Chapter 160 All Lies
Western Liangzhou, Yongwei County, Xiliang Palace.
Inside the hall, a group of counselors gathered around a table, talking incessantly.
We talked from morning until noon, and even hadn't eaten lunch yet, our stomachs were rumbling.
"Your Highness, in my humble opinion, we should prepare ten thousand taels of gold, a hundred beautiful women, and a quantity of colorful satin and jewelry. Your Highness, the Crown Prince, should personally present them to the King of Qi in exchange for the Crown Prince's withdrawal of his troops. This plan is absolutely feasible, so please do not hesitate any longer."
A bored middle-aged man's voice echoed from the center of the crowd, "We just finished a war with the Western Rong. Where did we get ten thousand taels of gold?"
"Then cut it in half, 5,000..."
"No, no, Your Highness. Military Advisor Xu's strategy is pure surrender." One of the counselors pulled the one who was speaking out of the way and squeezed into the crowd, saying passionately, "In ancient times, there were often battles where the weak defeated the strong. Your Highness has been reading military books all the time. If you put your knowledge into practice, you will definitely be able to defeat that fellow Xiao Beiheng in one battle..."
"Get out!" A foot stretched out from the crowd and kicked the strategist who was speaking away.
The counselor who was kicked rolled on the ground, still muttering: "Your Highness, honest advice is hard to hear..."
"You are all a bunch of trash, get out!"
King Mei Cheng of Xiliang retracted his foot, stood up and threw the military book in his hand on the table.
He had once been handsome, but in middle age, he'd lost control of his drinking and eating habits, and his belly had grown steadily larger. First, his clothes had to be custom-made, and now he was so fat he couldn't even see his legs. Just one kick and he was panting heavily from exhaustion. Bystanders thought he was furious and ran away in panic.
"Your Highness, please don't be angry. Anger is harmful to your health." The fallen counselor stood up while reminding the King of Xiliang to take care of his health. "I will think of a solution for you when you calm down. Actually, Military Advisor Xu..."
A thick book on military strategy flew over and hit him in the face.
Seeing that the hall was finally empty, Mei Cheng took a deep breath and sat down again.
The table in front of him was filled with various military strategies, tactics, and strategies. Each book was well-reasoned, but in his opinion, none of them could stop Xiao Beiheng.
I never understood these things when I was young, and I still don’t understand them now.
Even if a sword is not sharpened before a battle, it will still shine. However, it is ineffective when applied to knowledge.
He scratched his hair irritably, rolled up the sleeves of his robe embroidered with gold cloud edges, and picked up the military book he had just read halfway.
Xiao Beiheng's 50,000-man army was to the east and could arrive at any time. Even though he knew it was too late, he had to bite the bullet and learn. If Xiliang was destroyed by his hands, how could he be worthy of his ancestors?
Learn quickly, just in case you can come up with a good idea.
"Father," Mep ran into the hall excitedly, bouncing a ball in his hands. "Father, look what I bought."
The ball in his hand looked like a tortoise shell made of leather and felt quite heavy in Mep's hand.
Since taking Shen Yuexi's special medicine, Mei Pu's condition has improved significantly, and he can now move his limbs freely. However, the skin on his face has been damaged for a long time and has not yet fully recovered to normal, so he still has to wear a mask.
When Mei Cheng saw the ball in his hand, his face turned gloomy and he slammed the book onto the table.
Mei Pu thought he was still angry with the counselors, and didn't pay attention to Mei Cheng's expression. He smiled to himself and said, "That hunter Jia hasn't been here for over a year. This time I met him, and I persuaded him to spend a lot of money to buy five armadillos to entertain the guests on the wedding day. These are alive, so we can keep them first and slaughter them on the wedding day..."
Mei Cheng walked around the table, walked down the steps step by step, and came in front of Mei Pu.
Only then did Mei Pu notice that Mei Cheng's expression was extremely grim. He asked in surprise, "Father?"
Mei Cheng didn't say anything, just raised his leg and kicked.
Mep was very skilled, but when his father kicked him, he didn't dare to dodge for fear of hitting his father's waist. He stood there obediently and took the kick. The ball in his hand fell to the ground and rolled to the side.
The ball slowly unfolded, revealing a head that looked like a big rat. It looked around and saw the angry King of Xiliang walking towards it, so it quickly rolled into a ball again.
The King of Xiliang walked up to it and kicked the armadillo out of the hall, landing it in the flower garden.
"Your father doesn't like it, and no one in the palace likes it," Mei Cheng turned around and pointed at Mei Pu's nose and said, "Only you eat this stuff."
"Father, armadillos are delicious..." Miep was about to argue, "I bought a lot this time, you should try some too..."
"What are you trying to taste?"
Mei Cheng angrily raised his hand and pointed at the table behind him: "Do you see what I'm doing? Your father is in a hurry here, and you are here thinking about food?"
"Please calm down, father." Meipu glanced at the table and quickly knelt on the ground, lowering his head. "I know I was wrong."
"You still know you're wrong? Do you know what we are in the eyes of outsiders? Ah?" Mei Cheng became angrier and angrier as he spoke, pacing back and forth a few times. "You two pieces of trash, you know what I mean? Pieces of trash!"
Mei Pu lowered his head, not daring to speak anymore, and just listened obediently to Mei Cheng's scolding.
"I am the King of Xiliang, and you are my son. Outsiders say that everyone in our Mei family is useless. Do you know how depressed I am? I am the prince, the King of Xiliang."
Mei Cheng waved his hands in the air to vent his dissatisfaction.
"Your father is useless, beyond redemption. But you, you were fine, the hope of our Mei family. But you got leprosy. Your father stubbornly fought against those bastards from the Western Rong, and they took two cities away from us. Nanping and Zhangwu are still in their hands. Your father has never won a single battle. Everyone is laughing at our Mei family. I have lost all my face, you know!"
Meipu kowtowed and said in a heavy tone:
"Father, please calm down. I have recovered from my illness. After the wedding, I will immediately go out to fight and reclaim your lost territory."
"Bah! Seize the lost land, seize the lost land," Mei Cheng became increasingly angry. "You even need Dai'er to give you advice before you know what to do. What gives you the right to seize the lost land?"
"The child can kill the enemy..." Mep's head almost lowered to his chest.
"It's a shame that we, the men of the Mei family, have to rely on the women of the Mei family far away in the capital to save us." Mei Cheng squatted in front of Mei Pu, holding his collar tightly with both hands. "Tell me, can you make your father proud? Can you help your father win a battle?"
Mei Pu raised his head and met Mei Cheng's eyes: "Dad, I'll try my best."
"For two and a half years... your father has been lying on the ground, being laughed at and bullied," Mei Cheng's lips trembled. "The Mei family's fiefdom depends on your sister serving the emperor to protect it. Now you need your sister to give you advice. Maybe in Dai'er's heart, she looks down on you and me. We father and son still have to rely on her protection... I want to win so badly."
"Dad, my sister's plan can make Xiao Zhuo stand on our side." Meipu felt his collar getting tighter and tighter, and it was a little difficult to breathe. "He has been through many battles. If he can help us, we will have a capable helper. Victory will come soon."
"Then what do you think of Li Wan?" Mei Cheng let go of his collar. "Is it just to win over Xiao Zhuo?"
Meipu breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to adjust his collar. "I don't like her at all... but my sister proposed this plan, and I thought it was perfect. I've been working on it ever since. You know I'm very good at it... This is all for the sake of our Xiliang foundation."
"Yes, to protect our foundation." Mei Cheng sighed, stood up and slowly turned around, "Talk to my father about the relevant preparations."
The voices of the father and son gradually faded away.
Behind the pillar outside the hall, Li Wan leaned against it, covering her mouth and trying her best not to cry.
She was looking for Maep, but happened to overhear the conversation.
All the sweet words were fake, and Maep had been using her from the beginning.
She even had a big fight with Mrs. Li over this.
She walked along the long corridor of the palace in a daze.
Who can I talk to about this pain now?
Mrs. Li was so angry at her stubbornness that she had lost her appetite. Since arriving in Yongwei, she had stayed indoors and refused to see her. She was unfamiliar with the place and knew no one. She had no relatives and was completely alone.
"You said Xiao Zhuo and his wife have already arrived in Yongwei?" A pair of maids whispered not far away. "I didn't expect they were here first."
"That's right. Xiao Zhuo and our Crown Prince are old friends, but they are not like those people such as Prince Jing and Prince Qi."
Li Wan looked up in surprise.
She knew who she was going to find.
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