But today is a feast for the ladies, drinking and having fun, and they only talk about romance, not business.
The "Snake Banquet" prepared by the Alchemy Hall is very unique. Every dish is related to snakes, but they are always named "dragon". Dog meat is sold with sheep's heads. However, people say that snakes are small dragons, which is wrong. Not wrong. Snake meat tastes good whether it is fried or stewed. Wei Shiqi has no taboos, but he is not interested in snake wine. After a small sip, he changed it to bamboo leaf green. The wine has the same name as the snake, so it does not ruin the atmosphere.
The atmosphere at the banquet was just right, neither warm nor cold. Everyone was very respectful to Xia Yun. As long as the young gang leader raised his glass, he would never shirk the wine until the glass was dry, no matter how large or small the quantity was. The dishes were served one after another, and the spirits were drank one glass at a time. After drinking for most of an hour, He Yanzi was a little drunk, his eyes were blurred, and he was holding on to wait for the end of the meal. Xia Qian saw that Yang Hu was drinking like water and remained calm, and she was a little curious. Was he born with a large amount of alcohol and could not get drunk after a thousand cups, or was he so skilled that he could force the wine out of his fingertips? She couldn't help but glance sideways. She saw the sheep guard sitting upright, and the ground was clean without a puddle of wine stains.
Seeing that Yanghu was not drunk, Xia Yun drank the remaining wine in the glass and winked at Hou Jinbiao. The head of Jinkou Branch knew what he was doing and summoned two servants from Fengweilou to join in the fun. Bai Kou and the other one are called Huang Qi. They are in their prime, with picturesque features, and they are no less impressive than Xia Qian.
The maids filed in, removed the cups and plates, and served hot snake soup to sober up the drunkenness. Everyone took a few sips and their spirits were lifted. Xia Qian's diet has always been light and she doesn't like rich, sour and spicy food. She pushed her lips aside, feeling a little helpless. In this era, men's pastimes are inseparable from the word "drinking and sex". Xia Yun never hides anything from her girl, so she can only accept it. Fortunately, it is just a sideshow after drinking, just listen to a ditty. This is a bit of a measure. Xia Yun could still hold on.
Astragalus plays the pipa, frost and snow condense on the bright wrists, big beads and small beads fall on the jade plate, Bai Qi's voice is crisp, soft and waxy, touching the heart, and Man Sheng sings: "The ice muscles and jade bones are clear and sweatless, and the wind from the water palace is full of fragrance." The bright moon is peering alone at people, and the hairpins on the pillow are scattered across the clouds and the temples are messy. The courtyard is quiet at midnight, and sometimes I can see the stars crossing the river. When will the west wind come? I'm afraid that the passing years will change secretly. "
At that time, the bright moon was in the sky, and the wind carried a faint fragrance. Xia Yun patted her hands and praised her, smiling and asking Yang Hu how she felt.
Wei Shiqi paused and said, "She is very beautiful. As for the music she sang, her accent was too strong, so it was difficult to understand her." The mountains in Jiangnan were warm and soft, the Wu language was murmuring, and the girls were gentle. He disliked their heavy accents, which made people laugh. On the contrary, Xia Qian laughed out loud and leaned on the table, rubbing her belly. Yi Lian stroked his beard and laughed, and Bai Qi and Huang Qi couldn't help but smile.
Yang Hu was from Heshuo, so it was reasonable that he could not understand Wu dialect. Xia Yun ordered Bai Qi to sing another song, in the northern dialect, not in the southern accent. Bai Zhi thought for a moment, took the pipa from Astragalus, and sang while playing: "Flowers fall on the trees, flowers bloom, people come and go on the road. Worry in the morning and evening means old age, three times in a hundred years. I heard that the body is strong and the head is strong. It's hard to catch up with White Teeth. If you estimate a hundred years and a thousand years, how much time can you get?"
Her speech had a slight Wu sound, and her eyes were moving and endearing. Wei Shiqi nodded slightly, but his eyes were a little deep. Bai Zhi's figure gradually merged with Liusu, and the distant memories were like the tide, leaving a different feeling in his heart.
The two girls sang several more songs. It was already late at night, and Xia Yun generously asked the sheep guard to pick someone to sleep with. The Qinghuan people in Fengweilou do not sell themselves, but this is just a way to get a price. The Tianlong Gang is the local snake in Jinkou. They take both black and white and cannot afford to offend. Of course Hou Jinbiao will not freeload, and Fengweilou does not dare to open. Xu Tou, long before the banquet started, the two parties had already negotiated the price of the White Knot and Astragalus.
After being drunk and telling the truth, Xia Yun originally wanted to get Yanghu drunk and find out the unknown secrets, so she took the opportunity to catch him. However, Yanghu drank too much, so she had to settle for the next best thing and test him with her beauty. Was he moved by it? If a person has no hobbies, he has no weaknesses, and without weaknesses, he cannot control. If Xia Yun wants to open up the situation in Heshuo and get chestnuts from the fire, he must firmly grasp the sheep guard. Otherwise, "making wedding clothes for others" is not as good as using his heart. Manage one-third of an acre of land owned by the Tianlong Gang.
Yang Hu looked at Bai Qi, then at Huang Qi, and said casually: "Then let's keep both of them."
Xia Qian bit the tip of her tongue in surprise.
Only great heroes can show their true colors, and they are true celebrities. Xia Yun laughed. Instead of feeling dissatisfied, she felt that she was too petty and had lost face in front of Yang Hu. After all, it is located in a corner of the south of the Yangtze River and lacks a bit of pride.
Hou Jinbiao observed what was happening and saw that Xia Yun had no intention of getting involved with the two girls, so he called his maid and sent the white kumquat and astragalus to Yang Hu's small courtyard. Xia Yun had something serious to discuss and ordered tea soup to be served. Wu Tong, Hou Jinbiao, Yi Lian, and He Yanzi resigned first because they were too drunk. Only Yang Hu, Xia Yun, and Xia Qian were left in the flower hall.
The tea is the "deep well cloud" brought specially by Xia Yun. It is green, mellow and refreshing. Although Wei Shiqi doesn't understand tea, he also knows that this is a rare and top quality. Drinking tea was just an excuse, it was the drama's turn next, but what surprised him slightly was that the person left to discuss was Xia Yun's younger sister Xia Qian, not Wu Tong, the helmsman of the Cheung Chau branch.
Few people in the Tianlong Gang know that the little tail who follows the young gang leader is his true "think tank".
Today's situation is that the imperial court is weak and incompetent, the border towns are divided by warlords, the rebels are powerful, and the Central Plains is in turmoil. They rely entirely on the support of taxes from the south of the Yangtze River to survive. Xia Yun believed that the emperor was guarding the country and the king was dead, so he could not vent his anger. Today, the emperor retreated from Yangzhou and left the prince in the East Palace to guard the capital. This was a stupid move that would destroy the Great Wall. The three towns in Hebei will judge the situation and will inevitably fight against the Hu people. They colluded with others and started a rebellion. By then, Tianjing had fallen and the situation was in a state of decay. The best outcome for the Liang Kingdom was to retreat to the south of the Yangtze River and rule by dividing the river from the north to the south.
The ancients said: "Heaven and earth are furnaces, creation is work; Yin and Yang are charcoal, and all things are copper." In troubled times, people are in trouble, and all the innocent people suffer. However, the situation is over, and no one can undo the consequences of civil strife. The situation was settled, and all Xia Yun could do was to take advantage of the situation, shorten the confrontation between the north and the south, and allow the emerging empire to rise from the ashes.
Xia Yun had no ambition to compete in the Central Plains. The biggest problem he faced was how to choose a side. Should he defect to the rebels in the northwest or the weak imperial court? With dragons and snakes mixed together, who will stand out and become the true dragon that unifies the north and the south? The immediate gains and losses don't matter, but if you are on the wrong side, you are on the wrong team, and everyone in the Tianlong Gang will die without a place to die, Xia Yong stands at the forefront of the storm and has to act cautiously.
In the end, it was Xia Qian's words that prompted him to finally make up his mind, "Since ancient times, military strategists have conquered the world, and the north has always dominated the south. My second brother has never seen the precedent of the southerners going north to establish a country and a capital!" Time does not wait for us, and the Tianlong Gang must start from the north as soon as possible. Withdrawing from the quagmire in the south of the Yangtze River, he gradually moved his power to the north, accumulating wealth, cultivating connections, and finding his destiny. The appearance of Yanghu provided Xia Yun with an excellent excuse and opportunity.
