The banquet and the loquats

A banquet? Hmm, the governor has been in the city for so long, the officials of Yunzhou couldn't possibly not know. Xu Qi'an's spirits had improved considerably. Since he couldn't sleep anyway, and staying at the post station was boring, he said:

"Alright, sir, please wait a moment."

He put on his boots, tied the gong that was placed by the bedside to his chest, hung the black and gold longsword on his lower back, and opened the door to the room.

Governor Zhang stood outside the door, dressed in a scarlet official robe, his posture upright and his demeanor impressive.

The two nodded to each other and went downstairs together. After waiting in the lobby for a moment, Jiang Luzhong walked in from the courtyard and said, "The headcount is complete. Let's go."

A luxurious carriage was parked outside the post station, accompanied by 30 elite guards and 7 Nightwatchers. The banquet was to be held in a large courtyard by the river.

The residence of the Provincial Administration Commissioner was used specifically for entertaining officials; it was a luxurious mansion with four courtyards and four entrances.

Tonight, the moon is bright and the stars are few, and there is no wind. Although it is the dead of winter, it is perfect for holding a banquet in the back garden. As the center of this banquet and also a guest, Governor Zhang deliberately arrived fifteen minutes late.

This was both a display of official power and an way of giving the host ample time to prepare.

Upon arriving at the mansion gate, one finds it already filled with all sorts of carriages and sedan chairs, some ornate and some simple, representing high-ranking officials of varying positions.

Led by his attendants, Governor Zhang and his entourage arrived at the front hall, where they saw Yunzhou officials dressed in various colored robes, numbering over a hundred.

Among them was the prefect of Yunzhou, whom Xu Qi'an had met earlier that day.

"Your Excellency the Governor." Amidst hearty laughter, an official in a scarlet robe with a long beard approached.

"Your Excellency, Provincial Governor," Governor Zhang said with a smile, bowing slightly.

The Provincial Governor. That's equivalent to a high-ranking official. Xu Qi'an scrutinized the Provincial Governor of Yunzhou. He had slightly high cheekbones, narrow eyes, and when he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits, giving him a shrewd and calculating air.

Is Ning Song Tingfeng's long-lost father? Right, if I remember correctly, this provincial governor is also surnamed Song. Xu Qi'an's lips curled up.

Provincial Governor Song led Governor Zhang and introduced them one by one. Xu Qi'an followed along, making sure he remembered all the officials present.

"This is Commander Yang of Yunzhou." The Provincial Governor Song approached a middle-aged man with the air of a scholar-general.

The surrounding noise subsided considerably, and all eyes turned to Governor Zhang and Yang Chuannan.

The two high-ranking officials examined each other for a moment, then burst into laughter in unison:

"Governor Zhang, I've long admired you."

"Commander-in-Chief, I've long admired you."

The atmosphere immediately relaxed, and smiles appeared on the officials' faces.

Why do I have this strange feeling that things are on the verge of collapse? For a moment, Xu Qi'an even thought that the scene would freeze, or that the two sides would exchange a few sarcastic remarks, which would be more in line with the image of a seasoned, sarcastic official.

The result was surprisingly harmonious?

"Your Excellency, the banquet is ready. Shall we go to the backyard together?" the Provincial Governor said immediately.

In a prefecture (province), the three highest-ranking government offices were: the Regional Military Commissioner's Office, the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office, and the Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office.

The Provincial Judicial Commissioner was subordinate to the Censorate, so in front of Governor Zhang, the Provincial Judicial Commissioner was most like a lackey.

Upon arriving at the backyard, the officials took their seats, and two interesting incidents occurred at the main table.

First episode:

Governor Zhang beckoned and said, "Ningyan, come to my side."

There are ten seats at the main table, and each seat is strictly regulated in officialdom, with rules governing who sits there and who is allowed to sit there.

Everyone immediately looked at the young man named Ningyan. He was wearing a black uniform, a short cloak, a bronze gong with engraved patterns tied to his chest, and a special, long sword hanging from his waist, different from the standard-issue sword.

A discerning person could tell from just looking at this battle sword that the gong-wielding man was no ordinary person.

No matter where you are, people who can get special treatment are not ordinary people.

Many officials secretly took notice of Xu Qi'an.

The second incident occurred when Commander Yang Chuannan blocked an official from taking his seat, pointing to the seat next to him and saying:

A friend is coming.

The official was taken aback, then suddenly remembered something, slapped his forehead as if in a flash of realization, and went to another table without a word of complaint.

"Friend, not some adult, but a friend?" Xu Qi'an sat up straight.

"Ningyan, about that riddle we discussed today," Governor Zhang whispered.

"Your Excellency!" Xu Qi'an said in a deep voice, "It's actually very simple; we just need to change our mindset."

How so?

"You're just too serious." As an imperial censor, Governor Zhang was considered a man of high status in the capital's officialdom, and officials who spoke out against wrongdoing were naturally of high status as well.

If it were a corrupt official who was proficient in all sorts of vices, he would have understood immediately.

Just as Governor Zhang was about to speak, he caught a glimpse of a beautiful young female general in light armor entering. She was tall and slender with a perfectly proportioned figure, and her hair was tied in a high ponytail.

A beautiful and handsome female soldier. Xu Qi'an's eyes lit up suddenly. He thought to himself, "Are there really such stunningly beautiful female soldiers in Yunzhou?"

This outfit is far more alluring than anything else, like a JK uniform, black stockings, a nurse's outfit, or a flight attendant's outfit; it's not even in the same league.

The American soldier girl went straight to the main table and sat down next to Commander Yang Chuannan.

Governor Zhang scrutinized the female soldier, going through the list of officials in Yunzhou in his mind, but found no match for her.

"And who is this?" he asked curiously.

Yang Chuannan laughed and said, "I'm sure you haven't heard of the famous Flying Swallow Heroine. Her name is Li Miaozhen, and she is a cavalry general hired by me. In the past year or so, she has been suppressing bandits everywhere and has repeatedly made meritorious contributions. If we were to reward her for her merits, I would have to hand over my position as commander-in-chief."

His words drew a chorus of praise from the officials, who all expressed their admiration for the female general.

Governor Zhang did not express his opinion, but simply nodded.

The cavalry general hired by Yang Chuannan was not officially appointed and was not a regular government officer. Xu Qi'an scrutinized the American woman, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

Number Two is also in Yunzhou, and she's also enthusiastic about bandit suppression and criticizing Emperor Yuanjing. She said she wasn't a member of the court. I even praised her for her chivalry and courage. And this cool young lady is called Flying Swallow Heroine. Pfft, Flying Swallow Heroine!

While chatting on the canal, Number Two strongly supported Yang Chuannan, indicating a close relationship between them. Could she be Number Two? Xu Qi'an calmly sipped his tea.

No rush, we can find another opportunity to test the waters.

In the Earth Book chat group, it's now confirmed that both number five and number two are girls. Number two is very pretty, and her uniform fetish is appealing. I wonder what number five looks like. She's a little wild girl from Southern Frontier.

Two rows of dancers dressed in colorful gowns, their shoulders exposed, entered the arena and began to dance gracefully to the accompaniment of musicians.

There was no Layman Ziyang in Yunzhou, so no one spoke highly of Xu Qi'an. The conversation revolved around the capital and Governor Zhang. Bah, official socializing is really boring and a waste of time.

Li Miaozhen discreetly observed the governor's entourage, focusing on Jiang Luzhong, knowing he was a Jinlu, a fourth-rank military officer.

But what they are good at and what their personality is like are completely unknown.

He's not young, but his Qi and Blood seem to be at their peak. I wonder what weapon he's skilled in, or what kind of "intention" he's cultivated. Hmm, I'll ask Number Three after the banquet.

Li Miaozhen lowered her head and took a sip of wine, then began to scrutinize Xu Qi'an: his aura was restrained, and the depth of his energy could not be discerned, but martial artists of the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm would occasionally have divine light flashing on their bodies, but this person did not, at most he was a Spirit Refining Realm.

His eyes betrayed his weariness, puffy under his eyes, giving him the appearance of a lecherous man whose body had been drained by wine and women. This man was either a relative of some important figure in the Nightwatchers watchman's office or a relative of Governor Zhang. I'd heard Yang Chuannan say that the Censorate was under Wei Yuan's jurisdiction, so it was perfectly reasonable for Governor Zhang to place his relative in the Nightwatchers's office.

The banquet drew to a close in a harmonious atmosphere, and servants brought out plates of plump, dark-colored loquats.

Are there still loquats this season? Xu Qi'an picked up a not-so-fresh loquat, peeled it, and tasted it. It was sweet and sour, with a very good flavor. Most importantly, it didn't have a seed.

"Your Excellency, please try this. Our loquats from Yunzhou are truly exceptional. They ripen in late spring and early summer, and you can't find such refreshing loquats in the capital."

"After the loquats ripened, they were kept in the icehouse, and every ten days we would pick out the spoiled ones. Now, there are hardly any left." Song Changfu, the Provincial Governor, enthusiastically grabbed a few and placed them in front of Governor Zhang.

Governor Zhang ate one and his eyes widened in surprise. "It's seedless?"

The Provincial Governor Song smiled without saying a word, and the other officials also laughed.

Governor Zhang was quite surprised; it was the first time he had ever tasted a seedless loquat, and the experience was simply wonderful. He exclaimed in disbelief:

"There are seedless loquats in the world! How wonderful!"

"What's so special about this? If you ate a seedless watermelon, wouldn't you be moved to tears?" Xu Qi'an said with a sigh.

"Is this seedless loquat a special variety from Yunzhou? I've never heard of it before," Governor Zhang asked.

"No, it's only because the loquat tree was blessed by the incense of the White Emperor Temple that it produces seedless loquats," Governor Song said with a smile.

"Yes, yes, this is an auspicious omen for Yunzhou."

"Yunzhou is a place blessed by heaven, enjoying favorable weather and abundant harvests thanks to the protection of the White Emperor."

The officials immediately began to flatter him, instilling in Governor Zhang the idea that "Yunzhou is an auspicious place," and the whole group worked together to achieve their goal.

Governor Zhang fell into deep thought. He could taste the flavor, but he couldn't fathom the mystery of why loquats were seedless. Cautiously, he didn't refute it.

Provincial Governor Song peeled another loquat, handed it over, and asked with a smile, "Your Excellency, wouldn't you agree?"

Governor Zhang said helplessly, "What Lord Song said..."

"Lord Song, you are mistaken." Xu Qi'an interrupted abruptly.

Officials at the head table and other tables looked over and stared at Xu Qi'an.

Li Miaozhen, who was eating with her head down, felt disdainful. She knew the reason, but since she was now on the side of the Yunzhou officialdom, she did not expose Governor Song.

She looked up at Xu Qi'an, who had spoken rudely, wanting to hear what he would say.

The Provincial Governor frowned, glanced at the bronze gong he had almost ignored, and said with an unchanged smile, "What advice does this gentleman have for me?"

Xu Qi'an put down his wine glass, slowly chewed the food in his mouth, swallowed, then picked up a loquat and smiled:

"The principle is actually simple: just pluck the central stamen of the loquat flower during its flowering season, and the resulting loquat will not have a pit."

"Your Excellency, is what I said correct?"

The room fell silent. The officials from Yunzhou around him stared at him with stiff expressions.

The Provincial Governor Song's expression suddenly froze.

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