Lu Baijie and Cao Changqing arrived at the Leisure Garden together. Mr. Tangxi's boldness made Hsu Fengnian have a whole new level of respect for him. Even he had to regard Mr. Tangxi as a wolf, tiger, or leopard. The Lu family's roots were in Jiangnan. Although it was thousands of miles away from the capital, it was not as far away as Beiliang, where the Emperor was far away. Nowadays, the grand families were on the wane. They had changed from strategic planning to internal strife. The Emperor's control over the noble families was becoming more and more satisfactory. Once the Lu family was found to have an "affair" with Cao Changqing, it might implicate the family head, Lu Daolin. Not to mention losing his noble position as the Chancellor of the Imperial College, it was hard to say whether he would be able to walk out of the capital alive.
Thus, with the presence of Lu Baijie and Cao Changqing, the banquet at the Leisure Garden became even livelier. At this table, there were two people on the martial arts ranking list. Adding the Tangxi Sword Immortal, this could frighten the people of Jianghu. On the table, two-thirds of the dishes were Beiliang dishes and one-third of the classic Jiangnan dishes. The bowls and plates were all made by the big official kilns in Jiangnan. During the Spring and Autumn Period, there were no inscriptions on bowls and porcelain. Now, the world was peaceful, and inscriptions were in vogue. Cao Changqing lowered his head to look at a small porcelain bowl with a purple mouth and iron feet. He sighed with a regretful expression. Porcelain bowls and porcelain were fragile. If the bowl was broken, the words would die. How could this be considered an elegant matter? However, outsiders did not know of Cao Changqing's scholarly spirit and only thought of him as an expert whose thoughts could not be guessed.
To Xu Zhihu's left was Hsu Fengnian, and to his right was Jiang Ni. He did not show favoritism and helped himself to the food. The Crown Prince of Beiliang and Princess Taiping would occasionally eat the same dish. According to past situations, Hsu Fengnian would have to go through a fierce battle before he could win. This time, Jiang Ni was like a frost-beaten eggplant. When he saw Hsu Fengnian extend his chopsticks, he withdrew his hand. The meal was neither hot nor cold. At this table, it was Yu Youwei who looked the most indifferent and calm. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Xu Zhihu was not close to this courtesan girl. After entering the Lu Manor, they did not speak a single word.
After the sumptuous banquet, Xu Zhihu took his brother for a walk. Jiang Ni, the elderly God of Swords, Cao Qingyi, and Lu Baijie stayed in the Freehand Garden to cool off. Xu Zhihu sat in the pavilion by the lake and said worriedly, "Cao Changqing is determined to get Jiang Ni."
Hsu Fengnian rubbed his cheeks. Seeing that there were no outsiders nearby, he said calmly, "This Cao Guanzi said that as long as he is willing to hand over his Princess Taiping, he will go and kill Chen Zhibao."
Xu Zhihu sucked in a cold breath and frowned. "Really?"
Hsu Fengnian said self-mockingly, "With Cao Guanzi's status, why would he joke with a junior like me?"
Xu Zhihu muttered to himself, "Do you think that this is a plan that our father had long thought of?"
Hsu Fengnian frowned and said, "Sister, are you saying that Xu Xiao predicted that this day would come? To let Cao Guanzi, an outsider, break the trap? Isn't that a little too godly? You have to know that Xu Xiao's chess skills are really unsightly. He could even go head to head with Shangyin Academy's Chancellor Wang. Besides, Xu Xiao may not necessarily want to kill Chen Zhibao. "
Xu Zhihu thought for a while and said carefully, "If you don't want to kill Chen Zhibao, you can slowly compete with him. If you want to kill him and let you be the executioner, you might be able to establish your power. However, it will be too much of a loss for Northern Liang. Chen Zhibao is not someone who is easy to deal with. He is willing to be our father's adopted son, but he might not be willing to be your stepping stone. Once there is internal strife in Northern Liang, the imperial court will have nothing to fear. Zhang Julu and Gu Jiantang are mortal enemies and the two of them have been secretly communicating with each other for a long time. If Chen Zhibao escapes alone, it will not only cause the Northern Liang to be divided and the army's morale to drop. Chen Zhibao might even become the second Gu Jiantang!"
Hsu Fengnian nodded with a smile. "Indeed, Gu Jiantang might not be able to defeat Xu Xiao in this lifetime, but that doesn't mean that the independent Chen Zhibao won't be able to defeat a mediocre heir like me. It seems Cao Guanzi's intervention is most in line with Beiliang's long-term interests. Xu Xiao either had the guidance of an expert like Li Yishan, or it was purely a brainless and unreasonable move, and he was hit by a stroke of luck. "
Xu Zhihu asked softly, "Fengnian, are you planning to let him go?"
Hsu Fengnian glanced at Twilight and muttered to himself, "If I say I won't let him go, then I'll be suspected of being a stubborn duck. Anyone can recklessly oppose Cao Changqing. At worst, they'll lose their life, but I don't think I can do it. After all, Xu Xiao is already so old, and I can't just make things difficult for him. Moreover, my personal relationship with Cao Changqing has definitely crossed the bottom line of that person in the capital. Even Xu Xiao can't say he can't take it all. This time, Cao Changqing has really hit me where it hurts. He's certain that I'm not the ignorant and fearless heir of His Royal Highness. Add to that the huge bait he threw out to kill Chen Baiyi, I'm guessing he's secretly rejoicing right now. "
Xu Zhihu asked softly, "Do you like that lass a lot?"
Hsu Fengnian made a silly face and said with a laugh, "How can I not like her? I've been looking at her for so many years, and she's only getting prettier as she grows. I never get tired of looking at her, so of course I like her."
Xu Zhihu sighed. "Do you only like her?"
Hsu Fengnian was startled. This wasn't a question at all, but it seemed he had never given it much thought.
Xu Zhihu rubbed her brother's brows and asked with a smile, "Sister is curious about who you're afraid of?"
Hsu Fengnian laughed. "Of course, I'm afraid you'll be unhappy and Second Sister will be angry."
Xu Zhihu shook her head and said seriously, "That's not what I'm talking about. It's the kind of person you're really afraid of and can't sleep at night."
Hsu Fengnian hesitated for a moment before saying slowly, "I'm afraid of that person in the capital. I'm afraid he'll feel that it's too troublesome to even borrow a knife to kill someone. In the end, he'll shed all pretense of cordiality and kill the person himself."
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