Chapter 649: Tang Dynasty Weightlifting King

"Yo, Vice Minister Kang?"

When the Kang family entered, Du Gou stood up and teased, "You're a bit late today; we've already been here for a while. Later you'll have to punish yourself with at least a drink."

"By the way, this should be Mrs. Kang and her son, right? Come, have a seat."

Kang Chong laughed, "I was indeed delayed by matters today, but… I don't think I'm late, right?"

"Earlier, Grandmaster Fang and his wife took a detour, saying they wanted to see the Grand Secretary's daughter; counting that, I arrived even earlier than him."

"If I have to punish myself with a drink, what will Grandmaster Fang have to do?"

"That's easy," Du Gou laughed. "Since he arrived later than you, let Brother Fang punish himself first and have an extra drink."

"Enough about that, sit down first."

"Fine." Kang Chong, already familiar with Du Gou and the others and knowing their temperaments, said without ceremony to the wife beside him, "We'll be drinking over here; you sit over there, no need to be afraid."

Su Zhi nodded, trying to stay calm as she scanned the hall.

There were only three tables here; Du Gou and the other men sat together, while another table held several young, beautiful women, presumably the wives of Du Gou's group.

Su Zhi first greeted Du Gou's party, then went to the women's table and sat down on her own.

At first, she was still a bit nervous; after all, she felt far inferior to these women, out of place, and her age made her seem even older.

But the women didn't look at her oddly; on the contrary, they were increasingly warm.

Mrs. Du Gou said warmly, "You must be the sister‑in‑law, right? I've long heard my husband speak of Vice Minister Kang's wife, who stayed by his side even at his lowest point, which is why the young Vice Minister Kang rose to fame so early."

"Sister‑in‑law, you're a model for us."

"Not at all," Su Zhi waved repeatedly, a little embarrassed, "I'm just lucky; my husband is the capable one, it has little to do with me."

"You're being modest," said Cheng Chumo's wife. As a noblewoman, she was impeccable in every way, and her speech was pleasant.

"Even though we rarely go out, we've heard that Grand Secretary Chen and His Majesty have privately praised your virtue......"

Over here, the women chatted idly, while Du Gou and Kang Chong also talked happily; everyone wore smiles.

But no one had picked up their chopsticks yet, since the hosts hadn't arrived.

Soon, Chen Yan, Li Lizhi, Princess Gao Yang cradling her daughter, and Fang Yizhi's family entered.

The atmosphere instantly became more lively.

Cheng Chumo teased, "Yo, who's this? Could it be our Tang Dynasty Weightlifting King? Chen Zai Jiu?"

Hahaha," Yuchi Gong laughed, "Right, right, he's our Tang Dynasty Weightlifting King."

"As the saying goes, you can only get a name wrong, not a nickname. The entire Tang Dynasty's ten Dao economies are shouldered by old Chen; isn't that what a Weightlifting King is?"

Chen Yan felt two black lines appear on his forehead; did I just get another damn nickname?

He immediately turned to Cheng Chumo's wife and said, "You younger sister‑in‑law, speaking of it, I had a share in your marriage. Of course, I don't want any dowry or gifts, just that my junior brother Cheng Chumo is enough......"

"Alas," Chen Yan shook his head, sighing, "In the past...... that guy, um...... you have to understand......"

Before he could finish, two shouts interrupted him.

"Brother! Chen brother!"

Cheng Chumo hurried over, covering Chen Yan's mouth.

How could he not know what Chen Yan intended? Clearly he wanted to expose his own past.

He'd only been newly married for a few months, in the sweet period; how could he endure Chen Yan's turmoil?

Could he not be anxious?

Cheng Chumo gritted his teeth and whispered, "Don't take it that far, okay?"

Chen Yan pulled Cheng Chumo's hand away, snapping, "You, just like your father, why did you provoke me for no reason?"

"Tang Dynasty Weightlifting King, huh? In a moment I'll show you what the Tang Dynasty Weightlifting King's worth really is."

Cheng Chumo: "......"

"I'm wrong, brother, isn't it okay if I'm wrong?"

"Do you know you're wrong?"

"....... I know I'm wrong."

"You know you're wrong, yet you won't drink?"

Cheng Chumo's mouth twitched; for his family's happiness and his unborn child, he said nothing more, lifted his cup and drank.

Lu Yuyan let out a soft laugh, covering her abdomen, and paid no mind to Chen Yan's words.

Cheng Chumo's great name is known to everyone in Chang'an's second‑generation circles.

All the past incidents didn't bother Lu Yuyan, because this is normal for the Meritorious Nobles' second generation.

Besides, she was already very satisfied with Cheng Chumo.

Her in‑laws were easy‑going; since Cheng Chumo's grand wedding, he never went out, staying home except for official duties.

What else could she be dissatisfied with?

"Brother Zi Anxiong."

At that moment, another shout came from outside.

Prince of Wei and Wei Wang Consort entered together.

Seeing this, Chen Yan quickly got up, grabbed Prince of Wei, and also said to Wei Wang Consort, "Sister‑in‑law, sit yourself, Qingque has been out of line lately, never home every day; I'll speak to him for you."

"Alright." Wei Wang Consort's eyes lit up, and she nodded heavily in agreement.

Li Tai said wordlessly, "Brother Zi Anxiong, I'm at a loss; it's already April, and I've run into another difficulty......"

"Alright, alright, stop worrying about those difficulties; there are still several months. With your mind, I believe you can finish it before the campaign." Chen Yan pressed him to sit down without further discussion.

"You, don't put that much pressure on yourself; if you can do it, do it, if not, drop it."

"If it truly can't be done, I'll talk to your Father Emperor then; he'll understand. Anyway we already have a great weapon, the matter of the cannon… leave it to fate."

Li Tai sighed deeply, "Don't leave it to fate; I'm counting on it to atone for crimes and earn merit, otherwise......"

He said, shaking his head.

Chen Yan patted his shoulder and said, "Don't think like that; no one blames you for anything, you're a victim too."

"Forget it, let's not talk about this. Come, let's go."

Du Gou nodded in agreement: "Exactly, exactly. Today we finally managed to gather, we should be happy."

"Don't bring up anything that makes you uncomfortable."

The others all chimed in with agreement.

As for the matter concerning King Wei, they actually didn't understand it, but just by looking at Chen Yan's and King Wei's expressions, they knew it couldn't be a trivial matter.

"Here." Chen Yan poured him a full cup of wine, smiling, and said, "Don't worry about all that nonsense; I'm still here for everything."

"Just now that Cheng Xiaohui called me… the Tang Dynasty weightlifting king. Since I already have that nickname, I don't mind adding a bit more."

"Your little matter doesn't amount to anything. Another day we'll bring a few youngsters, go to Zui Xian Lou for a proper feast, then get a massage."

"What can't get through?"

Li Tai heard that and felt a warmth in his heart.

He raised his cup and clinked it with Chen Yan's.

"....... Good, thank you, Brother Zi An."

"......."