Do you know: I have a different surname: Wang, uncle Minglan.

Chapter 265: A Few Things About the Banquet

"Master Hai."

When Minglan saw Haizhou get off the carriage, she immediately bowed to him.

She had heard that when Mr. Hai was reforming the salt system in the southeast, he was impartial and upright, and was praised by the people in Zhejiang as "Hai Qingtian".

She dared not be negligent towards such a person.

I never thought that even though it was just my birthday party, Mr. Hai would come.

"Sixth Miss, we meet again."

Haizhou smiled.

When Sheng Changbai and Hai Chaoyun got engaged, Minglan also went there, so she met Haizhou.

Following closely behind Hai Zhou was Hai Chaoyun.
"Sixth sister, your brother and I are engaged. If I don't come with my brother to your birthday party, I'm afraid that if the news gets out, I'll be laughed at by others."

After hearing her explanation, Minglan immediately understood, "So that's it."

Hai Zhou said with a fake smile: "I also heard that your uncle would come. I haven't seen your uncle for a long time, and I miss him very much!"

Minglan heard it subconsciously and felt that something was wrong, but she didn't think much about it.

After all, I have never heard that Lord Hai Zhouhai, the Minister of Personnel, had any conflicts with his uncle.

"Has your uncle come yet?"

Haizhou asked impatiently.

Minglan said: "About"

Before she could finish her words, Danju, who had been standing behind her, saw the convoy of the Marquis' Mansion approaching from afar.

This was Minglan's birthday banquet, and the Marquis's Mansion wanted to keep a low profile, so Wei Yuan and his wife did not ride in the carriage bestowed by the emperor.

"Speak of the devil and he will appear."

Hai Zhou said something meaningful, then walked towards the Marquis's motorcade and bowed, saying, "Brother Wei, long time no see."

Hearing this, Wei Yuan lifted the curtain of the carriage and saw that it was him. He also saw Minglan and others coming forward, so he simply stopped the carriage here.

He took Zhang Guifen's delicate hand and walked out of the carriage.

Minglan and Hai Chaoyun bowed together, and the former said, "Hello, uncle and aunt."

Zhang Guifen smiled at the two of them, walked up to them, and held their hands.

"If I had known Chao Yun would come today, I would have come earlier."

During the time when Wei Yuan was not in the capital, Hai Chaoyun and Minglan would often go to the Marquis' Mansion. After a few visits, the three of them had become very familiar with each other.

The more Hai Chaoyun got to know Zhang Guifen, the more he liked her.

Especially when he heard that Zhang Guifen was not only well-educated but also had outstanding martial arts skills, he admired her even more.

"It's not too late for Aunt to come now."

Hai Chaoyun smiled.

She is a good friend of Minglan and will soon be Minglan's sister-in-law, so there is nothing wrong with calling Zhang Guifen aunt.

At this time, in front of the carriage.

Wei Yuan asked curiously, "How come Brother Hai has time to attend Ming's birthday party?"

Hai Zhou smiled stiffly and said, "We will be a family soon. There is nothing to do in the Ministry of Personnel today, and I heard that Brother Wei is coming too, so of course I have to come."

Others did not hear the hidden meaning of his words, but Wei Yuan did.
"Brother Hai, the job at the Ministry of Personnel is not tiring, right? You don't have to thank me. With your ability, even replacing Minister Wang is not a problem."

Hai Zhou gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Wei, how can I not thank you? If it weren't for the Marquis, I'm afraid I would have been sent by the government to govern some prefecture by now."

What he meant was, if Wei Yuan had not recommended Hai Zhou to Wang Anshi, at this moment, there would be no need for Hai Zhou to get involved in the affairs of the court. He could also stay away from party struggles and comfortably serve as a frontier official, accumulating merits for a few years, and then directly take over the central government after the dispute between the two prime ministers ended.

This was something that was arranged by Haizhou's father, Shangshu Hai.

As a result, everything was ruined because of Wei Yuan's inadvertent recommendation.

"Brother Hai, you should be content. Do you know how many officials in the world want to serve in Bian Jing? They don't have this opportunity."

"Brother Hai, you must work hard and seize this opportunity. Don't let the emperor and Minister Wang down."

Wei Yuan pretended to speak in a serious tone.

Hai Zhou wanted to bite him into pieces and swallow him, "Please rest assured, Brother Wei, I will be diligent in my official duties."

"Brother Wei, I heard that you wrote a memorial hoping that the emperor would issue an order to reform the army, but the emperor didn't respond. What a pity."

"What a coincidence! Yesterday I also submitted a letter to the government, saying that it is not appropriate to reform the army at this time."

Wei Yuan frowned, "Brother Hai, why is it so?"

Hai Zhou threw his sleeves violently and said, "Let's have some wine."

After saying that, he went to Huixian Tower without looking back.

Zhang Guifen and others felt nervous when they saw that the two of them were unhappy with their words.

Hai Chaoyun followed Hai Zhou into the building.

Zhang Guifen and Minglan came to Wei Yuan, and the former asked, "He was fine just now, what happened?"

Wei Yuan shook his head and smiled, "Hai Zhou is a smart man, but he is too narrow-minded. If he becomes prime minister in the future, I'm afraid he won't even be able to build a sail, let alone a ship."

They didn't know what exactly had happened and didn't dare to ask, so they went to Huixian Tower together.

When Wei Yuan arrived at Huixian Tower, he saw Sheng Hong already communicating with Hai Zhou. When the other party saw Wei Yuan, he immediately bowed to Hai Zhou and came to Wei Yuan.
"Brother Yuan, you are here."

At this time, Zhang Guifen had already followed Minglan to the female relatives.

Wei Yuan said: "It's Ming girl's birthday, there's no reason for me not to come."

As he said this, he winked at Haizhou.

If we say that Sheng Hong's rank is bronze.

Then Haizhou’s lowest rank is Grandmaster.

He is just young. If he had another ten or twenty years of experience, he would definitely be able to take on the position of prime minister.

How long it can last depends on the political situation at the time.

Wang Anshi's level is one or even two levels higher than Haizhou.

Even so, we still cannot underestimate the sea boats.

"Take a seat."

Wei Yuan said simply, as if he was the host here and it was he who arranged this banquet.
"Brother Hai, let's sit together."

Hai Zhou said: "I heard that Brother Wei has an amazing capacity for oceans, and I have long wanted to see it for myself."

Wei Yuan asked curiously: "Who told you that?"

Hai Zhou said: "Of course it is Minister Wang."

Wei Yuan said: "He is not a real person, Brother Hai, it is better to stay away from him."

Haizhou was so angry that he laughed, "I want to stay away from him."

Sheng Hong didn't want to ask, nor did he dare to ask, about the discussion between the two.

He is really afraid of being involved with senior officials in the court.

At the same time, Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changfeng also came over.
"I've met Uncle Wei."

Wei Yuan nodded at them.

Logically speaking, as Minglan's aunt, Zhang Guifen should sit at Wei Shuyi's table.

But Zhang Guifen insisted on sitting with Minglan and the others. Wei Shuyi saw it but didn't say anything and just let her go.

The main reason is that they are young people and have more to talk about.

After everyone gave Minglan gifts, seeing that Zhang Guifen was the only one who was unmoved, Sheng Rulan asked curiously:

"What gift did my aunt give to my sixth sister?"

Everyone present knew that Zhang Guifen loved Minglan very much and it was impossible that she did not even prepare a birthday gift for her.

Molan smiled and said, "Fifth sister, don't you know? When aunt came, she brought several large boxes of gifts, and there must be quite a few rare treasures. You asked aunt to tell you what gifts she brought. There are so many, how can aunt tell you one by one?"

Even though Molan has learned her lesson now, she dare not go against Minglan.

But this doesn't mean that she won't argue with Rulan anymore.

Sheng Hualan asked, "What gift does my aunt give to my sixth sister? What does it have to do with you?"

Zhang Guifen smiled and said, "It's okay. In addition to those conventional ceremonies, I have also prepared a painting. Minglan should like it." As she said that, she asked Baozhu to bring the box.

Zhang Guifen smiled and said, "Ming girl, open it and take a look."

Minglan nodded, then opened the box, took out the painting and opened it.

Everyone was shocked and said one after another:

"Is this painted by Mr. Guo?"

"It is lifelike, worthy of being the work of a famous artist."

"Mr. Guo is the imperial painter of the palace. Normally, there are countless dignitaries who want to ask him to paint for them, but only a handful of them can actually ask Mr. Guo to start painting."

"."

Minglan also looked at the painting carefully and said with joy: "Madam Li guards Madam Pass. This painting is really beautiful. Thank you, aunt."

Zhang Guifen said: "As long as you like it."

After a while, the dishes and drinks were served on the table.

At Minglan's table, Zhang Guifen is the oldest.

No one dared to move until she started eating.

After all 18 delicious dishes were served, Zhang Guifen picked up her chopsticks and said to everyone with a smile, "Everyone, start eating."

All the women nodded.

At this time, Hualan toasted Zhang Guifen, "I rarely get together with my aunt. Today, I must have a good drink with her."

Drinking was a popular habit among men in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and even women would have a few drinks when they got together.

The wine they drink is usually fruit wine, which has a low alcohol content and is very sweet.

Zhang Guifen took a sip of wine and asked, "I heard from Minglan earlier that you seemed to have encountered some troubles. How are you today?"

Hua Lan knew what she meant.

At Wei Yuan's promotion banquet, Hualan complained to Minglan about her situation.

"Thanks for your concern, aunt. I feel better now." Hualan smiled.

Only she herself knows whether it is good or bad.

Others did not dare to ask in detail what the trouble was.

After all, Zhang Guifen never said it directly.

"Wait a few days, if I have nothing to do, I will go to your house to talk to you."

If she went to the Duke Zhongqin's Mansion, no one in the Mansion would dare to do anything to Hualan, including her mother-in-law.

For a moment, Hualan was filled with gratitude, "How dare I trouble my aunt?"

After saying that, she glanced at Minglan.

At this time, the latter was smiling foolishly.

At this point, how could Hualan not know that it was Minglan who was helping her?

Otherwise, why would a lady of Yanmen County care about such trivial matters?
"It doesn't matter."

Zhang Guifen simply responded with these two words.

Several people started chatting.

Molan also stood up and toasted Zhang Guifen.
"Aunt, I have never had a drink with you before, so I will drink first as a sign of respect."

Zhang Guifen just took a sip in response.

Molan sat down and asked, "Aunt, I heard that Miss Rong is going to hold a plum blossom appreciation poetry gathering outside the city in a few days. I wonder if you will go on that day?"

Zhang Guifen shook her head. "Too busy. No time."

Molan pondered for a moment and said, "Whenever the Rong family's young lady has a party, she will invite my aunt many days in advance, but my aunt seems to rarely go."

Zhang Guifen said seriously: "Instead of spending time getting to know those people, it is better to read more books and learn some skills that women should learn."

For a moment, Molan looked a little embarrassed.

Zhang Guifen has lived in the capital since she was a child and has met too many important figures and dignitaries.

I have also personally experienced countless intrigues.

She could see through Molan's little plans at a glance.

If Zhang Guifen had gone to the plum blossom poetry gathering, Molan could have relied on her to raise her status.

After all, when the women in the capital saw that Molan had such a close relationship with Zhang Guifen, they would naturally pay attention to Molan.

Molan was also corrupted by Lin Qinshuang and has forgotten what is most important for a woman.

"Chao Yun, last year my husband transplanted many plum trees over at Chun Yi Pavilion. Would you like to come to my house in a few days to take a look?"

Zhang Guifen invited.

She admired Hai Chaoyun very much. She was well-educated, well-mannered and thoughtful, and was worthy of being a daughter taught by the Hai family.

Hai Chaoyun said calmly, "It is better to obey than to be respectful."

Zhang Guifen nodded.

At this time, Rulan suddenly said, "Aunt, my niece wants to go too."

Zhang Guifen asked curiously, "Didn't Miss Rong invite you to appreciate the plum blossoms?"

Rulan said bluntly, "What's the point of going there? I'm stupid and don't want to get along with them."

Zhang Guifen chuckled, "Okay, then whoever wants to go can go."

Rulan was delighted and said, "Thank you, aunt."

Molan remained strangely silent.

Zhang Guifen and Rong Feiyan made it difficult for her to make a decision.
-
Because Wei Yuan’s identity is so special, he is one of the most powerful people in the court.

Whenever he goes to any public place, he has to maintain his privacy, so Sheng Hong had already prepared a private room in advance, and Wei Yuan was in it.

By this time, they had already had three rounds of drinks.

Wei Yuan asked Sheng Changbai, "How have you been editing books in the Hanlin Academy these days?"

The latter bowed and said, "My uncle, the official duties of the Hanlin Academy are relatively leisurely."

Wei Yuan nodded and said, "Don't be anxious, take your time."

Hai Zhou said: "The Hanlin Academy is a place to gain experience. The situation in the court is complicated right now. You need to be more patient at this time."

Sheng Changbai is about to become his brother-in-law, so he naturally has to consider Sheng Changbai.

As everyone was talking, Sheng Changfeng could not hide his disappointment.

Seeing this, Wei Yuan couldn't help but ask, "I heard that you were taught a lesson by your father a few days ago?"

Before Sheng Changfeng could speak, Sheng Hong angrily said, "This rebellious son! He deserves to be beaten!"

The former buried his head even lower and kept drinking.

He knew that once he came, he would definitely be scolded.

Later, it was Lin Qinshuang who advised him to make friends with Wei Yuan, which would be helpful to his future.

Otherwise, he would not come no matter what.

Wei Yuan said: "Young people are full of energy and like to make friends. It is understandable, but you must remember that the mouth can cause trouble."

"Chang Feng, you are quite smart. You will definitely pass the imperial examination in three years."

Sheng Changfeng felt warm at heart after hearing this encouragement, "Uncle, please rest assured, I will study hard in the next few years."

Wei Yuan nodded with a look of relief.

Sheng Changfeng is not a bad person by nature. Although he is not worth cultivating, it is not necessary to speak ill of him.

Later, Haizhou deliberately said:

"Brother Wei, after Ming's birthday party is over, will you and I go together?"

Wei Yuan was curious.

Haizhou looked towards the southeast, but no one was sitting there.

(End of this chapter)