Chapter 14 Night Party
All eyes turned to her. The smell of alcohol in the air seemed to solidify into a tangible mist, and countless pairs of eyes around her resembled eerie green wolf eyes. Their faces were obscured, and they stared at her intently, as if they would pounce on her and tear her to pieces if she made the slightest misstep.
Dai Li got goosebumps on her back.
She remained motionless for a long time, and the man at the head of the table called out again, "Madam..."
"It seems you're deaf tonight, Qin Changgeng. In that case, I'll go with you." With that, Dai Li turned and left under the astonished gazes of everyone.
Even though she knew Yunrong was spoiled and willful, she couldn't help but change her expression.
This isn't a private matter; we're guests in public now. To throw such a tantrum is utterly disrespectful to Lord Qin. Yun Rong tried to switch roles, thinking that if she did the same, she'd probably get a divorce letter.
"My lord, this..." Jiang Chonghai was also taken aback.
Qin Shaozong remained calm and simply smiled, saying, "I was the one who angered her first. I'll apologize to her later."
A glint of malice flashed in Jiang Chonghai's eyes. He could even utter words of apology to his lowly concubines, indicating that he was indeed somewhat drunk.
On the other side.
Dai Li returned to her room and, after the two maids had finished helping her wash up, quickly dismissed them under the pretext of going to bed.
He closed the door, blew out the light, went to bed, and did it all in one smooth motion.
Dai Li lay on the couch, her heart pounding.
She and Yunrong left the mansion at noon today, and then left the banquet with her again midway through. There are too many things that could be asked about what happened in between, and it's hard to guarantee that he will come to her after the banquet.
I need to go to sleep quickly. I hope he'll stop when he sees the dark room, and we can talk about it tomorrow.
A man who is completely drunk is no good; he can't get up in any sense. But those who are only slightly tipsy or half-drunk are far more dangerous.
Dai Li's sleep quality has always been good, but perhaps due to excessive tension tonight, she tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep, feeling as if she could vaguely see the Sword of Damocles hanging over her head every time she turned over.
*
The banquet in the main hall was already coming to an end, and it ended completely shortly after Dai Li left.
Everyone was drunk, and Jiang Chonghai needed two servants to help him walk. After bidding farewell to Qin Shaozong, he returned to the main room with unsteady steps.
Yunrong had already instructed her maid to prepare kudzu root soup to relieve her hangover. As soon as he sat down, she brought him a bowl and said, "Husband, drink this hangover soup quickly, or you'll feel terrible tomorrow."
Jiang Chonghai had been drinking all night, and now the sight of soup and liquids made him want to vomit. He thought to himself, "What the hell?"
Tonight's banquet was for Qin Shaozong. They had already started drinking before his wife and Madam Dai returned. He had eaten something beforehand to fill his stomach, but everyone else was drinking on an empty stomach. They continued drinking after the banquet started.
They drank from beginning to end, yet they couldn't get Qin Shaozong completely drunk. That man had such a huge capacity for alcohol; it was truly enviable and infuriating.
"You may all leave." Jiang Chonghai waved away the servants. After the door closed, he looked at Yun Rong and asked, "Where did you and Madam Dai go for a stroll outside the manor at noon? Did she say anything? Also, when you left the banquet together, what did you talk about? Tell me everything in detail."
Yunrong started her story at noon, first mentioning the silk shop, then how Daili suddenly went to the dilapidated temple outside the city. She focused on how Daili had lost her missionary and how she wanted to use Yunrong to quietly make up for it, as well as how she had accidentally learned that Qin Junhou was going to take her to admire the peach blossoms that evening.
Jiang Chonghai's expression changed repeatedly. "Are you sure she meant a continuous peach orchard?"
Yunrong scolded, "My husband has repeatedly told me that this is of utmost importance, how could I dare to neglect it? Don't worry, not a single word has been changed, that's exactly what she said."
Jiang Chonghai suddenly sneered, "You, Qin Shaozong, actually dared to fool me."
After the two women left, he, emboldened by alcohol, asked Qin Shaozong how to defeat Li Zan. He inquired about the route, tactics, and whether Qin could offer any assistance.
Qin Shaozong remained silent for a few moments before speaking eloquently, saying that he would adopt a strategy of dividing his forces into two groups, one from the central route and the other from the lower route, to jointly capture Ying County.
Oh, it's fake!
If it weren't for someone planting an ear next to Madam Dai, he would have truly been tricked.
It seems Qin Shaozong indeed has a high tolerance for alcohol. Perhaps he was a little drunk, but that wasn't enough to make him so confused that he forgot his business. Indeed, he had been in a high position for many years, and while he doted on Lady Dai, it was impossible for her to reveal everything to him, the prefect of Nankang County, with whom she had no connection. She must have been wary of him.
"...In your opinion, should those two pieces be given to Madam Dai to handle?" Yunrong asked.
"Why does she need two pieces? Isn't one enough for her?" Jiang Chonghai asked, puzzled.
Yunrong curled her lip in disdain. "She's so forgetful, otherwise she wouldn't have lost four scrolls before, and then lost something again after just one trip to the east of the city. Now she wants two scrolls, probably because she's thinking of getting two in case the new ones are lost too, but she doesn't want to tell Lord Qin, so she's getting one as a backup. Husband, shall we get one for her?"
“Two letters aren’t too many, so of course we should handle them for her! We’ll need her later, so we absolutely mustn’t fall out with her now. You’ve read Madam Dai’s letter, so tell me the details.” Jiang Chonghai, who had grown fat and bloated over the years, didn’t want to move after sitting down while drunk. “Go and call my brother later. I have something important to tell him. You can sleep in the next room tonight.”
After Yunrong finished recounting the story, she instructed, "Husband, remember to drink the kudzu root soup. I'm off now."
Jiang Chonghai closed his eyes to rest and did not respond.
About 15 minutes later, Jiang Chongjiang pushed open the door and entered the room.
"Brother, what do you want with me?" Jiang Chongjiang muttered, "It will be broad daylight in a few hours. We can talk about it tomorrow. It won't make a difference if we stay one more night."
He also had a banquet tonight and drank quite a bit; right now, all he wants to do is lie down.
“I called you here because it’s important. Make sure the door is locked tight.” Jiang Chonghai held a bowl of soup in his hand. “Go to Zhuo Bing’s house later and have him work overtime tonight to make two copies of the document. Tell him that these two copies must be delivered to my residence before noon tomorrow. If they are delayed, he will not get a single bite to eat in the future.”
Jiang Chongjiang was stunned, his expression slowly turning serious. "Brother, what's the matter that's so urgent?"
The message still needed to be conveyed by his younger brother, and Jiang Chonghai naturally wouldn't hide it from him. "Madam Dai lost the message and didn't want Qin Shaozong to know, so she asked your sister-in-law to get two new ones."
Jiang Chongjiang didn't take it seriously. "It's just a matter of passing it on. What's wrong with letting Qin Shaozong know? Qin spoils her so much that he even treated her like nothing happened when she was publicly humiliated at a banquet. Let alone passing it on in one go, he'd probably pay her ten dollars."
Jiang Chonghai was too lazy to explain the intricacies to him. "Never mind her reasons, just make sure you handle this matter well. Madam Dai is very valuable, otherwise I wouldn't have needed to send you there overnight."
Now that a curfew has been imposed, people are not allowed to go out normally. If they are found loitering outside, they will be imprisoned at best, and beaten to death at worst. His younger brother's face is his pass, ensuring that he can pass through without hindrance. And Zhuo Bing, that slippery fellow, will surely know that this is a serious matter and will not dare to delay.
Jiang Chongjiang knew the banquet was a setup, but since he was already there, he simply asked, "Brother, do you think Qin Shaozong's marching route tonight is credible? Should we send a message to Yingjun?"
Jiang Chonghai slowly closed his eyes, his mind flashing back to his wife's words, and finally uttered four words, "Don't believe everything you hear."
Compared to when he first returned to his room, Jiang Chonghai was much calmer now. Qin Shaozong's suggestion to advance along the middle and lower lanes was unreliable, as the other party didn't seem drunk and incoherent at the time.
As for Madam Dai, can we really trust her completely? Is it possible that it's a trap set by Qin Shaozong, just waiting for him to walk right into it?
The suspicious Jiang Chonghai kept thinking.
“Brother, what about Ying County…” Jiang Chongjiang hesitated.
Jiang Chonghai opened his eyes. "Tonight I will send a letter to Brother Li, informing him of the general situation and asking him to wait for my second letter."
Dark clouds obscured the full moon. On this dark and windy night, a side gate of the prefectural governor's mansion quietly opened, and two figures walked out.
In the dead of night, neither of them rode a horse. One headed south of the city, while the other went east. The former knocked on the door of a house in the south, and strode in with his head held high amidst the surprised look of the inhabitant. Soon, the house was brightly lit. The latter, on the other hand, headed east, used his token to open the city gate, and mounted a fast horse provided by the city guards. The two of them set off on the official road to the east, and with the clatter of hooves, they quickly disappeared into the vast darkness.
Beside the official road leading to Ying County, after the sound of horses' hooves had almost faded into the distance, the dense grass suddenly stirred, and then a person poked his head out from among it, brushing the grass clippings off his body and getting up.
"After waiting for two days, I finally waited for this grandson to pass by. Now I can finally report back to you, my lord."
*
Time passed slowly, and Dai Li tossed and turned countless times, but still couldn't fall asleep.
After turning over once more, she suddenly heard footsteps and voices outside. Dai Li's breath hitched slightly, and she instinctively grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to cover the lower half of her face, leaving only her eyes exposed.
"My lord, shall I send someone to the kitchen to fetch a bowl of kudzu root soup?"
"No need, you should go back to your rooms and rest."
Perhaps it was because the night was too quiet, or perhaps it was just her imagination, but Dai Li felt that the footsteps outside were getting louder, and it sounded as if someone was coming towards her.
A few moments later, her door slammed shut with a soft bang, sounding like someone was trying to open it but couldn't because it was locked.
"Madam, open the door."
Dai Li's heart sank.
He actually came looking for her!
At that moment, there was a sudden noise from the small side room connected to the main room. The maid, whose very nature was to serve her master, hurriedly got up, went through the small door in the middle into the master bedroom, and then deftly opened the door for the man outside.
To Dai Li's astonishment, she heard the door click open.
"You don't need to serve me tonight, all of you, get out." The man's voice was deep and broad, like a sea with waves stirred up by the wind, carrying a profound sense of authority.
A note from the author:
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This chapter is too long to fit, I'll save it for tomorrow. [Dissolved]
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