Chapter 160 A big banquet
The tall and mighty Captain Chi Lin took Yang Chen quietly to a deserted place and whispered:
“Sir, there is a fat man with luxurious clothes, narrow eyes and goatee at the back door who wants to see you. He said he has something important to tell you.”

Compared to Chi Lin who used to follow the rules honestly, he has now integrated into the relaxed atmosphere of Yang Chen’s mansion.

He was among the first group of men who came here to monitor Yang Chen. Originally, he was required to report every seven days, but as Lao Zhu gained his trust in him, he gradually reduced the number of reports to once a month.

Chi Lin was also willing to follow Master Yang Chen.

Now that someone has come to see his master, Chi Lin, as the captain in charge of the security of the entire mansion, immediately finds Yang Chen to report the matter.

Upon learning that someone was looking for him, Yang Chen thought carefully and realized that he seemed to have no contact with anyone recently.

There was no way that the Zhu family would show up at the back door to look for him, and how could Mu Ying, his cheap father-in-law, come to look for him when he had nothing to do?

Zhu Di? That’s even more impossible. This guy was outside the city all day long, being trained by his father-in-law, trying his best to deal with the three Jurchen tribes.

There are less than two months left until the departure. When autumn turns to severe winter, the Jurchens will think that the south will not be able to invade them and then attack them by surprise.

In terms of time, what happened to Zhu Di had nothing to do with him. After ruling out all conclusions, an old guy quickly emerged in Yang Chen’s mind.

Hu Weiyong!
“Besides him, there is definitely no one else who would come to look for me. Why would this guy send someone to look for me when he is not guarding his own little piece of land?
Isn’t it to send me money?”

Thinking of this possibility, an expression of joy gradually appeared on Yang Chen’s face.

He has not spent all the 300,000 taels of silver that Hu Weiyong gave him last time, but he didn’t expect that this guy would come to him again.

If he didn’t take the opportunity to blackmail and ask for some real money, Yang Chen would think that he was mentally ill.

When he thought about the money he had, he waved his hand and said:

“Let’s go! Let’s go meet this guy and find out what he is up to.”

After saying that, Yang Chen left the desert and would set out from the palace to Zhenjiang Prefecture the next day.

A few minutes later, Yang Chen quickly arrived at the back door. Standing in front of him was the butler who was beside Hu Weiyong. At this moment, the butler had a flattering smile on his face.

He exuded the air of a servant from head to toe. No matter how Yang Chen looked at him, he felt that Hu Weiyong had a unique vision, as he could recruit such a top-notch person to be his subordinate.

“Sir Yang, I haven’t seen you for a long time. The last time my master married a concubine, I was busy entertaining other guests. I was able to meet you today. You are just like the legend, handsome and elegant. I wonder what kind of woman will be able to be your partner in the future.”

As soon as the fat butler saw Yang Chen, he started praising him heavily, giving Yang Chen goosebumps.

He quickly waved his hand to signal to stop:

“Stop! Stop! Let’s stop talking nonsense. Just tell me why Hu Weiyong sent you here?”

The fat butler didn’t show any displeasure on his face because Yang Chen didn’t like his flattery.

First of all, this is someone else’s territory. Chi Lin is more than eight feet tall, and if that fist as big as a casserole hits his face, he will probably lose half his life. Even if the fat butler is stupid, he knows what he should and shouldn’t say.

“It is like this, Lord Yang. My master heard that you are going to leave the imperial city, so he specially booked a No. 1 room in the Yanxiang Pavilion to give you a farewell party. I hope Lord Yang can do you the honor of coming.”

“Yanxiang Pavilion? The best? Is Prime Minister Hu so generous?”

The result was almost the same as what he expected. Instead of showing any joy at having guessed it right, Yang Chen looked confused.

This is to prevent this guy from knowing what he is thinking.

He knew Yanxiang Pavilion. It was one of the few places in the red-light district of Nanjing Imperial City where dining was very expensive. Legend has it that it was originally invested by Shen Wansan, the richest man in Jiangnan who was exiled to the frontier.

Later, the property was ransacked and this place became a restaurant controlled by the imperial palace and court, where Ji, an official from the Jiaofangsi under the Ministry of Rites, worked.

In the past, the women from wealthy families whose property was confiscated were exiled to this place, and it has become the dreamland of many people.

Just think about it, the wife and daughter of your enemy were confiscated and exiled here, and finally became playthings of officials’ concubines. You only need to spend a little money to enjoy their beauty. Isn’t this a very exciting thing?
Yang Chen has always looked down upon this place, but now that Hu Weiyong has invited him, he must take a critical look at it to find out what the legendary women from the Jiaofangsi are all about.

When he hesitated, the fat butler thought that Yang Chen was showing distrust, so he took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to him with both hands, smiling:

“Hehe, if you don’t believe me, Mr. Yang, you can take a look. This is the invitation letter written by my master himself.”

He lowered his head slightly, his eyes fell on a line of small words on the letter.

“From my nephew Yang”

“This guy Hu Weiyong really went to great lengths to get me to make this trip.” I thought to myself that this guy was really full of tricks. I raised my head and stared at the fat butler, with no intention of taking action at all.

“No need. Since Prime Minister Hu has invited me, I must do you the honor. Please go to the main gate and wait for me.”

Upon hearing the result, the fat butler was immediately delighted. The fat on his chubby face rolled into a lump, and he turned and left.

Looking at the other person’s departing back, Chi Lin seemed a little worried and said,
“Master Yang, are you going alone?
Isn’t this too risky? We are about to leave the Imperial City, and I dare not put you in danger. If the general asks me, I will be in big trouble, right?”

As Yang Chen’s security supervisor, Chi Lin felt that he needed to speak up and say something at this time, both for public and private reasons.

How could Yang Chen not consider these? He explained:
“Well, you take six people with you. Four of them change into plain clothes and go get some money from Xiaochun and follow me to the Yanxiang Pavilion to hide secretly. The remaining two will be brought by you and follow me to the Tianzi Room of the Yanxiang Pavilion.

But you guys just stand outside the door. If I make any noise, you rush in. One thing you have to remember is to be smart. If I make a noise for fun and you rush in, I won’t compensate you for the broken doors and furniture.”

Chi Lin is a rough guy and he is not smart. If Yang Chen doesn’t remind him, who knows what he will do.

Faced with this reminder, Chi Lin just laughed twice, turned around and immediately made arrangements.

Ten minutes later, Yang Chen brought Chi Lin and several guards to follow the fat butler’s carriage.

It took a while to drive from the suburbs into the imperial city streets.

It was already dusk, and the imperial city was bustling with people who had set up stalls to do small business during the day were leaving one after another, leaving the streets very spacious.

As the current capital of the Ming Dynasty, Yingtian Prefecture’s infrastructure is definitely ahead of most cities. According to Yang Chen’s calculations, excluding the imperial palace, hundreds of thousands of people living within the third ring road all walk on cobblestone roads without a trace of mud to contaminate the soles of their shoes.

Away from the Third Ring Road, the city’s infrastructure gradually becomes dilapidated.

Yanxiang Pavilion is located in a relatively remote place, and the road here is quite long. Many people hang many lanterns and sell things on the street. They sell hairpins, snacks, embroidery, special cultural items, etc.

Yang Chen has been visiting various places these days and he found that Chinese culture is amazing. As long as there is a snack street, there will always be the same thing.

Changsha Stinky Tofu!
It’s strange to say, Changsha is still very ordinary now, and I didn’t expect that someone would bring a stinky tofu shop to the Ming Dynasty Imperial City.

The carriage drove quickly through the streets where vendors were hawking their wares and soon stopped outside the Yanxiang Pavilion.

At this moment, you can see men dressed very formally coming one after another, some are inviting friends, some are coming alone, without exception, everyone comes here with a smile on their face. It seems that this is a happy place of the gods.

In fact, it’s pretty much the same.

The fat butler led Yang Chen in, and the shopkeeper outside the door was very attentive, as if he was worried that Yang Chen would be unhappy.

As you step over the threshold, what comes into view is a huge stage, surrounded by round tables and stools. At a glance, you can see lights and wine all around.

The light comes from the lanterns on the pillars. These lanterns are made of very special craftsmanship. They are not made of ordinary cloth or paper, but glass.

The candlelight was lit inside, shining through the colored glass, and the colors that came out were naturally various, making people dazzled for a moment.

Walking up the stairs, each floor has a different lively feel. There are silver bells and laughter on the second floor, pleasant piano sounds on the third floor, and wind music singing on the fourth floor.

The sense of comfort brought by classical music is something Yang Chen has never felt before.

“No wonder others say that the art produced by the Jiaofangsi must be exquisite. With these movements, ordinary people probably can’t imagine in their lifetime that the fairy they dream of is just a plaything in the eyes of others.”

Walking on the road, all Yang Chen saw were two words.

luxury.

The No. 1 Room is on the fifth floor, and there are only three rooms in total. The fat butler took Yang Chen to the door and knocked gently. Hu Weiyong’s voice was heard from inside.

“come in.”

The fat butler pushed open the door, took the initiative to stand aside, and made a gesture to invite Yang Chen.

Chi Lin and others stood on both sides of the door as originally required, with their hands crossed in front of their chests and staring fiercely at the front. The fat butler saw this momentum, swallowed his saliva, and hurried away to do what Hu Weiyong had instructed.

Inside the room, the decoration was even more luxurious, with all kinds of rare and precious decorations hanging on the walls. The carpet was a complete tiger skin, and its length reached an astonishing five meters!

I don’t know what species it is.

Passing the entrance where the ornaments were placed, Yang Chen saw Hu Weiyong sitting at the table by the window. He smiled at him and greeted him:

“Haha, nephew Yang, it’s been a while since we last met. You seem to have changed a lot.”

Walking forward, Yang Chen soon sat opposite Hu Weiyong. He did not seem unfamiliar. He skillfully picked up the plate with a missing piece of pastry on the table and started eating.

At the same time he politely replied:

“Uncle Hu, you’re too polite. What you said is wrong. If I really want to talk about changes, I think the only change in me is that my hair has grown longer. I will have to find time to cut it short soon.”

Yang Chen touched his long hair which was already big enough to be tied up and responded in a teasing tone.

When he first came to Ming Dynasty, he originally thought that he might keep his hair long forever, but as time went by, he found that long hair was really hard to take care of.

It takes a long time to dry your hair after washing it. This was an era without hair dryers, so people could only rely on manual fanning. Even with such a weak breeze, it would take at least half an hour to dry your hair.

It made him very uncomfortable.

Hearing this, Hu Weiyong burst into laughter, and his eyes almost turned into slits.

“Hahaha, Nephew Yang is really different from others. But short hair is good. It makes you look unique. This is also your style, Nephew Yang. Special! Protruding!”

After saying that, Hu Weiyong raised his hands to the air and clapped his hands. The crisp sound seemed like a signal.

A thin curtain was lowered from the middle of the hall, and then several female musicians appeared. There were about ten of them, and each of them was dressed differently and had her own unique makeup.

The only thing they have in common is their excellent looks.

At the same time, subordinates lowered their heads and brought up various steaming delicacies, replacing the pastries on the table, and the tea was turned into wine.

As the pleasant sound rang out, Yang Chen seemed to be in a wonderful world of musical notes.

He can only recognize a few instruments: konghou, sheng, xiao, guzheng, and pipa.
Without exception, they are all elegant instruments.

While watching the geishas playing music, Yang Chen had an expression of fascination on his face. It seemed that if Hu Weiyong was not there, he would have wanted to turn into King Zhou and blindfold himself to play a game of hide-and-seek with these geishas.

Hu Weiyong observed Yang Chen’s appearance with a smile, and seemed very satisfied with Yang Chen’s current actions.

“My dear nephew? My dear nephew, we all know that this beautiful lady is a good match for a gentleman, but you should also know the occasion. I haven’t even said a few words to you, but your soul has already attached itself to me. Isn’t this not good?”

Hu Weiyong reminded him in a low voice. Yang Chen wiped his chin quickly and looked at Hu Weiyong with an awkward smile on his face.

“Haha! Uncle Hu said that I was rude just now. I hope Uncle Hu won’t blame me. Don’t blame me.”

“We all know that young people are full of vigor and vitality. I used to be similar to you, but now that I am old and weak, I don’t have the energy to do so.”

Looking at Hu Weiyong who was pretending to be educating others, Yang Chen couldn’t help but feel contempt for him in his heart.

“Tsk! This old man is really good at bragging. Could it be that he forgot that he married a teenage girl as his concubine last time?

He is old and weak, and I see him starting to work like an old ox plowing young fields when he gets the chance. I don’t know how many people envy him for being an elegant monk.”

When he was toasting, Yang Chen rolled his eyes at Hu Weiyong.

Putting down the wine glass, mixed with the wonderful music, Hu Weiyong said seriously:
“My dear nephew, Uncle Hu, I heard that you will leave the imperial city and go to Zhenjiang Prefecture tomorrow.”

“I didn’t expect that my move would alarm you, Uncle Hu. I really troubled you. Now the mansion has been almost packed up, and all the things to be moved have been loaded on the carriage.

Tomorrow when the sun rises, the whole family will set off. “

After getting a positive answer, Hu Weiyong pretended to have just learned something, and suddenly remembered something and said:
“Hey! By the way, I heard that when the Crown Prince and His Majesty arranged for you to go to Ningming County in Zhenjiang Prefecture, didn’t they let you go alone? Why are there rumors that His Royal Highness the Second Prince also went with you?
How come he, the Prince of Qin of the Ming Dynasty, is hanging out with you when he’s not in the palace?
Aren’t you more familiar with the King of Yan?”

As soon as they met, Hu Weiyong threw out several questions. Yang Chen smiled awkwardly and said:

“No! Uncle Hu, we’ve only just met for a short while and you’ve already asked me all these questions. How should I answer them?

By the way, didn’t the fat guy you sent out to find me say that you always practice for me?

I didn’t see the practice today, but I always feel like you’re trying to trick me.”

Yang Chen looked at Hu Weiyong suspiciously, which immediately shocked the other party.

(End of this chapter)