Chapter 525: The Demon Concubine Who Brings Trouble to the Nation vs. the Bandit Emperor 136
Tu Guangjun had ignored Ji Liao for a few days and felt that it was enough, so he prepared a banquet in his house and invited officials in the city and wealthy businessmen and gentry from Lingnan to join him.
Tu Guangjun's mansion occupies an entire street, stretching as far as the eye can see. The mansion is filled with carved beams and painted buildings, pavilions and towers, and the scenery is beautiful everywhere.
The banquet was held in the reception room. Famous paintings and calligraphy were hung on the walls, and the antiques and porcelains displayed on the antique shelves were all treasures, each of which was worth a lot of money.
The sounds of stringed instruments and orchestras gradually rose, and the young and pretty dancer swayed her soft waist, bent deeply, and her sleeves fluttered, like a huge red lotus unfolding.
Tu Guangjun raised his glass and said loudly: "This is the great general who is feared in the northern border. I am sure you have all heard of him. General Ji was not particular about small matters and was demoted accidentally. He ended up here. General Ji and I can be considered to be in the same boat. It is an honor for me that the general has come to me today."
"Come, let me toast to the general!"
The officials and wealthy businessmen and gentry below all stood up, raised their glasses, and praised Tu Guangjun along with his words.
"With General Ji here, Huanan City can be kept safe, and we can rest assured."
"Governor Tu is a man who values talent the most. General Ji is extremely brave. When he arrived in Huanan City, it was like coming home to him."
"Huanan City is a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. It is exactly what we need, a general like you. This is also a blessing for the people of Lingzhou."
Several wealthy businessmen exchanged glances with each other and secretly groaned in their hearts. With the arrival of such a killer, Tu Guangjun would become even more unscrupulous in Lingnan. They didn't know how much blood they would have to shed to feed this evil wolf Tu Guangjun.
Tu Guangjun specifically called them over to threaten them, to make them contribute money and effort to hire another group of thugs for the Tu family. The one who benefits is Tu Guangjun, but they are the ones who bleed.
Ji Liao sneered in his heart. Tu Guangjun was really good at confusing right and wrong. With just a few words, it seemed like he had come to him for surrender on his own initiative.
You really take him for a fool!
Ji Liao put down the cup heavily and said coldly: "This general is doing well in Lianxing Port. I have no plan to live in Huanan City for a long time. It's just that Governor Tu is sincere and insisted on inviting this general to be a guest, so I brought my wife and children here to have some fun."
"Governor Tu, you are so arrogant! I don't even take the emperor seriously, how can I look down on a mere fifth-rank official like you? If you treat me with good wine and good food, I can stay here for a while longer. If you play tricks on me, don't blame me for being rude!"
"Do you think that for such a small profit, I will be your thug? You must be dreaming!"
The reception room was completely silent, and everyone lowered their heads, fearing that Magistrate Tu's anger would affect them.
Tu Guangjun was very angry. What an ungrateful person!
He sent food, houses, beauties, swords, gold and silver, and even his two sons to entertain the girl. Ji Liao was simply shameless!
He has taken all the benefits, but now he has turned against me. He is really being taken advantage of!
Tu Guangjun was angry in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face, he even smiled.
He had the face of a frail scholar, and the beard made him look more learned. He had an ordinary appearance, but he had the bookish air of a scholar, and at first glance he seemed to be a very good person.
"It was Tu who neglected the general and made him unhappy. Tu apologizes to the general."
"I have great respect for the general's talent. I have long wanted to invite him to my house for a chat. It's all because of those unruly people and bandits that I have been kept busy for a few days."
Tu Guangjun suddenly changed the subject, his words hinting at a threat.
"Of course, General Ji's subordinates are all heroes, and naturally they are different from those unruly people. However, General Ji is already guilty of a crime. If he caused such a big commotion in Lingnan and the news spread to Luojing, wouldn't it be an even greater crime?"
"The general is a smart man, so he acts under the name of a bandit. However, in Lingnan, nothing can be hidden from Tu's eyes. Tu has no ill will towards the general, but if this matter is reported back to Luojing and His Majesty investigates, the lives of the general's family will be in danger. I let the general stay in South China City for the general's sake."
Ji Liao took a sip of the wine, his face not looking very good, as if he was thinking about Tu Guangjun's words.
He impatiently pushed away the approaching dancer and snorted, "Are they a mob or a hero who chased away the pirates? Whether they are black or white, it all depends on the words of Magistrate Tu!"
"You civil servants are so sinister. I was banished to this damn place because of Duke Yue's trick. A tiger in troubled times is bullied by a dog. Now even a small official of the fourth rank can threaten me!"
"Forget it. I think Huanan City is quite prosperous. I can move all the brothers of the Canglong Gang here..."
Tu Guangjun smiled and interrupted Ji Liao directly, "I only admire the general, so you should send all the bandits away. If the general remembers our old friendship, you can leave 100 people with you. I am willing to provide money and food to support them."
If Ji Liao really brought thousands of people to Huanan City, the name of Huanan City would have to be changed to Ji. He didn't want to have such a group of tigers and wolves around him.
With Ji Liao's ability, one hundred people are enough to protect the Tu family's safety. If Ji Liao wants to cause trouble, his original manpower can also control him.
If Ji Liao is obedient in the future, he can also recruit more guards and put them under Ji Liao's command. In this way, the recruits will listen to him instead of Ji Liao's private soldiers.
As for those dismissed bandits, they just needed to be rushed to Cangzhou. As long as they didn't cause trouble in Lingnan, Tu Guangjun didn't care about anything else.
Ji Liao slammed the table and said angrily, "Impossible! I have worked so hard to build up the Canglong Army, and you want to disband it? I don't agree!"
"I was exiled here because I did commit a crime, so I dare not show off too much. But you are not a good person either! You are corrupt and have accepted bribes, and the evidence is irrefutable. Once the evidence is sent to Luojing and reported to the court, you will not be able to keep your official hat! You may even lose your life!"
"I have fought in wars all my life. Now the pirates have not been pacified. I will never disband my soldiers. At worst, we will all die together!"
Tu Guangjun laughed loudly upon hearing this. "Ji Liao, Ji Liao, you deserve to be exiled. You really don't know how to be an official at all. After this great disaster, you haven't made any progress. You are born to be only a knife, not a chess player."
"I know you have an account book. Aunt Xiao is a woman who has never seen the world. How could she hide it from me? She felt guilty when she saw me recently, so I guessed that she handed over the account book. You spread rumors, saying that I embezzled money, hahahaha... Such a trick is really ridiculous!"
"How are you going to send the evidence back? Do you want to rely on that idiot Guo Yi? These evidences will never reach His Majesty. Even if they do, there are people in the court who will help me. Which official is not greedy? You still want to threaten me with this little thing?"
"If you know what's best for you, just stay here and guard my house like a good dog. Otherwise... I'll crush you to death, just like crushing an ant!"
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