Chapter Sixty-Nine: Riding the Wind and Disrupting the Scene, Song and Dance Begin
Jie Liang looked at the mist in front of him and let out a long breath. "Zhongli Lunhong is not a man who breaks his promises. Since he replied to me, he will definitely come." He turned around and pointed at Chen Rang. "At that time, I will have to put my seal on the table as a formality."
Chen Rang smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, "My lord, please rest assured, everything is ready."
“As long as he dares to go through with my scheme, our great cause should be accomplished.” Jie Liang breathed a sigh of relief as if he had accomplished a great mission, nodded with a determined look in his eyes, and then looked back at Chen Rang. “As for Sizhou and Bingzhou, as long as we act quickly enough and pull off a cover-up,” he chuckled as he gripped the reins, “what will Xiao Yan have to do with it?”
Seeing Jie Liang's tense yet stubbornly denying expression, Chen Rang nodded perfunctorily, "Yes, yes, my lord is right. Zhong Li'an's men are arriving soon. Let's wait until the banquet is over before bringing this up."
Jie Liang couldn't help but sigh again, "So be it, so be it."
Before the words were finished, a powerful sound of horses' hooves came from not far away, accompanied by a yellow wind.
Qin Yi looked up and saw a banner fluttering in the wind with the words "Zhongli" written on it. Under the banner, a black steed galloped forward recklessly, the bells on its neck ringing along with the sound of its hooves.
The man was followed by only a few dozen soldiers. His imposing manner was nothing like that of the kind and gentle Lord Lun Hong. Instead, he seemed like some elite cavalry rushing straight to the city gate.
Jie Liang gasped in fright. He frowned and looked ahead, only to see the general on horseback dressed in a black robe, holding a whip. Although he did not have the usual weapon, his sharp eyes were as sharp as any blade in the world, piercing straight into Jie Liang's heart.
"What's going on?" The overwhelming fighting spirit sent shivers down Jie Liang's spine. He instinctively pulled on the reins, took two steps back, and waved to the soldiers beside him, shouting, "Close the city gates! Close the city gates now!"
"Hey, my lord, wait!" Chen Rang quickly raised his hand to stop Jie Liang. "Judging from this man's demeanor, he is most likely the young general Zhong Lishuo. How can you stop him outside the city?" He pulled the still-shaken Jie Liang. "Even if Zhong Li'an doesn't come, Zhong Lishuo can still help us do what we want."
Seeing this, Jie Liang breathed a sigh of relief, but his eyes remained fixed on the approaching warhorse. "Could he really do it?"
"My lord, please rest assured," Chen Rang slowly released Jie Liang's arm, looked up at him, "He has to choose between Yanzhou and his brother, right? Let's proceed with the original plan, it won't go wrong."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Fei Mo charged straight at the two of them. With a pull of the reins, it neighed and raised its hooves high, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Qin Yi and Chen Rang's horses involuntarily took two steps back. Qin Yi fanned away the dust that was flying in front of him before raising his eyes to look at Zhong Lishuo.
"Oh, it's General Yude," Chen Rang said hurriedly, cupping his fists at Zhong Lishuo. "How have you been?"
Zhong Lishuo, exuding a dashing and arrogant air, seemed to tower over everyone else as he sat on the drawbridge. He looked up, smiled broadly, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the two men, saying, "Lord Jie is quite heartless. Why did you send an invitation to my brother, and then just now you wanted to take down the drawbridge and lock me out of the city?"
Upon hearing this, Jie Liang broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly waved his hand and said with a forced smile, "General Yude, what are you talking about? It was just that the guards at the gate were confused and misunderstood the order."
“Oh, I see,” Zhongli Shuo nodded as if he suddenly understood, then closed his eyes and chuckled softly, raising his hand to clasp his fists at the two of them. “This trip should have been made by my elder brother, but recently, as winter turns to spring, he caught a cold and has been bedridden. I told him not to come, but he insisted that he was afraid of failing the sincere wishes of the people of Nanyang and insisted on coming in person.”
Zhongli Shuo spread his hands, feigning helplessness. "However, he is unwell, and I was afraid that his illness would worsen, so I took the liberty of attending the banquet in his place. Prefect, you are so understanding, you surely won't make things difficult for me, right?"
Jie Liang looked up at his smiling eyes and his unyielding expression, and quickly waved his hand with a light laugh, "How could that be? Since Lord Lun Hong is unwell, let him rest well and make sure he doesn't catch a cold again."
Zhong Lishuo smiled and nodded, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Jie Liangyi, "Thank you for your understanding, sir."
"Not at all," Jie Liang hurriedly returned Zhong Lishuo's greeting, feigning composure and steadiness as he smiled, "I have long heard of General Yu De's heroic bearing and unparalleled bravery, and seeing him today confirms it." He reined in his horse and gestured towards the city, "General, please come in. The banquet has already been prepared, and we are only waiting for you."
"Hahahaha..." Zhongli Shuo laughed heartily, rode his horse to Jie Liang's side, patted him on the shoulder, "Lord Jie is indeed a straightforward man." He turned his head back and waved to the attendants behind him, "Go find an inn to rest, and as the invitation says, you are not allowed to come looking for me."
"Understood!" The dozen or so men behind him clasped their fists at Zhong Lishuo and shouted in a loud voice, just like they were in a military camp.
Jie Liang got goosebumps and let out a long sigh. He turned to Zhongli Shuo and forced a smile, saying, "General, you're overthinking it. We've already made arrangements for the inn. Chen Rang," he leaned over to look at Chen Rang on the other side of Zhongli Shuo, "you take the brothers to the inn and settle in."
Chen Rangchao clasped his hands in a fist salute, nodded calmly to Jie Liangyi, and then led more than ten people behind him toward the inn.
"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Xie." Zhong Lishuo smiled and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xie Liang.
"Not at all," Jie Liang seemed to have let go of his previous tension and tried to get closer to Zhong Lishuo. "Since I have already decided to give Nanyang to you, how could I not even arrange accommodations for the servants? That would be too unfair to our brotherhood."
Zhongli Shuo laughed again upon hearing this, and patted Jie Liang on the shoulder, "Alright, Brother Jie, then I won't stand on ceremony."
“There’s no need to be so polite,” Jie Liang waved his hand casually at him. “Just treat this place as your own home. After the banquet, this place can be considered Lord Lun Hong’s territory.”
The two exchanged a glance and burst into laughter again. Before they knew it, the most magnificent mansion in the city appeared before them.
“Wow,” Zhongli Shuo exclaimed, looking at the newly replaced tiles on the eaves, “Your county seat is really beautiful, it’s even as nice as my brother’s governor’s office.”
Upon hearing this, Jie Liang quickly waved his hand, "Not at all, it's just that I specially sent someone to buy some bricks and tiles when Xiao Yan was renovating the palace and they were cheap a while ago."
"Xiao Yan is really repairing the palace?" Zhong Lishuo looked at Jie Liang with a hint of disbelief and laughed, "I thought this was just a cover, and I wonder what she was plotting behind the scenes."
Upon hearing this, Jie Liang paused for a moment, then waved his hand, "I have no connection with Xiao Yan, and I don't know exactly what she's doing." He scratched his head and chuckled, "General, we've arrived. Please come into the tent for a chat."
Zhong Lishuo raised his eyes and glanced meaningfully at the rooftop, then smiled and dismounted. "Then I shall respectfully comply."
Jie Liang also jumped off the horse, handed the reins to a servant, and led Zhong Lishuo into the house, saying, "Come, General, please come in."
As Zhongli Shuo walked towards the door, he unfastened the sword from his waist and placed it at the doorway. "We will never go back on our promise to you, sir." As he spoke, he patted Jie Liang's shoulder and gave him a meaningful smile. "You see, my sincerity is right here. What about you?"
“General, you really do keep your word,” Jie Liang said with a smile, turning to look at Zhong Lishuo, then helplessly shrugged at him. “As a civil official, how could I have the habit of carrying weapons?” As he spoke, he awkwardly put his hands together, looked up at Zhong Lishuo, and smiled.
"Look at me, how could I forget even this little thing?" Zhong Lishuo smiled and pulled Jie Liang into the house. For a moment, it was hard to tell who was the host and who was the guest.
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony with you,” Zhongli Shuo casually sat down in a side seat and gestured towards the head seat, “Please, Brother Jie.”
"Hey, hey, okay..." Jie Liang glanced at Zhong Lishuo guiltily, then shakily sat down, holding onto the table.
Just as the guests and hosts took their seats, Chen Rang came running back, panting. He stood in front of the hall, covered in sweat, and smiled as he clasped his hands in greeting to the two men, saying, "Gentlemen, I'm late."
“Mr. Chen has arrived as well,” Zhongli Shuo said, cupping his fists to Chen Rang and teasing him with a pointed remark, “Your warhorse is really fast; we’ve only just entered the gate, and you’ve already arrived.”
As if grasping at a straw, Jie Liang smiled and nodded to Chen Rang, "Since you're here, please sit down." After saying that, he stood up and poured Zhong Lishuo a glass of wine, "Come, General Yude, let me toast you."
Seeing this, Zhongli Shuo quickly straightened up, holding his wine cup, and said with a helpless smile, "How can a host offer a toast to a guest?"
"You've come all this way without having to go through all that trouble, so I should offer you a toast," Jie Liang said with a smile, shaking his head. He then waved to Chen Rang, who had just sat down, and said, "Go and get my official seal."
"Yes, sir." Chen Rang clasped his hands in agreement and withdrew from the door. A moment later, he returned with the official seal in his hands and walked to the two men.
Jie Liang put down his wine cup, took the seal with both hands, placed it on the table, and looked up at Zhong Lishuo. "Let us take this seal as our witness. We only need to drink heartily and be drunk until we are completely drunk. After the banquet, I will definitely hand this seal over to the general."
Zhong Lishuo, holding his wine glass, smiled and nodded, "My lord, please don't go back on your word after drinking."
Hearing this, Jie Liang smiled and shook his head. "How could that be? It was all clearly written on my invitation. How could there be any changes? Come on," he raised his glass to Zhong Lishuo, "General, bottoms up."
Zhong Lishuo smiled and glanced at Xie Liang, then tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.
Seeing that the atmosphere between the two was gradually becoming more lively, Chen Rang smiled and stood up, cupping his fists towards them, saying, "Gentlemen, how can we enjoy such a banquet by just drinking? Why don't I go and call some entertainers to come and sing and dance to liven things up?"
Upon hearing this, Jie Liang slightly tightened his grip on the cup in his hand, gave Chen Rang a barely perceptible nod, forced a calm sigh, and then looked at Zhong Lishuo, who was drinking casually to the side, his eyes full of scheming. "General Yude, what do you think?"
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