Chapter 11: A Single Grasp Injures the Prime Minister; A Single Shout Startles the Son of a High Official

  After Mr. Guantao sat down, he lost his interest in talking and started drinking cup after cup. Qin Lei and Tieying stared at each other with wide eyes, not daring to comfort him.

  Shangguan Chengxiang still looked as calm and collected as ever, but turned to ask Qin Lei: "I heard that General Zhi Ge was slightly unwell the other day. Unfortunately, I've been busy with mundane affairs and haven't had a chance to visit you yet. Are you feeling better now?"

  Qin Lei heard that he didn't leave 'Zhi Ge Gong' at all, and was very unhappy. However, he pretended to be stupid on his face and said: "Hmm, let the great monk cure him."

  Shangguan Chancellor said, "Has General Shi ever studied hard and read books? Who taught you etiquette?" His attitude was kind and gentle, like an elder in the family, making people feel good at once.

  Qin Lei scratched his head, thinking for half a day, and said with a sigh: "These years I haven't gone to school, I've almost forgotten everything, including etiquette." He was referring to the fact that after his aunt, Qin Guifei of Qi State, passed away, the imperial household reduced his allowance to the bare minimum, naturally not paying for his tuition fees either.

  Everyone thought that he was ignorant of the rules and didn't know that "scholars and commoners don't share a seat", and it turned out to be an uneducated country bumpkin.

  Shangguan Changshi asked again: "How have you been doing these few years?"

  Qin Lei said, "The meat puppet has arrived." He brought out his 'boiled to death' level acting skills and pretended to be distressed, saying: "It's no good, they never let me go out and play, the food isn't even this good. And..." After thinking for half a day, he still couldn't think of what came next, so he could only awkwardly say: "Anyway, it's just not good."

  Shangguan Chengxiang smiled mysteriously and asked: "Would you like me to send you back to the Qin State?"

  Qin Lei immediately put on a terrified look and asked nervously: "Why?" His voice was even trembling slightly.

  The Prime Minister was surprised and said, "Qin State is your hometown, don't you want to go back?"

  Qin Lei shook his head firmly: "No, Iron Eagle said that Qin Guo is ten thousand miles away from here. What if there are bad people on the road? And besides..."

  "What's more?" The person next to him couldn't stand this kid's hemming and hawing, and asked hastily.

  "And also, Iron Boss said that after Autumn Leaf gives birth to a big black one, he'll give me another one to raise too." He said with some embarrassment.

  The audience was in an uproar, turning their attention to Tieying. Tieying wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, and weakly explained: "Dahai is Iron Boss's watchdog..."

  The guests burst into laughter, and even the prime minister couldn't help but smile wryly, turning his head to talk to others and ignoring him.

  Qin Lei and Tie Ying exchanged a glance, both thinking: It's almost passed.

  The two of them were originally late in taking their seats, and after what had just happened, they soon dispersed.

  ~~~~~~~~

  According to etiquette, the host should personally see off the guest; if there are adult sons, they can also substitute.

  Shangguan Chengxiang had three sons and four daughters, all of whom were already grown up. Qin Lei originally thought it was the eldest son of the prime minister who saw off the guests, but unexpectedly Shangguan Yunhe himself came out to meet them. Seeing the yellow-haired old man surrounded by a crowd of people like stars surrounding the moon, he finally understood that this was a heavyweight figure. These small roles were actually basking in his glory.

  The two big men finished their conversation, and the yellow-bearded fat old man pretended to be unintentional, scanning his gaze through the crowd, finally locking onto Qin Lei. His eyes were icy and stern, without any emotion, just like looking at a dead person.

  Qin Lei had already known from others' addresses that this was the very person who, sixteen years ago, commanded the allied forces of Qi and Chu to a great victory over Qin, ceding a thousand miles of land, an annual tribute of thirty million, and incidentally causing his own separation from his aunt - Zhao Wujiao, the Duke of Eastern Qi's Hundred Victories.

  He lowered his head, not daring to meet Zhao Wu's gaze, but the flames in his heart were burning fiercely: He had been in this world for almost two months now, and Qin Lei knew he couldn't go back. He had accepted his new identity, knowing that this person had a father, mother, and brothers, even if they weren't by his side, it was still much better than being alone like he used to be.

  So he rarely distinguishes between himself and that little thing anymore.

  The emperor's spring heart is entrusted to the azalea, and the villa owner's dawn dream is bewildered by the butterfly.

  At this time, he was stared at by his sworn enemy and barely suppressed his anger. When he looked up again, the man had already left.

  Since he had personally sent off Zhao Wujing, the host couldn't be too thick-skinned and thin-skinned, smiling to bid farewell to each guest, making them feel valued and treated with kindness. This method of winning people's hearts was cost-effective and had already been perfected by Prime Minister Shang thirty years ago.

  Guests went up to bid farewell to the Prime Minister, but most people could only get a sentence or two from him, such as "Sorry for the poor hospitality, please forgive me." In Qin Lei's eyes, it was just like the welcoming ladies at a large hotel in later generations.

  It was Qin Lei's turn, and the Prime Minister had a conversation with him. At the banquet, they were far apart, and he couldn't see his face clearly. Now, taking a closer look, he found that Xiao Zhizi was well-proportioned, with clear eyebrows and eyes, and if it weren't for the heavy makeup, he would be quite handsome. Immediately, Officer Shang laughed at his own thoughts again.

  The Grand Duke grasped his hand, feeling a bit rough, and asked the Iron Eagle beside him in surprise: "What kind of absurd thing have you been doing lately? How did your hands get calluses?"

  Tie Ying said apologetically, "My lord has recently become obsessed with blacksmithing and has invited a blacksmith to our home every day. I've advised him many times, but he won't listen." He looked like he was in extreme distress. The Qi Kingdom guard beside him nodded in agreement.

  The Grand Minister nodded and put on a serious face, lecturing Qin Lei for a while. The crowd saw that the young prince could converse with the Grand Minister, and they were extremely envious.

  Qin Lei tightly grasped the hand of Shangguan, repeatedly nodding and showing a face of obedience, immediately deciding to take the Prime Minister as his master. The Prime Minister, who had also sobered up by then, would not accept this fool as an apprentice, and ambiguously declined, promising to find him another good teacher instead. He exerted force to pry open Qin Lei's fingers and pulled his hand back.

  Seeing the palm print on his right hand, the prime minister said angrily: "You little blacksmith, do you think my hands are iron tongs?"

  Qin Lei hastily apologized and wanted to go up to massage the Prime Minister. However, Shangguan Yunhe was possibly in too much pain and coldly said: "I am not feeling well after drinking, so I will have my son see you off instead. Please forgive me, everyone." After finishing speaking, he hurriedly went to the backyard.

  Under the resentful gaze of the crowd, the master and servant walked out of the Prime Minister's mansion with satisfaction, both in a relaxed mood.

  At this time, the gate of the mansion was filled with sedan chairs and horse-drawn carriages, causing a traffic jam.

  Qin Lei's carriage was squeezed in the middle, unable to move forward or backward. The two of them leaned against the carriage shaft and chatted idly, talking nonsense about how beautiful this carriage is, how elegant that sedan chair is, making the guarding Qi soldiers retreat a zhang away, drawing a clear boundary with these brainless master and servant.

  Two people were talking happily, a weak voice sounded in the ears of both: "Well done, Zhi Ge Gong, you've fooled Dong Qi Chengxiang around, let me expose you and make you look good."

  The two of them were suddenly stunned, and in an instant, a murderous intention appeared. They slowly turned their heads to look at that person...