Liu Qi then told the story about how he was going to see Wu Guotai in the afternoon, but was temporarily excused and went to Ganlu Temple instead.
Qiao Xuan didn't know what he meant. He promised to go to the mansion to see Mrs. Wu to congratulate him early tomorrow morning. If there was any news, he would send someone to inform him.
Liu Qi chatted for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, he returned to Guanyi. Xu Shu had already returned. Zhuge Jin had no idea. In previous years, Wu Guotai would burn incense and return on the same day. He had never set up a dojo in the temple.
Xu Shu directly showed his cards: Guan Yu's 50,000 troops were in Jiangxia, and Liu Pan's troops retreated to Fankou. They sent people to exchange news every day. If the situation changed, the army could reach Jianye in one day.
"Is this Zhou Yu's plan?" Liu Qi looked solemn, "Or is there another mechanism in Ganlu Temple?"
The sudden change cast a shadow on everyone's minds, and the atmosphere in the entire hotel became tense. Zhao Yun ordered the white soldiers to patrol in shifts overnight and not to relax their vigilance.
At midnight, Xi Guan came back drunk. He got Lu Yi drunk, but he didn't get any valuable information. Sun Quan had been busy with military affairs since he came back, and there was no movement in the palace.
Liu Qi had no choice but to wait until Qiao Xuan met Wu Guotai tomorrow to see if he could get any news.
Early the next morning, Zhuge Jin arrived first. He met with Xu Shu last night. Fearing that something had happened, he went to Lu Su overnight to inquire.
Zhuge Jin told everyone not to worry, because Wu Guotai was afraid that Liu Qi would not like his daughter, so he wanted to go on a blind date at Ganlu Temple and then arrange a marriage, that's all.
Liu Qi and others were doubtful, and Gan Ning even cursed. It was you Jiangdong who proposed the marriage. You came to help so much, but you changed your mind at the last minute and directly persuaded Liu Qi to leave. Why should you suffer such indignity?
Zhuge Jin tried to persuade her again and again, saying good things. Wu Guotai loved his youngest daughter, Sun Shangxiang, and Sun Quan was a filial person, so he couldn't disobey the old lady's wishes.
Liu Qi thought to himself that if it was just a blind date, it wouldn't be a big deal. The big deal would be that we didn't get along. Your Sun family is a high-ranking member of my royal family, so why are you so pretentious? Is it embarrassing for you?
The most important thing in this trip is to form an alliance to stabilize Jiangdong and prevent them from stabbing people in the back. He can enter Shu with peace of mind, so he asked Gan Ning to go out of the city to meet Su Fei, and the others were ready to leave.
While they were cleaning up, Qiao Qiao came in from the back door and came to see Liu Qi alone. He clasped his fists and said, "My father has found out that Guotai is going to have a blind date at Ganlu Temple."
Liu Qi nodded and said: "Mr. Cai Lu has come here just now to inform me about this matter. I wonder if I can ask him what's going on?"
"This..." Qiao Qiao was confused: "If I tell you, I'm afraid it won't look good on the general's face."
"But it doesn't matter!" Liu Qi said: "I feel at ease now that I know the whole story. I wish I had a countermeasure, right?"
Qiao Qiao said: "The day before yesterday, Duke Zhang came to the palace and said that the general was greedy for money and lust, had an affair with his maid before he was married, and raped Zhao Fan's brother and sister-in-law in Guiyang. His character was corrupt and he was not worthy of being...a son-in-law from Jiangdong."
"So it seems that Mr. Qiao believes it too?" Liu Qi smiled helplessly.
Qiao Qiao laughed dryly and said, "My father doesn't dare to judge the general's conduct."
Explaining this kind of thing will only make it darker and darker. People who gossip only believe what they imagine. How can they listen to the words of the person involved?
If you talk too much, you will be labeled as a cover-up, and you will intensify your rumors!
But not explaining will cause misunderstandings. Even Qiao Xuan will not help anymore, and the ensuing situation will not be easy to handle.
Liu Qi walked to the window with his hands behind his back and said slowly: "There are indeed these two women, but they are not as Zhang Zibu said. There are many secrets that cannot be revealed to outsiders!".
Qiao Qiao had a curious look on his face, like a paparazzi trying to find out the secrets of a star. He was quite disappointed when he heard this. He cupped his fists and said, "Since the general has something to hide, I will take my leave."
"Wait a minute!" Liu Qi turned around, as if he had made a difficult decision, and sighed: "That maid is actually Cai's spy who planted around me, and I found out. Because of her pitiful background, and because she was coerced by Mrs. Cai, She spared her life because she knew how to repay her kindness and was willing to atone for her sins and took the initiative to stay in the house."
Qiao Qiao was startled, then nodded and said: "I see, the general dares to keep this girl by his side, he is truly a benevolent and wise man, I admire him!"
Liu Qi added: "As for Mrs. Fan, it was Zhao Fan who took the initiative to act as a matchmaker. His brother was in charge of many caravans, but unfortunately died. He wanted to use me to expand his family business. The Fengxiang number was set up by me for Mrs. Fan." .”
"I've heard about Feng Xiang!" Marriages are common in this era. Qiao Qiao didn't take it seriously. He cupped his fists and said, "It turns out there is some misunderstanding. I'm going to report it to my father."
"Three people become tigers, what people say is terrifying!" Liu Qi sighed, "I don't care what outsiders say, as long as Mr. Qiao knows my heart and lives up to my father's trust, that's enough!"
After a profound performance, Qiao Qiao was finally satisfied and she left with a satisfied look on her face.
Liu Qi also let out a sigh of relief. Now that he knows the whole story, it will be easier to handle.
This matter must be explained to Wu Guotai. It is better to tell Qiao Xuan first and ask him to tell Wu Guotai. There will be a buffering process so that the meeting will not be awkward.
After finishing cleaning up, Lu Su also came to pick him up at the post office and said: "The Marquis of Wu and the Grand Governor went to Niuzhu and Qubu to patrol the defenses. They ordered me to accompany them. If I am disrespectful, I still hope that Haihan will do it."
Liu Qi joked: "Military affairs are important. Only by taking precautions can I get married with peace of mind, right?"
This sentence made everyone laugh, and the trace of disharmony just now dissipated. Liu Qi led only Zhao Yun and Xu Shu, together with three hundred white soldiers, and went straight to Ganlu Temple.
Ganlu Temple is located on a mountain northwest of Jianye. It has beautiful scenery and is very quiet. Buddhism in the late Han Dynasty had only developed recently. The size of the temple was not large, and there were not many Buddha statues. It was mainly used for practice, translation of scriptures, and preaching. .
In the square outside the Main Hall, Sun Kuang and Zhang Zhao were watching the monks set up their dojo. Although this was not the custom in previous years, now that the words have been spoken, they still have to do it.
Seeing Liu Qi's arrival, Sun Kuang hurriedly came up to greet him, clasping his fists and saying, "I'm sorry to bother General to come to such a remote place again. I'm really neglecting him."
Liu Qi smiled and said: "It's quiet here, with the fragrance of flowers and the chirping of birds, which makes me feel much more at ease."
Zhang Zhao cupped his fists and said: "The general has made great achievements in this battle, and he is indeed a noble man from Jiangdong! I have arranged a Zen room for the general in the back mountain, so you can rest here in peace."
"How dare you trouble Sir?" Liu Qi remained calm and hurriedly returned the courtesy: "I was washing my beard earlier, and I spoke too radically. Please forgive me for offending Sir because I am young and energetic, and speak without restraint."
Zhang Zhao stroked his beard and laughed and said: "Although you and I have different opinions, we are both the foundation of Jiangdong. Don't you know that the general has good intentions? I am entrusted by the rebellious general on his deathbed. How can I have the face to worry about this and other things? Assist Wu Hou?"
Liu Qi didn't criticize him, they talked and laughed with each other, but in his heart he cursed the old man for being so bad!
People like Zhang Zhao represent most of the contemporary Confucian scholars and celebrities: full of false superiority, only able to fight within themselves, subservient to others externally, and aggressive internally.
