Chapter Thirty-Four: Grand Banquet (Part Two)

  The sunshine is beautiful, it's a good weather.

  The Lü family's gate was crowded with carriages and horses, and the number of guests who came to celebrate his birthday even exceeded Xiao He's initial estimate.

  What Xiao He did not expect was that Ren Yong, the magistrate of Pei County, would also take time out of his busy schedule to come and congratulate Lü Weng.

  However, Xiao He soon figured out the reason behind it.

  At present, Pei County is in a state of disrepair and needs stability. Since the end of last year, from Chen County in the west to Xue Prefecture in the east, the Qin army has been gathering slowly and in an orderly manner, and many granaries have been built along the way from Sanjiang Prefecture to Wu Zhong (now Suzhou, Jiangsu).

  At the same time, Qin Shi Huang ordered the mobilization of 100,000 laborers to excavate a canal in the area between the Si River and the Gu River.

  What information is hidden in this? Ordinary people may not be able to see it, but for someone as astute as Xiao He, a little thought can guess eight or nine out of ten. It's very clear that the First Emperor is likely to use troops... As for the target of the troops, I'm afraid it's the Baiyue.

  If the war against Baiyue is launched, Xi Shui Prefecture will undoubtedly play a role as a transit station.

  Ren You was dispatched to Ren County as the county magistrate, and later cleared out bandits, governed the local area, and made Xiangshui County a stable material supply base. Therefore, it is not difficult to explain why Ren You appeared at Lü's house. Ren You was showing an attitude to calm down the hearts of the people. Last year's series of bloody storms had already achieved Ren You's initial goal, now gentle means were needed.

  Is this what they call 'sharing joy with the people'?

  Xiao He was pondering in his heart. During his time serving under Ren Jun, he had indeed learned a lot of things. Ren Jun was not only a military man, but also handled internal affairs very well. It is said that when Meng Tian was still the mayor of Xianyang, Ren Jun was once Meng Tian's assistant. If it were true, then it would be "strong general has no weak soldiers". Xiao He, although proud, knew his own shortcomings.

  Ren You waited at Lü's house for a short while before leaving!

  However, the impact of his appearance on others is immeasurable.

  Many people who did not originally intend to come, upon seeing the county magistrate appear, immediately changed their minds and ordered gifts to be prepared, coming to offer congratulations.

  It was not yet noon, but the gate of the Lü residence was already packed with carriages, and even the road had become congested.

  As for the government, it was overcrowded. Moreover, there were endless streams of guests coming, making Xiao He start to feel a bit overwhelmed.

  "Lu Weng, if things go on like this, I'm afraid it will only get more and more chaotic!"

  Lü Wēng did not expect that with Ren Yao's appearance, so many people would come.

  At this time, in Lü Wēng's heart, he was naturally extremely pleased. However, he also clearly knew that if things continued like this, the banquet would never begin.

  Then he asked Xiang Yu: "Sir, do you have any plans?"

  Xiao He thought for a moment, "There are so many people, mixed together, it's not a good situation. Why don't we use the amount of gifts as a standard? Guests who give more than 1,000 coins can sit in the main hall. If the gift is less than 1,000 coins, they will sit in the lower hall, and it will be clear at a glance."

  Lü Wēng thought for a moment and felt that this was also a way out.

  "But in her heart, she still felt a bit apprehensive and whispered: 'Will this offend someone?'"

  "How could this offend people?" Xiao He smiled and said: "Even the county magistrate has sent congratulations, how can these people possibly mind? Moreover, the customs of Pei County have always had differences in gift money. Lv Weng, in my opinion, not only will you not offend anyone, but arranging things this way will also make those wealthy and powerful families feel dignified. As for those who are just joining in the excitement, they won't be dissatisfied with you because of this either."

  Lü Wēng said: "Since it's like this, let's follow Mr. Xiao's plan!"

  Then Xiao He walked out of the hall and said loudly: "Everyone, today is Lv Weng's 50th birthday. I didn't expect the villagers to be so enthusiastic. But this hall is still a bit small after all. Therefore, those who gave gifts worth less than 1,000 yuan, please sit down in the hall below, and please forgive me."

  The guests were initially dissatisfied, but after thinking about it again, they felt that this was also a fact.

  No longer complaining, they followed Xiao He's arrangement and took their seats in the hall. Those who had brought gifts worth over a thousand coins swaggered to the upper part of the hall. This was also a symbol of status and position. Lü Weng's approach, to some extent, saved them from losing face. As a result, they felt more affectionate towards Lü Weng, and their words became warmer.

  The banquet officially started at noon, and Xiao He finally let out a sigh of relief.

  But it was just a sigh of relief, and Xiao He's heart quickly picked up again.

  Because he saw someone, someone he didn't want to see and didn't hope to see.

  Liu Bang's height was quite high, but his body proportions were somewhat out of coordination. His upper body was longer than his lower body, which made his arms look much longer than those of ordinary people. Among many people, such a figure is easily noticeable. Moreover, by Liu Bang's side, there was also a large group of people. The majestic Fan Kuai, the heroic Zhou Bo, the refined and elegant Lu Wan, and the fierce Xiahou Ying.

  Liu Fei rode on Xiahou Dun's neck, making this group of people even more eye-catching.

  Xiao He hastily stepped forward, just about to speak, when Xiahou Ying smiled and said: "Mr. Xiao, we've come to celebrate Lv Gong's birthday."

  Lu Xuan nodded, "We've also heard about the rules. If it weren't for these rules, we wouldn't have come now."

  Speaking of which, Lu Zhi took out a wooden slip from his bosom and handed it to Xiao He. Then he shouted loudly: "Liu Ji of Fengyi, in celebration of Old Master Lü's 50th birthday, presents a gift of 10,000 coins."

  Xiao He hadn't even had time to see what was written on the wooden slip when he heard Lu Wan's shout, and he couldn't help but jump in fright.

  Not only was Xiao He shocked, but almost all the guests who came to attend Lü Weng's birthday party were also stunned when they heard this shout.

  Ten thousand yuan is no small sum!

  To know that Xiao He was in the service of the Marquis of Rang, his annual income was only three or four thousand coins. And previously, the person who came to celebrate his birthday with the heaviest gift was Yong Chi, a wealthy family from Pei County, which was only three thousand coins. This Liu Ji is indeed generous, and he gave out 10,000 coins at once?

  But he has so much money! Where did he get all this money from?

  Many people who knew Liu Ji's true nature couldn't help but have doubts in their hearts. However, no one dared to speak out because Fan Kuai was watching them with a fierce gaze. It's likely that if someone had jumped out to question him, they would have first had to endure the fists of Fan Kuai and Zhou Bo.

  Lü Weng in the hall also heard Lu Xun's shout.

  Although he was a wealthy man, when he heard the words "ten thousand dollars", he couldn't help but be moved. Since others had offered him such a great gift, Lv Weng naturally could no longer remain seated. He hastily stood up, adjusted his clothes and hat, and stepped forward to go out of the main hall to welcome Liu Ji.

  Although Lü's family has been in Pei County for almost a year now, it so happens that this year is the most peaceful period of Liu Bang.

  First stayed at home to recover from injuries, after recovering, then caught up with the recruitment of Ren Yao, and later fought a bloody battle, and returned home to recover again...

  The people of Pei County wouldn't mention Liu Bang's name for no reason. After all, a person like him couldn't be praised or offended. Since Liu Bang didn't appear in Pei, who would take the initiative to talk about him? In case those words were wrong and suffered from Liu Bang's revenge, it was not worth the loss.

  So Lü Gong did not know much about Liu Bang either.

  Xiang Yu couldn't help but slightly frown, feeling somewhat displeased. He had given Liu Bang 3,000 pieces of gold, and now he was sitting in the seat of honor. With this commotion caused by Liu Bang, who knows what would happen to that seat... More importantly, it had ruined his reputation and stolen the spotlight.

  However, even someone as powerful as Ying Bu did not dare to easily offend a figure like Liu Bang.

  Lü Yong walked out of the main hall, and Xiao He couldn't help but secretly sigh...

  He quickly turned around and stepped forward to intercept Lü Weng's path, saying in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Lü Weng, it's best if you don't believe what Liu Ji has to say."

  What he meant was to tell Lv Weng: Liu Bang is a man who loves to boast and his words are not reliable.

  But Lü Wēng didn't listen. In his opinion, whether it was bragging or true, the fact that Liu Ji dared to write one million dollars meant that he urgently wanted to get to know him. Moreover, from the change in people's faces after Liu Ji appeared, Lü Wēng also saw it with his own eyes.

  What an incredible person!

  Lü Wēng thought to himself: If I can get in good with this person, and add my own financial resources to the mix, I should be able to establish a solid foothold in Pei County.