As night falls, the lake breeze blows on the shore. The lit bonfire sent sparks all over the sky. This kind of open-air banquet was nothing unusual. Compared to the cramped space indoors, at least you didn't have to worry about air quality when lighting lights outdoors.
As the hosts, the descendants of the Xie family had arrived early, with a row of tables and tables and various entertainment props set up along the lake.
The ancients did not have any entertainment items at all, but this kind of entertainment depends on the occasion and timing. If you play like this on weekdays, you will be labeled as a dandy who is not doing his job properly.
But tonight is for entertaining guests, and these fun things can actually boost the atmosphere.
"Let's compare it to throwing pots." About a dozen well-dressed teenagers gathered together. After a brief glance, one of them pointed at the bronze high-eared pot not far away and said.
The disciples on Xie's side frowned slightly when they heard this. The Xie family is a scholarly family. There are very few people like Xie Jin and Xie Yu who practice martial arts. Instead, they study, paint, play piano and chess. They consider themselves no weaker than others.
Naturally, there are experts in this throwing pot, but if compared with these people in front of them, they will obviously lose more than a stone's throw.
"Why, you don't dare to compete?" The pottery merchant asked with a slightly teasing tone. Tao Shang is Tao Qian's eldest son. He is twenty-six this year, the same age as Wei Cheng. If he were placed in Xuzhou, he would be a talented man.
Compared to his fame, Xie Hui, the eldest grandson of the Xie family, is obviously much weaker.
"It's a competition. I'm afraid of you. Come here, bring me feathers and arrows." The boy who was following him had already prepared the props. At this time, after hearing the eldest son's instructions, he hurriedly asked someone to put more than a dozen arrows with red belly. Arrows made of golden pheasant feathers were brought up.
This golden pheasant was a national second-level protected animal in later generations. But in this era, proper table delicacies can be seen not only in the Qinling Mountains in Guanzhong, but also in the Luliang Mountains in the east of Hedong. It is also one of the most common prey for hunters.
Moreover, the feathers of Golden Pheasant are still very common decorations. Whether it is gold and silver jewelry, belts and cuffs, flower arrangements, or even made into feather fans, they are all very good decorations.
At this time, seeing Xie's side accepting the challenge, the eyes of Tao Shang and others suddenly lit up. One of them stepped forward and said: "Since we are going to make a comparison, we have to add something to it. Do you think it is yes or no?" Someone in the crowd immediately echoed loudly. These people were Xuzhou officials who followed Tao Qian, and Chen Deng also Impressively listed.
When Mr. Xie saw this, he was not suspicious. He just asked curiously: "I wonder what I can add to the head?" Upon hearing this, the pottery merchant immediately clapped his hands.
I saw a young man dressed in military uniform walking up with a box in his arms. The pottery merchant said, "If we lose, this red coral statue will be yours." The red coral came into view, causing the Xie family's children to exclaim.
Xie Hui looked at the red coral in the box, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, then he hesitated, frowned and said, "Brother Tao is really willing to use such a precious treasure to add to his head." The pottery merchant laughed, very casually He closed the box again, looked up at Xie Hui, and said, "It's your turn. If you lose, you should give me something." Xie Hui frowned, cupped his hands and said, "This red coral is priceless, I When you can't get anything of equal value easily..." But he didn't wait for Xie Hui to finish.
The pottery merchant suddenly interrupted him and said: "Hey, don't worry, since it's decided to throw the pot, there will always be a winner. Just because you can't bring out the treasure doesn't mean you don't have anything that can be used as a bonus. , I think so, if you lose, how about using those bicycles as a bonus?" Everyone looked in the direction of the potter's finger, and there were several bicycles parked in a conspicuous place on the shore of the lake.
Xie Hui and other Xie family's disciples were all stunned. At this time, they didn't know the true purpose of Tao Shang and others, so they were really in vain.
Those bicycles were gifts given to them by Wei Cheng. As Wei Cheng's future brother-in-law and brother-in-law, only the direct descendants of the Xie family had such treatment, so there were not many bicycles, only six in total.
In addition, most of the bicycles in department stores are now reserved. Even if they can get Gewu tickets, it is difficult for outsiders to buy a bicycle. This has led to many young men from foreign aristocratic families being squeezed out by local young men. .
Some people may wonder, it’s just a bicycle, why should it be crushed? In fact, the reason is very simple.
Just imagine that the princes of the Beijing circle in later generations drive limited-edition supercars to attend parties every day, while the second-generation rich people from outside can only stare and sigh. It is obvious that everyone's family conditions are similar, why should they be so angry?
Several children from aristocratic families headed by Tao Shang have been making plans since they arrived at Xie's manor. They finally found an opportunity, but they would not let it go easily at this time.
"What, Brother Xie, don't you think that my red coral is not as valuable as your bicycle?" Xie Hui frowned slightly. Bicycles are just hard to buy, but that doesn't mean they are unavailable. And this red coral is an auspicious thing. , its value is self-evident, and it really cannot be obtained with money.
However, in a pot throwing competition, their side would definitely lose. If it is an ordinary addition, if you lose, you will lose. The descendants of the Xie family do not care about some gold and silver.
But this bicycle has another meaning. It is a gift given to them by Wei Cheng. If they lose to the other party, how will they face Wei Cheng in the future?
Just when Xie Hui and others were struggling.
"I'm here to compete with you!" Everyone looked back and saw Xie Yu, dressed in fiery red, who appeared at some point and seemed to have heard their words.
Behind Xie Yu, Wei Cheng, Cai Yan, and Liu He's master and servant also slowly walked from the doorpost. Seeing Wei Cheng and the others, Xie and his party immediately stepped forward to greet them.
Upon seeing this, Wei Cheng secretly made a hissing gesture towards Xie Hui and others, telling them to keep quiet.
Chen Deng, who was standing behind Tao Shang and others, happened to see this scene. He hesitated for a moment, then slowly backed away and quickly walked towards the inner court.
He didn't reveal Wei Cheng's identity to his face, but he couldn't let his young master know nothing about it, so the best way was to inform Tao Qian immediately and ask him to send someone to end this farce, so that Tao Shang and others wouldn't be careful. Offending Wei Cheng would ruin a big thing.
"Who are you?" The pottery merchant had never seen Xie Yu before. At this time, his face was confused, but his heart was a little surprised. Today's Xie Yu is obviously dressed up carefully. The fiery red Hanfu highlights her figure very well. Her appearance is not absolutely beautiful, but it is definitely one of the best. She has been cultivated through years of martial arts training. The heroic spirit that other women don't have has a special charm for potters and others.
However, after they saw the gold tassel mask on Liu He's face, they all fell silent, and then hurriedly bowed to Liu He, not daring to show any slightness.
Liu He bowed and did not come forward. Instead, he and Cai Yan stood aside and watched the show. When Wei Cheng saw this, he glanced at Liu He thoughtfully, without any intention of getting involved. He put his hands behind his back and looked at the two people at leisure. There was always a faint smile on his face, but he was just looking at Tao. When he was talking about the box, a flash of emotion flashed in his eyes.
Good things are good things, but it's a pity that it's too punishing. In future generations, it is forbidden to buy or sell this thing. Just when Wei Cheng sighed helplessly.
Bang! Xie Yu was the first to take action, and the feather arrow fell into the copper pot with great precision, making a crisp sound.
"Okay!" Xie Hui and others echoed excitedly, and the scene instantly became lively, naturally attracting many people to watch.
Tonight's banquet not only invited Wei Cheng and Liu He, but also people from other aristocratic families, many of whom recognized Wei Cheng.
It was just because Xie Yu and others were playing hut that they could not disturb Wei Cheng's "elegantness" and did not come up to say hello.
Seeing Xie Yu hit one of his shots, Wei Cheng also applauded in amusement. When other people saw this, they imitated him one after another and were very happy.
When the atmosphere reached this point, the pottery merchant and his team became numb. Xie Yu is obviously a master, and there are so many people watching at this time. If they lose, won't that red coral really have to be handed over to others?
However, this red coral statue was a gift from my father when he visited the Guardian Lord! The pottery merchant was extremely anxious at this time. He was already confident of winning, but cold sweat broke out on his forehead at some point.
Originally, he just wanted to trick Xie Hui into buying a few bicycles, but unexpectedly, he got himself involved. For now, we can only try our best to win the pitching competition.
After looking at the young man in military uniform behind him, Tao Shang felt a little more at ease.
"Zang Ba, how sure are you?" The young man in military uniform raised his thick eyebrows, looked up at Xie Yu, who was confident of winning, and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, young master, at most we will draw with her, and it is impossible to lose." Tao Shang Yi Listen and feel calm.
He pretended to be indifferent and bowed his hand to Xie Yu, then turned around and said: "Zang Ba, it's up to you to compete with Ms. Shoot away.
Bang! The same arrow hit the target with perfect accuracy and strength. Now the pressure was on Xie Yu's side again.
No one noticed that Wei Cheng's eyelids widened slightly when he heard the pottery merchant's voice.
"Zang Ba is quite a talented person."
"What did your husband say?" Wei Cheng smiled and shook his head, supporting Cai Yan and talking to him. Liu He, on the other hand, frowned slightly under the mask. She couldn't help but look at the young man in military uniform who was competing with Xie Yu. There was a hint of thoughtfulness in his expression. There seemed to be a gleam of light in his eyes, and the fingers in his sleeves were unconscious. It's tight.
Clang. Clang. At this time, the young man in uniform shot another arrow, two to two, and the pressure was on Xie Yu again.
After all, he has never really been on the battlefield. No matter how good Xie Yu's skills are, he will inevitably make mistakes.
The third arrow, the feather arrow, hit the spout of the copper kettle and landed with a sound. The young man in uniform picked up an arrow without haste and accurately shot it into the mouth of the pot again.
At this point, the outcome is actually obvious. Both sides still have three feather arrows. Even if all three of them hit, Xie Yu will still lose.
The pottery merchant and others had already raised the corners of their mouths and smiled, as if they were sure of victory. However, when it came to the last arrow, something happened again. This time it was the young man in military uniform who made a 'mistake'. The final score was five to five, and the two sides ended in a draw.
Wei Cheng saw it clearly just now. Before Zang Ba threw the pot, he specifically looked back at him.
"Interesting, interesting, and a wonderful person." As expected, Zang Ba had already recognized Wei Cheng's identity. He could be ranked with Princess Wannian, and he was an honored guest brought by Xie Yu himself. There seemed to be only one in the entire Hedong County. There is only one person. In fact, it is not difficult to guess.
It was just that the thoughts of Tao Shang and others were focused on the competition. Only Zang Ba realized this, so he deliberately threw the last arrow crookedly, and before throwing the pot, he looked back at Wei Cheng to show his attitude.
While Tao Shang and others were still sighing, not far away, old lady Xie hurried over with Tao Qian and his party.
When Tao Shang and others saw Tao Qian, they hurriedly stepped forward to salute. Unexpectedly, Tao Qian dismissed them and walked straight to Wei Cheng. He cupped his hands and said with a smile, "I mentioned Zhongdao to Mr. Xie just now. I don't think you were already here. These guys didn't offend you." Wei Cheng responded humbly. , and responded with a smile: "Mr. Tao, you're too polite. There's nothing offensive about the fun among juniors." Hearing this, Tao Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Chen Deng happily. If he hadn't known better, In time, the situation is really hard to say.
When Tao Shang and others saw this scene, their expressions changed drastically. At this time, they also knew Wei Cheng's identity. At the same time, they were secretly glad in their hearts. If Zang Ba hadn't missed the last arrow, they would have already taken advantage of it. By then, , will definitely offend the guard envoy.
"Zang Ba, have you recognized him a long time ago?" Chen Deng came to Zang Ba at some point. Zang Ba was stunned, looked back at him, and whispered in response: "Brother Yuan Long recognized him too, right?" Chen Deng looked at the young man in front of him thoughtfully, and his evaluation of him couldn't help but be a little higher. It's just that Zang Ba is still too dangerous in his opinion, and Tao Qian can't control him at all.
"Brother Yuanlong, you have been in Hedong for so long, what do you think of this young envoy?"
"What do you mean?" Chen Deng's expression changed, he looked up at Zang Ba's side face, and said in a deep voice: "Don't forget who sacrificed his life for you to make your name upright. What you killed was not an ordinary person, but a shepherd." The prefect who is guarding one side, if it were not for Tao Gong's help, you would still be lingering on." Zang Ba frowned slightly and did not refute.
Three years ago, in order to rescue his father who was being persecuted, he took more than ten diners from his family into the prefect's mansion. Although he successfully rescued his father, he was also responsible for killing the imperial official.
If Tao Qian hadn't helped him and made him famous with his filial piety, Zang Ba would still be hiding in the deep mountains and forests.
So even though his ideas were inconsistent with Tao Qian's, and even though he looked down upon Tao Qian's indecisiveness, he still became a fierce general under Tao Qian's command.
"Brother Yuanlong, why is there any need to be angry? Zang has no other intention. He is just confused. Why does Cao Cao attack Xuzhou instead of attacking Hedong and Bingzhou? Why does Tao Gong not dare to face his attack directly, but chooses the distance instead of the near? , came all the way to Hedong to ask for help?" Chen Deng opened his mouth, not knowing how to answer this question for a while.
Seeing this, Zang Ba shook his head slightly, looked at Wei Cheng and Tao Qian who were talking and laughing in front of him, and said as if talking to himself: "The troubled times are coming, one is the sunset, and the other is the rising sun. , here you go, how do you choose?"
