Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 688: Wedding Banquet
Seeing Chief Hong board the spacious carriage in a solemn manner, like he was boarding a prisoner's carriage, and then returning to the city with ten guards, Ah Liu couldn't help but curl up his lips. Compared to the smile he showed to the old servant of the Hong family before, this smile from the heart was obviously much calmer, and even those who recognized him on the roadside couldn't help but look at him a few more times.
The bully from the outer city, Master Liu, looks really good when he smiles, no worse than the famous Master Zhang!
Zhang Shou didn't notice the looks from all around him. Well, just because of his face, he was always the target of everyone's attention when he walked on the road, so he was used to it. Now that he had no carriage to shelter him from the wind and rain, he could only walk back, enduring everyone's attention along the way. Of course, he didn't notice that Ah Liu beside him was in a particularly good mood.
The very happy young man even took the initiative to ask: "Young Master, are you afraid that someone will assassinate old stubborn Hong?"
Zhang Shou didn't really care about Ah Liu calling Elder Hong Shan a stubborn old man. In fact, he also thought that Elder Hong Shan was a stubborn old man. Ah Liu's question really hit the point. He laughed and said nonchalantly, "Just a try. Generally speaking, no one would want to do anything to Elder Hong Shan, a stone , right?"
Seeing that Ah Liu nodded, Zhang Shou said leisurely: "So, if he is still safe after someone sent that kind of letter to him and Madam Hong, then it proves that those who want to use him as a pawn just want to muddy the waters and cause some trouble, and they don't have any other outrageous intentions."
"But if someone wants to attack him, or at least makes a show of wanting to attack him, then it means that some conspiracy is linked together and the purpose is huge, and they will not stop until the world is turned upside down."
At this point, he turned his head and smiled at Ah Liu, saying, "I think the news that I hijacked Chief Hong in Yashe and put him in his car should have spread quickly. Now I am sending Chief Hong back safely. No matter who is behind him and who sent the letter to Madam Hong, if they have any tricks up their sleeves, they might go after him."
"Besides, I have already let out some hints on the way. Captain Han Lie should have heard it. He is from the Sharp Cavalry Battalion and seems to be very proactive. So, he should be alert."
"For example, after sending Mrs. Hong to the place peacefully, he can send someone back to report and have his people wait around the Yashe? Or simply go in and wait for the opportunity? But no matter what he does, in short, I have done what Mrs. Hong asked me to do. Now it's up to others. Whether other people's plans are big or small, it has nothing to do with me."
Zhang Shou said so much, but Ah Liu only understood half of it. However, this did not stop him from nodding his head solemnly and praising: "Young Master is really wise and brave, and he has made every possible plan!"
Accustomed to professional supporting actors like Fatty Lu and Ji Jiu, Zhang Shou felt that Liu's flattery was stiff and awkward. But as for correcting him, he knew it was futile and of course he would not waste his energy, so he tightened his cloak immediately.
The weather got cold early this year, especially in recent days, when it was cloudy and snowing from time to time. So he couldn't help but have a headache when he thought about his approaching wedding date.
Wedding banquets these days often have dozens of tables, and there are no ready-made hotels like in later generations, so all the tables have to be held at home. Although Zhang Yuan's place is large enough, he can't set up banquets in all the empty rooms. He may have to learn from other families and set up a wedding tent. But holding a wedding banquet in a wedding tent in such cold weather, he felt that he would freeze to death even if he set up a brazier.
Lu Sanlang was lucky that the wedding was still warm, but this time he was more than a month late! So he suddenly asked Ah Liu without thinking: "Did mother tell you how many tables I plan to have for my wedding banquet?"
Faced with this abrupt question, Ah Liu was not caught off guard and was at a loss. Instead, he counted carefully on his fingers and finally said seriously, "I don't know."
Zhang Shou saw Ah Liu's attitude just now and thought that he knew the answer. But when he found out that he had calculated seriously and gave out three words that were applicable everywhere, he couldn't help but laugh and scolded, "If you didn't know, you should have said it earlier. You're counting on your fingers like a sorcerer. I thought you knew the answer! Please help me explain to mom later that there's no need to be too extravagant. I don't have that many relatives and friends. Ten tables are enough."
But as soon as he finished speaking, Ah Liu immediately objected: "Ten tables are definitely not enough!"
This time, Ah Liu counted his fingers without saying anything, "With the Jiuzhang Hall and Banshan Hall, there are at least a hundred people. If we have round tables, there will be ten tables, and if we have eight-immortal tables, there will be twelve or thirteen tables. Moreover, the people from Jiuzhang Hall may not have their fathers, brothers or elders coming, but what about Banshan Hall? Young Master, do you think Duke Qin and Earl Xiangyang will not come? Even if they go to Duke Zhao's mansion first, they will come to your side."
Zhang Shou never thought that Ah Liu was a man who was good at calculating. However, when he saw people counting the three lecturers of the Eastern Palace, Yue Shanzhang, Xiao Shanzhang and Xu Shanzhang, as well as several "colleagues" in the Hanlin Academy who he had no impression of, and nobles such as Weinan Bo Zhang Kang, and even a great minister like Jiangdu Wang, his scalp tingled.
Following closely, there were also the names of Mr. Song from the Guangdong Guild, Mr. Hua Siye, the head of the Suzhou Hua family, the leaders of other guilds who were best at building relationships, and even a chief escort from the Shunhe Escort Agency. In the end, Zhang Shou was shocked to find that after arriving in the capital, although he did not seem to be striving for advancement, he did have a lot of connections!
"There are so many people..."
Zhang Shou muttered to himself, remembering that there were many special tables prepared for emergency use at Lu Sanlang's wedding, and the huge place was full. He couldn't help but sighed with a headache: "It's better to hold the wedding banquet outside. At least it won't be so troublesome to clean up later!"
Seeing no answer from his side, he looked at the young man next to him suspiciously, and saw that Ah Liu wanted to laugh but was deliberately looking serious. He was so angry that he was about to knock the boy on the head to warn him not to go too far, but then he heard Ah Liu's muttering.
"Of course, the wedding banquet was also prepared by a chef from outside, right? How could we rely on our small kitchen? Even if Aunt Liu's cooking skills have improved, and Mrs. Xu can make not only vegetable buns but also other snacks, it's impossible to serve dozens of tables! My wife has already made arrangements with the various guilds, and will invite more than 20 chefs to come to our house to work."
"Besides, the cleanup before and after the event is not entirely up to our family." Ah Liu opened up today and simply explained it very clearly. "There will be many guests at home that day, and Cao Wu from Shunhe Escort Agency will take on the security duties to prevent anyone from causing trouble or stealing. The opera troupe is also indispensable, and Twelve Rains from Tingyu Cottage volunteered."
Seeing that Zhang Shou was completely dumbfounded, Ah Liu, who had helped Wu to resolve many issues privately, could not help but feel a sense of accomplishment: "Originally, the Shandong Guild Hall, Guangdong Guild Hall, Yangzhou Guild Hall, and Suzhou Guild Hall were arguing over who would be in charge of the banquet. Then my wife said that officials in the capital come from all over the country, so their tastes vary. So why not just have five chefs from the four families?"
"Add to that the five people from the capital, and that should be enough for the feast."
"As for cleaning up before and after the event, Zhang Chen said that the servants in Duke Qin's mansion were idle anyway, so he persuaded Madam Qin to send people to help. Twenty people were responsible for various utensils, twenty were responsible for tables, chairs and benches, and twenty were responsible for the guests' outer clothes... I heard that there would be more than a hundred people in total. Zhang Chen said that if anything was missing, just ask them to compensate. Lu Sanlang was a step slower, and he was so angry that he quarreled with Zhang Chen."
"Then he took over the task of delivering the invitations. These past few days, after school, he and Ji Jiu led the students from Jiuzhang Hall to deliver the invitations. Oh, Zhang Dakuo and the people from Banshan Hall were a step behind, so they could only serve as best man with Zhang Wu, Zhang Lu and the others."
Because Zhang Shou had told Wu before that he would be a hands-off manager, he really didn't know that in addition to his adoptive mother and others busy preparing for his marriage, the Duke of Zhao's Mansion as the bride's side did its best to assist, and there would be so many relevant people to help!
This made the wedding of an ordinary minor official like him extremely grand!
He had no idea what to say. He just felt that he couldn't tell whether he was touched, grateful, or something else. He couldn't help but glare at Ah Liu: "If I hadn't asked you casually today, would you have kept it a secret from me?"
Ah Liu asked innocently, "Doesn't the young master like to give people unexpected surprises?"
This is really retribution, it comes fast! He really likes to surprise people, even just now he directly robbed Hong Shanchang and gave people such an unexpected surprise, now it's someone else's turn to treat him like this!
Zhang Shou was both amused and confused, especially when he thought of Ge Yong's calmness in taking care of everything, Wu's joy in having everything ready, and the lady's composure in just waiting for the wedding. He felt that he really didn't have to do anything. This feeling of letting go of the groom was really great!
So, he laughed and nodded, saying, "This unexpected surprise is indeed great. As long as I can sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor, the more unexpected surprises like this the better!"
This time it was Ah Liu's turn to be speechless. Perhaps because he had just talked too much, the young man returned to his usual quietness and silence on the way to the public school. It was not until Zhang Shou stepped into the Jiuzhang Hall and casually took off his cloak and handed it to him that he suddenly patted his shoulder again and said four words: "Thank you for your hard work."
Seeing Zhang Shou return to the podium, he chatted and laughed with the students for a few words. He then quietly retreated with the cloak in his hands. When he arrived at the public hall and put his things away, he saw that Liu Zhiyuan, who had been to Ciqing Palace in the morning, had returned. Now everyone, including Lu Wan, was staring at him. He pretended not to see anything, hung the cloak on the hanger, and turned to leave.
He ignored others, but others could not ignore him. Lu Wan had to cough heavily and asked, "What was the result of Master Zhang's trip?"
Ah Liu, who had just been telling Zhang Shou everything, stopped at this moment, but he became frugal with his words again: "Very good."
What kind of answer is "very good"? Lu Wan was choked to death, but she still had to ask earnestly: "I don't want to pry into the private secrets of Master Zhang, but the matter involves the Eastern Palace..."
This time, Ah Liu didn't wait for him to finish his words and said directly: "The young master has met with Chief Hong Shan."
If ordinary people heard that Zhang Shou had met with Hong Shanzhang, a person who had been marginalized by the emperor's words, they might be puzzled and thoughtful, but who were Liu Zhiyuan and Lu Wan? They had worked together in the Ministry of War in the past, and now they were working together again to further expand the public school. Liu Zhiyuan even took over the most noble position of the Crown Prince's Secretary. It was the minimum to draw inferences from one example.
With that kind of personality, what else could Hong Shanchang do? Of course, he would take advantage of the fact that the Second Prince's "death" was making a lot of noise and write a shocking letter! Zhang Shou went to see this guy who had a grudge against him, and he must have been ordered to persuade him to settle the matter peacefully - of course, they were really curious about what means Zhang Shou would use.
But when Ah Liu asked this question, it was enough. Liu Zhiyuan nodded and said, "Master Zhang, you have to work hard. His wedding is coming soon, but he has been busy lately. If there is anything I can do to help, please speak up for him."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Ah Liu's eyes flash, as if he was a little excited and turned back, as if he was sleepy and found a pillow. Old Master Liu couldn't help but be a little surprised: "Why, do you really need our help?"
"Yeah." Ah Liu nodded, then showed a dull smile, "A lot of invitations for the young master's wedding have been sent out, but I just calculated that there are at most 200 guests. Can Lu Jijiu and Old Master Liu help think about what kind of guests we should invite to make it more impressive? The Zhang family is small, and the Zhaoguo Mansion doesn't have many relatives in Beijing, so it won't be as lively as Lu Sanlang's wedding."
Lu Wan smiled immediately. Both the Lu family and the Liu family had countless relatives and friends, plus fellow villagers, in-laws, and classmates... On the day of Lu Sanlang's wedding, both the Lu and Liu families held a grand banquet with countless guests.
As for the wedding of Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying, there would be no shortage of guests from the Duke of Zhao's mansion, and all the generals in the court would probably go to show their faces, but Zhang Shou had an inherent disadvantage. Zhang Shou's biological father, the scholar Zhang, was the only son in several generations and died early. Widow Zhang had no relatives, not to mention her adoptive mother, Wu, so there were naturally no relatives.
Zhang Shou didn't have any peers, and as for his fellow villagers... they were a bunch of real villagers from Rongshui Village. If it weren't for a lot of students who regarded him as their adoptive parents, the number of guests at this wedding would have been shockingly small.
Of course, there will be no shortage of high-end guests. After the nobles go to the Zhu family, they will definitely show up at the Zhang family. When the old Grand Tutor Ge Yong arrives, the disciples such as Minister Chen of the Ministry of Revenue will also come. The emperor's yes-man Wu Ge Lao will probably not lag behind... maybe even the emperor and the prince will join in the fun - even if there are no people, there will definitely be things.
However, there are indeed some shortages of middle and lower-level officials. It is impossible to host at least 60 tables. Therefore, after thinking carefully, Lu Wan smiled and said, "In fact, Mr. Liu and I had an immature idea before. We used the marriage of Mr. Zhang..."
