The following banquet, even without Xiao Qiao and Lu Xun, still did not produce any changes.
Zhou Yu couldn't care about other people.
The more he drank, the more his consciousness became blurred.
It was impossible for him to know that someone had put medicine in his wine without him paying attention. However... Gu Yong had no intention of taking this opportunity to kill Zhou Yu. The medicine in the wine was just for the purpose of killing Zhou Yu.
Let Zhou Yu sleep as sweetly as possible and sleep as long as possible——
Accompanied by the sound of wine cups being poured down, the conscious people in this originally lively banquet fell one after another.
This is the end of the midnight carnival, but it is also the beginning of the undercurrent.
——
In the dead of night, when Zhu Ran returned to Fuchun Pavilion exhausted but empty-handed, he was told that the banquet was over and everyone had gone back to their homes——
"Then...how about the Governor! Is he okay?"
"Did anything happen during the banquet?"
When Zhu Ran asked this question, his face was livid.
In fact, after he led everyone to pursue those dark figures for nearly an hour, he also discovered that he seemed to be led away by the nose.
That's why he made a decisive decision and rushed back again.
However... when he thought that the enemy would take advantage of his absence to do something detrimental to Zhou Yu, the shopkeeper of Fuchun Pavilion said to him with an innocent face:
"An accident? Uh... Lord Governor, are you referring to the fact that the guests at today's banquet accidentally broke the dishes and hurt their hands?"
Zhu Ran's eyelids twitched unconsciously. It was obvious that the shopkeeper of Fuchun Pavilion across from him didn't understand what he meant at all.
but…
Judging from the other party's eyes, Zhu Ran didn't find any signs of lying.
At this moment, the soldiers Zhu Ran sent out to inquire about Zhou Yu's whereabouts hurried back to him and reported to him what they saw and heard:
"Reporting to the Grand Administrator, the Chief Governor and the Lu Bu Governor have returned to their respective residences. Most of the other guests have fallen asleep, and nothing unusual has been found!"
Hearing this, Zhu Ran breathed a sigh of relief.
"Tsk... In that case... that's fine..."
"As long as nothing happens."
He rubbed his swollen temples and gave the order to withdraw his troops from exhaustion.
The tension of the day suddenly relaxed at this moment, so much so that Zhu Ran walked a little unsteadily.
But, as long as nothing happens - in his opinion.
——
It's still the same night.
In the opposite corner of the noisy downtown, in the relatively quiet southwest of Wuxian County, beside the river bridge, a horse-drawn carriage was parked steadily.
Looking at the family crest on the car, you can tell that it is a carriage from the Lu family.
Among the group of figures gathered beside the carriage and talking about something at this moment, there were many people who were extremely active tonight.
"Is it all over?"
"Madam, don't worry, all arrangements will go according to the original plan."
The gentle woman leaning out of the car window showed no signs of fatigue on her face.
She had rested long enough during the day for this moment.
Seeing people gathering around her, she asked slightly worriedly.
The person who answered him was none other than Lu Xun, who Zhu Ran had sent people to find out earlier and had "returned home".
"How is my sister... I heard the governor say such things... I was worried..."
The woman who is worried about Xiao Qiao is naturally Da Qiao.
As the core figure of the entire plan, Da Qiao is about to implement the next step of their plan.
But after all, Xiao Qiao is her sister. After learning from Lu Xun that Zhou Yu "uttered the truth while drunk" at today's banquet, even she, as a sister, found it difficult to accept it.
.
Back then... when Sun Ce was still alive, the Sun and Zhou families were enjoying themselves happily. The image of Zhou Yu repeatedly calling his sister-in-law is still vivid in his mind, but people in front of him and behind him... who could have known that Zhou Lang would be so heartless now?
"Madam, please rest assured about Miss Xiao Qiao. She is a strong woman... at least stronger than you think."
Lu Xun didn't lie. Xiao Qiao's performance today exceeded everyone's expectations - without knowing the plan and being kept in the dark, she learned that her husband had the idea of betraying his sister.
After that, she still didn't make any extraordinary move - it was precisely because of Xiao Qiao's forbearance that the plan was able to proceed so smoothly to this day.
Hearing what Lu Xun said, Da Qiao helplessly put his hands on his chest——
It seemed like he was praying and feeling distressed. After a moment, Da Qiao nodded:
"I hope that after my sister learns everything, she will not blame the people around her... If she wants to blame, blame me as a self-made sister... Everything is my decision. In order to escape this fate... Even though it is painful, I need to endure it.
Only in this way can she have the opportunity to pursue her own happiness..."
Lu Xun looked silently at this woman who was regarded as dispensable in the minds of many people.
She married into the Sun family when she was young and enjoyed all the glory and wealth. Her life was the dream of many people.
But after communicating with that Marquis Lu Qing, he realized that without anyone knowing, the sisters Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao had actually suffered unexplainable differences in treatment.
They persisted to this day and never cried out - it was only because when they saw that their beloved one was about to fall into such a miserable fate, they stood up not for themselves but for her.
Such women are worthy of respect at all times.
"Miss Xiao Qiao will definitely understand your decision, she will definitely..."
"Bo Yan, thank you for doing this... I'm... ready. Let's call Shang Xiang and Lingqi over. It's getting late. I still need to do some dressing up in the car. I need Shang Xiang and the others to help me..."
"good!"
Lu Xun was about to leave...but suddenly Da Qiao shouted to her again:
"Wait a minute! Boyan! I suddenly remembered...why haven't I seen Mr. Zhantang yet? Isn't he with us?"
When he heard Da Qiao asking worriedly about Yi Xiaotian, the corners of Lu Xun's mouth curved slightly, but it quickly subsided:
"Oh... you said Mr. Zhan, he went to deal with the aftermath tonight, and told us not to worry about him, he will catch up with us."
"Well...I know."
The worry in Da Qiao's eyes did not dissipate, but when she heard what Lu Xun said, she knew she shouldn't ask too many questions.
Even now everyone is working towards the same goal, and so far, everything is going extremely smoothly.
But in Da Qiao's impression, the man called Zhantang who really planned everything has always been a mystery.
Yesterday...even though it was just a glimpse, his figure was deeply engraved in Da Qiao's mind and could not be removed.
"Sir...why do you want to help us?"
"No...I'm not helping you. You're helping yourselves, and I'm just a facilitator."
Yi Xiaotian said with a smile, neither humble nor arrogant.
——
Sun Shangxiang and Lu Lingqi, who were summoned by Lu Xun to set off, boarded the carriage one after another.
In the carriage, the three of them sat and looked at each other. Sun Shangxiang seemed a little nervous, while Lu Lingqi remained as still as a mountain, as calm as a statue.
There was a long cry of horses, and the carriage galloped towards the exit of the city gate that had been arranged.
Da Qiao looked at the stars in the night sky outside the car, but his thoughts had already drifted into the distance.
