It was getting late, and at about 17:45 in the afternoon, Jing Xia Jicheng finally arrived at the Zhennan Hou Mansion.

The middle door of the Hou Mansion in Zhennan was wide open, and the two Lang Jun of the Yi family and Liu Mingde, the chief of the long history, led the people of the Hou Mansion with some status to greet them at the main gate.

Yi Saburo looked curiously at the huge and gorgeous carriage pulled by six white horses without a single variegated hair, and the honor guards around the frame were vast, and it was estimated that there were about one or two hundred people. This pomp and circumstance is more imposing than what I have seen in TV and movies.

A burly knight in full armor sang loudly: "Your Majesty the Son of Heaven! ”

Immediately, two officials wearing black stiff-footed hats and cyan crewneck robes opened the carriage door, fiddled around with it, and pulled open three steps to fasten the threshold. A red-robed man stepped forward and raised his right arm on the side of the steps. A middle-aged man in the carriage took the lead in stepping out, reaching out and holding the right arm of the red-robed man and stepping out of the carriage.

The man wears a jade crown on his head, the heavenly court is full, his eyebrows and eyes are faintly majestic, his nose is like a gall, and his lips and chin are rigorously combed. Dressed in a simple and solemn Xuanhong robe, with a jade belt hanging from the waist, there is no extra decoration. The whole person looks like the kind of "heroic posture and hard thinking, with a face like a jade pan and a jade tree".

Behind the man came a female official dressed similarly to Na Mu Sibin, a woman dressed in a light yellow ornate palace dress, a teenage girl carved in pink and jade, and finally two women in Ju skirts—apparently maids.

The man helped the woman in the palace clothes, and led the little girl to step forward slowly.

Only then did Erlang Jun of the Yi family take the lead in saluting under Liu Quan's signal: "The ministers meet the Son of Heaven!" ”

Yi Saburo followed the movements of the second brother, his arms were hugged, his palms were at the same level as his shoulders, his elbows were slightly sinking, the fingertips of his palms were facing each other, his thumbs were pointing upward, he was half-bowing at about 45 degrees, his eyes were at the index finger, and he said in a clear voice with everyone: "Meet the Son of Heaven." ”

After speaking, Yi Saburo peeked at the rest of the people in the house, including Shi Aniu and the servants in the house, who were temporarily called, all had the same etiquette, and there was really no kneeling and bowing!

When the jade-faced man in the jade crown robe let go of the girl he was holding, his palms folded in front of his chest, his thumbs against each other, and he looked straight at the Yi family: "You are polite." ”

The etiquette of the Yi family is different, half bowed, arms hugged, elbows flat and slightly below the shoulders, the tiger's mouth is opposite, the four fingers of the right hand cover the four fingers of the left hand, the right thumb is naturally attached to the root of the four fingers of the left palm, the left thumb is lightly buckled with the right thumb, and the fingertips are naturally obliquely pointed to the ground, and the eyes move from the object of the salute to the thumb interlock, and the mouth says: "Meet the lady" and "Meet the noble girl".

The women and girls in palace costumes intersected their palms, and their hand postures were similar to those of the Yi family, and they were placed in front of their hearts, bowing their heads and bowing their eyes in return: "You are polite." ”

Yi Saburo was actually a little embarrassed, he peeked at other people's salutes and seemed to have been discovered, the man in the jade-faced Taoist robe - that is, the Son of Heaven, looked at him and smiled when Yi Saburo peeked at other people's etiquette when he returned to his senses, that noble girl - according to the conventional ancient world, the little girl who should be called a princess has also been staring at him, it is estimated that he has heard of such a sick (short) seedling (life) (ghost), and some curiosity pays attention to him, who thinks that this sick seedling etiquette is not regular, and when he salutes, he secretly looks left and right and glances at the back, This action is really big, when I came back to my senses, I found that the Son of Heaven was looking at me, and I shifted my eyes in embarrassment, who knew that I was seen by the little lady from beginning to end, when the eyes interacted, Saburo felt like he was laughing and playing in a school self-study class, and when he opened his mouth and laughed, he bumped into the teacher entering the door, and when he was staring at himself, it was too late to hide it, so he could only grin in vain, and self-deception was an active cheek raiser.

He knew that this world valued etiquette, so it was really embarrassing to see the little girl on the other side staring at him with flashing eyes.

......

The Son of Heaven was introduced into the house, and Liu Quan led the way while answering the Son of Heaven's chatting questions about government affairs and current affairs. On the road, Yi Saburo wanted to step aside and be a transparent character, but the lady of the Son of Heaven stepped over and took the initiative to take his hand and asked cordially:

"San Lang, do you remember me?"

This woman in palace costume is one of the wives of the Son of Heaven, and she is named Mrs. Wanxian. In this world, the emperor can take a total of twelve wives and concubines, but there are three wives, four concubines, and five concubines, but most emperors have no more than seven wives and concubines in total, similar to the so-called three wives and four concubines in ancient China.

Mrs. Wanxian's face is twenty-seven or eighteen, soft, elegant, and dignified. Yi Saburo secretly admired the rare femininity, and when he heard the woman say such things, he guessed that it should have something to do with his own family, but he really didn't remember, so he had to answer with an embarrassed face:

"Madame, forgive me, the boy closed himself off three years ago for some reason, and during this period, he did not understand the world and did not know human feelings, as if he was crazy and stupid. More than ten days ago, he was lucky to be sober, and three years ago, he was too young to know anything. Therefore, I really don't remember the sin of Mrs. and the boy, please Haihan. ”

Mrs. Wanxian sighed when she heard this, and said with sadness:

"San Lang's life is hard...... I am your mother's sister, my mother was your grandmother's sister, my parents died early, the family was in the middle, your grandmother took pity on me when I was young and recruited me to become a naturalized Qinfu, I am the same sister as your mother, San Lang should call me an aunt. When you were young, I hugged you. ”

It's no wonder that the prestige of the Hou Mansion in Zhennan is grand, and it seems that there is also a reason why it is related to the Son of Heaven? This aunt is not simple, she explains each other's kinship in a few words, but she doesn't say a word about each other's miserable childhoods that should be sympathetic to each other, and she can make people feel close to each other...... Yi Saburo was worried in his heart, secretly peeked at Jicheng Tianzi, and said softly:

"Aunt Fu'an! I've been in a daze for the past three years, and it's a pity to be sober. ”

The words ended here, making Mrs. Wanxian, who had been waiting for a few breaths, a little stunned. Jicheng Tianzi and Liu Quan, who were walking in front, stopped for a moment.

Why does this kid talk like that? This is all said here, according to the logic of language, shouldn't it be said that I am fortunate to be sober, and in the future, I should be grateful for honoring my elders, contacting my relatives more, and getting acquainted with my feelings? How did it come to an abrupt end......

What an ignorant kid after all! I have also closed myself off for three years, and I should be regarded as the wisdom of a three- or four-year-old boy, don't look at the previous explanation, I don't remember my aunt's words are clear and well-founded, and there is no logic at this time.

The Son of Heaven glanced back at Yi Saburo in front, and then looked back at Liu Quan and smiled softly.

......

The group slowly walked to the main hall in the middle of the Hou Mansion, and at this time, it was already past the unitary hour, and the kitchen had already prepared dinner under the arrangement of Mu Sibin of the Shangyi Bureau.

Everyone was seated, and the Son of Heaven sat on the main seat in the center, and on the right side of his body were Mrs. Wanxian, noblewomen, and a female palace official accompanying the seat, and then in the back row were several civil and military officials, including female officials. The chief on the left side of the Son of Heaven is Yi Erlang, followed by Yi Sanlang, Jing Wuxi, and Shi Aniu who is on the side, and behind Yi Erlang is slightly to the right (in the rear but the position is a little closer to the Son of Heaven) is Liu Quan, and behind Yi Saburo is Mo Liu. In front of each person is a separate rectangular table, on which tableware is placed, and from time to time there are maids carrying trays to change dishes.

Although the Son of Heaven was present at this meal, and the scene was arranged with a companion seat and the last seat, it was not like a formal banquet, with two or three children on the field (I don't know if Yi Erlang admitted that he was a child), nor did it look like an elegant banquet, but more like a family banquet. From time to time, there were also people from the adjacent seats talking in whispers, and the Son of Heaven also chatted with Liu Quan from time to time, and did not neglect Mrs. Wanxian and discussed the dishes of the banquet with each other from time to time.

Yi Saburo silently looked at the people in the entire hall, some of these people seemed to be professional actors performing tricks, and their acting skills were superb, but they were like a layer of screens, just like a few unknown civil and military officials and female officials opposite; Some sit upright in all directions, as if they are steadily carrying out a work that has seen the results, quiet, natural, and peaceful, such as the Son of Heaven and Liu Quan - and Yi Erlang; Some are really just a feast, and they don't care much about anything other than eating and drinking, such as Mo Liu and Jing Wuxi; Some are apprehensive and excited, and they don't even know how to place their hands and feet, this is Shi Aniu - it is estimated that he has never participated in such a banquet, too excited and restrained; Some are simply eating and drinking, and more are observing others, such as Yi Saburo himself, the noble lady opposite, and Mrs. Wanxian!

Yi Saburo actually felt a little bored, although it was the first time for him to participate in such a pomp and circumstance, but how many people had read various film and television novels, and had the instinctive bystander mentality of a survivor or a traverser, coupled with the unfamiliarity with the situation in the world, he would naturally observe more in the process of cognition.

But what is the reason for the noble lady and Mrs. Wanxian? The noble girl is well-informed because of her identity, and she is curious as a child? So after observing the people on the Yi family's side one by one, they didn't move? But when he saw that San Lang was also observing people, he looked at San Lang carefully, frowned a little, and then hid his expression again.

Mrs. Wanxian is a model of dignified and elegant at the banquet at this time, serving dishes, drinking, and her every move is elegant, if it weren't for the same observer, Yi Saburo almost didn't see it, but she couldn't see who she had observed, it seemed that no one had paid attention, and no one seemed to have paid attention.

Yi Saburo thought for a while, turned his head to look at his second brother, and said in his heart: This age is the same, could it be ......

Finally, the Son of Heaven was asking Yi Erlang questions about his studies.

Yi Erlang didn't get up, but put down his chopsticks, put his palms together, folded his fingers and his thumbs to the sky, performed a courtesy to report to the monarch, and replied:

"Back to the Son of Heaven, the minister should finish the big exam in the academy this fall, and then intend to enter the academy to study."

The Son of Heaven waved his hand and said:

"In a private banquet, Yi Erlang doesn't have to be polite. I don't know which subject Yi Erlang wants to learn after entering the academy? ”

"The minister thinks about it now, and after entering the academy, he will either learn from the Ming Classics, or from the Ming Classics, or from the Meiji Division."

The Son of Heaven nodded and said:

"Yi Erlang has a calm heart, and he must have already regulated the future path, and he encouraged him."

When Yi Erlang thanked the Son of Heaven for his encouragement, San Lang's heart moved: It's time to have a few words of conversation with me.

Sure enough, I saw that the Son of Heaven looked over.