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There were no official breaks during the lecture, but one could discreetly excuse themselves to freshen up without disturbing others.
This was the conclusion Fei Qian reached after secretly observing the attendees, and it somewhat alleviated his pressing concern.
Xun Yu spoke until noon, after which there was about an hour of free discussion time. Those with questions could approach Xun Yu for clarification. At this point, the attendees were no longer confined to the lecture hall, and most dispersed, forming small groups of their own.
Fei Qian had no intention of joining the Heluo scholar-official circle. For one, although he was from Heluo, he was a member of a collateral branch and had no prior significant interactions with them, so he wasn't very familiar. Secondly, he heard that the Sima family from Henei hadn't sent anyone this time, so there was little point in seeking out other Henei scholar-officials—it would be better to check out the Yingchuan scholar-official circle instead.
With this in mind, Fei Qian, under the pretense of wanting to meet the heroes of Yingchuan, tagged along with Zao Zhi.
Unfortunately, after making a few rounds, Fei Qian realized he might have miscalculated.
He had thought that Zao Zhi, being from Changshe in Yingchuan, would at least be somewhat of a local figure. However, to his surprise, Zao Zhi didn't seem to be held in high regard or particularly welcomed. The most they got was a brief exchange of names and courtesy names upon meeting someone, after which they were largely ignored...
After failing to integrate into several small circles with Zao Zhi and finding no one to talk to, Fei Qian quietly pulled Zao Zhi aside and asked, "Brother Zijing, have you attended such gatherings before?"
"Huh? No, this is my first time…" Zao Zhi replied somewhat sheepishly. Could it be that obvious?
Fei Qian almost facepalmed—I knew it! Don't drag me into your first time; I'm not into this sort of thing...
Fei Qian glanced around. The small circles closest to the podium, like the Chen and Xun families, seemed a bit too high-level for him. His reputation wasn't substantial enough, and even name-dropping Cai Yong, the old master Cai, probably wouldn't help much. It might be better to aim for something less lofty...
Wait, I don't even know what Guo Jia looks like. Since I'm in Yingchuan, it would be nice to meet him...
Fei Qian then asked Zao Zhi, "Brother Zijing, do you know where Guo Jia is?"
"The Guo family…" Zao Zhi looked around and pointed to a spot on the east side of the venue. "They're over there. Shall we go?"
Fei Qian got excited. He was about to meet Guo Jia! Without paying much attention, he immediately agreed to go.
However, when they reached the east side of the venue and Zao Zhi pointed out a few people, Fei Qian suddenly felt something was off...
The three men before him were all middle-aged, around their thirties or forties. The one on the left was short and stout, the one in the middle had darker skin, and the one on the right was thinner—Fei Qian wondered which one resembled Guo Jia. The thinner one on the right?
Fei Qian stepped forward and introduced himself.
The dark-skinned man in the middle looked Fei Qian up and down and said indifferently, "The Fei family from Heluo? Fei Min, the Grand Master of Remonstrance, Fei Zihao—how are you related to him?"—There are many Fei family members in Heluo. Which branch are you from?
"He is my uncle," Fei Qian replied.
—Well, he is indeed my uncle, but whether that counts as being from the main family, you can guess...
"Oh…" The dark-skinned man exchanged glances with the other two, then smiled slightly and said, "So you came specifically to attend the Xun family's lecture?"—If you're from the main family, why aren't you studying at your family school instead of coming here to listen to the Xun family's lecture?
"Not exactly. I'm traveling through Jingxiang on my teacher's orders and happened to be in the area."
"Oh, who is your teacher?"—Traveling for study, that's quite high-level. It seems you're not from an ordinary family.
"I am fortunate to be a disciple of Imperial Attendant Cai," Fei Qian said, cupping his hands toward Luoyang as a sign of respect for his teacher, Cai Yong.
"Oh! Oh! You mean Cai Yong, the Imperial Attendant?"
"Indeed!" The name of old man Cai might not impress the top-tier noble families, but it works quite well with the average ones...
The three men's eyes widened. This was a disciple of Cai Yong! They quickly bowed again in respect.
"Yingchuan Guo Dan, Guo Yuanhui," the dark-skinned middle-aged man said, cupping his hands.
This wasn't him...
"Yingchuan Guo Feng, Guo Zhongxin," the short and stout middle-aged man said.
This wasn't him either...
"Yingchuan Guo Lan, Guo Zibo," the thinner middle-aged man also cupped his hands and greeted Fei Qian.
Fei Qian felt as if a flock of crows had just flown overhead...
Wasn't this supposed to be Guo Jia?
How did he turn into someone else?
Fei Qian was about to turn and ask Zao Zhi what was going on when he suddenly remembered that he had asked about "Guo Jia," while Zao Zhi had likely answered about the "Guo family." What a mix-up...
Who could he blame? Fei Qian had been so excited that he hadn't made himself clear, forgetting that in the Han dynasty, one should refer to others by their courtesy names. This "Jia" wasn't the same as "family." Luckily, the two words sounded similar, or else Zao Zhi might have thought Fei Qian had some grudge against Guo Jia, calling him by his full name...
Since they were already here, it would be too rude to turn around and leave immediately.
Might as well chat for a bit, though Fei Qian wasn't too thrilled about not meeting Guo Jia.
While Zao Zhi found it difficult to blend into others' circles, Fei Qian thought it was no big deal. After all, having attended cocktail parties in his past life, he could easily chat with complete strangers, let alone these three relatively unknown middle-aged Guo family members.
First, listen to what they're saying, then summarize and expand on it. This shows that you're paying attention and can also steer the conversation in a new direction—Fei Qian was quite skilled at this.
Zao Zhi looked at Fei Qian with admiration. In just a few sentences, Fei Qian had managed to get along so harmoniously with strangers, as if they were old friends. Truly remarkable... And to think he was a disciple of Cai Yong, the Imperial Attendant! From yesterday until now, he hadn't mentioned it at all, nor had he acted arrogantly because of it. What a true gentleman...
Fei Qian didn't notice the stars in Zao Zhi's eyes. He just wanted to find out from these three where Guo Jia was. After all, they were from the Guo family; they should know something, right?
Sure enough, when Fei Qian casually mentioned that a friend from Luoyang had brought up Guo Jia, the dark-skinned Guo Dan, Guo Yuanhui, looked somewhat surprised and said, "Oh? Guo Fengxiao? What did your friend say about him?"
"Well... I'm not sure, he just mentioned him..."—I can't very well say I read about him in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, can I?
"He's just a gambler and a drunkard. Did he swindle your friend?" the short and stout Guo Feng said.
"What?! Guo Fengxiao swindled someone?" Fei Qian couldn't believe his ears.
The thinner Guo Lan added, seemingly somewhat embarrassed that the Guo family had produced such a person, "His family has no spare wealth, and he's extremely fond of drinking. Relying on his wit, he often gambles with others, swindling money to buy wine... Sigh..."
What?!
Guo Jia is a gambler? And he likes to bet on drinking?
Good heavens!
Shouldn't he be a dashing, charming, handsome, and universally adored talent?
This was truly unbelievable, completely overturning Fei Qian's worldview...
*****
A/N: Guo Jia's love for drinking was well-known... But considering his humble background, and the fact that alcohol wasn't cheap in the Han dynasty—given the limited grain production—what could a man who loved drinking but had no money do? Hehe, does this shatter your worldview? By the way, Xun Shuang made significant contributions to the dissemination and popularization of the I Ching... The Three Kingdoms isn't just about Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei...