Chapter 6: Attending a Banquet at the Zheng Mansion, Giving a Natural Performance (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Pei Shaoqing only realized upon arriving that the place Zheng Xuancheng had chosen to host the banquet was his own mansion.

This was a level of hospitality reserved for those with extremely close ties, yet the relationship between the two was nowhere near that point.

He sneered inwardly, then strode through the main gate under the obsequious guidance of the Zheng Mansion butler; the residence occupied a vast area, and after passing through the courtyard and the main hall, there was a garden composed of pavilions, waterside structures, various rockeries, and exotic flowers.

Just from this massive estate and the servants and maids constantly moving about, one could see the immense power of the Jing'an Guard; a Hundred-Household official responsible for a single county could possess such family assets and dare to put on such a display.

Zheng Xuancheng had set the banquet in a pavilion located in the middle of the garden pond; besides him and the Chen Zhongyi and Xu Zhiyong he had seen during the day, there was also a middle-aged man in a green robe with a scholarly appearance.

Before the butler could announce them, the four men, having seen Pei Shaoqing from afar, stopped talking and stood up to welcome him. Zheng Xuancheng, as the host, walked at the very front, saying with a bright smile and a hearty voice, "Hahaha, it truly brings glory to my humble abode to have a distinguished guest like Young Master Pei grace us with his presence today. My home is crude, so I hope you will forgive any lack of hospitality. Please, take the seat of honor."

"Lord Zheng is too kind, I'm not picky." Pei Shaoqing responded indifferently, then strode past the four of them and sat down in the main seat without the slightest bit of courtesy, before shaking his sleeves and taking charge, beckoning them, "What are you still standing there for? Sit down."

Zheng Xuancheng had never encountered such an arrogant and rude person before; he took a deep breath to suppress the annoyance in his heart, signaled for the other three to sit, and then pointed to the scholarly middle-aged man to introduce him: "Young Master Pei, this is the local parent-official, Wang Xianling. Upon learning that you intend to help the County Government wipe out the Phoenix Mountain horse bandits, he came here tonight specifically to toast you on behalf of all the city's commoners to show his gratitude."

"Greetings, Young Master Pei." After performing the salute, Wang Xianling raised his wine cup and said with a look of shame: "As the County Magistrate, I have the duty to guard the land and protect the people, but alas, my heart is willing but my strength is insufficient, so I can only seek help from the Jing'an Guard. Young Master Pei has taken on the heavy responsibility of bandit suppression as soon as you arrived; you are truly worthy of being the descendant of a prince or noble, a seed of a military family! I toast this cup on behalf of all the city's commoners to thank you for your life-saving grace."

As his voice fell, he tilted his head back and drained the cup.

"Easy!" Pei Shaoqing also raised the cup just filled by a maid and drank a toast, then slammed the cup onto the table with a bang. Wiping his mouth, he said with great heroism: "They are merely mountain bandits. Just watch as I capture them with ease. I came to Tongzhou this time to achieve something great for my father to see, and it just so happens that I'll start with these Phoenix Mountain horse bandits to practice my skills."

"Young Master has great spirit! I see you leaving the Capital this time like a fierce tiger leaving its cage; you will surely be able to display your prowess."

"Exactly, exactly..."

The group showered him with extravagant flattery, and Pei Shaoqing narrowed his eyes, revealing a look of enjoyment.

"Since that is the case, may I ask when you intend to suppress the bandits, Young Master?" Wang Xianling asked with a look of concern.

Pei Shaoqing blurted out without hesitation, "Tomorrow! As soon as I take office tomorrow morning, I will lead men out of the city to suppress the bandits. I want to avoid having one more innocent merchant harmed for every day we delay. Once the people have peace, the bandit leader Xu Yuanqing will surely not live to see the day after tomorrow!"

The four men, Zheng Xuancheng included, exchanged glances, smiles appearing on their faces; they knew the matter was already half-successful.

"I wish you a triumphant victory, Young Master." Zheng Xuancheng raised his cup high, and after finishing his wine, he frowned and said hesitantly: "However, the mountain bandits are numerous and powerful. To ensure absolute success, I will send more men to assist you tomorrow."

After saying this, he added, as if trying to hide the obvious, "Of course, I am not doubting your ability, Young Master; it is just that even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit."

"No need!" Pei Shaoqing waved his hand and said exactly as they hoped: "Tomorrow I will only take my own mounted scouts and guards. That group of horse bandits attempted to attack me today and has already been severely crippled by me. I see they are nothing more than this, so why waste more manpower and resources?"

"This..." A trace of mockery flashed deep in Zheng Xuancheng's eyes. After feigning hesitation for a moment, he did not try to persuade him further, but raised his cup again, "Since you have such confidence, Young Master, then I wish you success."

"We wish you success, Young Master!" The other three also raised their cups one after another, saying loudly with solemn expressions.

Pei Shaoqing looked smug, as if he had already won the battle, and laughed loudly, "You just need to prepare the victory banquet in the city and wait for my return."

He then looked around the circle, raised his eyebrows with some dissatisfaction, and said: "Hundred-Household Zheng, if it's just us big men drinking tonight, it's a bit boring."

"Hahaha, rest assured, Young Master, I have already made arrangements." Zheng Xuancheng had long known this person was a lecher, so he smiled knowingly and clapped his hands.

The next second, the windows of the pavilion across the pond were thrown open, revealing several women playing musical instruments. Accompanied by the sound of strings and bamboo, a group of young girls with exquisite makeup and graceful figures entered like dancing butterflies.

The moonlight was perfect, a breeze was blowing, and accompanied by the beautiful music, beauties danced while wine was served—it was a wonderful time and scene. Yet, the next second, Pei Shaoqing broke the beautiful picture. He said with a dissatisfied expression: "Why are they still wearing clothes while dancing?"

The four men, Zheng Xuancheng included, were all stunned upon hearing this.

Perhaps it was due to different local customs; the dancing girls in their area always wore clothes when they danced.

Seeing Pei Shaoqing staring at him, Zheng Xuancheng could only bite the bullet and say: "Please wait a moment, Young Master."

He turned and walked toward the group of dancing girls. After some negotiation and reaching an agreement, more than a dozen dancing girls shyly and slowly shed their clothes.

"Hahaha, that's more like it! Everyone here is a gentleman, so we should be this open and honest. Keep the music playing, keep the dancing going!" Pei Shaoqing clapped and laughed.

As the music started again, the dancing girls blushed and began to dance once more. Their steps shifted and moved, sometimes as soft as a breeze brushing the face, sometimes like surging sea waves—one wave after another, bringing a great psychological impact.

"It's an insult to decency, truly an insult to decency," Wang Xianling muttered to himself in a low voice, continuously pouring wine for himself.

At this moment, no matter what the few people present were thinking or what expressions were on their faces, their bodies were already very honest.

Pei Shaoqing watched with great interest, carrying out the image of a dissolute playboy to the end, and stood up laughing to run toward the dancing girls, "Come, come, let us dance together."

He was actually a bit nervous; this was his first time pretending to be a playboy, and he didn't know if he was acting like one.

Watching Pei Shaoqing go up to drift with the tide and dance with the butterflies, everyone present was completely numb. Could it be that the upper-class society of the Capital all played so lewdly?

"Ah! Young Master, don't, you're embarrassing me."

"Hahaha, be good, let me take a look."

Pei Shaoqing stood out from the crowd, embracing them on both sides, his hands moving with ease and drawing bursts of coquettish cries. He was only pretending at first, but later he found he didn't need to pretend at all.

A natural performance, enjoying himself thoroughly.

However, because he still had to make some arrangements for tomorrow's "bandit suppression," he stopped after a taste. After playing with the dancing girls for a while, he put down his wine cup and stood up to take his leave, citing the fatigue of his journey as the reason for wanting to rest early.

Zheng Xuancheng also had to make arrangements for tomorrow's plan tonight, so he took the opportunity to arrange for the butler to see the guest out.

Watching Pei Shaoqing leave, the smile on Zheng Xuancheng's face gradually disappeared, and he spat fiercely on the ground, "Bah! What a lewd thing!"

He was also lecherous, but he usually waited until dark and closed the doors; he was nothing like Pei Shaoqing, who would make dancing girls strip naked to play with him in someone else's house.

"It's too absurd. Are all the official descendants in the Capital like this?" Chen Zhongyi said in disbelief.

Wang Xianling coughed and said in an uncertain tone: "Most people still care about their reputation. It is precisely because Pei Shaoqing is so unscrupulous that he would dare to beat Wan Guifei's beloved nephew to death in broad daylight."

"Getting rid of this bastard can be considered doing a service for the people." Zheng Xuancheng spat again, looked at Xu Zhiyong, and said: "Take a generous gift and leave the city tonight to see Xu Yuanqing. You must reach an agreement with him."

"Yes!" Xu Zhiyong nodded and replied in a deep voice.

Following the story and monthly votes are very important! Brothers, you wouldn't want to see me being rubbed into the ground by others, would you! I want to get on the new book list, give me a hand! Please!

PS: I update every morning when I wake up. If there is no update before 12 noon, it must be stuck in review.





(End of chapter)