At night, the lights were on, the alum building was brightly lit, the silk and bamboo were melodious, and the beakers laughed constantly. In the most hidden and luxurious suite on the fourth floor, the prince Zhao Huan set up a banquet to specially host Li Yanqing.

Of course, the prince could not leave the palace at will. Zhao Huan made an excuse that the old man of the Zheng family celebrated his birthday and held a family banquet in the Alum Tower, and he wanted to go and agree.

So almost all the people who accompany him are from the Zheng family, so there is no need to mention Zheng Rongtai, as well as his grandfather Zheng Ming, uncle Zheng Yin and aunt Yang, father Zheng Sheng and mother Han, and the old man’s wife Xiang. The whole family is here.

In order to cover up, a huge word "天" was hung on the wall, indicating that today is the old man's birthday.

The seats were also deliberately arranged. Crown Prince Zhao Huan sat in the middle, with the old man Zheng Ming on the right and Li Yanqing on the left. However, except for the Zheng brothers, no one else knew the real reason for treating tonight. Even Mr. Zheng didn't know. He happily thought that he was the protagonist tonight.

Mrs. Xiang sat next to her husband and occasionally gave Li Yanqing a suspicious and dissatisfied look. The seat Li Yanqing should be her seat. I don’t know where the brat got out of her, but she actually sat in the master’s seat, which made her very annoyed.

Zhao Huan raised his glass and smiled, "Tonight is the old man's birthday party. Everyone here is family. Just be as casual as possible. I wish you good health and good luck in this glass of wine first! Let's drink this glass together."

Everyone drank a glass of wine together. Zhao Huan gave Zheng Yin a wink. Zheng Yin understood and waved his hand quickly. The melodious sound of silk and bamboo sounds sounded. Two graceful dancers danced into the room. Zheng Yin smiled and said, "It's all my family, everyone drinks and eats food at will!"

With Zheng Yin's cover, Zhao Huan then laughed at Li Yanqing and said, "It's inconvenient for me to leave the palace. I need to find an excuse. Please don't mind if Li joins the army."

"I understand in my heart, Your Highness doesn't need to explain!"

"I heard that you were back today. How did you gain this trip to Yunzhou?"

Li Yanqing hurriedly bowed and said, "I used the excuse of opening a shop in Baoyanzhai. He bribed a civilian bandit official in Yunzhou with a large sum of money. He obtained a lot of important information, and this trip is worth it!"

"It's very dangerous, right?"

"It's really dangerous. When Song Jiang heard that the court was going to encircle and suppress them, he searched for outsiders in Yunzhou and strictly investigated the spies. Bei Zhi was protected by the inn shopkeeper and escaped by chance."

"Li Chanjun thinks how likely is it that our bandit destruction will be successful this time?"

"I personally think about 80%!"

"Oh, aren't you sure?"

Li Yanqing shook his head, "The battlefield is unpredictable, and it is impossible to be 100% sure, but in fact, 80% is already very high."

Zhao Huan sighed slightly, "Yes! He lost four battles in a row, and the court was afraid of the bandits. He didn't even have much confidence. If it was as you said, I was 80% sure, then I would have a good sleep tonight."

"Your Highness, please don't worry. Although Liangshan's soldiers are large, they are of different quality and have great internal fighting. Now that they have a handsome man, their arrogance should be over."

Zhao Huan was in a good mood and gave Li Yanqing a glass of wine and asked, "I wonder if Li Zongjun has any difficulties at present, I need my help to solve them?"

Li Yanqing was waiting for his words, and nodded and said, "There is indeed a difficulty that cannot be solved at present. If Your Highness is willing to help."

Zhao Huan wanted to win over Li Yanqing, but was really willing to help him, so he hurriedly said, "Tell me, what's the difficulty?"

"That's right. Because the Liangshan bandits had cavalry, the general was also preparing to set up a cavalry and decided to let me command the commander, but the court refused to allocate war horses, resulting in no horses available for cavalry now."

"How many war horses do you want?"

"Two thousand cavalry camps, one thousand base camps, and three thousand war horses are enough."

Zhao Huan frowned, "Don't Tiansijian have 20,000 war horses, why don't you give it?"

"Your Highness, not everyone hopes that Zhong Shuai will win this time"

Li Yanqing pointed to the point, and Zhao Huan nodded. Of course, he understood what Li Yanqing pointed out in his heart. Although Cai Jing retired from office, his influence in the court was still very strong. Gao Qiu also controlled the imperial guards in front of the palace in Bian Jing. He had great power. Without his consent, the Privy Council could not mobilize the imperial guards in the capital.

More importantly, Gao Qiu was defeated by the Liangshan Army. He never wanted Zhong Shidao to win, but this battle was related to whether Zhao Huan's position in the East Palace was stable, so he could not stay out of it.

"Don't worry! Leave this to me."

The prince and Li Yanqing kept whispering, and invisibly neglected the birthday star next to him. Zheng Ming didn't care, he just ate and drank happily, but his wife Xiang was a little overwhelmed.

At this time, when she saw Zheng Rongtai get up and go out, she said to her husband: "I'll go and put on some makeup!"

She also stood up, and the two maids hurriedly helped her walk outside and walked out of the room. She immediately shouted at her grandson Zheng Rongtai, "Stop it!"

Although Mrs. Xiang is the old man's wife, she is the youngest sister of Empress Dowager Xiang. The Zheng family became rich and prosperous because of her, which made Mrs. Xiang's position in the Zheng family supreme.

Zheng Rongtai was especially afraid of this stepmother. His grandmother was so angry that he was so scared that his fat all over his body trembled, and he quickly stepped forward and bowed his head to accept the scolding.

"Who is that brat?"

Zheng Rongtai understood what his grandmother pointed and quickly whispered: "He is his grandson's friend, named Li Yanqing."

"You want to invite friends to celebrate grandfather's birthday. I can understand this, but how did you arrange a seat? He actually let him sit next to the prince, but our Zheng family became a guest of mine. It's simply outrageous. Go and change the seat for me!"

Zheng Rongtai became more and more angry when he saw his grandmother talking. Seeing that his anger was about to swallow her, he had to whisper the truth, "Actually, we are indeed accompanying guests today."

"What did you say?" Xiang was stunned for a moment.

"Today, His Highness the Crown Prince is to meet him. He is the guest of honor and we are the guest of the guest."

As if he was hit by a basin of cold water, his anger at Madam disappeared without a trace. She stood there for a moment and asked, "What rank is he? What rank is the crown prince? How much does the crown prince value him?"

"He was the imperial examination last year's Tanhua, and now he seems to be from the seventh rank, and he is an official under the leadership of Zhong Shidao."

Mrs. Xiang had nothing to say, and Zheng Rongtai could not hold back her urine. She quickly bowed and turned around and ran away. Although she was a little rude, Mrs. Xiang did not blame her. At this time, her mind was still in chaos.

When Xiang Madam returned to the room, her husband Zheng Ming whispered: "Where are you going? Your Highness is leaving."

Mrs. Xiang then reacted from the trance and asked quickly: "Is Your Highness going back to the palace?"

Zhao Huan smiled and nodded, "I can't stay away for a long time. Even if it's a family dinner, I can only go around. Please continue to drink, I'll take the lead."

Li Yanqing was about to get up and see him off, but Zhao Huan held him down and said with a smile: "No need, enjoy the wine, there will be no such good wine in the future."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your reception!"

Zhao Huan quickly walked out, Zheng Yin quickly got up and saw him off. Everyone sat down after the crown prince left. Zheng Rongtai also came back with sweat. Zheng Sheng, who had not said anything, raised his glass and smiled at Li Yanqing: "The little official passed the imperial examination and made a face for us Xiangzhou people, but I have never congratulated him. It is very unfair. This glass of wine is my apology!"

Li Yanqing quickly raised his glass, "Uncle Shi is serious, I dare not."

The old man Zheng Ming was about to speak, but Xiang’s wife coughed gently next to him. The table suddenly became quiet. Xiang’s wife raised her eyebrows and asked Li Yanqing, “Did Li Shaolang have ever married?”

Zheng Rongtai had just taken a sip of wine and squirted out "Puff!". His parents quickly turned around, suppressed the smile on their faces, glared at Zheng Rongtai fiercely at his wife, and looked at Li Yanqing with anticipation.

Li Yanqing also had a "bang!" in his heart. Could it be that her granddaughter has not yet been married?

At this time, the old man Zheng Ming was a little dissatisfied and said, "We shouldn't ask this. They are the imperial examination school. Will we wait until now to ask about marriage? We must have been snatched from a daughter of a prime minister."

Mrs. Xiang kicked her husband hard from below and cursed her inwardly, "Old thing!"

She ignored her husband and continued to wait for Li Yanqing's answer. Li Yanqing scratched her head and said, "I have been engaged since I was a child and am planning to return to my hometown to marry me in the past two years."

"Oh, I wonder which daughter of the family is fortunate to marry Tanhualang?" Mrs. Xiang asked unwillingly.

"This is my teacher's granddaughter. We have been childhood sweethearts since we were young. It is my honor to marry her. My teacher's eldest granddaughter is already married. My younger granddaughter Yao Xiaoniang is only eight years old this year, so she has to use her as a shield."

Li Yanqing's affirmative answer finally made Mrs. Xiang's face show a disappointed expression. At this time, Li Yanqing stood up and saluted everyone and said, "The military rules are strict. I must rush back to the camp before the hour of Hai. I have to leave. Thank you again for your hospitality."

Zheng Ming nodded, "It is a good thing to abide by military rules. Sanlang, I'll give you one to Li Shaolang."

Li Yanqing bowed and hurried out, only returning a cold look to his wife.

Walking out of the alum building, Li Yanqing breathed a sigh of relief and asked Zheng Rongtai again, "Why did you laugh just now?"

Zheng Rongtai smiled, "I hope you marry her granddaughter Zhang Wan'er, so that we will be a family."

"As for making you laugh?"

Seeing that there was no one around, Zheng Rongtai laughed in a low voice: "In recent years, she has been picking the right and choosing the right one. She thinks this official position is too low and that looks bad. Now Zhang Wan'er is nineteen years old, and she is starting to be anxious. Today she obviously likes you. How about it? Should I give you a hindrance and meet Zhang Wan'er."

“Didn’t I say there is an engagement?”

"Stop coming!"

Zheng Rongtai curled his lips with great contempt, "Your father told me in person that you have no engagement at all, and he also asked me to help you see if there is a suitable lady in the family."

Li Yanqing was stunned for a moment. Why did his father leak the secret to himself?

"Don't worry about my marriage. That Zhang Wan'er is as thin as a bamboo pole, and I don't like it."

"Actually, it's not that I care about you, but that His Highness the Crown Prince cares about your marriage. He asked me to inquire. I guess His Highness the Crown Prince wants to be a matchmaker for you."

"You've told him?"

"Of course, if your father hadn't told me personally, would I dare to say anything?

Li Yanqing suddenly felt a little angry. If the prince really acted as a matchmaker for him, how should he refuse?
Chapter completed!