Chapter 126 Meeting Honglian Again
No one expressed their opinions at the banquet, which is reasonable. Not everyone will believe whatever you say. Local tyrants also have their own information channels, and they always have to go back and summarize the information.
After the banquet, Zhao Yushu caught up with Dean Wang. He still didn't understand what Dean Wang's purpose was in winning over these people.
"One thing can be exploited, but the people who exploit it must be controllable. These people are the key to preventing things from getting out of control."
After saying this, Dean Wang waved his hand and was about to go back to rest. He was old and got sleepy early.
"What is your purpose in asking me to attend this dinner?"
"You behaved very well at noon. They were all guessing who you belonged to. I told them tonight that you belonged to me. We have shaken Governor Lan. His engagement with Duke Yue is no longer so secure. Let's see tomorrow. If he releases grain again tomorrow..."
"We won?"
"Win? Haha, Yushu, you need to watch and think more. Do you think the game is almost over now? The table hasn't even started yet, kid."
Zhao Yushu found out that he was not good at playing political games. When he was in Dongdu, he thought he was smart and tried to connect with several bigwigs in Dongdu, but he found out that they had been waiting for him to come.
Old Zhao suddenly lost interest and declined Wang Buzhi's offer to take him to a famous brothel to "see the world". He went for a walk on the street alone. Although monks were no longer afraid of cold or heat to a certain extent, the night breeze in early summer was still very comfortable.
This time Zhao Yushu was smart. In order to avoid meeting a big boss again and being dragged over and taught a lesson, he chose the opposite direction of the government office.
The further south we went, the more desolate the streets seemed. I wonder if it had something to do with the large number of refugees gathering in the south of the city.
Although the curfew was no longer in place, there were still groups of yamen runners patrolling the streets with lanterns to prevent any vicious incidents. When they saw Zhao Yushu walking around with his hands behind his back, the runners hesitated for a moment, but eventually left.
Zhao Yushu tilted his head proudly. I, Old Zhao, am really a good person, as you can tell at first glance.
It was this tilt of his head that made Old Zhao stunned. Just now, he took a casual glance and seemed to see several figures sneaking towards the back of a mansion.
Ha, someone actually dared to commit crimes in front of the dignified Thief Saint! Zhao Yushu's heart moved, and a shadow appeared under his feet, and he instantly appeared three feet away. The upgraded Shadow Step was very useful.
A flash of inspiration came, and the moment Zhao Yushu appeared, several figures were obviously frightened. Suddenly, a long stick swept over with a sound of breaking through the air, while another person pulled the third person and turned away.
Monk! Zhao Yushu hurriedly lowered his head to avoid the stick, took a wrong step, activated the floating light, and pointed at the owner of the long stick.
This was the fingering technique for Tanyun Hand that he had just learned on the way to Nanyang, and this was his first time practicing it.
Maybe he didn't identify the acupoint correctly, so this finger failed to knock down the owner of the long stick, but the finger technique of Tanyun Hand was by no means ordinary. Coupled with Zhao Yushu's extremely condensed third-level peak cultivation, there was a suppressed scream, and the long stick fell to the ground. The man swayed twice and barely stood up by holding on to the brick wall beside him, his eyes full of fear.
We are all at the third level, but he was defeated in one move. Which sect or school does this person belong to?
"Sanniang, hurry up!" The injured man bent down with all his strength to pick up the long stick, trying to fight again. It was impossible to win, but even if he could delay a little more time, it would be good.
A flash of knife light passed by, and Zhao Yushu's eyes lit up. A long knife flew up and down, rolling up a series of streaks of light and scraping towards him.
Zhao Yushu was like a ghost, shuttling back and forth in the knife light, narrowly avoiding the blade. He seized an opportunity and pointed his finger, hitting the wrist of the person holding the knife. With a scream, the long knife fell to the ground with a clang, and a figure in red retreated repeatedly.
"Hey, is it you?"
"It's you?"
In a tavern, Zhao Yushu touched his head, a little embarrassed: "I thought it was a thief, haha, just order whatever you want, don't be polite, it's my treat."
The three of them didn't move, just staring at him, making Old Zhao feel more and more embarrassed. Finally, Sanniang sighed, "It's rare for Young Master Zhao to treat us, and I've been hungry all day. Aunt Mei, Uncle Master, let's not be polite."
Have you been hungry all day? You had breakfast this morning, but you haven't eaten since then. Xiao Wang clearly gave you an extra ten taels of silver.
At Sanniang's order, Mei Gu and the uncle showed joy on their faces, and ordered twenty big meat buns each, while the waiter was stunned.
"Actually, I have some money, so you don't have to save it with me. You can order whatever you want. Waiter, give me a plate of beef!"
Sanniang immediately waved her hand and said, "Mr. Zhao, that's not necessary. It's good enough to have the buns. Eat ten and save ten for tomorrow. Don't order too much, or they will go bad in the hot weather."
It was already past dinner time, and they were the only customers in the tavern. The waiter brought them the hot buns left over from the morning, then went to take a rest, yawning.
Zhao Yushu watched the waiter walk away and lowered his voice: "I didn't expect the Red Lotus Church to be so poor. Don't look at me like that. With only a few groups of people, who else could you be?"
The third aunt almost couldn't swallow the bun in her mouth. She looked at her uncle and Aunt Mei and said, "Since Master Zhao has seen through it, we have nothing to hide. We are indeed members of the Red Lotus Sect, and Master Zhao doesn't seem to be that hostile to the Red Lotus Sect."
"As far as I know, there is no such thing as becoming an emperor in the Red Lotus Cult's teachings."
Sanniang shook her head: "We in the Red Lotus Sect do not covet power, wealth and honor."
"To put it bluntly, we are all poor people. Why should we be hostile to each other?" Zhao Yushu sighed and took a sip of water. "I thought you bought food and left the city."
"The food went out, but we didn't." Sanniang lowered her head, her face slightly red.
It's strange. Twenty taels of silver can at least buy more than a hundred buckets of grain, which can fill a carriage. This carriage can go out, but several monks can't. It's really a bit outrageous.
Although Zhao Yushu was curious, he didn't plan to ask further questions because it might involve the Red Lotus Sect's insider information. However, he could still ask other questions, such as: "What were you hiding from just now?"
"Street patrol officer."
I see. Something has happened. These three are most likely being targeted by the government.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Young Master Zhao. It's getting late, so we won't disturb you. My surname is Fang, and I'm the third child in the family. You can all call me Fang Sanniang. If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely repay you for your kindness." Sanniang stood up, packed the buns, bowed and said goodbye. Uncle Master and Aunt Yun also bowed to express their gratitude.
Seeing that the three were about to leave, Zhao Yushu slapped his head and said, "How about I find a place for you to stay?"
Fang Sanniang turned around and smiled: "Young Master, you are a rich man, and you can sleep under the wall for a night. Why can't we do the same? Young Master Zhao, we will meet again later."
Zhao Yushu stood alone in the tavern, looking at the deserted street. The lights outside were sparse, and beyond the few small lights was endless darkness.