Chapter 515 "This humble official...is willing to serve the general with utmost loyalty!"
(Thanks to reader 20240817024509613 for casting 3 monthly tickets.)
The Mirage Pavilion was not an ordinary restaurant, but a three-story building covering an area of about five acres.
If you include the adjacent villas, warehouses, stables, and so on, then it would be ten acres of land.
It is called "Mirage Boat" because although the restaurant is located in Jian'an City, it is actually on the edge of Jian'an City, facing the sea.
Moreover, its gate is shaped like a huge Fujian-style ship, which is why it is called a "fang".
The word "蜃楼" is derived from "海市蜃楼" (a mirage), meaning that if you stay here and look out at the sea, you can see a fairyland on the sea, as ethereal as a mirage.
The building is decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, all made of the finest wood. The windows are inlaid with colorful glazed tiles, allowing light to filter through like a rosy cloud during the day. At night, fish oil lamps are lit, casting a soft blue glow, creating a unique and charming atmosphere.
The owner of this mirage-shaped boat seems to be a legendary figure, but Sun Xiaoliu didn't find anything about him in his intelligence reports.
Li Shiyue thought that when she had the chance, she would ask Yan Jiuniang if she knew who the owner behind the Mirage Pavilion was.
The manager here is nothing more than someone who takes money to do his job.
Therefore, Li Shiyue, the highest-ranking official in Jian'an City at the moment, immediately asked the shopkeeper if he could borrow the place to hold a banquet.
Looking at Hei Zi's face, the shopkeeper didn't dare to say no.
So, now, nearing noon, Li Shiyue stood by the carved wooden window on the second floor of the Mirage Boat, looking out at the sea. The sea breeze, carrying a fishy smell, brushed against Li Shiyue's cheek.
She tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, listening to the crashing waves, but her gaze remained fixed on the ground floor.
Chen Yong stood behind her with his hand on his knife, while Sun Xiaoliu stood on the other side.
Li Shiyue had already secretly placed sentries throughout the entire restaurant.
No, it should be said that at this moment, apart from Li Shiyue sitting in the wide-open door on the second floor, only the two waiters greeting guests in the lobby downstairs are not members of the Xuanjia Army.
"Lord Cai has arrived!"
As the servant chanted, heavy footsteps echoed from the stairwell.
Li Shiyue smiled slightly, turned around, sat in the main seat, and picked up a small wine glass to look at it.
Cai Hua followed Song Fang and another dark-skinned man into the house.
General Li!
"Oh, Magistrate Cai has arrived? Please have a seat."
Li Shiyue put down her wine glass but did not get up. She cupped her hands in return to Cai Hua.
She sized up the middle-aged man in front of her, who was wearing an indigo blue narrow-sleeved round-necked robe. Cai Hua didn't look like a military officer; he looked more like a ruthless civil official.
Upon seeing Cai Hua, Li Shiyue immediately thought of the person she disliked in Jinzhou.
Zhou Yiran!
right!
It's that heartless Zhou Yiran!
Zhou Yiran went from being an advisor to the late Prince Liu Shu, whom the former Princess Zhao Changying of Zhenbei found, to being an advisor to the current Prince Liu Tan of Zhenbei. Who wouldn't praise his ability to scheme and protect himself?
Li Shiyue felt exactly the same way about Cai Hua as she did about Zhou Yiran!
However, after just exchanging greetings, Li Shiyue understood why Sun Xiaoliu's summary of the intelligence report described Cai Hua as "a master of opportunism, but always leaving room for maneuver."
You should know that when Huang Wanchang first saw Li Shiyue, his gaze was filled with disdain for Li Shiyue's status as a woman, no, it should be said that it was contempt.
Before Li Shiyue erected a high platform in front of the government office and beheaded more than 30 members of Huang Wanchang's family, the officials in Jian'an City all looked down on Li Shiyue, this female general.
But the way Cai Hua looked at her right now, well, you know, it really was like the way he looked at a superior officer. He really didn't look down on Li Shiyue's status as a "female general".
Actually, it's Cai Hua; he's good at pretending!
Just like Zhou Yiran, she's a real actor!
Cai Hua's gaze swept over the long sword at Li Shiyue's waist. "General Li has quite the refined taste."
He smiled and took his seat, sitting one seat to the left of Li Shiyue.
"I've heard that the fish sashimi served at the Mirage Pavilion is a specialty of Jian'an."
Li Shiyue picked up a small, delicate wine glass, the amber liquid swirling inside. "Unfortunately, if not handled properly, eating this fish sashimi can cause your intestines to be filled with worms, which can be excruciatingly painful."
Li Shiyue picked up her chopsticks at the opportune moment and took out the fish sashimi that had been specially placed in front of Cai Hua, saying, "Just like some shady dealings, they will ultimately harm both others and oneself."
Li Shiyue smiled as she ate the tender fish slices, then nodded to Sun Xiaoliu.
Sun Xiaoliu took out the military supplies ledger of the garrison that he had shown to Song Fang that day and placed it in front of Cai Hua.
“Lord Cai, take a look! This book clearly records more than three thousand bushels of military rations... and they’re gone.”
Cai Hua's face darkened. He hadn't expected that after just a greeting and before he could even exchange a few words with Li Shiyue, Li Shiyue would so bluntly present him with evidence of his embezzlement.
At that moment, Cai Hua had only two thoughts in his mind—first, Huang Wanchang deserved to die!
He knew that Huang Wanchang, that bastard, would definitely leave behind evidence that was detrimental to him!
Look, all that's left is this ledger!
And the second thought was that, indeed, a woman's thoughts are the most unpredictable!
He was already wary of Li Shiyue, the female general, especially since she had brought two thousand soldiers to Jian'an!
If Li Shiyue were a man, Cai Hua felt he could guess what she meant by having Song Fang take her back.
The difficulty lies in the fact that Li Shiyue is a married woman!
No, Cai Hua denied himself in his heart.
Li Shiyue can hardly be considered a woman!
At most, she's just a young, unmarried woman!
As far as Cai Hua was concerned, Li Shiyue's thoughts were even more difficult to guess!
Although Li Shiyue didn't know what Cai Hua was thinking about her, she didn't want Cai Hua to guess what she was thinking.
"Lord Cai, do you know which two types of people I hate the most in my life?"
Before Cai Hua could figure out what Li Shiyue meant by asking that question, Li Shiyue suddenly drew her sword. With a flash of cold light, the bronze crown Cai Hua was wearing shattered in two and fell onto the plate of sashimi on the round table.
Li Shiyue wiped the blade on Cai Hua's shoulder. Before she could even say what she was saying, Song Fang and the burly man were already about to draw their knives and rush over.
Cai Hua, on the other hand, remained seated, allowing Li Shiyue to use the fabric from his shoulder as a rag to wipe his knife.
However, Sun Xiaoliu, Chen Yong, and the black man standing at the door were not dead, so Song Fang and the black man were stopped and could not even get up.
"Haha," Li Shiyue chuckled twice, then said to Cai Hua, "First, a traitorous beast; second,..."
Li Shiyue patted Cai Hua's cheek with the back of his knife. "You ignorant fool!"
After saying this, Li Shiyue sheathed her sword and suddenly changed to a friendly tone, saying to Cai Hua, "However, today, this general is here to make friends."
Li Shiyue clapped her hands three times, and Hei Zi and Sun Xiaoliu carried out a rather large wooden box from behind.
Upon opening the wooden box, one finds a whole box of silver, all of which was seized from Huang Wanchang's home.
"Trading Japanese pirate heads for military merits, turning the private road in Haiyan into an official road—what does Magistrate Cai think of this deal?"
"This humble official...is willing to serve the general with utmost loyalty!"
“Lord Cai is a wise man and should understand the principle of making amends for one’s mistakes.”
This general is not the kind of person who is heartless; if there are benefits, we should all share them.
But these Japanese pirates are a foreign race. I, the general, am here to kill them. Lord Cai, you must at least give me and the general a satisfactory answer, won't you?"
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