Wei Buyi seemed a little reserved. Upon hearing Liu Tan's question, he quickly stood up and said, "Your Highness, I was counting the horses earlier, so I didn't pay my respects to Your Highness. I beg Your Highness's forgiveness."
Liu Tan was very surprised. He had always thought that Liu Che had no expectations for Wei Qing's sons because he had never seen him use anyone of them.
You should know that among Wei Qing's three sons, Wei Kang is only three years younger than Huo Guang and is twenty-two years old this year. Wei Buyi is two years younger than Wei Kang and is also twenty years old. Their younger brother Wei Deng is eighteen. Frankly speaking, they are all of the right age to be used.
Just think about it, when Huo Qubing was only 17 years old, he had already killed the Huns and forced them to flee everywhere, and was granted the title of Guanjun Marquis with 1,600 households. Even the eldest of Wei Qing's sons, Wei Kang, is still not well-known. The gap is huge.
So this time Liu Che sending Wei Buyi over was really beyond his expectation. He couldn't help but waved to Wei Buyi and said, "Come."
Wei Buyi was obviously a little surprised. He was not familiar with Liu Tan and had only met him once, when Liu Tan and Crown Prince Liu Ju went to visit Princess Yangxin. At that time, the main people who came out to receive them were Princess Yangxin and his brother Wei Kang. Wei Buyi was just a bystander. He even doubted whether Liu Tan remembered him.
Unexpectedly, Liu Tan recognized him as soon as they met. He approached Liu Tan cautiously. Liu Tan asked someone to bring a sitting scale and said, "Sit."
Wei Buyi quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness, this... this is against etiquette."
Liu Tan smiled and said, "When you're out and about, don't be so particular. Come, let's talk."
As Liu Tan spoke, he said to the attendants beside Li Guangli, "Be smart and serve General Li good wine and good food. General, I accidentally found this wine, and it has a unique flavor. I've heard that the army has a lot of good liquor, and I think you're the same way. I wonder if you're used to it?"
There was still most of the wine cup in front of Li Guangli. In fact, he had just stood up to toast and took a sip when Liu Tan started the banquet, and then he was choked by the pungent smell and almost cried.
Originally, he suspected that Liu Tan had deliberately prepared such wine to make him look bad, but then he felt that it was not right because he had no conflict with Liu Tan.
Only after hearing Liu Tan's words did he finally understand. Even though he was not used to the taste, he still gritted his teeth and picked up the wine cup and said with a smile: "This wine is very much to my taste. Your Highness is thoughtful."
Liu Tan smiled with satisfaction. He knew that Li Guangli would not admit that he didn't like strong liquor.
Especially when Liu Tan finished speaking, Li Buyan, who was standing beside him, happened to take a big sip and said cheerfully, "Great!"
Since the younger generation was like this, he certainly couldn't show fear.
Li Guangli gritted his teeth and took a sip. His expression was not really one of enjoyment. His facial features looked distorted and he seemed to be in great pain.
Li Buyan, who was standing aside, looked at Li Guangli with a squint and raised his eyebrows. He looked down on him even more and couldn't help but move closer and said, "General, I salute you!"
Li Guangli was too embarrassed to offend Li Buyan. Of course, it was mainly because Li Buyan was sweet-mouthed and kept calling Li Guangli "General", which made Li Guangli feel elated. He really thought he was a divine soldier sent from heaven, the reincarnation of Bai Qi, the second Wei Qing, and on par with Huo Qubing. The next step was to lead the Han Dynasty to drive away the Huns.
Li Buyan coaxed him into a good mood, and as Li Guangli drank, he gradually felt that the wine was not so bad. He had no idea that his tongue had become numb.
Liu Tan watched Li Buyan bragging about how powerful he was, just like all other greasy middle-aged men. He had calculated the movements of the Huns before coming.
Li Buyan couldn't help but ask, "General, how do you know they are Xiongnu?"
Li Guangli's face flushed, his eyes misty as he said, "No... who else could it be if not the Xiongnu?"
Li Buyan was surprised, wondering if this idiot really had any skills. He could actually get to the heart of the matter and see through all the other countries as mere puppets.
Li Buyan decided to take advantage of Li Guangli's drunkenness to ask more questions. If this man really has some ability, he could tell His Highness and let His Highness change the plan in time!
He had someone pour Li Guangli another glass of wine while asking, "General, you're amazing! How did you figure out that this had nothing to do with the Cheshi Kingdom?"
"Huh?" Li Guangli looked at Li Buyan in confusion and asked, "Che... Cheshi State is... where is it?"
Li Buyan: ?????
Li Buyan asked in disbelief, "You... don't know about the Cheshi Kingdom?"
Li Guangli tilted his head and thought carefully: "Oh, it should also be... Wu... the small country next to Wusun?"
Li Buyan couldn't help but ask again: "Do you know Huhu Country?"
"Huhu...country? Hahahaha, what...what kind of country is this? A country that likes to sleep?" Li Guangli laughed out loud.
Li Buyan: ...
Okay, he still overestimated Li Guangli, he is a fool!
I've come to the Western Regions, but I don't even know what countries there are in the Western Regions or what their situation is like!
There are indeed many countries in the Western Regions, but not many of them are located along this route.
Li Guangli's voice was very loud. Liu Tan glanced at him, feeling even more disgusted. He turned to look at Wei Buyi and asked, "How was it? It must have been hard coming all the way here, right?"
Wei Buyi watched Liu Tan's attendants busily adding a food tray next to Liu Tan, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. After hearing what Liu Tan said, he whispered, "It's not hard."
After he finished speaking, he added: "It's nothing compared to the hardships your Highness has endured along the way."
After Wei Buyi finished speaking, he couldn't help but blush and lowered his head, feeling that his performance was very poor.
He is just like that. He is not good at communicating with others, or he is not good at saying polite words. It is fine if he can be straightforward and say whatever he wants.
Of course Liu Tan didn't mind. On the contrary, he felt very close to Wei Buyi. Besides the fact that he was Wei Qing's son, some of Liu Tan's classmates were like this when he was studying, and even he himself was a little like this. Later, he got a little better after being beaten while working part-time.
Chatting with Wei Buyi now made him feel relaxed. Liu Tan didn't continue the small talk but simply asked, "How is Princess Yangxin these days? How are your brothers?"
Wei Buyi said quickly, "The princess is in good health. My brother is still in mourning, and Arden has been appointed by His Majesty as an envoy."
Oh, Wei Kang is the eldest son, even if he is not the eldest legitimate son, but it seems that he still has to follow this etiquette. Wei Deng, the usher, is probably just a sinecure.
However, even if it was a sinecure, if Jiang Chong heard about it, he would probably be envious... and hateful... but not to that extent.
Jiang Chong was taking a great risk at first. If Emperor Wu of Han didn't like his outfit, he would end up with his head and body separated. Compare that to Wei Deng, who could become an envoy without doing anything, and Wei Buyi who seemed to have some regrets. It's really... incomparable.
Liu Tan asked, "Where is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? Did His Royal Highness give you any instructions before you came?"
Wei Buyi said with a serious expression, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince only instructed us to bring His Highness back safely, and I also brought letters from His Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and the Queen."
Liu Tan couldn't help laughing as he watched Wei Buyi take out a stack of letters like a magic trick. It seemed that Chang'an must be very anxious.
Liu Tan asked Miao Rui to put the letter away and asked in a low voice, "Are you here just to follow me around?"
Wei Buyi looked up at Liu Tan. Contrary to his name, his eyes were full of confusion.
Liu Tan said, "Even General Li wants to take some of the credit back. What about you? Now it seems that you are the only one among the three brothers who has a chance to inherit your father's legacy. Do you really want to give up?"
Wei Buyi's heart moved. He looked up at Liu Tan and quickly shook his head and said, "I... I don't know..."
"You know." Liu Tan took a sip of the wine and said, "If you didn't know, you wouldn't have come with me. What kind of fun place is the Western Regions? Even someone like me, just escorting a bride, encountered danger. Did my father really send 5,000 people just to fight... ahem, just to take a stroll?"
Wei Buyi was not stupid: "Your Highness means..."
Liu Tan said, "General Li came here to become a marquis. What about you?"
As Liu Tan was talking about Li Guangli, he heard Li Buyan shouting, "General Li? General? Someone, come! The general is drunk."
Wei Buyi glanced in Li Guangli's direction with some surprise. It was not the first time that Li Guangli had drunk alcohol along the way. Moreover, everyone was in the same circle. Li Guangli also wanted to hook up with the Wei family, a relative by marriage, so Wei Buyi knew a little about Li Guangli's alcohol tolerance.
He drank the wine, and it was indeed a bit strong, but it shouldn't be enough to make him drunk, right?
Liu Tan glanced in Li Guangli's direction and said, "Send someone to escort the general back to the camp. Don't let anyone disturb him."
Miao Rui immediately ordered people to go over and help. Wei Bushi felt something and glanced at Liu Tan. He felt that Liu Tan seemed to understand why the fifth prince wanted to chat with him.
For a moment, Wei Buzhi's heart began to beat rapidly.
If you have never had something, you may be able to suppress your desire for it, but if you get it and then lose it, the feeling of being eager to get it again can drive you crazy.
Wei Buyi had not gone crazy yet, probably because he was still young when he obtained the title, and did not realize how serious the matter was when he was deprived of it.
As time passed, people gradually forgot about Wei Qing and only remembered him when they mentioned the Huns. Without his title, Wei Buzhi's life became increasingly difficult.
He was no longer a child and it was time for him to get married and move out, but he had nothing. His elder brother could inherit the title, but his younger brother was too young to realize it.
Wei Buyi missed his title, but he didn't hold out much hope this time. He just wanted to occupy a position first, in case there was a chance in the future.
Liu Tan's words ignited his hope. He looked up at Liu Tan eagerly and found that Liu Tan had stood up, put on his cloak and seemed to be preparing to leave.
Liu Tan said to him, "Think carefully about it. Do you want to live your life in a muddle, or do you want to make great achievements and follow in your father's footsteps?"
Liu Tan turned and walked away. He hadn't gone far when Li Buyan came up to him, covering his mouth for fear that the smell of alcohol on his breath would make Liu Tan uncomfortable. He then asked, "Your Highness, is there something wrong with the wine Li Guangli drank?"
Liu Tan smiled silently, patted Li Buyan on the shoulder and said, "Well done. Keep the people around Li Guangli under guard first, and assign a few people to look after him. If he wakes up tomorrow..."
Li Buyan's face suddenly turned serious and he whispered, "Did he?"
Liu Tan's hand on his shoulder suddenly slapped the back of his head. "What nonsense are you talking about? If he wakes up tomorrow... remember to give him some water from the bottle I specially prepared for him."
Li Buyan blinked, looked at Liu Tan's back and couldn't help muttering, "Is there still water in that pot?"
The author has something to say: Liu Qiekai Black Talk: We are civilized people, how can we kill people at will!
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