Three days later, during the banquet, Miao Yi showed enough sincerity. Eastern District Commander Fu Qing stood at the entrance of the City Guard Palace to personally welcome the guests.
In the palace's garden, Xu Tangran personally directed people to arrange the banquet.
They also invited the best dancers from Heaven Street. Naturally, Heaven Fragrance Brothel's top performer, Xue Linglong, couldn't be left out. Commander Xu kept sneaking into a side room and took the initiative to approach Xue Linglong, who was helping with her makeup. When they saw Xu Tangran's unsuspecting gaze on Xue Linglong, Mother Xu and Xue Linglong's hearts skipped a beat.
Inside the palace, Miao Yi stood among the pavilions with his hands behind his back. He expressionlessly watched Charcoal play in the pool. Invincible Eagle and Murong Xinghua stood beside him, while Bao Lian kept coming back and forth with news.
Murong Xing Hua would occasionally tilt his head to look around, only to see a few unfamiliar faces wandering around the pavilions. After so many years, it was impossible for her not to be familiar with the people guarding the City Guard Palace. Even though they were all wearing the Heavenly Court's golden battle robes, she was sure they weren't from the City Guard Palace, nor were they from Heaven Street. She didn't know where they came from.
What was noteworthy was that they seemed to be circling around the Great Commander and wouldn't leave the circle. Their gazes were constantly on her, as though they were wary of the people around the Great Commander. That's right! Even the way they looked at her seemed to be on high alert, as though they would immediately pounce on her if she dared to act rashly.
The situation was a little strange. Even the Great Commander's invitation this time was confusing. Murong Xinghua couldn't figure out what Miao Yi was trying to do.
She turned to look at Miao Yi again. His side profile was still resolute, but his face was expressionless. No one could tell what he was thinking. Murong Xinghua realized that the Great Commander was a little different from before after returning from the examination. He had become much more reserved.
Could it be that something happened during the examination affected him? Murong Xinghua instantly thought of what she had experienced during the examination. It was truly a painful past, and her thoughts instantly sank.
Not only her, but Invincible Eagle also noticed the unfamiliar faces. He also couldn't figure out what Miao Yi was trying to do with this banquet.
In truth, Miao Yi didn't tell anyone about the banquet this time, not even Yun Zhiqiu. He had warned Yang Qing not to tell anyone else, including Yun Zhiqiu. Otherwise, he was afraid that Yun Zhiqiu would stop him.
He knew that Yun Zhiqiu and the others were doing this for his own good, but he had his own reasons and his own stance. It was just that he didn't want to explain too much this time. He wanted to give himself some leeway.
"Mister, Commander Fu said it's about time," Bao Lian reported as he entered the pavilion.
Miao Yi lifted his head to look at the sky. It was already dusk. He asked, "How many people are attending the banquet?"
"Not much …" Bao Lian seemed like he wanted to say something, but he hesitated. It was as if he didn't want to embarrass Miao Yi.
"Let's go!" Miao Yi turned around and left without another word.
The few of them walked together. The Invincible Eagle and Murong Xing Hua looked left and right, then glanced at each other. Everything was understood without a word, because when the few unfamiliar faces saw Miao Yi walking, they quickly approached him.
As soon as he walked out of the rear palace, he bumped into Fu Qing. Miao Yi asked, "How many people are here?"
Fu Qing replied, "About twenty. However, something doesn't seem right. All of the guests are accompanied by unfamiliar attendants. Even though they were stopped outside the palace, they refused to leave and have been waiting outside. As for those who didn't come, I sent someone to inform them. They all said that they had matters to attend to on behalf of their masters, so they couldn't attend the banquet. Commander Xu asked me to ask if we should continue with the banquet. "
"Why not? It's normal that they can't attend because they have matters to attend to. "Miao Yi laughed coldly, not stopping in his tracks.
The lanterns were first lit, and the scenery was beautiful.
The group went straight to the public garden of the front palace. Xu Tangran was happily chatting with the guests when he turned around. When he saw Miao Yi, he quickly ran over to greet him.
Under the lead of the Chamber of Commerce's Vice President, Wu Hanshan, over twenty shopkeepers came forward to greet Miao Yi. "Greetings, Great Commander."
"No need to be so polite!" Miao Yi smiled and extended his hand to help him up. He then turned to Xu Tangran and asked, "Is the banquet ready?"
Xu Tangran nodded and bowed. "Reporting to Great Commander, everything is ready. We're just waiting for your command."
Miao Yi smiled and opened his arms to face the crowd. "Then take your seat and begin."
"Great Commander, please!" Wu Hanshan and the others immediately parted to two sides, extending their hands in greeting in unison. They were very respectful. Anyone who didn't know the truth could tell that this group of people had humiliated Miao Yi badly.
Miao Yi smiled as he led the group through the crowd. Xu Tangran led the way in front and led Miao Yi into a pavilion.
More than a hundred invitations were sent out, but only about twenty people came. Xu Tangran was very considerate. He quickly ordered his men to remove the extra seats so that the Great Commander wouldn't feel awkward.
The group of shopkeepers' seats were arranged in a circle in the open-air garden. The environment was elegant. After everyone took their seats, Miao Yi stood behind a long table filled with fine wine and delicacies. He extended his hand and said, "Please!"
No matter how much they schemed behind the scenes, everyone still followed the rules on the surface. After all, Miao Yi was no longer in a precarious position like before. Now that the power in Celestial Street was firmly in Miao Yi's hands, even if they didn't respect Miao Yi, they still had to respect the power he wielded.
Only after Miao Yi sat down did everyone else take their seats. Naturally, the courtesans of Heaven Incense Brothel came forward to pour wine for them. Miao Yi sat beside Bao Lian, and behind him, four golden-armored soldiers stood in a row.
The shopkeepers of the Eastern District secretly exchanged glances. Wu Hanshan understood the meaning of the crowd. He raised his cup and stood up, facing Miao Yi in the pavilion as he said, "I am unable to repay the Grand Commander's kindness! If we have done anything wrong in the past, I hope the Great Commander will be magnanimous and not hold it against us small merchants. In the future, if the Great Commander has any orders for us, we will risk our lives to fulfill them! If the Great Commander doesn't mind, please accept our cup! "
Fu Qing and the others, who were also seated below, gave them a sidelong glance. Everyone knew how to say nice things. If the Great Commander really had any orders, it would be a wonder if they would risk their lives to fulfill them!
The twenty or so shopkeepers also stood up and raised their cups, saying in unison, "If the Great Commander doesn't mind, please accept our cup!"
Miao Yi smiled faintly. He picked up his wine cup and raised his cup as he said, "Let bygones be bygones. Everyone, let's drink to our hearts' content!" As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his empty cup to the crowd.
"Thank you, Great Commander!" After the group thanked him, they toasted and showed their empty cups to show their sincerity.
Bao Lian continued to pour wine. Miao Yi gestured for everyone to sit down, then looked around at the crowd and sighed, "I have sent out over a hundred invitations, and only those of you here are willing to come … Sigh! I know what everyone is thinking. I'm afraid you all have doubts about my invitation this time. Little do you know that it was because I was worried that everyone would have doubts that I changed the invitation to a group banquet to an individual invitation to the East City District. I planned to invite everyone from the four districts one by one. This was to dispel everyone's doubts and show my sincerity, so that no one would misunderstand that I have ulterior motives! My intention to bury the hatchet is clear. I hope everyone can understand! "
As soon as he said this, the shopkeepers looked at each other in confusion. So that was the reason.
Before this, they couldn't understand why Miao Yi would only invite the East City District to a banquet if he wanted to bury the hatchet. Only a fool would do something like that. Commander Niu Youde couldn't be that stupid, could he? Everyone really couldn't figure it out, and they had their reservations. As a result, some people came, while others didn't dare to come.
Now, the question that everyone had been puzzling over for the past few days had finally been answered. This answer really explained the reason. Other than that, they really couldn't think of any other reason to explain the strange behavior of the banquet this time.
It turned out that the four districts were taking turns to invite everyone to a banquet in order to dispel everyone's doubts!
Even Fu Qing and the others were stunned. So that was the reason. No wonder!
The shopkeepers could be said to have instantly understood the reason and breathed a sigh of relief. Some of them found it funny. It seemed that Niu Youde had no choice but to admit defeat in the face of the forces behind everyone. He was actually so considerate that he didn't hesitate to invite everyone separately.
As for Fu Qing and the others, they couldn't help but sigh in their hearts. They had no choice but to lower their heads. It was true that the weak could not win against the strong! If they guessed correctly, the four people behind Miao Yi were probably sent by Miao Yi to protect him. It seemed that after this assessment, Miao Yi had indeed seen the power of this group of nobles and finally admitted defeat.
Some things that they couldn't understand before could now be explained. Fu Qing and the others also breathed a sigh of relief. They were worried that Miao Yi would use force, but now they could finally relax. Otherwise, they would be afraid just thinking about the consequences.
On the other hand, Murong Xinghua looked at Miao Yi sitting in the pavilion with a complicated expression. She had personally witnessed Miao Yi's assessment in the Lifeless Lands. She knew how brave he was, and in this assessment, he single-handedly slaughtered his way through an army of a million soldiers. That was truly a famous hero. Just hearing about it was enough to make one dazzled. In her heart, a man like Miao Yi was a true courageous man, a hero in her heart. He wouldn't succumb to reality like she did. There would always be a ray of light in the darkness! But now, under the pressure of power, this hot-blooded man had actually lowered his proud head. The helplessness of life, turning a hot-blooded hero into a cowardly coward. Just thinking about it made her a little sad.
Grabbing her wine cup, Murong Xinghua abruptly raised her head and drained it in one gulp. She let out a long sigh of frustration.
Miao Yi could see the changes in everyone's expressions. He sighed in his heart. He didn't think he was stupid, but his methods were indeed lacking when compared to Yang Qing's. Yang Qing only needed to design a small banquet, and he was able to deceive everyone and completely dispel their suspicions. This allowed Miao Yi to immediately grasp a situation that he might not have been able to control. At this moment, he truly understood the wonders of this banquet.
It wasn't that Miao Yi didn't have any tricks up his sleeves, but the tricks that came from his hands couldn't be as meticulous as Yang Qing's. They weren't as brilliant as Yang Qing's!
"Great Commander, you're being too serious. Some people are gauging the heart of a gentleman with their own mean measure! We are already extremely fortunate that Great Commander doesn't pursue our mistakes. We apologize to Great Commander! "Wu Hanshan raised his cup with both hands and stood up.
"We apologize to Great Commander!" The group of innkeepers also stood up and raised their cups.
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