My enemies became my companions

Chapter 524: The King of Hell Behind the Scenes (Three-in-One Extra Chapter)

The banquet was held in Mingyue Pavilion, which was originally a restaurant. As more and more dignitaries came and went, more and more banquets were held here, which lasted all night long. The shopkeeper hired dancers and found a band, and slowly it became the leading banquet place in Wuchang Prefecture. Rich and purple people flitted by, and beautiful music was played. Yet, another year had passed and the autumn wind blew again.

The lanterns under the corridor were swaying in the wind. On the street, there were cars and horses, and blue cloth sedan chairs were coming in one after another. Elders or officials rode in the sedan chair directly into the courtyard, while common people had to unload the sedan chair and tie the horse at the gatehouse, and then be led in by servants.

Su Hongtao, wearing a silk straight-sleeved casual suit, was waiting in the front yard to welcome guests.

A man in a brocade robe had just stepped through the door. Su Hongtao had already held his elbows through his sleeves with both hands. One of them said, "Thank you for coming to the banquet," and the other replied, "Thank you for your kindness."

The one who replied was none other than the governor-general Wang Fu appointed by the court. The governor was an official dispatched by the court to the local area, in charge of all local towns, unifying power to prevent mutual shirking of responsibilities. Logically speaking, Su Hongtao, Kou Jun, and Han Xiu should all obey Wang Fu's orders, but in the Huguang area, the various places were complexly interconnected and had deep connections with each other. With the alliance between Su and Kou, Wang Fu was sidelined from the position of governor.

Facing Su Hongtao, Wang Fu's expression remained the same, without any strangeness. Su Hongtao didn't know whether he was willing to hand over the power. In this officialdom, if one didn't even have this little bit of energy, he couldn't climb to this position.

Then several people entered the yard. Su Hongtao mostly just bowed to see them off. Those who knew each other called each other by name and exchanged greetings. Compared with the crowd of people in brocade robes, Anshan Gong's light blue silk gown looked particularly elegant, which aroused people's admiration.

When a sedan chair engraved with an official title entered the courtyard, Su Hongtao's brows darkened. The curtain was opened, and he saw Han Xiu slowly walking out of it.

Su Hongtao took two steps forward and greeted him with a smile: "Han Zishen, thank you for coming to the banquet and interrupting my official duties. Please take your seat."

"It's just dealing with a few old cases, it's not a bother." Han Xiu's face was cold, and his voice was flat: "I hope Mr. Anshan can persuade Lord Kou to drink tonight and help me get the grain transport account book of Wuchang Prefecture."

"The feast is for the enjoyment of the guests. Let us not discuss official business tonight."

Han Xiu sneered, bowed casually, and walked into the banquet.

As the people walked away, Su Hongtao's eyes were cold. With the progress of the amnesty, he and Han Xiu became more and more antagonistic, almost to the point of breaking up. He still remembered that when they first met at the post station to take office, they wrote poems to each other and expressed their ambition to eliminate the country's evils, and regarded each other as confidants. Now, looking back, Su Hongtao's brows looked much older than before, and he couldn't help sighing.

Will it be under the butcher's knife or on the execution ground when I drink and write poems about my aspirations again in the future?
Just as he was thinking about it, a servant led three people in. Su Hongtao looked back, his face changed slightly, and he no longer sighed, as if he was suddenly in a life-or-death situation.

The person who came was Chu Yiyuan. The two men following behind him were unknown, but they were probably from the White Lotus Sect. They were disguised as merchants and scholars.

“Excuse me for bothering you.” Chu Yiyuan stepped forward and introduced: “Mr. Anshan, allow me to introduce you. This is Mr. Qin, and this is Mr. Chen.”

"This humble home is filled with glory."

Su Hongtao just glanced at them, exchanged a few words, and then turned and left as other officials greeted him.

Characters like them who are not presentable should stay in the dark.

The one we want to get rid of tonight is Han Xiu.

The eight-immortal table had already been set up in the main hall, and the guests were seated one after another. There was dried fruit tea in a storage box on the table. Before the dishes were served, the guests chatted while drinking tea.

In the lobby, Chen Yi held the bowl and sipped tea. The tea tasted good and had thick foam, but it was not very tasty. It just looked good and was much worse than what Yin Tingxue ordered. He thought about it for a moment and turned his eyes to see Donggong Ruoshu secretly stuffing dried fruits into his mouth.

Chen Yi couldn't help but shook his head. This silly girl was the Crown Princess, so of course she was not ignorant of etiquette. She just knew the etiquette but not the reasons. If you asked her to be polite, she would be polite. But you had to ask her to be polite because even if she didn't, she wouldn't be embarrassed.

I don’t know if this was a pure heart or a heartless heart, but when Donggong Ruoshu noticed Chen Yi was looking at her, she didn’t feel embarrassed, but peeled a longan and handed it to Chen Yi.

"You haven't washed your hands yet, don't peel them for me."

She swallowed the longan without any resentment towards Chen Yi. It is true that Miss Donggong is a little stupid, but fortunately she is a little stupid, otherwise she would be a little smarter.

Chen Yi turned around and heard the rustling sounds of the guests standing up one after another. It turned out that Su Hongtao had joined the banquet.

After everyone had paid their respects and sat down one after another, Chen Yi saw a Taoist priest and a monk following Su Hongtao.

The monk had kind eyes and was dressed in a simple grey monk's robe, looking like a highly accomplished monk. The Taoist wore a Hunyuan scarf on his head, but his face was inhumanly pale. The patterns on his robe were not the common Bagua style, but were embroidered with cloud and thunder patterns of Xiezhi. The color was deep, and his face was solemn, which did not match the Taoist's seclusion.

Chen Yi turned to Chu Yiyuan and asked, "Who are those two people?"

"Them? One is the abbot of Baolian Temple. He is an old acquaintance of the Su family and has a lot of connections with us. I will tell you later. The other one... I have never seen him before. He was probably invited by Su Hongtao himself."

Po Lin Monastery.
Chen Yi's brows deepened slightly. When he raised his eyes, he saw Ji Yuan's eyes sweeping across the entire room, and it seemed that he did not recognize him.

It is naturally impossible to bring weapons to the banquet, and even Fang Di does not allow it. Otherwise, Chen Yi may not be sure whether he will get excited and take Ji Yuan's head in public.

Thinking about it, this lonely and distant breath seemed weak, like an old man dying, but this breath was extremely long, as if it would remain in the dying state forever. It was extremely weird. It was the first time that Chen Yi had seen such a person.

Su Hongtao, the host of the banquet, said "Please share our chopsticks", and then the tips of chopsticks could be heard tapping the edges of the bowls in a continuous stream of thanks. The old and the young took up their chopsticks in turn. The maids serving the banquet held tin pots and poured wine. The wine fell into the cups, splashing out the aroma. The banquet had begun.

Not long after the maids left, they heard the sound of a string instrument, and a beautiful woman came into the hall to perform.

Behind the screen, a sanxian trembled, and graceful ladies in colorful clothes entered the banquet and started dancing. Music also rose, and colorful ribbons floated across the banquet room. Twelve dancers floated in to the lingering music.

The strings of the zither trembled again, and the women suddenly scattered like willow branches in the wind, dancing with lotus steps and wide sleeves fluttering. The candlelight in the room was stirred into flowing gold and broken jade. At appropriate time, the sounds of sheng and pipe arose, and the dance formation suddenly changed. The wide sleeves of colorful clothes swept across the table, bringing with them bursts of fragrance.

When the dance reached its climax, the sound of the piano suddenly became faster. All the girls bent their waists and leaned back, their hair almost brushing the blue brick floor. The whole room burst into applause.

The guests were having a great time, toasting each other.

Suddenly.

Chen Yi frowned, and as Yun Shang rose and fell, ripples appeared on the tea on the table.

The water ripples and the tea foam swirls. Driven by some external force, they gradually merge into words:

[You were born as a human, how could you dare to usurp the position of City God? ]

Chen Yi suddenly looked up and saw the Taoist priest he had noticed earlier, who was sitting at a table not far away.

The colorful dress swirled in gusts of breeze, and the dark Taoist robe moved with the wind. Behind her, a judge from the underworld with eyes as sharp as lightning seemed to emerge, holding a jade scepter in his hand, deciding the justice of yin and yang.

He looked down at Chen Yi, as if he wanted to peel off his skin and flesh layer by layer and examine the soul within.

[Now the King of Hell has issued an edict, ordering you to enter the palace to investigate your duties. Yin and Yang are in order, and heaven and earth are the foundation. If you do not commit a crime, you will still be innocent.]

Chen Yi drank the tea slowly and grinned at him.

The Taoist's hair and beard were slightly spread out, his beautiful beard moved slowly, and there was some anger in his eyes.

Chen Yi drank the tea in one gulp.

"Tsk, you found me, a living Yin official."

Chen Yi remained calm. Yang has its own laws, Yin has its own rules. Yin and Yang in the world are in order, just like water from wells does not interfere with water from rivers. This is common sense and iron law. He took office as the City God as a living person, and it was inevitable that he would get into trouble because he knew how to push buttons.

Why did I run into the patrolling judge of the underworld in the city of Wuchang when I didn't provoke him earlier or later?
Moreover, this judge of the underworld is also Su Hongtao's guest of honor?

What a coincidence.

The dancers took a break from the banquet. In the middle of the meal, the kitchen brought in warm soup and shared it among the guests. The soup base was filled with delicious ham.

Kou Jun scooped up some crab paste and tofu and said with a smile, "What a beautiful world!"

It was a chilly spring day, and when the cold air collided with the heat from the banquet, a thick white mist rose up, making the banquet hall hazy.

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene was very suitable, and all the guests echoed them, clinking glasses, and toasting each other. It was very lively. Before long, the dancers entered the stage again. This was not the Lantern Festival, and the White Lotus Sect had caused chaos in Huguang, but in this magnificent hall, there was still dancing all night long.

Chen Yi scooped up the soup, lowered his head and sipped it, closed his eyes, and when he looked up again,
A cold wind blew in my face, and all the seats at the banquet were suddenly empty, as if everyone had left at once. There was no sound around, and the dancers were nowhere to be seen. A layer of dark darkness covered the scene before my eyes, and only the Taoist priest was still standing opposite me.

But his appearance had changed. He was wearing a dark robe, a purple beard, and holding a jade scepter in his hand. He was wearing a judge's robe and stood up suddenly, with eyes as bright as lightning.

Behind him, two figures, one black and one white, appeared, with the words "Get rich at first sight" and "Peace in the world" on their heads, and blood-red tongues hanging in the air. The judge raised his hand again, and dark clouds rolled over the floor of the hall. Ghost soldiers and ghost messengers slowly emerged from the clouds, and the hall was filled with them. The cold air from the underworld spread.

"Who are you to dare to usurp the position of City God, release the criminals from the underworld privately, and obstruct the order of the King of Hell?"

A sound like a huge bell resounded throughout the hall. Dark clouds rolled in and a chill penetrated the bones. Chen Yi saw that the ghost soldiers and ghost officials were approaching with weapons in hand.

This restaurant hall suddenly became the judge's office.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Chen Yi lowered his head and smiled, then he put the chopsticks in his hand in a stable position without any fear, and said slowly:

"You asked me who I am, but I also want to ask who you are? Why are you acting like a ghost here for no reason?"

The judge paused, as if he had heard something very funny, his hair and beard trembled, and he laughed loudly.
"I am Yin Yijian, the thousand-year chief judge of the Chacha Division. I inspect the city gods of the four directions for the King of Hell, examine matters, supervise officials, and create a peaceful underworld."

His eyes were sharp.
"I don't know where you came from, you thief, and I don't know who your superior is."

The atmosphere was overwhelming, the chill was chilling, and the ghost soldiers and evil cops were standing on all sides with their swords pointed, but Chen Yi seemed to be unaware of it and continued to drink the soup with his head down.

After a long while, he slowly said, "Judge Yin, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. I, Chen Yi, have done good deeds, I am loyal and filial, I am modest, I don't like women, I strictly abide by etiquette, and I have a good voice. These are clearly stated in the official certificate. I have this as a testimony. How can you accuse me of being a thief?"

Yin Yijian sneered and said, "He has killed countless people, is lustful, disregards etiquette and laws, disobeys his superiors, and commits adultery. Which of these is not a crime that deserves to go to hell? Now he even dares to usurp the throne of the underworld. If all these crimes are counted, he will go to the eighteenth level of hell."

Chen Yi raised his head slowly, and was about to yell at him for slander and framing him, but after thinking about it, it seemed that there was nothing slanderous.

Seeing that he remained silent, Yin Yijian smiled coldly, as if he wanted to peel off Chen Yi's skin and bones. His voice was as loud as a bell:

"The King of Hell has issued an edict. Seeing that your origins are unknown, a thorough investigation is urgently needed. Therefore, your salary will be temporarily suspended. You are required to return to the palace to report for duty after the investigation is completed!"

As his voice fell, Yin Yijian waved his hand, and a decree of suspension flew in front of Chen Yi. The words on it were all written by the King of Hell. Every word seemed to be a bony hand, trying to pinch Chen Yi's limbs.

Seeing the imperial edict coming down, everything seemed to be settled. The ghost soldiers and ghost officials pressed forward. It was against the law of yin and yang for a living person to serve as a ghost official. It was a foregone conclusion that Chen Yi's position as City God would be dismissed.

boom!
Two chopsticks flew out and pierced through the heads of the ghost soldiers and ghost messengers in an instant. Yin Yijian's sleeves flew around, and he was immediately furious. His eyes were like lightning, and he stared at the man fiercely: "How dare you kill the ghost messenger without permission?!"

"Let's not talk about whether you can take me down," Chen Yi said slowly, "You have the King of Hell behind you, but I don't have the King of Hell behind me, right?"

"How dare you use the name of the King of Hell?"

"King Chujiang is half my father-in-law."

As soon as the words came out, all the ghost soldiers and ghost officials in the field fell silent and took half a step back. Yin Yijian's angry expression froze for a moment, and then a trace of confusion flashed across his face. He counted with his fingers, and the doubt in his eyes deepened.

In an instant, his thoughts seemed to be filled with countless hesitations, considerations, and calculations, and in the end, he got angry.

"Don't get carried away. The King of Hell will come and investigate this matter. Don't think you can get away with it and escape jail!"

Chen Yi just waved his hand.

"get out."

The dark clouds gradually dissipated and warmth returned to the hall.

"Master Qin, Master Qin..."

Chu Yiyuan beside him pushed him twice, and Chen Yi opened his eyes, waking up from his dream.
Looking back at the banquet, beauties were singing and dancing, their silk sleeves brushing across the red cheeks in the hall, leaving only a strong sense of drunkenness.

The house is full of rich and powerful people, how can it not be prosperous?

Yes, everything in Wuchang City is prosperous.

After three rounds of wine and five kinds of dishes, the atmosphere became intense, both the host and the guests were having a great time, and after a few rounds of flying flowers, another glass of wine was drunk.

Chen Yi was not familiar with poetry, but he was also influenced by the strong atmosphere of the banquet. Besides, it was not easy to be alone at a banquet, so he drank a lot of wine. As for Miss Donggong, she never stopped eating.

The banquet would last very late, often all night long, with some breaks in the middle, during which some would return home tired, some would stay overnight, and some would just have fun.

Chu Yiyuan was already half drunk. He gestured to Chen Yi, indicating him to get up and follow him.

The two men walked to the corner of the corridor. There was no one around. There was a copper basin and towels for washing hands, as well as sobering soup to avoid impoliteness.

Chu Yiyuan washed his face with water to sober himself up a little, and said, "Master Qin, you are not completely drunk, are you?"

"Three-quarters drunk."

"Okay, I'm also a little drunk," Chu Yiyuan burped and continued, "Let's take a short break now. In the second half of the night, we will find an opportunity to find Han Xiu and see what he means. If necessary, we can kill him without hesitation. Don't show mercy."

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, then smiled and said, "I won't be soft-hearted, I'm just afraid of getting drunk."

"Then I have to find a way to sober you up, and I have to use a trick to win you over, so that you can work for my Holy Church." Chu Yiyuan laughed and said, "After five dishes and three rounds of wine, do you know what I am going to do, Master Qin?"

"Oh?"

"Honey trap!"

"Oh, no, I can't stand the test."

After a while, there was no movement, so Chen Yi poked his head out and said:

"Brother Yiyuan, since you know I can't stand the test, why don't you test me quickly?"

Chu Yiyuan laughed loudly, patted Chen Yi's shoulder enthusiastically, and then ran quickly, saying, "Don't worry, sir. I will go find Anshan Gong to get it for you now!"

Chu Yiyuan was appointed as the incense master in the key place of Wuchang Prefecture. His greatest ability was to win people's hearts and cater to their interests, making people think that he was a diligent and sincere person.

Not long after Chen Yi returned to the hall, Chu Yiyuan called someone over and informed him that a side room had been arranged and a beautiful woman was waiting inside.

So Chen Yi pulled Donggong Ruoshu, who was still eating, over. In the corridor, Chu Yiyuan bowed to him, gave him a look that all men understood, and then turned around and walked away.

Donggong Ruoshu's disguise as a man is far inferior to Min Ning's, and it is very easy to expose. Chen Yi wants to take her with him. If not to fly two horses, what else could it be for?
As soon as the door was pushed open, a fragrant breeze blew in, and the soft jade floor was spread out. The beautiful top performer in Mingyue Pavilion, upon seeing the East Palace girl beside Chen Yi, she immediately understood something. Her eyes were like flowing water, and she immediately became shy and timid, with the look of a shy lady.

"What do you want, sir? Two of you come together?" As she said this, the top girl gathered her clothes in front of her chest with one hand, and said shyly, "I have never seen such a scene before."

"Then I won't see you."

Chen Yi pulled his hand sideways, the top performer's eyes widened, the back of his neck felt a pain, and his whole body went limp and he fainted.

During this period, he discovered that he was actually a self-respecting person and would not fall for any beauty trap.

If they really failed, they would only fall into the beauty trap of a few people such as Yin Tingxue, Yin Weiying, Min Ning, Zhou Yitong, Qin Qingluo, Zhu E, Lin Wanhang, Concubine Dong, etc.

at the same time,

Wang Fu, who was already drunk, was led by Kou Jun to hold the hand of the dancer who had just led the dance. The beauty lowered her eyebrows shyly, and could not help but show off her beautiful figure.

Su Hongtao turned around and glanced at Han Xiu intentionally or unintentionally, but the latter sat upright and seemed to have no reaction.

Can he really sit still? Su Hongtao was full of doubts.

The servant came with the wine. He turned the screen and poured wine for the guests who were still present. When he walked towards Su Hongtao, he had already pulled out a dagger from the shadow of his sleeve from behind.

(End of this chapter)