Chapter Eighteen: Frivolity

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  Thanks to 'Tiansheng Xixi' for urging me to update, I was too tired that day and make up for it today.

  Second update, recommended, reward, check-in, all kinds of votes are needed~~~

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  Wei Zhao's sudden shout was even more abrupt among the quiet listeners below, and the old storyteller's voice came to an abrupt halt, his face purpling with rage as he looked up angrily.

  As he looked up, Wei Zhuo was smiling at him, and the old man who was telling the story saw Wei Zhuo and first became angry, then his face turned red, and then he became angry again. His face changed from blue to red to blue in an instant, changing three colors in a moment. The people below were all clever and immediately followed the old storyteller's gaze upwards. Someone immediately recognized Wei Zhuo and hurriedly lowered their voice, excitedly telling what had happened that day. When everyone heard this, they were even more shocked, their eyes gleaming with interest as they looked back and forth between the two men, more interested than when they were listening to the story earlier.

  Wei Zhao smiled and ate peanuts, seeing the crowd below him bowing in unison, he was taken aback for a moment, then smiled awkwardly at the storyteller, and threw another peanut into his mouth.

  His behavior was naturally incomparable and had been a habitual action cultivated over many years.

  The old man's face was originally iron-green, and seeing Wei Xiao being so unrepentant and still smiling at him with a big mouthful of peanuts made him even more furious! The mocking gaze from the crowd below made his angry eyes bulge out, spewing fire in all directions.

  The quiet downstairs also attracted the attention of those upstairs, a group of white-shirted and green-skirted talented men and women gathered around the railing, immediately understanding the cause and effect, suddenly their eyes lit up, and they all held their breath, their gazes extremely hot. At this time, a window on the second floor opposite Wei Zhao's also quietly opened, a middle-aged man with a cold face and regular facial features stood by the window, looking at Wei Zhao's 'lewd' legs crossed eating peanuts, couldn't help but frown.

  The old storyteller, seeing everyone's gaze on him, suddenly felt an urge to die for his honor. He had been telling stories for over ten years and had never suffered such 'humiliation', being openly 'mocked' by a young whippersnapper. Thinking of the phrase he often quoted, "Tai Shan collapsed in front of me but my face didn't change color", at this moment his old face flushed with shame, his guilty eyes darting about wildly.

  The old man who told the story was also a person who traveled all over the country, and in an instant, he thought of a way.

  Bang

  The old man suddenly slapped the wooden table, raised his head with a fierce expression and shouted at Wei Zhao: "You scholar, why are you laughing? Do you know this is great disrespect!"

  Just now, when Taizu was talking about one against ten thousand, he burst out laughing. Now, with a big hat covering everything, it's just right.

  As soon as the old man's words fell, the scene suddenly became quiet. Although the customs of the Great Qi were open and free, ordinary scholars and gentlemen were not allowed to discuss politics, but since this matter involved the royal family, whoever it was had to be extremely cautious, after all, this was still a feudal dynasty under imperial rule.

  The old man's words fell, and the crowd's eyes focused on Wei Zhao. This "great disrespect" in Daqi was a serious offense, enough to bring down an entire family. The crowd's eyes were fixed intently on Wei Zhao, holding their breath, not even daring to breathe.

  The middle-aged man in the opposite window frowned slightly again when he heard it, and his gaze at Wei Zhao added a hint of displeasure.

  Wei Zhao looked at the crowd surrounding him, sighed in his heart 'I still haven't adapted to this era'. After a sigh, he slightly raised an eyebrow, knowing that this sentence was not suitable for the occasion. Little Xiang's small face was tense, she opened her mouth and then closed it again, afraid of disturbing Young Master's thoughts, her lips tightly pursed, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on her pale forehead.

  The old man shouted out the words and immediately felt regret, worried that his own words would harm the young man above. But then he slightly furrowed his brow, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light, he had traveled extensively and seen countless people, but this young man in front of him, he couldn't see through.

  Wei Zhuo's gaze swept over the crowd, seeing that their eyes were not like those of people strolling through a zoo. He smiled slightly and said calmly: "Wrong, it's not great disrespect. I was just thinking at the time, Taizu, with one loud shout, the sky and earth changed, dark clouds covered the sky, and in front of him, the hundred thousand-strong army suddenly heard a thunderclap, flags shattered, lightning flashed, silver snakes danced, and below, Taizu shouted again, instantly shaking mountains, reversing rivers, gathering clouds, and in an instant, followers filled the sky, rushing from all directions..."

  Wei Zhao's words were like a vivid painting, even more captivating than the old storyteller's, and in an instant, everyone's minds were involuntarily drawn into his narrative.

  A shocking and earth-shaking great war unfolded violently in a mountain valley where dark clouds rolled in and cold winds howled.

  "What's next?" The crowd saw Wei Zhao stop at the crucial point and couldn't help but shout out to him. One person shouted, and immediately others followed suit.

  He took a sip from the purple clay teapot, smacked his lips, and said with a lingering aftertaste: "Just thinking about the rebel army of one million being scared off by Taizu's single loud shout, that scene... it's really... *cough*... I couldn't help but burst out laughing. It's because the old man spoke so well, my heart was racing and I was completely absorbed in the story, it was simply irresistible. Please, everyone, don't take offense."

  Pulling flowers and changing wood to steal peaches and replace plums, Wei Xiao touched the sweat on his forehead and shook his head in his heart. This was still the first time he had spoken so many words in over a month.

  The old storyteller immediately understood, and hastily said with a flattering face: "So the young master is also good at storytelling, it's really making me ashamed! Ashamed!" This sentence was enough to cover up the matter.

  Wei Zhao smiled and nodded, although he thought the old man's words were even more disgusting than his own. The people around him naturally wouldn't mention "great disrespect" again, not to mention that they might be implicated in the future. The nature of the Qi people is that one thing is better than nothing, so "great disrespect" was selectively forgotten by everyone. Someone asked what happened next, and Wei Zhao, still smiling, pushed it off, made a gesture with his eyes to Xiangqian, and turned to go downstairs.

  But the talented men and beautiful women nearby immediately swarmed over, surrounding him in the center, asking questions nonstop. The legendary stories of Taizu are numerous, whether it's the talented men or beautiful women, everyone wants to know a bit more, which can be used as reference for the imperial examination and selecting sons-in-law in the future.

  Wei Zuo pushed through the crowd, saying casually: "Taizu naturally led the righteous army, pursuing and attacking the rebel army, until they were eliminated, establishing our majestic Great Qi..."

  The middle-aged man in the window opposite let out a cold hum and closed the window, no longer paying attention to the outside.

  "Superficial, arrogant, and ignorant of etiquette."

  Wei Zhao didn't know that he had already left this kind of impression on others, leaving big trouble for the future. He pushed and pulled Xiangqian to go downstairs.

  "Hey, isn't this Young Master Wei Luyu of the Wei family?"

  Someone in the crowd shouted a sentence, and suddenly the crowd was quiet, but it became more lively in an instant.

  "That's right, it was him, I've seen him before, and that maid too, no mistake, it was definitely him..."

  "Is this really Weili Yuan? The one who was invited by Master Yin Kong to discuss Chan in the meditation room, is that him?"

  "That's him, I heard Chen Zhuo is still at home in bed and can't even attend the Buddhist conference..."

  The crowd surrounded Wei Zhao, chattering with envy, jealousy and disdain. Wei Zhao didn't seem surprised, he just cupped his hands in response to the crowd and continued walking forward with Xiangqian.

  "Are you Wei Zuo and Wei Lixiang?"

  Just as he had descended the stairs, a young man with a white face and an extraordinary air about him suddenly appeared, holding a feather fan. He pushed his way through the crowd with an air of authority and stood before Wei Zhao, his expression cold and haughty.

  "Is it Chen Jia's fostered Feng Youli?"

  "It's him, it's him, look at his fan, this is his mark..."

  "Ah, it's him, I heard he was a jinshi three years ago, and this time he's one of the top three..."

  "I've also heard that he's going to have a showdown with Crown Prince Chu at the Buddhist conference..."

  Listening to the hubbub of noise, Wei Xiao frowned slightly.

  The more you don't want to get into trouble, the more trouble gets on your head.