At night, the sky is full of stars and insects are chirping.
In Xiaba County, many lanterns were hung in the courtyard of Duan Mansion, making it as bright as day.
The people from the Mingjing Division were guarding various places in the courtyard with gloomy expressions.
The dignitaries from the twelve counties have already arrived, there are more than a hundred of them.
Although they are in different counties, at this level, they have more or less some interactions with each other.
Now that Chen Yu hasn't arrived yet, these people gathered together to chat.
"Haha, Patriarch Zhao, are you afraid of coming here?"
"Oh, of course I'm afraid. Lord Chen from the capital is famous throughout the world. How can a small person like us not be afraid?"
Although he said that, the man had a smile on his face and didn't look afraid at all.
This look also made everyone around laugh.
After laughing, someone raised a question.
"What do you think he wants to do by inviting us to dinner this time?"
"Mr. Tang, you have the most experience, why don't you explain it to us?"
Someone looked at an old man next to him and asked respectfully.
The old man was wearing an ordinary robe with two patches on it.
His white hair was neatly combed and he looked very healthy.
His name is Tang Cheng. He is the head of the Tang family and the most powerful official in the twelve counties.
Hearing others asking him questions, Tang Cheng smiled faintly, as if he saw through everything.
"What else can we do? Disaster relief, of course."
"Although Lord Chen is a lord in the capital, he is of little use in our small land."
Others seemed to be thinking about it and continued to ask questions.
"Tang Lao, in your opinion, how will he treat us at the banquet? Judging from his previous actions, I'm afraid he won't be easy to deal with."
Everyone pricked up their ears.
This time, Chen Yu's invitation was really sudden, and his methods were very tough, which made many people feel uneasy.
Tang Cheng looked at everyone, smiled and shook his head.
"You guys are still too young. You've been tricked by this Master Chen."
Everyone was stunned and looked at each other with confusion on their faces.
Tang Cheng smiled and looked at everyone with some pride.
"Let me ask you, in the past, when the county magistrates and prefects came here, what was the first thing they did?"
"Tang Lao, when they come here, the first thing they do is naturally to visit us. Without our support, they can't move forward here."
These powerful families are entrenched in various counties and have enormous influence.
From high-ranking officials to peddlers and porters, the shadows of these powerful families can be seen everywhere.
It can be said that in their respective counties, they have connections everywhere and are well connected in both the black and white worlds.
Although the county magistrate is an official, so what?
Without their support, I’m afraid that the order will not be able to leave the county government.
"Yes, this Lord Chen actually invited us before and was visiting us." Tang Cheng said with a smile.
Everyone frowned and looked at each other.
"Tang Lao, this isn't right. If you were visiting us, why would you use such a rude method?"
"That's right, I've never seen this kind of visit before."
Tang Cheng stroked his beard and laughed.
"This is the brilliance of this Mr. Chen. Think about it, what is his identity?"
"Master of the Mirror, Duke Wenxuan of Qin, and teacher of all Confucian scholars. Such a title necessitates that he be dignified."
"So he won't come to us in person to curry favor with us like those county magistrates do."
“Even when he visits, he must be high and mighty and dignified.”
Huh?
That being said, it does seem to make sense.
Everyone's brows relaxed, and some suddenly realized.
Seeing that everyone understood, Tang Cheng smiled again and said, "As for this banquet? Haha, it's just him showing off his authority and then trying to be nice to us."
"Disaster relief cannot be separated from us. He has already asked for face, so naturally he has to use a banquet to appease us."
"If my guess is correct, he wants to use this banquet to treat us well and ask us to help him with disaster relief!"
"You are still too young, unlike some old foxes who can see through everything."
Tang Cheng glanced at the old patriarchs around him and spoke with a smile.
Those people, like Tang Cheng, looked relaxed, without the slightest bit of tension or worry.
Seeing Tang Cheng looking at him, he smiled and greeted him from a distance.
Everyone felt relieved and smiled with emotion.
"Oh, Master Tang is truly wise. His analysis is so insightful. I really admire him."
"It turns out that Mr. Tang had already seen through everything. We are still here worrying endlessly. How shameful!"
"Thank you, Master Tang, for clearing up my doubts. Now we can finally feel at ease."
"Haha, so all the high-ranking officials in the capital are the same. Are we so important?"
Tang Cheng smiled.
"We are important because we have bargaining chips. Aren't these disaster victims our bargaining chips?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Right, right, right! Haha, these disaster victims are our bargaining chips!"
"I suddenly felt that these disaster victims were so cute."
"I hope the disaster will always happen. The more people die, the better. That way, we will become more important."
Bursts of laughter echoed in the yard.
"Tang Lao, what should we do at the banquet later? Give him face, or not?"
Someone spoke again.
Tang Cheng narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Of course I have to give you face, but how much I give depends on how you perform, Master Chen."
Everyone grinned and was very proud.
Don’t the high-ranking officials in the royal capital have to look at their faces?
While we were chatting, Chen Yu came!
The noisy yard immediately became quiet.
All eyes were focused on Chen Yu.
"Finally here?"
Tang Cheng clasped his hands in front of him and squinted his eyes at Chen Yu.
Some curiosity, some emotion, some disdain.
This was the first time he met Chen Yu. Although he had heard of his name, he was still a little surprised to see how young Chen Yu was.
"At such a young age, he was able to do things that shocked the world, and he was able to use a combination of hardness and softness to deal with us. He is truly a man of character."
"However, this isn't the capital. Without those resources, what's the point of your clever tricks?"
"Later, let us teach you a lesson, to teach you the ways of the world, and to understand why a powerful dragon cannot defeat a local tyrant!"
Thinking of this, Tang Cheng and other dignitaries bowed to Chen Yu.
"We are here to see Master Chen."
"Everyone's here? You're welcome. I invited everyone here today to have a meal. Serve."
Chen Yu gave the order with a smile.
The people from the Mingjing Division carried baskets and walked up to each dignitary, took things out of the baskets and distributed them to everyone.
The powerful people were stunned when they saw what was in their hands.
There are only two things on hand.
A piece of black tree root and a bowl of muddy water.
Chen Yu cleared his throat and said, "I declare the banquet open."
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