In the seventeenth year of Yongping, the first day of November.

This is the city of Pingzhou is particularly lively, on the street, it is usually difficult to see the figure of those Pingzhou scholars' carriages shuttle endlessly.

"Brother Zhou, I haven't seen you for a long time, don't come to harm, I heard that Brother Zhou went to Linzhou Mansion a few days ago?"

"Brother Wu, don't come unharmed."

At a fork in the road, two carriages bumped into each other, and then the curtains were lifted and two young men began to talk to each other.

The man known as Brother Zhou arched his hand and said: "My best friend invited me, so I went to Linzhou, no, Mr. Su has a big birthday, I specially rushed back from Linzhou to celebrate my birthday." ”

"I don't know what good baby Brother Zhou brought? Can you open Yuxiang's eyes? The man known as Brother Wu asked with a smile.

Brother Zhou shook his head: "What kind of treasure is there, it's just a pair of sheep's horn corals from a Baiyue person." You also know, what kind of rare treasures have you never seen like Mr. Su? I don't know what to send, so I can only find this one to send, a little bit of gratitude. ”

"Yes, I've been busy for Mr. Su's congratulatory gift these days." Brother Wu nodded sympathetically.

Brother Zhou asked: "Then I don't know what kind of good treasure Brother Wu gave me, and let me open my eyes?" ”

Brother Wu smiled: "It's not a good baby, a few days ago, a student from the capital came back to visit Tan Fuzi and gave Tan Fuzi a good millennium ginseng, Tan Fuzi ordered a gift box a few days ago, and I was going to pick up the gift box." ”

"Then Brother Wu, Zhou will say goodbye first, and we will meet again on Su Lao's birthday in the evening." Brother Zhou arched his hand.

Brother Wu also arched his hand and said: "Brother Zhou, go slowly, farewell!" ”

These two people are Zhou Yi, Zhou Zhiyuan, the first genius in Pingzhou, and Wu Yuxiang, the proud protégé of Tan Boyi, a great Confucian in Pingzhou who is as famous as Su Shaoyuan.

……

Around noon, a gorgeous carriage slowly drove into Chengzheng from the east gate of Pingzhou

A demure woman lifted the curtain and looked at the lively streets of Pingzhou.

Then, a boy about five years old also got his head out curiously.

"Mother, is this the place we came last time?" The boy asked the woman in a childish tone.

The woman touched the boy's head dotingly: "Yes, we came here last time during the Mid-Autumn Festival, this is called Pingzhou City, which is the hometown of my mother." ”

"My mother's hometown is so beautiful!" The boy's big clear eyes were full of longing.

"Madam, see if our congratulatory gift this time has been lost, if so, make up for it now." At this moment, another man's voice sounded in the carriage, and then a gift slip was handed to the woman

The woman glanced at it casually, and then returned it to him: "Husband, my father doesn't like gold, silver and jewelry, and what my father and mother have prepared for us are enough, so we don't need to make up for it." ”

The male voice said: "There must be a lot of people who come to pay homage today, and the congratulatory gifts prepared by those guests must also be expensive. ”

The woman smiled softly: "It's not that you don't know my father, he doesn't like these things, so don't worry about it, if you prepare too expensively, maybe you will be scolded by your father!" ”

"Okay then, I'll listen to my husband."

These two people are Su Shaoyuan's daughter Su Qianrou and son-in-law, Xu Wencai, the commander of Jiupin County in Linzhou Prefecture.

……

Half an hour later, the same gorgeous carriage entered Pingzhou City from the north gate of Pingzhou.

Generally, those who enter Pingzhou through this gate mostly come from the north.

In the carriage, there was a middle-aged man in his fifties, a younger woman, and a scholarly man in his twenties.

This family is Su Shaoyuan's eldest son Su Qianhe, Shaoqing of Jianguo Temple, and a fourth-grade official.

and his wife and son Su Zhengxi, this Su Zhengxi is Su Qianruo's cousin.

……

Half an hour later, a fast horse drove into Chengzheng from the east gate

Immediately, a sturdy man, all the way, the appearance of the dusty man, the pedestrians saw him and gave way to him.

He is Su Shaoyuan's second son, Su Qianhou, deputy commander of the Huainan East Route Army, and Su Qianruo's father.

……

On this day, like them, those who came from all over the world to congratulate Su Shaoyuan on his birthday were staged all over Pingzhou City.

Like Su Shaoyuan, a great Confucian in Jiangnan, no other place, just in the third of an acre of land in Jiangnan, the former protégés are basically all over Jiangnan.

As the leader of the Pingzhou Shi clan, it is not only scholars from all walks of life who come to him to pay his respects, but also famous families in Pingzhou, scholarly families, wealthy families, government officials, etc.

With the slave's words to Zhang Xiang later, Mr. Su's birthday was no worse than when he and the princess got married, and almost all the people at the top of Pingzhou City came.

On this side, people who came from all over to pay homage to Su Shaoyuan poured into Pingzhou one after another, and in the Horse Mansion, this one was also busy.

Zhang Xiang basically stayed in the dining room to make cakes, and the slaves gave him a hand, and the guys in the dining room, the housekeepers, maids, etc., waited on the side, waiting for his dispatch at any time, and if he needed anything, he would immediately send it to him.

At about three o'clock in the Shen season, a seven-layered, more than 60-centimeter-high cake was pounded out by him.

On the top layer, he poured a birthday star with cream, and on the second layer, he mentioned two sentences around each other:

"Celebrating birthdays, celebrating birthdays is a hundred thousand springs."

"Open an elegant banquet, and there will be relatives in the painting hall."

He felt that these literati should like these, so he casually thought about these two sentences and mentioned them.

The remaining five floors are decorated with fruit.

Although it is much worse than the cake made in modern times in terms of delicacy, the moment he opened it, it also amazed everyone in the house, and even Zhao Hanyan, who came to watch it later, liked it very much.

Later, Zhang Xiang used a specific tall gift box to put the cake onto it, and then asked the family members to carry it onto a carriage.

Because the cake was so big, it had to be transported by horse-drawn cart.

After doing all this, the time was almost up, Zhang Xiang and Zhao Hanyan got into the carriage together and went to Su Mansion, and the carriage transporting the cake behind him attracted Rao's attention all the way.

When I arrived at Su Mansion, the time was about the same, and I could hear the ceremonial official at the gate of Su Mansion loudly announcing the names of the visitors and the congratulatory gifts they had sent.

Zhang Xiang and Zhao Hanyan's carriage stopped, and someone from Su Fuzhong hurriedly came to greet them.

Not far away, a delicate figure who was greeting his father glanced back at this place, and then ran over excitedly.

"Sir." The girl ran in front of Zhang Xiang, gave a polite salute, and then saluted Zhao Hanyan in a similar manner: "Folk girl Su Qianruo, see Her Royal Highness the Princess." ”

"Miss Su, today I and the horse are both guests, so these vulgar etiquette will be waived." Zhao Hanyan smiled softly and helped her up.

Since leaving Huating Academy, Zhang Xiang has not seen this girl for a long time, so many months have passed, this girl has now grown a head taller, she was originally a little slender, this will seem to be slim.

Zhang Xiang quipped: "What, you don't plan to welcome us in?" ”

The girl came back to her senses violently, and hurriedly said, "Oh, yes, yes, sir, princess, please." ”

She hurriedly walked in front to show the two of them.

The people of Su Mansion also called a few subordinates to move the cake brought by Zhang Xiang into the mansion, and at Zhang Xiang's request, his cake should be placed in the center of the guest seat.

After Su Qianruo took Zhang Xiang and his wife up the stairs, she came to the side of a burly man at the main entrance.

This burly man is Su Qianruo's father, Su Qianhou.

A few months ago, when Zhang Xiang came to visit, he had already seen Su Shaoyuan's son and daughter, Su Qianhou and Su Qianrou, so he was no stranger to them.

These two people also have a good impression of this colt, polite and brilliant, and because of their father, the Su family is very polite to Zhang Xiang.

Su Qian bowed his hand and said heartily: "Last time the Mid-Autumn Festival was in a hurry, I didn't have time to drink a glass of wine with the horse, listen to my father, the horse has been a woman for a period of time, so that the woman understands a lot of truths, Su is a rough person, I don't know how to thank you, only a few more glasses of the horse later." ”

"Commander Su is serious, teaching and educating people is my duty as a gentleman, and I am the gentleman of Huating Academy, and I am responsible for my own students." Zhang Xiang hurriedly returned the salute.

After Su Qianhou saluted Zhao Hanyan again, he asked Su Qianruo to take the two of them in.