Chapter 198 Banquet

December 19th.

In recent years, Prince Qiao has been exiled to Junzhou and rarely sees people from Chang'an. Recently, Prince Yong and his wife came, and Prince Qiao was very happy. He has been feasting for several days. Last night, the banquet lasted until midnight. The masters were drunk and slept in the house today. The Prince Qiao's mansion was quiet all morning. Only at 9 o'clock did servants come and go to prepare lunch for the masters.

In the courtyard east of Prince Qiao's mansion, the servants did not hear anyone calling out from inside and thought that Prince Yong and his wife were still asleep, so they all kept watch from a distance, not daring to disturb the distinguished guests.

But in fact, the two people in the room had already woken up. Ming Huashang pinched her brows tiredly, thinking that having fun was also a physically demanding job. In order to perform a complete role, she had been staying in the front hall every day until the banquet was over. If she continued to make trouble like this, she would be exhausted before Prince Qiao caught her.

Fortunately, such a life of debauchery will soon come to an end. Ming Huashang held the latest urgent report in his hand and said to Li Huazhang: "The news just came from the Chang'an stronghold. Last night, Empress Wei summoned the prime minister to the palace and announced that the emperor had passed away. She asked Shangguan Wan'er to draft an imperial edict to make the fourth prince Li Chongmao the new emperor. The report of the new emperor's succession is on the way. I'm afraid that in a few days, the various military governors and provincial governors will know that Chang'an has a new emperor."

Li Huazhang was not surprised and said, "We have spies in Chang'an, as well as Prince Qiao and the governor of Jiannan. They will receive the news in two days at the latest and will definitely be on guard. We must act before they get the news. There is no time to waste, let's do it tonight."

Ming Huashang was in a dilemma: "But, Chuzhou's troops were only transferred on the afternoon of the 17th, and I'm afraid they haven't gone far yet. Is it too risky for us to act now?"

"This is actually a good opportunity," Li Huazhang said. "Once the army is on the move, the situation is out of our control. With so many people on the road, communication is not smooth, and the journey is tiring. Let's not even talk about whether the message can reach them. Even if the messenger can find the main force and turn back, it will cause a lot of turmoil. We are well-rested and have a great chance of winning. We might as well take a chance and capture Junzhou before they can react."

Ming Huashang always believed in her brother. If he said he could succeed, he would definitely do it. She no longer hesitated and stood up and said, "Okay, I will go and tell them to act according to the plan tonight."

At noon, Princess Qiao had just finished dressing up and invited Ming Huashang to have lunch. After lunch, Ming Huashang suggested taking a walk in the garden to digest the food. On the way, she said to Princess Qiao: "We are sorry to have troubled Prince Qiao and Princess Qiao to entertain us these days. Tonight, I would like to invite everyone to Wangxian Tower. My husband and I will host and reward everyone. Bring along the people close to my brother and sister-in-law. Thank you for your care these days. Let's have fun together."

Princess Qiao heard this and said quickly, "How can this be possible? You are here as guests in Junzhou, how can I let you spend money?"

"Yes." Ming Huashang held Princess Qiao's hand and said with a smile, "It's only right to return the favor. The princess has been bothering her so much these past few days. If you and Prince Qiao don't go, we will be embarrassed to continue living in Prince Qiao's mansion."

Ming Huashang was sweet-looking, and her eyes were crooked when she smiled, which was very contagious. Princess Qiao was flattered and felt very comfortable. She smiled and said, "Okay, I'll tell the prince. You guys are just too polite. We are brothers, why do you have to be so fussy about this?"

"Yes, they are all brothers." Ming Huashang thought of Prince Qiao's deliberate attempt to kill Li Huazhang, his eyes darkened, and he smiled softly, "We are family, so I won't be distant with you, sister-in-law. There is one more thing I want to ask you for help with, Prince Yong has a cold personality and is not good at socializing, so I would like to ask you to invite all the civil officials, military officials, and local gentry from Junzhou. We are new here, and if we don't invite everyone, it would be impolite."

Princess Qiao was very happy. Upon hearing this, she took it and said, "No problem. Leave it to me. I will make sure you guys have a great time tonight."

The news that Prince Yong was going to host a banquet spread quickly. It was said that Prince Yong had booked the entire Wangxian Tower, and all the famous people in Junzhou received invitations. This was the son of Prince Zhang Huai, a legitimate grandson of the emperor, and a member of a prominent family. Everyone in Junzhou felt proud and dressed up happily to attend the banquet.

The banquet started at twilight hour, and Wangxian Tower was already bustling with activity. The road in front of the gate was blocked by carriages and horses. The lights in the tower were bright, and the fragrance was as warm as spring. It was the middle of winter, but the beauties were wearing light skirts and walking up and down the floors. The flower ornaments that fell from their foreheads were swept away by the shawls, and from a distance they looked like they were covered with a layer of gold powder. Prince Qiao and Princess Qiao were the last to arrive. Ming Huashang and Li Huazhang came out to greet them in person. Prince Qiao walked up the stairs and smiled, "I'm late. I've kept you waiting for a long time."

"Where?" Li Huazhang looked at Prince Qiao with clear eyes and said slowly, "I am very happy that Prince Qiao is willing to come. The others are inside, Prince Qiao, please come in."

Prince Qiao finally enjoyed the treatment that he could not have dreamed of in Chang'an. When Li Huazhang was a minister, he was famous in the capital. After he was restored to his status, even though his biological mother was not his legal wife, he was still noble and elegant because he was the only child of Crown Prince Zhang Huai. The people around him were all heirs of various mansions. At first it was Li Chongrun, then it became Li Chongjun, and no matter what, it would never be his turn, Li Chongfu.

But now, Li Huazhang still had to greet him at the door and hold a special banquet for him. Li Huazhang, who was so highly regarded by the Empress Dowager and the ministers, now seemed to be nothing more than this.

As Prince Qiao entered the gate, he was greeted by the bustle and splendor, as if he had instantly returned from the cold and gloomy Junzhou to Chang'an, where all nations came to pay tribute. People passing by stopped to talk and greeted him. Prince Qiao was treated with unprecedented attention, and he felt like he was already drunk even though he hadn't drunk any wine.

Li Huazhang saw Li Chongfu's expression, but he remained calm. He invited Li Chongfu to the seat of honor as a distinguished guest and toasted him three times. When others saw this, they couldn't help but toast as well. Seeing that Li Huazhang, who was known for his coldness and aloofness, was so enthusiastic about him, Prince Qiao became more and more interested and accepted all the drinks. After a while, his face turned red.

King Yong gave King Qiao enough face today. Not only did he take the initiative to toast King Qiao, but also the people around King Qiao toasted one by one. Everyone was in high spirits and drank one cup after another. As they toasted and exchanged cups, it was already the 10:00 p.m.

Ming Huashang was watching singing and dancing with the ladies on the second floor. The place was much quieter. She glanced at the hourglass, called the maid calmly, and said softly: "Go downstairs to remind His Highness that it is the hour of the night."

The maid didn't understand what was going on, so she took the order and left. She quickly walked through the lights and the wine table, knelt down behind Li Huazhang, and said respectfully, "Your Highness, the princess asked me to remind you that it's the 10:00 p.m."

Li Huazhang nodded calmly and stood up without any hurry. When the others saw him, they thought that Li Huazhang was going to toast again, but he walked down the platform empty-handed, passed through the banquet hall where people were toasting, and stopped in front of the main entrance. The crowd fell silent unconsciously. Li Huazhang looked around and said with his hands behind his back, "Thank you all for coming today. I have prepared a show for you. Please forgive me if I am not entertaining you well enough."

When the people on both sides heard that there was more to come, they all said, "King Yong is too polite."

Li Huazhang smiled faintly, took out a fire arrow from his sleeve in full view of everyone, said "you're welcome" in a clear and noble manner, then lit the fuse and released the fire arrow.

Although he was in such a place, his eyes were bright, his demeanor was clear, and he was as dignified as the snow on the mountain. The wine, sex and wealth seemed to have no chance to infect the corners of his clothes. Prince Qiao felt that something was wrong with Li Huazhang. The show was in the wine house, why did he need to set off a firecracker? But he had drunk too much and his mind was not working. He just staggered and saw the firecracker shot into the sky and exploded into fireworks with a bang. Li Huazhang stood sideways in front of the door. Behind him, fireworks were falling silently from the sky. He opened his lips gently, his voice was still so gentle and polite, and he said calmly: "The show begins."

A group of dancers dressed in foreign costumes came in one after another. The strange thing was that they were all men. They walked behind Li Huazhang and automatically separated into two lines like a stream. Li Huazhang, wearing a dark purple round-necked robe, stood at the door of the dazzling and gorgeous banquet hall. He was out of place, but he was like a pillar in the stream.

The dancers walked onto the central stage, forming a formation of three or five, beating drums and singing. However, unlike the usual banquets, they sang the song of Lanling King's Battle. Everyone showed a look of understanding. It turned out that Li Huazhang had specially prepared a program. Someone raised his wine glass and said from a distance: "Prince Yong is thoughtful. It is rare to see such a murderous song recently. Prince Yong's taste is indeed different from others."

Li Huazhang looked at them and smiled softly: "You will like it."

The tower stood quietly in the darkness. It was almost time to change guard. The soldier on the watchtower yawned. He heard an explosion and was alert, but then he saw that it came from the direction of Wangxian Tower and relaxed.

He looked at the Wangxian Tower with envy, which was shining brightly in the dark and looked like a palace in heaven. Even from such a distance, he could almost hear the singing and dancing inside. While he was lost in thought, under the shadow of the city wall, a man in black quietly polished his short knife, sheathed it, and casually patted the dirt off his body: "The show begins."

Because the governor, the imperial guard, and the military commander were all attending a banquet at Wangxian Tower, the curfew tonight was in name only. In the barracks, the soldiers were drinking and playing finger-guessing games. Zhao Xing walked in from outside and saw that the discipline was so lax. He couldn't help but frowned: "For those on duty, drinking and gambling are not allowed in the barracks."

"Captain Zhao," someone said, "Prince Qiao is attending a banquet in Wangxian Tower, so he won't even notice us. We've been working hard for a year, and it's rare that Prince Yong has sent us some good wine. Let's relax for a while."

Zhao Xing was helpless, but he knew that the law could not punish the masses. Everyone was drinking happily, and no one would listen to him, so why spoil the fun? He waved his hand to push the wine pot away, frowned and walked away, just to avoid seeing it. He walked fast, so he didn't see it. The black shadow flashed by under the treetops, as if the wind blew the tree.

蘇行止靠在牆上，對着另一邊打手勢，示意前面沒人。明雨霁點點頭，拿出口哨，婉轉吹響一段鳥語，告訴外面的玄枭衛，他們已經成功混入府兵營地。

随後，她收起哨子，望着黑暗中渾然不覺的軍營，低不可聞道：“節目開始了。”

一個長相其貌不揚的侍女快步上樓，附在明華裳耳邊，低聲說了什麽。明華裳聽到明雨霁和蘇行止已成功混入軍營，謝濟川也帶着人在城樓就位，不動聲色點頭。谯王妃見明華裳眼睛冷淡，臉上一點笑都沒有，不由問：“雍王妃，你們說什麽呢，宴會上還有這麽多話？”

明華裳歪頭，眼眸宛如鹿瞳，認真無辜地笑了笑：“看節目呢。”

很快又有其他官太太和谯王妃說話，谯王妃沒當回事，馬上轉頭去應酬了。明華裳默默算着時間，按腳程，任遙的精兵應該快到均州城了，希望謝濟川趕得及開城門。

均州城外。

這裏已經能看得到城牆上的火把，任遙悄無聲息爬下土坡，随行将領們見任遙回來，忙擁過來：“大将軍，現在該怎麽辦？”

他們只有五百人，不能像常規攻城戰那樣圍攻，只能智取。任遙想了想，說：“派一隊先鋒爬上城牆，殺掉瞭望臺的人，開城門；其餘人做好僞裝，悄悄靠近城牆，一打開城門就沖進去。”

将領們面面相觑，戰術沒問題，但問題在于，誰去開城門呢？

任遙和李華章配合是秘密，所以現在除了任遙，其餘人并不知道李華章會派人在城牆裏接應。其他人理所當然覺得他們得爬上城牆，殺掉城樓上的人，再沖下城樓，穿過敵人的陣列開城門。可以預見，這是一條用血夯出來的路，稍有不慎就要丢命，而功勞卻是後面人的。

憑什麽？

衆人沉默，無聲勝過有聲。任遙意識到其他人的态度，狠狠皺眉，正要說什麽，一道聲音冷不丁從旁邊插入：“大将軍，我願請命。”

副将們回頭，意外看到這個不要命的愣頭青竟然是江陵。他們當然認識這個人，江安侯的兒子，太平公主的心腹，只可惜一朝天子一朝臣，如今輪到韋家人掌權，昔日威風凜凜的太平公主也得低頭認慫，何況太平公主的附庸家族呢？江家失勢，江陵也跟着被冷落，只不過人家終究是世子，羽林軍衆人也不敢太得罪，依然以禮相待，就當羽林軍裏養了個閑人。

江陵原本也安然過着他的閑人日子，但前段時間他不知道發什麽失心瘋，非要跟着隊伍一起來均州。羽林軍衆人以為他是來混功勞，見上面人沒說什麽，他們便也默認了。但現在這位惹不得的侯二代又在抽風，說要帶先遣隊攻城門？

開什麽玩笑，軍隊中也有人情世故，這種危險任務一般都是無權無勢、背後無人的寒門兵卒去，哪有世子爺身先士卒的？副将們齊齊沉默，心照不宣将得罪人的話交給任遙說。任遙在看到江陵的時候就皺着眉，此刻實在忍無可忍，斥道：“你在做什麽？回去，服從命令。”

江陵垂下眼睛，身體卻不肯動，犟道：“遵命，但我還是要說，我願意當先鋒，替大部隊開城門。反正大将軍總要派人去，為何我不行？”

其他副将雖然不懂江陵為什麽這麽做，但有人願意送死，他們求之不得。一個人說道：“任将軍，江世子說得也有道理。他在羽林軍已久，熟悉人手，弓馬娴熟，由他帶人去，在合适不過。”

他弓馬娴熟個屁！任遙心裏罵了一句，但當着衆人的面，江陵那個傻子犟着脖子不肯改口，任遙也不好包庇，只能再一次暗示：“江世子，你可是有爵位在身的人，你當真想清楚了？”

江陵聽到她像別人一樣叫他江世子，心裏苦笑，哪怕他進入羽林軍已經三年了。他垂下眼睫，目光苦澀而平淡：“我再清楚不過。”

江陵死不悔改，當着衆人的面，任遙能說什麽，只能無奈同意。正如他所說，他已經在羽林軍三年了，得到軍令後，江陵回去沒多久就召集齊一隊人。他們一行人趁着夜色掩護，像一陣風一樣穿過平原，貼到城牆根。

同行的龔勇氣不過，憤憤道：“任将軍真是忘恩負義，早些年江頭兒那麽照顧她，如今她找到靠山就背信棄義，讓江頭兒來當炮灰。仔細論起來，江頭兒的官銜還比她高呢，要不是她谄媚皇後，輪得到她發號施令？”

“住嘴。”江陵小心看了眼上方，冷了臉道，“是我主動請命的，和任将軍無關，任将軍只是秉公辦事而已。還有，不得妄議朝事，要是出了事，我可保不住你們。”

龔勇哪裏不知如今世道變了，韋家人的閑話說不得，但他就是氣不過：“別人就不說了，任遙她憑什麽？她剛進羽林軍的時候，連個屁都算不上，是你特意找人和她換班，背地裏教訓想占她便宜的人。你為她得罪了那麽多人，如今她抱上大腿就和你裝不認識，這種水性楊花的女人……”

“夠了。”江陵素來大大咧咧，完全沒有小侯爺的架勢，如今他徹底冷了臉，眼中的光像要殺人一樣，龔勇不由脊背發冷，一句話都說不出來了。

原來江陵不像他表現的那樣混不吝，他也有冷酷的時候，只不過以前他不願意被人發現。但剛才龔勇的話，徹底觸怒了江陵。

江陵刀片一樣的目光刮過衆人，被他看到的人不由自主低頭。江陵冷冷道：“我說過，這一切都是我自己選的，和任何人無關。龔勇，回去後領四十軍棍，再妄議任将軍，別怪我不留情面，以軍法論處。”

其中一個士兵看不過去，道：“江頭兒，你罰的未免太重了，龔勇也是替你打抱不平。”

“如果你們認我是頭兒，就要真心擁護他，你們對我可以沒大沒小，但一定要尊敬她。”江陵說到後半截，語氣不受控變軟，像此刻懸在曠野上的月亮一樣，纏綿又悲傷，“她是女子，僅在全是男人的官場裏立足就很不容易了，有些時候，她也沒得選。她已經做到她能力範圍內的最好了。”

她很好，不喜歡他不是她的錯。雖然他們兩人無緣，但他還是很喜歡她。

江陵仰頭看向高不可攀的城牆，剛才他等在城牆下就是為了算巡邏隊伍的規律，現在這一輪完了，巡邏的人一時半會兒不會回來。江陵從背後拿出鐵爪，勁力十足在手中轉動，猛地抛向城牆：“所有人，跟我走。”

他喜歡的姑娘，值得世間最好的。只要她能高興，他願意不惜一切代價，讓她如願。

繩索像暗夜裏的觸手，無聲無息攀上城牆，幾個黑影如蜘蛛一樣快速朝上攀爬。龔勇的鐵爪沒抓牢，眼看只剩下最後幾步，鐵爪倏地崩開，龔勇雙手一松就要往後墜去。千鈞一發之際，一只手從旁邊伸出，牢牢拽住了龔勇的胳膊。

龔勇驚魂未定擡頭，看到江陵半個身子攀在城牆外，他咬緊腮幫子，手臂上青筋迸現，硬是将龔勇拉上城牆。

龔勇跟着用力，他的手終于能夠到磚塊，他立刻抓緊，縱身一躍跳入裏面。經歷這一遭，兩人都氣喘籲籲，龔勇擦掉額頭上的冷汗，別別扭扭不知怎麽道謝。江陵像能聽到心聲一樣，用力拍了拍他的肩膀，笑道：“你還欠着四十軍棍呢，活着回去領罰。”

龔勇擡頭，看到江陵黑亮純淨的眼睛，也不由笑了，擡起拳頭輕輕撞了江陵一下。江陵沒有在意，笑了聲道：“走吧，去幹活。”

兩個男人剛才的不愉快，就在這相視一笑中化解。龔勇知道這位江小将軍豪爽大方，仗義疏財，但也有一些事，他決不允許任何人冒犯。

那就是，他們軍中另一位将軍。

江陵潛行在城牆上，一邊往城下摸，一邊殺死沿路的巡邏士兵。前方是一個瞭望臺，江陵藏在木頭下，聽到頭頂上有聲音慢慢靠近，他猛地翻身穿過木縫，拔刀向對方喉嚨襲去。然而對方似乎也早有防備，撤身一步，舉刀将偷襲擋住。

今夜的月色像浸着一汪寒水，溶溶淡淡，冷冷清清，刀片掠過月光，飛快反射出一道雪影，同時照亮了兩人的眼睛。

江陵一愣，再三打量對面只露出一雙眼睛的蒙面人，不确定道：“謝濟川？”

刀上的力道松了，黑衣人铮地将短刀收回鞘內，沒好氣道：“你考核到底是怎麽過的，沒人告訴你做任務時遇到同僚，要叫代號嗎？”

江陵撓撓頭，這才想起來确實有這麽一回事：“哎呀，忘了。你也知道，每次考核我不是倒數第一就是倒數第二，實在記不清了。”

Xie Jichuan thought of another person who was competing fiercely with Jiang Ling for the last place - Ming Huashang, who was now suspected to be the person in charge of Xuanxiaowei. He rolled his eyes and became more worried about himself: "I actually have to work with you guys for the rest of my life, it's ridiculous."

More and more soldiers fell down, and someone finally noticed something was wrong. The shouts and cries on the city wall became more intense. Jiang Ling and Xie Jichuan repeatedly stopped them, but they finally let someone beat the war drums on the city wall. Zhao Xing had just laid down when he suddenly heard the drums of the enemy attack and suddenly jumped up: "Oh no, someone is attacking!"

He hurriedly put on his clothes and went to the front to gather soldiers. When he stepped out of the gate, he felt something was wrong and instinctively stepped back, just in time to avoid a hidden weapon. Ming Yuji saw that his attack missed and was about to chase again, but Su Xingzhi rushed over from behind and whispered, "You go to the front to kill the others, leave this to me."

Ming Yuji glanced at him quickly, worried about his wound. Su Xingzhi had already drawn his sword and started fighting with Zhao Xing, saying, "Let's go, we can't keep the secret of Wangxian Tower secret for much longer."

Zhao Xing had just woken up, his head was still buzzing, and he suddenly woke up after hearing their words. So that's it, the so-called Yong Wang banquet was just a trap. Yong Wang gathered all the senior officials of Junzhou to Wangxian Tower, and this group of men in black sneaked into the barracks to assassinate the middle-level generals. The top leaders lost contact, the middle-level non-commissioned officers who were not qualified to attend the banquet were killed, and the soldiers below were leaderless and lost their fighting power, and could only be slaughtered. At this time, their accomplices opened the city gate, and the army outside the city could drive straight in!

What a clever and vicious plot. Just killing a few people would turn the tide of the battle. Zhao Xing hurriedly blocked the horizontal sword. He didn't know what the other person was doing, but his arms were very strong, so Zhao Xing had a hard time holding on. He stared at the face of the person covered by the black cloth, trying to see something in his eyes: "Who are you?"

Why did they want to launch a surprise attack on Junzhou? Why did they get Prince Yong to cooperate? Why did they know where he lived? Why were they able to plan such a large-scale operation silently?

Su Xingzhi said nothing. He noticed that Zhao Xing's eyes moved to the left, which meant that he was planning to sneak attack with his knife. He pretended to fall into the trap, and when Zhao Xing approached, he drew a dagger with his left hand and stabbed Zhao Xing in the abdomen without hesitation, killing him with one blow.

Zhao Xing stared at Su Xingzhi until his death, wanting to know who killed him. Su Xingzhi pulled out the dagger, carefully wiped off the blood, sighed and closed his eyes: "I am used to holding farm tools, and my left hand is actually stronger. You and I have no grudges, in the next life, remember to stay away from people with the surname Li, and don't get involved in the affairs of the royal family."

In the Wangxian Tower, there was endless singing and dancing, and the drums on the stage covered up most of the strange noises. But those who had the courage to join the prince in seizing the throne were not all good-for-nothings. After all, someone still felt that the noise outside was strange. He opened the window and saw shouts and screams coming from the direction of the city gate, and the military camp was on fire. The guest was startled, and suddenly reacted: "No, there is an enemy attack!"

These words were like a drop of water falling into the ocean, instantly creating ripples, and panic spread rapidly as if it had legs. The officials stood up half drunk and half awake, and immediately wanted to leave, but it was too late. Li Huazhang was sitting at the top, still looking elegant and noble. He clapped his hands three times, and the exotic dancers on the stage immediately changed their expressions, and drew their weapons from under the stage, swinging their knives at the officials.

Prince Qiao suddenly sobered up from his drunken stupor. He looked up and found Princess Qiao lying on the table on the second floor, not knowing whether she was dead or alive. Ming Huashang, who had been like a vase, was gone. He tensed up and pretended to be calm, saying, "Prince Yong, what are you doing?"

Li Huazhang turned around and actually smiled at Prince Qiao, his voice still as polite as ever: "The show is only halfway through, please stay here and watch the whole show, Prince Qiao."

At this point, how could Prince Qiao not understand what Li Huazhang wanted to do? He stood up and wanted to run. However, just as he moved, the wine pouring girl behind him, whom he had never looked at, suddenly pulled out a dagger from her sleeve and pointed it at Prince Qiao's throat, just a hair away from his blood vessels. Prince Qiao was almost scared to death and said tremblingly: "Prince Yong, what do you want to do?"

"I've already said it." Li Huazhang stood up calmly, his face as cold as snow, "Please stay upstairs and watch the show. Anyone who dares to leave will be killed."