Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 484: Distinguished Guests Gathered in Xinglong
On the first day of the new class, Zhang Shou, the doctor in charge of Jiuzhang Hall, quietly left the Imperial College with Lu Sanlang, the second-year head of the hall, and went to Xinglong Tea House. Others would have done this secretly, because if they were seen, they would definitely say it was irresponsible. However, when Zhang Shou left, he went to Shengqian Hall to report to Xu Heida.
Xu Heida, who was originally disgusted by all kinds of unhealthy tendencies, swallowed back the doubts that were on his lips as soon as he heard that Jiuzhang Hall was actually publicly selecting a head of the hall and that Zhang Shou regarded this as the first lesson for the freshmen. Without Zhang Shou's request, he immediately rushed to Jiuzhang Hall, intending to see it with his own eyes.
Lu Sanlang had always disliked Xu Heida. Seeing how enthusiastic he was about learning, he couldn't help but mutter to himself as he walked out of the Imperial College archway and mounted his horse, "Why do I feel like Xu Heida is taking the salary of a deputy chief of the Shengqian Hall but worrying about the heart of a fourth-rank official?"
Zhang Shou knew that Lu Sanlang was mocking Xu Heida for being the chief judge of the Imperial College even though he was the chief judge of the Imperial College. He couldn't help but chuckle, "Why are you so harsh on someone who is really willing to work and is not afraid of offending his superiors?"
He coughed lightly, then changed the subject and asked, "Are you ready?"
"Of course." Lu Sanlang grinned. "This is the first rematch, just like the first preliminary round, I have invited many people. Needless to say, the Earl of Weinan will come. But the one with more face is the young mistress. She sent someone to tell me that she invited the Marquis of Huaiqing, the Earl of Xiangyang, the Earl of Dingtao, the Earl of Linfen..."
Hearing Lu Sanlang calling her "Little Master's Wife" as if it was a matter of course, and announcing the titles one by one like the names of dishes, Zhang Shou could only laugh.
Could this be... the Zhang family reunion?
Marquis of Huaiqing Zhang Jingzhou, Earl of Xiangyang Zhang Qiong, Earl of Dingtao Zhang Qian, Earl of Linfen Zhang Wuxi, Earl of Weinan Zhang Kang. If we add Zhang Chuan, Duke of Qin, Commander-in-Chief Zhang Xinling, and Grand Secretary Zhang Yu, as well as the Duke of Chu and Marquis of Nanyang who are not in the capital, this is just like what Zhu Ying told him on her fingers when she asked about his background and who were the famous people with the surname Zhang in the capital, right?
Zhang Shou couldn't help but sigh, fortunately he went to find Zhu Ying, the eldest lady's face was so big that he couldn't believe it. Last time, Zhu Ying came forward to propose a marriage between Xie Wanquan and the daughter of Xiangyang Earl Zhang Qiong, and this time she even invited Zhang Qiong herself to come. Does the Zhu family have a feud with the Zhang family? In this situation, he would believe it if they said there was a marriage!
Seeing that Zhang Shou seemed to have gotten used to his address as "little master's wife", Lu Sanlang became even more unscrupulous. After getting on his horse, he said with relish as he walked, "That's not all. Little master's wife said she would try to invite Elder Wu and Academician Zhang. I heard that they are both on a day off today. If they can come, it would be a bonus. If they can't come, then forget it."
Zhang Shou was even more dissatisfied in his heart at this time. Listen, a great minister is an extra! This is really the Zhang family reunion meeting!
Lu Sanlang didn't notice Zhang Shou's subtle psychological changes. He shrugged with some regret and said, "Now that Zhang Chen and Zhu Er are back, they have replaced their fathers. After all, it's a great honor for me to have invited distinguished guests like Duke Qin and Duke Zhao once. I don't have the face to invite them again. It's all because Zhang Chen and Zhu Er are useless and can't invite their fathers."
Zhang Shou ignored Lu Sanlang's flattery of Zhang Chen and Zhu Er, and asked with interest, "What about your father?"
" How can we miss them?" Lu Sanlang was beaming with joy, but he did not forget to add, "The top scorers Tang Ming and Xie Wanquan are here too. Hey, if the guy who instigated these two people to go to Rongshui Village to cause trouble with you, young master, was not just the old man surnamed Jiang, but there were others... I will piss him off to death today! As for Principal Yue, I have also invited him, so it doesn't matter whether he comes or not."
Zhang Shou was not surprised at all by this answer, which was very much in Lu Sanlang's style. He immediately gave Lu Sanlang a thumbs up and said, "Although Princess Yongping is not here today, with the Fourth Prince and this group of people, the momentum is enough."
"Of course." Lu Sanlang was about to continue to be complacent, but suddenly he saw a pair of sharp eyes flying towards him from the side. He saw it was Ah Liu, so he quickly restrained himself a little, but hurriedly laughed, "I heard that the young master insisted on chasing Mr. Song to participate in the rematch? What if he makes a fool of himself..."
"Do you think he is really like what he said, only good at making sweet soup and not good at other cooking?" Zhang Shou interrupted Lu Sanlang's worrying, with a look of disapproval on his face. "Don't forget, he passed you first before entering the preliminary round, and he was not sure whether they would give questions about dim sum or desserts."
"He is good at making sweet soup, but his other cooking skills are not too bad."
If Song Juren knew that Zhang Shou thought so highly of him, he would definitely not have time to be grateful for his kindness, but would complain that Zhang Shou did not keep his word. If he was unknown in the past, no one would pay attention to him, a person who came out to participate in the competition under the name of a small restaurant, but now everyone knows that he, a Juren, is mixed with a group of cooks!
As soon as he showed up today, some idler shouted that this was Mr. Song. So, for the first time in his life, he felt the attention of the public - God bless him, even when he passed the imperial examination, he didn't have such a glorious time.
Fang Qing, who came with Mr. Song, felt that he was the victim of this misfortune. It was as if countless pairs of eyes were examining him and countless fingers were pointing at him. He almost wanted to run away, but Mr. Song held him tightly with one hand, so he couldn't run away even if he wanted to.
He was so angry that he immediately cursed: "You are the one who came to compete today, why did you insist on me coming?"
"Anyway, every chef can bring a kitchen assistant. I didn't have one last time, so it's just right that you're here this time." Seeing Fang Qing so angry that veins on his forehead were about to burst, Song Juren said in a gentle and persuasive way, "Don't take it lightly. Princess Yongping came last time, and so did Grand Tutor Ge, Duke Zhao, Duke Qin, and many other dignitaries. Maybe the emperor will come this time, too?"
"Come on, you big-headed ghost!" Fang Qing tried hard to break free from Mr. Song's grip, but he was just a weak scholar, how could he compare to this rare scholar. So, he could only curse fiercely in a low voice, "Don't forget the news we heard on the way here just now, that Mr. Hong from Yuzhang Academy requested to marry his virtuous daughter to the eldest prince, the emperor must be very worried!"
"Who knows?" Song Juren's eyes flickered, but his expression clearly showed that he didn't care. "Food is the first necessity of the people, and the emperor is no exception. If the emperor comes and thinks of me, a freak, wouldn't you be able to get the moon first?"
The two were still arguing, attracting many curious eyes, when suddenly a loud shout was heard: "Look, there are so many people coming, all riding horses, no one in a car!"
Fang Qing was confused by the second half of the adjective, but Mr. Song muttered in a low voice: "Although there are many civil officials riding horses, except for the very young ones, most of them either ride in carriages or sedan chairs. Since there are so many people riding horses, are they all nobles?"
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the curious people in the crowd began to announce the names of the dishes... and the titles. As the prominent names were announced one by one, even Fang Qing, who initially thought that Mr. Song was just joking, unconsciously revealed a serious expression.
As the leading figures of the business groups and guilds of various provinces arrived one after another, he was about to show his hatred for the rich as usual, but he heard someone shouting over there: "Miss Zhu invited Elder Wu to come over!"
Although Lord Wu has always been known as a good man in the cabinet - in fact, he is called the emperor's yes-man in private - but in the outside world, he is still a powerful and respected Lord who is respected by the people.
And when he heard that it was Zhu Ying who invited her personally, even though Fang Qing didn't know that most of the other nobles were also Zhu Ying's work, he couldn't help but take a deep breath and said, "Dr. Zhang's fiancée is so powerful. Isn't it said that Duke Zhao doesn't get along with many civil officials?"
"God knows." Song Juren would not comment on something he did not understand. He shrugged and said with a smile, "Well, I didn't lie to you just now, did I? So many people have come. Maybe the emperor will come too?"
"That's none of my business." Fang Qing instantly abandoned his eager anticipation and snorted stiffly, "I'm not you. I'm not good at anything in the kitchen. Even if I do odd jobs for you, I can probably only light a fire. If you don't want to burn anything, then keep me as your 'helper'!"
Mr. Song had no choice but to let go. Seeing Fang Qing throw his hand away and squeeze into the crowd, he had to slowly go to the registration office in front of the big kitchen, muttering in a low voice: "What's wrong with making fire? Emperor Taizu personally commented on the legend of Tianbo Mansion in the Northern Song Dynasty, and praised the fire-making girl Yang Paifeng in it..."
Fang Qing was trying to squeeze into the crowd and leave. Of course, he would not hear Song Juren's complaints, but he soon discovered what it was like to walk against the surging crowd. Because he was pushed back three steps every time he took a step forward, and in the end, not only did he fail to leave, but he was pushed back!
If not so many people remembered that he came here with Mr. Song by now, and no one was looking at him, talking about him, or pointing at him, he would probably have wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into and hide there.
Just when he was in a dilemma, he suddenly heard a louder voice than before: "The emperor is coming... The emperor is coming with the fourth prince! Everyone in the South City Security Team, listen up! Everyone, be on alert! Salute!"
As the crowd became chaotic, the people at the back were unable to stop, while the people in the front turned around to look. Just as a stampede was about to happen, a voice came from the top of the Xinglong Tea House: "Today, there are 500 seats in the teahouses along the street. Anyone who comes in to rest can get two free meals prepared by today's participating chefs!"
With someone directing the flow in front, the crowd suddenly had a direction to flow. People like Fang Qing who were squeezed in the front were soon involuntarily carried forward by the people behind, and finally sat down on a bench in a tea stall in a daze.
On the same long bench, there were two other people sitting, a cheerful child of seven or eight years old, and a smiling hunchbacked old man. The grandfather and grandson were discussing with others how lucky they were to have the Holy Lord, and the delicious food they would be able to taste in a while. Fang Qing was the only one who accidentally bumped into this scene, and he felt that he was out of tune with the others around him.
Because when he heard the news that the emperor was coming, his first reaction was that this was against the rules, and his second reaction was... what if something happened!
However, at this time, the doors of these teahouses were already guarded by fully armed guards. Although he half left his seat, he thought about it and finally sat back. He was not so stupid as to be considered a suspicious person for advising the emperor to go incognito. At this moment, the people below were shouting that they were lucky, and so were the guests at Xinglong Teahouse.
This time, just like the previous preliminary rounds, Lu Sanlang sent his classmates, the South City Security Team, and the Shuntian Prefecture Chief Constable Lin Lao Hu with his constables to select 40 people from the outer city. After investigating their backgrounds, they were invited to the first floor, with four people per table. The leaders of the major guilds and the famous wealthy merchants in the capital occupied the second floor.
As for the newly arrived Wu Ge Lao and a large group of nobles, they went to the third floor. However, let alone the people on the first and second floors, even the dignitaries on the third floor who saw the emperor every day could not help but look at each other in bewilderment. When he saw the emperor and the fourth prince appear in his sight, Wu Ge Lao, who had already stood up, could only smile bitterly.
"Your Majesty... your sudden arrival is like putting all of us on the spot!"
"Others can roast me on the fire, so why can't I roast you on the fire?" The emperor's tone was quite cold and hard, and after he said it, he seemed to feel that this was a bit of venting his anger on others. He took a quick glance and found that Zhu Ying was very conspicuous among a group of old heroes, so he pointed at her with a finger in annoyance.
"I was wondering why there were so many unexpected people. Yingying, were you the one who invited them?"
"Yes!" Zhu Ying did not hide her feelings at all, and even winked at the Fourth Prince, "I was the one who invited the Fourth Prince, but I didn't expect that not only would he come, but there would also be an uninvited guest like you, Your Majesty."
The only one who could classify the emperor as an uninvited guest was Zhu Ying, who was justified. The emperor stared at her for a moment, and seeing that she didn't blink, he finally gave up the futile attempt to accuse her. He looked around and found Yue Shanzhang, whom he had met once, among the people who stood up after paying their respects. He nodded slightly, then frowned and asked, "Where are Zhang Shou and Lu Sanlang?"
"A Shou is in the second term of Jiuzhang Hall today... No, it should be called Jiuzhang Hall first grade now. Freshmen have started classes. He shouldn't be here, right?" Zhu Ying answered casually, but then she heard a voice downstairs, "Your Majesty, Dr. Zhang and Lu Zhu are here together."
Walking in front and going up to the third floor first, Zhang Shou saw the emperor at a glance. Seeing that he was staring at him, he walked forward calmly, bowed and saluted, and said in a natural tone: "Your Majesty, today is the first day of class for the new students of Jiuzhang Hall. After I asked Lu Sanlang to give them a lecture as their senior brother, I gave them the first task - nominate a head of the hall."
