A family should all be together

The Yingmei Pavilion is located on the first floor, with a shoji door facing the courtyard that is open and thin silk curtains hanging down to keep out the cold wind.

A dozen or so guests sat in the tavern, drinking, chatting, and admiring the plum blossoms.

Charcoal braziers blazed in all four corners of the tavern, warding off the winter chill.

A maid led Xu Qi'an in, and everyone turned to look at the tall, slender young man in a moon-white scholar's robe.

Xu Qi'an recalled the rules of the tea party as described by Head Constable Wang, and tried his best to keep his smile polite as he bowed to the crowd.

"I am Yang Ling, a scholar from Changle County. Greetings, esteemed gentlemen."

Among those present were wealthy gentlemen in fine clothes and students from the Imperial Academy; their social status was neither high nor low.

Some people casually looked away, some scrutinized them, and some responded with a smile.

It seems that during the Capital Evaluation, the officials of Great Feng were much more well-behaved. In the past, given Fuxiang's status, this place would definitely have been booked out. Xu Qi'an calmly took his seat, his gaze fixed on the courtesan who was acting as the "chairman".

Her face was radiant with spring, her eyes sparkled with beauty, her fragrance was captivating, and her charm was innate.

This woman is really nice; even Xu Qi'an, who has seen countless eyebrows, was amazed by her beauty.

Judging solely from their facial features, this courtesan is on par with her aunt, Xu Lingyue, and Chu Caiwei, each possessing a unique beauty and distinctive charm.

She's the kind of stunning beauty who would absolutely amaze and turn heads on any man walking down the street.

In terms of temperament, this courtesan possessed the beauty and elegance of a lady from a prominent family; in terms of clothing, she wore sheer dresses that women of that era dared not wear.

Her shoulders were partially exposed, her neck was long and slender, and her bra was covered by a layer of pink gauze, revealing her cleavage.

A woman with a cleavage is bound to be popular – there's a reason she became the top courtesan.

The girl Fuxiang acts as the host, also known as the "banquet leader." The host is responsible for leading the drinking games and setting the atmosphere at the banquet. This job is usually done by famous courtesans or top courtesans, as it requires a high level of literary cultivation and is not suitable for ordinary women.

They were taking turns reciting couplets, which is to match couplets. To Xu Qi'an's left was a middle-aged man wearing a light blue robe with jingling ornaments.

It was his turn. The middle-aged man raised his glass, pondered for a long time, and said, "Iced wine, one, two, three."

The courtesan raised a small flag beside her and offered her critique (praise) of the first line of the couplet.

The middle-aged man's smile widened, clearly pleased.

This is why Xi Jiu needed courtesans with profound literary knowledge to serve as his officials; without a certain level of skill, even an ordinary courtesan couldn't manage to flatter him.

After giving her comments, the stunningly beautiful courtesan's eyes fell on Xu Qi'an.

Everyone at the banquet looked over as well.

I'm not very good at matching couplets. Just making sure they're neat and tidy is difficult enough. Xu Qi'an remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was anxious.

His gaze fell upon the plum tree in the courtyard, and a flash of inspiration struck him. He deliberately took a sip of wine, struck a pose of carefree magnanimity, and proclaimed in a loud voice:

"Lilacs bloom in hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of heads."

"Brilliant!" Everyone present lit up, and their faces lit up with smiles as they looked at Xu Qi'an.

This can be seen as acknowledging his qualifications to compete for the title of courtesan, treating him as a player of equal skill.

The Fuxiang Flower Queen smiled and, as usual, showered Xu Qi'an with praise for his second line of the couplet.

Her smile was overly professional. After giving her evaluation, she immediately looked away from me. Her posture was somewhat stiff, and she only drank when urged to. Xu Qi'an observed the courtesan's body language without making a sound.

Based on knowledge of behavioral psychology, the conclusion was drawn: this courtesan doesn't think highly of our abilities.

I've been patiently accompanying you throughout.

At this moment, the maid led someone in. What a handsome young man! He had fair skin, clear eyes, thin red lips, and delicate features, with an androgynous appearance.

Everyone in the room turned to look, even the courtesan Fuxiang showed surprise; she herself had rarely seen such a handsome young man.

The young man dressed as a scholar entered the room, glanced around casually, and then suddenly froze, standing there motionless.

Xu Qi'an's eyes twitched, and after a long pause, he finally managed to say, "What a coincidence."

The handsome young man's lips twitched, and he managed to utter, "What a coincidence."

"You two know each other?" The middle-aged man in a light blue robe next to Xu Qi'an asked in surprise.

More than just acquaintances, he was my little brother Xu Qi'an suppressed the overwhelming shame and embarrassment and calmly smiled, "We've met a few times. I suppose Brother Xu still remembers me. We met in Changle County."

He deliberately revealed his surname to give Xu Xinnian a hint that he should use a false name.

This is the most basic counter-surveillance awareness.

Xu Xinnian lacked this kind of awareness, but he was clever and immediately understood his cousin's meaning. He clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute to the crowd. "I am Xu Ping'an, a student from Changle County."

After speaking, he took his seat as instructed by the maid.

"Are you mixing up my name with my second uncle's?" Xu Qi'an used drinking to hide his inner complaints.

The drinking game continued, and after a while, the maid led in two more people. The one on the left was handsome, wearing a thick sky-blue robe, with a jade pendant hanging from his waist and a jade hairpin tied up in his hair. He was a very talented young man.

The man on the right is tall and robust, with a square face and attractive features. He is dressed as a wealthy man and exudes a fierce aura that is quite different from that of a merchant or a scholar.

The tall, middle-aged man stepped into the tea room, glanced around casually, then suddenly froze, his entire body turning to stone.

Xu Qi'an: "."

Xu Xinnian: "."

The maid noticed the guest hadn't followed, turned around, and said softly, "Master, this way please."

"Oh, okay," Xu Pingzhi said, forcing himself to enter the tavern.

Xu Xinnian and Xu Qi'an silently straightened their backs.

After Second Uncle Xu took his seat, the three of them tacitly avoided looking at each other, maintaining a serious posture, their eyes downcast and their minds focused.

Those two brats said they didn't have time, so I'll Cijiu go. After all, I understand his true feelings to some extent; Ningyan never goes to brothels.

My second uncle said he was on duty tonight. Whenever my aunt and I had a fight, he'd say that marrying such a beautiful wife was a blessing from eight lifetimes ago, and he wouldn't scold her. Pah! He's still out soliciting prostitutes.

My brother never goes to brothels, that's why my robe is missing. Bah, shameless! Didn't Father say he deeply loved Mother and would never set foot in a brothel?

The three characters' inner monologues were far more complex and nuanced than their stiff expressions.

Xu Qi'an felt that another embarrassing thing had been added to his life: running into his second uncle and younger brother while out soliciting prostitutes.

Oh my god, I'm socially dead too.

Then I thought, well, I'm not the only one who died, and that made me feel much better.

The drinking game continued. Xu Xinnian responded fairly well, after all, he was a scholar. Xu Qi'an, however, depended on his mood; sometimes he couldn't keep up and had to drink as punishment. Xu Pingzhi, on the other hand, didn't drink at all and was disliked by everyone.

"Second Uncle really has no self-awareness. You've never even been to school, what are you doing here? You think you can just sleep with the courtesan whenever you want?" Xu Qi'an complained inwardly.

Dad really wasted money, Xu Xinnian was also complaining about it.

Both men were getting anxious because their performances were mediocre and they hadn't won the favor of the courtesan. Xu Xinnian, who was good-looking, gradually lost the courtesan's attention because he was too conventional.

The most crucial thing is that there is a formidable competitor on the field—that handsome young man in a thick sky-blue robe.

He was a graduate of the Imperial Academy and quite talented. Although he arrived a little late, his remarkable talent stole the show, making the courtesan often cover her mouth and chuckle.

The young man in the sky-blue robe picked up his wine cup, took a small sip, and said loudly, "This time, why don't I go first?"

No one objected, and the courtesan Fuxiang said with a smile, "Young Master Zhao, please."

Young Master Zhao looked around at everyone and said, "Pine leaves and bamboo leaves, each one is green."

"It's a couplet with repeated characters!" Someone at the table exclaimed in surprise.

"The pine needles and bamboo leaves are so beautifully green, I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."

"Brother Zhao is truly talented; he is indeed a scholar worthy of the Imperial Academy."

After one round, surprisingly, everyone could match up.

Young Master Zhao smiled faintly, his expression arrogant.

The young lady with the Fuxiang at the young master Zhao with bright, sparkling eyes.

Judging from her expression and subtle movements, the courtesan had a good impression of this man surnamed Zhao and admired his talent. Xu Qi'an frowned and turned to look at Xu Xinnian.

The latter looked at the two brothers, whose brows were furrowed with worry.

Originally, according to Xu Xinnian's idea, his elder brother, who was skilled in poetry, should have been perfectly suited to work at the Imperial Academy of Music).

Unexpectedly, after half a day of playing drinking games and couplet matching, there was no poetry.

In fact, poetry and lyrics were only moderately popular in the Imperial Academy of Music. In the last two hundred years, there have been very few excellent poems and lyrics, as scholars were not good at composing them.

When preparing tea, one will naturally avoid activities that are not one's forte.

The guests present tonight are of varying quality, making even matching couplets a challenge. The elegant and refined Fuxiang, the courtesan, deliberately avoided mentioning poetry to prevent the guests from feeling embarrassed or losing face.

At this moment, the courtesan Fuxiang gracefully rose, curtsied, and said softly, "I am a little tired, so I will take my leave now. Please enjoy your drinks."

The tea party has ended.

Next, if the courtesan takes a fancy to someone, she will have her maid keep that person and bring them into the room.

If the guest doesn't find anything they like, the maid will see them off and then begin the next round of tea serving.

Everyone waited with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. Time passed slowly, and after about half an incense stick's time, a maidservant approached and said in a sweet voice:

My wife invites Mr. Zhao into the house for tea.

The guests shook their heads in regret and sighed, while others smiled and congratulated Young Master Zhao.

Young Master Zhao wore a smile, displaying the air of a victor.

Now, the three men of the Xu Household could no longer sit still.