A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 121: Neither the Hongmen Banquet nor the Gathering of Heroes

In Fengling City on the western border of Lang State, County Magistrate Qian Yue, County Lieutenant Yi Shan, and General Zheng Nan successively received invitations personally delivered by the housekeeper of Prince Xian's Mansion. The Prince Xian, who always liked peace and quiet, suddenly took the initiative to invite them to a banquet, which made Yi Shan and Zheng Nan puzzled, so they went to find County Magistrate Qian at the same time:

"I secretly inquired and found out that the King only invited the three of us to the banquet."

"In your opinion, is this sudden invitation to a banquet hosted by the King of Xian a Hongmen Banquet or a gathering of heroes?"

In the study room of the Qian residence, Yi Shan and Zheng Nan were the first to speak, and Qian Yue sat aside and drank tea silently. When the two finished talking, he was so happy that he couldn't help laughing. He didn't expect things to go so smoothly. In his heart, he couldn't help but sneer at Xian Wang Li Xu. What kind of a virtuous king with a broad mind is just a pretense under the halo of pampered, rich and honorable. Once he was trapped in this dark quagmire, wouldn't his true colors be exposed, driven by desire?

"Why is Lord Qian laughing?" Zheng Nan couldn't help but ask curiously as he looked at Qian Yue who seemed ecstatic.

"The Hongmen Banquet? A gathering of heroes? Hahaha, Lord Yi, don't raise yourself too high, or you might fall down." Qian became happier and happier as he laughed, and gradually he lost his composure and laughed out loud.

County Lieutenant Yi Shan thought Qian Yue was laughing at him and was very unhappy, but he did not dare to show it on his face, so he could only smile awkwardly.

"At the previous banquet, you two have already expressed your feelings to King Xian. Isn't his intention obvious enough in inviting you two this time?" After a long while, Qian Yue stopped laughing and said calmly to the two people in front of him.

"Then King Xian is willing to cooperate with us?" Upon hearing this, County Lieutenant Yi Shan immediately showed joy on his face.

"If that's true, then it's indeed a good thing, a huge good thing, haha..." General Zheng Nan also laughed after realizing it, but because General Zheng Nan's laughter was too loud, Qian Yue hurriedly stopped him.

"This Prince Xian suddenly came around with the three of us. He must be trying to win people's hearts. Please don't disappoint me at the banquet tomorrow." Qian Yue raised his hand to stroke his beard, looked out the window with a twinkle in his eyes and smiled.

At night, the sound of the ancient zither came from the Xianwang Mansion. Li Xu was sitting in the pavilion in a casual and elegant manner, his slender fingertips wandering on the strings of the zither. His handsome face was slightly sad, and his bright eyes were covered with a layer of faint sadness. The melodious and sad zither sound suddenly became sharp, and then it became murderous like a battle of swords and horses, the battle stopped and the horses dispersed, corpses were everywhere, and the mournful song gradually became low.

The music stopped, but the slender hands still stayed on the strings. Butler Hua Lan led several dancers to the outside of the pavilion and said respectfully:

"Your Majesty, the dancers we bought from outside have arrived."

Li Xu, who looked in pain, finally opened his eyes and his frown loosened. He did not look back at the dancers he had used as tools, but simply said, "Take them away and settle them down. They will be in use tomorrow."

Hua Lan nodded, turned around and took the dancers away.

"Your Highness, now that you have made a decision, there is no need to worry about it anymore." A dark shadow fell from the pavilion and is now behind Li Xu.

"Chen Ming, is there anything unusual in Xuan'an City?" Li Xu sighed lightly, then stood up and looked at the black shadow and asked.

"There is nothing unusual. There are more and more people cursing His Majesty. I think this is a good thing for His Majesty."

"Yes, he is incompetent and has lost the support of the people. He is no longer worthy of his position. I am just taking back his throne on behalf of my father and defending the country of Lang." Li Xu's eyes gradually turned cold as he looked at the spring scenery outside the pavilion hidden in the darkness, looking righteous and awe-inspiring.

"There is another thing recently, I wonder whether it is good or bad for the prince?" Chen Ming outside the pavilion paused for a moment and continued.

"What's the matter?" Li Xu frowned and asked worriedly.

"The youngest son of Shangguan Jue, the head of the Ministry of Rites, who had been studying abroad for many years, has returned to Xuan'an City."

"Shangguan Jiuyi." Li Xu narrowed his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

The royal family was fighting for power, and Li Xu thought that the Shangguan family would stand on the side of the emperor's brother. After all, the Shangguan family finally had a concubine. Even if Shangguan Jue was dissatisfied with Ning Xi, he would support Ning Xi for the honor. Shangguan Jiuyi was talented since he was a child. Compared with his mediocre father, he was a smart man who could judge the situation and would not easily stand on the side. And most importantly, he had his sister Luoying who always favored him.

"He's back, Luoying must be very happy." Thinking of his sister whom he hadn't seen for a long time, Li Xu's eyes returned to their original tenderness.

The next day, the usually quiet Prince Xian's Mansion suddenly became lively. As the banquet was at noon, the housekeeper Hua Lan got up early and bustled around the mansion, taking care of everything personally, from the small things like preparing a snack in the kitchen to the large things like setting up the banquet in the front hall.

It was almost noon, and outside the gate of Prince Xian's Mansion, which was deserted before, lanterns were hung high today, making the housekeeper Hua Lan personally lead the servants to warmly welcome the county magistrate Qian Yue, the county lieutenant Yi Shan and the general Zheng Nan into the mansion. Such a high profile naturally caused a lot of discussion in the city.

In the palace, Li Xu, who was originally sitting in the hall, saw Qian Yue and the other two from afar and hurried to the door to greet them. Seeing that the king was condescending, the three also bowed in a state of fear and trepidation. The banquet had not yet begun, but the play had already begun.

The guests have arrived and the banquet has begun. The sound of pianos rang out and dancers with fluttering sleeves and graceful figures lightly poured into the banquet. These dancers were all selected and bought by the butler Hua Lan himself according to the standards of Xuan'an City. Therefore, when Qian Yue and others who had stayed in the bitter and cold border for many years saw these graceful and dancing beauties in front of them, they were already dazzled, as if they were watching fairies descending to the earth.

Li Xu smiled with satisfaction as he watched the three people sitting down being bewitched by the dancers in front of him. When the song ended, he did not let the dancers leave, but came to Qian Yue and the other three in twos and threes to serve them. The warm fragrance and the sweet voices of the little girls made the three people feel so happy that they could not help themselves and had long forgotten about their business.

During the entire banquet, Li Xu did not say a word about what they wanted to hear. He only said that he wanted to thank them for taking care of him over the past one or two months.

Qian Yue was puzzled by King Xian's behavior, but before he could think about it, the dancer beside him dived into his arms like a cat. Her charming and enchanting figure almost made him lose his composure at the banquet. Naturally, he did not dare to do anything rash in front of King Xian and his subordinates, so he had to hold it in.

"Master Qian is drunk. Why don't you help him to the side room to rest?" Seeing Qian Yue's face full of pain, Li Xu couldn't help laughing in his heart, and then ordered the dancer in Qian Yue's arms.

"Your humble servant... Your humble servant is indeed not able to hold his liquor... Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration."

Seeing that King Xian had given him a way out, Qian Yue was naturally grateful. He pretended to be drunk and thanked King Xian hastily. He dared not stay any longer. With the help of the dancer, he entered a room. Before the door was closed tightly, he hurriedly pulled the dancer beside him to have sex with him.