Chapter 203: Assassination Through Poison (1/2)
Chapter 203: Assassination Through Poison
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
The moon glowed faintly in the cool night.
The lamps were all lit inside the Garrison Mansion of Jiang City, turning the surroundings as bright as daytime.
Eminent guests occupied every corner of the Garrison's banquet hall, making a show of happiness and prosperity. The guests toasted and goaded each other with wine, laughing cheerfully as they engaged in drinking games. This was a banquet at its most intense.
Junior Leopard gently shook the golden cup in his hand. The aureate liquor inside the cup flickered with a golden glow, giving off a mellow scent. When it reached his nose, every facet of that scent seemed to penetrate deeply into his heart and lungs. ”What on earth is this Zheng Xi thinking about?”
The discussion last night bore no fruit. Besides Zhu Ba harping on how he wanted to teach Zheng Xi a lesson, the rest of them, including himself, had no good ideas to suggest.
They were all aware that they were no more than an insignificant piece of the puzzle in the eyes of the high and lofty eminences. Never mind replacing a commander, it would take more than a mere word to dismantle the entire Navy of Jiang City.
Since this matter was implicitly related to the struggle for the throne, they had no solutions no matter how they wanted to help.
None of them were idiots. They would naturally run as far as they can from such life-threatening endeavors.
What was beyond Junior Leopard's expectations was the banquet invitation from the new Garrison of Jiang City after hearing about his return the next day. The other heads of the Navy, such as Wang Cheng and Jiang Xiao, were also invited.
Since he was back, there was no way for him to refuse the invitation. Therefore, he decided to attend the banquet on time. He wanted to see what kind of person this new Garrison was.
Unexpectedly, he only managed a word and salute with Zheng Xi. The Garrison then left him aside to greet the other guests, not showing him any face.
Junior Leopard was already prepared for this to happen. Though Zheng Xi had only been promoted not too long ago, his domineering side was apparent. He not only wanted to control the entire Army of Jiang City, but also the Navy. However, Junior Leopard was a unique existence in the Navy, making it difficult for him to do so.
Putting aside his fearsome cultivation, Junior Leopard had brought a string of benefits to the Navy after assuming the office. That was enough to earn the loyalty of the entire Water Army Camp.
Hence, if one wanted to control the Navy, he must first control Junior Leopard. But was Junior Leopard the kind to be so easily controlled?
Junior Leopard understood himself best. Even if Zheng Xi's was ranked one level higher, he wouldn't hand over the Navy without a fight. This was especially true for the River Heart Island that he had laboriously captured. Therefore, there was completely no way for the two of them to ease their conflicting views.
ince that was impossible, there was no need to put a show of goodwill.
Zheng Xi didn't plan to take any surface acting. He even wanted to suppress Junior Leopard by this dinner party. Junior Leopard naturally wouldn't play up to Zheng Xi. Therefore, he just sat there quietly all the time, waiting for Zheng Xi to say something. Though Zhu Ba, Wang Cheng and Jiang Xiao wanted to propose him a toast, they were held back by Junior Leopard's eye expression. At last, they could only sit in the chair and drink in a gloomy mood.
If someone wanted to make things difficult for him, they still ought to come up with an excuse, no?
The minute Junior Leopard entered the hall, he knew what excuse Zheng Xi was going to use. That answer was Shopkeeper Ding of the Southern Bay Warehouse being seated across him, looking astonished.
Junior Leopard had a good eyesight with a 360-degree angle of view. Therefore, though it seemed he was drinking gloomily alone, he could see everything happening in the banquet. Until now, Zheng Xi had refused to talk to him but he clearly saw Zheng Xi stealing glances at him several times. During the banquet, Zheng Xi also made eye contact with the Shopkeeper Ding from time to time. But since Junior Leopard remained quiet and didn't toast anyone, he couldn't find an opportunity.
Junior Leopard secretly sneered to himself. If Zheng Xi won't open his mouth, he would really sit here and drink from the beginning to the end. The new Garrison better not expect him to talk. He wanted to see how Zheng Xi would deal with him.
That was his plan.
But the problem must, in the end, be solved.
After everyone had made a round of toasts, the dancing girls excused themselves. Shopkeeper Ding picked up his cup and staggered toward Junior Leopard.
”Here he comes!” Junior Leopard thought.
”Commander Zhou, don't sit there drinking alone. Come, I'll toast you!”
Ding Deshui dragged his fat body before Junior Leopard, smelling strongly of alcohol. ”Your honor, you must look after our warehouse properly from now on! You can't give us a hard time as you did before!”
Junior Leopard smiled and picked up his cup. Their cups touched and he downed his wine. He still said nothing and didn't even look at Shopkeeper Ding.
Ding Deshui was an experienced man. Facing such a situation, he merely chuckled and finished the wine in his cup. He returned to his seat without another word.
”Hold on, please. What did you say just now. Shopkeeper Ding? Why I haven't heard about any news that someone dares to obstruct you in Jiang City?”
The minute Zheng Xi's voice rang, the noisy hall fell into silence. Those who received invitations were all well-known people in Jiang City. They were, of course, no less well-informed than Junior Leopard. They naturally understood the power struggle between Junior Leopard and Zheng Xi. Besides, it was only to be expected that a new official would implement strict new policies. Zheng Xi was Junior Leopard's immediate superior and before he even gained a firm foothold in Jiang City, he already had threatened to withdraw Junior Leopard's authority in public several times. Even an idiot could tell there was a great conflict of profit between them.
The only reason the conflict had not reared its ugly head was Junior Leopard's absence. The minute he returned, Zheng Xi threw a banquet and invited so many influential people in the city. Besides fame, those people had another thing in common: They had planned to occupy the port of the River Heart Island once. They had, more or less, conflicts of interest with Junior Leopard. But due to his strength, few dared to provoke him.
Now Zheng Xi was here and even invited them to this banquet. He obviously wanted to support them and crack down on Junior Leopard. If not, why didn't he invite Supervisor Zhao of the Wu Family?
When they saw Shopkeeper Ding standing up, they knew the climax of the show was coming. Unexpectedly, Junior Leopard didn't answer at all. While they were feeling disappointed, the new Garrison held up the end of the conversation. How could anyone still be ignorant of Zheng Xi's intention? He wanted to take this opportunity to suppress Zhou Bao.
When he heard Zheng Xi's question, Shopkeeper Ding immediately answered with a bow, ”Oh, it's just a small understanding! I wouldn't dare bother Your Excellency with such affairs.”
”What kind of words are those? Small or large, misunderstandings are still misunderstandings. We should clear them up. I'm the Garrison of Jiang City. All military affairs within the city are in my jurisdiction, including the Navy. You can tell me about the misunderstanding. Perhaps I can solve it for you.”
”Er...” When Shopkeeper Ding heard this, a conflicted expression crossed his face and he turned to Junior Leopard with a pleading look.
Could this two-man show get any more obvious? Junior Leopard sneered. He then saluted Zheng Xi and said, ”Your Excellency, I'm afraid it won't be easy to clear up this misunderstanding!”
”Oh? Not easy? Are there any misunderstandings in Jiang City that will be too difficult for you?” Zheng Zi's face turned joyful when he heard Junior Leopard answering as if he had succeeded in a trickery.
”Of course! I suspect the Southern Bay Warehouse is colluding with the water bandits in Luo River, so I ordered my brothers to examine them carefully every time. I didn't think the guilty party will come complaining to Your Excellency first. How evil!”
Ding! A crisp sound reverberated in the hall. Within the banquet, someone couldn't hold onto his cup and accidentally dropped it. The sound of the cup hitting the ground became the only noise audible in the hall.
Everyone looked at each other in speechless despair. No one expected these words to come out of Junior Leopard.
That included Zheng Xi and Shopkeeper Ding. Their smiles froze on their face and neither knew how to respond.
Shopkeeper Ding didn't react until several minutes later. ”I'm innocent, Your Excellency. That's not true! How can we collude with water bandits? You really do me wrong! Mr. Zhou, please don't frame me. We at the Southern Bay Warehouse do a clean and proper business with our conscience. You accuse us of collusion with the water bandits, but do you have any evidence? If you don't, we won't leave the matter at that.”
”Shopkeeper Ding, you should listen carefully. I said I suspected, not that I was certain. It's exactly because I have no evidence that I tolerated your warehouse. If I have evidence, do you think you will have a chance to speak here?”
”You... !”
Experienced as he was, Junior Leopard's fallacious argument made Shopkeeper Ding tremble with anger. He stared at Junior Leopard, speechless for quite a while.
Junior Leopard sneered even more openly. He gently picked up his cup and drank from it. He turned to Zheng Xi and said, ”This wine is truly delicate! Here's to you, Your Excellency.”
Zheng Xi's expression darkened but he still raised his cup and drank. ”Mr. Zhou, I accept your toast. But we must solve the problem. You're the Navy Commander of Jiang City, so your words represent not only yourself but also the whole Navy. You said you suspect the Southern Bay Warehouse of collusion with the water bandits. We can't take your word alone for such an accusation. Like what Shopkeeper Ding said earlier, you need evidence! If you don't have any, you can't say nonsense. If it's just a suspicion, investigate it first. When you have evidence, then we can talk!”
”It's not me who brought this up. It's Shopkeeper Ding who forced me to speak, no? He said my navy brothers obstructed him and Your Excellency also asked. You're the Garrison. How dare I refuse to answer or lie to you?”
Junior Leopard smiled, skilfully deflecting Zheng Xi's words. Zheng Xi's expression shifted and his grip on his cup tightened. He raised his hand, about to smash the cup.
”Your Excellency!” Seeing Zheng Xi's impending rage, the guests had a change in expression. The one sitting beside Zheng Xi immediately stood up, wanting to stop him. But he had barely said two words when someone interrupted him.