The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 347 Chapter : Tearing the invitation at the beginning, I, Liu Bang, specialize in dealing with those who are dissatisfied

In the early summer of Xianyang City, the black tiles of the Zhangtai Academy were covered with a layer of golden light.

The twelve-year-old Liu Bang stretched himself and let out a contented sigh under the morning sun.

He stood under the locust tree on the east side of the academy, looking at several noble children walking by in the distance with delicate silk draped over their shoulders, a smile of unknown meaning appeared at the corner of his mouth.

These are the new students from the Imperial College of the Jixia Academy. They are generous and love to make friends.

In less than half a month, his fame became greater than that of Liu Bang, who was only a little famous among the students in the Imperial College.

The reason why Liu Bang became famous, apart from his character which was considered as a bad temper by those who loved him and a scoundrel by those who disliked him, was also because he had a chivalrous spirit.

In the words of later generations, Liu Bang was a good friend and a loyal man.

"Brother Liu! You are in a daze again!" Chen, a classmate who had just arrived and needed Liu Bang's help, patted Liu Bang on the shoulder from behind and said, "Today is the ten-day exam. If you are late again, be careful that the chief priest will punish you by making you copy books."

There were two chief priests in Zhangtai Academy. The chief priest of Zhangtai Academy was Qin Wang Zheng, and Ying Chengjiao was the chief priest of Guozi.

When students in Zhangtai say "Jijiu" without any prefix, they are referring to Ying Chengjiao.

Liu Bang turned to face his friend with a cynical look on his face, and he put his arm around Chen's neck and laughed:
“Just copy the book.

“Isn’t it a pleasure to learn and practice what you have learned?
"Yingzi asked me to copy books because he loves me.

"Hey, do you have any money left? After the exam, are you and I going to eat dog meat?
"Let's find a place where we can do it ourselves. I have the roasted meat recipe from Bashu Restaurant."

Bashu Restaurant was opened by the Bashu Chamber of Commerce and is famous in Xianyang for its unique Bashu flavor. The roasted meat with a unique smoked flavor is its signature dish. It is said that a piece of roasted meat is worth a stone of grain.

It's both expensive and delicious.

Chen had eaten at the Bashu Restaurant and could not forget the wonderful taste of the roasted meat.

When I heard my good friend’s words, I was happy at first, but then worried.

"Brother Liu." Chen looked around and came forward to whisper, "Could this recipe be stolen?"

The secret recipe of the signature dish of Bashu Restaurant was something that all major restaurants wanted but could not get. It was rumored that the most popular Taozhu Restaurant in Xianyang offered a sky-high price of 600 gold to buy it, but failed. Where did Liu Bang, a student from Chu, come from?
"What a steal! My friend gave it to me!" Liu Bang pretended to be angry and said, "The chef of the Bashu Restaurant and I got along very well and gave it to me."

"Really?"

"of course it's true!"

"Sell it to Tao Zhu! With six hundred gold in hand, you and I can eat meat and drink wine every day!"

"Get lost! You'd rather chop off a bird and sell it than sell this recipe. Your friend told you because he trusts you. What good will it be if you sell it? It's worse than a bird!"

"Brother Liu is a man of his word, a true gentleman!"

"The person I, Liu Bang, admire most is Chang'an Jun! I must become a gentleman like Chang'an Jun!"

When the bell of the academy rang, the two stopped talking and hurried to Minglun Hall.

As he passed the corridor, Liu Bang caught a glimpse of several unfamiliar officials posting vermilion notices.

He took a closer look and found that it was an invitation to a banquet hosted by Weinan Jun to invite students from the Imperial Academy. The large gold-plated characters hurt his eyes in the sunlight.

"Lord Weinan, the invitations have been sent to the Imperial Academy..." Liu Bang narrowed his eyes. This was the eighth noble family to send an invitation to a banquet this month.

Weinan Jun, the title of Jian Jian, the head of the Jian family, is the highest-ranking noble among the eight noble families, and he is also the first noble to post an invitation to the Jixia Academy.

Since the return of Queen Mother Zhao, these old Qin nobles have been scrambling to win over students from the Imperial Academy like jackals smelling blood.

"The exam is coming up soon, why aren't you leaving yet? Wait until after the exam!" Chen was very anxious.

"Let's go, let's go." Liu Bang responded, and entered Minglun Hall with Chen.

Minglun Hall is one of the halls in the Imperial Academy used specifically for examinations.

After the test, Chen and Liu Bang came out together.

When I came to the invitation card posted by Weinan Jun again, there were already more than ten people gathered here. Some of them were dressed particularly brightly and were obviously the children of nobles who had just entered school.

Liu Bang was dragged by Chen by his sleeve to the notice wall.

The silk written in cinnabar swayed gently in the morning breeze, and the gilded edges reflected the dazzling light.

"The Lord of Weinan invites students from the Imperial Academy to a banquet?" Liu Bang deliberately raised his voice and ran his fingers over the ornate patterns on the invitation: "This old man called us Chu people barbarians last month. Will I be kicked out if I go to this banquet?"

Several students from the Imperial College couldn't help laughing. One student who knew Liu Bang joked:

“It’s hard to say whether the other Chu people are barbarians, but Brother Liu is definitely one.

"Holding onto the priest's thigh and wailing, this is not what a scholar does.

"Brother Liu, do you agree?"

"What do you know?" Liu Bang, who was equally famous as a rogue and a knight, said proudly, "Do you believe that if people knew that they could get the support of the chief priest by howling twice, Xianyang would become a den of wolves?"

On the other side of the notice wall, several noble sons cast disgusted glances.

This untouchable has such a fawning face!

Liu Bang saw it out of the corner of his eye, but didn't care.

He flicked the invitation, and fine gold powder stuck to his rough fingertips.

He suddenly raised his hand and tore the invitation into two pieces in front of everyone. As everyone gasped, he stuffed the pieces into his friend Chen's arms in a lightning-fast manner:
"Keep it. This scrap of silk is worth one gold coin. We can exchange it for dog meat."

Dust was dumbfounded:
"Weinan Jun is the relative of the Grand Master of the Imperial Household. Aren't you so rude? Why are you putting things in my arms? You don't have any pockets!"

"How rude is this? Lord Weinan invited us to dinner, and I am eating with Lord Weinan's silk. Isn't that fulfilling Lord Weinan's wish?" Liu Bang pulled Chen away, running towards the invitation posted fifty steps away: "I need to fill my pocket with the remaining silk. Let's go quickly, don't let others get ahead of us."

"Brother Liu, why don't we just go to the banquet directly?" Chen looked conflicted.

"Weinan Jun said that we Chu people are barbarians, how can we dare to go there?"

"You are from Chu, and I am not from Chu..."

The next day, at dusk, Liu Bang appeared in front of Weinan Jun's mansion.

He was wearing the uniform black student uniform of the academy, but had a bright red Chu-style sash tied around his waist, which was exposed outside. He stood out among the well-behaved students.

Standing in front of Weinan Jun's mansion, holding an invitation specially sent by Weinan Jun in his hand, Liu Bang secretly said, Chang'an Jun, you should behave like a gentleman.

Collect your thoughts and stride across the threshold.

The butler standing at the door had a smile on his face, with his hands slightly raised, waiting for Liu Bang to put the invitation up.

Liu Bang held the invitation in his hand, pressed it against the butler's, and asked with a smile:

"Why is it that only Naigong has an invitation and no one else has one?"

"Of course it's because Mr. Liu is knowledgeable and the host values ​​him very much, so the invitation was sent specially to Mr. Liu." When the housekeeper heard Liu Bang calling himself "gong", his heart was full of contempt, so he said respectfully.

"Haha, thank you for your kindness, Lord Weinan." Liu Bang said cheerfully, "Then even without an invitation, you can still go in, right?"

Even though he had received countless distinguished guests and was familiar with many aristocratic etiquettes, the old butler, whose family had served as stewards in the Weinan Lord's Mansion for generations, was stunned.

I'll send an invitation to you, Liu Bang. You hand it in and your name will be called out at the beginning of the banquet. This will show your glory.

You say, you don’t want to pay?
"Of course you can." The old butler replied reluctantly.

"Then I won't hand it over." Liu Bang folded the invitation under the old housekeeper's twitching eyes and stuffed it into his clothes: "This silk can be used to eat ten meals of dog meat. Then you can invite me to eat with you."

"Thank you for your kindness, student. I am not worthy of it." The old butler forced a smile and led Liu Bang.

Liu Bang deliberately stepped on the edge of the rush mat that the waiter was about to lay, leaving a muddy footprint.

The old butler who was leading the way suddenly changed his expression, and he quickly lowered his head to hide his expression, then bowed and led the way.

There is a flowing stream in the palace of Weinan Jun, named Minghu, which is drawn from the Weishui River.

The banquet was held at Tingtaoxuan near Ming Lake.

On both sides of the Nine-Curve Corridor, brass crane lamps emit the scent of expensive shark oil.

When Liu Bang passed by, he suddenly reached out to touch the turquoise inlaid on the lamp. "If I scrape it off..." he said in a neither loud nor soft voice, "Is it enough to buy ten acres of land in Xianyang?"

The old butler, who had always told himself not to get angry, got angry again.

Inside Tingtao Pavilion, thirty black lacquered desks were arranged in the shape of a Chinese character “品”.

Weinan Jun sat high in the main seat, his snow-white hair and beard combed meticulously.

When Liu Bang deliberately entered the venue last, a cold light flashed in the old man's narrowed eyes.

He did say that the people of Chu were barbarians, but he never said that the students of Chu were barbarians.

Ever since they decided to recruit students from the Imperial Academy to serve their own purposes, the nobles of Old Qin have been united and almost no one would speak words of contempt for the Imperial Academy.

"Mr. Liu, please take a seat." Weinan Jun pointed to the seat below on his right and kindly invited Liu Bang to take a seat.

The most honorable seat for the guests is located at the rightmost seat of the host.

Liu Bang was not polite either, he smiled and bowed:
"Thank you, Weinan-kun."

He took two quick steps at a time and then sat down.

The people present, whether they were students from the Imperial Academy or talented young Qin nobles, all looked different and wondered why Liu Bang could sit in this position.

But since it was the host, Lord Weinan, who invited them personally, no one said anything.

"You are all the future pillars of our country." Lord Weinan raised his cup, the jade bracelet on his sleeves gleaming with a warm glow, "Today we don't care about your background, we only care about your talent! Drink to victory!"

"Cheers to victory!" Everyone raised their glasses.

Liu Bang also raised his glass, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he burst out laughing.

Although the laughter was drowned out by the crowd's responses, everyone who was paying attention saw that expression.

The person sitting next to Liu Bang was the nephew of the Grand Historian, who glanced at him as if he were an ant and sneered in his heart.

The ignorant Chu barbarian!

The banquet officially began and the waiters began to serve the dishes.

The first dish was a candied bear paw carved into the shape of a phoenix.

Liu Bang grabbed it with his hands and chewed it until his mouth was full of sweet juice:
"It's too sweet, not as good as Peixian dog meat."

This time everyone did not speak in unison, and many people heard Liu Bang's words.

Weinan Jun frowned slightly.

He treated Liu Bang with great courtesy because he wanted to buy horse bones for a fortune. The Qin nobles treated the uncivilized Chu barbarian Liu Bang with great courtesy, let alone other students of the Imperial Academy?
He originally thought that Liu Bang was just rude, but now it seems that he is hostile... The old man remained calm and pretended not to hear.

Since the banquet has already been held, it would be a bad idea to be displeased with Chu Man today.

A thousand gold coins for a horse bone, a thousand gold coins for a horse bone.

At the middle of the banquet, the musicians began to play "Deer Calling".

The eldest grandson of Weinan Lord stood up and served the wine, and specially toasted Liu Bang first.

Just when the cup was filled, Liu Bang suddenly turned the cup upside down on the table.

The eldest grandson of Weinan Lord's face changed and his eyes became fierce.

If his grandfather had not told him to do so, he would have grabbed this Chu Man's head and made him lick the wine clean!

"Student Liu." The eldest grandson of Weinan Lord suppressed his anger and asked under the watchful eyes of the students of the Imperial College and the young generation of the Qin nobles, "What does this mean?"

"This wine vessel is too small." Liu Bang wiped his mouth and said, "I always use a big bowl when I drink in the market!"

There was a moment of silence at the table.

Equating aristocratic banquets with the common people? In the eyes of the old Qin nobles, this is a great humiliation!
The third grandson of Weinan Jun wanted to grab the sword and chop him, but was stopped by his father with a look.

Weinan Jun, who was sitting at the main seat, clapped his hands:

"Student Liu is really generous! Bring me a big bowl!"

For nearly a moment.

When the large bowl that he had finally collected from the homes of the common people outside the palace was presented to him, Liu Bang tapped the edge of the bowl with his chopsticks:
"I heard that the mansion of the prince has a special wine brewed on its own? This muddy wine is really hard to swallow."

The nephew of the Grand Historian, who was not a member of the Jian family, could not help but sneer and said sarcastically:
"The barbarians in Chu also know how to taste wine?"

"I don't know anything about wine." Liu Bang suddenly stood up, shaking the bowl in his hand in a dangerous arc: "But this wine tastes worse than horse urine! Are you looking down on the students of our Imperial Academy?"

After saying this, he poured the entire glass of wine onto the gilded screen.

The scarlet wine dripped down the phoenix's feathers like a trail of blood.

The smile on Weinan Jun's face finally disappeared.

The old man gave a wink, and twelve dancers in light gauze filed in.

The music turned into soft music, diluting the tension just now.

"Liu Xuezi." Weinan Jun personally held the pot and said, "There is a three-story house in the south of the city. I will transfer it to your name tomorrow. How about it?"

Liu Bang leaned on the table, letting the wine soak his front:

"I want the one with the water pavilion in the east of the city."

He had inquired about it a long time ago and knew that it was the villa of Weinan Jun's most beloved concubine.

The old nobleman's goatee trembled slightly, but he still nodded:
"can."

When the moon reached its zenith, the banquet reached its climax.

The nobles began to openly promise official positions and make promises, which made the eyes of several students from the Imperial Academy light up.

Liu Bang staggered to his feet and suddenly grabbed the wrist of a passing woman:

"Little girl, your hands are so cold, can I warm them up for you?"

This girl was the concubine of Lord Weinan. The villa that Liu Bang had just taken away was where she lived. She was already feeling sad, so she struggled hard, staring at Lord Weinan and crying loudly:
"Sir, save me!"

"Liu Bang!" Lord Weinan slammed the table and stood up, "You are going too far! I kindly invited you to a banquet! Yet you repeatedly bully me and humiliate my Jian clan!"

"What's wrong with you, Mr. Nai?" Liu Bang kicked over the table. Amid the mess of cups and plates, he sneered and pointed at the bear paw carved into a phoenix that had not been eaten clean. "You are a Chu man! Don't you know that the phoenix is ​​a sacred bird of our Chu people? You are a student of the Imperial Academy of Zhangtai Academy, a disciple of the emperor. Who is bullying and humiliating you by treating you like this?"

The whole house was in an uproar.

The historian ordered his nephew to draw his sword suddenly and blurt out angrily:

"Are untouchables also worthy of entering Zhangtai?"

The historian ordered his nephew to call people "untouchables" instead of "barbarians". The attack spread from Liu Bang to the entire Imperial College. This sentence became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Most of the students in the Imperial College could tell that these were the subconscious words of the Grand Historian's nephew. Their faces changed color, and a few of the strong-willed students immediately stood up and said goodbye.

"Get lost!" Weinan Jun smashed the jade cup angrily and pointed at Liu Bang and shouted, "Someone come! Someone come! Throw this brat out of here! Throw him out!"

The night breeze blew away the smell of alcohol.

Liu Bang, who was driven out, slowly tied his belt and took out the silver wine spoon hidden in his sleeve.

This was one of the three items he took away from the banquet. If he sold it, he could eat enough to eat fourteen or fifteen meals of dog meat.

Under the moonlight, the inscription "Weinan Junfu" on the handle of the spoon is clearly visible.

It's hard to get rid of the handwriting if it's not erased.

"A thousand gold coins for horse bones?" Liu Bang played with the wine spoon and smiled contemptuously: "My Lord will make you pay for the stable too."

(End of this chapter)