usatvline Chapter 163 Brothers Reunite
Chapter 163 Brothers Reunite
Chapter 163: Brothers Reunite
After speaking with Gongsun Yuan that day, Marquis Anshi kept his word and sent invitations to the mansions of various officials in the capital, setting a banquet at his mansion three days later to celebrate Ye Yanxun's success in the provincial examination.
When Marquis Anshi sent out invitations, he had carefully considered the situation. The court was currently divided into several factions: the Eastern Palace faction, the Third Prince's faction, the Fourth Prince's faction, and a neutral faction led by Gongsun Zhan. Marquis Anshi did not show clear favoritism towards any of these factions; he sent invitations to each, including the Crown Prince, Chunyu Jing, Chunyu Yang, and even Prime Minister Gongsun Zhan. However, whether these people would actually come, and who they would send, was beyond Marquis Anshi's prediction.
However, although Ye Yanxun was only the illegitimate son of Marquis Anshi, those familiar with the Marquis's family knew that his lineage was sparse, except for this exceptionally talented son, who was known as one of the "Five Talents of the Capital" alongside the Sixth Prince Chunyu Shan, Ouyang Shaoyu of the Ouyang family, and Tong Zhu of the Tong family. Before Ye Yanxun achieved the top rank in the provincial examination, many in the capital had already speculated that Ye Yanxun would be the next successor to Marquis Anshi.
Although the Great Xia Dynasty appears outwardly peaceful and prosperous, it is actually beset by internal and external troubles, surrounded by wolves.
The reigning emperor, Chunyu Xianyi, was not originally the legitimate heir to the throne. When he ascended the throne, the palace underwent a period of great upheaval. During his reign, he repelled the invasion of Ye Chu and allied forces that invaded the border, and he also quelled the Wanku Sect, which was causing chaos in the world. He brought decades of peace to the Great Xia Dynasty and could be considered a wise ruler.
However, even the most sagacious ruler cannot withstand the ravages of time. Perhaps it was due to his advancing age, or perhaps it was because the world was too peaceful, but Chunyu Xianyi intentionally trained his sons, gradually relinquishing control of the court to them. He even deliberately created a situation where the Prince of Nanping and the Crown Prince were on equal footing. However, in making important decisions, he still had to go through the hands of the Left Chancellor Gongsun Zhan and the Right Chancellor Shi Zhenghan before making the final decision.
The emperor believed he had achieved a "balance," but little did he know that the most direct consequence of this action was the division of power and the proliferation of factions.
Although the Eastern Palace is still the Eastern Palace, the Fourth Prince Chunyu Jing is gradually showing his ability to control the situation in the court. Recently, he even shows a tendency to overshadow the Crown Prince. In addition, there is the Third Prince Chunyu Yang, who holds military power, and the Sixth Prince Chunyu Shan, who seems to have no interest in seizing power and spends his days in carefree leisure. No one can say for sure what the future will be like. But as long as they can see even the slightest possibility, no one will let go of any opportunity to gain any power.
Therefore, on the day that the Marquis of Anshi opened his gates wide and held a banquet to celebrate, carriages came in an endless stream from all over the capital, and the number of people who came to congratulate him with invitations and gifts was far greater than the Marquis of Anshi had expected.
"Congratulations, Your Excellency! Your son is truly a promising young man!"
"Yes, I really envy the Marquis. He has such a steady and reliable son, unlike my little rascal who only knows how to play around with his cronies all day long!"
"Yesterday I heard Lord Xiao from the Ministry of Rites mention your son. Oh my, he said your son's exam paper was truly outstanding!"
Faced with the flood of congratulatory messages, Marquis Anshi responded to each one with a broad smile. His heart was filled with pride, but also harbored a hint of disdain.
Look at this scene! Who would say his son didn't get the top score in the provincial examination based on his own merit? That's just a woman's view, huh.
Amidst the rising and falling congratulations, a magnificent two-horse carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the Marquis's residence. Marquis Anshi, with his sharp eyes, spotted it, instructed his steward to attend to the guests, and then went to greet the carriage.
Stepping out of the carriage was none other than Prince Chunyu Jing of Nanping, accompanied by Ye Yingrou, dressed as a maid.
Marquis Anshi strode up to Chunyu Jing, smiled, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Thank you, Fourth Prince, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to grace us with your presence. It is truly an honor for me and my son! Your Highness, please come inside!"
"Congratulations, Lord Marquis, on the birth of such a fine son." Chunyu Jing smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with him, then walked into the Marquis's residence with his hands behind his back, asking, "Whom did you invite today, Lord Marquis?"
An Shihou and Ye Yingrou exchanged a glance, and An Shihou nodded almost imperceptibly at her. Then he turned and caught up with Chunyu Jing, whispering:
"Lord Wen from the Ministry of Works and Lord Zhao from the Ministry of Personnel have come, as have people from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of War. In addition, there are members from the Ouyang, Tong, and Yan families, making a total of no less than twenty people."
"Heh, is this Marquis Anshi planning to summon all the powerful figures in the court to his residence?" Chunyu Jing glanced at Marquis Anshi with a smile and casually asked:
"Oh? And what about the Prime Minister?"
Knowing that Chunyu Jing was referring to Gongsun Zhan, Marquis Anshi said, "There has been no news from Prime Minister Gongsun yet, so he should already be on his way."
Chunyu Jing grunted in acknowledgment and was about to step into the front courtyard when he suddenly heard a gatekeeper from the Marquis's residence run over to say to Marquis Anshi:
"My lord, the carriage from the Northern Martial Prince's residence has arrived."
Chunyu Jing pulled his foot back after taking a step forward, and said with great interest, "Third Brother has never liked crowds, but he actually came to the banquet this time. The Marquis really has a lot of face."
Marquis Anshi was surprised that he could invite not only Chunyu Jing but also Chunyu Yang. He was overjoyed and, after informing Chunyu Jing, immediately turned around and went to greet them at the door.
Chunyu Jing pondered for a moment, then took Ye Yingrou and followed.
The carriage of the Northern Prince's Mansion was made entirely of pure black steel and wood, gleaming coldly in the sunlight. In contrast to the precious carriage of the Southern Prince's Mansion, they were clearly two extremes.
Chunyu Yang led Chunyu Jingxuan out of the carriage, and without any assistance, they jumped down from the carriage. But what was most surprising was the dashing and upright figure who jumped down from the carriage with them—Chunyu Shan.
The Marquis's residence and Chunyu Shan had never had any interaction, so Marquis Anshi did not take Chunyu Shan into consideration when sending the invitation this time. When he suddenly saw him here, Marquis Anshi's face showed obvious surprise.
Chunyu Shan took in the expression on his face. After landing and regaining his footing, he opened his folding fan with a "whoosh" and said with a smile, "Lord Marquis, I have come uninvited. You won't be unwelcome, will you?"
Marquis Anshi snapped out of his daze and quickly said, "Sixth Prince, what are you saying? Your presence is an honor to our humble abode."
"Of course, of course. I also congratulate your son on passing the provincial examination with top honors," Chunyu Shan said with a smile. His gaze swept over Chunyu Jing's carriage, which had not yet been properly arranged, and he said:
"Hmm? Fourth Brother is here too?"
"Indeed, the Fourth Prince has just arrived and has already entered the residence. Third Prince, Sixth Prince, Young Master, please come in."
Chunyu Jing, who was behind the door, watched his two brothers walk up to him with a blank expression before breaking into a smile and greeting them: "Third Brother, Zize, you've come too."
As Chunyu Yang approached Chunyu Jing, the first thing he saw was Ye Yingrou standing behind him. His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, and he gave a low "hmm".
Chunyu Jing knew Chunyu Yang's temperament well and didn't expect his third brother to respond to him, so he turned his gaze to Chunyu Jingxuan and tried to reach out and touch his head:
"It's quite a surprise to my younger brother. I didn't expect that not only would Third Brother be interested in attending the Marquis's banquet, but he would also bring Xuan'er along. I vaguely remember the last time I saw Xuan'er, he was just a tiny little thing. I didn't expect him to have grown so tall now."
Just as his hand was about to touch Jingxuan, Jingxuan suddenly shrank behind Chunyu Yang, revealing only one eye, staring intently at Chunyu Jing.