Chapter 926 A good master, with a bright future
After leaving Xuanzheng Hall, Lü Qianfeng led his men out of the city to search again. This time they went even further and could hardly see any human habitation. After a winter of frost and snow, the barren grasslands and mountains looked desolate, and this desolation seemed to be right in front of Lü Qianfeng as well.
Only when they could find nothing more did he lead his men back to the city.
After returning, Lü Qianfeng told everyone to go and rest, while he, looking disheveled, went to a tavern on the main street and sat by the window to drink alone. Time passed slowly, and before he knew it, he had drunk two jars of wine.
The moon is high in the sky.
After pouring the last drop of wine from the jar into the bowl, Lü Qianfeng impatiently called out, "Waiter, another jar, please!"
Upon hearing this, the waiter rushed in, but seeing the two empty jars on the table and Lu Qianfeng's flushed face, he could only smile apologetically and say, "Honorable guest, perhaps we should not drink it."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Lü Qianfeng flew into a rage and grabbed the waiter, demanding, "What do you mean? I ordered you to deliver wine, and you dare not?"
The waiter said with a forced smile, "Honorable guest, how could I dare? But you're alone, and our shop has a rule: solo customers can't drink three jars of wine, or they'll get drunk—"
Lu Qianfeng squinted at him: "Are you worried that I'll have no one to take care of me, or are you worried that I won't pay you?"
"hey-hey."
"Enough talk, bring me the wine!"
Lu Qianfeng shoved him away, but the alcohol was rising in his system, and he nearly fell over. Just then, a loud "bang" rang out as a wine jar slammed onto the table in front of him. Lu Qianfeng instantly sobered up a bit. He looked up and saw a somewhat familiar face approaching, smiling slightly at him, and then ordering, "Waiter, we've almost finished all the food here. How can we drink without some good dishes? Bring up some more good food!"
Upon seeing the newcomer, the waiter dared not delay and hurriedly responded before turning and running off.
Lu Qianfeng took a deep breath. His mind was still a little muddled, but he was also clearer. Seeing that the person had sat down next to him, he composed himself and said with a smile, "Brother Mu, what are you doing here?"
The person who came was none other than Mu Xian, whom he had met in the palace during the day.
Mu Xian slapped the mud seal open, poured a bowl of wine from the jar into him, and then said with a smile, "My brothers and I often come here to drink, but I never expected to run into Brother Lü today. I wonder if Brother Lü will mind—"
Lü Qianfeng became more sober.
Looking at the bowl Mu Xian handed him, he smiled and took it, but did not drink it immediately. Instead, he said, "What a coincidence."
Mu Xian laughed and said, "I've had nothing to do these days, so I came here to drink and relieve my boredom. What a coincidence."
“Brother Mu is a trusted confidant of the King of Qin and has always been destined for great things. How could he be idle?”
“Brother Lü, you’re joking, aren’t you? Even the King of Qin has nothing to do these days, let alone us subordinates. All we do every day is train the troops and take care of eating, drinking and other basic needs. There’s nothing else to do.”
As they were talking, Mu Xian poured himself a bowl of wine and clinked it against Lü Qianfeng's.
But Lü Qianfeng still didn't drink it.
He laughed and said, "Eating, drinking, and relieving oneself are already major life events."
Mu Xian said, "That's true."
"..."
"But the King of Qin raised us soldiers hoping we could fight on the battlefield, serve the court, and earn military merit to support our families. Now, we wear clothes and eat food for free, yet we can't even get a single military merit. If this continues, I'm afraid the King of Qin will—"
Lu Qianfeng's eyes flickered.
He vaguely sensed a deeper meaning in Mu Xian's words, but having just drunk two jars of wine, his mind, numbed by the alcohol, couldn't quite process it. He only vaguely grasped something that concerned him, muttering repeatedly, "Clothes are worn for nothing, food is eaten for nothing..."
Mu Xian laughed and said, "Indeed, who raises an army without cutting clothes and consuming food?"
"..."
"Moreover, the King of Qin has always been considerate of the people's plight. Our clothes are all made by the largest tailor shop in the city, and our grain is also the finest grain we buy. We spend money like water. Unlike other families, who use those flimsy fabrics that tear easily with every movement."
"..."
"I heard that some cloth shops in the south of the city specialize in selling this kind of cloth. People in the city don't wear it; they only send it out of the city."
Lu Qianfeng's expression gradually became serious. After glancing at Mu Xian's smiling eyes again, he felt a sense of clarity.
He remained silent for a long while, then finally picked up the bowl in his hand and gently tapped it against the wine bowl that Mu Xian had been holding in front of him, saying meaningfully, "Since Brother Mu has followed a good master who is considerate of his subordinates, then follow him well."
"..."
"Yes, Master, you have a bright future ahead of you."
Mu Xian smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words, brother."
After saying that, the two of them drank the wine in their bowls in one gulp. Just as they finished their bowls, the waiter brought over a tray with several side dishes. But before he could put it down, Lü Qianfeng stood up and said, "Brother Mu, consider this wine a debt I owe you. We've already drunk more than two jars, and I can't drink anymore."
Mu Xian laughed and said, "Brother Lü is destined for great things, so naturally he can't let drinking interfere with his plans."
"You flatter me."
"Okay, let's drink after the important matter is over."
After saying that, the two stood up and clasped their hands in greeting. The waiter stood aside, dumbfounded, watching the two men's strange words and actions, completely unable to react. Lu Qianfeng had already walked past him, tossed him a piece of silver.
The waiter, though flustered, immediately caught it. Although he didn't understand what had happened, he quickly thanked him, saying, "Thank you, esteemed guest!"
From afar, one could hear the sound of Lü Qianfeng's horse galloping away after he left the restaurant.
That night, a manor outside the city was raided under cover of darkness.
Based on the account records of the cloth shop owners who delivered clothes and the rice shop owners who delivered grain in the city, Lü Qianfeng estimated in advance that there were about a hundred people in the manor. Therefore, the Left Guard sent several hundred men to surround the manor. Although the manor was full of young and strong men who were skilled in martial arts and fighting, Lü Qianfeng revealed the imperial decree as soon as he appeared and warned them that if they dared to resist, they would be punished for treason. Although these people were very vigilant and picked up their swords as soon as they were surrounded, they ultimately did not dare to disobey the imperial decree, nor did they dare to bear the crime of treason. They could only obediently put down their weapons.
Lu Qianfeng immediately recognized from their clothing that they were the same group of people as the assassins who had been killed by guards and whose bodies had been sent to the morgue to intercept Pei Xingyuan.
He escorted the group back to the city and interrogated them overnight.
Before dawn, a clear and signed confession was delivered into Yuwen Yuan's Liangyi Hall.
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