Three Kingdoms: Jiangdong is no longer a rat

Chapter 35 Attending the Banquet
Yan Yi asked Pei Ji to go to Langya County to find out about Zhuge Liang, not to recruit him.

Unlike Xu Sheng who was born in poverty, the Zhuge family was a prominent family in Yangdu, Langya. Zhuge Liang's father, Zhuge Gui, was recruited by Ying Shao to serve as the magistrate of Taishan County in the name of filial piety and integrity. His uncle, Zhuge Xuan, was about to serve as the prefect of Yuzhang.

Given Yan Yi's current status, Zhuge Liang would only be recruited by him if he was mentally ill.

What's more, although Zhuge Liang is young, he has great ambitions and is not so easy to fool.

Yan Yi's search for Zhuge Liang's whereabouts was also motivated by a conflicting mentality.

Because next year, Zhuge Xuan would take Zhuge Liang with him to Yuzhang to take up his post. The short two years that Zhuge Xuan spent in Yuzhang was his best, or perhaps only, chance to get in touch with Zhuge Liang.

Yan Yi did not want to miss the opportunity that was so close to him, but he had not yet decided how to treat this famous Prime Minister of Shu Han. He was taking a one-step-at-a-time approach and did not even rule out the possibility of imprisoning or executing this man.

Zhuge Liang was not famous at that time and was considered an insignificant figure. Even if he was killed, it would not cause any waves.

The reason for sending people to investigate in advance was to find out the route Zhuge Xuan took to Yuzhang, so as to avoid being at a loss in the vast sea of ​​people.

While Yan Yi was thinking, it was already dark. After dinner, he was walking around the training ground to digest his food when Cao Qiu and Chen Gan suddenly arrived together.

He realized something and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

When the three of them returned to the barracks, Chen Gan began to boast about his achievements. He couldn't wait to remove the "fake" character from the name "fake Sima".

"Young Master, just as you expected, the Fei and Zhao clans secretly sent someone to deliver a letter to Wu Jing, but I intercepted it."

Chen Gan took out two pieces of silk from his sleeve and handed them to Yan Yi.

The content of the silk was just an ordinary greeting, but the flattery in it was obvious.

As Yan Yi flipped through the books, he asked, "Are these the only two?"

Chen Gan nodded.

Yan Yi took out a copper box, put the two pieces of silk into it, and locked it with a three-spring lock.

Although it was just a letter of ordinary greetings, it was sent during this sensitive period and was enough to deal with the Fei and Zhao families at any time.

Cao Qiu then presented several scrolls of bamboo slips and reported, "Young Master, I have almost collected and verified the evidence against each family. Here are a few of them for your review. As instructed, I have also visited each of these families' residences. Fei Shang plans to host a banquet tomorrow and invite the other families. I heard that Shi will also be attending."

Yan Yi nodded slightly. He had also received Fei's invitation and was preparing to attend the banquet tomorrow.

Compared with the two pieces of silk, the evidence collected by Cao Qiu, although more shocking, is actually less significant than the two pieces of silk.

However, these were enough for him to get a considerable amount of money and food from several wealthy families, and the missing 300 soldiers must have been found.

The next morning, starting from the hour of Chen, luxurious carriages drove one after another to the Fei family manor in the southeast of Wucheng.

The manor covers an area of ​​several acres and is surrounded by high walls. Outside the walls are a row of sycamore trees. The ground is covered with emerald green grass, and with the crisp singing of birds, it seems full of vitality everywhere.

The garden gate had a high roof, its eaves extending to either side, paved with intricately patterned tiles. Through the open gate, one could see two three- and four-story attics within the garden, connected by a corridor. Like an auspicious bird flapping its wings, it was exquisitely decorated. Fei Shang had tidied the manor yesterday, moving most of the horses from the stables elsewhere, leaving the stables empty for the guests. The manor's cooks arrived at cockcrow, pre-preparing a variety of food and fruits for the distinguished guest.

By the afternoon, the manor was already filled with carriages, and from time to time, loud conversations could be heard from inside the garden.

Suddenly, a burst of rapid horse hoofbeats and footsteps were heard. More than two hundred cavalrymen wearing iron armor and holding spears and halberds came galloping from the avenue on the west side of the manor, followed closely by three or four hundred infantrymen wearing leather armor.

After arriving at the manor, these cavalry and infantry divided into two teams, rushed to the surroundings of the manor, and guarded all the intersections, surrounding the huge manor so tightly that no one could get in or out. Almost every two or three steps, there was a soldier standing with an expressionless face, like a sculpture.

When the people in the manor heard the noise, they all walked out of the garden. When they saw the soldiers all over the street, their expressions changed drastically and they were stunned.

In the distance, dozens of riders were galloping over. Yan Yi was riding Xueli Baixing in the front, followed by Xu Sheng, Chen Gan, and Zhao Cuo half a body length behind, and behind them were dozens of cavalrymen.

Fei Shang stepped forward to greet them with a somewhat grim expression, and thirty or forty people followed behind him.

When Yan Yi dismounted, Fei Shang rushed ahead of everyone else, took a few quick steps, and walked up to Yan Yi and whispered, "Young Master, why did you bring so many soldiers?"

Yan Yi smiled with ease and said, "Lord Fei is hosting a grand banquet, and most of the wealthy families in Wucheng are here. I'm worried that someone might cause trouble and ruin your fun, so I've brought some people here to protect you. Lord Fei, you don't need to thank me."

"You brat!" Fei Shang's anger boiled like a pot of boiling water, but he dared not show it on his face. Seeing the guests arriving one after another, he forced a smile and said, "In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Young Master!"

Yan Yi's arrangement clearly showed his intention to protest, but the smile on his face was very gentle: "It's just a trivial matter, not worth mentioning."

The more politely he smiled, the more frightened Fei Shang became. He was afraid that this man might cause trouble in his home, which would ruin the Fei family's reputation.

Fei Shang turned around and led the way, already beginning to regret having invited so many guests today.

It was no secret that Yan Yi was collecting evidence of crimes committed by various powerful families. He had even publicly sent Cao Qiu to hint at this. He invited these wealthy families together because he wanted to unite them and put pressure on Yan Yi.

You are targeting my Fei family, so I am afraid of you. I want to see if you dare to offend all the nobles in this city.

However, he never expected that Yan Yi would lead his troops to surround his house, shattering his inner composure.

Fei Shang suddenly woke up at this moment. The young man in front of him was not a gentleman or a member of a noble family. He was a bandit!

If something really happened in his house, everyone present here would definitely stay away from him and would not care about what happened to the Fei family.

Those who have grudges against the Fei family will probably take the opportunity to laugh at him.

As Fei Shang took a few steps, many thoughts flashed through his mind. Suddenly, the elegant figure of the head of the Shen family appeared in front of him. At this moment, he was smiling and greeting Yan Yi with a hint of humility.

The other children from wealthy families also came forward to pay their respects.

Yan Yi politely returned the greetings one by one.

(End of this chapter)