Chapter 173 Hongmen Banquet?

Chapter 173 Hongmen Banquet?

The relationship between the royal family and the academy is very complicated.

On the one hand, the academy provided a large number of talents from all walks of life every year to fill the political, economic, military and people's livelihood of the Tang Empire, so it should be closely related to the royal family.

But on the other hand, academies have existed for too long, so long that the change of dynasties was not a big deal in the eyes of the academies. This inevitably led to people who came from academies identifying more with the academies than with the royal family.

The most important point is that in this world, personal military power is strong enough to change many things, and the most recognized strongest people in the world are in the academy rather than in the government.

The emperor wanted a fierce yet obedient dog rather than a huge monster that was equal to him or even looked down on him.

This led to a situation where the royal family and the academy were wary of each other behind the scenes, and the royal family members wished they could stab a doll and curse the old madman to death every day. Fortunately, in this world, no matter how high the level of cultivation is, the lifespan is only a hundred years. Otherwise, the imperial power would not be able to exist at all and would have long since become a puppet of the cultivation faction.

The royal family usually gives face to the academy, but the prince invited Mr. Liu to cruise the Qinhuai River as soon as he got off the boat. This seemed to be too much face.

"He must have ambushed five hundred swordsmen and axemen, and smashed the cup as a signal. At the command, they rushed out and chopped Brother Zhao into a pool of meat paste and threw it into the Qinhuai River to feed the fish. Tsk, tsk, tsk, ouch!"

A Yao was slapped hard on the back of his head. Zhao Yushu gritted his teeth and said, "Where did you learn these words from? Also, why did I feel particularly excited when you said I was chopped up and fed to the fish?"

Sun Wuyang was also a little worried: "To be honest, Junior Brother Zhao, I always feel that something is a little strange. Although he doesn't dare to kill you directly, he definitely has bad intentions."

Zhao Yushu dragged Ayao aside and said, "I know, but I can't refuse. I might as well go and meet her. Maybe I can get something out of her."

Sun Wuyang shook his head: "I am worried that Duke Yue will go too."

"He will certainly go."

He had been to Qinhuai River twice in just three days in Jiangning, and almost became a permanent resident of Zuihuafang. If this were to get out, his reputation would be as famous as Liu Sanbian's.

Of course, one could not bring weapons to the prince's banquet, not even a storage bag. At dusk, Zhao Yushu handed the storage bag to A Yao and asked him to hide it, then he got on the carriage specially sent by the prince and left.

If it is true as A Yao said, that the prince is so crazy that he wants to chop himself up, then I will suddenly give him a big treasure, no, four magical weapons, to let him see what Lao Zhao is capable of.

The carriage stopped, and a young eunuch bent down, lifted the curtain, and led Zhao Yushu over. When he saw the boat clearly in front of him, Old Zhao couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Drunken Flower Boat.

"I thought it would be on the prince's dragon boat."

"Your Highness said that we should enjoy ourselves together with the people."

Just as the two Jinwu Guards were about to search her, a voice came from the railing on the upper floor of the pleasure boat: "How dare you, Mr. Six, do you think you will try to assassinate me?"

The Jinwu Guards hurriedly retreated. Zhao Yushu raised his head and saw a young man in casual clothes leaning on the railing with his hands, smiling at him condescendingly.

Li Huan, the third son of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, the future emperor, a cultivator of the sixth level of cultivation, officially met with Zhao Yushu.

"I have met His Highness the Crown Prince."

"No need to be so polite. There is no Crown Prince or Mr. Six tonight. Zhao Yushu, please go upstairs."

The awakening of cultivators is absolutely random. The only exception is the Li Tang royal family. Even the academy has not figured out how the Li family can ensure that emperors from generation to generation are cultivators, and they are inner cultivators.

When chatting with his third senior brother Wei You, Wei You mentioned that this might be related to the emperor's purple aura, that is, destiny, but there was no such thing in the previous dynasty, which made Wei You puzzled.

Mr. Zheng, who sat in the main seat yesterday, actually came as well, but now he sat almost at the last seat, and on the left and right of the main seat were a middle-aged man with a resolute face and a woman in plain and elegant clothes.

Princess Li Tong of Prince Fu.

Then this middle-aged man must be the Duke of Yue.

Zhao Yushu looked around and didn't see Wang Shaolin. It was impossible for him to be late, so the only possibility was that he was not qualified to attend.

After greeting Zhao Yushu at the railing, the prince disappeared, and the seat he arranged for Zhao Yushu was very subtle, right next to Li Tong.

The row on the left was headed by the Duke of Yue, followed by a fat monk, and then a middle-aged man with an official appearance. The fat monk looked at him very unfriendly.

On the right, Princess Li Tong was the leader, followed by herself, and then a young man with a curious face, and the object of this young man's curiosity was actually herself.

Li Tong glanced at him and then looked away, as if he was too lazy to pay attention to him. However, the contempt in his eyes was very obvious, which surprised Zhao Yushu a little. Logically speaking, he should have no intersection with Li Tong in his current identity, and even out of superficial respect for the old man, he would not look down on him.

And who is this guy? Why does he keep staring at me and smiling so much? It makes me so angry.

He seemed to have arrived late. All the guests had already taken their seats before he arrived. If the prince had not personally sent someone to pick him up, he would probably have been accused of disrespecting the prince.

"Mr. Six?" The young man next to him seemed to finally muster up the courage and greeted him.

"It is me, I have not asked for your advice yet?"

"Haha, Xiao Wang Li Jian, Mr. Liu, nice to meet you."

Prince? The prince is sitting behind the princess? And no one seems to be surprised. Is there something I should know but don't know?

"It turns out to be the young prince. Nice to meet you."

"Mr. Liu, you don't know that I love reading court reports in Xijing the most. After reading the court reports from Nanyang, I found your shadow everywhere. You don't know how excited I am. You did what I wanted to do but couldn't do."

Li Jian lowered his voice, but his face was full of excitement.

Oh? I actually have fans?

Of course, he would not include himself in the official gazette about what happened in Nanyang, but to the nobles in the two capitals, what he did could not be a secret, not to mention that he did not do anything secret.

"My Lord, you are too kind. I didn't do anything."

Zhao Yushu remained polite. In his eyes, the Duke of Yue who wrote a memorial to create famine and the Emperor of Xijing who agreed to the memorial were the same kind of people, neither of them were good people.

But now I am in the enemy camp, and it is not appropriate to talk too much with the royal people.

Zhao Yushu tried hard to maintain basic courtesy and a proper distance, and answered the curious baby Li Jian's various strange questions one by one. He suddenly missed the prince whom he had only met once.

Why the hell haven’t you come back for the feast yet!

As if Zhao Yushu's unique prayer was heard, the door of the banquet hall opened and Crown Prince Li Huan, dressed in casual clothes, walked in with square steps, followed by the trembling Miss Wanqing.

"I've always heard that Miss Wanqing's zither skills are unique in Jiangning. This time I came, I couldn't help but go and listen to her. It's really extraordinary. Governor Li, please make arrangements. When this matter is over, let Wanqing come back to Xijing with me."

The middle-aged man sitting behind the fat monk immediately nodded in agreement. Duke Yue and the fat monk seemed not to have heard it. Li Tong frowned slightly and then relaxed his brows, while Wanqing's pitiful eyes swept over the Zhou people one by one as if asking for help. Several local nobles who were swept by him lowered their heads subconsciously, and after becoming more and more desperate, their beautiful eyes fixed on Zhao Yushu.