Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 329: No Good Banquet
Name cards have always been divided into valuable and cheap ones. For wealthy people, gold-stamped name cards are not valuable enough, and they often need to be ingenious. For example, name cards made of polished green bamboo and engraved with words by skilled craftsmen; name cards made of thin sheets of pure silver... But these are often used by some high-profile people. After giving them away, the recipients will often return them in their original form.
After all, if someone could afford to send such a name card, he must be a high-ranking official, and ordinary people would not dare to accept it casually.
Zhang Shou sent invitations this time, not name cards. The style was simple, just a few lines of calligraphy on the material of ordinary name cards. His handwriting was not very good, although he had practiced right-hand calligraphy these days, but it was still a bit lacking in style, so Zhu Ying volunteered to do all the six invitations, and then Ah Liu carried them in his pocket to deliver them personally.
Zhu Tingfang sent soldiers from the Ruiqi Battalion who were "redeemed guilty for their merits" to guard all six households. Sixteen people were assigned to each household. Not to mention flies and mosquitoes could fly over, even humans could climb over the wall if they were agile enough.
However, the imperial court was powerful, and with the example of the eldest prince and Changlu County Magistrate Xu Cheng, most people did not dare to act rashly, no matter how resentful they were. Moreover, when they found out that the palace had been occupied and the situation was not good, they had secretly sent out several trusted family members to guard the palace. These people would come in handy when their house was surrounded this time.
This included Mr. Jiang, who "happened" not to be at the mansion when the siege took place, and so was able to stop the horse and file a complaint.
When Ah Liu knocked on the door of each house with the token given by Zhu Tingfang, there was naturally a lot of commotion inside. But before the person who received the invitation came out, Ah Liu, who was already in a hurry to complete the task, could not wait any longer and handed the invitations to the servants at the door in a panic. If they refused to accept them, he would just stuff them into their arms and then turn around and leave.
As for the Jiang family, the owner, Mr. Jiang, who happened to be away from home and had escaped the previous closure, the situation was different. Mr. Jiang went to stop Ma to complain, but Ah Liu cut off his dagger and carried him back to the county government office. He has not returned since then, but the Jiang family did not know about it. Not only did they not know about it, but there was no news about the head of the family outside. Young Master Jiang, who replaced his father to manage the household affairs, naturally accumulated great anxiety and resentment.
So, before Ah Liu could say what he wanted, Master Jiang rushed over. He believed that Ah Liu was just an errand boy, so he angrily cursed: "The most evil are those daring peasants. What have we, who are kind and generous, done wrong? Why did General Mingwei send someone to watch over my house? Is he trying to frame our Jiang family?"
A kind and generous family? Ah Liu's eyebrows immediately raised. He was originally indifferent to ordinary people, but at this moment, his coldness suddenly increased tenfold . He gave up the idea of taking out the invitation immediately without even thinking about it, and stepped forward.
This time, the pampered Mr. Jiang experienced the biggest nightmare of his life.
He was yelling at Ah Liu when the cold boy suddenly grabbed his neck and pressed him against the wall. His ambition to redress his father's grievances turned into panic, and he almost peed his pants. When he saw Ah Liu reaching into his arms with his free left hand to take something, he thought he was going to be killed, and he was so scared that he begged for mercy again and again.
"Brave man, let's talk. I didn't recognize the great man before. Brave man, please don't hold it against me..."
Before he could finish, Ah Liu had already taken out the last invitation and gently placed it on the trembling Jiang Da Shao's head. Then he said calmly, "Stand still, don't let anything fall."
Seeing Young Master Jiang's body stiffen immediately, but his back leaned against the courtyard wall and he dared not move, he nodded slightly with satisfaction and said, "Remember to be on time."
After saying this, Ah Liu turned and left. The servants who were watching saw that Jiang Da Shao had been released. They didn't know his origins, and they wanted to show their loyalty in front of the young master, so three or five of them rushed forward immediately, trying to teach this seemingly insignificant young man a lesson. However, before they could touch Ah Liu's clothes, they screamed.
The onlookers only saw these guys who were just full of energy lying on the ground wailing, and Young Master Jiang, who wanted to move, shivered with fear and hurriedly raised his hand to support the unknown thing on his head. But just as he raised his hand, he saw a flash of cold light in front of his eyes, and then heard a cry of surprise from the people around him, and the next moment, he felt his head suddenly heavy.
At that moment, Young Master Jiang was so frightened that his soul flew out of his body. His eyes rolled back and he was about to fall down, but he miraculously stood upright and did not fall down! Not only that, he was about to faint but he cried out in pain and woke up again.
The servants and domestic servants around no longer dared to chase and intercept Ah Liu. They watched him clap his hands and walk away, and then hurriedly surrounded Young Master Jiang. They saw that the young master who had been so aggressive before had his hair bun and the invitation card shot through by an arrow. At this moment, the arrow was stuck in the wall, nailing his hair bun to the wall. No wonder he was standing still.
Until a brave man comforted Young Master Jiang with a few words, and then reached out to pull out the arrow, but ended up pulling Young Master Jiang's scalp, causing him to cry out in pain. He could only carefully untie Young Master Jiang's bun and then take out the arrowhead.
Being extremely frightened, and for the first time in his life, he felt the feeling of being shot by an arrow. Young Master Jiang's thighs trembled, and he finally stood up with the help of others. He saw a servant carefully bring the pierced paper to him, and he immediately gnashed his teeth in hatred. But he snatched it away and was about to tear it into pieces, but suddenly stopped stiffly.
Just now, he almost caused a disaster in a moment of impulse. If he gets into trouble again, no one will help him to clean up the mess without his father! The situation is stronger than the person. His family used to be the richest in Xicheng, but compared with the imperial envoy from the capital, they are nothing!
After opening the invitation, Young Master Jiang's hands, which were already shaking slightly, began to shake even more. His thoughts of seeking revenge also flew to Java. But even so, he still managed to utter four words with his lips still trembling.
"Too much!" The seal on the top was the imperial envoy's seal, but the two characters at the end were written in a flourish. He could not recognize them after careful examination! But even if he did not know whether the person who hosted the banquet was General Zhu Tingfang, what else could he do?
Whether he felt that he was being bullied too much or that he was unwilling to accept the humiliation, Young Master Jiang still did not dare to ignore this invitation that was sent by someone else in an unconventional way. In the afternoon, he changed into a new outfit, combed his hair again, and then carefully selected a few strong servants who might be useful at a critical moment and came to the gate.
But as soon as the servant opened the door, he saw a plain black oil carriage parked outside. In addition to the driver, there were two followers in front and behind. A soldier from the Ruiqi Battalion who was ordered to guard the Jiang family came up to him, gave him a cold look, and then said stiffly: "You are the only one invited to the banquet, you don't need to bring the others."
Young Master Jiang had been hit hard the whole day, and although he was furious, he still had to put on a brave face and try to protest: "My lord, I feel a little unwell, can't I bring two people to serve me?"
Thinking of the humiliation of being stripped naked and thrown into the underground stone chamber, the soldier of the Ruiqi Battalion disliked these greedy rich people. Although he hated the rioters first, if these guys had not colluded with the eldest prince, how could they be so unlucky? So, he immediately sneered sinisterly.
"If you are not feeling well, don't force yourself to go to the county government office. I'll call a doctor for you and you can just lie down in bed."
Young Master Jiang couldn't help but feel a chill all over his body, and the little bit of momentum he had managed to muster up disappeared completely .
He glanced at the servants behind him who dared not say a word, and suddenly felt that he could not rely on them, so he could only smile and express his willingness to leave them at home. But when he got on the carriage that was so simple that it could be called shabby, he gradually became a little nervous and felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
When the palace was changed yesterday, his father was not at home, so he avoided being trapped at home. He felt that he had a strong supporter outside, so he was not panicked. But now his father is missing, and his two younger brothers who have been trying to please him and get more of the family property are pretending to be sick. He, as the acting head of the family, has to stand up and take responsibility, and he feels the pressure.
Moreover, he just hit a wall when he tried to show off his power to the boy who was supposed to be just a servant.
Now, they said it was an invitation to a banquet, but the person who sent the invitation and the guards outside the house were so domineering. How could we know if it was a banquet without a good banquet or a meeting without a good meeting, or was it simply a Hongmen Banquet? They planned to detain him and his father together and completely destroy the entire Jiang family?
The more Young Master Jiang thought about it, the more pessimistic and desperate he became. He wanted to open the curtain to see what was happening on the streets of Cangzhou, but when he reached out to pull it, the curtain didn't budge. When he looked closer, he saw that it was nailed shut, which made him even more anxious. When the carriage finally stopped and the driver urged him to get off, the handkerchief he used to wipe the sweat off his forehead was already a little wet.
But no matter how nervous he was, he still had to bite the bullet and get off the car. In the past, he had come to the Changlu County Court at least ten times a year, and the doormen had known him for a long time. Every time, they would come forward with a smile on their faces, and then express gratitude for the few tips that slipped through his fingers. But at this moment, two doormen he was very familiar with stood there motionless.
They actually looked a bit like the soldiers from the Sharp Cavalry Battalion in front of his door... I don't know if they did it on purpose to show him.
"Nephew Jiang!"
Hearing this voice, Young Master Jiang quickly looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Mr. Qi, who had always been on good terms with his father, Mr. Jiang, getting off another car. He quickly walked over. Before he could ask any questions, Mr. Qi had already patted his shoulder with a smile, with an expression that said, "I have high hopes for you, my young man," and then walked into the county government office with him.
Seeing that no one followed him after he entered the door, Mr. Qi lowered his voice and said, "Do you know about your father's affairs? Today, Commander Du of the Left Camp of the Ruiqi Battalion arrived in Cangzhou a day late. Your father took a few people who were kept outside by various families for emergency use and went to stop the horses to complain. As a result..."
Young Master Jiang felt as if all the hairs on his body stood up, and he couldn't help but stutter when he spoke: "What...what was the result?"
Mr. Qi seemed to look at Mr. Jiang with some pity, and then he whispered, "Because Commander Du ignored him, your father was so upset that he took out a dagger and wanted to commit suicide on the spot to prove his innocence."
Seeing Young Master Jiang take a step back and seem unable to stand steadily, Qi Yuanwai quickly stepped forward and grabbed him. Thinking that his father was a hero but his son was a coward, he had to comfort him in a friendly manner: "Don't worry, nephew, I haven't finished talking yet! Fortunately, someone stopped him in time. Your father just fainted due to emotional excitement. He may still be in the county government office now. Maybe you can see him later."
You old man, can't you just say all your words at once? Do you know how scared I was just now?
Young Master Jiang was so angry that he almost cursed his mother, but he felt that he had survived a disaster. He didn't know how expensive firewood and rice were until he took charge of the household. He actually only managed the household for a little over a day, but he was exhausted. When he heard that his father might commit suicide to show his determination, he felt like the sky had fallen. At this moment, no matter how angry he was, he didn't dare to say anything bad, and had to flatter this annoying old man.
"Uncle Qi, you know that I am just a young man, and my father used to be the boss of the family. At today's banquet, you elders make the decisions, and I just follow behind. Alas, now I know that peace is a blessing!"
Qi Yuanwai chuckled but did not answer until he saw a young man with a straight figure, different from the servants, coming out to greet him. He then coughed lightly and said word by word, "Although I am a little more informed than you, I dare not say that I understand the situation. I am afraid that the host of today's banquet is not General Mingwei. Anyway, let's help each other."
What else could Young Master Jiang do? He could only nod his head to show that he was willing to follow in their footsteps... Because if he didn't follow these cunning elders, he had no idea how to face the next scene!
The invitation only said that the banquet would be held at the county government office, but did not mention the specific location. When they followed the taciturn young man all the way west and saw a building in the distance, Mr. Qi and Mr. Jiang both changed their expressions.
The building over there...isn't it the county jail? Could it be that they are planning to host a banquet in the jail to entertain them? If that's the case, it means that the real purpose has been exposed and there is no room for maneuver!
However, when they got closer, they found that there was a round table at the foot of the prison wall. Several people in police uniforms were busy. When they looked closely, they recognized them all. They were all familiar faces that they had interacted with in the past. Except for them, the rest of the guests seemed to have not arrived yet. Faced with such a strange situation, Young Master Jiang felt uneasy.
"If the talks fail, will the imperial envoy throw us directly into jail?"
Mr. Qi's face was also very ugly. He took a deep breath and then lowered his voice and said, "We will take it one step at a time. If it really doesn't work, then no matter what the conditions are, just agree to it first. If you have a green mountain, you will not be afraid of running out of firewood. If you are treated as a fat sheep and slaughtered, you have to accept it first."
Seeing that the young man leading the way had quietly retreated, he sneered and said, "The Imperial Censor of the Capital is not a vegetarian!"
