Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chapter 444 The Queen Mother’s Birthday Banquet
On October 23, Jia Cong met Wen Zhen, Lei Tai, Zhou Wei and others at home, with Pang Chao accompanying him.

"Your Majesty, the fourteen old party prisoners have been interrogated thoroughly and the people behind them have also been found out. They were put aside according to your Majesty's instructions a few days ago. Please give me your permission." Zhou Weidao said.

Jia Cong smiled coldly and said: "It is rude to come and not return. Since the evidence is conclusive, let's report it to the emperor for a settlement. As for the people behind them, they will be arrested and brought to justice after requesting an order."

"Yes."

"This time, the Admiral was framed. I discovered that some people in the guard were eager to join others when they saw that the Lord was in trouble. Please give me your instructions." Wen Zhen said.

Jia Cong nodded and said, "How do you think Mr. Pang should handle it?"

Pang Chao said with a smile: "It is human nature to pursue advantages and avoid disadvantages, and to speculate and gain camp. If there is no obvious evil deeds, just keep it for now. You may use it later to achieve the effect of a surprise attack."

"Just as Mr. said." Jia Cong said.

Wen Zhen said with a smile: "Today is the Empress Dowager's holiday. Your Excellency has to go to the palace to have a banquet. I won't bother you if you are a lowly official."

"Go." Jia Cong waved his hand and dismissed a few people.

Pang Chao's heart moved and he said, "Brother Cong, you still need to be careful today."

"Huh? What do you mean, sir?" Jia Cong asked.

Pang Chao said: "I heard that since the Supreme Emperor abdicated, every birthday of the two old saints has been very low-key, but a few close relatives are invited to the palace to give a banquet.

Why did Dudu make such a big fuss this time and invite not only clan members, important officials of the court, but also distinguished nobles and princes? Isn't it a little strange? "

Jia Cong nodded slowly and said: "Sir, what you said makes sense, but there is no news from the palace, and everything is safe at Manager Dai's place. What can happen if you just have a banquet?"

Pang Chao sneered and said: "This time the old party is defeated, I don't think I may be willing to accept it. Now that the murderous intention has been exposed, I will definitely find ways to get rid of you to prevent you from freeing up your hands to retaliate.

And now Concubine Yuan in the palace is discussing with the queen the marriage between you and Princess Ruyi. If this happens, it will be ten times harder for them to get rid of you.

They will definitely try their best to obstruct it, but they have no way to comment on the Tian family's family affairs. Since the emperor and empress agree to this matter, who else can exert influence? Isn't this obvious? "

Jia Cong was horrified: "Sir, do you mean that they want to use the Queen Mother's hand to interfere with my affairs and Ruyi's?"

Pang Chao nodded and said: "This is inevitable, and I predict that the Queen Mother will definitely mention this at today's banquet.

It's just that even so, at most it will prevent you from being the prince-in-law, but it won't get rid of you. There must be other joints involved. "

Jia Cong frowned and said, "Could it be that the old party wants to use Ruyi to lure me into taking the bait?"

Pang Chao's eyes suddenly lit up and he said: "Yes, yes! Brother Cong, have you ever heard of the strategy of 'two peaches kill three soldiers'?"

Jia Cong nodded. When he heard Daiyu tell "Zuo Zhuan", he said that this is a story from the Spring and Autumn Period. Yan Ying, a statesman of Qi State, used two peaches to drive a wedge between three generals and make them kill each other.

The bait seems to be an ordinary peach, but in fact it is the glory and title that warriors value most.

If you use Ruyi as bait now, you may take the bait even though you know it is a trap.

Pang Chao closed his eyes slightly, thought for a while, and sneered: "It's really a good plan. If I were the old party, if I got this opportunity, I would not only get rid of you, but also instigate internal fighting between the Duke's line and the Wuhou line. Harvest the fishermen.”

"What's the plan?" Jia Cong asked hurriedly.

"This plan is worthless. Now the princess is this peach, who doesn't want it? The old party uses this as bait to fish not only you, but also Wuhou. No matter who wins or loses, they will make a profit.

The Queen Mother strangely wants to summon the princes of Marquis Wu into the palace. She probably won't let you marry the princess easily, and will definitely make you compete with each other. Then there will be a lot of things to do. Pang Chao said slowly.

Pang Chao continued: "If it's a competition, it's nothing more than a literary contest. Essay, you have the reputation of being the most talented person in the world. I don't think anyone would dare to compete with you in essays."

When it comes to martial arts, you are a martial arts champion, who dares to beat you? If we want to get rid of you, it will be extremely difficult to succeed without some despicable means. You must be careful and don't give young people an opportunity to take advantage of you. "

Jia Cong breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "After listening to Mr.'s words, Cong Wuyou has no worries. Let's go to the palace to discuss it with Prime Minister Dai Nei."

Pang Chao nodded and said, "Go."

"Sir, your uncanny calculations are amazing. When Cong and Ruyi get married, I will have to offer you a few glasses of wine." Jia Cong said with a smile.

Pang Chao smiled and said, "Don't be careless."

"Don't worry, sir." Jia Cong took his soldiers and went out boldly. Since he knew that the other party had a plan and he was not a fool, how could he let others succeed.
-
Dai Quan met Jia Cong outside the Yangxin Palace and said with a smile: "Good morning, brother. Today's banquet is held in the Cining Palace. You went to the wrong place. Are you asking to see the emperor?"

Jia Cong smiled and held up his hands: "I came here early not to meet you, but to have a few words with the old minister."

Dai Quan saw that there was something in his words and hurriedly led him to a side hall for a secret conversation.

"Brother, if you have anything to say, it's okay to say it. There are no outsiders here." Dai Quan said.

Jia Cong looked solemn and said, "Minister, I'm afraid someone is going to use the Queen Mother's Kuncheng Festival to harm me today."

Dai Quan frowned and said: "Brother, why did you say this? Your business is over, and no one has impeached you recently. What does the Queen Mother's Christmas have to do with you?"

Jia Cong whispered Pang Chao's speculation, and Dai Quan was secretly frightened. He thought about it and said, "We have to guard against this."

He was very proficient in these private matters. After thinking for a moment, he said: "My brother's reputation for bravery is known all over the world. If I want to take the opportunity to eliminate you in a martial arts competition, I must use my brains on weapons or food.

Cheating on weapons is easy to be discovered. And if you poison your food... who dares to poison you at a royal banquet in the palace?
This is the crime of killing the Nine Clan. Even if it is better than my brother, this matter will become a big deal and I don’t know how many people will be killed.

Yes, if you only use drugs that weaken your muscles and bones, as long as you control the dosage, who can detect it? By the time I realize something is wrong, it may be too late. "

Jia Cong nodded slowly, Dai Quan's guess was not unreasonable. Isn't that what Huo Yuanjia has?

"But today's banquet was arranged by our family personally, and the people who served my brother the food and wine were also close friends for many years. Who can tamper with it?"

Dai Quan frowned and suddenly shouted: "Xiao Guizi!"

"My servant is here, please give me the steward's orders." A young eunuch hurriedly came in from the door.

Dai Quan whispered: "Go to the imperial dining room and keep an eye on it. Everyone's food and drinks should have been ordered by now.

You tell me what to do, get Wang San out of the way, quietly take out Dang Koubo's food and wine, and let people try them to see if there are any problems and report them immediately. Don't alert others. "

"Yes." Xiao Guizi was very smart and agreed and went.

Jia Cong said: "What does the manager mean by saying that the people around you are no longer reliable?"

Dai Quan had a gloomy face and nodded slowly: "Wang San has been with me for more than twenty years. I hope I guessed wrong. If you want to tamper with the food and wine, this is the best opportunity. If there is a banquet, everyone will Clean up and monitor each other, but it is inconvenient to take action."

Jia Cong nodded in agreement.

The two waited in the side hall for half an hour, and Xiao Guizi hurriedly came to report.

"Back to the manager, I asked a eunuch to taste the food and wine of Dang Koubo, and it turned out that there was something wrong with him. When he ate a little, he didn't feel it, but when he ate more, he felt dizzy and weak."

"Hmph, what a Wang San, what a Dongchang!" Dai Quan smiled coldly, "Go and secretly change the food and wine for Dang Koubo and keep an eye on it yourself. As for Wang San, don't disturb him."

"Yes."

Jia Cong didn't expect that Dai Quan's confidants would be infiltrated. As expected, Dongchang had some tricks up his sleeve. He frowned and said, "Manager, Dongchang can actually do this?"

Dai Quan said: "Although it is not easy to bribe my people, it is not impossible.

After all, people always have desires and fears. If you want to control people like Wang San, you can always do it with some effort. Do you think there are no people from our family in the East Factory? "

Jia Cong said: "The manager sees things clearly, Cong is not as good as him."

Dai Quan smiled and said: "Don't worry, brother, now you and I are working together to serve His Majesty. If something like this happens, our family will be ashamed. Don't worry, our family will be more careful in the future to ensure that our brothers are not plotted against. "

"Thank you for taking care of me, manager." Jia Cong said with cupped hands. In terms of power in the palace, he was far inferior to Dai Quan.

At the beginning of noon, everyone attending the banquet filed into Cining Palace. Under the guidance of the eunuchs and palace servants, they sat down on the ground.

There is a low table in front of each person, with sumptuous wine, vegetables and fruits on it.

The clan officials and civil servants sit on the left side, while the princes, Dukes' mansions, Wuhou's lineage and their princes sit on the right side.

When Jia Cong saw Sun Can, Sun Chi, Ruyi and others, he smiled and held his hands in greeting from a distance.

Sun Chi and the other two returned the gift with their hands in hand.

Princess Ruyi rolled her eyes at him angrily, obviously still angry about the frivolous thing he did that day.

Jia Cong smiled, winked at her, and turned his eyes to her plump chest.

Damn it! Ruyi blushed and almost wanted to throw the cup at him, but she finally endured it. You are a dirty bastard. I will deal with you later.

Sun Can and Sun Can couldn't help but smile at each other when they saw the way they were flirting. They finally explained away the scourge of Ruyi and let Brother Cong have a headache from now on.

Everyone in the palace was chatting casually when they suddenly heard the eunuch singing: "The Emperor is here, the Queen Mother is here, the Queen is here."

Everyone hurriedly stood up and stood in awe. After Emperor Xifeng and three other people took their seats on the imperial steps, they prostrated themselves.

"I will see the Emperor, the Queen Mother, and the Queen."

Jia Cong secretly saw the Queen Mother, who was about seventy years old. Her hair was as white as silver, she was thin, her face was fleshless, and her eyes were bright. She looked like a shrewd person.

"Everyone is fine." The Queen Mother said with a smile: "I have been living in the palace for a long time. This year, I suddenly miss you. So I will take this day to invite all the clan members, important ministers and nobles to come into the palace to have a glass of wine and talk."

"I thank the Queen Mother for her kindness, and I wish to congratulate the Queen Mother. The pines are long-lived, the peaches are holding the sun for three thousand years; the cranes are sending messages of Spring and Autumn, and the ancient cypresses are forty meters high."

"I congratulate the Queen Mother on her long life and great blessings. She can live a leisurely and elegant deer-fur coat with three joys. She can enjoy a good year with civilization and she can be free and happy with her dove and stick."

"I congratulate the Queen Mother on the green thousand-year-old tree. The staff walks towards the spring and autumn forever; the bright moon is like a pond of lotus, and the sun and the moon are long when fishing for silk thread."

……

Jia Cong listened to the ministers vying for birthday wishes, and he also said a few random sentences, but he only knew the simplest two sentences: "Blessed as the East China Sea, longevity as good as the Nanshan Mountain", and he was too embarrassed to shout loudly.

"Okay, I accept your wishes." The Queen Mother smiled and raised her hand to signal everyone to take their seats.

Emperor Xifeng said with a smile: "I wish my mother, Queen Yao, will not grow old in the spring of Yaochi, and I hope that I will be happy and happy for half of her centenary life. I wish her longevity will be auspicious, and she will have rapeseed in my cup for nine periods of time, and she will have good fortune and longevity."

Empress Chen said with a smile: "I wish my mother the virtuous seventy-year-old man. After several times of seventy-two scenery, the Magu fairy grass appears; the guide Samadhi should last for three thousand years, and it forms the Queen Mother's peach."

"Okay, please sit down, emperor and empress. Today, I am very happy. I have not been so happy for a few days. You all have a full drink of this cup." The Queen Mother raised her glass and smiled.

"Thank you, Queen Mother." Everyone hurriedly raised their glasses and drank it all.

Jia Cong looked at Dai Quan and saw that he nodded slightly towards him. He also picked up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he found that several people were secretly paying attention to him.

The eunuch next to him came up and filled the bowl for him.

Today is the Queen Mother's birthday. The emperor, empress, and ministers are all in high spirits, and some flatterers even presented rare treasures in the hall to please the Queen Mother.

Jia Cong did not join in the fun. His birthday gift was given to Dai Quan. This time he was almost killed by the Supreme Emperor. He was too lazy to spend any more money to please the Queen Mother.

After the gifts were presented, Emperor Xifeng ordered dance music to be passed on.

Because it was a birthday banquet, the atmosphere was relaxed. Everyone watched the palace dance and music while talking, laughing and drinking.

Niu Jizong, Liu Fang, Hou Xiaokang and other acquaintances around him frequently toasted. Jia Cong couldn't bear to drink and exposed his flaws, so he had to deal with it casually. Fortunately, Peach Blossom Drunk was delicious, and with his drinking capacity, it didn't bother him.

While chatting and laughing with everyone, Jia Cong looked around and saw that there was only one person among the prince Wuhou who never drank alcohol. He sneered in his heart, it turned out to be him.

After dancing for a while, exit.

The Queen Mother was chatting with several old princes of the clan, and somehow the topic came to Princess Ruyi.

"I'm not afraid that you will laugh at me for being partial. There are so many grandsons and granddaughters in the clan, but the one who loves me the most is Ruyi." The Queen Mother said with a smile.

Prince Zhongshun smiled and said: "Ruyi has been filial, sensible, and smart since she was a child. It is only natural for the Queen Mother to prefer her. Not to mention the Queen Mother, even I have often been tricked by her."

All the princes and princes laughed and agreed.

"Now I have no other thoughts. I just want to see Ruyi leave the pavilion as soon as possible, so that I can feel at ease." The Queen Mother said with a smile.

"Royal Grandmother...are you drunk? I want to stay with you for two more years." Princess Ruyi couldn't bear the meaningful looks in her eyes from all the royal brothers, so she got up and ran to the Queen Mother and said coquettishly.

(End of this chapter)