Chapter 544: Get him! [Thank you! Thank you again! 44k words owed]

Passing through the still noisy corridor,

Xu Zaijing returned to the private room.

Just after turning the screen,

He saw Qi Heng holding the table with one hand, standing up from his chair abruptly, steadying his figure slightly, and then walking quickly toward the side, staggering.

Qi Heng walked while covering his mouth with his hand.

"Buwei! Bring a bucket in."

When Xu Zaijing shouted toward the outside of the screen, Qi Heng was already unable to stand steady.

Xu Zaijing grabbed Qi Heng, and the private room door was also opened, with Buwei walking over quickly carrying a wooden bucket.

"Ugh..."

Qi Heng bowed his body, his mouth slightly agape, looking as if he were holding his breath in discomfort.

Xu Zaijing supported Qi Heng, helplessly patted his back, scanned the table, and saw Zaihang, Changbo, and Gu Tingye all 'meditating with eyes closed'.

"Ugh... vomit..."

Smelling the odor, Xu Zaijing raised his eyebrows slightly.

Having seen much on the battlefield, this smell wasn't enough to make Xu Zaijing uncomfortable.

"Cough, cough!" Listening to Qi Heng choking, Xu Zaijing patted his back again.

"How long have I been out, how did you all..."

Listening to Xu Zaijing's words, seemingly influenced by the smell Qi Heng created, Changbo and Gu Tingye also began to frown slightly.

"Haniu, Zhique, go, open a crack in the window to let in some air."

Xu Zaijing shouted.

Changbo and Gu Tingye's servants hurriedly walked to the window facing the street.

"Second Brother, Zaijing, I... I will never... drink with you again!" Changbo leaned against the back of the chair, frowning and saying.

Qi Heng held onto Xu Zaijing's arm, and just as he straightened up, his throat tightened again, and he bent down once more.

"Vomit..."

"Brother, how much did you three drink in such a short time?" Xu Zaijing asked.

"Not much, just a small jar for the three of us! Happy!" Zaihang waved his hand.

Hearing this, Xu Zaijing shook his head helplessly.

"Drink~"

Changfeng, not far away, closed his eyes, waved his hand, and shouted.

Chai family,

At the second gate,

Fuyi, wearing a thick cloak, stood at the gate holding a lantern and handed the tally to the mama guarding the gate.

A moment later,

"Verification correct, Miss Fuyi, please enter."

The mama said while opening the door.

"Thank you, Mama."

After speaking, Fuyi carried the lantern and entered the back courtyard.

In the Qiusheng Courtyard,

Only the room looking at the geothermal stove was still lit with a candle.

Soon,

Fuyi's figure carrying the lantern appeared.

Entering the main room with a chill on her body, she blew out the lantern and looked at Miss Yun Mu, who came out to greet her: "Sister, has the Miss fallen asleep?"

Miss Yun Mu, holding the candle stand, shook her head: "The Miss just lay down, she hasn't fallen asleep yet. Come in quickly."

Fuyi and Miss Yun Mu entered the inner room together.

In the room exuding an elegant fragrance, Chai Zhengzheng, wearing pajamas, sat by the bed and said softly: "Did the cousins all go back?"

"Yes, Miss! It's just..."

"Mm? If you have something to say, say it."

"Yes, Miss, this servant noticed the way the young masters were walking, they seemed to have drunk too much! The Young Xiao Xiao Gongye had to be supported by the Fifth Young Master and a servant to stand steady."

Chai Zhengzheng frowned and thought for a moment, then said: "The Xu family's Fifth Young Master didn't drink too much?"

Fuyi shook her head: "No. Both Xu family young masters looked fine!"

"Sigh! Cousin is really something!"

Chai Zhengzheng said in a relaxed tone.

After speaking, Chai Zhengzheng moved on the bed herself, lowered the bed curtain, and said: "Alright, everyone go back to sleep."

Xingguo Lane,

Gu Tingye supported by Zhique's hand,

Walked into the back courtyard of the Marquis of Ningyuan's Mansion with a steady enough pace.

Not far from the main gate of the Xiao Xiao Gongye of Qi's Mansion,

By the light of the lanterns lit in the Qi house,

Xu Zaijing supported Qi Heng by the armpit with one hand and helped him down from the carriage.

Handing Qi Heng to Buwei beside the carriage, Xu Zaijing said: "Buwei, help me apologize to the Princess, it's too late, so I won't go in to disturb her."

"Yes, Fifth Young Master!"

Buwei, supporting Qi Heng, nodded.

Watching the Qi family gatekeeper, who was carrying a lantern and walking over quickly to help Buwei support Qi Heng, Xu Zaijing turned and walked toward his own carriage.

Inside the Xiao Xiao Gongye of Qi's Mansion,

In Qi Heng's bedroom,

"Umm..."

"Dizzy..."

"Uncomfortable..."

Princess Pingning, wearing home winter clothes, looked at Qi Heng, who was tossing and turning on the bed and talking nonsense, frowned, and said in a low voice: "How did you look after your young master? How did he drink so much?"

Buwei, standing to the side, lowered his head: "Princess, it was this little one's negligence."

The Xiao Xiao Gongye of Qi walked to the bed, looked at Qi Heng, who was slightly opening his eyes and looking at him, and smiled: "Heng'er, will you drink like this again in the future?"

Qi Heng leaned on Princess Pingning's lap and sighed: "Father, son won't drink anymore, never again!"

Seeing this scene, the Xiao Xiao Gongye of Qi smiled: "Then you must remember what you said tonight."

"Uncomfortable, never drinking again."

Quyuanjie,

Marquis Yongyi's Mansion,

Xu Zaijing's courtyard,

The main room was lit with candlelight.

Outside,

The light of the moon and stars slightly illuminated the roof and ridge, and also cast shadows of the grape trellis on the ground.

A mama walked toward the main room by the moonlight.

Inside the study,

Xu Zaijing, who had already bathed and changed clothes,

Leaned against the chair with a bowl of warm hangover soup in his hand, drinking it in small sips.

Qingcao, the maid behind Xu Zaijing, was wiping his long, black, and shiny hair.

"Yun Xiang, bring the charcoal box over."

"Okay."

Soon, Yun Xiang brought over a rectangular copper box with a handle, about the length of a forearm, filled with burning charcoal and covered with tiny holes.

This copper box was also heated, emitting high temperatures.

Just as the two maids were about to 'dry' Xu Zaijing's hair, Mama Xia, who was standing at the door of the courtyard, said: "Young Master, just now the second gate passed a message from Qingyun, saying that Third Brother is staying at the Sheng family tonight."

Xu Zaijing was stunned: "Brother went to send off Changbo and Changfeng, how did he end up staying there himself?"

"He said that after being blown by the cold wind on the road, Third Brother also felt the alcohol rising when he arrived at the Sheng family and vomited, so he was forcibly kept at the Sheng family by Lady Wang."

Xu Zaijing sighed and said: "Did you tell Mother and Second Sister-in-law?"

"Returning to Young Master, a mama has already gone to inform them."

Xu Zaijing nodded: "That's good."

Just as he was about to shake his head, Qingcao behind Xu Zaijing said: "Young Master, don't move around, be careful of singeing your hair."

"Mm."

Continuing to close his eyes and enjoy Qingcao combing his hair with a dry, hot comb, Xu Zaijing asked: "When are you little maids gathering to drink?"

Qingcao didn't stop her movements, looked at Huaxiang and Yunxiang on the side, and said: "Young Master, it's set for the eighteenth, at the Huixian Restaurant."

"Whoa, you guys really know how to pick a place. I haven't been to Huixian Restaurant many times myself."

Hearing this, the three maids laughed.

"When we go that day, we'll pack a few portions of food and bring them back for you to taste, Young Master!"

"Mm! By the way, when you go that day, take Hearing Chu Zhan, Alan, and Xunshu with you, and deduct the expenses from your own little treasury."

"Ah?"

Upon hearing about spending money, the three little maids widened their eyes in unison, and after a moment of hesitation, they said in unison: "Yes, Young Master."

"Mm."

The next day,

At the beginning of the Mao hour (five o'clock in the morning)

Xu Zaijing got up half an hour later than usual.

Because he didn't have to go to the schoolroom, Qingyun, who had accompanied Zaihang to send people off at Yang Lou downstairs yesterday, was given the whole day off by Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing saddled his horse himself early this morning, let Alan help him put on his armor, and then, carrying six quivers with over a hundred feather arrows, rode his little black horse to practice archery on the racecourse.

Amidst the rumbling sound of horse hooves,

Quite a few Hou Fu personal guards soon gathered around the racecourse.

The personal guards who had been by Xu Minghua's side before, such as Di Jing, Ye Fang, and Feng Dabao, had all been promoted to military officers based on their war merits, except for those who had died in battle.

The personal guards watching from the sidelines now were mostly newly selected to be by Xu Minghua's side.

By the faint light of early morning, they watched the little black horse, which was like a wild beast, galloping on the racecourse carrying Xu Zaijing.

Every time Xu Zaijing passed near these personal guards,

There would be the sound of drawing a bow and riding archery,

And the target in the distance would occasionally make a 'thud' sound.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter."

There was another sound of horse hooves in front of him,

Someone among the watching personal guards said:

"I heard that Commander Di Jing and the others used to spar and compete with the Fifth Young Master every day when they were under the Marquis!"

"Before, the Fifth Young Master got up too early, so we couldn't follow! Now, should we... also try?"

The crowd had a discussion.

At this time,

Xu Zaijing slowed his horse and paced over.

"Young Master, can we spar with you?"

Xu Zaijing, riding on his horse, smiled: "That is naturally possible, but you must first pass Alan and Xunshu, then pass Qingyun, and only then can you spar with me."

Hearing this, the personal guards nodded eagerly.

The sky gradually brightened,

Xu Zaijing was no longer in the racecourse,

Only Alan and Xunshu were walking their horses on one side.

The huge target was also placed against a wall on one side.

Five or six personal guards, having finished breakfast, walked to the vicinity of the target, intending to lift stone locks and hone their martial arts around the racecourse.

One of them turned his head, and his gaze could no longer leave the target.

Afterward, the personal guard patted his companion in a daze and pointed to the target: "Look."

"What? Hiss!"

Seeing this, the other companions also looked in the direction of his gaze.

They saw that the target against the wall was covered with feather arrows.

It wasn't strange to have feather arrows,

The main thing was that there were four rows of feather arrows hitting the target,

The four rows of feather arrows were inserted neatly, as if someone had used a ruler to measure them up, down, left, and right before inserting them one by one.

These personal guards walked toward the target involuntarily.

After walking close,

Everyone looked up at the neat feather arrows, then turned back to look at the place where they had stood and talked to Xu Zaijing early in the morning.

"Heavens, what kind of archery is this!" A personal guard muttered.

"No wonder the Fifth Young Master could lead dozens of people to intercept nearly ten thousand Bai Gao people by relying on the terrain."

Some personal guards didn't speak, not knowing whether they were envious or scared, swallowing their saliva.

"Is this shot while riding? I can't hit this many even if I stand still..."

At this time,

The sound of horse hooves came from the direction of the main gate,

And soon a carriage drove to the vicinity of the racecourse.

Zaihang, who had stayed at the Sheng family last night, stepped out of the carriage.

Alan, who had walked over, bowed and cupped his hands: "Greetings, Zhang Zhang Sanlang."

Zaihang looked into the distance and nodded: "Alan, what are the Hou Fu personal guards looking at?"

"Returning to Zhang Zhang Sanlang, they should be looking at the target."

Zaihang nodded while warming up: "Just right, I didn't exercise much after breakfast at the Sheng family, pick a horse and saddle it well, I'll run a few laps around the racecourse."

"Yes, Zhang Zhang Sanlang."

When Zaihang was running laps, seeing more and more personal guards near the target, he also rode his horse over to take a look.

Soon,

Zaihang shook his head and left the target, exhaling white mist all the way on the winter morning.

When dismounting, Yin Mama walked out of the wooden house, looked at the personal guards in the distance, and shouted: "If you have nothing to do, help pull out the arrows!"

Xijin Prefecture,

Northern Liao Imperial Palace,

In the palace hall where the geothermal heating made the temperature comfortable,

Yelu Ying, wearing a forehead band and looking very pale, weakly handed the state letter to her younger brother on the side.

"Sister, what is written inside?"

Yelu Sun took the state letter and asked.

Yelu Ying shook her head and didn't speak.

After Yelu Sun opened the state letter and looked at the wording of the first few sentences, his face turned ugly and he frowned.

Without continuing to read, Yelu Sun closed the state letter in frustration, sat on the dragon chair, pondered for a moment, and said: "Why does the Xu Fifth Young Master appear in every bad thing! He really is the disaster star of my Great Liao!"

"Sister, I think we should just do as the Maitreya's chief disciple said and deal with Xu Fifth Young Master in Bianjing!"

Yelu Ying, on the side, frowned and shook her head: "That might have been feasible before, just dispatching a dozen experts from north of the Yellow River would have been enough! But now, where is there any manpower?"

The Beizhou incident,

Yelu Ying's decision almost exhausted all the arrangements made by the two major Northern Liao offices, the Buddha-Adorning Terrace and the Garrison Office, over more than ten years in one go.

Exhausting the arrangements was a small matter, the key was that the plan was not achieved!

And besides increasing the merits for Xu Zaijing and the others and the various armies of Great Zhou, the destructive effect achieved was minimal, especially since the damage to the military supplies in Beizhou was less than one ten-thousandth.

This series of actions was simply a demonstration of 'stealing a chicken only to lose the rice'.

A few days ago,

Yelu Ying, who had originally heard that Beizhou had closed its city gates and was waiting for good news in the palace,

Vomited and fainted after receiving the news that Beizhou had not held out for three days before being wiped out and confirming it repeatedly.

Ever since she returned to Northern Liao, Yelu Ying had been breaking through thorns and thistles for so many years, and she had never suffered such a big loss!

"Sister, then how do you know that if we don't deal with Xu Fifth Young Master, future plans won't be affected by him?"

Yelu Ying didn't answer her brother's question.

"Sister, didn't the Maitreya's chief disciple let the secret stakes in Bianjing operate before, letting a batch of soldiers enter Bianjing?"

"By a stroke of luck, this group of people entered Bianjing and was not affected by this incident!"

Yelu Sun continued to say.

Yelu Ying frowned and shook her head: "No! If something happens, and people follow the vine to find the melon and implicate the Maitreya's chief disciple, delaying future matters, then the loss will outweigh the gain!"

"Sister, then how do you know that if we don't deal with Xu Fifth Young Master, future plans won't be affected by him?"

"Sister, didn't you hear that Xu Fifth Young Master killed more than a dozen thieves in the Wuyou Cave during the heavy snow in Bianjing some time ago? Can't we plan something based on that? We only need to pay the money!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 545 =====

"Sister, then how do you know that by not dealing with Fifth Young Master Xu, your future plans won't be affected by him?"

Listening to her younger brother's question, Yelu Ying did not answer.

"Sister, I heard that Bianjing had heavy snow for days before, and Fifth Young Master Xu killed over a dozen thieves in the Wuyou Cave. Can't we use that to scheme a little? We only need to provide the money!"

(End of chapter)