HLnovel Chapter 164 Brother-in-law
Chapter 164 Brother-in-law
Chapter 164 164 Brother-in-law
164-year-old brother-in-law
Jingxuan's retreat caused Chunyu Jing's hand to miss its target, but he seemed unconcerned and asked with a smile, "Oh? It seems that Xuan'er doesn't remember Fourth Uncle."
Chunyu Yang pulled Jingxuan out from behind him and said, "Greet your fourth uncle."
Jingxuan was extremely unwilling. He hesitated for a moment, then put on a stern face like his father and stammered to Chunyu Jing, "Xuan'er greets Fourth Uncle."
Hmph, how could he possibly forget Chunyu Jing? Of all his uncles, this was the one he disliked the most. Although his fourth uncle, like his sixth uncle, always had a smile on his face, he would involuntarily feel a chill whenever he saw the fourth uncle's smile, and sometimes he would even have nightmares at night.
Chunyu Jing then revealed a smile that made Jingxuan feel "frightened," and said, "Xuan'er is really well-behaved and clever. Third Brother must have worked very hard to teach him well, right?"
“If you’re envious, why don’t you have one yourself as soon as possible?” Chunyu Yang said calmly. “You’ve been married to a concubine for a year now; it’s time to make your father happy.”
Chunyu Jing was completely taken aback by Chunyu Yang's words. He choked for a while before finding his voice and laughing, "Third Brother is right, I will try my best. Don't just talk about me, what about Zize? Zize also married a concubine, why hasn't there been any news about him for so long?"
Chunyu Shan was covering his face with his fan and chuckling, but he was caught off guard by Chunyu Jing's question and immediately coughed.
“Fourth Brother doesn’t even have a son yet, how can I, as the younger brother, be ahead of him?” Chunyu Shan said with a smile.
Chunyu Jing's smile remained, but his gaze turned colder. "Alright, we're here today to celebrate the Marquis's birthday. Let's leave this topic at that. Let's not steal the spotlight from our host."
Chunyu Shan was eager to end the conversation there, and quickly said, "That's right, that's right, my lord, shall we go?"
Marquis Anshi smiled somewhat awkwardly and led the three princes towards the front courtyard.
From the moment Ye Yingrou arrived at the Marquis's residence with Chunyu Jing, she stood quietly behind him without uttering a single word. Chunyu Jing, in turn, did not engage in much interaction with her, deliberately leaving her identity a mystery.
Marquis Anshi was unsure of Chunyu Jing's intentions in bringing Ye Yingrou to the banquet, so he didn't say much. Therefore, when the group entered the front courtyard, the guests were all amazed when they saw the beautiful and refined woman that Marquis Anshi had brought back.
After being initially struck by her beauty, upon closer inspection, they noticed a striking resemblance between her and Marquis Anshi, and tacitly assumed she was one of Marquis Anshi's daughters. And indeed, that was the case.
The banquet hosted by Chunyu Yang, Chunyu Jing, and Chunyu Shan caused a small commotion. Although the officials present belonged to different factions, that was just a private struggle. After all, Chunyu Yang, Chunyu Jing, and Chunyu Shan were all princes, whose status was many times higher than theirs. Therefore, everyone stood up and greeted the three of them.
Faced with this situation, Ye Yingrou knew she shouldn't continue following. Just as she was wondering what to do, An Shihou turned around and gave her a look. She immediately understood and nodded almost imperceptibly at him before quietly leaving the area.
After exchanging pleasantries, Chunyu Yang, Chunyu Jing, and Chunyu Shan took their seats in turn. As soon as they settled into their chairs, Chunyu Shan suddenly remembered that Ye Yanxun had been missing since they entered the Marquis's residence, and a sense of unease crept into his heart.
Logically speaking, this banquet was held to celebrate Ye Yanxun's passing the imperial examination with top honors, but the guests have all arrived, yet the main guest is nowhere to be seen. What is the reason for this?
Chunyu Shan had a question in his mind, so he asked Marquis Anshi in front of everyone, "My lord, why don't you see Jie Yuanlang?"
"Yes, my lord, where is your son? Why don't you come out and greet us? It is said that your son is handsome and talented, and has attracted the hearts of many young women in the capital. If we don't see your son today, it would be a wasted trip."
Marquis Anshi smiled and said, "My apologies, my colleagues. My son went out to pick someone up early this morning. I'm afraid you will have to wait a little longer. Once my son returns, I will bring him to toast you all. What do you all think?"
Going out to pick someone up? Who could be more noble than those three princes? Acquaintances at the banquet exchanged glances, their eyes all carrying a hint of sarcasm.
The reason why Marquis Anshi held this banquet was simply to celebrate Ye Yanxun's passing of the provincial examination with the highest score, not the highest score in the imperial examination. But judging from the scale of the event, anyone who didn't know the truth would believe that Ye Yanxun had married a princess and become her consort.
Besides the Crown Prince, Chunyu Yang, who held military power, Chunyu Jing, who held real power, and Chunyu Shan, whose mother was highly favored, all were present. How grand and elaborate this banquet was!
"It's alright, guests are guests, and we'll do as the host says," Chunyu Jing said with a smile. The officials at the banquet raised their wine cups. "It's been a long time since we've drunk together. How about we have a hearty three cups first?"
Since he had said so, what objection could anyone have? Amidst the clinking of glasses, the banquet in the front yard reached its first small climax.
While they were drinking and waiting for Ye Yanxun's return, another group of guests arrived at the Marquis's residence. This time, the guests finally kept everyone entertained.
The reason for this was that the person who came was Gongsun Huan, the eldest son of Prime Minister Gongsun, the brother-in-law of Marquis Anshi, and the Vice Minister of Revenue.
Gongsun Huan was seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and a imposing physique, looking every bit the part of a military general who had fought on the battlefield. However, he was merely a civil official, a stark contrast to his appearance. Nevertheless, his personality was as bold and heroic as his appearance suggested.
However, what people found interesting about his arrival was not the discrepancy between his appearance and his official position, but rather the fact that he and Marquis Anshi were quite at odds.
Upon seeing Gongsun Huan, Marquis Anshi was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses. He hadn't expected Gongsun Zhan to attend the banquet and had already prepared himself for rejection, but he never expected that Prime Minister Gongsun would actually send Gongsun Huan. Marquis Anshi was extremely troubled by this brother-in-law...
Despite the headache, I still had to go and greet them.
Marquis Anshi braced himself and went to greet Gongsun Huan with a forced smile, saying, "I didn't expect it was you, elder brother, who came to the banquet. Please, elder brother, take a seat in the front."
Gongsun Huan glanced at him coldly and said, "Don't give me that fake smile, or you'll ruin my appetite."
Gongsun Huan didn't think his voice was loud, but with that volume, all the guests in the front courtyard could hear him clearly.
"That bastard!" Marquis Anshi's anger surged. He really wanted to drive Gongsun Huan out of the manor, but if he did, the manor would probably become the laughing stock of the entire capital tomorrow.
Marquis Anshi suppressed his anger, and his smile vanished. He simply said, "Brother, you're still as humorous as ever. This way, please."
Gongsun Huan glanced in the direction Anshihou was pointing, then raised his eyes and looked around at the seating arrangement. Ignoring Anshihou completely, he walked to the empty seat next to Shu Wenda, the Minister of Justice, and sat down there with a sense of ease.
This was the second time Marquis Anshi had been slapped by Gongsun Huan in front of everyone, and he was furious beyond measure. He clenched his fists tightly, almost unable to contain his anger, when just then, a servant came to inform him—
Ye Yanxun is back.