Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 182 Dinner Party
Like Yin Li, Zhou Mi did not expect Yan Yi to send her to Wu County.

Confucianism has always advocated "differences between men and women", and the "Inner Rules" chapter of the Book of Rites clearly states that women should "stay at home and not talk about the outside world". Especially in aristocratic families, most women in the inner courtyard live in seclusion and rarely go out in public.

Only Yan Yi would treat the women in his harem as subordinates and assign them to other places.

However, he often makes unexpected arrangements, and people around him gradually get used to it.

Yan Yi did not hesitate to let Zhou Mi personally go to Wu County to keep an eye on Zhou Tai, because he was worried that Jiang Qin who suddenly appeared would change Zhou Tai's mind.

He spent two or three months trying to get Zhou Mi to lobby Zhou's mother and Zhou Tai. Seeing that things were moving in a good direction, he couldn't let it go to waste.

It can be seen from Zhou Tai's letter that Jiang Qin has no intention of joining him for the time being. This person is like a time bomb buried next to Zhou Tai, who may take Zhou Tai to someone else at any time.

Nowadays, the trend of competing for talents among various forces in Jiangdong is becoming more and more intense, and he has no choice but to be cautious.

Yan Yi came to the bedroom in the backyard, thinking about Zhou Tai's affairs, and gradually felt tired, so he took a nap on the couch for a while.

When I woke up, I realized I had overslept and an hour had passed.

The sky outside the window was getting darker, and two maids stood motionless under the window.

Yan Yi casually asked, "What time is it?"

"Replying to Young Master, it's already past 3 p.m."

Yan Yi stood up and walked out of the bedroom, slowly pacing to the hallway connected to the front yard. He saw shadowy figures outside the hall, most of whom were wearing silk and satin. It was obvious that many dignitaries in the city had come.

As soon as he showed up, he attracted everyone's attention, and leaders from all ethnic groups came to pay him a visit.

Yan Yi exchanged greetings with everyone for a while, and the atmosphere gradually relaxed and returned to its previous liveliness.

An hour later, the banquet began.

The main banquet hall was set up in the largest room in the front courtyard. It was vast and deep, with two rows of majestic red lacquer pillars supporting the roof. Plain silk palace lanterns hung from the beams, and bronze candles were placed in the corners. The flickering light illuminated the hall almost as bright as day.

A carved lacquer table was set up at the main seat, and behind it stood an eight-panel screen with a hundred beasts. Below and on either side of the main seat were thirty or forty lacquer tables, on which were scattered objects such as gilded Boshan incense burners, inlaid silver wine jars, and lacquer-painted ear cups.

Beside the table sat a mat padded with animal skins. Those seated there were high-ranking officials, nobles, and heads of wealthy families. Almost all of Qiantang's most powerful people were present.

After three chimes, the musicians began to pluck the strings of a harp, and twelve dancers emerged from behind a folding screen, dancing to the rhythm of a drum dance. Their slender feet, bare of silk shoes, were adorned with golden bells at their ankles, and their footsteps were as melodious as crushed jade.

Seven drums and two gongs were already set up in the arena. The drums were gilded bronze, and the drums were covered in rhinoceros skin. The lead dancer unfurled her wide sleeves in crimson gauze, and her toes suddenly touched the first drum. The golden bells and the bronze drums resonated, producing a clear sound.
The guests in the hall were enjoying delicious food, drinking fine wine, and appreciating the singing and dancing, when they gradually noticed something strange: most of the dances on the scene were martial arts dances or battle dances.

Considering the rumors that the Wucheng front was constantly urging for reinforcements, an idea came to everyone's mind.

Could it be that the young master is planning to send troops?
I heard that Yuan Shu had, for the first time, sent troops to reinforce Wu Jing. The Battle of Wucheng had lasted for over a month, with heavy casualties on all sides, and brains were being beaten out. It was reasonable for the young prince to send troops at this time. He couldn't really ignore Wucheng, could he?

Thinking of Yuan Shu, everyone's heart was shrouded in a layer of haze, and they were secretly frightened.

After a while, the music gradually changed from passionate and high-pitched to soothing and melodious, and the dancers also began to dance the elegant music. After everyone in the hall drank a few bottles together, they began to pass the wine around, and the atmosphere at the banquet gradually reached a climax.

Yan Yi deliberately placed Zhou Xin at the head of the table, followed by Zhou Ang and Zhou Yu. Throughout the meal, he frequently introduced them to those who came to toast him, or centered conversation around them, treating them as the centerpieces of the feast. He then publicly announced the appointment of the three as the Rencheng Commander, the Infantry Captain, and the Marching Commander, respectively.

Zhou Xin and the other two were flattered and deeply touched by the courtesy shown to them by Yan Yi, which was far better than the treatment given by Wang Lang.

Although Wang Lang treated Zhou Xin with courtesy, all the prominent positions in the county had been assigned to others, and he only gave Zhou Xin a high-ranking but powerless position as the county chief priest. He was only granted the position of captain when he led troops to war.

As military men, Zhou Ang and Zhou Yu were looked down upon by Wang Lang, who didn't even give them a decent official position.

After the Battle of Qiantang, Wang Lang, stimulated by the defeat, began to actively recruit and promote military men, but it was too late. The Zhou family had already defected.

In contrast, Yan Yi was much more generous and gave three powerful positions in one breath.

Of course, this is also related to the vacancies in the positions under his jurisdiction.

But the three Zhou brothers didn't care about all this. They only saw that Yan Yi gave them such important positions with his sincere heart.

The result is what matters, everything else is empty.

As the banquet was coming to an end, Yan Yi stood up holding a wine bottle.

The place suddenly fell silent.

Yan Yi glanced around the hall and said loudly, "Everyone, I have signed an alliance with Yuan Shao and Liu Bang. From now on, the three parties will cooperate on many aspects of military and political affairs. Please drink this cup to the full and celebrate this alliance together!"

This earth-shattering news stunned everyone in the hall, and they drank the wine in a trance.

When he sat back on the couch, the haze that had shrouded his heart had completely dissipated, and his fear of Yuan Shu was gone.

Everyone's faces showed excitement and they became more respectful to Yan Yi.

Only Zhou Xin sighed in his heart. With the cooperation between Yuan, Liu and Yan, this already turbulent world would probably become even more chaotic.

The war in Kyushu continues, when will it end?
After the banquet, Quan Rou returned to her mansion with a lot on her mind.

Quan's wife, Bu, welcomed him into the house. After he had bathed, she offered him some hangover soup and asked, "What troubles you, my husband?"

Bu was a very beautiful woman, and she had been Quan Rou's equal for ten years. Quan Rou loved her so much that he refused to take any more concubines, and as a result, he had only one son, Quan Cong.

This girl also had an extraordinary family background. She was born into the Huaiyin Bu family, a family of scholars. Her ancestor was Bu Shucheng, one of the seventy-two sages of Confucius.

Quan Rou held her hand, sipped the hangover soup, and sighed, "At today's banquet, the young master announced something."

Bu knew that what made him worried must be something serious, so she couldn't help but ask, "What is it?"

Quan Rou looked into her beautiful eyes and whispered, "Young Master has formed an alliance with Yuan Shao and Liu Biao. It's said that Yuan and Liu provided Young Master with generous financial support for this military purchase. Not only were the prices low, but Yuan Shao also gifted him 3,000 sets of armor, and Liu Biao 200 warships."

A hint of surprise flashed across Bu's eyes, and then she asked curiously, "Isn't this a good thing? It means your choice is correct. The greater the Young Master's power, the higher your status will be. So why are you worried, my husband?"

(End of this chapter)