The Zhu family's strength and status were beyond the reach of the Wanshui and Zhao family, so she naturally looked down upon them.
Not to mention that Zhao Luqing was one of the generals guarding Wanshui, he was probably still a general with no name. Even if he became a real general, Zhu Hongni still looked down upon him.
Whose family doesn’t have many people in the imperial army?
The Zhu family didn't bother to pay attention to the state army sending beggars like this. If anyone in the family joined the army instead of joining the imperial army, they would be ridiculed, and the clan elders might even get beaten angrily. .
"Miss, my general has indeed only invited Mr. Shen. If you insist on going, I'm afraid you won't be able to do it."
Zhu Hongni was difficult to deal with, so she simply said it to death. Zhao Luqing had great influence in Wanshui anyway. Zhu Hongni was a prostitute. Could it be that he dismissed General Zhao from his position with just one sentence?
"You two, my companion is really worried, so why not take her to the front of the general's mansion first, and then you two can go inside and let the news go. General Zhao may agree."
"Mr. Shen, I'm sorry to have to obey my order. The general said one is one and two is two. Mr. Shen also pities our brothers for running errands. It's better to follow us happily."
Zhu Hongni angrily put one hand on her hips and held Shen Li's arm tightly with the other, as if the two of us wanted to be together.
Shen Li smiled and said: "You two, General Zhao invites me, and I am the guest. Since the guest has invited me, will the host refuse it coldly?"
In desperation, the two of them had no choice but to say: "Listen to Mr. Shen's idea. When we get to the General's Mansion, we brothers will go and ask for advice."
"So best."
"It would have been nice to have done this earlier, but I had to waste a lot of time." Zhu Hongni complained in a low voice.
The sound was not loud, but the two people could hear it clearly.
With a wry smile, he led Shen Li and Zhu Hongni out of the inn. They each rode their own fast horses, avoiding pedestrians, and headed towards the general's mansion.
After more than half an hour, they arrived in front of the general's mansion. One person looked at them, and the other got off his horse, threw the reins to the welcoming soldiers, and hurried into the mansion to ask Zhao Luqing for his opinion.
Shen Li looked at the extraordinarily grand facade and asked quietly: "Do you wish your family to be more luxurious than this?"
"The Zhu family has many mansions, all of which are more luxurious than this general's mansion!"
"It is worthy of being the leading aristocratic family in the Northern Sui Dynasty."
He is really envious. Who in the world doesn't envy him to be born into a splendid and wealthy family with a golden spoon in his mouth?
Go quickly and come back quickly.
The man cupped his hands and said with a smile: "You two, please come in. The general nodded."
He dismounted his horse in front of the gate and handed it over to a soldier to lead him to the stable to be served. He followed the person who led the way into the general's mansion.
Walking along the corridor, passing by the courtyard planted with countless exotic flowers and plants, I saw brothers Zhao Luqing and Zhao Luyuan standing side by side on the steps.
"I thought Young Master Shen would leave Wanshui City at night, but I didn't expect that he is indeed a chivalrous man!" Zhao Luqing clapped her hands and laughed.
As for Zhao Luyuan, as soon as he saw Zhu Hongni holding Shen Li's arm, his smiling face instantly turned into an angry face, as if Shen Li was not just a stranger he had met a few times, but was actually her husband.
Zhu Hongni showed off and showed off her power. Not only did she hold the young man tighter, she also pressed her body against him.
Zhao Luyuan's face turned blue.
Shen Li bowed his hands and said, "How can we leave without saying goodbye without saying goodbye to General Zhao? Could it be that we and other people in the world have become barbarians who don't understand etiquette?"
"Haha... Mr. Shen's words are reasonable, but I'm talking nonsense. Hurry up and invite me inside. I've already taken the time to prepare good wine and food. Mr. Shen, let's try how it compares to the food and wine you've had before!"
Seeing Zhu Hongni holding Shen Li's arm with his own eyes, he knew that the lover his sister wanted by name had become a dream. He didn't care if he had a lover, so he couldn't beat the couple apart and break them up? This is retribution!
"Brother, don't forget the promise you made to me!" Zhao Luyuan reminded loudly.
Suddenly her face turned ugly. Zhao Luqing sighed and ignored him for the time being. She pointed at the delicacies placed in the middle of the banquet and said, "Master Shen, please take a look..."
Not to mention chicken, duck and fish, the dishes that Shen Liguang recognized were raw snails with ginger vinegar, simmered oysters, twelve-grade carved candied fruit, cocoon soup, three crispy soup, fried tripe and so on.
Even if Shen Li followed Xie Lingjiang and saw some of the other delicacies in the market, he couldn't recognize them.
"General Zhao spends too much money. How can I eat such delicacies?"
"Haha... Mr. Shen is joking. You are a leader in the world, a dragon and a phoenix among people. How can you say that you can't eat it if you only have a lust for words? Let me tell you, this kind of food has stained Mr. Shen's mouth." Zhao Luqing laughed loudly. , naturally rejoicing.
The cook in his house used to work in the royal kitchen of the Nanwu Palace. He was of course one of the best cooks in the world. Later, he molested Gong'e and committed a crime. Fortunately, he usually bribed eunuchs from time to time. After the incident, it seemed that the matter was not serious, so The eunuch turned a blind eye and let the cook go. The cook kept walking around, and he didn't know whether it was because of his premeditation or just some luck. Zhao Luqing, who was patronizing the inn for dinner, found out that he had spent a lot of money to invite him. Enter the mansion and cook some delicacies for him that only Lord Wu can eat.
It's delicious, it's really delicious, it's expensive, it's really expensive.
In addition to eating some grass, the chickens and ducks in this banquet are also fed with old wild ginseng every few days. When stewed in this way, it is not only delicious, but also has the effect of healing the body.
As for the seafood, thanks to the endless flowing water, large ships came to sell it from east to west. Zhao Luqing asked her servants to prepare silver coins in advance to compete for the freshest ones.
All the guests are seated.
Zhao Luyuan, who was next to Zhao Luqing, stared at Zhu Hongni, who seemed to be nothing, and they were at odds.
"Young master Shen, just follow the way of eating at a family banquet, and eat as much as you want. Don't worry about nonsense etiquette here. You and I feel like old friends when we see each other, and we should treat each other as brothers."
A single word during the dinner revealed the little plot in his heart.
Shen Li chuckled slightly, but Quan Dang didn't understand. It must be the ability he showed last night. Zhao Luqing saw it, was happy in her heart, and wanted to stay by her side as a thug.
It's a pity that the young man can't accept such a noisy little abacus.
"Meeting General Zhao is like meeting a close brother. Now that General Zhao has gone so far, I will gorge myself on delicious food and wine!"
"Haha... please, you can't defeat my general's palace!"
Zhao Luqing sighed in her heart. This kid was as slippery as a catfish. His words were so straightforward, but he actually wanted to prevaricate him?
As the saying goes, a sword is given to a hero. Now that you have accepted the sword, you should do your best for me! Just like this dinner full of good wine and delicious food, do you really think you can eat and drink for free? What are you thinking about?
Although he understood that Zhao Luqing's banquet was the Hongmen Banquet, Shen Li pretended to be stunned and winked at Zhu Hongni frequently, telling her to eat quickly. There was no such shop after this village!
She was fighting with Zhao Luyuan's empty eyes, how could she have any appetite?
What's more, she is a direct descendant of the Zhu family, what has she not eaten before?
Let’s just talk about the grilled quail breast. At first glance, not only was the heat not in place, but the quails chosen were not plump, resulting in a much worse taste.
If it had been cooked by the Zhu family's cooks, it would have been absolutely perfect, and even the most greedy glutton in the world wouldn't be able to say anything bad about it.
Zhao Luqing said that he became a general of the state army at a young age, and that his family was rich and prominent. Compared with the Zhu family, they were no more than an insignificant caterpillar on the side of the road, not even qualified to be a mantis.
That’s why Zhu Hongni was so angry that Zhao Luyuan didn’t deal with her!
Hydrangea was playing around with her son-in-law on the street, but she chased after her and made Zhao Luqing use her power to overwhelm others. Do you really think she Zhu Hongni has a good temper?
The wine has passed three rounds, and the food has passed the five flavors.
Shen Li's mouth was full of oil after eating, not to mention how happy he was.
Since it was almost time to eat and drink, it was time for Zhao Luqing to bring up the topic.
"Master Shen, what do you think of Wanshui City?"
"Business and trade are prosperous, flowers are blooming, and everyone lives and works in peace and contentment. It is indeed a first-class blessed land in the Northern Sui Dynasty."
"Oh, in my eyes, there is nothing more than appearance. Money is like running water. It is in my hands today and it will be in your hands tomorrow. Only with real skills can we gain wealth that others cannot fight over or snatch away. For example, I He is one of the garrison generals of Wanshui Town. He has not only 2,000 troops, but also 1,200 or 3,000 troops. My father is the leader of the Copper Coin Society and has many connections in the world. In other people’s eyes, my Zhao family’s family background is It's extremely rich and as solid as a rock, but I understand that in the world, this family's wealth is really not worth mentioning and cannot be put on the table. If Mr. Shen is willing to help me, that would be great!"
Zhao Luyuan then laughed and said: "Master Shen, if you are willing to stay, I will have you with a daughter, a mansion, and beautiful maids!"
Seeing the two brothers and sisters singing in harmony, Shen Li smiled secretly and thought to himself, why waste so much time fishing for the moon in the water?
In the eyes of the young man, Wanshui is just a well. When will the blue dragon in the sky be willing to condescend to enter the well?
"General Zhao, Miss Zhao, the reason why I agreed to attend the banquet is precisely because of this matter."
Zhao Luqing and Zhao Luyuan looked overjoyed, while Zhu Hongni looked at him with confusion.
After all, traveling together all the way, the young man doesn't look like a snob.
"General Zhao, I caught up with the thief last night."
"oh?"
"That guy has changed his ways and wants to wash his hands and find some serious business."
"What do you mean, Mr. Shen?" Zhao Luqing instantly knew what the young man meant, but she was just sad for her sister.
"Why don't General Zhao take advantage of the situation and accept him under his command? This person is also a good player. Together with his brothers, he will definitely make great contributions to General Zhao!"
Zhao Luyuan suddenly looked unhappy.
"It's okay, it's okay..."
"Brother! Have you forgotten what you promised me?"
Zhao Luqing sighed softly: "Mr. Shen, my roommate is not young anymore. My father has been arranging marriage arrangements for her, but my sister is spoiled and has a very good eye. No one in the whole Wanshui City can even take a fancy to her. Ever since I met her, Mr. Shen, my sister-in-law secretly promised..."
Shen Li suddenly interrupted him and asked about another matter, "General Zhao, who was the assassin last night?"
"It's Mr. Zhou who organized the Wanshui Poetry Club and the two wealthy family heads of Wanshui City. The government has started an investigation. The assassin will be found out and punished soon."
"Are those three people good people?"
"Oh, Master Shen, don't you know that it's always difficult to judge a person's good and evil?"
"That's right."
"Master Shen, are you interested?"
"Looking back now, that assassin really had good skills."
"Yeah, it's a pity that he killed someone in public."
Shen Li asked Zhu Hongni: "Are you full?"
"Didn't eat."
"I'm stuffed."
Monk Zhao Luqing and Zhang Er were confused and did not understand Shen Li's question.
The young man stood up and stretched, and said to Zhu Hongni: "Walking around the world, is it better to be kind to others, or to be free?"
"Both are good." Zhu Hongni thought for a long time.
"That's it."
Withered beauty comes out of its sheath.
Murderous intent boils.
The whole room was freezing.
