Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 227 I'm on the same side again

Marquis of Champion Huo Xian himself was extremely dazzling, whether it was his military achievements or his status as the emperor's recognized close minister and confidant over the years, these identities were enough to make many powerful people try to please him.

There are countless scholars, knights, and others who want to join his school, but it is a pity that it is basically impossible for those people to get their wish, because Guanjun Hou is not the kind of person who would neglect his scholars for the sake of his wealth.

He was so ostentatious and domineering that he didn't care about the powerful and wealthy, let alone the people in white.

It's a rare opportunity for the champion to hold a banquet, and the lineup of guests is extremely luxurious.

There is the young, promising, and confident Marquis Guanjun, the mature, prudent, but very majestic Marquis Changping, and the seemingly smooth, worldly-wise, cautious and self-disciplined Marquis Ge Yi.

These three people are the Grand Marshal, General of the Cavalry, the Grand Marshal, and the Prime Minister, the three most honorable officials in the court. They are the "Three Dukes" of the Han Dynasty today.

As a result, other marquises had to be more cautious when they came here. Their status might make people respect them outside, but it was really nothing in the Marquis of Guanjun's Mansion. This place was almost comparable to the imperial court.

Wei Qing was in a good mood. He raised his glass to Huo Xian and said, "It's rare that Marquis Guanjun has hosted a banquet for us. We should drink this glass to the full."

Huo Xian quickly stood up and said with a smile, "General, are you blaming me by saying this?"

"Of course you are blaming me!" Gongsun He laughed and joked, "You have been to the General's Mansion to eat meat and drink wine, and you often bring back some good things. But in all these years, has the General ever come to your house to drink a glass of wine?"

This joke also caused a burst of laughter. Gongsun He's complaints were very relatable, because the Marquis of Guanjun really didn't like attending banquets, let alone holding banquets in his mansion.

Huo Xian was not embarrassed and said with a smile, "Prime Minister, I have brought a lot of things to your house. But those things were prepared for me by the general. I just carried them to your house!"

The others couldn't help laughing as well. They had no doubt that Huo Xian had done these things, and it seemed like something that the champion marquis should do.

However, many people also murmured in their hearts that the relationship between the General of Cavalry and the General was really good. Even now, some people were discussing that Huo Xian and Gongsun He had a falling out, which was also self-defeating.

Huo Xian might no longer have any contact with Gongsun Jingsheng, but as long as one of Wei Ru or Gongsun He was there, it could not be considered a real falling out.

After all, these were Huo Shan's elders. In front of them, Huo Shan was just a grandson. They were real grandsons. In this era of governing the world with filial piety, the people Huo Shan should respect the most were Wei Ru, Wei Zifu, and Wei Qing.

Some people feel sorry that Huo Xian did not have a falling out with Gongsun He, which means that there is less opportunity to take advantage of. The Grand Marshal and the General of Cavalry fell out with the Prime Minister, which was a huge disturbance, and some people may have got an opportunity because of it.

However, more people felt happy after seeing this scene. Those who were able to attend the banquet, even if they had not had much contact in the past few years, could basically call themselves old friends of Wei Huo. They certainly did not want Huo Shan and Gongsun He to have conflicts.

Lei Dian stepped forward at this time and took the initiative to say, "General, General of the Cavalry, how can we have wine without martial arts? I am not talented, but I am willing to dance with the sword to make you laugh!"

The others also cheered loudly. Most of these people came from military backgrounds, so they naturally liked things like wielding swords and guns.

As for Lei Dian dancing with a sword now, it is not to lower his status. It is true that he is a marquis, but being able to dance with a sword in such an occasion is also a chance for him to show himself.

What's more, the general was here, so dancing with swords with thunder and lightning would be an honor. In such an occasion, if Huo Xian personally danced with swords, no one would think it was a loss of face, but would just think it was fun.

Yi and others regretted their decision at that time. It was a rare opportunity to be able to show themselves in front of the general and the general of cavalry.

Although some people really wanted to enjoy themselves in Chang'an City, these people basically understood their own identities and knew what a military marquis should do.

Huo Xian smiled and nodded. Lei Dian was indeed somewhat "assimilated". The former Xiongnu prince's every move looked like that of a Han noble.

Such situations are very normal. After all, they have lived in the Han Dynasty for more than 20 years. In most cases, they are very satisfied with their current lives, so naturally they have fewer Hun habits.

Suddenly Chen Ju came hurriedly, "My Lord, the Crown Prince is here."

Huo Xian stood up immediately. He was not surprised at all that the prince was coming. He just didn't expect him to come so early, so anxiously, and not come with the emperor.

There was no need to hide anything, Huo Xian said directly, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived, everyone should follow me out of the palace to welcome him."

The others also stood up. This was the right thing to do at this time. Since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had come, these officials would definitely not sit still in the palace. Going out to greet him was the most basic etiquette.

Outside of Huo Xian's Guanjun Marquis's mansion, the atmosphere became even more lively. Those who didn't know would have wondered what these dignitaries were doing. They all stood in a proper manner, as if they were attending court.

A team of cavalry went ahead, and soon Liu Ju's carriage came over. The first person to get off the carriage was a young man, that was the emperor's eldest grandson Liu Jin, who had little presence in front of many officials.

Then Liu Ju and Shi Liangdi got off the car. It really looked like they were visiting relatives, and the family of three appeared so gorgeously.

"I heard that the Champion Marquis is hosting a banquet. This is a rare event in Chang'an City." Liu Ju was in a good mood and said jokingly, "I thought it would be fine, so I came to see the Champion Marquis' banquet."

Huo Xian quickly replied, "Your Highness, your words are too polite. I have always been impolite. I have been on the expedition for a long time and just returned to Chang'an. I wanted to have a banquet with my colleagues."

Only someone as shameless as Huo Shan could say this with a clear conscience. Others obviously would not believe it too much. These words really could not deceive anyone, even those who did not know Huo Shan well.

He had indeed just returned from the Western Regions, but this was a long time in some ways and a short time in others. If he really wanted to have a feast with others, he would not have delayed it until now.

During the days since Guanjun Hou returned to Chang'an, he has done some things, but he still keeps a low profile as usual. It's really unreasonable that he wants to have a banquet and a gathering now.

Liu Ju naturally wouldn't take it too seriously, his smile was still as gentle as ever, "Okay, no need to be polite, let's go into the mansion first."

Huo Xian looked at Liu Ju, and nodded and blinked slightly in the direction of Jianzhang Palace, which naturally meant that he was asking about the emperor's news, which was a big deal.

Liu Ju naturally found it very funny. Xian'er really didn't know how to restrain herself. This child still didn't know how to hide some of her thoughts. The most important thing was that when getting close, she still didn't know the etiquette and rules. After shaking his head slightly, Liu Ju gently lifted up Wei Qing's arm. The uncle and nephew talked in a low voice and walked towards the Guanjun Marquis's mansion.

Liu Jin, who looked like a young man, hurried to Huo Xian and said, "Cousin, please go in quickly. The Royal Grandfather is still in the palace and the Royal Grandmother is still packing. She is going to give you a lot of things."

That means he won't be here for a while, but if you think about it, it's very understandable. If the emperor was really in a hurry to come, he would have come a long time ago, instead of letting Liu Ju come first.

It can even be said that Liu Che was not very interested in Huo Shan's banquet. He probably felt that there was nothing interesting about such a banquet, so he was not in a hurry to come.

Liu Che was naturally very clear that once he showed up, none of the guests would be able to relax. By then, Huo Xian would have finally managed to hold a banquet, and the atmosphere would become very weird.

So it’s better to be straightforward and just come over to crown Huo Shan at the critical moment and just support Huo Shan.

As for the fact that the prince came first, it doesn't really matter. The prince is a role model of respecting the wise and humble, and he has a relatively gentle personality. Although his presence may put some people under a bit of pressure, no one will care too much.

Liu Ju was the crown prince, so he deserved to be the main seat, and no one had any objection. Just like before, Wei Qing and Gongsun He were the main seats, and no one had any objection.

Liu Ju looked around with a smile and asked, "There are quite a few people here that I don't know. Can Guanjun Hou introduce me to someone?"

Huo Xian immediately laughed dryly. He had invited all the guests, but he didn't know all of them.

Some of them were former subordinates of Huo Qubing, and it was a long time ago, more than 20 years ago. If they didn't have much contact with each other, they wouldn't really know each other well.

Seeing Huo Xian's awkward smile, Liu Ju naturally understood. But for a moment he really didn't know what to say. He thought Xian'er had improved, but he didn't expect that she was still the same as before.

Everyone said that the Marquis of Guanjun held a banquet to show off his status and influence in Chang'an. Especially the guests who were invited were either the former Marquis of Guanjun or the former Huo Xian.

This is a very meaningful thing in the eyes of some people. Except for Zhao Anguo and others who are still in the Western Regions and have not returned, most of the guests who came to the Guanjun Marquis's Mansion this time can be considered to be close to the Guanjun Marquis.

To put it a little more exaggeratedly, these people can be considered as Marquis Guanjun's followers, and they almost always rise and fall with Marquis Guanjun in the court.

It is a bit exaggerated, but this is the actual situation. There are still many people in the court who stick together.

Wei Qing smiled and came to Huo Xian's rescue, "Your Highness, let these people introduce themselves. Your Highness knows many of them, but most of them are serving in the army."

Few people thought that this was to help Huo Xian out, and most people thought that the general was trying to gain opportunities for others. The Crown Prince's position was stable, and many people wanted to get close to him but had no way to do so.

The situation for civil officials might be slightly better, as military marquises who want to have more contact with the prince basically have no such opportunity.

If Marquis Guanjun came to introduce someone, everyone would agree that he would definitely introduce a name, title or official position, and it would be a very good thing if he could do so.

But if these people were to introduce themselves, it would not be just these things. They would also have to add their own backgrounds, their own military achievements, etc., as well as their experiences following Huo Qubing or Huo Shan. Otherwise, how could they prove that they were one of them?

There was no need to doubt the status of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and no one thought that there would be a change of crown prince.

Liu Ju was originally thinking about helping Huo Xian out, but now he just needed to take advantage of the situation. Few people noticed what happened in this short moment, and they began to prepare to introduce themselves seriously.

Liu Jin whispered to Huo Xian, "Cousin, are these people close to you?"

"Close, if not, how could I invite them?" Huo Xian had a look of 'are you kidding me', a shameless person can be invincible, "You better remember it well, in the future, even if you don't say walk around more often, at least remember it."

Liu Jin nodded seriously. With his background and age, he was much more mature than other teenagers and was sensitive to some things. He knew the significance of some things.

As the eldest grandson of the emperor, Liu Jin naturally cannot have any political power in the court now, but that does not mean that he does not want to have some influence of his own.

His mother Shi Liangdi has said in private countless times that he must maintain a good relationship with Huo Shan. Liu Jin also agrees with this. He has liked Huo Shan since he was a child, and he has become more sensible when he grows up.

He is a natural supporter and one of the most powerful supporters. If a crown prince is to be appointed in the future, the words of this Marquis of Guanjun will carry more weight.

"Can you dance with a sword?" Huo Xian asked in a low voice, looking ahead. "If you can't use a sword, then you can practice archery. I'll lead you to dance one at the banquet later."

Liu Jin was overjoyed and said quickly, "I do know swordsmanship, but I'm just average at it. If I were to dance with a sword at the banquet, I'm afraid the guests would laugh at me because I'm from the military."

Huo Xian chuckled, "It's good enough if you can dance smoothly. Who dares to ask you to be as good at sword dancing as me? You can come out and dance with the sword openly in a while. Just don't be stage-frightened."

Liu Jin nodded repeatedly. He was indeed his cousin. He would think of him whenever there were benefits.

Now everyone in Chang'an knows that my cousin supports the prince, and the first person they think of when there is benefit is the prince.

But it was obviously not just that. It was true that the Marquis of Guanjun supported the Crown Prince, and now he even supported the eldest grandson of the Emperor. To put it bluntly, he took sides earlier and more clearly than anyone else.

"This Huo Shan." Princess Pingyang whispered to Wei Ru, "Your Majesty will scold him again later."

Wei Ru also said, "After all, he was taught by His Majesty. Although Shan'er is much more frivolous than Qubing, they are the same in some matters. From this point of view, isn't he a little anxious?"

Princess Pingyang shook her head slightly, not in a hurry at all.

Liu Jin is the eldest grandson of the emperor. He has been loved by Wei Zifu since he was a child. He was also deliberately introduced by the queen and the prince to be close to Huo Shan. As for Huo Shan, he has now directly chosen a side, and the meaning is self-evident.

As for whether the emperor would be unhappy, if he was unhappy, he would have stopped Huo Shan from contacting Liu Jin long ago, let alone asking him to attend the banquet!
(End of this chapter)