Song of Adolescence

Chapter 315 The Grand Golden Terrace Banquet (Part 1)

Finally, there were guests arriving. They were a party of two.

The first was a man riding a handsome white horse. He was dressed in gorgeous golden robes with a long sabre hanging from his waist and had a face that was as handsome as the bright moon in the sky.

Golden Lanyue Marquis.

"Guests have arrived!" The Grand Golden Terrace attendant exclaimed excitedly, "Regent of State, Lanyue Marquis is here!"

"Lanyue Marquis? Now, that’s a really important person," Second Master Tu said quietly.

Xiao Se chuckled and said pointedly, "After all, we’re family."

"My respects to the Marquis." At the front door of Grand Golden Terrace, Ye Ruoyi respectfully bowed to greet Lanyue Marquis.

Lanyue Marquis patted the long sabre at his waist. "Your father can't come so this Marquis is here today to take the first advantage."

"But, all the guests attending have to bring a gift. The Marquis came empty-handed. Are you intending to give Xiao Se that excellent sabre?" Ye Ruoyi quipped with a smile.

"Would this Marquis act in such poor taste? The gift this Marquis has brought will definitely be the most precious today." Lanyue Marquis turned around and looked at the other person in his party.

It was a very beautiful sedan chair, on which was carved a crane with its wing spread, looking like it was about to take off.

But this sedan chair travelled very slowly, as if they were afraid of bumping the person seated inside. Lanyue Marquis had already been standing at the front door for a long time before the sedan chair arrived slowly, seemingly not worried about offending the powerful and influential Marquis. However, Lanyue Marquis was not angry at all, and he walked forward slowly and personally pulled open the curtain of the sedan chair before reaching out to help the person inside.

What kind of person was worthy of being personally guided by Lanyue Marquis?

The man in the sedan stepped off slowly. Obviously, he was already an old man. His hair was white with grays, and the wrinkles on his face looked like they were carved with a knife. But, his eyes were incomparably clear.

The Grand Golden Terrace attendant hurriedly flipped through the guest list at hand. He had been working in Grand Golden Terrace for nearly ten years and within Heavenly Revelations, how would he not recognise all the high-ranking officials and nobles as well as the civil and military officials of importance? However, this old man obviously received Lanyue Marquis’ respect, yet the attendant just couldn’t remember who he was.

Lei Wujie naturally didn't recognize him either, but he had a feeling that the man in front of him was looking at him with kindness, almost like an old man looking at his own child or grandchild. He bowed his head slightly and smiled politely.

The old man smiled and said, "I carried you when you were little."

Lei Wujie was stunned for a moment. When he was little, he did live in Heavenly Revelations City for a while but the memories of that time were too fuzzy. Now, he could only vaguely remember some festivals and he couldn’t remember this old man at all.

But Ye Ruoyi recognized him.

A veteran of three reigns.

A model for all Confucian scholars under Heaven.

He was at the top of all officials!

He had been an official for fifty years, and was upright, honorable and incorruptible, not siding with any parties, nor associating with influential officials. He towered over the rest of the imperial court by virtue of his own talents and his righteousness in serving the country and the people. Among all under Heaven, honest officials respected him and corrupt officials feared him. When the emperor spoke to him, the emperor sat on his dragon throne, but he also sat on a crane chair, which allowed him to sit at the same level as the emperor without kneeling or standing.

"Guests have arrived!" Ye Ruoyi announced loudly, "Beili Regent of State, His Honour Grand Preceptor Dong Zhu, is here!"

Grand Preceptor Dong Zhu was presently the regent of state together with Lanyue Marquis, but he was the true backbone of the country!

Dong Zhu smiled and looked at Ye Ruoyi. "You’re very much like your father."

Ye Ruoyi hurriedly cupped her fists respectfully and said, "Grand Preceptor has overpraised me."

Inside Grand Golden Terrace, the tea that Second Master Tu was holding rocked slightly and almost splashed onto his hand. "Grand Preceptor Dong Zhu? How did you invite this person?"

"A favour. Whether it was Langya Prince or the Pillar of State General-in-chief, they both had such favours with Grand Preceptor Dong Zhu," Xiao Se said lightly. "But Grand Preceptor Dong Zhu is not a person who would grant favours forever so this time, attending this banquet would have exhausted all his favour."

"To have Grand Preceptor Dong Zhu's favour is indeed very precious, but to use up such a favour just for him to eat a meal?" Second Master Tu asked.

"Not for him, but for the civil and military officials." Xiao Se gently tapped the table.

Soon, news from Grand Golden Terrace spread to the various residences and offices.

Residence of the Minister of Revenue.

After listening to the informant's report, Li Ruochong whispered, "Lanyue Marquis?"

"Father, Lanyue Marquis is the current regent of state. He’s already there, then we…" Li Bosong said worriedly.

"Although Lanyue Marquis is the regent of state, he actually doesn’t involve himself much in affairs of the court. After the case of Langya Prince’s rebellion, His Majesty the Emperor never gave his brothers too much real power. But, Lanyue Marquis is different from the rest. Let me think about it." Li Ruochong tapped the table lightly, and finally shook his head. "We bide our time!"

"Alright!" Li Bosong nodded.

"Your Excellency! Your Excellency!" Another informant rushed into the main hall.

"What's the panic?" Li Bosong scolded. "What’s wrong?"

"It’s terrible, terrible!" The informant seemed to have run so fast he was sweating all over, and his legs were still trembling. "After Lanyue Marquis, another person arrived."

"Who?" Li Ruochong frowned.

"Grand Preceptor Dong Zhu!" the informant shouted.

"What!" Li Ruochong shot to his feet.

Both regents of state were present at the same time, but the rest of them ministers were relaxing in their residences and leisurely drinking tea?

"Prepare the sedan chair!" Li Ruochong shouted, "No! Prepare the horse, prepare the horse! I’m riding there on horseback!"

"Why would the Grand Preceptor attend such a banquet? The Grand Preceptor would even cite illness to refrain from attending the state banquet." Li Bosong was confused.

"This is not as simple as the Grand Preceptor attending a banquet. This is all set up by the sixth prince to force the rest of us to attend!" Li Ruochong cursed.

"Then, what about His Highness White Prince?" Li Baisong hesitated.

Li Ruochong snorted coldly. "I can't care about that anymore. If he can continue to bide his time, that’s his ability!"

White Prince Residence.

Xiao Chong sighed heavily. "Shaohan, looks like your strategy has failed."

Ling Shaohan wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed his head. "Your Highness, it was my mistake. I never would have expected Grand Preceptor Dong to attend in person."

"We’ll just wait, then." Xiao Chong sighed. "The two regents of state will be followed by all the civil and military officials. This display of power is indeed big enough, but if Xiao Chuhe thinks that doing so will force us to submit, he’s underestimating us too much."

"Us?" Ling Shaohan asked in confusion.

"Red Prince Xiao Yu. He won't go either," Xiao Chong said evenly.

Red Prince Residence.

Xiao Yu snickered and pulled the bowstring tight.

"Draw."

He released his fingers immediately.

"Break!"

A feathered arrow hit the bullseye.

"I had expected Lanyue Marquis to attend, but I never would have thought His Honour Dong Zhu would go too. It’s rather intriguing that two people who claimed to be uninvolved in party disputes would attend such a banquet, ah." Xiao Yu laughed. "Still… they can force all the officials to attend, but the big tycoons who truly control the economic lifeline of Heavenly Revelations City will not give face to this backbone of the country."