Chapter 42: The Three Heroes Meet at Inviting Moon Pavilion (Part 1)

  When the carriage stopped in front of the Moon Invitation Building, Zhou Wenbo finally had the opportunity to see this landmark building in Luojing City.

  The Inviting Moon Pavilion has three floors, each over 20 feet high. The exterior is surrounded by a corridor with wooden pillars and eaves that blend seamlessly with the roof's multicolored woodwork to form a cohesive whole. The rooftop rests on an elegant, translucent dome-shaped crown, its curved lines flowing smoothly and exuding beauty.

  Zhou Wenbo walked up to the third floor. The clouds and sunset were rolling in from the horizon, with the sun sinking into the west. At this moment, Zhou Wenbo was more than ten meters above the ground, and he could see every household in Luoyi City within his line of sight. Even the Imperial City several miles away and the Luo River that flowed through it could be faintly seen.

  After a while, a group of people came up the stairs. The first one was about fifty years old, with a slightly white hairline, a big belly, and an originally handsome and straight figure that had gone out of shape. However, he had a natural air of being a leader who had been in power for a long time, which made it impossible for people to look down on him.

  Upon seeing this person, the impression of his memory matched up, and Zhou Wenbo smiled as he walked forward, "Meng Shixiong, it's been three years since we parted ways in Beijing (now Taiyuan), Uncle Meng has been guarding Beijing on behalf of the Emperor, with a high position and great power, now your dignity is far greater than before."

  Only then did Meng Zhi-xiang walk up, grasping Zhou Wen-bo's hand tightly: "Wen-bo, my virtuous nephew, your father and I have been friends for many years, like brothers. Alas, heaven envies exceptional talent, and your two uncles died in Shu. Heaven is indeed unfair...!"

  This Meng Zhi-Xiang, regardless of the attendants around him, suddenly burst into loud wailing, with tears streaming down his face, truly a deeply emotional old brother.

  Only then did Meng Zhi-Xiang's entourage behind him stop and stand still, all of them using their hands to wipe away tears, helping their master mourn.

  This is indeed life like a play, all relying on acting skills, Zhou Wenbo sighed secretly.

  At that time, Zhou Wenbo was only a 13-year-old child, and his family had no status. At that time, Mr. Meng didn't even glance at Zhou Wenbo, who stood quietly on the side, but instead chatted with Zhou Dejian and Zhou Wenyuan, father and son, in a very friendly manner. Unexpectedly, today he put on an air of closeness to his elders.

  "My father and brother died suddenly at home, Wenbo had to take charge of the situation, but unfortunately, my old father's body has not been buried yet, what a misfortune for our family!"

  Zhou Wenbo could only wipe away his non-existent tears and sit down with Meng Gong.

  Before the two of them could finish their sorrowful conversation, there were already footsteps coming from upstairs.

  Zhou Wenbo was puzzled and thought to himself, "Since I made an appointment with Meng Zhi-xiang today, Meng Zhi-xiang must have booked the entire third floor of the Inviting Moon Building. How could there still be people coming over?"

  The young waiter in the wine house only wore cloth shoes, and this kind of place walked silently, afraid of disturbing the noble guests. Only people wearing leather boots would leave such a sound when stepping on the wooden ladder.

  Zhou Wenbo looked at Meng Zhiyang under the lamp light, and saw that his eyes had lit up with a sharp light, and a hint of joy appeared on his relaxed face.

  Zhou Wenbo hastily got up, and saw that the person in front of him was a middle-aged man with a long beard and whiskers, who walked with a majestic and vigorous stride, exuding an air of military valor from years of battle.

  "Commander Meng, Duke of Zhao State, Mr. Fu arrived late for a moment, please forgive both of you."

  This big fellow came up and bowed his hands first, making amends.

  "Symbol of authority, you said it yourself! Three cups as a penalty, three cups as a penalty!" Meng Zhi Xiang also stood up, picked up the wine cup in front of him and said to the big Han.

  The Later Tang Dynasty had only one surname Fu Jiedushi, namely Dingnan Army Jiedushi - Fu Yanqing.

  It seems this is another guest invited by Meng Zhi Xiang.

  Just as Fu Yanqing was drinking three cups in a row, Zhou Wenbo was thinking secretly, unexpectedly this Meng Zhiyang who had been stationed in Beijing for three years, far away from the political center, actually had such a close relationship with the emperor's father-in-law, the Later Tang's new noble Fu Yanqing. It is worth noting that Zhou Wenbo's third uncle Zhou Deyu claimed to be friends with Fu Yanqing, but he couldn't even persuade him to help the Zhao Guogong Mansion.

  Zhou Wenbo never thought that it was precisely because of the poem he gave to Miss Fu in the afternoon that Fu Yanqing made up his mind to stir up trouble.

  After some small talk, eating a few bites of food and drinking a few cups of wine, Zhou Wenbo cleared his throat and began the main topic for tonight.

  "Meng Shishu, I have another thing to ask of you, young nephew!"

  "Oh? Young Master Zhou, just say what's on your mind. As long as Uncle Meng can handle it, he won't decline."

  Meng Zhi-Xiang's words were quite bold and generous.

  "My father and elder brother's bodies are still in Shu, my nephew Zhou Jingkang's life or death is unknown, the five thousand soldiers who entered Shu do not know how many can return, my mother and I are truly anxious and sleepless at night, hating that we cannot fly to Shu, to welcome back the remains of our father and brother, and to pick up the suffering soldiers."

  Zhou Wenbo's tone was heavy with pain and regret, very infectious.

  "Now Meng Shu is about to enter Shu and take up the post of Governor of Western Sichuan, this person by my side is none other than my senior fellow-disciple Zhuge Yu. I hope that Shu can allow Zhuge to accompany you into Shu, if there's any trouble, please also give him some consideration. Your junior nephew is deeply grateful."

  "How can you, a junior, utter such words? Are you trying to torment me to death? I'll take charge of this matter and ensure that Brother Zhou's remains are returned intact!"

  Meng Zhi-xiang patted his chest and agreed.

  "Huh? May I ask if you are a descendant of the Yikawa Zhuge family?" asked Fu Yanqing from the side.

  "Elder, you have asked, I dare not decline. Below is indeed the son of Zhuge family from Yishui, Zhuge Yu, styled Yunyang. Together with Zhenyu, we were both under Master Lin's guidance. Now that Zhenyu is in trouble, I've come to offer my assistance."

  Zhuge Yu is indeed a noble-born, every move and gesture is in line with etiquette, full of aesthetic appeal.

  Since Zhou Wenbo had already completed tonight's task, there was naturally no longer any estrangement between the host and guest. He drank and made merry with Meng Zhi Xiang, and for a time their relationship became much closer.

  In fact, the relationship between the Zhao State Duke's Mansion and the Meng family was indeed a mutually beneficial one. Although Meng Zhi-Xiang had gained the trust of Emperor Li Cun-Xu, he was always assigned to posts outside the capital, first as the Beijing Garrison Commander, and now as the Sichuan-Western Circuit Military Governor. If there were no powerful backers in the capital, as a high-ranking frontier official, he would inevitably be subject to jealousy and slander from petty individuals, and if he wasn't careful for even a moment, disaster could strike from above.

  The Zhao State Duke's Mansion had just suffered a major setback, and Zhou Wenbo still had requests to make of Meng Zhiyang, so naturally he was also unwilling to alienate this sole ally. As a result, the leaders of the two forces were even more enthusiastic in their dealings with each other, and Shi Shu called his nephew even more affectionately.

  Only Wei Yanqing occasionally responded with a couple of sentences, but most of the time he was carefully observing Zhou Wenbo.

  After a long while, he seemed to have made up his mind and opened his mouth to ask: "Prince Zhao, now that your father and brother died on the battlefield, and the remnants of the imperial army are scattered and unknown how many are left, I wonder what the prince plans to do next?"

  Zhou Wenbo, whose face had already shown some signs of drunkenness, heard Xiang Yanqing's question and was stunned for a moment before straightening up, putting down his chopsticks and wine cup, and said seriously: "Not to deceive the two elders, my father and brother died unjustly, our Zhao Guo Gong Fu's personal army suffered a disaster, now is precisely the time of weakness. Although Wenbo is foolish, he also knows that the Zhao Guo Gong Fu is now in a precarious situation."

  "Fortunately, thanks to the care of my mother and the elders in our clan, I was entrusted with managing the affairs of the main house. The Emperor's wisdom and benevolence spared me from punishment, allowing me to survive the attacks and slanders of those petty people. Now, the only plan is to recruit new troops and rebuild the military might of our Zhao Guo Gong Fu, so as to intimidate the villains and secure a long-term foothold."

  "However, all the skilled warriors in our clan are trapped in Shu, and their lives or deaths are unknown. If the two of you can assist each other for a while and help me complete the military preparations at the Zhao State Duke's mansion, I will surely reward you heavily in the future."