had welcomed the guest, looked straight ahead, and sat down reservedly.
Ouyang Rong and Yan Liulang looked at each other in tacit understanding.
"This old man is a bit unfamiliar. Where are you from?"
Yan Liulang didn't notice anyone else and was the first to go up to say hello.
The young man in purple robe looked at him curiously and warily. Yan Liulang cupped his hands and gave his name seriously:
"Your Majesty, Yan Xiaoliu, is the newly appointed judicial officer of this city and has joined the army. He is not talented, but he did his best to solve a few small cases. He was beaten by his friends on Xunyang Road and was given the nickname, Iron-blooded Blade Little God."
Yan Liulang pointed at Ouyang Rong again:
"This is my eldest brother. He is as handsome as Pan An. His jade tree faces the wind better than Song Yu. He is nicknamed Jade-Faced Little Flying Dragon. You can also call him Jiangzhou Little Pan An."
Ouyang Rong bowed his hands to the purple-robed young man.
"..."
Little Shenwei? Little Flying Dragon? Facing the strange pair in front of them who were greeting each other enthusiastically, the young man in purple robe leaned back slightly, looked at them strangely, and nodded politely: "I have admired them for a long time."
"Eh." Yan Liulang waved his hand and said modestly:
"It's just a humble name for everyone's love. You must have never heard of it. It doesn't matter. I haven't asked your name yet..."
The young man in purple robe cherished the words like gold: "Hongzhou, Li Heng."
Ouyang Rong and Yan Liulang exchanged glances.
Ouyang Rong reached out from under the table, stopped the eloquent Yan Liulang, and asked a few questions.
He seems to have noticed that although this young man in fox white fur is a bit shabby in his clothing, his conversation is extraordinary.
In addition, the guests who were invited by Chen Jun Xie to attend the birthday banquet of their legitimate daughter were all either rich or noble. The young man in purple robe had less guarded eyes and exchanged a few words, roughly telling the story of his origin.
It turns out that this is a descendant of an honorable noble, and my great-grandfather was a founding county uncle.
In addition, there is another important identity. He is a collateral descendant of the Li family in Longxi, Wu surname Qi Wangzhong, but his bloodline is about to reach the fifth server, so he is relatively far apart.
But when Ouyang Rong and Yan Liulang complimented the Li family in Longxi, the purple-robed young man's expression became visibly arrogant.
Ouyang Rong chuckled in his heart, praised a few words, and then wanted to ask the purple-robed young man named Li Heng for advice.
Finally, it was discovered that the guests attending Lady Xie’s birthday party today,
If it weren’t for the honorable men and women from all over Jiangnan Province,
If it weren't for the seven descendants of the five surnames here in the south, among whom Wang Xie's descendants were the most numerous,
Only eminent monks and celebrities from Jiangnan Province, at least those who are famous in Jiangzhou, are qualified to be invited to the banquet.
There is also the last category, people from Jiangzhou who have some connections with the Xie family in Chen County, who will also be invited nearby.
Ouyang Rong thought for a while and felt that he and Yan Liulang were probably in the same category. No wonder the seats were arranged so far back by default.
It's true that they didn't deliberately neglect you, they just invited too many distinguished guests, so they just gave you a normal ranking.
There are not many bonus points for local official positions such as Jiangzhou Governor's History, Judicial Service, and Military Enlistment.
When Ouyang Rong just looked around, he also saw the figure of his boss Wang Lengran. Even this fourth-grade governor and a high-ranking official of Yizhou was only sitting at a table slightly in the front row.
This is because many noble titles are higher in official rank than ministerial officials like Ouyang Rong and Wang Lengran. Although they have no real power, they only inherit honor and food.
No wonder he was unfamiliar with this guest and looked a little confused when he walked in.
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but mutter, not to mention the noble circle in Jiangnan Road and the gentry circle at the level of the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes.
Even in Jiangzhou Kuanglu celebrity circle, which is well-known and leading the trend in Jiangnan Road, Ouyang Rong has not had much contact these days, so naturally he has few acquaintances.
Commonly known as, outsider.
After understanding this, Ouyang Rong nodded with some satisfaction.
Li Heng asked: "Your Excellency Xiao Feilong, what is your surname?"
Ouyang Rong said sincerely: "Ouyang Rong."
Li Heng seemed to be trying hard to recall the last name, and finally nodded lightly: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
It's just that his attitude is visibly perfunctory.
Ouyang Rong didn't care either, but he didn't report it again. He was better known as Lianghan.
Yan Liulang still asked him about the origins of some of the visitors around him as if he were familiar with it.
Li Heng is also not very good at showing off his face.
Watching the visitors entering Xunyang Building one after another, listening to Li Heng's friendly introduction.
Yan Liulang turned his head and sighed towards Ouyang Rong: "Ming Mansion, Chen County Xie's banquet was really grand."
"Um."
Ouyang Rong nodded silently. At this moment, he suddenly raised his head and looked upstairs.
After looking around and finding nothing strange, Ouyang Rong looked away.
But he frowned slightly and didn't relax for a long time.
I just suddenly felt like I was being secretly looked at. What the hell was that?
Is someone watching him in the dark?
Before Ouyang Rong could be confused for a long time, all the guests seemed to have arrived, and the door of Xunyang Tower was slammed shut.
A row of pretty maids entered the hall in an orderly manner, bringing a pot of wine to the guests at each table, and obediently stood aside to wait for the wine to be poured.
Immediately, the owner of Xunyang Tower entered the scene and greeted everyone respectfully.
Immediately afterwards, a petite young lady holding a pipa came up to the performance stage in the center of the hall.
It was the melancholy and frowning world-weary face that Ouyang Rong was familiar with.
Miss Qin came on stage and played pipa music, just like a resident singer, staying on the stage.
But tonight, Ouyang Rong noticed that on Miss Qin's world-weary face, her brows were no longer so wrinkled, and her cheeks were rosy.
He also saw with sharp eyes that her hand made two mistakes when tuning the strings.
He seemed to be excited.
Ouyang Rong thought for a while and understood that her status would at least increase a lot if the nobles and nobles from all over Jiangnan Province gathered together and had the opportunity to perform on stage.
Just as Ouyang Rong was about to look away, he saw Miss Qin on the stage looking towards him, her eyes full of gratitude.
Ouyang Rong was slightly startled, not sure where this gratitude came from.
He nodded in response.
A moment later, in the hall on the first floor, tonight's birthday party officially began.
The maid's servants came forward and went through a series of procedures that looked very particular, the red tape of aristocrats.
Neither Ouyang Rong nor Yan Liulang understood it, but this did not affect the meal.
During the process, there was no scandal involving drinking the mouthwash as water. Anyway, both of them are smart people, so they can just follow the actions of the people around them...
At this moment, Ouyang Rong noticed the eyes of the guests at the tables around him, and all of them were directed towards a staircase in front of him on the right.
He looked sideways.
I saw a lady who still had charm walking down the stairs with her hands in hand. She was wearing a graceful and luxurious black gauze dress, with a pearl on her temples.
Accompanying the lady's elegant steps, the black pearls on the steps swayed from side to side like a swing, attracting everyone's attention.
The noble lady Bu Yao has a dignified appearance, her red lips are smiling, she holds her hands elegantly and bends her knees to salute:
"You guys have been waiting for a long time."
Facing the countless gazes cast by the audience, she smiled slightly and turned sideways.
As if giving up the main seat, she slightly rolled her eyes and looked at the stairs above her.
All the guests, including Ouyang Rong, instantly saw a new silhouette appearing at the end of the stairs.
She was a tall little girl wearing a chest-length skirt, with a beautiful face, and her three thousand love silk hair were combed into a nine-hair bun, and she walked slowly down the stairs.
Although she is tall, the skirt of this noble dress is extremely long. There are four beautiful maids behind her, lifting the skirt that touches the floor for her.
"It's Miss Xie." Yan Liulang couldn't help blurting out, whispering surprise.
Ouyang Rong nodded.
Of course, he also recognized the junior sister. To put it bluntly, just by looking at the scenery of a certain place, he could recognize the junior sister who endured "humiliation" and endured heavy "humiliation" every day, and was extremely humiliated.
There is no other family in the world that can distinguish falsehoods like this.
It's just that the junior sister seems a little different today, she is dressed extra grandly.
Well, the sadly thick barrier is getting deeper and deeper.
Mrs. Buyao stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking back with a smile, waiting for the beautiful little girl.
Xie Lingjiang held the hem of her clothes on both sides with both hands and walked down the stairs. Facing the gazes from all directions, she lowered her head slightly and unconsciously grasped the hem of the shirt on her upper arm with her bare hands.
"Why are you so shy? When you met me not long ago, you were very carefree, weren't you? Qi Niang, come down quickly and say hello to the guests. Everyone has been waiting for a long time."
The noble lady is smiling.
"Auntie, stop talking..."
Being exposed, Xie Ling Jiang frowned and shook the lady.
He immediately calmed down his expression, became a little sullen and cold, and walked down as if he was angry.
Ouyang Rong also felt that junior sister was suitable for such a serious expression.
As for the shyness just now, he was a little uncomfortable with it.
While going down the stairs, the stunning little girl glanced at the hall quickly, not knowing what she was looking at. Her face looked uncertain.
The two beauties, one large and one small, walked away from the stairs arm in arm. Shi Shiran walked into the hall and sat down gracefully at the main table at the front of the hall.
Everyone's eyes fell on them unconsciously.
Every move, every move, every smile of the two aunts and nieces is the focus of the audience.
"Today is the eighteenth birthday of my beloved niece. Thank you all for coming and taking the time to attend the banquet..."
Xie Xue'e held one of Xie Lingjiang's catkins and stood up together.
This Buyao lady behaved gracefully and said some polite words. Everyone applauded and cheered, and sent birthday wishes one after another...
Ouyang Rong didn't listen much. He only focused on two things.
One is a delicious dish on the table with no one using chopsticks, and the other is Xie Lingjiang who is the birthday girl in the distance and attracts everyone's attention.
He looked at the latter from time to time, and kept picking up vegetables with the chopsticks in his hands.
Like Yan Liulang, he never stops talking.
But he didn't know whether it was because his aunt and elders were there or because there were so many people. Xie Lingjiang didn't squint his eyes and didn't look in the direction of Ouyang Rong the whole time.
Hmm, could it be that he didn't take the initiative to look for her some time ago, so the junior sister and he are no longer friends for the time being?
Ouyang Rong stretched out his hand to touch the skirt knife at his waist, but when he reached halfway, he paused and took it back.
There were too many people, so I decided not to cause trouble for the time being.
"Brother Li, who is this lady?"
Hearing Yan Liulang's doubtful tone, Li Heng said without looking back:
"She is Miss Xie's aunt. Just like Miss Xie now, this lady was also the apple of Xie's Jinling House and the flower of the high mountains. According to my father, this lady's skills are very powerful, some kind of
To a certain extent, it can represent the Xie family of Chen County..."
Ouyang Rong was picking up vegetables and listening.
That being said, let’s eat first.
If you are not even active in working hard, then your attitude towards life will be the same.
Amidst the sound of pipa, everyone in the hall exchanged cups.
I don't know how much time passed, but the dinner was almost in progress. Xie Xue'e suddenly stood up and took Xie Lingjiang with her, walking past the tables from front to back, drinking longevity wine one by one.
Xie's aunt and niece, as the only focus of the audience, slowly walked towards the back.
However, when she came to the last few tables, the smile on Xie Xue'e's face faded a little, but she was still polite and polite. Her eloquent tongue and witty remarks made everyone laugh.
The aunt's behavior was in stark contrast to the beautiful niece next to her who cherished words like gold and was aloof and serious.
Finally, Xie's niece left a table with eight wine-serving maids, turned around, and approached the table where Ouyang Rong was sitting.
Xie Lingjiang followed her aunt quietly and obediently, walking towards her without looking sideways.
Ouyang Rong picked up the wine glass and stood up together with Yan Liulang, Li Heng and other people at the table, preparing to toast the birthday boy tonight.
I have been carrying suitcases for the past two days, looking for a house in Hangzhou, renting a house and settling in. I am so tired and I am a little stuck. Sorry, brothers.