The scene was originally lively and lively, groups of threes and threes, each talking about their own things, and although each small group seemed to be different, it was orderly.

But when the young man said this, the small group at the scene all turned their eyes.

The young man with the folding fan spoke without any disguise, and on the second floor of the restaurant, everyone could hear it clearly.

At this time, Lu Zhouling was still thinking about how to start the meeting later, so that the atmosphere would be warm.

After all, as the person who presided over this banquet, this time he was not only so simple as hosting, but also needed to let the faces of various institutions know each other and be more harmonious.

In this way, we can do a good job in the entire Maple Grove State.

Otherwise, once any institution is not running smoothly, it will affect the whole body.

So in Lu Zhouling's opinion, this banquet was very important, but he really didn't expect that this young man would suddenly say this.

Lu Zhouling came back to his senses from his contemplation and looked at the young man shaking the folding fan with a complicated gaze.

To be honest, Lu Zhouling has a lot of opinions about this young man, but at some times, he still can't say it.

The reason is that the faction that this young man is currently in is from the faction of the second prince.

Who is the second prince?

He studied with the prime minister since he was a child, and also held an official position in the court.

Although it is an idle job, everyone knows that this is like in a chamber of commerce, the son of the owner of the chamber of commerce, working in a position, on the surface it is arranged casually, but in fact, it is to gild him.

At present, because Emperor Xingwu is preparing to establish a crown prince, the three princes are fighting openly and secretly.

So for the faction of the second prince, Lu Zhouling knew very clearly.

At present, there are many young scholars, or officials who are officials, who have defected to the second prince.

Of course, Lu Zhouling is not currently on the side of any faction.

As a state magistrate, he felt that he would be good at managing this one-third of an acre of land well.

Although the prime minister is the head of the hundred officials, he can't use his power to oppress people, and he has to stand on the side of the second prince.

And the prime minister also made it clear that he would not be involved in this matter.

As for why there are some scholars and officials, standing on the side of the second prince, it is actually normal.

Even if the dragon gives birth to nine sons, they are all different.

Some people have a lot of thoughts.

In case the second prince is really made the crown prince by then, by that time, these people who support the second prince will also soar, and the pheasant will become a phoenix.

So for now, everything is going well on the second prince's side.

This young man's name is Owen, and his family background is immeasurable, he is a scholarly family from the capital.

In the family, there are also many people in the officialdom.

Some of them even hold many important positions in Beijing.

The young man is the third son of the Ou family, who was originally an official in a county town, but after this purge, he was promoted to Fenglin Prefecture, and came to Fenglin Prefecture to fill a vacancy, which can be regarded as a promotion.

Hearing Owen say this, Lu Zhouling knew very well in his heart, so he replied to him and said, "Lord Zhou is very busy on weekdays, and he has a lot of things to do, so it's normal to come late." ”

Zhou An now supports the matter of the three princes, in fact, many people already know.

Since the emperor and Zhou An secretly made this deal, he naturally told Zhou An about the situation.

Although it did not pass through the mouth of the emperor, the emperor wanted to pass on a message, and there were many means.

Therefore, in Lu Zhouling's view, Owen's purpose should be to compare himself with Zhou An at this banquet, which can be regarded as a comparison between the two factions.

But Lu Zhou Ling knew very well in his heart that after Zhou An came to this Fenglin Prefecture, he basically didn't go out of the door, except for the incident that happened last time, he was very low-key at other times.

It can be said that if no one knows Zhou An, they don't even know that Zhou An came to this Fenglin Prefecture and became the leader of the craftsman's supervisor.

Such a low-key person, Lu Zhouling actually didn't know much about Zhou An, after all, he hadn't met a few times.

It was the first time that he reminded Zhou An.

But who is an official in the Great Chu State has no intelligence?

Regarding some of Zhou An's experiences, Lu Zhouling understands what kind of character Zhou An is, even if he only knows a little bit of skin.

You must know that when you met for the first time, the faint evil aura on Zhou An's body was not comparable to those flowers in the greenhouse.

This young man rose from the killing.

was able to go all the way from Anding County to Fenglin Prefecture smoothly, and secretly I don't know how many turmoil I have experienced.

If Owen wants to do something at this banquet, Lu Zhouling feels that this banquet may be a little unbearable.

"Master Ou, I think it's better for you to leave Lord Zhou's gossip alone." Lu Zhouling reminded.

After all, he was the host of this banquet, and he didn't think that Zhou An would sell him this face.

If someone really provokes trouble, Zhou An will definitely return it.

So he can only persuade from Owen's side.

But at this time, Lu Zhouling committed a small taboo.

For Owen, he himself is the one who stands on the side of the second prince, and Zhou An is the one on the side of the third prince, so the two of them are different factions.

When Owen saw that the craftsman was in turn persuading him, his brows furrowed slightly, and the folding fan in his hand snapped shut, and said, "Lord Lu, I just want to meet Lord Zhou, besides, Lord Zhou really didn't come in advance, and it's not very polite, there shouldn't be any problem with what I said." ”

When Lu Zhou Ling heard this, he smiled bitterly: "As long as you are not late, although Lord Zhou is very low-key on weekdays, he is not a person who does not pay attention to the rules in his bones." ”

"I hope so." Owen opened the folding fan again, fanning the wind gently, but he was thinking about other things.

He came over this time to participate in this banquet, one of them was to sell Lu Zhou Ling a face, no matter what Bijing Lu Zhou Ling said, he is also the leader of the officialdom here.

The second is to want to meet this Zhou An.

Now, when the three princes are obviously weak, Zhou An has announced in a high-profile manner that he will join the camp of the three princes, which is undoubtedly an egg to a stone in Owen's opinion, and even unwise.

But Zhou An did exactly that.

So Owen wants to see who this rumored Zhou An is.

Owen is indeed from the second prince's faction, but he is not brainless, and the second prince does not need people without brains, so before coming, he had already conducted a detailed investigation of Zhou An.

To tell the truth, when he learned about Zhou An's rise along the way, the whole person was a little shocked.

From a small catcher in Anding County, after a series of battles, he then cracked all kinds of huge conspiracies, and in the casting of Tingyun Mansion, he saved the entire Tingyun Mansion again, and then became a model for the great Chu national doctor.

That book is still regarded as a treasure by doctors.

Now, he has become the master of Fenglin Prefecture again, and not long ago, he even did a strange and longitudinal eight stunts of Yuejiang.

These achievements are described very simply, and I don't know why, I just talked about Zhou An's contributions, and for many detailed situations, I basically skipped it.

But that alone was enough to shock Owen.

It's like if you look at a book, the table of contents, has condensed all the wonderful points of the whole book.

Owen felt that Zhou An should not be a brainless person, and he didn't know why he would stand on the weak side of the third prince.

So he came over this time, firstly, to see what kind of person Zhou An was, and secondly, to make a detailed record of this time, and finally hand it over to the second prince.

After all, not long ago, the second prince Feige passed a book, saying that he was also interested in Zhou An.

Owen wants to help the second prince.

As for what he said just now, it can actually be regarded as looking at Lu Zhouling's attitude.

Now that the attitude can be seen, this Lu Zhou Ling seems to be a little taboo towards Zhou An.

Thinking of this, Owen's curiosity became more and more intense.

He secretly looked forward to Zhou An's arrival and wanted to see what kind of identity Zhou An was.

Time passed gradually.

In the blink of an eye, it was getting closer and closer to the start of the banquet.

At this time, quite a few officials had already begun to look at the door.

After experiencing Owen's words just now, these officials are looking forward to a scene in their hearts.

That is, Zhou An came out, and then had a conflict with Owen, and the two were splashed in this banquet.

It's undoubtedly a lot of fun, and you can see some signs of it.

The people present are all experienced in officialdom for a long time, so they naturally know it in their hearts.

But it was almost time for the banquet to start, and Zhou An still hadn't seen him.

Some people can't help but think.

"Could it be that Zhou An won't come? Impossible? ”

This thought echoes in the minds of many people.

They felt that it was impossible for Zhou An not to come, after all, Lu Zhouling personally invited him, so he had to give face no matter what he said.

Time has passed again, and Lu Zhouling is also waiting.

He didn't feel shameless.

Face is not given by others, but added by oneself.

He understands Zhou An's temper, even if he comes a little late, it's actually nothing.

Why be so stingy?

As for what Owen said in public just now, Lu Zhouling didn't take it seriously.

are all mixed into this position in the Great Chu State, who doesn't have a little heart?

Just then, a footstep sounded at the door.

Two courses to be exact.

Because the sound of another footstep was very close to the previous one, as if it were deliberately imitating the former's walking.

At the staircase on the second floor, Zhou An came.

Beside Zhou An, the woman in black did not leave an inch, grabbed Zhou An's hand, and looked at it curiously.

There is no way, as long as the woman in black is more than two meters away from him, she will automatically return to her side, and Zhou An simply brought the woman in black over.

At home, the liver proficiency, time passed quickly, but fortunately he remembered this incident and was not late.

"Lord Lu, I'm really sorry for being late, I've been really busy lately." Zhou An didn't blink when he said nonsense.

He is indeed very busy, but he is really not busy with the matter of being a supervisor, and this hand-shaking shopkeeper should be called a comfortable.

Of course, you must say what you have to say in this meeting, otherwise you can't say it when you pinch the time to come.

Lu Zhou Ling also understood, waved his hand and said, "Since Lord Zhou is here, please sit down." ”

On the second floor, there are round tables, and there are already a lot of dishes on them, just waiting for the table to start.

The people present are also old fritters in the officialdom, even if they are young people, they also know this, so they are all seated in an orderly manner according to their respective identities.

But Lu Zhouling saw it in his eyes, but waved his hand and said: "Since everyone is an official in this Fenglin Prefecture, then don't sit with people you know well, take turns sitting with each other, and you can also make strangers become mature people, and everyone will have accumulated their own contacts at that time." ”

This is the situation at the scene, even if they sit together, they are all sitting in small groups.

Lu Zhou ordered the big man of Fenglin Prefecture to speak, and the people present had no ink, so they could only take turns sitting with some people who didn't know each other.

Seeing this scene, Lu Zhouling nodded.

The first purpose has been achieved, let everyone initially integrate into this circle, so that they can also get acquainted with each other and solve a good start.

After all, they are all sitting at the same table, and everyone still can't eat with their heads bored, they all have to communicate.

After Lu Zhouling finished this step, he pointed to the table next to Zhou An and said, "Lord Zhou, come on, let's sit here." ”

This is the main position on the entire second floor, and it can be seen from the position that those who can sit at this table are all powerful figures in this Fenglin State.

Zhou An naturally did not refuse, and what surprised him was that Hou Sizhou, who was in the town of the Trick Division, was also at this table at this moment.

When Hou Sizhou saw Zhou An, he arched his hand and said, "Hello Lord Zhou, I just arrived." ”

Zhou An also bowed his hand: "Lord Hou is good." ”

After saying hello, Zhou An pulled the woman in black and sat down on the seat by the window.

In this location, you can just blow the breeze outside the window, and you can also hear the slightest noise outside the window.

Now that he was seated, Lu Zhouling raised his glass and said an opening remark.

After all, it was the host of this banquet, and everyone present also raised their glasses.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this time I called everyone over, in fact, you all know what it means, everyone can talk freely about each other, if there is anything you want to communicate, you can come to me at any time, I can act as an intermediary to mediate for everyone, after all, we are officials, for the sake of Your Majesty, for the sake of the people, we also have to do a good job in what we have in hand, and we also have to do a good job in the livelihood of the people in Fenglin Prefecture."

Since Lu Zhouling spoke, these officials of Fenglin Prefecture naturally responded one after another.

Everyone clinked glasses in the air, drank the wine, and then sat down one by one.

With Lu Zhouling's opening remarks, the scene gradually changed from deserted to lively.

The officials, who were not very familiar with each other, also knew each other and began to talk slowly.

Of course, most of the content of the conversation is also from the side of your own position.

After all, many of them are meeting for the first time, and they don't know what their personality and hobbies are, so starting from the position can also open up the topic.

Although I said you at the beginning, I said mine, but this can be lively, right?

Zhou An is a straight person, he has been eating the dishes on the table, and talking to Lu Zhouling from time to time.

The woman in black was curious to look around, she ate whatever Zhou An ate.

Whenever Zhou An picked up a dish, the woman in black had her eyes lit up, and she also picked up a dish, as if only Zhou An had eaten it was the safest.

Hou Sizhou, like Zhou An, doesn't talk much.

He is the Suppression Division, this institution is very special, basically composed of martial artists, and they are very good at dealing with those weird and the like, or some disputes on the rivers and lakes.

But in this scene, Hou Sizhou knew very well in his heart what position he was sitting in, so he rarely spoke.

Of course, there are also some hierarchical issues involved.

The biggest ones at this table are him, Lu Zhouling, and Zhou An, so there is no need for him to talk to others.

And this banquet itself was presided over by Lu Zhouling, and if the priorities were clear, Hou Sizhou would naturally not overstep his bounds.

Hou Sizhou mainly talked with Zhou An and Lu Zhouling.

While eating, Zhou An suddenly felt that something was wrong.

He felt that there was always a gaze on him, and then he turned his head to look.

When Zhou An looked at a table not far away, his brows furrowed slightly.

At that table, a young man shaking a folding fan was staring at him with a smile on his face.

After feeling this gaze, the young man raised his wine glass and gestured to Zhou An in the air.

Zhou An's frowning brows stretched slightly, although he didn't know him, he also raised his wine glass, touched it in the air, and drank the wine in his hand.

After drinking, Zhou An put down the cup.

At this time, Lu Zhouling next to him leaned his head over: "Lord Zhou, be careful of that guy." ”

Zhou An was slightly stunned, and then asked: "What's the matter, I don't know this person, it seems to be a fresh face, it should be a newcomer after this reshuffle, right?" ”

Lu Zhouling nodded: "Lord Zhou is really wise, he is a newcomer, but this guy's background is not simple, he is from the second prince's side." ”

As he spoke, Lu Zhouling told him what had just happened.

Zhou An narrowed his eyes, and after listening to Lu Zhouling's speech, he then smiled: "Lord Lu, does this mean that you are biased towards me?" ”

At this time, Lu Zhouling suddenly said a few words, and Zhou An felt that Lu Zhouling was expressing his attitude.

It means that there is no adulteration with the young man named Owen.

Lu Zhou Ling said with a smile: "It's okay if Lord Zhou knows." ”

Of course, he is showing his attitude, because he does not occupy any side, but Lu Zhouling has no opinion on Zhou An, and even says that he appreciates it.

Just look at what Zhou An has done in Fenglin Prefecture recently, it proves that Zhou An is not a big traitor, and he is young, strong, and even sitting in a high position.

All in all, in a word, I don't get involved, but I don't prevent me from making friends with the people I like.

Hou Sizhou sat quite close, but in fact, the three of them were sitting together

At this time, hearing Lu Zhouling say this, he frowned.

"This guy doesn't have a long memory, Lord Zhou, do you want me to teach you a lesson?"

What kind of organization is the Suppression Division? It is one of the three major forces of the Great Chu State today, and it only belongs to His Majesty the Emperor.

is such an institution, it is not touched by anyone, and there is no need to be afraid of any prince.

Because our background is the emperor, even if you become the crown prince, you don't dare to fool around in the town trick department.

Hou Sizhou and Zhou An were in Fenglin Prefecture, although they did not have a few interactions, but Zhou An destroyed the longitudinal conspiracy, and indirectly, also helped Hou Sizhou a lot.

And Hou Sizhou himself started as a Jianghu person, so he is also very straightforward, and when he heard that someone wanted to be unfavorable to Zhou An, he was already planning at this time and wanted to deal with this person.

It's not too obvious, but secretly, it's okay to exert some energy.

As long as Zhou An says a word, it will do.

Zhou An shook his head when he heard Hou Sizhou say this: "Lord Hou, you don't have to be like this, it's just a small role." ”

He was telling the truth, there was no need to let Hou Sizhou come over to help because of such a small role.

After helping, I owe a little favor, and it's not easy to repay the favor these days.

Zhou An felt that if he owed it, he owed a big favor, and this kind of small favor was unnecessary.

Hearing this, Hou Sizhou nodded.

Since Zhou An is unwilling, then forget it.

As long as Zhou An nods about this matter, he will do it, but unfortunately Zhou An doesn't want to, and Hou Sizhou feels that he doesn't need to take the initiative to do it.

At this time, Lu Zhouling's eyes were slightly solemn, staring at the table where Owen was: "What is this kid going to do?" ”

When Zhou An heard this, he turned his head and looked at Lu Zhouling's gaze, and then saw Owen walking towards Zhou An with a wine glass in his hand.

Zhou An raised his eyebrows, then turned around.

Owen walked closer, raised his wine glass, and said: "In Owen, who is new to his post and is not familiar with his life, please take care of Lord Zhou in the future." ”

Zhou An took a bite of food, then put down his chopsticks and said, "Okay, if there is anything in the future, you can come to me, you can help if you can, and you can't help it." ”

Listening to what Lu Zhouling said just now, he felt that this Owen was menacing, and it would never be so simple.

But I don't coax myself.

This person really him off, so when the time comes, find an opportunity and do it secretly.

There is a chance.

If you don't come to do something, forget it, everything is according to fate, and your own peace of mind liver proficiency.

Owen held the wine glass, knowing that what Zhou An said just now was the scene, because Zhou An didn't even want to lift the wine glass, but he didn't care at all, raised his head and drank the wine in his hand, and turned the wine glass over, indicating that he had finished drinking.

After doing this, Owen said with a smile: "Lord Zhou, can you borrow a step and go to a quiet place, I have some things that I want to talk to Lord Zhou privately." ”

He thought that he had come over this time to invite him with a very polite attitude, but he never expected that when he finished saying this, Zhou An looked at him with a strange look.

It's like looking at a retarded person.

"Is there anything you can't talk about? Since everyone is a fair and honest person, let's talk about it in public. Zhou An didn't even want to move his buttocks, and turned around to eat a few more bites of food, leaving Owen aside.

Lu Zhouling, who was next to him, saw this scene and smiled bitterly.

He knew that this should be Zhou An's consistent style.

Hou Sizhou's eyes lit up slightly.

That's right!

This is the style that Jianghu people should have!

Zhou An himself rose from Anding County, and he can be regarded as half a Jianghu person, so this practice makes Hou Sizhou feel very involved.

In Hou Sizhou's thoughts, I don't care who you are, I will do my own one-third of an acre, and I won't offend others, and you don't want to offend me.

Owen was stunned by Zhou An's words, and the few words he had prepared just now were unspeakable at this time.

He felt that the other party didn't have any moves, but the random punch could kill the master.

This situation is not to go, nor is it to stay, and even Zhou An's words put him in a disadvantageous position at this table.

Because Zhou An's subtext is that you called me over, there is some secret, and you don't want others to hear it.

But you just came out to take office and engaged in these careful thoughts, what did the old people present think?

Owen had already sensed that there were many people looking at him with a slight hostility in their eyes, and it was obvious that Zhou An's words at the beginning had an effect.

Thinking of this, his head is also very bright, and he made a decision at this moment.

"Lord Zhou, this is serious, I just think it's a bit noisy here, it's inconvenient to talk about things, since Lord Zhou doesn't want to find a quiet place, then we are all bright and upright people, what about chatting in front of everyone?"

After saying that, Owen also looked around, meaning that he didn't think about anything else.

Sure enough, after he made this decision, those old people in Fenglin Prefecture looked at him with much less hostility.

Owen breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and then said loudly: "I want to represent the second prince and invite Lord Zhou to be the guest of honor of the second prince, I don't know what Lord Zhou thinks?" ”

There's nothing you can't say about this, and it's also a means to win over in public.

After all, after winning over the past, it will also be publicized to the outside, so Owen didn't hide anything.

Zhou An shook his head very calmly: "I don't want to." ”

With just three words, he began to eat the dishes on the table again.

There is a deal with the emperor on his side, as a serious person and a pure person, Zhou An feels that since it is a transaction, he must be honest.

So Zhou An vetoed it.

Of course, Owen was also prepared for Zhou An's refusal, so he said slowly: "Lord Zhou, you can think about it again, the three princes now, the eldest prince and the second prince are evenly matched, but the third prince is gradually declining, Lord Zhou has joined the camp of the third prince, you know the current situation, even if Lord Zhou joins alone, it is impossible to change the current situation of the three princes." ”

In this case, Owen was also the first to talk about the situation, but he didn't panic at all.

Because before doing this, he had asked the second prince for advice.

The meaning of the second prince is to say, there is nothing that cannot be said.

Because now the fight for the crown prince has been put on the bright side.

Whoever does a good job is the prince, it's that simple.

The emperor's meaning is also as simple as that.

"Does this have anything to do with me? Does it have anything to do with you? Zhou An didn't give face at all, put down his chopsticks, and looked at Owen with a foolish look.

He felt that this person had a hole in his brain, and there was a big hole.

He didn't seem interested at all, but he was still there to persuade.

Aren't you asking for trouble for yourself?

Owen didn't know what Zhou An was thinking, he was still persuading, and even took two steps closer to Zhou An's side: "Lord Zhou, people live in this world for nothing more than money and power, or women, and some people with higher aspirations are to display their ambitions, such as us who are scholars." ”

"Now, the situation of the three princes has become clear, and at present, only the eldest prince and the second prince are evenly matched, and the third prince has almost no possibility of turning the tables."

While speaking, Owen took out the wine jug from the table next to him, poured himself a glass, and then filled it for Zhou An, then he carried the wine glass, and without waiting for Zhou An to pick up the glass on the table, he touched the glass lightly and drank the wine in one gulp.

"The meaning of the second prince is very simple, and there is no need for Lord Zhou to be on his side, as long as Lord Zhou is not on the side of the third prince, whatever Lord Zhou wants can be realized."

"Money and women, these are the most primary, and going up is the retribution in my heart."

"The second prince can now satisfy Lord Zhou's original things, of course, now there is no shortage of money and power, but there are not too many beauties."

Speaking of this place, Owen fell his gaze on the face of the woman in black, and said with a smile: "The one next to Lord Zhou is really the best in the world, but people like Lord Zhou don't care about a lot, as long as Lord Zhou likes it, then it can be at your fingertips." ”

Subconsciously, Owen analyzed the current situation, especially the woman in black next to Zhou An, even if it was Owen, she was a little shocked.

So in Owen's opinion, for such an important banquet, Zhou An took this woman with him, and it is conceivable that Zhou An should be a person who likes beauty.

In fact, this situation is not uncommon, who doesn't love beauty?

Because of this, Owen said this condition.

But when this sentence was finished, Zhou An was nothing, but the eyes of the woman in black next to him lit up slightly.

"Beauty...... Beauty...... I ......"

The woman in black kept talking to herself, and the light in her eyes became more and more.

The sound of her talking to herself should not have been surprising in this lively scene.

But when Owen spoke just now, the scene had fallen silent, so the words of the woman in black were also heard clearly by everyone.

Owen felt a little strange in his heart, he couldn't understand what the situation was, why the woman in black gave him a feeling of ignorance of the world.

But the next moment, the confusion in the eyes of the woman in black was dissolving, replaced by a kind of firmness, and a hint of murder.

"Nope." Two simple words came out of the mouth of the woman in black.

Immediately after, the woman in black raised her right hand.

At the bottom of her feet, a gossip shape emerged, enveloping Owen.

Without warning, Owen flew out upside down and fell to the ground hard, blood spraying out without money.

"No...... No......" The woman in black muttered to herself and stood up and walked towards Owen.

The murderous aura on his body became heavier and heavier, and this scene surprised everyone present.

Lu Zhouling reacted quickly, and hurriedly said: "Lord Zhou, don't use the killer on this occasion!" ”

Before he finished speaking, Owen, who was lying on the ground, came back to his senses, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and there was a hint of anger in his eyes.

"Zhou An, I have good words to persuade you, but you don't know how to lift, you are finished, attacking the court officials in public, no one can protect this woman!"

"Woman...... Die. The murderous aura in the eyes of the woman in black was already like substance.

At this time, Zhou An drank the wine on the table in one gulp, and then came to the woman in black, patted her shoulder, and said slowly.

"I'll come."

(End of chapter)