tallest building

Chapter 120 The Three-Path Palace

This is the second banquet hosted by Wen Mingqian since returning to Beijing.

It just so happens that it rained the day before, and on this day the scenery is clear and the breeze is cool, it is truly a pleasant day.

The guests arrived one after another. They all knew about Gong Chang'an's kidnapping and that Wen Mingqian had fallen ill from fright. Therefore, their visit was largely a way of visiting him.

"Sister, you look much better today than when I came a few days ago." Liu Cuiyi happily grabbed Wen Mingqian's arm.

“Your clothes suit you exceptionally well today,” Wen Mingqian noticed that Liu Cuiyi’s clothes were new, “and the material is also quite special.”

"I bought it at Sangji Silk Shop. Ever since my sister took me there, I've often gone there to choose fabrics," Liu Cuiyi said. "They always have fabrics that I can't buy anywhere else, and they just happen to suit my taste."

“Shu’er and Yan’er are growing up to be even more beautiful,” Liu Cuiyi said, having brought her two daughters with her today. “Just thinking about how you will have two graceful daughters standing beside you in a few years makes me so envious.”

"You are still young. If you want a daughter, you can have one yourself." Lady Qian, the wife of Marquis Jiangxia, walked in with a smile. "It would be a bit lonely to have only one child, Chang'an."

She was unaware that Wen Mingqian and Gong Xu were outwardly husband and wife, but in reality, they had long been estranged. She assumed that they had reconciled.

After all, the most troublesome Song Shi was dead, and Wen Mingqian was so young and beautiful, how could Gong Xu not be tempted?

"Madam, it's been a long time. Please come in." Wen Mingqian quickly stepped forward to greet her.

"Indeed! I went to Xijing to escape the summer heat a few days ago. I only heard about what happened at your residence when I came back the other day, and it gave me quite a fright. Fortunately, it was all over without any serious harm." Madam Qian said, clutching her chest. "That villain is truly audacious!"

"I'm sorry to have made you worry," Wen Mingqian said. "I still feel scared when I think about it now, and I don't know when I'll get over this feeling."

Several more guests arrived as they were talking, and Wen Mingqian naturally had to greet them one by one.

Cui Baozhu and her stepmother and sister came. When Leng Shi saw the many noble ladies present, she greeted them with a big smile.

"It's been a long time since I've joined in the fun. I've come today to get to know everyone and also to support my youngest daughter-in-law." Old Madam Gong walked in with a smile, supported by Madam Wei. She was the oldest among them, and everyone stood up to greet her.

Madam Gong hurriedly said, "Please sit down quickly. As the hostess, I am late and should apologize to everyone. I just know that you all will not be picky about an old woman like me."

At this moment, Wen Mingqian had already stepped forward and helped her to the seat of honor.

Before this, Madam Gong already knew about Gong Chang'an's kidnapping.

Wei and Wen Mingqian discussed that this matter would eventually reach the old lady's ears. In any case, Gong Chang'an was now safe and sound, so it wouldn't hurt to tell her about it slowly.

After listening for a long time, Madam Gong remained silent for a while before finally speaking: "That Ma Daguang often hangs out with Prince Zhao, so he must know Song Xiang. I suspect that Song Xiang might be behind this. He feels that his sister died unjustly, so he has evil intentions to harm Chang'an."

“We all suspect the same thing, but we have no evidence,” Wen Mingqian said. “The authorities can’t easily trace it back to him, after all, there’s the influence of the Prince of Zhao.”

As soon as Madam Gong arrived, she pulled Gong Chang'an to her side: "You said this morning that you didn't have enough Jade Dew Dumplings, so I'll have them make you some tonight. You don't like the osmanthus flavor, so I'll tell them not to put osmanthus in any more desserts." "The old lady really dotes on her grandson!" Everyone laughed. "When the two masters were young, they weren't spoiled like this."

"That's the truth," Madam Gong said with a smile. "To be honest, when my two children were young, because they had their parents-in-law and great-grandmother, I, as their granddaughter-in-law, naturally had to take care of the elders first, so I left my own children to be cared for by the servants. By the time I remembered them, they were already teenagers."

But my grandson is indeed adorable, especially since he and his mother spent the past few years in their hometown; we really owe them a debt of guilt.”

"The old lady is here today to support her daughter-in-law," said Lady Changrong with a smile. "It didn't matter that we weren't together in the past few years, but she will definitely make up for it in the next few years."

Lady Changrong was the most eloquent, and Old Lady Gong agreed wholeheartedly.

“This child is clearly intelligent. The younger generation of your family will surely be among the top students in the future,” said Lady Linchuan. “Your eldest and second young masters are known for their excellent studies, and the remaining two will certainly be no less outstanding.”

"Speaking of studying, have you heard?" Lady Jiangxia Hou put down her teacup and said, "The Sanjing Academy is recruiting students again."

These words immediately drew everyone's attention, and they forgot everything else.

"Really? How many years has it been since the Sanjing Academy went down the mountain to recruit disciples?" Cui Baozhu's stepmother, Madam Leng, asked.

"It must have been seven or eight years! It's extremely difficult for them to recruit apprentices there. Sometimes they only recruit once every two or three years, and sometimes once every five or six years. At most, they only recruit five or six, and sometimes they only recruit one or two."

I heard that he observes the celestial phenomena every time he comes down the mountain to accept disciples, which is why the timing is not fixed.

"Whoever gets selected is truly blessed by their ancestors." The crowd's tone was full of envy. "These teachers at the Sanjing Academy don't even accept the Emperor's offer of employment. Anyone who can be taught there can rise to a high position even without taking the imperial examinations."

"Especially Master Zhuge. If one could receive personal instruction from him, entering and leaving the mansions of princes and dukes would be like entering one's own home. But I wonder if Master Zhuge still accepts disciples. He must be over eighty years old now, right?"

"It was said before that Master Zhuge was going to take someone as his last disciple, but this news has been circulating for almost ten years, and we haven't seen him take any more disciples. I suppose we'll meet someone by chance this time we come down the mountain? I wonder whose child is so lucky."

The Sanjing Academy existed in the previous dynasty and has been renowned for hundreds of years, remaining intact despite the changing dynasties.

It is located deep in the mountains, far from the secular world, and people value scholars, especially those great Confucian scholars, who are of a nobler bloodline than the royal family.

The Sanjing Academy has always valued quality over quantity when accepting disciples, but every disciple will become a prominent figure in the world and a reclusive master after leaving it.

For many years, this has been the case without exception.

Whether in or out of power, from the emperor down to the common man, everyone considered it an honor to associate with the teachers and students of the Sanjing Academy.

It is often said that if a child in the family can enter the Three Paths Academy, they would be willing to give up their entire fortune.

But when they accept apprentices, they only look at their natural talent and temperament; they don't accept them with money or power.

But it is precisely because of this that the Sanjing Academy has maintained its reputation for over a century and is highly regarded by the world.