Unexpectedly, the King of Qin and his wife were also there, and the former subordinates of the Shen family became somewhat reserved.
These generals were far away in the northwest and were not well-informed. Although they had vaguely heard about the Qin King's feat of defeating the Northern Rong, most of their impression of him remained that of the notoriously disreputable playboy from the past.
It was Shen Mingjiang who noticed that the atmosphere was not right. He saw several generals sneaking glances at Xue Shen, looking like they wanted to say something but didn't dare to.
He snorted, patted Xue Shen on the shoulder, and said, "In the army, it's said that you don't know someone until you fight them, and the strong are respected. Do you dare to go and have a match with them?"
Xue Shen understood that Shen Mingjiang was giving him a chance to establish his authority in the army. The Shen family army was originally the strongest army in the Great Wei. Although it had been dispersed to various places in recent years, its reputation was still not to be underestimated.
If he can win over these powerful generals in the Shen family army, his prestige in the army will rise even higher in the future.
Xue Shen nodded and said, "Father-in-law, you flatter me. I will certainly do my best to give it a try."
Then he cupped his hands in a salute to the group of Shen's former subordinates and said with a smile, "I look forward to your guidance later."
Seeing his confident demeanor, Shen's former subordinates exchanged glances before finally looking at Shen Mingjiang with uncertainty. "General, does that mean we're really going to go?"
Shen Mingjiang kicked the person who asked the question impatiently: "Look at you, so timid and cowardly. If you want to fight, then fight. If you lose, go and get twenty lashes."
Upon hearing this, his subordinates immediately became eager to get started, and they enthusiastically escorted them into the government office.
The welcoming banquet had already been set out. After everyone took their seats, one of the old subordinates looked at Shen Xiuyi, who had been silent all along: "Xiuyi, you escaped death once, why are you so quiet now?"
Shen Xiuyi was the kind of person who could say whatever he wanted to anyone. Although he had a handsome and refined appearance, he was actually very popular in the army and his reputation was no less than that of his father, Shen Mingjiang.
Most of these former subordinates were around the same age as Shen Mingjiang, and they were all his comrades-in-arms who had shared life and death with him.
Later, Shen Mingjiang was promoted to Privy Councilor and transferred back to the capital. The young Shen Xiuyi succeeded his father, becoming the Pacification Commissioner of Qin-Feng Circuit and Prefect of Qin Prefecture, leading troops to guard the Northwest. At that time, although the army respected him to some extent because of Shen Mingjiang's influence, they did not completely obey his orders. Shen Xiuyi relied on his own abilities to make these old subordinates listen to him.
These old subordinates respected him and treated him with care and affection as a junior. Many of them had good personal relationships with him, and when they were drunk, they would even forget about seniority and call each other brothers.
Shen Mingjiang is a wolf, but Shen Xiuyi is indeed a cunning and slippery fox.
They had never seen the fox so quiet and silent before.
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingjiang and Shen Youying both subconsciously looked at Shen Xiuyi, but Shen Xiuyi didn't seem to care. He casually picked up a wine jar next to him, opened the seal, and smiled like a fox: "I injured my brain when I fell off the cliff, and my mind isn't working very well now. I can't remember people. May I ask how this gentleman is addressed? Let me offer you a toast first."
Although he said he had damaged his brain and couldn't remember people, the person who spoke still shuddered involuntarily when he saw the familiar, mischievous smile on his face. He drank a glass with Shen Xiuyi: "You used to call me Lao Tan."
"Old Jar?" Shen Xiuyi pondered the term for a moment, then chuckled, "Which jar? The jar for pickled cabbage?"
Laughter erupted from all around, and people looked down at him with amusement.
Taking advantage of the chaos, someone answered Shen Xiuyi's question: "That's right, it's the jar for pickled cabbage, hahaha..."
Then there was another burst of laughter.
The subordinate known as Lao Tan's face flushed red. He sat back down resentfully, muttering, "Didn't they say that people with brain damage don't remember things? How come he still remembers this!"
The man sitting next to him laughed even louder. Seeing Shen Xiuyi's serious expression, he seemed a little confused and explained, "Once, he got into a fight with his wife and lost. His wife stuffed him into a jar of pickled cabbage and made him sleep in it all night. When he came to the government office the next day, he smelled like pickled cabbage all over. When you found out, you said you wanted to teach him a lesson so he wouldn't fight with his wife again, lest he lose and embarrass you. So you gave him the nickname 'Old Jar.'"
After the man finished explaining, he looked at Lao Tan's frustrated face and burst into laughter again.
Even Shen Youying couldn't help but lower her head and cover her lips to laugh when she heard this.
Because of the old man's amusement, the atmosphere at the table became even more lively. Although Shen Xiuyi said that he had damaged his brain and could not remember people, his words, actions and style were exactly the same as before. These old subordinates did not feel any sense of unfamiliarity with him. They quickly got drunk and put their arms around his shoulders, calling him brother.
Shen Mingjiang was drinking on the side, and he looked very pleased to see his son getting along well with his old subordinates.
But after these people started putting their arms around Shen Xiuyi's shoulders and saying things like "Good brother, you're finally back," his face turned ashen.
But these old subordinates, after drinking too much, wouldn't care about his mood.
Seeing Shen Mingjiang's face growing increasingly pale, Xue Shen suppressed a laugh and coughed lightly, interrupting the group of old subordinates and "good brothers" reminiscing: "There's no time like the present. The atmosphere is just right today, why don't we take advantage of the good mood and go to the training ground in the back for a match?"
Military officers are prone to getting drunk, so when he suggested it, they all agreed and got up to go to the training ground.
"Let's go! Anyone who doesn't go is a bastard!"
After this commotion, the crowd moved to the training ground behind the government office.
Xue Shen first instructed his servants to bring Shen Youying a soft cushion to place on the chair. After confirming that she could sit comfortably and watch the match, he took off his cumbersome outer robe, placed his hands on the edge of the arena, and stepped onto the stage.
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