Chapter 44: Yue Fei's Night Visit to Liang Wang

  Clear and Peaceful Music: Ode to Yue Fei

  Heroic and fearless

  Alone he charged into the Dragon Pool

  For the sake of brothers' development

  Dare to walk through mountains of knives and seas of fire.

  Mighty spirit soaring across the vast sky

  Loyal to the country all one's life

  The little man has calculated everything.

  Still in vain.

  Yue Fei saw his brothers eating and drinking heavily with the wine and dishes sent by Zong Ze, playing guessing games and making a ruckus, and he was not pleased.

  He saw his brothers one by one bursting with joy, and didn't want to dampen their enthusiasm, so he could only pretend to be happy and drink with a few of his younger brothers.

  "Older brother, you'd better order some more dishes, otherwise how can we finish so many wines and dishes?" Zhang Xian said.

  "Alright! Then I'll tell you a story about the true emperor of our dynasty. During the Tianxi era, Cao Bin's son Cao Wei was invited to a banquet by Zhang Yue. While drinking at the table, Cao Wei suddenly disappeared. When everyone was puzzled, they saw Cao Wei throw the head of an enemy general onto the table. Isn't this heroic?" Yue Fei said and took a big gulp of wine.

  Everyone cheered and each took a drink.

  The crowd again took turns giving orders.

  Niu Gao shouted loudly: "You guys talk so elegantly, I'm a rough man, when it comes to drinking games I'm not as good as you, but if we're drinking, you can't beat me. You guys just recite the rules and let's drink!" After that, he downed several cups in a row.

  Zhang Xian, Tang Huai and Wang Gui saw Niu Gao drinking excitedly, and they also followed suit, drinking and eating heavily.

  Four brothers drinking and eating with abandon, drinking to their heart's content, eating until they are satisfied.

  Yue Fei's heart was heavy with worry, he thought of his brothers leaving their homes to follow him to the capital to seek fame and fortune. Now that the top military graduate title had been snatched away by Little Prince Liang, they could only be subordinate to others. When would they be able to fulfill their lifelong ambitions? Yue Fei's heart was burning with anxiety as he thought of these things.

  "No, I must find a way to get to the bottom of Little Liang Wang's affairs and test his skills. Are Zhang Gonggong, Wang Gonggong, and Zhang Shilang really bribed by Little Liang Wang?" Yue Fei thought to himself.

  "Come on, brothers! Let's drink until we're drunk tonight!" Yue Fei said and took another cup.

  Zhang Xian, Tang Huai, Wang Gui and Niu Gao seeing their elder brother drinking happily also continued to drink heavily.

  After drinking for two hours, Yue Fei excused himself saying he was drunk and went to bed alone.

  Zhang Xian saw his elder brother go to bed and fell asleep, and he was suspicious in his heart: "In the past, my elder brother and brothers drank wine together, talked about ancient times, and were full of heroic spirit. Why is it so happy today? Since entering the door, he has been sparse and few words, I don't know what reason? My elder brother has always had a good capacity for wine, why did he get drunk today without drinking much?"

  "Everyone, enjoy your drinks, I'm no match for wine, goodbye." Zhang Xian also went to bed.

  Tang Huai saw it too, but he pushed it away saying he was drunk and fell asleep on the table.

  Niu Gao and Wang Gui are still eating and drinking extravagantly.

  "It's a pity to waste it, come on, eat and drink freely." said Niu Gao.

  "Good, they don't drink, we two will drink more to make up for it." Wang Gui said with a drunken tone.

  The two brothers were of similar interests and had similar personalities, they could be described as being cut from the same cloth. As they drank, both of them became drunk like a puddle of mud, lying on the table snoring away.

  Yue Fei saw that several of his brothers were asleep, so he quietly got out of bed, tiptoed downstairs, and slipped out the door after closing it behind him.

  He had already found out where Little Liang Wang lived and wanted to go and take a look.

  It was late at night, and all around was dark. Yue Fei walked alone, with few people on the road, and no one bumped into him. When he arrived at Liang Wang's residence, he saw that inside, the lights were still shining brightly, and there was a low hum of noise.

  There were two military men guarding the entrance, pacing back and forth. Yue Fei did not disturb them, entering from the backyard by climbing over the wall, heading straight for the brightly lit main hall. Upon arriving outside the hall, Yue Fei hid to one side, quietly listening to the conversation and laughter inside.

  "Director Zhang, this time I must get the top place in the martial arts examination, success or failure depends on your clever arrangement." Little Liang Wang said.

  "Xiao Liang Wang is busy, and as an official, I naturally want to help; however, I heard that a few martial artists from Xiangzhou have arrived, and they are all disciples of Zhou Tong. Each one has exceptional skills, especially the one named Yue Fei from Tangyin County, who stands out among them. Today, Yue Fei has already met with Zong Liugou, and according to my informant, Yue Fei's archery skills surpass even 'hitting a target at 100 paces'. Just holding his divine arm bow requires over 300 jin of strength, and his spear techniques are also incredibly impressive. Zong Liugou holds Yue Fei in high esteem, and the two of them were secretly discussing something for half a day. If Xiao Liang Wang wants to win the top prize, this Yue Fei is definitely your biggest threat; unless you can defeat him." Zhang Bangchang said.

  "What is Yue Fei? A rustic village husband, a young whelp who still smells of his mother's milk. Do I still need to be afraid of him?" Little Prince Liang said with an air of arrogance.

  "Little Prince Wang, don't underestimate Yue Fei. Although he is young, he handles matters calmly and steadily, with great ambitions and talents that can change the course of heaven and earth. Don't underestimate him," said Zhang Bangchang.

  "Hearing the adult say this, I really have to reevaluate him. However, don't worry, sir, if I just use my brain a bit before the exam, this Yue Fei won't be my match." Little Liang Wang said with a scornful smile.

  "Has Xiao Liang Wang come up with a plan?" Zhang Bangchang asked in puzzlement.

  "Of course! Who am I? A descendant of the royal family, with both wisdom and bravery." Little Liang Wang said with a smile.

  Yue Fei listened to what Little Liang Wang had said, and was so angry that he was on the verge of exploding. He wanted to go in and give this arrogant fellow a good scolding, but after some thought, he decided not to disturb him, and just let it be known in his heart.

  "Little Prince Liang, the sky is getting late, I should return to the mansion, lest my family worry. Rest assured, we three adults will do our best, as for how to deal with Zong Ze, it depends on your skills. If Little Prince Liang really has bravery and strategy, there's no need to ask him. If not, then see how you use your tactics. This official has spoken his mind, farewell." Zhang Bangchang said, leading two attendants out, Little Prince Liang saw them off at the door.

  Yue Fei dodged to one side, avoiding their line of sight.

  Xiao Liang Wang returned to the house and was secretly plotting with Dog Head Military Advisor on how to defeat Yue Fei.

  "The master, I have a good idea. Looking at the martial artists from all over the capital, except for Yue Fei, no one is your match. As long as we can prevent Yue Fei from participating in the battle or make him take the Soft Bone Powder so that his limbs are weak and powerless during the fight, the champion position will be yours for the taking." said Dog Head Military Advisor.

  "Hmm, Mu Yi Yang, you're indeed the worm in my stomach. None of my plans can escape your notice. Tell me, how can we get Yue Fei to fall for our Soft Bone Powder when he's completely off guard?" Little Liang Wang asked.

  "Before the martial arts competition, each martial artist would drink a cup of tea. We bribed the servant to put something in the tea, and it was done without anyone noticing." The Dog Head Military Advisor said with a sly smile.

  "Alright! Let's do it this way! Mu Yi Yang, you take care of this matter, and be sure not to leave any traces." Little Liang Wang instructed.

  "It's a good thing I overheard their vicious plan tonight, otherwise I would have suffered greatly on the day of the martial competition. Tonight, I mustn't alert them, lest they become suspicious. On that day, I'll turn the tables and let Little Liang Wang be disappointed on the day of the martial competition." With this thought, Yue Fei made up his mind and quietly left the Liang King's residence, disappearing into the vast night.

  Choose a bow and arrow