"Hahaha, gentlemen, please come in!"
Sima Yan's face glowed, his eyes brimming with pride. Standing before him were seven celebrated men of letters renowned throughout Luoyang.
Apart from Lü An, everyone had arrived.
Yet the atmosphere was somewhat peculiar.
Ruan Ji was already a Regular Attendant Cavalryman, so he appeared perfectly composed. He stood at the head of the group without a word, just as always, while his nephew Ruan Xian stood behind him, curiously surveying the palace before them.
Ji Kang still looked thoroughly drunk and needed Shan Tao and Xiang Xiu to support him.
Wang Rong was all smiles, warmly reciprocating Sima Yan's goodwill.
Liu Ling also wore a faint smile, though his was not as obvious as Wang Rong's.
In truth, the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove did not all share the same allegiance. Ruan Ji and Ji Kang, for instance, clearly favored Cao Wei and had no liking for the Sima Family. But lacking any real power, they could only reject them in roundabout ways.
Shan Tao and Xiang Xiu had some sympathy for Cao Wei, but lacked courage and did not dare reject the Sima Family's goodwill as Ruan Ji and Ji Kang did.
Liu Ling was neutral. Perhaps his heart lay with Cao Wei, but he was unwilling to get involved in such matters and concerned himself only with being a man of letters.
Wang Rong was a rather special case. His father was a staunch ally of the Sima Family, and he himself was extremely close to both the Sima Family and the Zhong Family.
Of course, Wang Rong was not someone like Jia Chong. He was quite forthright, paid little heed to appearances or ritual propriety, enjoyed conversation, and cared nothing for money. That was why he could keep company with