Chapter 812 Xu Fengnian: Alcohol Makes Cowards Courageous

Shu Kingdom, Sifang Pavilion.

Xu Fengnian took a hot bath, ate and drank his fill, and was preparing to have a good sleep before going to the palace to pay homage to the Emperor of Shu the next day.

Old Huang knocked on the door, walked in and reported:

"Master, the prince of Jiaodong sent me a visiting card, saying that he knew you were coming and wanted to visit you!"

"The prince of Jiaodong? Why is he also in Jinguan City?"

Xu Fengnian muttered something and then didn't care. He waved to Lao Huang and asked him to come in.

Under the name of the Liyang Dynasty, in addition to the King of Beiliang and the King of Guangling who had been removed from the list, there were also King Zhao Bing of Yanchi, King Zhao Heng of Jing'an, King Zhao Sui of Jiaodong, King Zhao Ying of Huainan, and King Zhao Ao of Langya.

Among these Liyang vassal kings, Jiaodong King Zhao Sui and Beiliang King Xu Xiao had the best relationship.

When Zhao Yi, the prince of Jiaodong, learned that Xu Fengnian had arrived, he naturally handed in a visiting card, wanting to pay a visit, which was also a courtesy.

After the two exchanged greetings.

Xu Fengnian, dressed in a white brocade robe, looked at Zhao Yi, the prince of Jiaodong, and found that he was a handsome young man like himself, and his favor for him increased immediately:

"Brother, please sit down!"

"Brother Shi, please!"

Zhao Yi is only fifteen years old this year, two birthdays younger than Xu Fengnian.

Because of his young age, Zhao Yi spoke without much scruples. After sitting down, he asked directly out of curiosity:
"Brother Shi, the enthronement ceremony has been over for more than a month. Why did you just come to Jinguan City?"

The two princesses of Beiliang entered the palace together with the Queen's enthronement ceremony in April.

And now, it is already May.

Zhao Yi was indeed a little curious about what Xu Fengnian was thinking.

"I was traveling around the world 'by order' before, but I got the news late on the way, which delayed me!"

Xu Fengnian was too embarrassed to say that he had become a beggar and had cheated and deceived people all the way to get here, which had wasted time.

Xu Fengnian explained his situation and asked Zhao Yi curiously:

"Brother Zhao Yi, as the crown prince, why did you come to Shu as an envoy?"

"I'm here to marry my sister!"

When Zhao Yi talked about this, his tone was a little high, and his eyes could not hide the rebelliousness, frustration and anger!
At the beginning of the new year, various forces discussed "marriage" with the Emperor of Shu in order to protect themselves!

The King of Jiaodong's fiefdom was in the two Liao states, about four or five thousand miles away from the Kingdom of Shu, so he didn't have to fear the Emperor of Shu.

However, other forces had discussed the matter of "marriage" with the Emperor of Shu.

In particular, Prince Jing'an and Prince Yanchi, who had no daughters of marriageable age, simply adopted two daughters and wanted to "marry" the Emperor of Shu.

As a result, the envoy of King Jiaodong did not discuss the matter of "marriage", which made him seem a bit unique among many forces.

The envoy of the King of Jiaodong was also afraid of bringing disaster to his king, so he quickly used the fastest falcon to send a letter to tell the King of Jiaodong about the situation.

The King of Jiaodong felt somewhat helpless and unhappy when he received the news.

However, current affairs were such that even the King of Beiliang had sent his two daughters, and the King of Jiaodong was so weak that he could only follow the crowd.

Finally, after much thought, he decided to marry his unengaged second daughter.

Zhao Yi came to Jinguan City this time to send his bride off.

As other forces were relatively close, they had already entered the palace together with the Queen's enthronement ceremony.

Only the second daughter of the King of Jiaodong was delayed because of the long distance and several heavy rains on the way. It took more than three months for her to arrive in Jinguan City, thus delaying the ceremony of enthroning the empress.

Now, if Zhao Yi's sister wants to enter the palace again, she needs to find an auspicious day.

Zhao Yi and Xu Fengnian chatted for a while, and Lao Huang went to the kitchen of the inn to order some wine and food.

The two of them drank and chatted, and the conversation slowly opened up.

Zhao Yi saw that Xu Fengnian's mood was up and down, and thought that Xu Fengnian was missing his two sisters, so he comforted him:
"Brother Shi, I heard from someone that, in addition to the Empress, the Shu Emperor's harem has a total of eight concubines and twelve concubines. Among them, six are from your Beiliang! And among these eight concubines and twelve concubines, the most favored one is Concubine Yu from Beiliang!"

"There are eight from Beiliang? The most favored one is Concubine Yu? Who is this Concubine Yu?"

Xu Fengnian had a puzzled look on his face and quickly asked Zhao Yi who this 'Jade Concubine' was and whether it was the 'little clay figurine' he had been thinking about.

Zhao Yi's alcohol tolerance was low, and after just a few drinks, his face was already red:
"Brother Shi, how would I know the maiden name of the Shu emperor's concubines? The reason I know this 'Jade Concubine' is that I heard the Shu people themselves talk about it in the restaurant when I was shopping."

Xu Fengnian was intrigued, and while persuading Zhao Yi to drink, he asked:
"Brother, tell me what you heard."

"Then I'll tell you, Brother Shi!"

Zhao Yi calmed down and then said:
"I heard that this Jade Concubine is none other than your second princess of Beiliang, that is, your second sister."

"Impossible! You must have confused my eldest sister with my second sister!"

When Xu Fengnian heard what Zhao Yi said, he burst into laughter.

"How could my second sister be named 'Jade Concubine' when she is so ugly?"

In Xu Fengnian's eyes, although his second sister's appearance was not ugly, she was definitely not pretty either. What's more, she had a very bad temper and would always shout for fighting and killing.

How could the Emperor of Shu possibly like a woman like this!
"I'm not confused. The eldest princess of Beiliang was named 'Snow Concubine', and the second princess was named 'Jade Concubine'!"

As a young man, how could Zhao Yi admit that he was wrong? He directly argued:
"I heard that when the Shu Emperor conferred titles on your two elder sisters at the ceremony, he pointed at your elder sister and said, 'King Xu Xiao of Northern Liang looks dark and rough, but the elder daughter has skin as white as ice and as white as snow, so she must have inherited the appearance of the princess. Therefore, he conferred title on your elder sister as 'Snow Consort'." "And when conferring title on your second sister, the Shu Emperor said, 'Although the appearance of the King of Northern Liang's second daughter is ordinary, she is proficient in the art of war and has the talent to assist the king in planning and winning battles thousands of miles away. She is a rare and beautiful jade!' With such an evaluation from the Shu Emperor, your second sister naturally became the 'Jade Consort'."

Zhao Yi began to let himself go when he got to this point, and continued to preach:

"Besides your elder sister and second sister who occupy two concubines, there is also a Fragrant Concubine, who is said to be from your Northern Liang. I heard that this 'Fragrant Concubine' has had a strange fragrance since she was a child. The Emperor of Shu was so happy that he canonized her as the 'Fragrant Concubine'."

Zhao Yi talked and drank at the same time, and soon he lay down under the table.

Xu Fengnian was so angry that he kicked him, but he couldn't wake him up. At this time, the alcohol started to take effect, and his vision became blurry. He also lay on the floor and fell asleep.

It was the next day in a blink of an eye.

A eunuch came to Sifang Pavilion and found Xu Fengnian, who was still drunk, and asked him to wash and dress quickly.

Concubine Xue wants to meet Xu Fengnian.

Xu Fengnian thought that his elder and second sisters wanted to see him together, so he didn't dare to delay. He quickly washed and dressed, then followed the eunuchs to the Yuxiu Palace in the harem of the imperial palace.

Yuxiu Palace was a reward given by Su Mingzhe to the sisters Xu Zhihu and Xu Weixiong.

Xu Fengnian hurried over, but only saw his eldest sister. His heart suddenly relaxed a little, and he asked curiously:
"Big sister, isn't the second sister here?"

Xu Zhihu married to the Lu family in Jiangnan at the age of sixteen. Five years passed before she met her younger brother Xu Fengnian. But as soon as she opened her mouth, she asked about her second sister.

Xu Zhihu was a good-tempered person, and was used to doting on his younger brother Xu Fengnian, so he explained indifferently:
"Your second sister is in the imperial study, accompanying His Majesty in reviewing memorials."

When Xu Fengnian heard that his second sister was not there, he immediately relaxed and even wanted to tease:
"This Shu Emperor doesn't like beautiful women but ugly ones. No wonder he was able to restore his country successfully!"

After Xu Fengnian whispered that his second sister Xu Weixiong was an "ugly girl", he subconsciously looked around timidly and fearfully.

She heaved a sigh of relief when she noticed that there were no outsiders around except for a few serving palace maids.

If Xu Fengnian saw his second sister Xu Weixiong, he would definitely be scared.

However, when he looked around and didn't find his second sister, he felt a little bit missing her.

Seeing his brother's expression, Xu Zhihu suddenly found it funny and could not help but continue:
"However, His Majesty said yesterday that he knew you were coming, and he would give your second sister half a day off at noon..."

Xu Fengnian's face changed again, and his sagging waist straightened up again.

Afterwards, the brother and sister chatted for a while.

First, Xu Fengnian asked Xu Zhihu and Xu Weixiong whether they were used to living in the Shu Kingdom's palace.

After Xu Zhihu answered, she asked her brother whether his year of traveling was hard, and whether she should ask the Emperor of Shu to intercede and ask Emperor Liyang to exempt him from three years of traveling.

Before I knew it, it was noon time.

A woman in a palace skirt with thick eyebrows and big eyes, who looked heroic, walked into the main hall of the Jade Embroidery Palace and shouted loudly:
"Sister, did that boy run away?"

"I didn't run away. I'm still here."

Xu Zhihu was now a little afraid of his sister, so he quickly stood up and held the hand of his brother who was already trembling with fear.

The three sisters met.

Xu Weixiong was in a good mood. He stretched out his hands and pinched Xu Fengnian, wanting to check if Xu Fengnian was injured or not.

"Fortunately, no limbs are missing..."

Xu Weixiong finally met Xu Fengnian, and he missed him so much in his heart. However, when they met, he spoke rudely and kept mocking and ridiculing him.

Xu Fengnian's face was pinched until it turned red and his ears were pulled almost broken. He could only beg for mercy helplessly.

"As a man, it's really useless to beg for mercy so easily!"

Xu Weixiong angrily slapped Xu Fengnian on the shoulder, and the slap made Xu Fengnian sit on the ground.

"Okay, you two shouldn't make a scene as soon as you meet each other."

Xu Zhihu tried to smooth things over, but was afraid that the two would start quarreling again, so he quickly ordered the palace maids to start serving the meal.

When Xu Fengnian saw his two sisters, he wanted to ask about Jiang Ni.

However, after being frightened by Xu Weixiong just now, the courage that he had finally built up was scared away again.

In desperation, Xu Fengnian could only drink as much as he could while eating.

Hope, wine makes cowards brave!
After an hour, the banquet for the three siblings ended.

Xu Fengnian drank a lot of wine and felt braver. He couldn't help but ask his two sisters:

"Big sister, second sister, did that bastard Xu Xiao give all the maids in my Wutong Garden to the Emperor of Shu?"

"Not bad!"

Xu Weixiong knew that Xu Fengnian would ask this question, and without waiting for Xu Zhihu to explain, he said with a cold face:

"My elder sister and I have not lived at home for a long time. Father wants to use your maid from Wutong Garden as a dowry maid for your two sisters. Are you not happy about it?"

Xu Fengnian shuddered uncontrollably as Xu Weixiong stared at him with angry eyes, and retracted his head:
"No, no, why wouldn't I be happy... it's just... it's just, how many should Xu Xiao leave for me..."

When Xu Fengnian faced his second sister Xu Wexiong, he was so scared that his courage almost broke.

She wanted to ask about Jiang Ni, but when she saw her second sister's icy eyes, she couldn't open her mouth.

(End of this chapter)