Li Huan and Zhao Zilong entered the temple and headed straight for the "Pagoda of Gratitude".
To everyone's surprise, there were two rows of guards inside the temple.
"Halt!" a guard shouted.
Li Huan didn't slow down and rushed straight ahead, startling the guards who hurriedly dodged.
At this moment, Zhou Yu had already led his troops into the temple.
Upon reaching the foot of the tower, Li Huan slammed on the brakes.
There were no guards here, but there were many maids.
Without a second thought, Li Huan pulled Xiao Qiao out of the carriage, wrapped his arms around her waist, and prepared to climb the tower.
A maid raised her hand to stop them: "The Dowager is in the tower! No unauthorized personnel allowed!"
Li Huan immediately burst into laughter.
What a coincidence! Sun Quan's mother actually came to the temple to burn incense and climb the tower for sightseeing.
Zhou Yu's roar came from behind. Li Huan hurriedly pushed aside the maid and carried Xiao Qiao into the "Tower of Gratitude"!
Holding a bright silver spear, Zhao Zilong closely followed Li Huan, guarding him vigilantly.
Xiao Qiao's face flushed red, and she said shyly, "Mr. Li Huan, please don't hug me anymore... I'll go with you..."
Li Huan put Xiao Qiao down, grabbed her arm, and went up to the second floor, standing on the railing.
"Zhou Yu! If you dare come up here, I'll strip Xiao Qiao naked right now!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu stopped on the steps, feeling hesitant.
Besides Zhou Yu's soldiers, there were other guards, worshippers, and maids around.
If Xiao Qiao were stripped naked in public, it would be more painful for her than if Zhou Yu were skinned alive.
In fact, Li Huan would not really bully Xiao Qiao; he was certain that Zhou Yu would never dare to climb the tower.
Sure enough, Zhou Yu stepped down the stairs and looked up at the second floor.
Xiao Qiao looked aggrieved, tears welling up in her eyes: "Zhou Lang... Zhou Lang..."
Zhou Yu's hand gripping his sword trembled: "Li Huan! You are so vicious, kidnapping a vulnerable woman to blackmail me!"
Li Huan laughed and said, "I saved Xiao Qiao in Cao Cao's camp, and instead of thanking me, you want to kill me. Who is more wicked here?"
Zhou Yu angrily rebuked: "If you hadn't helped Cao Cao capture General Huang alive, why would Xiao Qiao have risked going to Cao Cao's camp?"
Li Huan said loudly, "You went back on your word in public and refused to pay for your lunch. I have no choice but to use Cao Cao to deal with you and let you know the serious consequences of offending me!"
"You...you..." Zhou Yu was so angry that his face turned ashen and his eyes almost bulged out.
Li Huan said, "The dignified Grand Commander of Eastern Wu lost a bet with me, yet he refuses to pay for his lunch and shamelessly freeloads! Please, everyone, judge for yourselves, shouldn't this kind of person be punished?"
For a time, the pilgrims and maids at the foot of the tower were abuzz with discussion.
Li Huan's purpose in coming to the "Tower of Gratitude" was to publicly criticize Zhou Yu and make him lose face!
Zhou Yu's face turned from ashen to purplish-red, and his teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.
Li Huan continued, "I saved Madam Zhou and Miss Sun. I didn't expect you to apologize. I just hope you can give me the money for the lunch box on your own!"
"Who would have thought that after you were defeated by Cao Cao, you would vent all your resentment on me, sending troops to besiege the inn, trying to cut off my head!"
"With no other choice, I had to fight my way out of the inn with Brother Long, break into the Zhou residence, kidnap Xiao Qiao, and use her as a hostage!"
Li Huan's words were forceful and resounding, deliberately spoken for Sun Quan's mother to hear.
Immediately afterwards, footsteps sounded behind me.
Sun Shangxiang helped a kind-faced old lady walk toward the railing.
Li Huan suddenly remembered that this Lady Tai was not Sun Quan's biological mother, but his stepmother, Lady Wu.
She married Sun Jian along with her elder sister, Lady Wu, and gave birth to Sun Shangxiang. By seniority, she was Sun Quan's aunt.
Therefore, Lady Wu held the highest position in Eastern Wu and was highly respected by Sun Quan.
Sun Shangxiang smiled and made a playful face at Li Huan.
Wu Guotai nodded to Li Huan and Zhao Zilong, then looked at Zhou Yu below the tower.
"Governor Zhou, I never expected you to do something so foolish!"
Upon seeing Wu Guotai appear, Zhou Yu was greatly surprised and hurriedly bowed.
“I was in a hurry to save my wife, but I didn’t know that the old lady was in the tower. I disturbed the old lady.”
Wu Guotai said, "I have already understood your grudge with Li Huan. It's nothing more than a matter of five hundred taels of gold for food! As the Grand Commander, how can you be so narrow-minded and petty!"
Hearing the reprimand, Zhou Yu's expression was both embarrassed and ashamed.
"Li Huan was bound to be angry because he didn't receive the gold. Instead of seeking help from Zhongmou, he used Cao Cao to deal with Governor Zhou. His actions may have been inappropriate, but they also proved that Governor Zhou's strategies were not very sophisticated and his strength was inferior to Cao Cao's!"
Wu Guotai's words made Zhou Yu feel ashamed and sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Fortunately, Li Huan only wanted to teach Governor Zhou a lesson and was not sincerely assisting Cao Cao. Otherwise, our army would have been wiped out by Cao Cao and Eastern Wu would have been occupied by him. The culprit would have been Governor Zhou!"
Zhou Yu was terrified upon hearing this, and his face turned from red to deathly pale.
Li Huan quickly untied the belt binding Xiao Qiao's hands, and she hurriedly bowed to Wu Guotai.
Sun Shangxiang said, "Commander Zhou, you don't know this, do you? My brother bought fifty boxed meals to celebrate Mother's birthday! If you kill Li Huan, won't my brother be furious?"
Zhou Yu wiped away his sweat, his arrogance completely vanished.
Wu Guotai looked at Li Huan and said, "My daughter told me that your cooking skills are unparalleled and your boxed lunches are absolutely delicious. I've been longing to try them for a long time!"
Li Huan clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Madam, you flatter me. On your birthday, I will deliver fifty boxed meals on time!"
A complex emotion was evident in Zhou Yu's eyes.
Besides resentment and jealousy, he was also glad that he hadn't killed Li Huan.
Wu Guotai said, "Li Huan, Governor Zhou is a stingy man, don't hold it against him. I will repay the five hundred taels of gold he owes you!"
Zhou Yu hurriedly said, "How could I dare to let the Grand Madam spend money? It's not that I don't want to give Li Huan the five hundred taels of gold, but I was just being stubborn and deliberately delaying it."
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