Chapter 218: How does it feel to be the prey? Zhao Duan?
"Ask me to apologize?" Zhao Duan's expression was strange, a smile that was not a smile. "Why, do you know you are wrong?"
He almost forgot about it.
That day, after the You family left, he also sent people to monitor them for a while. Later, when he learned that they had tried to find other ways out, but were blocked by him, he stopped.
I thought he would give up, but he actually had the nerve to come back again.
Eugene Hua looked embarrassed and said:
"The invitation said they weren't asking you to do anything, but simply apologized and asked for your forgiveness for what happened before."
Don't you want me to do anything for you?
Zhao Duan was finally a little surprised. He thought that You Zhande had realized the situation and wanted to get close to him again.
But the other party clearly said that simply apologizing would be interesting.
Well... there's another explanation. He really doesn't need her help, but she hopes he won't "set up obstacles" to prevent her from finding other avenues...
"Oh, if it's just for this, Auntie can just refuse it for me."
Zhao Duan said casually:
"Just tell them to leave the capital and return to Xiping. I won't make things difficult for him."
It is impossible to let the You family do things smoothly, and Mr. Zhao also has a temper.
The stepmother hesitated and said:
"What they meant was that they were ready to return to Xiping and would no longer attempt to be an imperial merchant. They just wanted to treat you to a meal to make amends before leaving Beijing. Otherwise, they would feel uneasy."
Ready to go?
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, then thought about it carefully and suddenly laughed:
"Are they worried that they won't be able to leave the capital? Are they afraid that if they leave the capital, I'll arrange for people to cause trouble for them?"
This was the most reasonable explanation he could think of.
After experiencing setbacks during this period of time, the You family deeply realized their own power and also realized their own vindictive character.
Therefore, he was worried that once he left the capital, he would be intercepted and retaliated by Zhao Duan's men on the way... Well, this was in line with Zhao Duan's personality.
That's why he asked for an in-person apology. His purpose was nothing more than to seek peace of mind and to ensure that he would not be ambushed by Zhao Duan.
Eugene bit her lip, lowered her head, and ate her meal silently:
"If it's not convenient for Dalang, then Auntie will just refuse. Anyway, it has nothing to do with them anymore."
Zhao Duan pondered for a moment, weighed the pros and cons, and said:
"Never mind. What's the time and place? I've been feeling bored lately, so I'll just treat this as a way to relieve my boredom."
He didn't want to pay any attention to it, but since the other party had taken the initiative, he thought about warning him in person and completely cutting off his thoughts of clinging to his stepmother.
Once and for all.
To wrap up this matter.
Eugene Hua felt ashamed and moved, knowing that it was for her own sake, and said:
"Tomorrow at noon, Zuiyue Tower in South City."
I'm not familiar with it... It should be a small restaurant... It's indeed a small place, and they don't treat guests generously... Zhao Duan curled his lips and took note, then turned around and reminded:
"I'll go there myself tomorrow. You all should stay home for the time being and don't go out. This is to prevent you from being targeted by the rebels."
The main reason why Zhao Duan bought a new house was not to save commuting time, but to protect his family.
The current house is not far from the imperial court, and can receive attention from the officers and soldiers patrolling the streets in the inner city.
In the past few days, he has even used his authority to ask the imperial guards to look after his home.
Prevent the Thousand-Faced God from taking advantage of you.
After the agreement was reached, Zhao Duan returned to his room to practice.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, he went to the yamen as usual and learned that there was still no breakthrough in the search for the Thousand-Faced God.
At noon, Zhao Duan rode a white horse and headed straight towards the south city.
…
…
Zuiyueju is a medium-sized restaurant that focuses on elegance.
Yesterday, a wealthy guest with a Xipingdao accent booked the entire restaurant today, saying that he was entertaining a distinguished guest.
Early in the morning, the other party arrived at the restaurant and waited, accompanied by a young man and a maid.
On the second floor of Zuiyueju, the Thousand-Faced God, who walked outside as "Lü Baifeng", was elegant and graceful. He stood by the railing with his hands behind his back, listening to a singer playing music in the hall on the first floor.
Slender fingers gently tapped the railing, moving to the rhythm.
"Mr. Lu, it's still early, please sit down and rest."
Behind him, You Zhande came up the stairs, followed by You's mother and son.
At this moment, the Xipingdao merchant said with a smile:
"I'm sorry to ask you to come in person for my matter...."
The Thousand-Faced God turned around, a smile on his handsome face:
"What are you saying, Patriarch You? I should be the one to say sorry. I wanted to help you smooth things over, but I didn't expect that Zhao Duan is indeed not someone you can mess with."
A few days ago, You Zhande came to ask Lu Baifeng for help in finding a way, and the latter agreed immediately.
You Zhande waited in the inn for a few days, but finally received good news and bad news.
The bad news is:
Zhao Duan’s power in the capital is indeed terrifying, and even if the Lu family takes action, it will be difficult to deal with him.
The good news is:
Master Lu agreed to come forward and personally intercede with Zhao Duan on behalf of the Lu family to discuss the business of the imperial merchant.
But the prerequisite is that I hope You Zhan De will come forward and host a banquet to invite people over.
You Zhande had no choice but to grasp the last hope and handed over the invitation.
I hope Zhao Duan will show mercy for the sake of the young master of the Lu family.
"What are you talking about, Master Lu? You are already giving face to me, Old You, by coming forward to mediate. It's just... you didn't let me reveal in advance that you were there too. I haven't figured out the ins and outs of this." You Zhande asked curiously.
The Thousand-Faced God smiled and said:
"If you say it was me who invited us to meet, then today's matter is between my Lu family and his Zhao family. What does it have to do with you? When Lord Zhao arrives later, I will talk to him."
"Oh...Okay."
You Zhande vaguely felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't find any fault.
He turned around to look at his wife Youshi and his youngest son You Luer, and said with a stern face:
"When the time comes, both of you should behave yourself and apologize sincerely."
Yu Shi had long since lost her arrogance and was now humble and submissive:
"I will listen to you, Master."
The fat boy had been repeatedly warned by his parents, so he looked listless and obedient.
They waited for a while, and when the agreed time approached, the food and wine were placed on the table.
On the stairs, a beautiful maid came up, carrying a large, dark umbrella.
"Sir, the people are almost here."
The Thousand-Faced God's eyes lit up and he asked, "How many people are here?"
The blue bird replied, "He was the only one here, and he came on horseback."
"Okay." The Thousand-Faced God Lord snapped the folding fan in his hand, and his eyes flashed with a gleam of choosing someone to devour.
It's like an old hunter who has set a trap and is waiting for his prey to take the bait.
He turned his head to look at You Zhande who was a little confused, and smiled:
"Master You, why don't you go and greet him in person?"
…
“Da da da…”
The horse's hooves slowed down.
Zhao Duan pulled the reins, slowly slowed down the horse, and saw the elegant "Zuiyue Tower" in front of him.
The antique roof is surrounded by green bamboos, and the shop name on the plaque is written in exquisite handwriting, as if it was written by a calligrapher.
"Well. It's not very famous, but the environment is pretty good."
Zhao Duan felt better. When he arrived at the door, he found that You Zhande was already waiting with his head bowed.
Zhao Duan dismounted and threw the reins aside. The waiter at the inn downstairs came forward and said:
"My dear guest, I will take your mount to the stable."
The parking doorman is a yes.
"Master Zhao! You are here."
You Zhande, who was of plump build and had a tough and sturdy air of a warrior, bowed and smiled, without any trace of the arrogance he had that day.
Today he doesn't look like a householder, but more like a humble businessman.
As soon as he opened his mouth, he started to apologize.
It's nothing more than clichés like "not recognizing a great man" and "many offenses".
Zhao Duan didn't care whether he was sincere or not. He came here today just to settle this matter.
He nodded slightly and agreed.
After being led into the restaurant by You Zhande, he asked curiously:
“So few people?”
You Zhan De smiled and said:
"Today, as we're entertaining guests, I, Old You, have specially booked the entire building to avoid any outsiders being present and causing chaos. My wife is upstairs, and I don't dare let her come down and annoy you."
Tsk... you're really spending a lot of money. I misunderstood you... Zhao Duan was slightly surprised, nodded, and said magnanimously:
"It's all a misunderstanding."
"Yes, yes, it's all a misunderstanding," You Zhande said with a wide smile, leading him upstairs.
"Please come in. We have a distinguished guest here today, specially invited to accompany you."
Honored guest? Accompany me?
Zhao Duan was stunned. He had been busy hunting down the members of Kuangfu Society these days, and he had not wasted manpower on keeping an eye on the You family, so he was not sure who they had invited.
While wondering, the two of them went up to the second floor to the sound of music.
The first thing I saw was Mrs. You and the fat boy, who were waiting at the stairs with their heads down and a humble look on their faces.
The two men called out to others with a respectful look.
Then, Zhao Duan saw the elegant young man holding a folding fan sitting beside a large banquet table.
He met the other person's eyes with a cold smile.
It was not until this moment that Zhao Duan's martial arts warning was suddenly triggered, and a strong sense of danger suddenly surged into his heart.
At this time, the maid beside the young man had already opened the big black umbrella in her hand.
The black umbrella, which was half a person's height, was just opened.
On the umbrella surface, bloody handprints appeared, mixed with strange and twisted blood-colored runes.
With the umbrella as the center, circles of faint yellow-brown ripples spread out in all directions, covering the entire Zuiyue Tower.
Outside the building.
The sunlight was faintly distorted, as if the entire building was confined by a mysterious force field.
Second floor.
Zhao Duan suddenly felt dizzy, his whole body weak, dizzy, his nose blocked, his throat dry and itchy, his eyes watering, and his skin burning and flushing...
The energy that was subconsciously stimulated suddenly weakened.
It was like a severe cold in my previous life, with weakness all over my body and a strong urge to vomit.
"I'm poisoned!"
Zhao Duan staggered and grabbed the railing with one hand to avoid falling.
The sleeping dragon soul in the sea of qi showed some movement, but did not wake up.
It was just that the movement of inhaling and exhaling Qi was quietly speeding up, constantly purifying the Qi that had turned yellowish-brown.
However, the symptoms of poisoning could not be relieved immediately.
“Plop!”
“Plop!”
…
Amid the sounds of heavy objects falling, You Zhande's family, as well as the singer downstairs, the shopkeeper and his servants, were all poisoned and fell straight to the ground.
The weak ones fainted directly.
Some of the stronger ones, such as You Zhande, were still conscious, but their bodies were also weak. They looked at "Lv Baifeng" in astonishment, as if they realized something:
“You…you’re not…”
The maid named Bluebird carried a huge black umbrella covered with blood-colored talismans, and kept spinning the umbrella with an arrogant and cold look on her face.
The nobleman beside her stood up and ignored You Zhande. Instead, he looked at Zhao Duan with a smile and said:
"How does it feel to be the prey, Lord Zhao?"
Zhao Duan supported his body and blinked hard to clear his blurred vision.
His expression was extremely ugly, and he uttered a name:
"You are... the Thousand-Faced God!"
…
Imperial Palace.
In the imperial garden, next to a pavilion, the midday sun shines brightly.
Xu Zhenguan, the Queen of Dayu, stood by the pond and sprinkled some bait into the water, attracting goldfish to swarm for it.
"Big Ice Ball" Mochou stood aside, looking towards the south city, and said:
"Your Majesty, aren't you worried?"
(End of this chapter)
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