Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

When Xiao Qinyan came out of the inner quarters after changing his clothes, he still had a smile on his face.

Xiao Wei followed behind him with his head down, looking rather unhappy, but in reality, Xiao Qinyan didn't blame him too much.

Regardless of his attitude towards the imperial edict or towards Ke Zheng, although Xiao Wei was somewhat impolite, it was not a big deal for Xiao Qinyan.

The father and son walked into the main hall one after the other, and all eyes in the room turned to them.

After Xiao Qinyan and the other ministers and nobles nodded in acknowledgment, their gazes were immediately fixed on Zhou Feng, who was sitting in the very center of the head seat.

Without the slightest hesitation, he quickened his pace, passed Ke Zheng, and walked straight to Zhou Feng. He clasped his hands together and bowed slightly, saying, "I apologize for keeping the Celestial Master waiting. I was changing clothes and arrived late. Please forgive my rudeness."

At this moment, Zhou Feng was looking down at his phone. Hearing the sound, he raised his eyelids, glanced at Xiao Qinyan, and nodded to indicate that he understood.

Such an attitude, let alone at Xiao Qinyan's birthday banquet, would be far too disrespectful to this Minister Shi, even on ordinary days.

It's not so much that they're lukewarm, but rather that they seem somewhat indifferent and dismissive!

Compared to those officials who immediately stood up to greet Xiao Qinyan upon his arrival, this was a world of difference.

But Xiao Qinyan showed no sign of anger, as if Zhou Feng's reply was a huge favor to him. His smile widened, and he bowed again.

"It is truly an honor for my humble abode to have the Celestial Master grace our residence with his presence!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Xiao Qinyan turned around and returned to his seat.

This series of actions caught the attention of all the guests, immediately causing an uproar.

The military officers were fine; Gao Hu wore a proud expression and kept winking at his colleagues.

His fawning attitude towards Zhou Feng just now made the military officers very unhappy. They felt that he had disgraced their group, and they said a lot of derogatory things.

How is it now?

Even Xiao Qinyan treats the Celestial Master this way, so what's wrong with him trying to curry favor with him?

But when Qingliu's group saw Xiao Qinyan's actions, their expressions instantly turned ugly.

Especially Ke Zheng, who was ranked first.

Just now, Xiao Qinyan brushed right past him and ran to Zhou Feng to fawn over him.

Clearly, in Xiao Qinyan's mind, he and Zhou Feng were incomparable; the other was far more important to him!

How could Ke Zheng not be furious?

The other civil officials also turned cold as they looked at Xiao Qinyan, their knuckles turning white as they gripped their wine cups.

If it were anyone else, Ke Zheng might not have been so angry, but Xiao Qinyan is different!

After Ke Zheng left Tokyo, Xiao Qinyan, as the envoy, became the head of the civil service.

If the head of the civil service were to adopt such a fawning and even obsequious attitude towards Zhou Feng, wouldn't that make the entire civil service group look inferior?

However, Xiao Qinyan completely failed to notice their attitude. After taking his seat, he even went to Zhou Feng's side to strike up a conversation: "Master, is the food to your liking today? If there is anything you don't like, I will have it rearranged."

Zhou Feng didn't even look up, just waved his hand casually, and Xiao Qinyan smiled and didn't bother him any further.

Seeing this, Ke Zheng could no longer restrain himself. He slammed his teacup down on the table, his voice rising slightly: "In my decades in court, I have never seen a high-ranking official treat a mere sorcerer with such obsequiousness. Minister Xiao's birthday banquet today has truly opened my eyes!"

His words were extremely blunt, and several upright officials below echoed him: "Lord Ke is absolutely right. As the head of the civil officials, why should Minister Xiao bow and scrape to this opportunist? What kind of decorum is that?"

"Has Lord Xiao forgotten that he too has studied the classics?"

"Alas...the world has gone to such an extent!"

Xiao Qinyan seemed to have completely ignored what these people were saying, poured himself a cup of tea, and slowly sipped it.

People can say whatever they want; he doesn't care at all.

As the first native Zhou Feng came into contact with upon arriving in this world, Xiao Qinyan received the highest level of treatment after surrendering.

He not only knew the entire plan for changing the dynasty, but he had even been to the base built by Zhou Feng and others outside the city, where he saw airplanes, tanks, and the guns used by the suicide soldiers who were training.

With those weapons as backing him, Xiao Qinyan knew better than anyone that the Song Dynasty wouldn't last more than a few months.

So, to outsiders, he was flattering Zhou Feng, the Celestial Master, but in his own eyes, he was trying to curry favor with the future Emperor.

After some time, he will become a loyal subject of the emperor, second only to the emperor.

And those adults who currently look down on Zhou Feng, if they are lucky enough to survive, their attitude will probably be even worse than his!

Zhou Feng glanced up at the still-clamoring civil officials, his lips twitching slightly, then looked away and turned to Qian Yuan: "Remember those names, we'll deal with them later."

"good!"

As the person in charge of those experts and the person specifically responsible for implementing the plan, Qian Yuan naturally had some understanding of the officials in Tokyo.

He wrote down these people's names in his notebook and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Regardless of their talent or lack thereof, these individuals' futures will likely end here.

No one present noticed that Xiao Qinyan's son, Xiao Wei, sitting below, had a consistently unpleasant expression.

Although he kept his head down, his fingers were under the table, tightly gripping his robe.

His father, who had become the prime minister and was second only to the emperor, bowed and scraped to that Taoist priest in front of everyone!

Those supposedly upright people actually dared to utter sarcastic remarks at the birthday banquet!

A strange sense of shame and indignation surged up from his chest, making his cheeks flush red, his eyes seem bloodshot, and his nails dig deep into his palms, leaving several crescent-shaped marks.

But in front of his father, he naturally dared not lash out, and could only secretly stare at Zhou Feng with hateful eyes.

At this moment, dancers from the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) walked in from outside in a line.

Several well-proportioned young girls, dressed in fiery red dance skirts, holding colorful ribbons and with golden bells hanging from their waists, danced in the center of the main hall with delicate steps.

The musicians also played the chime bells and plucked the pipa to provide accompaniment.

Most of the officials in the hall were engrossed in watching, and a few of the older ones even unconsciously swayed their heads and hummed along to the rhythm.

Even Ke Zheng, who was still angry, had his gaze drawn to the dancers for a moment, and his expression softened slightly.

Zhou Feng, however, lost interest completely after only a short while.