Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 225 Distinguished Guest
The emperor was coming to the banquet. This seemed a little unbelievable at first, but if you think about it carefully, it was nothing surprising.

In the final analysis, Liu Che left the palace many times, whether he was on tour, out hunting, or visiting the residences of some princes and ministers.

Therefore, there is really no need to make a fuss about the emperor coming to the Marquis of Guanjun's Mansion. At most, the emperor trusts and likes Huo Shan, and this is not a unique treatment.

It is enough that the emperor does not hide his preference for Huo Shan, and there is no need to think that there is anything special about it.

Knowing some things in advance, Huo Xian also needs to make some preparations. The emperor's arrival needs to be kept secret for the time being, and Huo Xian should not make this matter public, otherwise it will not be good.

With the emperor arranging some things, Huo Xian could naturally spend his days leisurely. Even if it seemed that the banquet was hosted by him, he did not necessarily have to personally attend to everything. He just needed to enjoy the final results.

Just follow the procedure. Huo Xian transferred Qimen and Yulin, and some eunuchs and other officials appeared in Guanjun Marquis' Mansion. Then some people noticed that something was wrong.

The first guests to arrive were General Wei Qing and Princess Pingyang, which immediately raised the standard of Huo Shan's banquet.

"Your Majesty is coming today, so don't act recklessly." Princess Pingyang warned, "A lot of people will definitely come soon, and if your uncle stands here, they won't dare to act recklessly."

Huo Xian was not bragging, he said confidently, "My uncle is weak now, he should go to the mansion to rest first. I am the Grand Marshal and the General of Cavalry, who dares to be so presumptuous in front of me?"

Wei Qing and Princess Pingyang both thought Huo Xian's words made sense. To be honest, given Huo Xian's status, none of the guests who came today would deliberately cause trouble, so his status was enough.

However, Wei Qing still smiled and said, "No matter how bad my health is, I can stand up. After all, you are a junior and you never attend banquets. I will keep an eye on you today to avoid any chaos."

There doesn't seem to be much of a problem with this. After all, Huo Xian's identity seems to be sufficient, and normal people will definitely not cause trouble at his banquet.

But there are some rather crazy people in this world. Not to mention the dignitaries in the Western Han Dynasty, there are some rather crazy people among the dignitaries in any dynasty. Normal people cannot understand their thoughts.

As for Wei Qing and Princess Pingyang, they didn't mind standing outside the mansion for a while. After all, they were Huo Xian's closest elders, and they felt that they should help take care of the affairs of the Marquis Guanjun's mansion.

Princess Pingyang said jokingly with a smile, "I heard that you went to ask His Majesty for the Grand Marshal's seal again? Seeing you like this today, you can only get a seal."

Faced with such an insult, Huo Xian could only complain, "Next time I go to fight the Xiongnu, I will definitely be given the Grand Marshal's seal. In fact, if His Majesty doesn't give me the seal, he must have kept it for himself."

Huo Shan liked to help the emperor wear swords on formal occasions, especially the snake-slaying sword left by Emperor Gaozu. Whenever he was asked to leave the Gaozu Temple, Huo Shan would basically wear it.

When it came to Huo Xian, it was the seal of the Grand Marshal, which Liu Che often held in his hand, using some high-sounding reasons to prevaricate but resolutely refusing to give it to her.

"Your Majesty has his own considerations. You are still too young." Wei Qing smiled a little. "You are too flamboyant and love to show off. White horse, silver robe, brocade clothes and long spear, you are really the best in style."

Huo Xian was not embarrassed. When he was in Chang'an, he was suave, flamboyant and confident. He was not only handsome, but also had a dignified manner. Whenever he went out, he looked handsome and cool.

As they were talking, Gongsun Hehao and Wei Ru also arrived. Wei Qing naturally hurried forward to greet them. His elder sister was highly respected and Wei Qing respected her from the bottom of his heart.

Wei Ru patted the back of Huo Xian's hand, sighed and said, "How can I face you after seeing what your cousin did?"

"Why are you saying this?" Huo Xian said with a smile, "My cousin is saying that my aunt is my aunt. In other words, I won't talk to my cousin in public. When I go to his house, won't I still have to drink and chat with my cousin?"

Wei Ru and Gongsun He also understood that it was impossible for Huo Xian to have no grudges against Gongsun Jingsheng, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that they had turned against each other. Saying this now was nothing more than giving face to their elders.

Wei Qing also hurriedly advised, "What Jingsheng did was wrong. Shan'er is a broad-minded person, so you don't have to think too much about it. Besides, Jingsheng has been punished now, and the matter is over."

Princess Pingyang also advised, "Sister, what Wei Qing said makes sense. Shan'er just can't interact with Jingsheng openly. Could it be that she really doesn't recognize her uncle?"

Huo Xian and Wei Qing supported Wei Ru on the left and right as they entered the Marquis Guanjun's Mansion. Lin Mei immediately stepped forward to serve him. This was also a reflection of her current status. She could barely be considered half the mistress of the Marquis Guanjun's Mansion.

"His Majesty will be here soon, you guys can go out now." Wei Ru said with a smile, "Wei Qing, it's rare for Shan'er to hold a banquet, you can help take care of it. Her Royal Highness the Princess can take care of the affairs in the mansion."

Princess Pingyang and Wei Ru stayed in the mansion to arrange some things. Since they were in charge of the mansion, there was naturally nothing to worry about.

Huo Xian said quickly, "Aunt, the dancers should be here soon. I have searched hard to gather a few good dancers, all of whom were borrowed from the palace."

Wei Ru laughed and criticized, "I'm afraid you're the only one in Chang'an who has to borrow dancers from everywhere when you hold a banquet at the Guanjun Marquis's Mansion. You like pleasure and Chu dance so much, why don't you keep a few?"

As a qualified noble, having many servants in the house is the most basic requirement. Keeping some dancers and musicians is also what the nobles should do, and everyone thinks it is normal.

Huo Xian is unique. There are no proper dancers in his mansion. Only guards, servants, and some carpenters. How can he look like a rich and powerful person who enjoys pleasure?
"The dancers outside are not good, the dancers in the palace are good." Huo Xian gave his own judgment, "I can just watch the singing and dancing in the palace. I'm afraid I'll get angry if I can't teach them and they can't dance well!"

Hearing what Huo Xian said, even Wei Qing laughed, and felt that it was completely understandable that Huo Xian did not keep a dancer.

This child grew up in the palace and appreciated only the best songs and dances. Naturally, he had high standards and was very picky. Plus, he had a somewhat impatient temper, so if he kept a dancer, he would probably get really angry.

Furthermore, given the emperor and empress's love for Huo Shan, there would be no problem even if they invited some people to the palace to enjoy singing and dancing occasionally.

After a brief chat, Wei Qing and Huo Shan also left the Guanjun Marquis' Mansion, and Gongsun He had to stay.

Wei Ru's identity is useful to Wei Huo, but some other powerful people may not really respect her.

Princess Pingyang was of noble status, and the rich and powerful certainly did not dare to offend her. But she was a woman after all, and even though the Western Han Dynasty seemed to be more open, there were still some differences between men and women.

Even though Prime Minister Gongsun He was considered the emperor's yes-man, he was still the Prime Minister. As long as he was in the Marquis of Guanjun's mansion, the dignitaries would naturally give him some respect. Wei Qing walked very slowly, his steps were a little shaky, "Shan'er, is His Majesty going to crown you?"

"Since His Majesty has come, I guess he will be crowned." Huo Xian said uncertainly, "I mentioned it before, and I thought he would choose a good day. But I can't make the decision on this matter. It's still His Majesty's idea."

Wei Qing naturally knew the emperor's character, and if he really chose to crown Huo Xian at this time, there would be nothing wrong. The occasion was also appropriate, after all, it was in the Guanjun Marquis's mansion, which was more in line with his status than in the palace.

"You should be more careful these days. You should stop making trouble now that you have been crowned. You should be an adult now." Wei Qing said earnestly, "In the past few years, no matter how troublesome you were, I thought you were a child and was more tolerant of you."

Huo Xian nodded. Although theoretically he was always a child in front of the emperor and Wei Qing, he still had to consider age. There was still a difference between being in his early twenties and being in his early teens.

Even if people in their thirties can occasionally show off in front of their elders, they should know when to stop, otherwise it will be a joke.

Although Huo Xian is not yet thirty and has just turned twenty, he can no longer be like he was in his teens.

"I am trying to find a way to accompany His Majesty on the tour just to be more cautious," Huo Xian said in a low voice, "If I don't go on the tour once, His Majesty will find trouble with me sooner or later."

Although Huo Xian's words were a bit rude, Liu Ju also understood that it was okay to say so. Even though Huo Xian was the emperor's favorite minister, he was only a minister after all, and there were some things that the emperor could not really hold a grudge against.

"You'd better be careful this time. Your Majesty is more and more eager to seek immortality." Wei Qing said worriedly, "If you don't get anything this time, you might be blamed for some of the things you arranged."

Everyone knew the emperor too well. They knew some of his thoughts and hobbies, as well as his personality and style of doing things.

Huo Xian sighed and said, "If we really find some traces, that would be a good thing. I know this, and we must not act recklessly. I can't act recklessly, and neither can the officials."

In order to please the emperor, not to mention the accompanying officials, some local officials or common people might create some magical traces to please the emperor. Huo Xian had witnessed a lot of such things.

Some of them even seemed ridiculous, but the emperor believed them. Not only was the emperor superstitious, but it was also the prevailing trend in the Western Han Dynasty, with everyone from top to bottom being superstitious.

Instead of asking about the common people, asking about ghosts and gods is also a tradition in the Western Han Dynasty.

Liu Che was very superstitious. Emperor Wen of Han, who initiated the reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, was actually also superstitious about ghosts and gods. In his later years, he would still chat about things in the middle of the night. All they talked about were matters of ghosts and gods, which had nothing to do with the country.

This matter does require caution. Huo Xian is very clear that the emperor will definitely go to seek the immortal way this time when he leaves Chang'an, but there are very complicated tricks involved in this process.

This is a blessing, but there are also considerable risks involved. If things are not done well, even Huo Xian, the number one confidant, may be disliked.

Wei Qing couldn't say much about this because he knew that such matters were very sensitive, and Huo Shan had no way of persuading the emperor on this matter.

Even Wei Qing himself was inevitably influenced by some of the trends of the time. In fact, he also had some contacts with some alchemists, but he was not as superstitious as the emperor.

The two of them chatted while going outside the mansion to welcome the guests. It was a super luxurious lineup.

In terms of status, there was naturally no problem for Huo Xian to go out to greet guests, even though he was the Grand Marshal, General of the Cavalry, and Marquis of Guanjun. Since he was hosting the banquet, he had to go out to greet the guests. This was basic respect for the guests.

It seems a bit casual, but without these basic courtesy and respect, it is obviously inappropriate. After all, those who came today are all people of status.

Wei Qing was of distinguished status, so logically he must be allowed to enter the mansion and have a seat, need someone to talk to him, etc. He was almost the most distinguished guest.

But since he knew that the emperor was coming, Wei Qing naturally could not sit still in his mansion. This was his usual style.

Wei Deng and Wei Buyi were not late. They arrived very early and were busy arranging the order for the guests to enter, arranging people to receive them, etc.

Accompanying guests is also a science. Since people have arrived at the Marquis Guanjun's Mansion, they must not be left alone. Who talks and chats with whom is something that needs to be arranged, and obviously there should be no negligence.

Huo Guang also hurried over, thinking that he should come early to help, rather than thinking that this was a rare social occasion and a chance to meet more dignitaries.

"General!" Seeing Wei Qing outside the palace gate, Huo Guang was both excited and terrified, "General, please come in quickly!"

Then Huo Guang was really angry, "Shan'er, how can you let the general stay outside the palace!"

"It's okay. This is what I meant." Wei Qing looked at Huo Guang and said with a smile, "You go into the mansion first. After all, you are Qubing's younger brother and Shan'er's uncle. You can't be careless about entertaining guests in the mansion."

Huo Xian, who was standing beside her, was shaking with excitement. She had always known that her nephew was a powerful figure and was loved by the general. But now the general was personally welcoming guests outside the mansion to help Shan'er. This was something she could not imagine.

Huo Xian looked at Huo Guang and said, "Uncle, it's not that I'm rude. I'm afraid you can guess some things. You go in first and help the prime minister arrange the guests. The general will enter the palace later."

Having said that, Huo Guang, with his intelligence, could naturally guess and suddenly became even more nervous. The scale of today's banquet far exceeded his initial imagination.

It was an honor for the general to come in person. And now that His Majesty was coming in person, it was an honor for the entire Guanjun Marquisate.

It's better to go in quickly. Things in the mansion really need to be arranged well, and there must not be any mistakes.

Given Huo Guang's prudence, there would definitely be no problems if he were to do these things!

(End of this chapter)