Chapter 731

Evening.

The noise and shouts of killing in Yingyin City gradually calmed down.

Most of the Huang Jin bandits in the city had been killed or had fled outside the city.

Soldiers on the streets were beginning to clear the corpses and clean up the battlefield.

In the east of the city, the Xun clan's fortified manor.

The manor gates, which had been closed for several days, were now wide open.

Attendants used long bamboo poles to hang lit lanterns on both sides of the gate.

Torches for lighting were also lit on the manor walls.

On the long street in front of the Xun clan's manor, soldiers dragged the corpses on the ground, leaving long bloodstains, and threw them onto carts.

The drivers drove the carts filled with corpses toward the outside of the city.

The blood that had not yet drained from the corpses dripped onto the ground along the cracks in the carts.

Attendants from the Xun mansion began to clean up with brooms and rags.

Buckets of hot water were poured onto the ground, washing the congealed blood into bloody water, which was then pushed into the trenches with brooms.

When the blue bricks returned from bright red to their original color, it was as if nothing had ever happened here.

Inside the Xun mansion.

The passageways from the main gate to the main residence were hung with lanterns.

Young maidservants in white gauze dresses, whose white undergarments could be seen in the light of the fire, stood on both sides of the passageway.

In the main hall, drums and music played, and the fragrance of wine and meat filled the air.

In the main hall, which could accommodate a hundred people, bronze sculptures of fairies ascending to the clouds held candlesticks, and the lit candles illuminated the entire hall brightly.

Musicians stood on the edges of the hall, gently striking the bells.

The sound of zithers and lutes echoed in the hall.

The lingering sound echoed around the beams.

More than twenty dancing girls in white robes and red gauze outer garments danced gently with long sleeves.

The scenery under their skirts was visible as their dance steps shifted.

The fragrant sweat that condensed on their jade-like skin slid down from their foreheads and fell onto the mahogany floor, blooming.

The white jade feet stepped on it, forming traces left by the fragrant sweat.

Only a few people sat in the large hall.

The nearly sixty-year-old Xun Shuang sat in the main seat, wearing a grey-white scholar's robe.

To the left of Xun Shuang, in the seat below, was an empty table.

Below that, in order, were Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Cao Cao, Fu Xie, and others.

And on the right were the members of the Xun clan.

As for the officials of Yingyin County, there was basically no place for them to sit on such an occasion.

The banquet had clearly begun.

But Cao Cao still looked toward the outside of the hall from time to time.

As the dance ended, the many dancing girls bowed to Xun Shuang and the guests on both sides.

Xun Shuang waved his hand with a smile, and the graceful dancing girls retreated, while maidservants in cool clothing, barefoot and with jade arms, walked into the hall.

Then they knelt one by one behind the guests to pour wine for them.

After the wine was poured, Xun Shuang looked at the empty seat among the guests.

"Since General Duan still has important matters, let us begin first."

Xun Shuang smiled and raised a jade-carved feather cup to Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, and Cao Cao.

"I am no longer an official in the court. If we are talking about official positions, I should address everyone here as 'My Lord'," Xun Shuang said with a smile.

Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, and Cao Cao quickly raised their feather cups in return, saying they dared not.

That's right, Xun Shuang was no longer an official in the court.

But it was not difficult for Xun Shuang to become an official in the court.

As long as Xun Shuang was willing, one of the Three Ducal Ministers would surely be Xun Shuang.

The eight dragons of the Xun clan—although Xun Shuang was the sixth, there had always been a saying outside.

Called the eight dragons of the Xun clan, Ciming is unparalleled.

Xun Shuang, Xun Ciming.

During the reign of Emperor Huan, Xun Shuang had been active in the court.

It was only later, to avoid the Disasters of Partisan Prohibitions, that Xun Shuang stayed at home.

But even so, Xun Shuang, who taught in Yingyin, was called a great scholar.

He was a famous great scholar of the time, with a far-reaching reputation.

And now, among the eight dragons of the Xun clan, Xun Shuang was also one of the few brothers remaining.

The position of head of the Xun clan was now held by Xun Shuang.

The Yingchuan Xun clan, although not the head of the four great gentry clans, was undoubtedly the first in terms of heritage and the reserve of family talent.

Such a person, even if he had no official position in the court, would still be addressed as 'Lord Xun' by any official of two thousand shi.

Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun did not dare to be the least bit arrogant, and as for Cao Cao, it went without saying.

Looking at everyone's return salute, Xun Shuang smiled slightly and said, "Thanks to everyone's kindness, I will take the liberty."

"Thanks to everyone's help, the siege today was resolved. I toast everyone here."

Xun Shuang said, raising his feather cup with one hand and covering it with his sleeve with the other, drinking it in one gulp.

Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, Cao Cao, and others also drank heartily.

When the feather cups were put down, the maidservants kneeling behind them moved their knees forward and used wooden spoons to fill the feather cups with wine.

After Cao Cao put down his wine cup, he turned his head and looked toward the outside of the hall again.

Zhu Jun, who was sitting on the side, happened to notice Cao Cao's movement.

The corners of his mouth raised slightly in a cold sneer as he asked, "Is General Cao waiting for someone?"

"I wonder why General Cao keeps looking outside."

Cao Cao turned his head, looking at Xun Shuang with some embarrassment.

"Xun Gong, please don't blame me; the General of the Vanguard might have been delayed by something..."

"Delayed?" Zhu Jun sneered. "Heh, it's not delayed."

"There are no bandit leaders in the city, and no merit to be gained, so the General of the Vanguard naturally looks down on the merit of these few bandits. If there were bandit leaders in the city, the General of the Vanguard's horse hooves would probably be much faster than ours."

As soon as Zhu Jun said this, the atmosphere in the hall became a bit awkward.

Cao Cao frowned as he looked at Zhu Jun.

Zhu Jun said this because he was still unconvinced about the credit-grabbing incident.

Before the news of Duan Yu suppressing Bu Si in Dong Commandery came from Luoyang, Zhu Jun thought he had taken advantage.

But he hadn't expected that in the end, it would be all for nothing.

That day in Yangzhai, Zhu Jun was humiliated by Duan Yu on the spot.

And his subordinate Sun Jian was also injured by Duan Yu's punch. ===== CHAPTER 733 =====

Furthermore, the subordinate general Sun Jian had also been heavily injured by a single punch from Duan Yu.