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

"Master Ke, this is a camel hump that my father brought back from the Western Regions with great difficulty."

Xiao Wei deliberately bowed to Ke Zheng, which caused Xiao Qinyan's expression to change abruptly.

Judging from the seating arrangement, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that the most important person at this birthday banquet is Zhou Feng, who sits in the very center at the head of the table.

But his own son went to pay his respects to Ke Zheng first. What's the reason for that?

Little did he know that Xiao Wei was watching everything clearly from below.

Since Ke Zheng also disliked Zhou Feng, this so-called Celestial Master, he would first bow to Ke Zheng to let him know his thoughts before mocking Zhou Feng.

Since the two are on the same side, Ke Zheng can say a few good words for him.

That way, even if Zhou Feng loses face for a while, his father won't blame him too much.

Unfortunately, Ke Zheng's attitude towards the Xiao family was not much different from his attitude towards Zhou Feng. Even when Xiao Wei took the initiative to lower his stance, he just waved his hand casually and didn't even say a word to him.

This was something Young Master Xiao found hard to accept. His eyes reddened, and his tone became somewhat harsh: "Won't you try a bite?"

Ke Zheng sneered: "I have never known the hardships of the common people, so please do not disturb my enjoyment of the music, young master."

Having spent his entire life in officialdom, how could Ke Zheng not see what Xiao Wei was up to?

This young master Xiao is oversimplifying the relationships between officials.

If, among the common people, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, then in the eyes of the upright officials, favored ministers like Zhou Feng and treacherous officials like Xiao Qinyan who formed cliques for personal gain were all their enemies.

Anyone who is an enemy is an absolute adversary, and they must all be wiped out!

The ruthlessness of factional strife is no less than that of a plowing up a courtyard and sweeping away a den

That's a real fight to the death!

The upright officials present were delighted to see Xiao Qinyan's son humiliated; they were practically sitting there with melon seeds, enjoying the spectacle.

However, the officials who were subordinate to Xiao Qinyan did not have the right to speak up.

The person currently conversing with Xiao Wei is none other than the venerable Prime Minister Ke, a pillar among the upright civil officials.

Of them, only Xiao Qinyan was qualified to speak; anyone else who opened their mouth would only be humiliating themselves.

Seeing Xiao Wei so enraged that he completely lost his composure, his face turning a deep red all the way to his ears, Zhou Feng couldn't help but let out a laugh.

Just then, the singing and accompaniment in the venue stopped at the same time, and with everyone listening attentively to the song, the laughter was crystal clear.

Xiao Wei, who was still standing between Ke Zheng and Zhou Feng, suddenly clenched his fist.

This bastard not only embarrassed his father just now, but now he actually dares to mock him in public!

If Xiao Wei had any reservations about what he had prepared just now, he now felt that he had been too soft-hearted!

"Master Celestial, Master Ke, do you still find this melody pleasing to the ear?"

After all, he was his own son, and Xiao Qinyan couldn't bear to see Xiao Wei embarrass himself on the field, so he changed the subject.

After receiving a wink from Xiao Qinyan, Xiao Wei gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and left the seat of honor behind them.

Zhou Feng didn't pay him any attention, and simply clapped his hands casually: "You sang well."

Although he didn't like the songs from the Song Dynasty, out of habit he brought from his own world, he still had to politely applaud after seeing such a hard-working performance.

But such a move made Ke Zheng curl his lips in disdain. What does a mere Taoist know about rhythm?

"The singing was so-so, but the pipa playing was quite good, very good."

Zhang Haohao, who was still below, immediately turned pale, while Song Yinzhang's lips curled up.

"Master Ke's calligraphy is renowned throughout the world, and he was also a master of music in his early years! To receive praise from Master Ke is truly remarkable!"

As soon as Ke Zheng finished speaking, Qi Mu, who was sitting below, quickly added two sentences, which made Ke Zheng's face show a bit of pride.

This allowed Zhou Feng to see something out of the ordinary; wasn't this just the standard setup of a leader and his lackeys?

Just like Murong Fu and Bao Butong, whenever the latter appears, he always starts talking about how great his young master is.

Boasting about himself is beneath him; he needs others to praise him to truly showcase his abilities.

Xiao Qinyan picked up his teacup and took a sip. Just as he was about to say something, Xiao Wei suddenly stood up and, in front of all the guests, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture toward the person at the head of the table.

"The musicians in these music academies only play and sing some mundane skills, so it's normal for Master Ke to find them uninteresting! However, since we are gathered here today to celebrate my father's birthday, why not let the Celestial Master show us what the magic of Penglai is like?"

After he finished speaking, the expressions on the faces of all the guests changed.

The Qingliu group was naturally happy to get even more gossip, and their expressions towards Xiao Qinyan were somewhat mocking. This was truly a case of dogs fighting each other.

Ke Zheng didn't hide the smile on his face at all, and even drank an extra cup of tea.

In contrast, Xiao Qinyan's followers looked completely bewildered.

Before the birthday banquet began, they had already met with each other. Xiao Qinyan's instructions were that from this day forward, everything should be done in the best interests of the Celestial Master, even if it meant violating the law.

Now, right here at the birthday banquet, your eldest son has directly attacked the Celestial Master. Should we follow suit or wait and see?

Xiao Qinyan's expression changed drastically, and he looked at Xiao Wei with disbelief in his eyes.

He did not tell Xiao Wei about his relationship with Zhou Feng, but the seating arrangement today shows what kind of status this Celestial Master has!

Has Xiao Wei gone mad? How dare he stand up and target him!

Even Zhou Feng himself was somewhat bewildered.

Isn't this a standoff between Hsiao Chin-yen and Ke Cheng?

Why did Xiao Qinyan's son stand up and beat him up?

It's true that the main characters A and B were fighting in the middle of a battle when they turned around and started attacking passersby!

Seeing that Zhou Feng hadn't spoken yet, Xiao Wei became even more smug, raising his chin and looking at Zhou Feng at the head of the table: "If it's inconvenient for the Celestial Master to perform, I have some props from street magic tricks here for your use!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Wei clapped his hands, and the servants who had been waiting outside the door reluctantly filed in.

He was holding pots, pans, bowls, and various other containers, which contained water, soil, and other miscellaneous items.

The steward of the Xiao family at the gate was dumbfounded; he had always known Xiao Qinyan's inclinations.

If he had known beforehand that these odds and ends prepared outside the door were the eldest young master's way of humiliating the Celestial Master, he would never have let these people in!

But now it's pointless for him to stop it.

Zhou Feng glanced at Xiao Wei, who had his chin held high, and suddenly smiled.

He wasn't particularly angry; instead, he felt a strange sense of absurdity.

"Minister Xiao, is this also your intention?"