The guests and hosts were seated and the servant served tea. Yao Xun was really curious and finally couldn't help but ask: "I wonder when did Brother Jian know me? I just feel that I have met Brother Jian, but when did we meet?
But I forgot.”
"Seven years ago, you and I met once on a boat in Jihe River. I also asked you for advice on calligraphy. However, there were many people asking Mr. Yao for advice at that time, so it is normal for Mr. Yao not to remember."
When Yao Xun mentioned the chance encounter in Jihe seven years ago, Yao Xun suddenly remembered it.
Yes, although I made an excuse that I didn't like the official career, my progress was actually slow. However, my father gave me 300 acres to my youngest son in one go. He also had many facades in Beijing and earned 300 taels of silver per year, so he lived according to his own wishes.
, so take the test
After he was elected, he no longer focused on the imperial examination. He was more interested in the mountains and rivers. Seven years ago when he was in his twenties, he did take a boat trip along the Ji River and met some people.
, because he already had a reputation at that time and was asked for advice.
It wouldn't be surprising if the person in front of me, who was much older than me, knew me at that time.
But what happened seven years ago has been a long time ago. The visitor must not be here to reminisce about the past. Yao Xun smiled and said: "Brother Jian, when you say that, I do have some impressions. I don't know Jian
Brother, when you come here this time, do you want to continue to discuss calligraphy and painting with me?"
"No." Jian Qu then took out the invitation from his arms and handed it over: "I am here this time to invite Young Master Yao to attend the cultural gathering on behalf of my lord."
"Wenhui? I wonder who your lord is?"
In any case, Jian Qu was also a civil servant, so how could he seek refuge with his lord? Yao Xun looked at the invitation, hesitated for a moment, and finally accepted it.
When he asked, he had already unfolded it and saw the contents inside.
"Five days later? Daihou's literary meeting?" Yao Xun was slightly surprised.
Jian Qu nodded: "Exactly, my lord is the newly appointed Daihou. My lord is fond of writing and likes to get acquainted with elegant people from various families."
"Mr. Yao, I heard that you are not only highly accomplished in calligraphy and painting, but also outstanding in chess and chess. I think there will be people who are good at chess and chess at the literary meeting. It will be a good time to communicate and learn from each other."
You can also get a lot of profits.”
Although Yao Xun was not an official, he had elders and relatives who were officials. He also heard some rumors about Daihou and knew that Daihou was very talented. Although he was the son of the prince, he had some subtle relations with the two kings of Qi and Shu, but Daihou
Hou Xinfeng's action was to slap the emperor's face. With the current situation in the capital, the two kings may not take action against Dai Hou.
Moreover, the banquet is a gathering of guests, and it is impossible for you to be alone, so you may not have any opinions on the people who attend the Daihou Cultural Reunion. Participating in the Daihou Cultural Reunion is naturally not a big problem.
Yao Xun thought for a while and then said: "Brother Jian, please invite me. How can I refuse such great hospitality? Please thank the marquis for me. I will be there on time in five days."
Hearing Yao Xun agreed, Jian Qu's heart finally dropped. The master was going to hold a cultural event, so he had to do it beautifully. He immediately stood up and said, "In that case, I will be waiting for Master Yao then. I will also
I'll go back and report to my lord, and I'll stay here soon. Mr. Yao, please stay too and don't have to see me off."
With that said, he said goodbye to Mr. Yao and left.
After leaving Yao Mansion, Jian Qu exhaled, got on the bullock cart, and said to the driver: "Go back."
Feeling the bullock cart shaking and moving, he rubbed his hands that were slightly red from the cold, and thought to himself: "Although some people refused, there were also people who agreed. Of the seven people I looked for today, three of them agreed, so the result is not bad."
Oops."
"A lot of it is because of my lord's literary name. It seems that my lord's poetry is really world-famous!"
When the bullock cart returned home, Jian Qu immediately came to see Su Ziji.
"Lord, I personally invited seven people today. Four people refused, but three have agreed. These three are all masters of calligraphy and painting. Plus, with the move to Beijing, even this small number of people can do it.
I can afford this literary party." Jian Qu said excitedly.
After all, this was the first cultural gathering held by Su Ziji after he was granted the title of Marquis. It had special significance. It could be said that it was the first official appearance after naturalization. As one of the staff members, Jian Qu naturally attached great importance to it.
At this time, the housekeeper Zhao Zhu also came and reported to Su Ziji that he ordered his servants to send invitations. There were more ordinary invitations, and about three-tenths of them were accepted, and there were about a dozen people, including Jian Jian.
The three people he invited and agreed to come, or about twenty people, could indeed support a literary meeting.
Zhao Zhu and Jian Qu handed over the lists respectively. Su Ziji read it and said warmly: "Mr. Jian, thank you for your hard work. It's freezing. Please go down and rest."
Let Jian Qu go down to rest, and let Zhao Zhu call the wild Taoist over.
As soon as the people left, the room seemed a little empty. Su Ziji frowned and walked to the window. He saw that the dark clouds had not dispersed, and a gust of wind swept by, making people feel chilled all over. He did not avoid it, but looked up at the window.
But there was no joy on his face, and he murmured: "It seems that the prince's influence is not small. I tried my best, and so many people agreed to attend the banquet. However, this is not what I want, at least not now."
"Lord, are you looking for me?" At this time, the wild Taoist came in.
Because it was getting late, the wild Taoist had just returned home when he heard that Su Ziji was looking for him, so he came over immediately.
"Look at these lists." Su Ziji handed the list to the wild Taoist.
The wild Taoist hurriedly took it and looked at it carefully: "What does the Lord mean?"
"One thing, I want to ask you, do you know who are the stewards of Prince Qi's Mansion?" Su Ziji did not continue talking about this matter, but asked about the affairs of Prince Qi's Mansion.
The wild Taoist was shocked: "I collected this kind of news when I was in Beijing, and I am just about to report it to the Lord."
"I have collected basic information about not only the King of Qi, but also Shu, Lu, and ministers and nobles." After saying that, the wild Taoist took out a stack of lists and handed them to Su Ziji to read: "The top one
It’s the news about Prince Qi, which contains the list of stewards of Prince Qi’s palace. These are not secrets, you can find them out just by asking.”
Su Ziji glanced at the wild Taoist. Although the wild Taoist probably didn't know what he wanted to do now, whenever he needed something, the wild Taoist seemed to be able to come up with it immediately. In this regard, among all his subordinates, the wild Taoist was still the best.
He is truly number one and cannot be replaced.
Thinking like this, Su Ziji had already looked at the list of people in the Qi Palace, skipping the relatives and officials, and went straight to the manager level.
Not only do these people have their surnames, ages, and physical characteristics, they even include some of the preferences of these stewards, and the places they often visit are also listed. It can be seen that the wild people started investigating before their identities were disclosed. Although this information is not confidential,
But it is not easy to obtain.
"You did a good job." Su Ziji put the list away and said at the same time: "I have something I want you to do now."