Chapter Seventy-Nine: Renewing the Alliance Across a Thousand Miles
Zhong Li'an looked up and saw Qi Kun standing on the open ground, his head covered in locust blossoms. He was holding up the hem of his coat, which was filled with locust blossoms, and his wide sleeves were stuffed full of them.
Bai Ming, who was standing to the side, was holding a bunch of locust flowers and carefully stacking them on Qi Kun's clothes.
"My lord," Qi Kun looked up at Zhong Li'an with a hint of sorrow, "save me."
Everyone glanced at him and froze in place. Within two seconds, they all burst into laughter.
Zhong Li'an looked at his "Locust Blossom Strategist" and couldn't help but laugh. He pointed at Zhong Li Shuo and Bai Ming with a playful smile, "Look at you two, what have you done to our strategist?"
Qi Kun shook his head with a wry smile, "Before today, I never dared to imagine that these wide sleeves could be used to swing a flower basket."
After saying that, he gave Zhongli Shuo and Bai Ming a reproachful look.
"Hey, strategist, don't be angry," Zhongli Shuo said, suppressing a laugh as he tugged at Qi Kun's sleeve. "Look, the locust blossoms have a delicate fragrance. Doesn't that save you half a month of incense burning?"
Zhong Li'an stood beside him, arms crossed, and chuckled, "Look at you, all you know how to do is talk nonsense."
A gentle breeze suddenly arose, and the remaining locust blossoms on the trees fluttered down, filling the air with a sweet fragrance, creating a picturesque scene against the backdrop of the tender grass.
The group laughed and joked as they walked toward the mansion. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they hurriedly rescued Qi Kun from the "locust flower sleeve." It took them quite a while to pluck all the petals off his body.
Before they could even go inside for a cup of tea, they heard a series of footsteps. A lowly soldier ran up to them, bowed, and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
As Zhong Li'an helped Qi Kun roll up his sleeves, he turned to look at the soldier and asked, "What brings you here?"
"Reporting, my lord, strategist," the soldier looked up and said, "Xue Chang, the envoy from the Jiangnan faction, is waiting outside the door."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li'an paused involuntarily. He exchanged an incredulous glance with Qi Kun, "Mr. Xue has arrived?" He then gestured with delight to the soldier, "Please come in quickly."
"Yes, ma'am."
Just as the soldier turned and ran away, Cen Xun ran out of the house again, looking at Zhong Li'an with delight, "My lord, could it be that my master is coming?"
The next moment, Yang Xiao also put her arm around Cen Xun's shoulder and looked out the door with great interest.
Zhong Li'an smiled and nodded, "Yes, Mr. Xue is already outside the door."
He looked up at the door and saw a tall figure sway slightly as he stood in the center of the doorway.
Zhong Li'an straightened up, smiled and looked up at the door, "Here I am."
"My lord, gentlemen," Xue Chang greeted them with a fist salute from afar, then strode towards them with a gentle breeze in his sleeves, "How have you been?"
Seeing Xue Chang bowing, Zhongli An smiled and helped him up, "Mr. Xue, what makes you say that?"
"Since it's something we both know perfectly well, why hide it?" Xue Chang held Zhong Li'an's arm and smiled knowingly at him.
"Why are you calling me that?" Qi Kun, who was standing nearby, came up to greet him and teased with a smile, "Are you not planning to go back to Jiangnan to see He Yuan?"
Xue Chang was about to say something when he smelled a faint fragrance in the air. He sniffed it carefully, then frowned and looked at Qi Kun, "Gu Fan, have you drowned yourself in locust flower wine?"
Everyone burst into laughter. Qi Kun chuckled and waved his hand, "If you want to know, go ask Yu De and Zhao Qing."
"Alright, alright," Zhong Li'an said with a smile, embracing the laughing crowd. He then stepped aside to let Xue Chang into the house. "Please, Mr. Cheyan, come in first for a chat."
Cen Xun turned his head and smiled, following Xue Chang's side, "Master, you're late. If you had arrived half a day earlier, you could have enjoyed picking flowers with us."
"Oh?" Xue Chang looked at Zhongli An with interest. "There's more to this than that?"
“There’s no such thing as early or late,” Zhongli An gestured for Xue Chang to sit down. “These locust flowers were just picked, and the various ways to prepare them have already been decided by Mu Fei.” He smiled and lifted the teapot. “Why don’t you try this fresh locust flower tea first and see how it tastes?”
Upon seeing this, Xue Chang quickly stood up to greet him, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Excellency. I will respectfully accept your offer."
The sweetness of locust blossoms, combined with the astringency of green tea, flowed into my throat, bringing a warm sensation.
Everyone pulled Xue Chang aside and recounted the interesting events of the morning. Yang Xiao then took a moment to instruct Mu Fei to prepare another locust flower feast.
Xue Chang finished his cup of hot tea and then sighed with emotion, "After hearing what you all have to say, I really can't wait to join your service, my lord."
“Why do you say that, Cheyan?” Zhongli An smiled at him and gently shook his head. “I have already formed an alliance with the Marquis of Yue. If I were to invite you here, wouldn’t that be taking away what someone else loves?”
Upon hearing He Yuan's name, Xue Chang frowned and sighed deeply. He put away his joking expression and said, "I came here precisely for him."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li'an sat up straight, "I would like to hear the details."
Xue Chang took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Zhong Li'an. "He Yuan heard that Xiao Yan and the magistrate have already fought a battle in Chenliu, and Ling Yu directly killed his hospital general. So he thought of striking while the iron was hot and joining forces with you to fight as one."
Seeing Zhong Li'an reading the letter carefully, Xue Chang cleared his throat and continued, "It is currently May. He Yuan wants to give both families ample time and plans to join forces in Lujiang at the end of July or the beginning of August, and then march north to attack Xiao Yan."
"We'll meet at Lujiang, then head north together..." Zhongli An twirled the letter, reading it over and over several times, then nodded. "A two-month interval will give the troops enough time to prepare. I have no objection. What do you all think?"
Cen Xun gripped his teacup, gave a disgruntled snort, and then glanced at Xue Chang, "Master, in the Jiangnan region, are there any people who are inclined towards Xiao Yan?"
Xue Chang was taken aback by these words, and his expression turned cold. "You mean, He Yuan might be colluding with the enemy?"
Cen Xun gently shook his head and told Xue Chang about Cheng Feng's arrow poison.
“The forces in Jiangnan are complex and diverse, and it’s inevitable that some people will consider siding with Xiao Yan. However, it seems that He Yuan truly intends to join forces with the magistrate against Xiao Yan.” He sighed softly and looked at everyone. “The matter of offering poison still needs to be carefully investigated when I return.”
Zhongli An looked at Xue Chang, a hint of concern flashing in his eyes, "Sir, you've worked hard. Jiangnan is unstable internally. Please remember to stay on your feet and mind your own business."
"Rest assured, my lord, I have been in Jiangnan for many years and will certainly not cause any trouble." Xue Chang looked at Zhongli An with deep emotion, then sighed, "But you all..."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ming frowned. "Does your statement mean that the people of Jiangnan are not united, and that there may be unforeseen circumstances in this battle?"
Xue Chang nodded, then shook his head slightly. "Not only that, He Yuan is indecisive to begin with, and he hesitates even more when faced with important matters. Moreover, he has a group of people around him who are stirring up trouble. When going to Lujiang, be sure to bring more men to avoid any unforeseen circumstances."
“Don’t worry, sir,” Zhongli Shuo stepped forward and patted Xue Chang on the shoulder, “with the rest of us here, nothing will go wrong.”
Xue Chang looked up at the energetic young man and nodded with a smile, "Right now, the Lingyue Pavilion has gained real power in secret. If anything happens, we can send troops to restrain its movements in time."
Zhongli An held the letter of challenge in his hands and read it carefully again. "In August, we will join forces at Lujiang and then launch a direct attack on Yanzhou." He smiled and nodded slightly to Xue Chang. "Let's do as he says."
"Very well, in that case, my mission as envoy is complete." Xue Chang breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as he cupped his hands in greeting to Zhong Li'an.
"So, shall we now spend time as old friends who haven't seen each other for a long time?"
The tightly closed door had just been opened when Mu Fei carefully walked in carrying a table of food. A gentle breeze swept by, and the fragrance of locust blossoms, along with the sunlight, warmly permeated everyone's hearts.
"My lord, generals, Miss Cen, and the two gentlemen," Mu Fei said, bowing with a smile as he carried a tray, "Lunch is ready. Please begin your meal."
Zhong Li'an stood up with a smile, "Okay, thank you for your hard work."
Seeing this, everyone rushed over like a family to help Mu Fei carry the dishes.
“Hey, brother,” Zhongli Shuo put his hand on Mu Fei’s shoulder and looked back at Zhongli An, “why don’t we keep Mu Fei here for dinner this time?”
Zhong Li'an smiled and nodded to Zhong Li Shuo, "That's exactly what I was thinking. Mu Fei has been busy for so long, how can we not invite him to stay for a meal?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Fei glanced at Zhongli Shuo in disbelief, then looked at Zhongli An with surprise and delight, "My lord, is it true?"
"What are you talking about?" Zhongli Shuo laughed and patted Mu Fei. "Look at today, the flowers were picked by the lord himself, we put them in the basket, and you cooked the dishes. So, today's lunch was actually made by us together."
“That’s right,” Yang Xiao stood up with a smile, “Our whole family cooked a meal together, it’s no different from celebrating the New Year, right, my lord?”
Seeing Zhong Li'an nod with a smile, Yang Xiao turned to look at Xue Chang sitting to the side, "This also makes up for Mr. Che Yan's regret of not being able to stay for the New Year."
Everyone burst into laughter. Xue Chang also chuckled and sighed, jokingly saying, "I told you I was late! I wasn't there when you were picking locust flowers, and I couldn't help with the cooking either."
“Sir, you are mistaken,” Zhongli An chuckled and shook his head. “As long as we are of one mind, we are all one family. Why distinguish between us? You have come all the way from Jiangnan. What’s with all this talk about helping or not helping?”
Seeing this, Cen Xun chuckled and looked at Xue Chang, "Alright, Master, we've all known each other for so long, why are you being so polite?"
Seeing this, Mu Fei smiled gratefully and nodded. After dividing the dishes in his hands, he looked up at Zhong Li'an and said, "I thank you for your kindness, my lord. However, I..." He paused, his eyes full of hope, and then carefully began to speak, "I have a request, but I don't know if I should say it."
Zhong Li'an chuckled and nodded at him, "Speak freely."
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