Zeluo has such great prestige in Qiuci not only because he was granted the title of Wu Sanguan of the fifth rank by the Tang Dynasty: General Dingyuan.
What's more, the leaders of many tribes here, especially some small towns, were basically his deployment when Kucha was still alive. Now it is they who govern the people there for the Tang Dynasty.
The purpose of Zeluo's banquet today is naturally clear. He had a conflict with Li Hong yesterday, and then immediately sent an invitation in the afternoon, obviously hoping to reconcile with him.
But Li Hongke didn't think so. The house he found yesterday along the scattered cement was indeed Zero's original mansion. Now it is just abandoned. It has always been filled with some items and no one lives in it.
What surprised Li Hong even more was that there was not only cement there, but also a large number of weapons and armor hidden there. Likewise, some gold and silver jewelry were also hidden there.
But so far, Li Hong has not found out where Zero came back from yesterday.
Pei Xingjian and the others accompanied Li Hong and others, watching Li Hong chatting and laughing on horseback, but they always felt that something was wrong.
Before they could reach the entrance of Zeluo's house, Zeluo was already standing at the intersection waiting for them.
When he saw the handsome young man on horseback, who was the young master he met in the restaurant yesterday, Zeluo couldn't help but be stunned. Although the person sent to follow yesterday had been identified, he saw Li Hong again today. , he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy in his heart.
To be able to become the Grand Protector of the Anxi Protectorate of the Tang Dynasty at such an age, this young man must either be really capable, or else he may be closely related to the princes and nobles.
In an instant, Zeluo put on a smiling face. Accompanied by several generals, he took a few steps forward again, stood in front of Li Hong's horse, and said loudly: "General Dingyuan, the last general, Zeluo, see you." I have seen the generals of the generals, the deputy governors, and the chief officials."
"Get up, we are all officials in the same dynasty, so you don't have to be polite." Li Hong said calmly on horseback.
"The last general is willing to personally lead the way for the Great Protector." Zeluo said with a smile, then grabbed the reins of the food stamps with one hand and stepped forward.
Li Hong squeezed the horse's belly with his legs. The food stamps raised their hooves calmly and walked forward slowly and leisurely.
It was just that it was a little unhappy to be held by the reins, and it kept shaking its head, trying to break away from Zeluo's hand.
Zeluo's face was naturally a little unnatural. He was very familiar with horse training. At a glance, he knew that this horse was definitely a good horse, but he didn't expect it to have such a bad temper.
"Let go of its reins. It doesn't like strangers getting too close to it." Li Hong said slowly, still riding on the horse.
"This... is. The general had a conflict with the guardian yesterday. I hope the guardian will not take offense. The general is a rough guy. Just like the people here, the folk customs are fierce. So he has been used to being wild since he was a child. I hope the guardian will protect you. Forgive me." Zeluo let go of the reins, but still followed closely, raising his head and looking at Li Hong on the horse.
"What are you talking about? How can I be a petty person? As the saying goes, there is no acquaintance without fighting. Look, we are going to sit down and have a banquet together today." Li Hong said with a pleasant smile.
"Then it couldn't be better. In order to apologize to you at the end of today, I specially invited the cook from yesterday's restaurant to my house, as well as the best musician and Hu Ji in Kucha. But Kucha City, and even Anxi A rare and wonderful person." Zeluo looked at the four girls of Xia Zhi and thought that this protector must be a very good woman.
It's just that the looks in the eyes of the people at Xia Zhi today were a bit evasive, and they no longer dared to be as bold as yesterday.
Accompanied by Zeluo, Li Hong slowly dismounted at the door, handed the reins to his guards, and then walked inside, saying, "By the way, yesterday I saw General Dingyuan hurriedly leaving. I rushed back from outside. I wonder where I went? "
"Haha, where can we go? It's almost the first day of the year, and the general is also going out to pick up some goods for the first day. You also know that the general is just a military official, and he has no way to deal with you, the powerful protector. The salary is not as good as yours, so naturally I am doing a small business," Zeluo explained quickly with a hint of uneasiness in his eyes.
The mansion where Zeluo lives now is larger than the one Li Hong saw yesterday, and the entire layout and furnishings are much more luxurious. It can even be compared with the palace of King Qiuci that Pei Xingjian arranged for Li Hong when he first arrived in Qiuci. .
This mansion has been carefully repaired and renovated, and everything was rebuilt and renovated according to the format of the Tang Dynasty Manor.
Everyone in Zeluo Mansion was busy running around because the master wanted to welcome distinguished guests today. Perhaps it was also because of the New Year's Day celebrations. The entire mansion was decorated with lights and colors, and there was a joyful and joyful atmosphere everywhere.
After walking through the garden in the vestibule, and guided by Zero, everyone accompanied Li Hong to a hall covered with gorgeous Persian carpets. Nowadays, various fruits are placed on each table.
The Qiuci musician in the corner had already begun to play music lightly, and the enchanting and charming Hu Ji stood up together with the musician in the thickly carpeted open space in the middle.
As Li Hong slowly walked in and took his seat, the orchids and musicians began to respectfully salute Li Hong, and then ran to the corner again, waiting for the master's call to perform again.
In Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty, banquets with tables, chairs, and benches were already a normal form of banquets, but the wealthy and prominent families here in Qiuci still imitated the Tang Dynasty people who sat behind tables and enjoyed singing and dancing. form of banquet.
This does not mean that the Tang Dynasty lost its tradition and imitated the culture of the Hu people. This is just a food development process that keeps pace with the times.
However, the rich and famous families in Qiuci studied the culture and banquet style of the Tang Dynasty in this way because they were full of admiration for the Tang Dynasty. At the same time, they were also full of inferiority complex about their own situation, so they hoped that they could imitate it and thereby Become like the nobles of the Tang Dynasty, full of noble temperament.
But in the end, it turned out to be Handan's imitation. Not only did he not learn its essence, but he even lost his own essence.
Zeluo and several of his cronies sat on the left side not far from Li Hong, while Pei Xingjian and others sat on the right side of Li Hong. Between them and Li Hong, naturally, Xia Zhi and Xiaoxue accompanied Li Hong. .
"I wonder if the Protector has heard of anything strange recently?" Zeluo put down his wine glass and asked.
"I don't know." Without even looking at Zeluo, Li Hong looked for a piece of raw meat from the maid, but he threw it to Bai Qi, a foodie.
Zeluo glanced at Li Hong meaningfully and said: "The general recently heard that the third prince in white clothes and a feast disappeared on the way to the Tang Dynasty. Now Mu'awiya is questioning the Persian governor."
"They lost their men and asked me about the Tang Dynasty? Has Baiyi Dashi always been so rampant?" Li Hongtiao glanced at Zeluo.
Pei Xingjian and others also looked puzzled. The third prince, who was dressed in white and had a lot of food, disappeared in the Tang Dynasty. This is not a trivial matter. If it is not done well, it will cause disputes between the two countries.
"That's right. The general had hosted a banquet for him in Qiuci City at the end of the day, and then it was said that after arriving at Yumen Pass, there was no news again, as if he had disappeared from the world." Zeluo sighed, looking very proud of the three days of feasting in white clothes. The prince's disappearance is a pity.
"General Dingyuan knows the prince in white clothes?" Li Hong was a little surprised.
"It's not that we know each other. We've met him a few times before, so this time I went to the Tang Dynasty. I just visited the general when I passed here. It's not that we have a close relationship." Zeluo's face was very calm.
"Then do you know why that prince in white clothes and rich food came to the Tang Dynasty? It can't be to pay homage to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, right?" Li Hong looked at Zeluo, trying to find something suspicious in it. .
The third prince, Kashim, had long been nailed to death on the tower of Yumenguan. It had been so long before Bai Yi Da Shi remembered the third prince who came to see them.
And now, this matter is not known from the Anxi Protectorate, but from the mouth of a Wu Sanguan of the Tang Dynasty. Is there anything fishy in it
"After I left the city in the past few days, I heard rumors, so I reported it to Dadu to protect you. General Mo is afraid that Baiyi Dashi will be angry with me, Tang Dynasty, because of the prince's disappearance. Then we will be passive, right?" Luo's wolf-like eyes seemed to be full of cunning at all times.
"By the way, when you mentioned the disappearance, I remembered one thing. The whereabouts of King Bai Suni of Qiuci are still unknown. Does General Dingyuan know his whereabouts?" Li Hong looked at the man who was toasting him. Zeluo continued: "I know that when Nali and Hu Biaoli took refuge in Tibet, they did not take away Bai Sunizhi and his family. Do you think Bai Sunizhi and others are dead? Or are they living in seclusion now? Where?"
Zeluo listened very seriously, with no unnatural expression on his face. After listening, he regretted and said with some sadness: "Yes, it is said that the king was kidnapped by Nali and Bai Ciaoli that day. In the end, because he had to welcome Our troops from the Tang Dynasty entered the city, so we didn’t have time to pursue him. Otherwise, Your Majesty would have granted the title of Qiuci to the king, and his whereabouts would not have been as unknown as now.”
"But I heard that General Dingyuan and Bai Sunizhi have been at odds with each other? He once killed your brother, is this happening?" Li Hong was very curious. The gossip mode has gradually turned on, and which pot is it? Which pot should I pick up
"This... Protector, I don't remember much about these things back then. Zeduo was killed because he violated Bai Sunizhi's law, so this matter can only be..."
"But I heard that you threatened to overthrow Bai Sunizhi at the beginning, and you did so later, didn't you? Didn't you think of imprisoning them when the Tang Dynasty attacked the city, so that you could fight for your victory? My brother will take more revenge?" Li Hong carefully read the secret letter Hua Meng handed him and handed it to Pei Xingjian.
(End of chapter)