Linzhi

On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, there are thousands of lights.

Even in Fangzhou, an inland county far away from the capital city, many people could not wait to move tables and chairs to the courtyard, place tributes, and burn incense to worship the moon before every household waited for the moon to reach the sky.

In Fangzhou Governor's Mansion, it was a different scene.

Freshly pasted lanterns were hung at the door early in the day, and candles as thick as arms were specially used inside. The candlelight shone through the gauze, which was soft and gentle, and it became more lively due to the heavy traffic and people coming and going.

Although Fangzhou is not a rich place, there is no shortage of rich and noble families, so the emperor held a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in the mansion, and all the famous people in Fangzhou were invited.

In ancient times, banquets were nothing more than admiring the scenery with flowers and expressing feelings through mountains and rivers. Only the Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival moon appreciation can only be held after dark. Inside and outside, there are a lot of people, and there is no loneliness in the autumn night.

The servant of the governor's mansion stood at the door to receive the name card, his face almost stiffened with laughter.

There was an endless stream of carriages parked at the gate of the governor's mansion, and the visitors were either rich or expensive. Naturally, these carriages were made of high-quality wood, the shafts and window sills, some exquisite houses, and even carved with delicate textures, which were very vivid.

Only the one in front of me was unattractive in appearance, so simple that it was almost rudimentary. Even the curtains hanging in the windows were made of rough hemp. The whole carriage was wobbly, as if it would fall apart in the next moment.

Seeing the carriage, the servant immediately stopped laughing. He suspected that the carriage was parked in the wrong place.

Just as he was thinking about finding someone to drive him away, the coachman jumped down from the front, went around to the rear, and lifted the curtain of the car, and two people came down from inside, one old and one young, the young man then stretched his hand into the car again, and A young man came out holding his hand, but his movements were much slower. Looking carefully, the other party was holding a bamboo stick in his hand, and it was obvious that there was something wrong with his legs and feet.

Around, around, there were also many people who were attracted by the old and the young, and they all looked this way.

The servant's face darkened, and he stepped forward and said, "Who is here, do you know that this place is the Governor's Mansion?"

Today, the mansion sent many servants to greet the guests inside and outside the gate. Seeing that the clothes of this group of people were even simpler than the servants of the governor's mansion, the servants surrounded them with uneasy faces, ready to drive them away at any time.

The coachman reached out his hand to touch his bosom, and unexpectedly took out a famous card: "Your governor wrote it with your own hands, and invited my master to come to the banquet."

The servant was skeptical, took a look, couldn't help but stare, and looked up and down He Tai and his son.

There are too few people who don't know the history of the He family in the entire Fangzhou. Naturally, the servants of the governor's mansion have heard of it, but he is just a servant, and he doesn't think as much as the superiors. I think the emperor's son is nothing more than that. Once he is in trouble, no one is more noble than anyone else.

In the past, the majestic King Lu had never received such stares, and he would have been dragged down and beaten with a cane long ago, but the suffering of more than ten years has smoothed all the edges and corners of He Tai, and he has even gotten used to it.

He Mu was angry, seeing that his father and third younger brother looked normal, he still endured it.

The servant said slowly: "It turned out to be Mr. He Lang. Since the envoy has invited you, please come inside."

As soon as the words "He Langjun" came out, the people around immediately knew the identity of He Tai and the others, and their eyes became more and more scorching, and all kinds of eyes focused on them, some were sympathetic, and some were malicious.

He Tai felt uncomfortably watched, so he hurriedly lowered his head, and walked in with the servant of the Governor's Mansion who led the way, but He Mu involuntarily straightened his chest, followed behind his father, and walked in with his head held high.

The governor's mansion is not dark because of the nightfall, but all kinds of lanterns are hung everywhere in sight. The houses, corridors, gardens, and even the rockery pavilions in the gardens are brightly lit, as if it is daytime, even if the rich and powerful in the capital The house is nothing more than that.

He Tai admired in his heart, and vaguely recalled his life in Lu Wang's mansion back then, feeling even more embarrassed.

The banquet was held in the garden of the mansion. The governor's mansion was not so big originally, it was expanded after the previous governor took office.

There is a large open space next to the rockery pool, surrounded by flowers and trees, which is perfect for holding a banquet, but because there are too many guests today, it has to be changed from one person to two or three people.Naturally, He's father and son were grouped together.

The three of them were dressed too plainly and were out of place with the guests present, but they were assigned to a more conspicuous position in the front, so that everyone would pay attention to them, and no one came forward to greet them who knew the identities of He's father and son—no one, everyone Knowing that He Tai was exiled for his crimes, there is no benefit in getting close to him, but it may lead to disaster.

After Sima Yun, the current governor of Fangzhou, took office, unlike his predecessor who suppressed and made things difficult for He Tai, he seemed to have completely forgotten the existence of this person. He would not be a guest at banquets during festivals and festivals, but I don’t know what wind is blowing today. It is really surprising that Shi actually appeared among the guests.

Just when everyone was puzzled, Sima Yun, the governor, came late, and everyone hurriedly got up to salute. Sima Yun raised his hand to press down, and said with a smile: "Today is the night of reunion. We should sit together and enjoy the moon. There is no respect for people." You don't need to be too polite, please drink freely, and you won't return if you don't get drunk."

Everyone was humble and took their seats again. Some of the clever ones got up and thanked Sima Yun alone, praising him for his outstanding achievements in the past year.

He Tai wasn't sure whether he wanted to get up and say hello, he hadn't dealt with outsiders for many years, so he couldn't help but feel uneasy at this moment, and he couldn't turn around and leave, feeling a little anxious in his heart, he couldn't help but look at the two sons He Mu and He Rong beside him.

He Muzheng also looked at Sima Yun, seeing this, he was displeased and said: "Sima Yun doesn't take father seriously, why did he invite us again? I don't like this man."

He Rong: "Since we're here, let's take it easy. Let's just come over and have a meal. When we go back, the second brother will definitely ask us what we ate."

He Mu laughed and said, "Erlang always eats delicious food. If I didn't bring him out this time, he must be scratching his head at home."

He Tai thought about it and smiled in relief, and his nervousness and anxiety eased a lot.

At this moment, the maid presented a dish, the meat on the plate was golden yellow, and there was glutinous rice in it, which looked like meat but not meat.

Everyone was amazed by it, but they couldn't name it, so they couldn't help discussing it. After trying it, some people immediately praised: "The meat is fat but not greasy, it looks like goose but has the freshness of mutton! May I ask the envoy, what is the name of this dish?" "

Seeing that everyone couldn't figure it out, Sima Yun was very pleased. He looked around for a week and suddenly asked He Tai, "Mr. He, what is the name of this dish?"

He Tai was stunned for a moment, hesitantly said: "Could it be that the sheep died suddenly?"

Sima Yun smiled: "I knew that He Langjun would know that the recipe of this dish is extremely complicated. You have to wash and empty the internal organs of the goose first, stuff them with glutinous rice, mushrooms and various spices, then take a lamb, and cook it in the same way. The goose is roasted in the belly of the lamb. In this way, the suet and umami taste from the roasting of the lamb permeate the body of the goose, so it tastes like goose meat and mutton. The best thing is that there is no mutton. The smell of mutton is extremely fresh and tender, and has an endless aftertaste. Back then, this was a famous dish in the capital!"

He Tai nodded: "That's true, Shi Jun is profound."

Everyone was stunned, and they all complimented Shi Jun for being well-informed and knowledgeable.

In fact, many cooks in the prince's family in the capital can make this dish, but the preparation method is troublesome, and the taste is just the same after eating too much, but not many people eat it after a long time. He Tai was tired of eating it in his early years, but now After many years, it is rare to taste a bit of meat and fishy delicacy, and it has a bit of nostalgic taste, which can't help but be mixed.

A guest said loudly: "Your envoy is kind and generous, and there is nothing to repay. How can there be no incense when there is a moon tonight? The villain specially found a box of horse tooth incense and presented it to the envoy!"

Sima Yun was famous for his love of incense, and when he heard this, he immediately became overjoyed: "Is this really true? Quickly bring it to me to have a look!"

He Mu asked in a low voice: "What's so strange about this horse tooth fragrance? How can Sima Yun be so happy?"

He Tai: "This incense was offered by the royal family in the former dynasty. It has been lost for many years. It contains materials such as beneficial mother and Yinan, so it is also called auspicious incense. The omen is very good."

While talking, an incense box was placed on Sima Yun's desk. After he opened it, he took out an incense card and sniffed it carefully, but he was noncommittal, and said: "I also invite Mr. He to share."

He asked someone to hold the incense box in front of He Tai, but He Tai refused, so he had to pick it up and smell it: "The fragrance is indeed peculiar, but I have never seen horse tooth incense, so I don't know if it is true or not."

Sima Yun was a little disappointed and didn't say anything.

The guests who gave the incense were very unhappy. What is "I don't know whether it is true or not", and the host didn't let you identify the true and false. Do you mean that I sent fakes to fool the governor?

This person sneered slightly: "May I ask He Langjun, what good incense did you give the governor? Presumably, with He Langjun's status, his vision should not be on the same level as mine."

He Tai was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

It is a basic etiquette not to come to the door empty-handed, and the He family also prepared a gift, but it is a bit difficult to tell about the gift, because it is just a few pots of wild tea, which He Xiu and He Zhan picked up from the mountain, and they are not worth much at all.

The other party clearly knew He Tai's identity, but still asked this question, obviously to embarrass him.

At this time, the banquet had just started, and the song and dance hadn't started yet, the other party's questioning was really eye-catching, and it immediately attracted the attention of others.

Sima Yun sat high on the seat, but he didn't make a sound to save the siege.

He Tai only felt a surge of anger welling up in his heart, and his mind was buzzing. At one moment, he thought of the scene when he was expelled from the capital, and at the same time, he recalled the prestige of being the king of Lu back then, and shouted in his heart: Your Majesty, have you seen it?Your son, Huluo Pingyang, has now been bullied by a merchant!

His face was flushed, and all kinds of angry curses came to his lips, and all of them turned into sorrow and self-abandonment.

He Mu didn't know what his father was thinking. Seeing that he didn't reply for a long time, he sneered and said, "We are the guests of the envoy, and you are also the guest of the envoy. What qualifications do you have to question us?"

The other party said with a smile: "Your Majesty, Liu Xing, has a mere name, nothing worth mentioning, and the weight of the gift is nothing more than a wish. Is it possible that your opinion is not honored?"

He Rong frowned slightly, he remembered the identity of this person, it was Yang Jun who told him.

"This person is a grain merchant in Fangzhou, and his daughter is a concubine in Prince Qi's mansion. It is said that he is quite favored by King Qi."

Hearing his younger brother's words, He Mu finally understood where Liu Xing's confidence came from, but felt aggrieved: his father was still King Qi's elder brother, and now that he was in trouble, even the father of King Qi's concubine could climb on top of his own head to play wild up!

Looking at the people around, there was a lot of discussion and whispering, but no one intervened. Even the governor Sima Yun lowered his head and drank, turning a blind eye to the embarrassment of He Tai and his son.

This Liu Xing, although his status is not high, but what everyone sees is the person behind him. He fell out with the other party for a few words, and he was afraid that he would be put on small shoes in the future.

He Mu was thinking about how to deal with it, when he heard He Rong say, "The He family has nothing but four walls, nothing but picking tea leaves by hand, just as a small gift."

I'm afraid that this remark will make the other party catch him, He Mu thought, his brother is still too young.

Sure enough, Liu Xing let out a huff, dragged his tone, and was extremely arrogant and contemptuous: "It's really bo, courtesy, ah!"

Seeing that He Rong suddenly picked up the wine glass on the case, and threw it on the ground, the wine spilled out, Liu Xing couldn't dodge it, and was splashed on his robe, he couldn't help being furious: "Your Majesty is holding a banquet, how dare you throw a splash?!"

He Rong said sharply: "We, the children of the royal family, were punished by His Majesty for violating the laws of the country even though we were guilty of the crime. We have no complaints, but my father is the eldest grandson of the emperor, the eldest son of His Majesty, and his blood status is beyond doubt. Apart from Your Majesty, how many people in the world can eat the picked tea leaves? I have heard for a long time that the Lord loves the people like a son, and my father was deeply moved by this gift. I just gave this gift as a token of my heart, but I was picked on by a villain like you. Picking and choosing, uttering nonsense, what do you dislike is the tea, or my father's bloodline?!"

The author has something to say:

In the comments, the babies ask a lot of questions, and I will answer them in a concentrated manner:

1. The author of Chapter 2 has something to say about mountains, rivers, sun and moon, so some babies misunderstand that I want to write meat, no~

2. What does "Lin Zhi" mean?In ancient times, there was a saying that the unicorn appeared and the Ming Lord came out, so the name of the text means the trace of the unicorn, and it can also be understood as the trace of a virtuous gentleman. (No spoilers~)

3. Among He Tai's current children, are there any descendants?No, all the living ones were concubines, and they are not directly described now, but they will be mentioned later.