The reception banquet was held in the Suzhou Guard Command Yamen. Two high-ranking figures, Yang Xu, the Duke of Fuguo, and Song Sheng, the Marquis of Xining, arrived at the same time. The officials in Suzhou were very nervous. They knew that these two adults were about to attend the banquet.
Preparations began when we arrived in Suzhou, including eight delicacies from land and water, as well as delicacies and delicacies, as well as silk, bamboo and string instruments, as well as singers and dancers to accompany the wine.*
Xilin, Jeanne and Tang Saier also had the female relatives of Suzhou officials hosting a banquet in the back house to accompany them. Although they knew that they were only the concubines of the Duke, the concubines of the Duke were much more noble than them.
Naturally, we need to take care of everything and be respectful.
However, the Suzhou officials prepared such a comprehensive banquet. According to the standard of these Xiliang generals, it was not considered a good time unless they were drunk, but it could not be considered a good time for the two nobles, because the old general Song Sheng was old and frail, and suffered from many diseases.
Due to this disease, he could not sit for long periods of time, let alone drink alcohol. He only drank briefly while celebrating the safe return of Duke Fuguo, and never drank any alcohol since then.
Now Xia Xun has become the main target for everyone to toast. However, if you drink a glass and the Duke only takes one sip, it is quite a favor. Who dares to take the Duke of Fu and call him a brother and make him drink? After three rounds of dishes, how many times will it be?
The local officials at his table toasted together and came to Xia Xun's banquet. Just after toasting, Ye An suddenly walked in from outside and whispered a few words to Xia Xun.
Xia Xun immediately stood up and said: "My lords, Yang can't thank you enough for your hospitality today. However, I came from Hami all the way and traveled a long distance without taking a break. I am really tired. After a few glasses of wine,
I feel very sleepy. I think Old General Song is already too drunk. Old General, look, should we leave the table first? Sirs, please take good care of me, Lord Suzhou Weiling, so that everyone will have a good time!"
Song Sheng was so tired that he couldn't sit still for a long time, but he couldn't leave the table because the Duke of Fu was there. When Xia Xun said this, Song Sheng felt relieved and stood up quickly and said: "What the Duke said is true. I also feel exhausted."
Come on, Ling Yunting!"
The commander of the Suzhou Guard immediately stood up and said: "The general is here!"
Song Sheng pointed to the banquet and said: "It is a great joy for the Duke to return safely. However, the Duke is tired from the journey and cannot drink too much. You also know my health, and it is even more difficult to bear. I will leave it to you.
, we must make sure everyone has a good time, if anyone is unhappy after drinking, I can only ask you!"
Ling Yunting responded with a smile: "General, I obey! Don't worry, Mr. Hou, if anyone doesn't have a good drink today, General will punish him with military law and give him a slap in the face!"
While the hall was laughing, all the generals stood up and respectfully sent Xia Xun and Song Sheng away. Once these two people left, without the restraint of Shangguan present, these Xiliang generals drank more happily. For a moment, they lost their wine glasses.
The one who had a big bowl, the one whose shirt was wide and bare, and the one who stepped on the chair with his big feet and started shouting, drinking and punching with others, making such a wild and wild noise that the roof tiles were shaken.
Xia Xun hurried back to his own place in the back house and saw a few figures standing faintly under the grape trellis on one side of the patio. Because the grape vine leaves blocked the light in the corridor, they could not be seen clearly for a while.
"Duke!"
Two figures quickly flashed out from the darkness, threw themselves in front of Xia Xun, bowed down at the same time, and said excitedly: "My lord! You are back, subordinates... subordinates..."
The two people's voices were choked with sobs and they were speechless.
Under the shadow of the ivy tree, Ye An gestured to the opposite side and left. One of the people opposite him immediately left at the same time as him.
The person on the other side who got out of the way was Chen Dong. Chen Dong and Ye An knew what was right. They brought people into the house on Xia Xun's orders, but this did not mean that they could share this secret. Although they were very curious.
: Why did Xia Xun know that someone would come to see him when he first arrived in Suzhou? But it is better not to know things that should not be known. This principle was already clear when they were working under Luo Qianshi.
Xia Xun stepped forward quickly, helped the two people who had prostrated themselves up, and said happily: "I have been judged dead for the past six months since I have been missing. Now that I have returned to Suzhou, I am looking forward to your coming, but I am worried that you have not come. See you now.
Now that you are here, I finally feel relieved!"
Qianlong was founded by Xia Xun. It is his private organization. Like a vine wrapped around a tree, it was born with him and will naturally die with him. Although Xia Xun arranged for Chen Dong and Ye An, once someone asks to see them, they will tell them
He gave the secret signal and took them in. In fact, Xia Xun was very worried. If he arrived in Suzhou and there was still no one from Qianlong to see him, it would mean that the organization had fallen apart.
Otherwise, finding his whereabouts is Qianlong's most important task at the moment. Qianlong should never not arrange people in the Xiliang area, and those left behind must be core figures who know that his auxiliary Duke is the boss of Qianlong.
At this moment, these two people appeared in front of him, and Xia Xun finally felt relieved. The two people came forward to pay homage and put their bodies under the light. Xia Xun could see clearly that they were the two of him in Qianlong.
Big confidants: Xu Jiang and Dai Yubin.
Xu Jiang said: "After learning about the disappearance of the Duke, it has indeed had a great impact on our people, especially since the search for the Duke for a long time has not yielded any results, it is almost certain that the Duke..., my subordinates have never experienced this.
After such a situation, I really didn’t know what to do. Fortunately, Mrs. Ying and Mrs. Fei stepped forward, Dai Guogong took over Qianlong, and Mrs. Ming gave her full financial support, so we stabilized."
Dai Yubin said: "Following the orders of Mrs. Ying and Mrs. Fei, our Qianlong put down everything we were doing, and all our capable personnel were transferred to the Western Regions. But... in the vast desert, hundreds of people often go from one place to another.
It’s completely deserted here, our people are unfamiliar with the place here, and we, Qianlong, are really powerless here to find the whereabouts of the Duke..."
Xia Xun nodded and said: "I understand that in the face of the power of heaven and earth, human power is really too small. Don't ask you to find someone in a place like this. Even if it is me, even when I was still free with my identity as Bali
, no one restricted my movements, but with the desert just lying there, I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to.”
Xia Xun comforted him for a few words, then suddenly grabbed Dai Yubin's hand and asked impatiently: "How is my family doing now?"
He had wanted to ask this sentence for a long time, but when he was in Hami and Dunhuang, he had no one to ask. After entering Jiayuguan, Song Sheng could not know the situation at his home. Now he saw his two capable men,
Although there were thousands of things to say and a lot of information to communicate, he couldn't help but ask the question he wanted to know the most.
Xia Xun's heart skipped a beat when he said these words. For more than half a year, he had been living in exile and in great dangers. Although he was miserable, he knew better that his disappearance would have a negative impact on his relatives.
What a huge shock. Perhaps, after such a long time of misfortune, his family has gradually recovered from the great grief, but their thoughts and concerns will not be reduced.
Unexpectedly, Xu Jiang and Dai Yubin took a step back after hearing these words. Xia Xun's heart sank and he hurriedly asked: "What, what happened to my family...?"
Xu Jiang and Dai Yubin did not answer, but took another step back, while the two people standing in the shadow quietly took a step forward. They only took one step, and their bodies were half submerged in the shadow and light, and the light only illuminated them.
Half of his face, but Xia Xun was already crazy when he saw it. He stood there stupidly and didn't speak for a long time.
Xu Jiang and Dai Yubin, like Chen Dong and Ye An, quietly disappeared into the night. Xia Xun still looked at the two people for a long time. There were faint tears in Xia Xun's eyes, and the faces of the two people were even more intense.
Two lines of shining tears have quietly crawled up.
Standing in front of them are two people wearing astronomical scarves, wearing green robes and leather belts. They have elegant demeanor. Their lips are painted with vermilion, their eyes are clear and charming, their skin is delicate, white and rosy, and their pointed chins are big and big.
His eyes, when illuminated by the lamp, are especially beautiful. If such a handsome young man were to change into women's clothes, he would really turn all living beings upside down.
The other one is also dressed as a scholar, slightly plumper than the first scholar. He is wearing a jade-colored straight skirt and a small uniform melon-skin hat. In the middle of the hat brim is a piece of fine jade, which is green and shiny, welcoming.
When the light shines, the green color shines. He wears a pair of black sheepskin boots on his feet. He steps silently, vigorously and neatly. It seems that he has good skills.
Although the two of them were dressed in men's clothing, how could Xia Xun not recognize that they were Xie Xie and Su Ying.
Xie Yufei looked at Xia Xun with tearful eyes, and suddenly threw herself into his arms, crying: "Mr. Xun!" Her tears quickly wet Xia Xun's clothes.
Su Ying took off her melon-skin hat, and her black hair was like ink in the water. It quickly moistened and fell quietly on her chest, making her pretty face even more charming. She also threw herself into Xia Xun's arms and put her cheek
She clung to his chest tightly, although she didn't murmur like Xie Yufei, she was still in tears.
The two women hugged Xia Xun's body tightly, as if he would disappear into thin air if they let go. Xia Xun's body was so strong that he felt like he was being strangled and suffocated.
Under the corridor built by grape vines, Xilin and Jeanne were holding Tang Sai'er's hands and standing there quietly. Tang Sai'er obviously didn't understand the scene in front of her very well. She opened her mouth to scream, but was stopped by Xi Lin.
Lin covered her mouth, and Jeanne quietly waved her hand to her, and the two of them pulled her and quietly retreated along the original path. It was not until they exited the small courtyard that Tang Saier asked in confusion:
"Sister Xilin, why don't you let me talk?"
Jeanne scratched her nose and said angrily: "Silly girl, when you return to Jinling, when you see your mother, you will throw yourself into her arms, and when you are intimate, others will come out to disturb you, will you be annoyed?
ah?"
"It's not annoying!"
Tang Saier's beautiful big eyes widened and she said ignorantly: "I'm sure that after my mother hugs me and finishes crying, she will definitely spank me. I wish someone was around so that my mother wouldn't spank me.
La!"
Xilin burst out laughing, put her finger on her forehead, and said, "But your godfather won't spank your godmother!"
"Pah! Pah!"
With two crisp sounds, Su Ying and Xie Xie each received a slap on their plump buttocks. The bodies of the two women seemed to soften immediately, and they fell softly into Xia Xun's arms. Xia Xun smiled with tears in his eyes.
, but put on the air of a great gentleman and reprimanded: "You really don't understand the rules! How come the noble lady of the country shows her face and comes here?"
If Ming'er and Xiaodi were in front of him, they might have lowered their heads obediently to satisfy Mr. Xia's desire for expression. Unfortunately, what he faced today was Su Ying and Xie Yufei, a pair of female pirates and pirates.
Although the female Jianghu has been married to him for many years and has given birth to children for him, her fierce temperament has not diminished a little.
Bite him hard on the shoulder.
"Wow! Murdering my husband!"
Xia Xun screamed strangely, shrunk his figure, held up his hands, and tightly held their plump breasts. He lifted the two beauties up as if they were children, kicked open the door and walked in.