Vol 8 Chapter 88 (1/2)
VOLUME 8 CHAPTER 88: DON’T TELL ME THIS IS THE FAREWELL BANQUET (2)
Liu Bei POV
“Who is it?” I asked softly as Zi Long frowned.
“Could it be Lord Guan Yu and the rest? No, they wouldn’t come back, would they…”
Could they have left something behind? I wondered as I decided that I ought to go to the entrance to check.
Of course, now that Guan Ping isn’t around anymore, I’ll have to do this myself. Though that really needn’t to be said.
By this time, I’d already made my way to the main gate with Zi Long in tow. I lightly cleared my throat and asked once more, “May I ask who’s there?”
Just as I finished, a male voice came from outside, “I am the Governor’s Master of Ceremonies. May I ask if the Imperial Uncle is still in?”
He’s looking for me? I looked at Zi Long, who returned my gaze with a rather serious and cautious look.
And just then, the voice continued once more, “I am here to present an invitation to Imperial Uncle.”
Un? An invitation?
“Is it from elder brother?”
“Yes,” The man outside continued, “The Lord Governor wishes to hold a farewell banquet for you.”
A farewell banquet? Un… Seems a little suspicious.
“Whatever the case, let us first retrieve the invitation.” Zi Long said and took a step back as she placed her hand on the sword hanging by her side.
“Xuan De, please be at ease. If anything untoward happens, I’ll take care of it.” Zi Long said as she got into position.
Well then… *Giiyaa*
As I slowly pushed open the door, the sight of a very ordinary looking man in standard official uniform with a beard greeted me. I sized him up quickly but couldn’t detect anything off or special about him whatsoever.
“Ah, you must be Imperial Uncle Liu Bei?”
“Ah, yes.”
Looks like he hasn’t seen me before.
“Here is the invitation. Please do make your way over once you are done with any preparations you need. The banquet will be held in the Governor’s residence in the city.” He said as he took out the invitation from his sleeve and handed it to me with both hands.
I closely inspected it when I received it and was rather impressed by how professional it looked. When I opened it, I could see Liu Biao’s signature and seal inside.
I learnt my lesson since the incident with the fake carriage driver, and thanks to having to peruse many doc.u.ments sent over which had Liu Biao’s approval, I’ve gained some familiarity with his handwriting.
And so I looked over the signature and seal, and found that it was indeed legitimate.
“Alright, I got it.” I nodded towards the official and bowed and saluted him. As for the official, he returned the gesture and turned to leave without a single suspicious motion. Looks like he really only came to deliver the invitation.
“Xuan De, what do you think?”
“It’s true, there should actually be a banquet for me.” I replied as I shut the door and handed the invitation to Zi Long.
Zi Long looked it over after she received it and set it down on a stone table after closing it and began complaining, “Why did he have to wait to send it at the very last minute?”
“I don’t know.” I said as I sat on the stone steps, unsure of how to deal with this, “But I feel that I should go to this banquet.”
“It’s clearly suspicious.” Zi Long said with a serious look as she pointed at the invitation.
“I recommend Xuan De to not show up and turn down the invitation with the excuse that we need to leave immediately.”
Un… If that’s the case…
I raised my head and thought for a moment, “That can’t be good right?”
“Why not?”
“I looked down and gestured towards the invitation on the table, “That is indeed an invitation given to me by elder brother. If I do not show up, I’ll be denounced.”
“And so what if you are? By then, we will be in Xinye, what can they possibly do? Send troops after us?” Zi Long angrily replied as she sat on a stone chair with her arms folded across her chest, “In any case, it is far too dangerous for Xuan De to turn up.”
Zi Long remained quiet after she finished and waited for my reply.
It was hot, very hot, and I was as vexed as it was hot. This problem is truly frustrating.
I raised my head and looked at the sky and saw that it was just past noon. If we are to set off by evening, we have about 6 hours to spend at the banquet. We can only leave 4 hours later at the earliest.
Then…
“Zi Long, look at it this way.” I said as I leaned backwards slightly and grasped my hands in front of my chest, “Why don’t we spend 2-4 hours at the banquet, and then leave with the excuse of having to set off? If we find anything suspicious, we will leave immediately. If we do not turn up at all, we might suffer repercussions.”
“Un…” Zi Long didn’t reply and sank into thought as she looked at me before sighing and nodding, “But you must be careful and vigilant.”
“I know~”