Coaxing the Merchant Envoy to Send Off the Palace Maid
（15）
A moment later, the purple-robed palace maid reappeared in the palace. She took small steps and slowly walked to King Wu's table. She bowed first, then moved to the table with the plastic tripod and said softly,"This little girl Shuhua will pour wine for the envoy doctor.”Then, he carefully walked around the table and sat on the right side of the plastic tripod. He picked up the wine pot with both hands and slowly poured it into the wine glass in the plastic tripod.
Jiao Li's eyes were bright, and his smiling face stretched out his wrinkles. He unconsciously narrowed his eyes and gestured to King Wu with his hand. He picked up the cup that had just been filled and drank it all in one go. Then, he shook his beard and wiped off the wine beads on his beard." It's great. I'm willing to get drunk tonight."”He turned around and said to the purple-robed palace maid,"I have no children. With you as my companion, I won't feel lonely." You'll get used to it soon." Jiao Li looked at the purple-robed palace maid who had filled another cup of wine for him with concern.
King Wu had no choice but to send the palace maid to Jiaoli to win his favor. He was especially reluctant to send away this Shuhua, whom the Queen had raised since childhood. However, when he saw Jiaoli happily accept it, he could not help but feel sad. He knew that this was a fact, and the next step was to consider how to escape while the merchant was in high spirits, so as not to expose the suspicion of mud in his shoes. He thought that he could only rely on the item in the cup to confuse the other party and use this to hide his flaws. He said to the plastic tripod,"First, it's the first time that the Shang envoy has come to the West. Second, the Shang envoy is enjoying the singing and dancing of the Western Regions. Third, I'm happy to have a beautiful woman. Let's take this opportunity to get drunk tonight. Consider it a small token of my congratulations. How about it?"”
"Martial King, you've given me a generous welcome. I'll accompany you. This fine wine is really worth getting drunk on." Jiao Li agreed to King Wu's suggestion and gulped down another cup. Shuhua immediately filled the empty cup again. Jiao Li looked at Shu Hua and smiled. He raised his wine cup and returned the favor to King Wu. Just like that, the two of them toasted each other and drank.
The lights shone on everyone's faces, giving off a red glow. Zhou Gongdan silently accompanied the two of them to drink, stopping from time to time to watch with a smile on his face. Although he could see that his big brother's drinking tonight was different from his usual behavior, there was something hidden in it. He seemed to understand a little but could not ask directly, so he could only think about his own thoughts and guess. However, when he recalled what had happened during the short period of time when he had received the merchant envoy, he could guess that the merchant envoy must have drunk the merchant envoy to cover up the suspicion of the mud on his shoes. After drinking a few cups, he felt a little tipsy. He stopped drinking and watched, paying attention to the Martial King and the plastic tripod, who were still drinking happily. He was worried about the development of the situation. Zhao Gongshuang sat calmly and drank with him, while Uncle Guan, Uncle Cai, and the others sat with him and occasionally drank, but they were already beginning to curse impatiently in their hearts.
The Martial King was already 80% drunk, and the redness on his face extended to his ears. He did not expect that the plastic Li was so large that he did not get drunk after drinking dozens of cups. King Wu was shocked by his alcohol tolerance. He thought to himself," It seems that my plan to get the other party drunk is going to fail. If the other party is not drunk, I'll get drunk first. It's not easy to lose control of my will. What's my escape plan?" As he thought about it, another thought appeared in his mind. Why not pretend to be drunk? The servant would send the merchant envoy to sleep. Moreover, Zhou Gongdan knew the details of this place and would definitely be of great help. At the thought of this, King Wu's heart became clear. He raised his head and said,""My small country in the Western Regions doesn't have any good wine that can't compare to the Lutai Wine Pond in the Shang Capital. Only this meager amount of wine was left for the envoy to drink to his heart's content.”He deliberately added some inarticulate elements into his voice.
"I apologize, Martial King. Although the wine of Deer Terrace Pavilion is mellow, the wine of the Western Regions is not bad either.”" Yes," Jiao Li replied with praise. He narrowed his eyes and looked at King Wu.
"Pouring wine." The Martial King shouted, his head swaying left and right. The attendant poured him another cup.
Shuhua also poured wine for the plastic tripod under King Wu's instructions. She felt sad. The old man she was pouring wine for was going to take her away from Zhou Country and go to the distant Shang City to live a strange life without any relatives. She was the descendant of a servant who served the queen. She was loved by the queen since she was young and had always been her personal maid. Her parents had long passed away and she had been raised by the queen. He also relied on the queen's training to learn hand skills and dance skills. Although her mother was a slave and was given to Lü Shang by King Wen, Lü Shang treated her like a family member. When the queen got married, she accompanied the queen into the palace as a concubine to serve the Wang family. She had experienced the virtues of King Wu and his queen since she was young. She had also seen the people of the Zhou Country living a stable life under the rule of King Wen and King Wu. Every family was prosperous and the power of the country was rising day by day. However, in order to deal with the covetous King Zhou of Shang, King Wen and King Wu were worried and vigilant day and night, and they spent all their efforts to deal with him. King Wen's wife had passed away at an early age, and the daily affairs of the palace had long fallen to the daughter-in-law of King Wu's wife. After King Wu ascended the throne, Jiang Yi, as the queen, worked day and night to assist her husband, King Wu, in his state affairs. Just now, the Queen had told her the intention of sending her to the plastic tripod to accompany Suidong. It was related to the future and destiny of the country. In order to repay the King Wu and Queen for raising her, she did not hesitate to sacrifice her youth. Everyone was working hard for the country. As the queen's capable maid, she was obliged to go through fire and water for the country's needs. However, asking her to accompany a licentious old man was a little disappointing compared to fighting to death on the battlefield. However, she thought that she was a woman and could only use her own weapons to fight and contribute her strength. She generously accepted this mission and agreed to go. When the Queen asked for his opinion, she also expressed that she was willing to give up everything she loved. She could do nothing for the country and put the country first. She thought that for a servant girl, her life was in the hands of her master. Moreover, the queen had always treated her like a daughter, which made her feel even more eager to repay her kindness. She knew that in Shangdu, slaves were worse than cattle and horses. Their masters could kill or harvest them at their whim. It was only after King Wen's revolution that the Zhou Country began to value the lives of slaves and labor. His growth could not be separated from Zhou Country's benevolent politics and the queen's concern. As the Queen, as the King Wu, and as the Zhou Country, she was unafraid of death. She felt proud when she thought of her mission to sacrifice herself for the future of Zhou Country. She was prepared to do her best to complete the mission given to her by the King Warrior and Queen. She filled her glass and glanced at the plastic lid, wanting to take a closer look at the old man who was about to hand her fate to her. However, her eyes met a pair of bright eyes with a satisfied look. She was shocked and couldn't help but take another look. At this moment, although she met the God of Laughter, she saw the old man in front of her. He was in good spirits and his forehead was covered with deep wrinkles under his white hair. Even his cheeks were carved with a few deep grooves. She couldn't help but take another glance. This time, it was an old man who smiled at her. He had the kindness of an elder, and there was a hint of sadness in his smile. His gaze was fixed on her, revealing a kind of intimacy. After a few glasses of wine, she began to boldly meet this gaze and also looked at him. However, there was still some melancholy in her heart, and a sad smile flashed across her face from time to time." Please drink," she kept urging him to drink in a low voice.
"I'm away all year round. My wife needs someone to take care of her. You can be her companion. I won't mistreat you. For the sake of the Martial King, I will treat you well, like a daughter. May you bring joy to my life.”Jiao Li said as he turned around and raised his wine cup to King Wu.
"Ha!" King Wu shouted and raised the cup with both hands to show his respect. When the cup was about to touch his lips, he used the opportunity of his left sleeve to cover the cup and poured more than half of the wine on his corset. Then he drank the remaining wine in the cup, put down the cup, and tutted his lips forcefully. He pretended to drink very happily, causing his throat to rumble up and down. Wu Dynasty's plastic tripod reached out and grabbed a piece of bone to chew.
The two of them drank more than ten glasses in a row. Jiao Li was also a little drunk. King Wu became even more drunk. He began to say some words that did not make sense. He spoke intermittently and in a few sentences, making it difficult for others to hear what he was saying. Gradually, his head shook, and he looked like he was drunk. The King Wu kept muttering, barely making it clear that he was shouting," Drink, one more cup ". His hands could not help but beat wildly, and he lowered his head and paused. Finally, he slowly leaned his head on the table and snored, one sound after another drowning out the other.
Jiao Li was also drunk, but he was not as powerful as King Wu. When he saw King Wu sleeping like this, he shouted," You, you're drunk. I can still drink…drink a cup."”He raised his glass as if he was trying to be brave, but he spilled the wine on himself. At the same time, he dropped the glass on the table. After the glass touched the table, it flipped twice and rolled to the ground.
Two attendants walked over at Zhou Gongdan's signal. They picked up the plastic tripod and prepared to send it to rest. Shuhua followed closely behind them and walked into the harem.
Duke of Zhou stood up and bowed, watching the plastic tripod go out. He turned around to look at the bewildered crowd, and finally looked at the Martial King with concern. He saw the Martial King's body moving up and down, and his snoring was loud and deep, so loud that it could be heard outside. He stood there respectfully, his mind churning. Big Brother was drunk, so he had to clean up tonight. The banquet ended just like that. No one investigated the cause of the dirt on the Martial King's shoes.
The next morning, when Jiao Li woke up in a daze, the sky had broken. The first light shone through the window and dyed the furniture in the room yellow with a hint of red. He looked at this unfamiliar bedroom with a puzzled gaze. After a while, he finally remembered that he had received a secret order from King Zhou of Shang. He came to Zhou to understand Zhou's attitude and to understand Zhou's military strength. He wanted to know if it was strong enough to threaten Shang. It was the first time in his life that he had gotten so drunk at the King Wu's welcoming banquet last night. Although he often attended the banquet of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty and had never gotten drunk, over time, he had developed a huge capacity. Last night, he was drunk. He searched for his memories, and in a daze, King Wu sang and danced, drank heartily, and rewarded him with the purple-clothed palace maid he had taken a fancy to. After that, he passed out. He desperately wanted to know how she had left the banquet last night, but he had no recollection of it. He tried hard to find the name of this palace maid, but he could not remember it for a moment. He sat up and his eyes lit up. He saw the palace maid in purple sitting in front of the table, looking tired and lazy. He remembered that this palace maid was called Shuhua. What was her surname? He continued to reminisce as he put on his clothes. He didn't have the heart to disturb her. She had accompanied him last night and probably hadn't slept all night. Looking at her appearance, he knew that she hadn't taken off her disguise all night. He walked over gently and looked at her face. Her matching facial features were small and exquisite, and she looked like a flower. Even her sleeping expression showed her beauty.
Jiao Li was happy that he had done the right thing. Last night, he boldly asked King Wu for this palace maid. In front of him, there was a familiar charm hidden in this charming face. He could not help but mutter," Shuhua-Yuejiao, Yuejiao-Shuhua," she said with a satisfied and mysterious smile. After he married his wife, he didn't have a daughter until he was middle-aged. The two elders loved to pamper her, so they named her Yue Jiao. Their little daughter had been pampered since she was young. In the blink of an eye, sixteen years had passed, and she had grown up to be as pretty as a flower. He did not expect to watch her die. This was really a bolt from the blue, a head-on blow that almost drove the two old men crazy. Jiao Li thought that he had been busy with state affairs. In the past two years, he had been sent to various vassal states by King Zhou of Shang. During the journey, he gradually restrained his love for his daughter. His wife missed Yue Jiao day and night. She was confused and missed her daughter. Sometimes, she was confused and confused. She lived like a new year and suffered. He wanted to stay at home to accompany his wife, but King Zhou refused. He could not understand why King Zhou would take a fancy to his talent and continuously assign him this important task. He knew that King Zhou of Shang was cruel. His subjects could not resist the order in court, so they could only run for their lives, leaving their wives to suffer alone at home. When he was watching the singing and dancing in the palace last night, he had taken a fancy to this purple-robed palace maid. This Shu Hua looked like Yue Jiao. From her posture and expression, she was simply cast from the same mold. However, this Shuhua was good at singing and dancing. From King Wu's introduction, he knew that she was also a girl who knew a lot about needlework. When he looked at this palace maid, he was thinking about his daughter Yue Jiao and was so engrossed in her. King Wu thought that he was lost in love and gave her to him. How could he be happy?
When Jiao Li thought of this, he couldn't help but laugh. His rough breathing woke Shuhua up.
Shuhua raised her head and opened her eyes to see the Shang envoy looking at her. She was shocked and quickly said,"Ah, it's the doctor. My daughter greets you.”She stood up and was about to bow.
"No need for formalities, no need for formalities." Jiao Li quickly stopped her and reached out to pull her slender hand. Her body trembled, and her hands trembled unconsciously. Knowing that she was being cautious, he let go of her hand and sat down on the stool she had given him. He stroked the stool beside him and watched her sit down before saying,"This old man is already so old and should have enjoyed his old age. It's just that fate is not obedient and is still rushing about. It's difficult to go against the king's orders. "Last night, I was fascinated by your beauty." Jiao Li saw Shuhua's body tremble again and a trace of sadness flashed across her face. She laughed loudly and paused for a moment before continuing,"I'm so happy.""Both of you look very similar to Yue Jiao.”
"Yuejiao?" Shuhua repeated doubtfully, thinking that Yue Jiao was not this old man's concubine. King Zhou of Shang was drunk, and the ministers under him would also be lechers. The old man in front of him was no exception.
"Yes, it's more like she's exactly the same as Yue Jiao, which I like. The three were given generously by King Wu. With you by my side, my life's wishes are fulfilled.”As he said that, he laughed loudly along with Happy.?Then, he suddenly stopped laughing and raised his head to let out a long sigh. He exhaled a long breath as if he wanted to vent all the anger in his chest. He looked at Shuhua again and saw that her body was trembling. He asked with concern,"You didn't sleep last night. I think you caught a cold this morning. You're trembling. You might be sick. I have a robe here, you can put it on first.”As he spoke, he got up and found a robe from his luggage. He spread his hands and prepared to put it on Shuhua.
Shuhua was venting her anger, or rather, she was accumulating her anger. She was angry at the lecherous ministers under King Zhou of Shang, and she was also angry at the old man in front of her. She was trying her best to control herself and complete the task of the Martial King. At this moment, he was stunned by the actions of the plastic Li and quickly said,"No, no, Doctor Xie."
"What are you thanking me for? This is what I should do.”Seeing that Shuhua still had a puzzled and sorrowful expression, he was about to refuse when Jiao Li asked,""You…?"
"A concubine should be minding her own business and serving the doctor. How can she make the doctor worry?”she whispered, her lips moving.
"Concubine? Ah!”Jiao Li repeated the sentence and suddenly came to a realization." Ah, ha, haha…" Then, he laughed even harder. " This time, he boldly pulled Shuhua over and sat her down close to his knees."You look like my beloved daughter Yue Jiao. Yue Jiao died of illness two years ago. My wife and I only have this beautiful daughter. Now, my wife misses her all the time and lives a hard life. I want to send you to my wife and keep her company. You are proficient in singing and dancing, and my wife will be relieved. Come, I am already in the twilight of my life and will soon be buried. I also hope that when I am buried, someone will offer sacrifices and bury me. You are the favorite palace maid of King Wu and the Queen. If you don't mind my trouble, be my goddaughter and follow me to Shangdu.”
At this time, Shuhua understood the purpose of the plastic Li and understood the sad background of this old man. Although he was a minister of the Shang Dynasty and enjoyed wealth, he could not get the warmth of his relatives, leaving the two old men alone and sad. As a merchant envoy, he rushed between the vassal states. The king's orders were like wolves and tigers, imposing on others. But my heart is like a withered bud in drought, hoping for the nourishment of human love. She remembered the emotion she felt when she saw the wrinkles on the old man's face at the banquet last night. Now, she looked at him carefully. She was not wrong. She could feel his state of mind. He had indeed been through hardships and hardships. He had experienced the pain of separation from his flesh and blood. However, the smile on his face was more innocent and brighter than last night. It was like the spring in March. He was kind and kind, but there was still a hint of bitterness.
"Thank you, doctor. Your maidservant is willing to go with you.”Shuhua replied after a moment.
"You don't want to be my daughter?" Jiao Li asked again, looking impatient.
"I'm afraid that the servant girl's fortune is poor and she can't bear the responsibility.”
"There's no such thing. As long as you're willing, wouldn't I be happy? Call me daddy." Jiao Li took the initiative and said to Shuhua.
"Father." Shuhua softly called out shyly and slowly knelt down in front of the tripod.
" Get up, quickly get up." The plastic Li quickly pulled her up and said happily,""Let me take a good look at you, child.”He carefully studied her face. Nowadays, there was a custom of valuing men over women, and there was a line between men being superior to women. However, there was no such thing at home, especially when the beloved daughter was still alive. The family enjoyed the happiness of family members and was very close. There was no difference between men and women. Now, as he looked at Shuhua, he could not help but caress her cheeks gently.
Shuhua met his gaze and shyly called out,"Dad!"”
Jiao Li muttered to himself,"I'm satisfied, I'm satisfied."”After pausing for a while, he came to his senses and said to Shuhua,"My son has slept well for a while. He will leave for home tomorrow. Your mother is still waiting for you at home.”He pushed her to the bedside." I still have work to do today. I'll be right back. My son should rest." As he spoke, Jiao Li patted Shuhua's shoulder and turned to walk out. When he crossed the threshold, he turned back and reminded her,"Have a good rest. I'll be back soon.”
"Daddy, come back quickly." Shuhua's soft voice came from behind.
Jiao Li smiled and happily called out to his entourage. When he reached the door, he was still smiling and shaking his head.
Shuhua, who was in the room, was also happily recalling what had just happened. She did not expect such an outcome. As she daydreamed, she was filled with new hopes for her future and her own destiny. She also gained new confidence. When she thought of leaving the King Wu and the Queen, a sense of nostalgia grew in her heart.
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