King Lixian of Xunyang and the governor Wang Lengran did not invite anyone, but Xie invited them out for him.

Ouyang Rong glanced at the pair of Xie's direct aunts and nieces in front of him.

For a moment, an extremely strange feeling arose in my mind.

But this feeling is fleeting.

Below, a catkin quietly stretched out and grasped the palm under his sleeve, feeling the warm and fragrant soft jade.

Ouyang Rong came to his senses.

Xie Lingjiang, who was beside him, had his fingers intertwined and was looking at him with concern, his eyes soft.

The beautiful Bu Yao woman in front of her raised her head arrogantly, her eyes wide, and she looked at his expression from the corner of her eye.

Suddenly the strangeness turned into extremely familiar.

"What's wrong, Senior Brother? What's wrong with your body?" Xie Lingjiang asked cautiously.

"It's okay. I'm just a little surprised to hear this."

Ouyang Rong patted the back of her hand.

In fact, he suddenly felt that the power of the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes, or the aristocratic families, was still very powerful and deeply rooted in the Zhou Dynasty.

The Guanlong gentry, the Beidi gentry, and the Jiangnan gentry were all behemoths, and the aristocratic scholar-bureaucrats they cultivated were potential spokespersons for various regional landlord groups.

In the past, because of his own experience, he always felt that the upward channel was not blocked and relatively open.

But if you think about it carefully, how many poor people in the Zhou Dynasty could be like him?

Not to mention the tripod sword, winning the hearts of women with five surnames and the status of Tan Lang in the Xunyang Prince's Palace.

Just for the status of Jinshi in the imperial examination, the number of Jinshi in each ranking is only twenty or thirty, and not all of them can be awarded officials by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Not to mention the same Jinshi with no background who was sent to a remote place like Longcheng County.

In each issue of the Jinshi Ranking, how many people can really stay in the capital and serve as officials? How many people are even in high-level positions at the local and state level like him?

It’s no wonder that when Ouyang Rong, a poor scholar elite, refused to be a fifth-rank official in the capital, it aroused such a huge public response in the Luoyang government and the public.

Having said so much, who are the people who occupy all the official positions and high positions in the imperial court?

Well, first of all, exclude ordinary people.

In the Daqian and Zhou dynasties, the initial purpose of recruiting scholars through the imperial examination was to control the nobles of aristocratic families, but the effect was not as good as expected, because it was not to destroy and then establish, but to provide third-party support.

All in all, the Zhou Dynasty was still an aristocratic political system. No matter how powerful Qin Jingqin was, he was from a noble background and could not escape the limitations of his own class. This is why there is a private banquet between Xie and Qin tomorrow night.

The identity of Xie's son-in-law is more powerful than he imagined.

Maybe he got an admission ticket that countless poor people dream of.

Ouyang Rongmei Peak gathers slightly.

Xie Xue'e looked sideways and asked, "Why, you don't look happy?"

After speaking, she glanced at Xie Lingjiang and Ouyang Rong's clasped hands under their sleeves.

He shook his head: "No, I was thinking about how to thank aunt."

No matter what, a truly strong person will not complain about the environment or the times. Instead, he can achieve something in any environment and in any era. Even if he comes from the Pure Land and has a perspective that is thousands of years ahead of his time, his vision will always tell him that this is hell.

.

Ouyang Rong's heart was as clear as a mirror, and he felt that the gentle beauty and the beautiful woman beside him became more and more familiar and friendly. They were all flesh and blood.

"Why are you thanking me?"

Xie Xue'e pressed the corners of her lips and waved her hands:

"If you want to thank me, thank Shi Qiniang. I arrived in Xunyang yesterday and have been with her for almost two days. You haven't come to see her once. What did this senior brother do? Your teacher is not around, and you don't even take care of your junior sister.

Right?"

"Auntie, senior brother is busy with things." Xie Lingjiang said with a sullen face, "Uncle Qin is here. There have been meetings in the Jiangzhou lobby for the past two days to discuss the dispatch of food and fodder for the army..."

Xie Xue'e couldn't help but said: "You are protecting the food now. Where are the thoughts you had when you were looking at me during the day?"

Xie Lingjiang stared: "Auntie is talking nonsense."

Ouyang Rong grasped Xie Lingjiang's bare hand under his sleeve and said directly:

"Thank you for arranging it, aunt. To be honest, this banquet can be regarded as a solution to an urgent need. It is a timely help. My junior sister and I will go to the banquet on time tomorrow."

After a pause:

"It's my first time to attend this kind of family banquet. I don't understand the customs and etiquette in Yangzhou and Jinling. Is there anything I need to pay attention to?"

"There are not many rules for private family banquets. We just invite Uncle Qin and your granddaughter to have a meal with home-cooked dishes. Everything is simple. However, be careful. Uncle Qin is a famous gourmet in Yangzhou and has eaten Jiangnan delicacies.

After all, you can find some special delicacies in Xunyang..."

Speaking of this, Xie Xue'e shook her head and counted her treasures:

"It's okay if you don't have it. I'll prepare the dishes for the family banquet. Your uncle sent bad crabs from Yangzhou, Guanghan cake made with Guizi in Qiantang Sanqiu, and hairy crabs from Dongting Lake..."

Ouyang Rong raised his eyebrows slightly:

"Gourmet?"

"Well, what's wrong?"

"It's okay." Ouyang Rong shook his head, thought for a while, and tried to ask:

"Uncle Su is doing well these days."

Xie Xue'e's husband is Su Youwei, the governor of Yangzhou. Because of his official affairs, he is also one of the Four Continents. Ouyang Rong is quite familiar with the deeds of this governor, but he only has official correspondence and does not know him personally.

However, because of the relationship between the younger junior sister and the Xie family of Chenjun, once they get engaged, they will be able to take advantage of their uncle.

Xie Xue'e curled her lips: "Isn't he just like that, stupid?"

Ouyang Rong laughed. He could be the governor of the most prosperous and wealthy state in the south of the Yangtze River. How could he be so stupid?

Xie Xue'e glanced at him: "Tomorrow night's family banquet, you still have to make some preparations, mainly... dealing with people."

Ouyang Rong nodded, understanding the meaning.

In a sense, this family dinner was to give him an opportunity to talk to Qin Jingqin, and Xie Xue'e was the matchmaker, giving him a platform to show off.

This is not to convey benefits, but to open up some relationships and find out Qin Jingqin's attitude towards Prince Xunyang's Palace and the Wei family.

If you have the opportunity, you can also strive for goodwill and sympathy for the Xunyang Palace.

The main reason is that the position of the general manager of Jiangnan Road's march is too important. If it is occupied by people who are close to the Wei clan, the environment in the Xunyang Palace will be even worse, so plans must be made in advance.

Therefore, it is important to find out Qin Jingqin’s attitude.

This is also the reason why Wang Lengran and the Prince of Xunyang took great pains to get involved when they went to Xunyangdu to pick up someone not long ago.

Ouyang Rong's trip was also to find out the truth and falsehood.

…

The next day, evening.

A family banquet was held quietly in Chenjun Xie's private garden in Xiushuifang, Xunyang City.

A carriage parked leisurely at the gate. Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang got out of the car hand in hand and went to the banquet together. Xie Lingjiang was still holding a food box in his hand.

In the center of Xie's garden, there is a pool of clear water, and a high-rise pavilion stands beside the water. The top platform has a wide view.

Tonight, the family banquet will be held on this top platform. There is no roof to block it, so you can enjoy the moon while eating.

The two entered the garden and found that they had arrived a little early. Xie Xue'e was still dispatching the maids. She was in the kitchen and running around the waterside pavilion, busy preparing the delicacies that would be served later.

Ouyang Rong climbed up to the high platform of the water pavilion with the sleeves of the noble daughter Xie rolled up, and saw that the banquet was filled with delicious food and wine, accompanied by the singing and dancing of silk and bamboo orchestras.

This was considered the most elegant private family banquet that Ouyang Rong had ever attended.

It can be regarded as the pomp and pomp of a wealthy family.

Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang sat down and waited for a while. They saw a group of personal guards pouring in from under the water pavilion on the high platform, occupying various sentinel points in the round forest and keeping strict vigilance. However, they did not approach the water pavilion where the banquet was being held.

After the guards were on guard, a tall old man and a fat female Tao Shi Shi Ran came up and took their seats on the stage.

Ouyang Rong glanced at the fat female Taoist priest behind Qin Jingqin. She must be Qin Jingqin's granddaughter Qin Ying.

Unexpectedly, Qin Ying also glanced at Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang, who were sitting close to each other.

Ouyang Rong smiled politely, but Qin Ying had already looked away.

Everyone took their seats and the dinner began.

Even though everyone already knew each other, as the host, Xie Xue'e still formally introduced them one by one.

Facing someone he had interacted with during the day in the lobby of Jiangzhou on official business, Qin Jingqin didn't look embarrassed at all.

In private, his expression was kinder and kinder, not as severe as during the day. Seeing the familiar delicacies such as bad crabs, carved golden dragon and phoenix crabs, Guanghan cakes and other delicacies on the table, Qin Jingqin's expression was not surprising and he joked a few words:

"Madam Xie remembers my preferences. Well, it's better than Ying'er. She doesn't care about this and always eats what I like."

Qin Ying stared and whispered: "Ah Weng!"
To be continued...