"Cheng Guogong, is that young man next to Qingtong Shen Yichen?"

After watching this scene, Marquis Taining asked Zhu Yong.

"Um."

"It doesn't seem like what the rumors say..."

Chen Ying said meaningfully.

Rumor has it that Shen Yichen was so stupid that he couldn't even pass the junior college entrance examination after several years in school. Moreover, he was lost in playing with things and had no ambition to make progress. Therefore, he was disliked by Duke Cheng and was not allowed to be included in the genealogy.

Although Chen Ying is close to Zhu Yong, due to their status as princes, it is impossible to talk too much about this kind of family affairs. Therefore, what he knows about Shen Yichen, the maid who gave birth to a son, is basically just the occasional rumors from servants. .

But today, Chen Ying saw that Shen Yichen's manner of speaking seemed to be very different from the rumors. Putting aside everything else, at least he was not at a disadvantage when facing the second young master Zhu Ji, and even vaguely overwhelmed him in terms of momentum.

"Marquis Taining, let's stop standing and take our seats first."

Zhu Yong did not take Chen Ying's words, but extended his hand to invite him to take a seat first.

"please."

Taining Marquis Chen Ying also took advantage of the situation and extended his hand, making a gesture of invitation. We are all smart people. It is obvious that Zhu Yong does not want to talk more on this topic, and Chen Ying will not continue to talk more.

Although the family banquet of the princes and their relatives in the Ming Dynasty was called a "family banquet", it was completely different from a homely meal in later generations. There were rules and particularities everywhere.

Taking the most basic seating as an example, Cheng Guo Gong Zhu Yong and a group of Nanjing's top nobles and powerful officials sat in the first seat. Those with a slightly lower title and other high-ranking officials sat in the three seats below the first seat, of which the one on the left For the top.

Again, the civil servants and generals sit in the second seat relative to the first seat, and the last one sits in the fourth seat below the second seat. It can be said that the entire ranking order is strict, and people of different grades will sit in the same position. , the arrangements are clear.

The only exception here is that the students of the inner courtyard of the Duke's mansion are not placed in the "four seats" at the end according to their seniority and official titles, but in the "two seats" relative to the middle level.

One reason for this arrangement is that Duke Cheng wanted the children of his family to be in a more conspicuous position and get more attention from important ministers. Another point is that these people have a rich family background, and the future prospects of ordinary officials are really not as good as theirs. .

When they were seated at the family banquet, Chen Qingtong wanted to take Shen Yichen with him to sit in the "lower three seats" belonging to senior officials and relatives, but Shen Yichen declined.

The reason is also very simple. In the name of the Taining Marquis Mansion, they were just trying to make a tiger skin, and they had no choice but to suppress Zhu Ji.

If he really goes to sit at the table where senior officials and relatives sit, and lets everyone see that Zhu Yong's son is using the banner of Taining Marquis, the impact will be great. By then, neither Cheng Guogong nor Taining Marquis will be able to step down. .

Therefore, Shen Yichen was still a little worried about his true identity and status. He didn't have the capital to be too public and didn't know how to write the word "die". So he simply walked to the end of the table and found an inconspicuous corner to sit down. Come down.

Shen Yichen's guests at this table are basically those who are not of high rank, but hold real power or have a very prominent political position. For example, they are magistrates, magistrates, local officials, and censors of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate. .

Although this group of officials are not of high rank, you must know that Nanjing is accompanying Yingying Tianfu and has a special administrative status. Maybe there are some crouching tigers, hidden dragons among this group of people who have the right to go directly to Tianting.

But it's a pity that Shen Yichen doesn't know anyone...

Although Shen Yichen didn't know him, the fact that he, a young junior, sat down aroused the curious speculations of other officials at the table.

"I don't know what to call this little friend?"

A young official sitting to the left of Shen Yichen took the initiative to say hello to him.

"Shen Yichen, a late student, is a student of the Duke's private school. Do you know your honorific title?"

Shen Yichen briefly introduced himself and asked about the other party's identity. After all, there were dignitaries at this table, and it would be troublesome if he offended them.

"I am Zhou Shun, the magistrate of Jiangning County. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Zhou Shun had only been appointed as the magistrate of Jiangning County this year, so he did not know that Shen Yichen was the illegitimate son of Cheng Guogong. It was precisely because of his junior qualifications and the fact that he was the lowest-ranked official invited this time that he took the initiative to fight with Shen Yichen. A hello.

When Shen Yichen said his name, several officials sitting next to him all focused on him. From the strange looks in their eyes, it was obvious that they understood who Shen Yichen was, and they had met him today. .

However, compared to Zhou Shun, other officials knew about it and did not say anything about it. After all, the identity of the illegitimate child was particularly sensitive, so how to treat Shen Yichen was a problem, so it was better to just pretend not to know.

"Wan Sheng has met Mr. Zhou."

After Shen Yichen learned the identity of the other party's county magistrate, he immediately took the initiative to salute him.

In fact, to be serious, Jiangning County Magistrate is Shen Yichen's parent official, and he is now an ordinary citizen without any title. In theory, he has to kneel down and bow when meeting an official in a formal occasion.

But after all, Shen Yichen is a later generation, and he doesn't have the habit of kneeling down every now and then. Anyway, the other party doesn't know whether he has any fame or not, so a hand-over salute is enough.

"You don't have to be polite, little friend."

Zhou Shun also quickly waved his hand. There are some big guys here today. He himself is a junior, and he didn't want to find a junior to show off.

Just when Zhou Shun was about to chat a few more words, Chengguo Gong Zhu Yong had already stood up and made a speech to thank the guests as usual, so everyone sitting uprightly sat up.

The content of the speech was basically some polite words about loyalty to the emperor, patriotism, and mutual help for colleagues. Shen Yichen was extremely bored when he listened to it. His eyes were fixed on the delicacies on the table, and he swallowed his saliva from time to time.

Unexpectedly, when the officials at the same table saw his appearance, they couldn't help but feel contempt. No wonder Duke Cheng Guo didn't recognize this illegitimate son. He was really a rotten tree that cannot be carved...

After finally waiting until Zhu Yong finished speaking, the banquet officially started. Facing the "three major items", "six cold dishes", "eight hot dishes" and other delicacies on the table, Shen Yichen had been salivating for a long time and was waiting to use his chopsticks.

Unexpectedly, just after taking two bites, one of the students in the inner courtyard stood up, raised a wine glass and said to Zhu Yong from a distance: "Sir, today's family dinner is so enjoyable, how can there be no poetry to add to the fun?"

"Zhu Jin, who was born late, is bold and would like to present an ugly poem, please your lords to be honest."

Zhu Jin's words caused a burst of applause from the students in the inner courtyard, and other guests also put down their glasses and chopsticks, ready to listen to his works.

After all, few of these distinguished and high-ranking officials attending the Duke's banquet really came here just to eat.

However, Shen Yichen was full of complaints here. Although you, the children of the inner court family, have family dinners just to show off, you still have to choose a time to show off. You don’t want to eat. Brother, I have endured it for a long time!

Of course, Shen Yichen had no say in this matter. After hearing this, Zhu Yong, Duke of Chengguo, replied with a smile on his face: "Okay, Zhu Jin, just compose a poem and let all the gentlemen comment on its merits."

"Thank you, uncle."
Chapter completed!