aircannonsinc Chapter 181 Celebrating this joyous occasion, Cheng Yaojin and Xue Liang sat down at the same table.
Chapter 181 Celebrating this joyous occasion, Cheng Yaojin and Xue Liang sat down at the same table.
"I'll let you shit, I'll let you shit!"
When the Ao fish saw Cheng Yaojin, a rare flicker of emotion appeared on its usually expressionless face.
He recognized the fat man; he had seen him before at the Zheng family's manor!
At that time, this fat man and his men were moving things around at the Zheng family's house, and they were doing it with great enthusiasm.
"Hehe, I told you I'm the prince's good brother!" Cheng Yaojin slapped the fish on the shoulder, his face shaking with laughter.
"Someone's here to deliver a gift, make way, make way!"
He swaggered through the crowd and came to the long table in front of Li Jing, which was covered with gift lists.
The table was piled high with gift boxes and gift lists of all kinds, each one beautifully packaged and clearly very valuable.
Li Jing was engrossed in writing, his pen almost leaving afterimages.
Cheng Yaojin didn't stand on ceremony and put the bulging coarse cloth bundle he was carrying on the table.
"Cheng Da," he cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, "is a fellow townsman of the Prince."
Li Jing paused for a moment.
"Eugene," Yu Junda chimed in, mimicking him, "Your Highness's classmate."
Li Jing raised his head and glanced at the two men.
He wore coarse linen clothes, his face was covered in dust, and he carried the smell of grass from the mountains.
The bundle was even more shabby, patched upon patched, with worn-out edges.
Fellow townsman?
Classmate?
Li Jing frowned slightly.
While he was by Lü Xiao's side, he could not claim to know everything about the past of the Prince of Shuo, but he did have a general understanding of it.
It's true that Lü Xiao came from humble beginnings, but I've never heard of him having any fellow townsmen or classmates.
These two are clearly just here to freeload.
However, today is the second young master's 100th birthday celebration, and the Shuo Prince's Mansion is holding a grand banquet, distributing porridge and doing good deeds, which is intended to help the poor.
Li Jing, unwilling to argue with others on such a joyous occasion, raised his hand and pushed Cheng Yaojin's bundle back.
"If you are extremely hungry, go and wait over there for a while."
"To celebrate the young master's 100th birthday, the Prince Shuo's mansion has set up a porridge stall outside the gate, where anyone who comes can have a bite."
Cheng Yaojin was stunned for a moment, then he understood.
They're treating him like a beggar!
"Why are you treating me like a beggar!"
He stared wide-eyed, looking aggrieved.
Li Jing didn't speak, he just looked at him quietly.
That look in their eyes clearly said, "Isn't that right?"
No wonder Li Jing misunderstood.
The clothes these two men wore were barely better than those of beggars on the street.
The contents of that bundle were bulging, but it was impossible to tell what they were. What if they were some random junk?
Today is a joyous occasion for Lü Xiao; if anything goes wrong, Li Jing cannot bear the consequences.
Cheng Yaojin took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart.
He knew that Li Jing wasn't deliberately making things difficult for them; it was just that their attire and their explanations were so shabby that anyone would be suspicious.
"Go," Cheng Yaojin waved his hand, "have someone tell the Prince that Cheng Da has come looking for him. If he doesn't let me in, I'll kowtow to you!"
Li Jing raised an eyebrow.
That's quite a bold statement.
He pondered for a moment, then whispered a few words to the guard beside him.
The guard nodded, turned around, and quickly walked into the mansion.
A moment later, the guard returned and whispered a few words in Li Jing's ear.
Li Jing's expression changed slightly, and he solemnly cupped his hands to Cheng Yaojin, saying, "Excuse me, please."
Cheng Yaojin nodded, not caring, and walked into the mansion.
"Okay, I don't blame you."
The group passed through the hanging flower gate and stepped into the inner courtyard of the Prince Shuo's Mansion.
"This is way bigger than our hideout!"
The moment You Junda entered the room, his eyes wouldn't move.
He looked around, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg.
The pavilions, terraces, towers, rockeries, ponds, carved beams, and painted rafters are all exquisite and beautiful.
When he was in Wagangzhai, he thought that the Hall of Gathering Righteousness was already quite grand, but compared to the Shuowang Mansion, it was simply a thatched hut!
"That's a rather crude statement," Cheng Yaojin corrected. "You should say it's much bigger than our old lair!"
You Junda nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, it's much bigger than our old hideout!"
The henchmen behind him were even more astonished; they had never seen anything like this in their lives.
"Listen up, everyone!" Cheng Yaojin suddenly lowered his voice and glanced back at the group.
"When you're seated at the table later, be prepared to behave yourself. Don't let anyone look down on you!"
"Understood! Understood!" You Junda nodded repeatedly. "We can't let Wagang down!"
Several henchmen nodded vigorously, puffing out their chests.
Cheng Yaojin withdrew his gaze with satisfaction.
Don't let his carefree attitude fool you; he's incredibly meticulous when it matters.
This time, Cheng Yaojin's visit to the Prince of Shuo's mansion represents not just the image of Cheng Yaojin, but the face of the entire Wagangzhai.
Just then, a guard from the mansion hurried over, bowed to Cheng Yaojin, and said, "Master Cheng, please have a seat here."
"Okay, okay, thank you for your trouble."
Cheng Yaojin smiled and nodded, then followed the guard forward.
After passing through a corridor, the guard stopped in front of a table.
"Uncle Cheng, this is it."
Cheng Yaojin looked down and saw that someone was already sitting at the table, and it was an old acquaintance!
The man was dressed in white robes, with a handsome face, but his brows carried a lingering gloom.
"Hey, Brother Luo Cheng!"
Cheng Yaojin clapped his hands in delight, the sound so loud it could have lifted the roof off.
Luo Cheng's hand trembled, and half a cup of wine spilled.
He looked up and saw Cheng Yaojin's smiling face, which resembled that of Maitreya Buddha, and he was completely stunned.
Cheng Yaojin!
What's this rough-looking guy doing here?
When the forty-six men swore brotherhood at Jiajialou, Luo Cheng was the youngest and ranked last.
He never expected to see Cheng Yaojin in the Prince of Shuo's mansion.
"Cheng Yao...Brother Cheng?"
Luo Cheng's voice was somewhat hoarse.
"Hahaha! Didn't expect that, did you!" Cheng Yaojin plopped down next to Luo Cheng, patted him on the shoulder, and acted as if he were seeing a brother.
"Didn't you go to fight at Wagang with Shubao? After the battle, instead of returning to Beiping, you came here to congratulate Lü Zilie?"
Luo Cheng's expression changed slightly.
He picked up the wine bowl in front of him and drank it all in one gulp.
I guess so.
What did he say?
Is he said to be a hostage held by Lü Xiao?
To say that he is now powerless and living under someone else's roof?
Luo Cheng couldn't bring himself to say such things.
Before Cheng Yaojin could ask further, the guard's voice rang out again:
"Second Master Xue, please have a seat here."
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a strong, muscular man striding towards them.
The man was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit and had a heroic air about him; he was clearly from a military background.
It was Xue Liang.
He came all the way from Dengzhou for Lü Yan's 100th birthday celebration.
After this joyous occasion, the next step will be the wedding of Lü Xiao and Yang Yu'er, and as the second elder brother, he will naturally be present throughout the entire event.
Xue Liang was also a very outgoing person. As soon as he saw everyone, he cupped his hands and said with a smile, "Hey, brothers! I'm Zi Lie's second brother..."
His smile suddenly froze on his face halfway through his sentence.