The Myriad Willow Convention occurred once every ten years, but it was not always held in the Divine Capital. In the two hundred plus years of the Great Liang Dynasty, it was the first time being held in the Divine Capital, so it was also the first time for such an imperial banquet.
The ten youngsters who were attending the banquet were naturally informed by the respective places they belonged to. As one of the four people from the academy, Xie Nandu was naturally notified long ago. Furthermore, it was even her senior brother Wei Xu who personally told her. In addition, whether it was the Heavenly Imperial Institution or the several great families, there were naturally people who would go and notify them too.
Chen Chao belonged to the Warden Office and the person responsible for informing him was naturally his direct superior, Song Lian.
Given Song Lian's current obsession with the girl of his dreams, it was not surprising that he had forgotten about it.
But for Chen Chao, this was not a good thing
However, what else could he say or do in this current situation? Could he point at Song Lian's nose and scold him? Even if the latter was no longer his immediate superior, his cultivation realm that was genuine was still there. Even if Chen Chao was in the right, he might not be able to gain any advantage too.
"I really got to hand it to you, Lord Song!"
Chen Chao gritted his teeth and turned around to leave.
While Song Lian smiled and said, "I said in a few days, but I didn't specify on what day."
Chen Chao was expressionless and could not be bothered to pay attention to him and left on his own.
Song Lian called out from behind, "Remember to continue helping me after you enter the palace!"
Chen Chao ignored him and returned to the academy with a helpless feeling. This time, he was in no mood to look at the weeping willows on both sides of the lake as he walked by.
When he returned, it was right in the thick of twilight. Xie Nandu had just finished reading a book and was rubbing her forehead when she reached for a piece of dried fruit.
Seeing Chen Chao walk over, Xie Nandu raised an eyebrow.
Chen Chao got straight to the point and asked, "Why didn't anyone tell me about the imperial banquet in a few days?"
Xie Nandu replied, "You should be asking the Warden Office about that."
Chen Chao raised an eyebrow and said, "I thought you would have mentioned this."
"Since someone will tell you, why would I waste my breath?" Xie Nandu drank her tea and said with a slight smile, "Don't you know about it now? It's not considered late either."
Chen Chao frowned and said, "If I had known earlier, I could have made some preparations."
Xie Nandu shook her head and said indifferently, "It's just some young people getting together to eat and exchange pleasantries. It's not a big deal. What do you need to prepare?"
"I'm not talking about this." Chen Chao's expression was a little solemn. He remembered something else.
"They call it an imperial banquet, but in reality, the emperor may not actually attend. It's like how the Myriad Willow Convention is supposed to be a gathering for young talents, but those truly first-rate geniuses won't come to the Divine Capital too."
Although Xie Nandu had been studying in the small courtyard these days, she knew about many things too.
Chen Chao asked, "Why?"
Xie Nandu smiled and said, "It's naturally because they look down on us. Holding it in the Divine Capital and not attending is a form of silent contempt."
Although Xie Nandu was smiling when she spoke about these things, Chen Chao could not sense any joy from her expression.
Chen Chao said softly, "This kind of thing is naturally not my first time. But it seems difficult for people to get used to it as well."
Xie Nandu said, "Some things cannot be obtained simply by praying for them, such as dignity."
Chen Chao remained silent, showing his agreement with Xie Nandu's words.
This was a tacit approval too.
Xie Nandu turned to ask, "Are you scared to attend the imperial banquet?"
Chen Chao said indifferently, "It's just eating and drinking, what's there to be afraid of?"
Xie Nandu shook her head, "Are you afraid of the Emperor?"
Chen Chao said, "I shouldn't be able to see him."
Xie Nandu nodded and said, "Even if the Myriad Willow Convention is important and concerns the face of the Great Liang Dynasty, it is ultimately a competition among young people. As for losing, it's also not like the Great Liang Dynasty never lost before, so what if we lose again at our doorstep? Will the Great Liang Dynasty be destroyed just like that?" "There are still many things in the world that the Emperor can do. He won't waste his time on these children."
Chen Chao thought for a long time and said with a nod, "You're right."
"You should have thought of this. If you haven't, it shows that you're a little flustered right now, so this matter is very important to you,"
Xie Nandu looked at Chen Chao's eyes, but did not have any intention of pressing further.
Chen Chao said, "I don't think the banquet will be a good thing. Perhaps there will be many people like Xia Yuan."
Xie Nandu said, "Since it's an imperial banquet, there will naturally be some small competitions, and it's only natural that you get targeted."
Chen Chao puzzledly asked, "Aren't you planning to help me?"
"Right now, the entire Divine Capital thinks that I like you. I think this isn't good, so I'm not planning on doing anything," said Xie Nandu.
Although this sentence was said lightly, it always made people feel that there was some other meaning to it. At least, it would not so bland.
Although this sentence was not bland either.
Chen Chao said decisively, "I'll tell them tomorrow that I like you!"
Xie Nandu looked at him and said, "You're really shameless."
Chen Chao said angrily, "Since when did liking a girl become shameless?"
……
……
Several days ago, various sects' delegations had already begun entering the Divine Capital one after another.
Foreign cultivators looking down on the Great Liang Dynasty and ignoring imperial power was a common thing. But, it did not mean that the Great Liang Dynasty had no sects that they were on friendly terms with. These sects who had good relations with the Great Liang Dynasty, or at least had good relations on the surface, were also the first group of cultivators to arrive in the Divine Capital.
The Ministry of Rites which was responsible for the reception had been busy arranging lodgings and providing daily necessities for these cultivators during these few days. None of it were simple tasks.
As the commander of the Left Guard, Song Lian had also been busy. Now, he had to focus more on the security of the Divine Capital. These few days, he had not left that Left Guard office and had been continuously listening to the reports brought back by his subordinates.
"A cultivator from the Grand Yin Sect drank alcohol in a brothel without paying for it. He even beat up several civilians for no reason."
"Several cultivators from Wanqing Mountain went out in the middle of the night and bumped into feudal troops who were on night duty. They ignored the warnings and came to blows. One of them was seriously injured.
"... ..."
"... ..."
Listening to these news, Song Lian's expression did not change much. This was not his first time experiencing such things. Although the Divine Capital was the safest place in the Great Liang Dynasty, in the eyes of these foreign cultivators, it was nothing more than a slightly larger city. They had some sense of propriety and would not kill innocent people in the city, but that was all. Whether they fought or did not pay at brothels, these were actually all minor issues. As long as no lives were lost, no one would really investigate it.
Moreover, these sects were also sects that were on good terms with the Great Liang Dynasty. Even if they were at fault, it would also be trivialized. Would they really damage the friendship between both parties for such trivial matters?
This was definitely not going to happen.
Song Lian said calmly, "Tell them to add more night patrols in the future. If they encounter this kind of uncooperative cultivators, they should avoid disputes and take a detour."
After saying this, Song Lian waved his hand and did not give the man a chance to speak.
He sat in the hall, watching the feudal troops in the courtyard who were coming and going, feeling a little tired too. He had experienced such things more than once, but that did not mean he became indifferent after experiencing them so many times. On the contrary, he still very much wanted to deal with those people according to the laws of the Great Liang dynasty. However, these thoughts could only be suppressed in his heart.
There were definitely many people who shared his thoughts, wanting to see a day when the Great Liang dynasty would no longer have to worry about the mood of those foreign cultivators. However, they did not know how long it would take to see that day..
Or if that day would never come.
It was like in the previous dynasties and the dynasties before.
……
……
The day of the imperial banquet arrived quickly.
As night fell, four horse carriages rode into the academy and went to different places respectively. One of them stopped in front of Xie Nandu's small courtyard.
A clean-shaven eunuch arrived before the door and said, "The Emperor has decreed for Miss Xie to attend the banquet at the palace."
The door was opened very quickly, but instead of that young girl, a young man in black clothes with a saber at his waist and a pair of lovely eyes walked out.
The eunuch was taken aback but did not speak.
Soon, Xie Nandu who was dressed in a green shirt came out. After greeting the eunuch, she got on the carriage. Chen Chao wanted to follow closely behind, but the eunuch stopped him and said, "The Emperor's decree invited Miss Xie."
His tone was not cold, but the message was clear.
Chen Chao withdrew his hand awkwardly and asked, "Just her alone?"
The four carriages were meant to pick up four people from the academy. They naturally had nothing to do with him.
The eunuch did not speak, let alone inquire about Chen Chao's identity. He simply waved his hand and walked away. The carriage also slowly headed into the distance, the sound of horse hooves gradually fading.
Chen Chao stood where he was, feeling his face burning.
He had been slapping other people's faces these days, but today he got slapped. He naturally felt a little embarrassed.
Fortunately, there were not many people by the lake at the moment. Otherwise, Chen Chao would have felt even more embarrassed.
Luckily, the embarrassment did not last long. Soon, a simple horse carriage came from a distance. The driver was actually an old acquaintance.
He was the Divine Capital Left Guard's Weng Quan.
"Deputy Commander, this subordinate is under orders to escort you to the palace!"
Weng Quan got off the carriage and saluted Chen Chao. At present, Chen Chao was already the Deputy Commander of the Left Guard. Even though it was a nominal position, proper etiquette should still be observed.
Chen Chao covered his forehead and said, "Why is it you again?!"
Weng Quan smiled and said, "Lord Commander said that I'm acquainted with the Deputy Commander, so it's perfect for me to come."
Chen Chao sized up the carriage and said rather unhappily, "Since I am now the Deputy Commander of the Left Guard and I'm also attending the palace banquet, why is the carriage so simple? Does the Left Guard not have better carriages?"
Weng Quan immediately explained, "The Left Guard naturally have better horse carriages. It's just that this subordinate thought the Deputy Commander must be a nostalgic person, so I chose this carriage."
Chen Chao vaguely felt that something was wrong with the first half of his explanation. At this moment, after hearing him say finish, he frowned.
He was somewhat incredulous as he said, "Are you saying that this carriage is still that one made from the manure cart?!"
Weng Quan nodded and said as a matter of course, "That's right!"
Chen Chao did not speak. He stood by the lake, the corners of his mouth twitching, and he cussed.
He was very curious how a measly Left Guard office could have both Song Lian and Weng Quan, these two great geniuses, at the same time.
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