Before we knew it, it was the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Little New Year.
Prefect Wu was hosting a grand banquet at his home. Lin Ansheng didn't want to attend, but since he wasn't the only one invited, there were also other generals from the military camp. Given the local official's position, it wasn't appropriate for him to refuse.
The banquet was held in the evening, and Lin Ansheng went to the banquet with the generals from the military camp who had been invited.
The banquet was very lavish, and Lin Ansheng overheard two generals whispering among themselves, saying that the position of Prefect Wu was very lucrative.
Hearing this, Lin Ansheng didn't react in any particular way. He was the general of the garrison here, and Prefect Wu was the local official. It was Prefect Wu's business to make money. As long as he didn't go too far in accumulating wealth, didn't make the local people suffer, didn't reach into the military camp, and didn't do anything dirty in the military camp, then it had little to do with him.
Throughout the country, there are many honest and upright officials, but there are also quite a few corrupt officials.
Lin Ansheng set a principle for himself: his responsibility was to train his soldiers well and protect the land and its people.
During the banquet, there were also dancers and singers invited by Prefect Wu to perform, and the atmosphere was quite nice.
The wine was mellow and easy to drink, and since the people sitting next to him were all acquaintances from the military camp, and it was the end of the year, Lin Ansheng couldn't help but drink a few more cups.
Prefect Wu, who was sitting at the head of the table with the military supervisor, saw that things were almost done and glanced at his advisor, who nodded slightly, indicating that everything had been arranged.
Lin Ansheng was still thinking about it when he noticed that this year, Prefect Wu's youngest daughter, Yao Niangzi, was sitting quietly in the women's section, not playing the zither as she had done in the past.
Presumably, it's because of what happened at Juxianlou last time that he's given up on me!
Thinking about it this way, Lin Ansheng suddenly felt that this Miss Hong had also done a good deed and helped him a lot.
I vaguely remember Peng Xian saying that Miss Hong and her entourage would be leaving Dawuguan after the New Year. At that time, that kid Peng Xian would definitely host a farewell banquet for Miss Hong.
Alright, you can pay for the banquet for her and her entourage yourself!
He was a general, his military pay was higher than his, and his pockets were fuller.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a bottle of Osmanthus Wine brewed by a master brewer at my master's request. Today, I would like to invite you, our distinguished guests, to taste and see what you think of it," said the steward of the Wu family as he stepped forward.
Immediately afterwards, the servants of the Wu household carried wine pots and went to each table.
"Osmanthus wine?" Lin Ansheng picked up the wine pot that had just been placed on the table in front of him, smelled it near the spout, and found it had a faint osmanthus fragrance. It smelled quite nice.
Seeing that the other guests had begun to taste the wine, Lin Ansheng poured herself a cup, thinking that if she didn't like it, she could simply not drink it.
As he poured wine from the wine jug in front of him, Prefect Wu and his advisor subconsciously looked over at Wu Jinyao, who was sitting in the women's section.
Seeing that she looked a little nervous, Prefect Wu gave his daughter a reassuring look.
Wu Jinyao tried to regulate her breathing and poured herself a glass of mead. What was about to happen would require courage.
Looking up at the person diagonally opposite who had already finished drinking his wine and poured another cup, both Prefect Wu and his advisor breathed a sigh of relief.
The wine actually only took a few sips to achieve the desired effect, and since he had drunk several cups, he was even more certain of success.
After tonight, with the support of the general's son-in-law, how could my future career path as prefect be anything but smooth?
The advisor nodded slightly to Wu Jinyao, who then got up and left her seat after receiving the signal.
At this moment, after drinking a few cups of osmanthus wine, Lin Ansheng felt her body start to heat up and she felt a little dizzy.
He glanced at the wine pot on the table and wondered, "Is this Osmanthus Wine strong? Or is it just that I can't hold my liquor?"
However, looking around, the other guests were still drinking with great enthusiasm.
Lin Ansheng stood up, wanting to get some fresh air outside the hall. She wondered if there were too many people in the banquet hall or if there were too many braziers.
The general next to him saw him get up and assumed he was going out to relieve himself or something, so he didn't pay any attention.
Besides, everyone knows General Lin; he drinks, but he's not addicted. Perhaps he drank a bit too much today.
Lin Ansheng stepped out of the hall and stood in the courtyard, enjoying the cool breeze, but the heat in her body showed no signs of abating.
"General, is there anything you need?" The steward walked up to Lin Ansheng and asked respectfully.
Lin Ansheng shook his head and said, "Perhaps the new wine brewed by your master is too strong. This general is a little overwhelmed by the alcohol. You go and do your own thing."
"General, why don't you go to the guest room and rest for a while?" the steward asked again.
Lin Ansheng nodded after hearing this: "Alright, lead the way."
The steward immediately picked up a lantern and led Lin Ansheng to the backyard, asking him whether he preferred strong or weak tea as they walked.
After wandering around for a while, Lin Ansheng arrived at the guest room of the Wu residence. The location was a bit out of the way, and there were no servants in the courtyard. She figured that since there was a banquet being held at the mansion today, they were probably all helping out in the front hall.
Upon entering the house, I found it nicely furnished and incense burning.
"Please wait a moment, General. I'll go make some tea right away," the steward said after inviting the man into the room.
"Hmm." Lin Ansheng felt unwell and forced a sound to suppress her discomfort.
In the front yard, Wu Jinyao, wearing a cloak, walked excitedly and nervously towards the back yard. She encountered the steward halfway there, but the steward simply nodded and left.
Meanwhile, back at the inn, after having dinner with the seven children and Quan Jinghuai at a restaurant, Hong Xiaoduo felt a little troubled after watching the children practice calligraphy for a while.
Today is the eve of the Lunar New Year. Regardless of whether this dynasty can be found in history books, some customs are the same.
Is it really true, as that old man said, that my parents are divorced and each has a new family and children of their own?
Hong Xiaoduo didn't want the children to notice her emotional fluctuations, so she greeted Quan Jinghuai and said she was going out for a stroll. Then she told Yuheng to take Yaoguang to sleep first and not to wait for her, and then she left the inn.
I wandered aimlessly, because it was the eve of the Lunar New Year, and at this hour, there were hardly any pedestrians on the street.
As they passed an alleyway, a person came towards them, walking unsteadily. Hong Xiaoduo guessed that he was probably a drunkard who had drunk too much.
So she deliberately moved aside.
However, as the two passed each other, Hong Xiaoduo realized that she recognized the drunkard as General Lin.
"General Lin?" Hong Xiaoduo greeted him.
This was Peng Xian's sworn brother, and Hong Xiaoduo didn't pretend not to know him.
Hearing someone call her name, Lin Ansheng tried to steady herself and see who it was. The voice sounded familiar.
"It's you?" Lin Ansheng opened his eyes wide and recognized her. Looking at her eyebrows and face, he felt a stronger reaction in a certain part of his body.
Uncontrollably, someone reached out and pulled the person in front of them into their arms...
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