Appraising Treasures

The seating arrangement at the Marquis's mansion's grand banquet for appreciating treasures caused a small ripple, but it quickly subsided.

Those involved in cutting in line all had rather special identities. Li Shaojun was a guest of honor at Anle Palace, Divine Lord Zhenyuan was treated with the respect due to a teacher by Tian Fen, and Zhang Xuezhou was pulled to the front row by Tian Fen and sat down next to Marquis of Weiqi Dou Ying.

Zhang Xuezhou was seated at a higher position, with Marquis of Weiqi Dou Ying in front of him and a warrior in a coarse robe behind him.

Ignoring Li Shaojun and Divine Lord Zhenyuan, many people looked at Zhang Xuezhou with extremely amused expressions.

Zhang Xuezhou was young and impetuous. As a Grand Master of the Palace, he reformed the court attire and attacked anyone he could get his hands on. Everyone was just waiting to see what would happen to Zhang Xuezhou after he lost power.

People like Zhang Xuezhou are not unusual in the imperial court; every few years, there are always some hotheads causing trouble.

These hotheads wielded the sword of justice, constantly altering the system and relentlessly pursuing individuals, making those who transgressed the rules pay a heavy price.

Offending many people will inevitably lead to a large group of people banding together in opposition, and no one can protect these hotheads.

The hotheads either lost their official positions and were demoted to other places, or were imprisoned and became commoners, or died, or even brought disaster upon their entire families.

Zhang Xuezhou's actions regarding the reform of court attire did not seem to have any immediate consequences, as clothing was not a major issue and no one was violating the rules at the time. However, everyone witnessed Zhang Xuezhou picking a fight with Zhuang Qingdi.

At this time, the dispute between Zhang Xuezhou and Zhuang Qingdi had not yet ended, and since the fire had not spread to them, everyone just watched the show from the sidelines.

"Lord Dongfang, there are a few things I'm unsure whether I should say!"

Wine from the Marquis's residence was served, and freshly cooked beef was also laid out.

Dou Ying Marquis of Weiqi Ying, took a sip of wine, then covered his face with his right hand, turned his head towards Zhang Xuezhou, and began to discuss something in hushed tones with Zhang Xuezhou.

Banquets are occasions for social interaction, and seating arrangements close together allow people of similar status and position to communicate normally.

Dou Ying could only communicate with Tian Fen, the host of the banquet, above him, and with Zhang Xuezhou, the one who cut in line, below him.

He then initiated a conversation, and although Zhang Xuezhou was wary of Dou Ying, he did not refuse to communicate with him.

"Marquis of Weiqi, you know I'm a very straightforward person. If anyone else asked me this, I would say, 'If you don't know, don't answer.'" Zhang Xuezhou blinked and said, "But Marquis of Weiqi is different. If you don't know, feel free to say it. We're willing to listen!"

"You... sigh!"

Marquis of Weiqi sighed, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou was indeed the kind of hothead he had imagined. He spoke too bluntly, and even a flattering remark sounded unpleasant.

"I've heard that Lord Dongfang upholds the principles of propriety with integrity, which is a good thing," Dou Ying said. "But Lord Dongfang must not become someone else's pawn, lest he fail to accomplish his task and get himself into trouble."

"Oh?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise in a low voice, "I hope Marquis of Weiqi can enlighten me!"

"I don't know who instructed you to target Zhuang Qingdi," Dou Ying said in a low voice. "That person is actually very difficult to deal with. He's usually all smiles and polite, but when he gets physical, he leaves no one else a way out!"

"I wasn't targeting Lord Zhuang specifically. I was just criticizing his attire for being too simple and plain, completely lacking the bearing of an Imperial Censor. I wanted to suggest that Imperial Censor Zhuang wear better clothes in the future," Zhang Xuezhou explained.

"So?"

Dou Ying pondered for a few seconds and realized that Zhang Xuezhou had probably flattered Zhuang Qingzhai but ended up criticizing him. Zhang Xuezhou's intention was to praise Zhuang Qingdi's thrifty dressing, but everyone thought he was actually picking on Zhuang Qingdi.

If the system change wasn't caused by someone plotting against them, then the other party must be a newcomer to officialdom who hasn't yet learned the art of flattery.

If it's the latter, Dou Ying has no way to complain.

In short, Zhang Xuezhou was promoted to a position he shouldn't have been promoted to, and the other party also made some fools of themselves.

"You can say a few words to Guan Fu, who's sitting below you. His situation is similar to yours," Dou Ying advised. "He's lost his official position now. You'd better learn from his experience and avoid repeating his mistake!"

"Guan Fu actually has this kind of experience?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuezhou was delighted and quickly turned his head to the back of the room.

Zhang Xuezhou had limited knowledge of the imperial court in Chang'an City, but he had indeed heard of Guan Fu.

This was a high-ranking official appointed by the new emperor. He had previously served as the Grand Master of the Imperial Stud, one of the Nine Ministers, in charge of animal husbandry in the Great Han Dynasty.

While the position of overseeing animal husbandry might sound like an agricultural department, it actually controls the most important equipment for the various cavalry legions, essentially managing the crucial logistics of the imperial army and holding a position of real power.

It's not surprising that the Empress Dowager adjusted the new emperor's arrangements, and Guan Fu will inevitably be reassigned to another position. What Zhang Xuezhou is curious about is how Guan Fu lost his official position, and even after losing his position, he was still qualified to attend the Marquis's banquet.

As long as he can get close to the new emperor, Zhang Xuezhou doesn't care what position he holds; he's even currently trying to shed the over-standard position of Grand Master of the Palace.

"Lord Guan, Marquis of Weiqi asked me to inquire how you lost your post?"

Zhang Xuezhou tossed his head away, ignoring Marquis of Weiqi, and excitedly went to find Guan Fu. This made Dou Ying, who was still about to speak, curse him under his breath as a "brute."

"Damn it!"

Guan Fu, who was drinking heavily below, raised his wine bowl and gestured with his fist.

"If you see someone you don't like, just hit them. Break their head and you'll be fired!"

Guan Fu muttered something under his breath.

Guan Fu didn't know Zhang Xuezhou, nor did he want to talk to Zhang Xuezhou, but Zhang Xuezhou mentioned Marquis of Weiqi, which made Guan Fu respond honestly.

"The Marquis said I should drink less, but I feel disgusted just looking at some people's faces," Guan Fu said. "I don't want to cause trouble or deal with those people, but the more I drink, the angrier I get, and the angrier I get, the more I drink. Then, when I'm drunk, I don't remember anything. When I wake up, I realize I've hit someone while drunk, and then I'm punished. After being punished a few times, I lost my official position!"

"You want to hit someone?!"

Zhang Xuezhou desperately wanted to learn how to lose his official position without getting hurt, but Guan Fu's experience gave Zhang Xuezhou a headache. After all, whether Guan Fu was pretending to be drunk or really drunk, Zhang Xuezhou's chances of winning a fight were not high.

When he pondered the officials in the court who were all show and no substance, he felt that he lacked understanding and did not know who had real ability and who was just a fraud.

"Some people in our court are disgusting; they absolutely deserve a beating!"

Zhang Xuezhou could only agree with him, as if to acknowledge the question.

But to his surprise, Guan Fu became unusually enthusiastic after he said that, even raising his glass to toast Zhang Xuezhou.

"The wine at this Marquis's manor tastes like horse piss. If this weren't a banquet hosted by Marquis of Wu'an, I would have flipped the table!" Guan Fu said. "Brother Dongfang, come to my house for a drink sometime. My wine is excellent!"

"Become!"

Zhang Xuezhou readily agreed to these dubious promises.

He clinked glasses with Guan Fu and drank three large bowls of wine. He found the wine spicy and sour with a pungent smell, and his body's antidote technique was slightly activated.

Clearly, these drinks contain many impurities, and may even contain some fusel oils that are slightly toxic. Excessive consumption can easily lead to drowsiness, hyperactivity, or loss of reason.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't care about the poison, but these drinks had little nutritional value, and even with his Grain Avoidance Instruction, a lot of water would remain in his stomach.

"Brother, another bowl, please!"

Zhang Xuezhou had no inhibitions and drank heavily, which Guan Fu clearly liked. After being repeatedly pulled to drink more, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel a headache coming on, as if he could hear the water sloshing around in his stomach.

Only after Tian Fen retrieved a golden seal for identification did the treasure appraisal banquet officially begin.

"Master Guan, look at this treasure!"

Zhang Xuezhou pointed, signaling Guan Fu to stop gulping down the wine.

"It's probably some short-sighted official's seal from the Qin Dynasty, something he could probably use to throw at people," Guan Fu said after glancing at it. "This one from Marquis of Wu'an is just a prop to get things off the table; it's somewhat useful but not really. Most of the items brought to this banquet are junk, and only about 15% are truly auspicious. Good treasures are very rare!"

Zhang Xuezhou was so frustrated that he wanted to resign, which is why he spoke so recklessly; Guan Fu's mouth was truly unpleasant.

The treasure appraisal banquet had just begun when Guan Fu gave the answer directly, and in a rather loud voice, which attracted many guests to peek and watch, and some even chuckled.

This made Tian Fen, who was seated at the head of the banquet, extremely embarrassed.

He raised the town seal, intending to ask Li Shaojun to say something, but found it difficult to speak loudly for the moment.

Tian Fen felt a headache coming on for a few seconds before reaching out and having a servant bring up an antique wooden box.

"Gentlemen, Master Li's reputation for recognizing ancient characters is renowned Chang'an City. I have an old object in my home that is difficult to identify, so I'll offer it to you first!"

Embarrassed by Guan Fu, Tian Fen immediately retrieved a heavy object from the bottom of his chest.

He carefully opened the ancient wooden box, revealing a scroll with a gold-threaded horizontal banner.

As the scroll unfolds, an ancient text appears, and a figure with flowing sleeves leaps onto the scroll, as if about to drift away with the wind.

Zhang Xuezhou examined it closely and found the ancient characters difficult to decipher. Li Shaojun frowned slightly, as if he had noticed something in the scroll and was probably having some inappropriate thoughts.