It’s as if they don’t even put the Four Great Families of Jinling in their eyes.
A long-lost sense of excitement ignited from the bottom of his heart. It had been a long time since he had encountered something so interesting.
He felt his days had become much more mundane, spending all his time in the backyard dealing with the trivial matters of the fifth branch of the Chi family. Now, he was eager to accept the invitation, determined to see how formidable this person was!
Alas, Liang Quanbin, who was already in high spirits from drinking, had no idea that he was already being watched.
It was Cao Sanlang, who seemed to be attending a funeral, who sensed something was amiss.
Their Cao family and the Zhu family were originally in an adversarial state. Although there were no overt actions on the surface, they were secretly trying to destroy each other.
If it weren't for the fact that there was no one from the Cao family willing to come, he wouldn't have bothered attending this wedding banquet.
Looking at Zhu Xiaoxian's face, which was as red as a blooming flower, he felt a surge of nausea, wishing he would drop dead on the spot.
If the bride weren't from the Chi family, he would have already brought people to cause trouble. Now, feeling displeased, he decided to go elsewhere to clear his head. However, before he had walked far, he saw Huo Chong approaching.
Huo Chong was Zhu Hong's brother-in-law. With the Zhu family's support over the years, he had lived quite comfortably, so he was very obedient to his brother-in-law's orders.
He was instructed to keep an eye on Cao Sanlang, and indeed, he didn't leave his side for a moment.
He and Huo Chong were also on very bad terms, so he spoke with a sarcastic tone.
"They say a barking dog doesn't bite. What are you sneakily following me for?"
"Brother Cao, you should stay seated at the banquet. How can you wander around in someone else's wedding?"
His words were a retort, implying that the Cao family's upbringing was poor, and he was wandering around without being invited by the host.
"Oh, I can't even look? Then why did the Zhu family invite us? Wouldn't it be better if they just held the celebration by themselves?"
He glanced at Huo Chong with disdain.
Huo Chong clenched his fists. However, as it was a joyous occasion, it was not appropriate to cause a conflict. He persuaded Cao Sanlang again.
"Brother Cao, please don't make things difficult for everyone. The head of the Chi family is also here today. If he finds out that you are deliberately causing trouble here, do you think the Cao family can withstand the wrath of the Chi family?"
"That's a ridiculous thing to say. I'm not causing trouble at the Chi family's place, so what does this have to do with the Chi family?"
Although he said this, Huo Chong noticed a hint of worry in his eyes and immediately said,
"It's not at the Chi family's place, but the Zhu family is marrying into the Chi family today. If you insist on causing a scene, the Zhu family will certainly lose face, but the Chi family will also be embarrassed. Given the temperament of the head of the Chi family, do you think he will give the Cao family a good outcome in the future?"
"You!"
Cao Sanlang angrily flicked his sleeves. He glanced at Chi Zimò, who was not far away, and seemed to be weighing the consequences of causing a scene now. After a moment, he snorted coldly and mocked him again.
"Truly a good dog raised by the Zhu family! Now you're guarding their house!"
With that, he turned back. Those at the banquet noticed nothing amiss and continued to drink and toast each other vigorously.
In the Jinling Prefectural Prison, no less than a hundred guests who had attended the wedding banquet of the Zhu and Chi families were being held.
They never imagined they would be so unlucky.
Given the Zhu family's reputation, they couldn't have invited so many people. Most of them came out of respect for the Chi family, thinking that if they couldn't get close to the Chi family, it would be good to get close to the Zhu family. Who would have thought they would end up in prison?
Each of them wailed and cursed, claiming injustice.
The ones who carried out the arrests were indeed from the Navy camp. They had received orders bearing the secret seal of the Governor's Office and went to these restaurants to seal them off and make arrests. They didn't know the reason why.
Outsiders didn't know that these were guests attending the Zhu family's banquet. They thought it was possible that the owners of the restaurants had committed some offense, which was why such a large commotion was happening. Therefore, for a time, no one directed their suspicion towards the Zhu family.
However, Zhu Tu, who received this news, immediately rushed to report. After hearing it, Zhu Hong was so enraged that he spat out three liters of blood.
"Damn it! This fellow Liang is indeed using a feint to cover his real move. He probably planned to raid this banquet today all along and pretended to be innocent by coming to congratulate us. Since that's the case, don't blame me for being ruthless! Second brother, go make arrangements. I want this Lord Liang to come but never return!"
The anger and killing intent in his eyes made Zhu Tu feel that something was amiss.
"Big brother, the matter is not yet settled. It might be inappropriate to rashly attack Lord Liang. If a more capable person is sent from above later, wouldn't all the things we've given out be in vain? It's better to discuss it with our benefactor first, and only after he has arranged for his successor should we make a move!"
His second brother's words brought some clarity to the enraged Zhu Hong.
Killing Liang Quanbin would indeed not be difficult, but the subsequent chain of events was troublesome. They needed to reconsider.
Seeing that his elder brother had calmed down, Zhu Tu continued,
"Why don't we inform Lord Liang about this matter? If he really gave the order, then we can ask him if he wants a fight to the death. If not, he can release those people, and it will avoid a dispute."
Although this plan was good, it felt somewhat humiliating. They had been entrenched in Jinling for so many years, and apart from Governor Cao's suppression of the Zhu family when he came to power, other officials had never had the chance to act so imperiously in front of them.
"Fine, let's do as you say!"
"Alright, I'll go and tell him."
Fearing that his elder brother might become too emotional, Zhu Tu took it upon himself to handle the matter.
Returning to the banquet, he saw that Liang Quanbin was a bit tipsy. So, he pretended to offer him a bowl of hangover soup and "invited" him to a side room in the backyard.
Liang Quanbin's face was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly hazy.
After drinking the hangover soup, he felt much clearer. He looked at Zhu Tu, who was standing beside him, and smiled slightly.
"I was almost drunk by you all today."
"My lord is joking. You have a great capacity for alcohol, how could you possibly get drunk?"
"Brother Zhu, don't say such pleasantries. Why have you invited me here alone? Is there something you wish to discuss?"
Liang Quanbin had been an official for many years, and he was in the capital. He could tell who was who when dealing with people. He knew that being invited by Zhu Tu alone to drink hangover soup here must have a reason, so he asked directly.
"My lord has sharp eyes and is indeed formidable! Then I won't beat around the bush. It's like this, according to my elder brother's and nephew's official ranks, we shouldn't have invited so many people to this wedding. However, there were too many guests coming to congratulate us, so we had no choice but to quietly book a few tables at restaurants outside to host them. For some reason, we were all arrested by the brothers from the Navy camp and are now locked up in the Prefectural Prison. Even the restaurants have been sealed off."
"What? Arrested by the Navy camp?"
Liang Quanbin's surprise was fully observed by Zhu Tu. He didn't seem to be faking it.