The night in Anqing is very dark and the rain is heavy.
There was a curfew in the city and all entertainment venues were not allowed to operate after dark. In addition, it was raining heavily. People all went to bed early. There was only the sound of rain in the streets and no one was seen.
But the government office is an exception. It is decorated with lanterns and colorful people, but the atmosphere is a bit awkward and depressing.
Returning to his hometown after only a few days, Cheng Niandong was sitting in the lobby of the Yamen with mixed feelings in his heart. The murderous looks in his face made him feel extremely depressed. Needless to say, those people were Liu Zeqing's subordinates.
Tonight, Li Yan wanted to make peace with the two families. Cheng Niandong couldn't ask for it, but several generals led by Ma Huabao and Zhang Shiyi refused to comply. I don't know what method Li Yan used to persuade them, but from the looks on their faces
The murderous look in their eyes shows their true feelings: they were forced to come.
The peacemaker is not just Li Yan, but also Xuancheng Bowei Shichun, Hui'an Bo Zhang Qingzhen, and Gao Jie. As for why Huang Degong didn't come, in addition to his disagreement with Gao Jie, he also had to sit in a camp outside the city to prevent
Military chaos.
In addition, Li Yan and four other big bosses agreed to make peace. No wonder Ma Huabao and the others could only grit their teeth and agree to the settlement despite their reluctance. The big bosses had to give them face.
The yamen held a banquet, and the person in charge, Li Yan, even cooked the fish himself, saying that he learned the craft from the young eunuch. It happened to be today that he showed off his skills to everyone to try his cooking. He went to the kitchen to work, and asked everyone to talk and relax in the lobby.
Change the atmosphere.
It's just... there was a lot of wind and rain outside, but it was quiet in the hall. Ma Huabao and others were glaring and silent. Cheng Niandong didn't know what to say, but Gao Jie, Zhang Qingzhen, and Wei Shichun were drinking tea and chatting like no one else.
Floating around is more like having fun.
The embarrassment continued until Li Yan returned to the hall, gathered everyone to sit down, and poured wine for everyone one by one: "You all know why you came to the gathering today. There are inevitably some misunderstandings between me and my colleagues in the DPRK. Today I will make a
Peacemaker, let’s clear up the misunderstanding.”
"It's no small misunderstanding to kill someone to pay for life." Ma Huabao snorted coldly, and Li Yan glared at him: "General Ma, please allow me to speak fair words."
Ma Huabao quickly raised his hands and said, "Li Shuai, please speak."
"It is inevitable for us in the army to be buried in horse leather. Although it is a pity that General Liu died in battle, there are no undead people in the war. What's more, the murderer has been brought to justice, and the court will also give him a generous burial. You have repeatedly put yourself in trouble, and it is difficult to escape the suspicion of intentionality. Do you still think that I
Li Yan is not worthy of being the peacemaker. He has to go to the Governor's side to be happy. Do you think the Governor will have so much free time, or is he easy to talk to? Aren't you afraid that he will hit him thirty times in anger?
"
"Li Shuai's words are serious, we will listen to Li Shuai's mediation." Ma Huabao and others quickly stood up with unnatural expressions on their faces. Gao Jie, Zhang Qingzhen, and Wei Shichun also said a few words while the iron was hot, such as "big things are made small, small things are made small", in short
A dead person cannot be resurrected, and the murderer must pay with his life, so that's pretty much it.
Everyone was talking, Ma Huabao and the others sometimes smiled bitterly and sometimes bowed their heads in silence. Li Yan winked at Cheng Niandong, who held the wine glass and started fighting: "I cannot blame you for General Liu's misfortune. What conditions do you have?
Although I mention it, I will not hesitate within my ability, and I would like to pay my respects to you all in advance." He finished the drink in one gulp.
"Li Shuai, this is what he said himself." Zhang Shiyi was the first to speak. Li Yan nodded: "We have all heard it. If you have any conditions, just make them."
"We have three conditions. First, we must pay ten thousand taels of silver to ensure that the orphans and widows have no worries. Second, we must wear sackcloth and mourn for General Liu's funeral. Third, you must stab yourself three times to apologize."
"That's too much!" As soon as Zhang Shiyi finished speaking, one of Cheng Niandong's men became furious and started clapping the case, which immediately caused Ma Huabao and others to yell and curse, and the scene suddenly became noisy and chaotic.
"How shameless, it's your turn to slap the table here." Gao Jie got angry and raised his hand to slap the man in the face. The scene immediately became quiet, and everyone looked at Li Yan.
Li Yan stared at the wine glass in front of him and smiled without saying a word. Cheng Niandong bit down and said to the subordinate next to him: "Get out." The man covered his face and walked to the door of the lobby. Several people immediately gathered around and whispered. These were all brought by Cheng Niandong.
The people who came were just not qualified to serve, so they listened at the door.
"General Cheng, what do you think?" Li Yan spoke up, and Cheng Niandong had a look of embarrassment on his face: "As for compensation, I don't have much money at this time, but I can use it to make money. I can stab myself three times to apologize, but only
Wearing hemp and wearing filial piety is against human ethics, but it is not possible for someone to do something humble and humble.”
After hearing this, Zhang Shiyi and the others couldn't help shouting and cursing. Gao Jie knocked on the table: "Be quiet and listen to what General Li has to say."
Li Yan smiled and turned to look at Zhang Shiyi and others: "That's a bit too much."
Li Shuai! Zhang Shiyi and others immediately couldn't sit still and started jostling one after another. Li Yan waved his hands and said, "How about this? We don't have to wear sackcloth and wear filial piety. How about we go and kowtow three times in front of General Liu's spirit?"
Everyone suddenly became quiet and all looked at Cheng Niandong.
Cheng Niandong's face was gloomy and uncertain. Zhang Qingzhen's Wei Shichun stood up and whispered something beside him. After a while, he let out a long sigh: "That's all, I will follow Li Shuai's idea, but I'll say something ugly first. Once this matter is over,
Don’t bother me anymore.”
"That's natural. This matter will be over soon. Who will make a fuss about this matter in the future? Don't blame me for meddling in other people's business." Gao Jie said coldly and looked at Ma Huabao and the others, who quickly nodded.
"In this case, General Mingzhi will kowtow three times in front of General Liu's soul and stab himself three times to apologize. This matter is settled and cannot be mentioned again from now on." Li Yan stood up and raised his glass: "Tomorrow's matters will be settled tomorrow.
Let’s just drink today.”
Since Li Yan said this, everyone had to give face. They stood up and drank their glasses. Then they just ate and drank and chatted without mentioning anything about the matter. They thought the scene would be very embarrassing, but Ma Huabao and others might be because of Cheng Niandong.
Cheng Niandong, who sincerely felt that he was a man, actually took the initiative to propose a toast. This made Cheng Niandong, who was feeling aggrieved and even humiliated, slightly surprised and even flattered. He started drinking with a few people and even had a chat. This made the host
Li Yan felt very relieved, and Gao Jie, Zhang Qingzhen and Wei Shichun also drank freely.
The two groups of people listening outside the lobby were very happy to see that the court had reconciled. The originally tense atmosphere suddenly became harmonious. However, they could not drink as much as they did in the lobby because they did not have wine, but they could chat freely.
Perhaps because they were happy because the conflict was resolved, or perhaps because they were venting their inner depression, everyone drank vigorously. Seven or eight people actually drank more than a dozen jars, and by the time the banquet was over, no one could stand still.
It was already late at night when the banquet broke up. Gao Jie and others wanted to stay in the city, but Cheng Niandong insisted on leaving the city and returning to the camp. The reason was that if he stayed out all night, he would be afraid that the brothers in the barracks would think too much about him. Li Yan personally escorted him out of the city to Jiang's barracks. As a result,
I saw many surrendered soldiers gathered near the entrance of the barracks before they fell asleep. The officers and soldiers on duty outside the barracks felt as if they were facing a powerful enemy. The atmosphere was very tense. It was not until Cheng Niandong came back that the surrendered soldiers dispersed.