Chapter 1048: Chun Tao rebels, Hong Niang is in danger
At dawn the next day.

Everyone was awakened by the sound of a bugle call.

After breakfast, Cui Zheng, accompanied by Chuntao, called Zhao Zhenkun to give her courage, and then she found her personal soldiers and sent a message to see Su Mingzhe.

In the commander's tent, Su Mingzhe was "training" the twelve warriors selected yesterday. When he saw Cui Zheng asking about escorting the coffin back home, he laughed:
"Madam, don't worry. I have just recruited 5,000 soldiers and need a few days of training before I can command them to escort you back home."

Su Mingzhe just made up a reason, but unexpectedly, Cui Zheng nodded in agreement:

"This is indeed how it should be done since Master Su has just taken over military power."

Seeing that Cui Zheng was so easy to talk to, Su Mingzhe couldn't help but change the subject, chuckled, and bowed:
"Madam, I have an unreasonable request. I hope you will not mind."

Cui Zheng thought that Su Mingzhe was going to show his true colors and ask for her daughter Cui Yingying's hand in marriage, so she was startled.
"Mr. Su, please speak!"

Su Mingzhe said with a hint of humility, "After I took charge of the military camp yesterday, I found that there were many looted women hiding in the tents. These women were basically humiliated. If I let them go directly, it would be the same as killing them. Su was thinking about whether he could comfort them. After thinking about it, I can only ask Madam for help."

Cui Zheng didn't expect that she had prepared reasons to reject Su Mingzhe's "proposal", but the man actually made such a "request".

The feeling of nothingness causing Cui Zheng's cheeks to blush, and she quickly responded:

"Mr. Su is merciful. Please rest assured that the Cui family has always been obliged to do such a righteous act!"

"Chun Tao, you heard what Master Su said, so you should stay and help Master Su comfort those poor women."

Cui Zheng made a mistake of failing to see the best opportunity.

She only knew that her daughter was extremely beautiful and stunningly beautiful, and she needed to be extremely wary of others coveting and spying on her daughter.

She didn't know that her personal maid Chuntao, although already a girl in her early thirties, was also very beautiful and charming.

"Yes, ma'am."

Chuntao saw that her wife wanted to keep her, and under the circumstances, she could not refuse.

At this point, Chuntao secretly regretted not telling Su Mingzhe about how he 'seduced' her last night.

Send Cui Zheng away.

Su Mingzhe immediately revealed his true colors and looked at the trembling Chuntao with greedy eyes.

Among the several women who appeared in "The West Chamber", except for the middle-aged Cui Zheng, who did not catch Su Mingzhe's eye, the other women, whether it was the heroine Cui Yingying, the insignificant "Xiao Ming", or the plot-helping matchmaker, the housekeeper Chuntao, were all taken to heart by Su Mingzhe.

Whenever there is a chance, Su Mingzhe would like to try it.

"Mr. Su, please don't do this..."

Chuntao watched the man slowly approaching. Although she knew she was doomed, she still wanted to fight back.

However, her soft and gentle whisper not only failed to dispel the man's thoughts, but made his thoughts even stronger.

"Sir, you are so eager to accept me. If the Madam knew about this, I'm afraid she would not let you marry the young lady."

"My beauty, do you have any way to help me get what I want?"

Su Mingzhe actually already had an idea about how to win over Cui Yingying, but he was relieved that Chuntao had returned to him so quickly and was willing to give him advice.

"I just have an idea."

Seeing that the man was attracted by her words, Chuntao breathed a sigh of relief, and then she told him the method she had just thought of through her moist and thick sexy red lips.

When Su Mingzhe nodded in agreement, Chuntao secretly apologized to her old master in her heart:

"Madam, it's not that I surrendered too quickly. If I don't surrender now, I'm afraid my life will be in danger."

After apologizing, Chuntao continued to betray her old master without any guilt.

At night.

Following Chuntao's plan, Su Mingzhe found an excuse to hold a banquet and invited Cui Zheng's mother and daughter to attend.

Cui Zheng didn't doubt anything and came over with her daughter.

"lady!"

After being baptized by the man, Chun Tao swayed her waist and swayed her hips as she walked. Her charming demeanor really made Cui Zheng stare at her for a few seconds:
"Chun Tao, what are you doing..."

As someone who had experienced this, Cui Zheng could naturally see at a glance that Chuntao, her personal maid and housekeeper in the rear house, had completed a transformation in her life.

Chun Tao met her old master and forced a bitter smile:
"Madam, it's done. Master Su promised to send someone to take you back to Boling tomorrow." "Send us back to Boling? What about you?"

When Cui Zheng heard that she could leave this "dragon's den and tiger's lair", she immediately felt relieved.

However, she immediately noticed the grammatical error in Chuntao's words.

Chuntao has been with Cui Zheng since she was still with Xingyang Zheng.

In the blink of an eye, more than 20 years have passed, and the relationship between master and servant is not much worse than that between mother and daughter.

At the beginning, when the prime minister wanted to take Chuntao as a concubine, Cui Zheng did not agree. Now she has been harmed by Su Mingzhe.

Cui Zheng's heart was naturally full of resentment.

"Madam, Master Su is very kind to me."

Seeing that her former master cared so much about her, Chuntao recalled how she had given advice and helped the man harm her former master. For a moment, she felt so guilty that tears flowed uncontrollably.

Cui Zheng just thought that Chuntao was reluctant to leave her and didn't doubt anything.

Soon, the banquet began and everyone sat down at their tables.

The Tang Dynasty had an open-minded society and was not restrictive about men and women feasting together.

As the host, Su Mingzhe was the first to give a toast.

After three rounds of drinking.

Su Mingzhe called in dancers to sing and dance to entertain everyone.

For a moment, the scene was joyous.

After a song and dance.

Seeing the lively atmosphere, Su Mingzhe said with a slightly excited tone:

"Madam, today we have wine and dancing, and I feel very happy. However, this banquet is a little bit dull with only singing and dancing. How about we play flying flowers to help with the drinking?"

The custom of playing drinking games at banquets became popular during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.

However, the game of "Flying Flowers" only appeared during the reign of Emperor Dezong of Tang a hundred years ago.

Now, a hundred years have passed, and ordinary noble families will play this game when they hold a banquet.

Naturally, Cui Zheng and Cui Yingying were not afraid of this.

Including Chuntao and Hongniang, there are five people in total.

As the drums began to beat, Su Mingzhe took the lead in chanting:
"Flowers are everywhere in the spring city, and the imperial willows are leaning in the east wind during the Cold Food Festival. At dusk, candles are lit in the Han Palace, and light smoke drifts into the homes of the five marquises."

This is Han Hong's "Cold Food Festival", which is one of the most famous poems in the Tang Dynasty.

Cui Zheng didn't wait for the drum beats to sound and started chanting.

Next came Cui Yingying.

Chuntao and Hongniang were not stumped either.

After all, the Feihua Order has been popular for a hundred years, and the two maids have followed their master to various banquets and are knowledgeable and experienced, so they will naturally not fail in the first round.

After the matchmaker, it was Su Mingzhe's turn again.

This went on for three rounds.

The five people have recited fifteen "Feihualing" poems.

An 'unlearned' person like Hong Niang had to rack her brains to get away with it with the help of her own mistress.

Seeing this, Su Mingzhe paused for a while, called on dancers to entertain the crowd and let everyone relax.

At the banquet tonight, in addition to showing off his poetry and songs, the most important thing for Su Mingzhe is to "shoot the horse first" and take down Hongniang beside Cui Yingying first.

According to Chuntao, as long as Hongniang is captured, Cui Yingying will be like a bird without wings, unable to fly away even if she wants to.

(End of this chapter)