Liu Qi was arranged to live in a villa in the back mountain, surrounded by water on three sides and the Qinhuai River beach in the northwest.
The guards set up tents at the foot of the mountain, and Zhao Yun and Xu Shu went with them. There were no servants or maids arranged here, and all the food and drinks were provided, so Liu Qi could completely relax.
From afar, you can see green willows, rice fields, boats and pleasure boats coming and going on the river. Under the setting sun, you can see a magnificent picture of the Jiangnan water town.
It was a rare moment of leisure, so the three of them sat around the stone table, listening to the sound of pine waves, brewing tea and chatting, which was quite interesting.
It was getting dark. After Sun Kuang finished arranging matters at the temple, he and Zhang Zhao went down the mountain. On the way, they met Zhou Yu riding a horse, with Xiao Qiao sitting in the carriage behind him.
Sun Kuang asked in confusion: "Didn't the governor go to Qu'a? Why did he come to the temple again?"
Zhou Yu smiled and said, "The military affairs have been settled. I have come to burn incense for Bofu. Xiaoqiao also misses her elder sister very much, so we came to visit her together."
Zhang Zhao smiled and said, "General Liu is already resting in the other courtyard. Everything has been arranged. The governor does not need to worry."
"Thank you both for your help!" Zhou Yu gave Zhang Zhao a knowing smile and bowed to say goodbye.
When the carriages and horses arrived at the temple, Zhou Yu ordered that no one should be disturbed, and headed straight for the back mountain with Xiao Qiao and two maids. The western part of the hill was the Zen guest hall, while the eastern part was where Sun Ce's spirit tablet was enshrined.
The entrance was guarded by the children of the Sun family. Walking on the winding mountain road with lanterns, Xiao Qiao looked even smaller and more shaky.
Zhou Yu took him into his arms and said softly, "Be careful!"
Xiao Qiao smiled sweetly, but complained: "It won't be too late to visit my sister tomorrow, why are you in such a hurry?"
Zhou Yu said, "Queen Queen will go up the mountain tomorrow, so it will be inconvenient for us to come again. We defeated Cao Cao and saved Jiangdong. I also want to share this with Bo Fu to comfort his spirit in heaven."
Xiao Qiao nodded slightly, and suddenly asked, "Is Liu Qi really as bad as my husband says?"
Zhou Yu sighed, "You can't tell a person's true heart from his appearance. Although he is a little clever, his character is low. I'm afraid he is not a blessing for Shangxiang."
"I have told Shangxiang the truth. It depends on what decision she and Madam will make the day after tomorrow." Xiao Qiao sighed softly and said nothing more.
After turning the corner of the mountain, there is a temple where spirits are enshrined. It is built against the mountain and inside is a hollowed-out cliff. In front is a waterfall, surrounded by clouds and mist, and roaring sounds, covering up all the movement here.
When they arrived at the hall, Zhou Yu washed his hands and made up his face to prepare to burn incense, while Xiao Qiao quietly turned to the back hall to chat with Da Qiao.
Whenever Zhou Yu had something sad and difficult to decide, he would come here and sit alone, sometimes muttering to himself in front of the spirit tablet and sitting there until dawn.
Only at times like this could he let down all his guard and reveal his true feelings. He was seen crying several times.
Xiao Qiao was talking about the war outside when she suddenly heard the sound of bells and chimes. She hurried out and asked, "Are you leaving so soon today?"
Zhou Yu said, "At five o'clock tomorrow morning, the monks will come to invite the spirit tablet to the main hall. It will be inconvenient for us to stay here. Let's talk tomorrow!"
Xiao Qiao had no choice but to say goodbye and wait for the conversation tomorrow. She followed Zhou Yu down the mountain in a hurry and came to a checkpoint. Zhou Yu turned around and went in.
The defenders did not dare to delay and took out a key, turning it on the table. They saw a stone door opened on the left wall and light came out from inside.
While Xiao Qiao was still confused, Zhou Yu had already pulled her into the cave. Walking up the stairs, she could vaguely hear the whistling mountain wind. After a while, they arrived at a stone chamber.
There were two maids here, one lying in bed with her clothes on, and the other sitting beside her, looking at the stone wall from time to time.
Zhou Yu showed his token, and the two maids bowed and retreated. Xiao Qiao then saw several holes on the stone wall. She walked over to check it out out of curiosity, and her red lips parted slightly.
Just as she was about to scream, Zhou Yu hugged her, held her mouth, and whispered, "Shut up."
Xiao Qiao struggled hard and pushed Zhou Yu away, her eyebrows raised, and she gritted her teeth and said, "You...you are spying on my sister?"
It turns out that through this hole, one can see right at the top of the Buddha's head, and everything inside the hall can be seen at a glance.
Zhou Yu comforted Xiao Qiao and said, "Madam, please calm down. We are here to protect you. She is alone in the temple with no one to take care of her. If anything goes wrong, how can we explain to Bo Fu? Those maids were all deaf and dumb and will not reveal any secrets."
Xiao Qiao looked up at Zhou Yu and asked angrily, "Why did you hide this from me?"
Zhou Yu said sternly, "Only the Marquis of Wu, the old lady and I know about this. Since the palace was built, we three have never entered this place."
Xiao Qiao said dissatisfiedly: "Then why did you let me know about it today?"
Zhou Yu sighed, "I brought you here today because I'm worried that Liu Qi might break in here and be seen by the servants, which would ruin Madam's reputation. It would be even more difficult for the Marquis of Wu and I to come forward. If the crisis comes, you will have to go first to rescue him."
Xiao Qiao frowned: "Is Liu Qi really so bold?"
Zhou Yu said solemnly: "This man loves money like his life, and he is also a sex-hungry ghost. When he sees a beautiful woman, he is like a demon. He is so bold that I heard that he was suppressed by Madam Cai because he flirted with her. Madam, you should also wear a veil when you go out and be more careful."
Xiao Qiao was so shocked that she opened her mouth slightly: "How can there be such a beastly person in the world?"
Zhou Yu took him into his arms and said helplessly, "The old lady wants to go on a blind date at Ganlu Temple, and the Marquis of Wu can only obey. Liu Qi is also an honored guest, so he can only be arranged in the courtyard in the back mountain, so we have to be on guard. Only you and I can protect him here. After two days, we will let him go down the mountain, but it will be unfair to the lady."
Only Wu Guotai lives in this villa in the back mountain. She goes up the mountain during festivals or when the weather is hot. There is a stone path leading to the top of the mountain. Occasionally, she meets Da Qiao to chat and relax.
"My husband, what are you saying? As long as I can stay with you, it won't be considered a grievance."
Xiao Qiao arched her delicate body into Zhou Yu's arms. In such a small cave, there was a special feeling.
Unfortunately, Zhou Yu was unable to understand what was going on at this moment. He kept glancing at the hole, hoping that Liu Qi would come in sooner or later.
This time he and Zhang Zhao arranged a plan to let Liu Qi go up the mountain and live in a separate courtyard first, and let Xiao Qiao come to visit Da Qiao. When he was reminded of sad things, he would often go to the top of the mountain to play the flute. As long as he could attract Liu Qi, great things would be accomplished.
Liu Qi was a lustful man, and with Da Qiao's beauty, he had no control over himself. Once he did something out of line, whether in the cave or in the hall, he would be ruined if he was caught on the spot.
Flirting with Sun Ce's wife would surely anger the entire Jiangdong people. Even without Sun Quan and him stepping in, those old officials of Jiangdong would be able to tear Liu Qi into pieces.
At this time, as long as he came forward to negotiate peace, and with the help of Lu Su and Zhuge Jin, Sun Quan would make a trade-off, detain Liu Qi as a hostage, threaten Jingzhou, and take advantage of the situation to exchange for Jiangxia or Changsha, and he would be able to get involved in Jingzhou.
At the very least, after this incident, Liu Qi's reputation plummeted, causing chaos in Jingzhou. He was no longer able to interfere in Yizhou and could only wait for Cao Cao to fight in Guanzhong and then act accordingly.
While I was thinking, I suddenly heard bursts of flute sounds above my head, intermittent, long and distant, mixed with the roar of the waterfall, like a choked, low and suppressed human voice.
Zhou Yu's eyes were slightly stern, and he sneered in his heart: Liu Qi, you are used to exchanging hostages for money and food, but have you ever thought that one day you will also become a hostage in Jiangdong