Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 9 Etiquette
Huo Xian was really worried, and his casual words might cause him trouble.

The previous example is Liu Che's uncle Tian Fen, who was arrogant because of his relationship with Liu Che. When facing Guan Fu, a retainer of Dou Ying, the nephew of Empress Dowager Dou, Tian Fen also said that he wanted to visit Weiqi Marquis Dou Ying together.

As a result, Wei Qihou set up the tent and prepared the banquet until dawn. As soon as it was dawn, he asked the stewards in the mansion to serve in front of the house. As a result, Tian Fen did not attend the banquet. When Guan Fu went to greet him in person, Tian Fen was also procrastinating.

As a result, Guan Fu cursed everyone at Tian Fen's banquet and was convicted, and was beheaded and his family was exterminated. Dou Ying tried his best to rescue him, but he was also beheaded and thrown into the market.

So when Tian Fen fell ill, he dreamed that Dou Ying and Guan Fu were asking for his life, and he died of fright.

This was mainly because Tian Fen was arrogant and looked down on Dou Ying, who had lost his power. But to be honest, Tian Fen's lack of etiquette was not a small matter.

Nowadays, people care a lot about etiquette, and they may suddenly become enemies because of the way they perform formalities, entertain guests at banquets, etc.

When visiting someone's home, one has to send visiting cards or invitations. There are also rules for where the host should stand when greeting the guests, and how the host should stand when leading the way outside the gate or inside the mansion.

At the table, the Western Han Dynasty had a separate dining system, so there were very particular details about where each dish was placed, when each dish was served, etc. The nobles in particular were very particular about these details.

Being a guest does not just mean going over to someone's house for a meal.

Huo Xian, with a worried look on his face, ran to ask for an audience with the emperor.

Seeing Huo Xian's pitiful appearance, Liu Che, who had just left the court, asked with a smile, "Why, someone dared to bully my Marquis Guanjun?"

"Your Majesty, please save me!" Huo Xian said immediately, "I ran into Marquis Muqiu when I just left the court. I was just being polite by saying I was visiting him, but he took it seriously."

Liu Che was also stunned for a moment and asked, "How did you say that?"

Huo Xian quickly explained the situation. "Originally, Wan Shijun's family tradition is good, so I said that I had heard that Wan Shijun's family tradition is good, and it was a pity that I had no chance to meet him. Then I said politely that I would visit his house in a few days to learn about his family tradition of running a household."

Not to mention that Liu Che was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, even Chuntuo and the others who followed the emperor were trying hard not to laugh out loud.

It was right for the Champion Marquis to do so, and it was human nature to be polite. But the mistake was that he should not have said it in front of Shi Qing, because the people of the Shi family were stubborn and would take the polite words seriously.

Liu Che suppressed his laughter and asked, "What did he say?"

Huo Xian immediately said, "He said he was sweeping the courtyard and waiting for me to visit him."

Liu Che laughed loudly, pointed at Huo Xian and said, "You! Why did you go and provoke him?"

"Your Majesty, I didn't expect him to take it seriously." Huo Xian felt wronged. "He asked me a question when he saw me, and I just replied. I didn't expect this to happen. I don't know what to do now."

Liu Che suddenly asked, "Could it be that he is so eager to leave the palace that he is doing this on purpose?"

"Your Majesty, I'm not that kind of person." Huo Xian cried out in injustice, "I have never been able to sit or stand properly. Wouldn't it be embarrassing for me to visit Marquis Muqiu's mansion? Besides, when did we have any dealings with these prime ministers?"

Liu Che also laughed when he heard this. It was indeed unlikely that Huo Shan would take the initiative to provoke someone like Shi Qing. He was too obedient to the rules.

"I'll have someone from your house deliver the visiting card later. You'll attend the banquet tomorrow." Liu Che waved his hand and made arrangements with a smile, "Remember to bring the pheasant with you when you attend the banquet tomorrow."

Pheasant, that is, wild chicken.

Seeing Huo Xian's look of confusion, Liu Che laughed and said, "You really don't know etiquette. A scholar is loyal to a pheasant. Bringing it with you is praising the Shi family's good family tradition and noble character, saying that you are also a person who understands etiquette!"

You see, being a guest in the Western Han Dynasty was also very particular. Giving gifts was very particular. Only gifts of real gold and silver were considered valuable. Especially in the eyes of these powerful people, some things represented greater meanings.

Liu Che also found Huo Xian's little blunder funny. "How did you think of all this?" Huo Xian explained, "I didn't think it was a big deal until my uncle asked me about it. Your Majesty, I will never talk to anyone when I'm on duty. It's really inappropriate."

Liu Che waved his hand and said, "It doesn't have to be that serious. You are the Marquis of Guanjun, and ordinary people have to flatter you. It's because you are young and you are still in the palace, otherwise you would definitely be entertained constantly. When Qubing was still alive, I didn't stop him from interacting with some people."

Then Liu Che looked at Huo Guang and said, "You are a cautious and polite person. Teach Xian'er how to attend the banquet tomorrow. Don't let the champion marquis I taught become a joke because he doesn't know the etiquette. I can't afford to lose face like that!"

After thinking about it, Liu Che still felt that it was not enough, so he said, "Send someone to tell the Crown Prince to send someone to accompany Marquis Guanjun to the banquet tomorrow."

Huo Xian remained silent because he felt guilty. He had accidentally caused trouble and needed many people to help clean it up.

Seeing Huo Xian's guilty look, Liu Che smiled and said, "How can a real man do this? You must ride a horse tomorrow, and you are not allowed to take a carriage! Let the people of Chang'an see my title of Marquis!"

Huo Xian immediately said, "Then I will call the troops in the palace. I shouldn't lose face for His Majesty and Grandfather!"

"As long as you don't wear armor!" Liu Che pointed at Huo Xian and said, "Remember to carry a sword!"

The Han Dynasty was a martial dynasty. Not to mention military marquises like Huo Shan, even some scholars carried swords on their waists when they went out.

Today, the ring-handled sword has become the mainstream standard weapon, and the Han sword has become more of a symbol of power and nobility.

Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, started his rebellion by slaying a white snake with a sword, and all the emperors of the Han Dynasty wore swords. Men in the Han Dynasty valued martial arts, and men liked to wear swords after they became adults, which was considered a fashion. Even the pure scholars of the Imperial Academy were no exception.

As the saying goes, "Sword is the military equipment of a gentleman." In the Western Han Dynasty, it was an obligation for officials to wear swords, and it was indispensable for special ceremonies or occasions.

Huo Xian said confidently, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will never bring shame to your majesty!"

Liu Che then said, "I also heard that you gave some money to the prince. This is a good thing. After you leave the palace this time, I will allow you to rest in your mansion for ten days before returning to the palace. Take care of the affairs in the mansion and then return to the palace to guard."

Huo Xian was stunned for a moment, then he said happily, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Leaving the palace, Huo Xian got the opportunity to leave the palace this time by chance.

Seeing Huo Xian's happy expression, Liu Che got a little angry. "Except for the Prime Minister, you are not allowed to visit anyone else at will. You can only visit relatives in the mansion. If it is your father-in-law's old subordinates, you should receive them in the mansion. There is no one in your mansion, let the Queen and the Prince help you arrange someone to take care of things."

Huo Xian nodded repeatedly. There was nothing wrong with the emperor's arrangement. Huo Xian also had no plans to spend his time in debauchery and entertain friends after leaving the palace.

Liu Che suddenly asked, "If someone asks you about Fengshan, what will you say?"

"Your Majesty, I'll see who's asking." Huo Xian said immediately, "If it's the general who's asking, I'll close the door and refuse to see him. If it's someone from the Crown Prince's Mansion who's asking, I'll immediately go to Her Majesty the Queen to complain. If it's anyone else who's asking, I'll shut the door, beat them up, and throw them out!"

Liu Che was very satisfied with Huo Xian's answer, "As long as you don't kill anyone, it's fine. If you kill someone, you have to pay money to atone for your sin."

Huo Guang, Jin Midi and others were horrified when they heard this, but they had no doubt that the emperor and Huo Shan would do this.

The Fengshan Ceremony was a sacred moment for the emperor to show off his civil and military achievements. As one of the participants, Huo Xian was also of concern to many people. They were curious about what was written in the emperor's Fengshan book, and they were also curious about what the emperor saw during the enthronement ceremony.

Apart from the emperor, Huo Xian, no one else in the world knew about these things.

"Okay, get out of here." Liu Che smiled and waved his hand. "You can't stay in the palace for a moment, go back and prepare for the banquet. If you lose your manners, have someone bring you back tomorrow, and I'll teach you etiquette then!"

(End of this chapter)