The worldly manners and interactions at the banquet of the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes are actually no different from those in ordinary people.
In other words, it is actually the same at all times and in all countries.
The way the objective world operates is absolutely based on a simple logic that is most appropriate to reality.
The moment Ouyang Rong stood up and joined the crowd to toast his birthday, this thought flashed through his mind for no reason.
"Everyone, please excuse yourself."
Xie Lingjiang's aunt was very energetic. She came to the table, raised her hand and pressed it lightly, looking around with a smile.
Everyone had no choice but to sit down.
Xie Xue'e's eyes wandered at first, and they exchanged pleasantries at the scene.
"It is Xie's honor for you all to come to the Seventeenth Mother's birthday party today..."
Perhaps because this table is relatively far back and most of the guests are young people, Xie Xue'e is not very familiar with them.
Behind her was a smart maid, who came over and seemed to introduce her in a low voice.
Xie Xue'e smiled and nodded, raised her glass from a distance, and said a few polite words to several young guests at the table who knew her father's generation slightly, including the young man named Li Heng next to Ouyang Rong.
Xie Xue'e's eyes ignored Ouyang Rong as usual, fell on the latter, and greeted with a chuckle:
"Mr. Li, your father has been doing well recently. The last time I saw your father was at the wedding banquet of Prince Teng of Hongzhou. Speaking of which, it has been three years since we last saw each other."
Li Heng didn't seem to expect that Xie Xue'e was talking to a junior like him. He quickly shook his head and looked around before confirming that it was him. His expression was a little flattered.
Ouyang Rong watched silently. The young man in purple robe who had been quite arrogant in front of him and Yan Liulang hurriedly stood up and bowed his waist to propose a toast:
"Thank you, Mrs. Xie, for your concern. My father is in good health, but his legs have been cold recently. He suffered from old illnesses from the frontier when he was young. The doctor did not allow him to travel far away. Jiangzhou is also a humid place, so he specially asked Xiaosheng to come and participate in the thank you ceremony.
The little lady’s birthday gift…”
Feeling the smiling eyes from the guests at other tables, Li Heng's face turned red and he said a lot of words without any hesitation.
Xie Xue'e listened with a smile for a while, nodded slightly, glanced around, seemed to feel that she was done, and turned sideways to hold Xie Ling Jiang Su's hand, which was hanging down behind her:
"Come, Seventeenth Mother, have a drink with everyone. We are all young and talented people at this table. We all know each other."
All the guests at the table, including Ouyang Rong and Yan Liulang, stood up again and toasted. If I guessed correctly, it should be the last drink.
With Xie Xue'e by his side, Xie Lingjiang's eyes were slightly lowered and he didn't look at the crowd much. Just like at other tables, he only took a sip of wine and stopped ordering.
Naturally, all the male guests in the audience were extremely tolerant and generous towards the beauty's cold and capricious behavior, and did not hold her accountable.
Ouyang Rong laughed in his heart, his junior sister was in jail.
He glanced at the two beauties of the Xie family in front of him, one large and one small, and found that the two aunts and nieces had somewhat similar looks, and they were both stunningly beautiful.
It's just that the junior sister is more youthful and energetic, as delicate and delicate as a flower under the sunshine at seven or eight o'clock in the morning.
And my aunt Xie Xue'e, like an orchid swaying in the warm afternoon breeze, is more mature and beautiful.
In addition, the junior sister inherited her mentor Xie Xun and practiced Qi since she was a child, so her figure is taller. Xie Xue'e is slightly shorter, especially when standing next to the junior sister.
The inheritance of the Xie family in Chen County is indeed rich in beautiful women and handsome men, worthy of the name Zhilan Yushu. No wonder all the men in the Zhou Dynasty want to marry women with the fifth surname. It is not without reason...
Ouyang Rong raised his head and drank the wine in the glass, leaving some in his mouth, tasting the slightly sour taste of the wine, and thought to himself.
Xie Xue'e seemed helpless and shook her head at her niece's perfunctory remarks, and was about to go to the next table, but when she turned around, the lady's body suddenly stopped.
This sudden stop caused the priceless step on Yun's temples to sway greatly, which was eye-catching.
"This is……"
Xie Xue'e stopped in front of the table and looked sideways somewhere.
Everyone around noticed that her eyes fell on a short knife on the waist of a young man with a fox-white fur coat.
Ouyang Rong also noticed the eyes of his younger junior sister and aunt. He looked at Xie Xue'e who slowly raised his eyes for a while, his expression remained calm, and he even slightly raised the wine glass in his hand and gave a polite toast.
Xie Xue'e couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and looked at this handsome but plainly dressed young man, her jade lips suddenly opened:
"This young master's sword looks familiar to me. Please let me take a look."
Ouyang Rong stood tall, holding the warm handle of the white sandalwood jade-handled knife with one hand, and shook his head in public:
"Sorry, no. This is a gift from an important person and should not be given away lightly."
Xie Lingjiang stood behind his aunt, and the water in the wine glass he held with his bare hands rippled.
Following her, her delicate body trembled slightly.
I don't know if I heard someone's words of support, or if I felt the warm touch on my skirt.
Xie Xue'e narrowed her eyes slightly, turned her back to a doting niece behind her, and whispered:
"Important person? Just let me take a look at the scabbard. Maybe I also know this important person."
Ouyang Rong shook his head and refused to give in. "Without her permission, it would be difficult for me to obey my order."
Xie Xue'e looked at him.
At this time, the smart maid who looked like a secretary behind her put away the roster she had just taken out for review, walked forward and whispered a few words, as if introducing something.
After hearing this, Xie Xue'e turned her head, looked deeply at Xie Lingjiang, said nothing, and withdrew her gaze, making the person who didn't know why was a little confused.
Only Yan Liulang, who knew some of the inside story, was secretly shocked.
Xie Xue'e suddenly turned her head, with a smile on her face, and asked Ouyang Rong softly:
"This young master is the current governor of Jiangzhou, Mr. Ouyang?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "I don't dare to call you a master, my wife is embarrassed."
Xie Xue'e glanced at the clean plates in front of Ouyang Rong and Yan Liulang, and kept smiling:
"Young Master Ouyang has become a fifth-ranked official at a young age. His anecdotes about his outspoken remonstrances and his resignation are widely known in Luodu. His reputation as a good and true gentleman is known all over the world. What's wrong with it?
"I have heard my brother mention you before. You are my favorite disciple, and you can also be regarded as the senior senior brother of my Seventeenth Mother."
Xie Xue'e's compliment was sincere, but Ouyang Rong felt strange.
She turned her head and said angrily:
"Seventeenth Mother, it's true that your senior brother is here and doesn't even say a word to me, just like a normal person. He almost neglected me, and those who didn't know thought that we, Mrs. Xie, were rude."
Under the gaze of everyone, Xie Xue'e looked at Ouyang Rong apologetically, turned her head again, and scolded the smart maid behind her:
"How do you guys do things? Mr. Ouyang is considered to be Qi Niang's fellow disciple. Why should he be placed at this table? He should be sitting at the table in front of his fellow disciple at Bailu Cave Academy.
"Moreover, Mr. Ouyang's reputation has spread all over the world. He is still among the celebrities in the south of the Yangtze River. He should sit in front of him and sit at the same table with the hosts of Jiangzhou, such as Mr. Wang and Master Sihui. Why did you arrange this so randomly?"
"Yes, yes, madam is right. It was my fault. I was careless. I was too busy and forgot to check. I neglected our distinguished guest. Madam, madam, please forgive me."
The clever maid knelt on the ground, begging for mercy in a sobbing voice.
Xie Xue'e had a cold face.
Ouyang Rong suddenly said:
"I was undisciplined. I rushed to the banquet. I didn't give my full name. I also forgot to inform my junior sister that I would come. Madam, please don't blame this servant. It's not easy for them either."
Xie Xue'e glanced sideways at his calm expression, then the smile returned to her face and she nodded softly:
"Master Ouyang deserves to be so well-known and considerate. I am ashamed of myself."
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "I feel ashamed for disturbing junior sister's birthday dinner."
Xie Xue'e glanced at Xie Lingjiang who was biting his lower lip:
"It doesn't matter, if you senior brothers can come to the banquet, Seventeenth Mother will definitely be happy, right, Seventeenth Mother?"
"Um."
Xie Lingjiang raised his eyes, glanced at Ouyang Rong quickly, then turned to the people around him, and nodded lightly:
"I'm very happy that you can come today."
Xie Xue'e smiled brightly, lowered her head and gave a few instructions to the smart maid:
"Get up and go quickly to arrange a seat for Mr. Ouyang. Don't neglect it again."
After saying that, she stopped looking at Ouyang Rong, took Xie Lingjiang's hand, turned and walked to the next table.
"Let's go, Seventeenth Mother, there are other guests waiting, please don't lose your etiquette."
"Um."
Xie's aunt and niece, together with a pair of maids, walked towards the table in the back.
Because the table where Ouyang Rong is sitting is relatively far back in the hall and far away from the front desk, which attracts much attention,
Therefore, the conversation between Xie Xue'e and Ouyang Rong just now did not attract everyone's attention.
But at a dinner of this caliber and quality, people are talking less and the venue is relatively quiet.
Xie Xue'e and tonight's birthday girl Xie Lingjiang stayed at this table for a long time, which attracted the attention of half of the guests in the hall. Their eyes fell curiously on Ouyang Rong.
Some nobles who had heard of Ouyang Lianghan either looked at him with attention or raised their glasses to show him courtesy.
Li Heng, who was beside Yan Liulang, also looked at him in surprise:
"Your Excellency, you are Ouyang Lianghan? Are you still Miss Xie's elder brother?"
Ouyang Rong nodded, and before Li Heng, who became enthusiastic, could ask more questions, the smart maid came over in small steps and respectfully asked Ouyang Rong to sit in the front row.
So, someone left the table where they had almost eaten and stood up...
This is a dining table near the front. There is only a VIP table between Xie Xue'e and Xie Lingjiang's main table, so you can hear the chat there.
Of course, none of this is important. The important thing is that there are still a lot of delicacies on this table, and no one is taking their chopsticks. Well, there is no kid like Yan Rokuro trying to steal it.
Ouyang Rong sat down satisfied and turned around to see that his old boss Wang Lengran and a black-robed monk named Master Sihui were also there.
Wang Lengran had a kind face: "Master Ouyang is here too? You have worked hard these days and you have lost weight due to hunger. Master Ouyang should eat more."
"good."
Ouyang Rong nodded and took off his chopsticks. The first thing he picked up was the plate of braised crucian carp in front of Wang Lengran.
"..." Wang Lengran.
Master Sihui smiled slightly at Ouyang Rong.
He smiled back.
After touching a stick of incense, Xie Xue'e and Xie Lingjiang finished a round of longevity wine and returned to the main table.
As soon as the host returned to his seat, the tables in the front row suddenly became lively.
Ouyang Rong, on the other hand, focused on cooking and didn't pay much attention to the topics that wanted to be discussed.
I could only faintly hear that at the main table, there seemed to be some young talents about his age, getting up one after another to celebrate the birthday of the junior sister.
There are direct sons from the Wang family of Langya, a family friend, the eldest son of the governor of Hongzhou, and even the third son of the Li family who entrusted a certain state in the south of the Yangtze River... all of them are extremely distinguished.
Without exception, these young talents all presented a heavy birthday gift, including an agate cup with an animal head, a tortoise shell from the South China Sea, and ambergris that was more expensive than gold.
Really arrogant.
Ouyang Rong nodded in approval.
But these have nothing to do with him. The gifts he gave followed the procedure for most normal guests and were handed over to the maids at the front desk before entering... You can come in and have a meal without any worries.
At the main table, Xie Xue'e's eyes were satisfied and she smiled brightly, introducing these young talents to Xie Lingjiang.
Well, it’s another classic blind date session between the aunt and her niece...
Ouyang Rong, who was not far away, had a panoramic view of all this. His chopsticks for picking vegetables became more and more skillful, and he output in a low-key manner.
What, asking him to express himself too? Write a unique birthday poem to shock everyone or something.
Ouyang Rong shook his head.
If he likes to do this, why do he stay so far away from the celebrity circle in Xunyang City these days?
Instead of saying that the circle of celebrities in Xunyang isolated him, as the gossip said, it is better to say that he isolated and ignored the celebrities in Xunyang.
He has not forgotten why he came to Xunyang City.
The family from Prince Xunyang's Mansion didn't forget either, so they didn't arrive today.
Then... where is the junior sister?
From the corner of his eye, Ouyang Rong saw Xie Lingjiang sitting upright in front of the main table not far away. In front of her aunt Xie Xue'e, her pretty face was serious, as if she was listening to the chatter and laughter of those young heroes.
Ouyang Rong also noticed that the porcelain bowl and silver chopsticks in front of Xie Lingjiang were almost untouched.
Didn't pick up any vegetables.
He silently glanced at the delicious dishes on the table. In the past, if there was such a sumptuous dinner in Meilin Courtyard, the junior sister would be able to get away with it, just like she competed with him for pickled radishes during the morning fast at Donglin Temple.
Ouyang Rong suddenly felt that the food in his mouth was a little tasteless.
Is there no one to eat with him?
Ouyang Rong suddenly wanted to go over and tell the young talents that instead of trying so hard in front of the public and trying to make her smile and give her so many gifts, it would be better to be quiet and let her rest a little.
Filling your stomach with chopsticks will help you gain favor.
At Ouyang Rong's table, a Kuanglu celebrity dressed as a Taoist priest also stood up to present a gift, and presented an ancient flute. It was said that it was a relic from a certain bamboo forest celebrity in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
This Kuanglu celebrity's birthday congratulations were also very beautiful, and he immediately won the applause of all the guests. For a moment, all eyes were focused on this table.
Just as the famous flute-gifter sat down, Wang Lengran suddenly turned around and spoke:
"I wonder what kind of gift Mr. Ouyang gave me? Wait, I'm wrong. Mr. Ouyang has clean sleeves, is simple and frugal, and is a well-known upright and upright official. How could he give such a precious thing?
"But as Miss Xie's elder brother, Master Ouyang's gift should be carefully prepared. It is indispensable to be elegant and noble, just like Mr. Jiang's flute.
"I am a little curious, why don't you take it out and show it to everyone."
A series of eyes suddenly turned to him.
Including Xie Xue'e and Xie Lingjiang.
Ouyang Rongzhi paused and turned his head silently.
The chief and deputy officials in charge of Jiangzhou looked at each other for a while.
Wang Lengran smiled kindly, and Ouyang Rong also smiled.