jdhmnovel Chapter 148 The reception banquet
Chapter 148 The reception banquet
Because of the incident with bandits on the road, they not only informed the capital of the situation, but also informed the government offices along the way, asking them to step up their vigilance. Despite this, the group did not dare to delay any longer, and they hurried all the way and finally arrived in the capital the day before New Year's Eve.
The long procession arrived at the gate of the capital. Zhao He said, "The capital is ahead. I will go in first to avoid suspicion from others."
After saying that, Zhao He led his team forward.
"Second sister. Is that really the Sixth Prince?"
Guo Xi asked in a low voice. He found it unbelievable. In his impression, high officials, especially princes, must be high and mighty, with eyes that cannot see noses.
But along the way, Zhao He not only took good care of them, but also saved them once. He was also very easy-going, completely different from some of the powerful sons he met in the academy.
Guo Xin nodded and said, "That's right. If you really want to put it bluntly, he is our savior. After all, it is probably because of his orders that Mo Feifei started doing business in Cixi Town, and we made our fortune and you studied thanks to the owner of Rufangzhai."
He Liu looked at the team that had disappeared in front of him and said loudly, "Miss Langjun, let's go forward. The general and his men are already waiting for us at the gate of the mansion. Don't let them wait too long."
In front of the gate of the General of Cavalry's mansion, there were several red silks hanging. The He family members were sitting at the door waiting for the arrival of Guo Xin and his three companions. Seeing such a scene, people passing by on the street all turned their heads to watch and ask.
As soon as the carriage of Guo Xin and others stopped, everyone rushed forward to greet them. The first ones were General He and Madam He. Since Guo Ruo was the oldest, he got off the carriage first. The moment he raised his head, everyone's expressions froze except General He and Madam He.
There was no other reason. Guo Ruo looked too much like the old general when he was young, and his face looked even more charming when on a woman.
After a while, everyone got off the carriage.
Guo Xin and his three companions felt a little at a loss as to what to do when they saw that not only their grandparents but also younger people like them, and even babies in swaddling clothes, were welcoming them.
The old lady surrounded Guo Ruo and the others and said cheerfully, "We are finally here today. We have already asked the family to prepare a welcoming banquet for you. We have arranged everything for you to wash up and stay. After you wash up, you can be led to the front hall for dinner."
Everyone was talking about something, but Guo Xin's heart seemed to be beating very fast. It wasn't that he was uneasy, but just an inexplicable emotion?
Guo Xin looked at everyone in the He family. For some reason, his eyes kept staying on the family of the second son of the He family. He couldn't move his eyes away for a long time. He even made eye contact with them a few times. He just smiled and nodded.
……
The front hall was covered with a soft, thick blanket, silver charcoal was burning in every corner of the house, and the windows were slightly open to prevent people inside from being suffocated.
A large round table was filled with different types of dishes, including some that Guo Xin and others often ate in Suining City. It was obvious that they had been specially ordered. There were also several small round tables next to the round table, and most of the dishes were those commonly eaten in Beijing.
Seeing Guo Xin and the others approaching, Madam He greeted them warmly, "We've been waiting for you to come. Today's welcoming banquet is for you. You must sit at this big round table with us. The small round tables are for the children in the mansion."
Grandfather He saw that everyone had started to eat, and suddenly said, "Ruo'er, I heard that you were kidnapped by bandits on your way back to Beijing. Fortunately, Pei Jiazi saved you, so you are safe now?"
Guo Ruo paused with his hand holding the dish, and Guo Xin looked at Guo Ruo closely.
She deliberately did not mention this matter along the way, because she knew that her elder sister was sensitive and did not know whether this incident had left a knot in her heart. She was afraid that her elder sister would burst into tears if she mentioned this matter.
Guo Ruo acted as if nothing had happened. Looking at Guo Xin who looked nervous, he smiled and said, "Yes, if Pei Yuan hadn't saved me, I would have been injured a lot more and might not be able to return to the capital before New Year's Eve."
"Then we have to thank the son of the Pei family. We will send him some thank-you gifts in a few days," General He said, changing the subject. "But I also received the letter you handed over on the road. I think the bandits are not simple. There are so many refugees. I am afraid that the situation on the border is much more serious than I thought."
Guo Zhi and Guo Xi quickly expressed their speculations, only to see General He just smiled faintly and said, "What you said makes some sense, but perhaps you are restricted by some information that is not spread to the outside world, so you can't see the true face."
After saying this, he saw the two of them staring at him intently. He did not explain, but said, "The situation on the border must be very serious now. When you sent me the letter before, I had some guesses. Therefore, I also mentioned to Your Majesty that I wanted to go to the border and fight with the Northern Di."
The eldest son of the He family echoed, "Right! A general should die on the battlefield. Why does the emperor keep us trapped in the capital every day? We are just training troops in the capital now, just like a canary in a cage."
General He glanced at the eldest son of the He family and said calmly, "You are already old enough to be a father, but you still don't know what to say. He is His Majesty, and you cannot call him so vulgarly."
The eldest son of the He family snorted, but he firmly believed that what he said was right.
General He continued helplessly: "Although I also think that the fate of a general is to die on the battlefield and defend the country and guard the border, but every time I mention this matter, His Majesty keeps silent, or says that the generals on the border can also fight and defend the border, but the current situation."
General He paused and sighed, "This is obviously inconsistent with the intelligence we received. There is a major concealment. If I am not allowed to go, who else in the court can go?"
Guo Xin listened to their words silently, but in his heart he once again assessed the situation of the Zhao Dynasty. If his grandfather's words were true, there would not be many generals in the Zhao Dynasty who could lead troops to fight?
But the Jokhang Dynasty did not value culture over military affairs, so how could this be possible?
Thinking of this, Madam He sighed: "If it weren't for the battle when I was young, our Great Zhao Dynasty wouldn't have reached a situation where no one is available and no one is trustworthy. It's even more so that we are in this situation..."
Having said this, Madam He did not say anything else, but everyone understood it tacitly.
The eldest son of the He family grumbled, "They all say it's the Emperor's business. If he didn't trust Dad, it would be fine if he didn't let Dad go out to fight, but he also didn't let Dad train new generals to lead troops to fight. He's really short-sighted."
Guo Xin glanced at the eldest son of the He family secretly and thought to himself, it's a good thing that the Zhao Dynasty didn't have the emperor's ears eavesdropping everywhere, otherwise, according to this uncle's mouth, he wouldn't know how many times he would have died.