The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 684 The Daring Wang Xuance
The three lower floors of Qingyun Tower are for receiving ordinary diners. For people of ordinary status, it is already good enough to go to the third floor. The upper three floors are for those from wealthy families and those who hold official positions in the court.

The seven-story Tengyun Pavilion on the top floor is said to have been prepared by Prince Lu for his second brother, the Emperor.

Although Li Shimin had never been here, the Prince of Lu's palace had always been empty. Except for when he went there sometimes, it was never open to the public.

Today, in a room on the fifth floor of Qingyun Tower, Hu Lixian hosted a banquet for Wang Xuance, a close confidant of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

There was singing and dancing in the box. After three rounds of wine and five kinds of dishes, Hu Lixian waved his hand, and the four women who were accompanying him, who were dressed in light gauze, had gorgeous makeup and graceful figures, and a group of dancing girls who were playing music and entertaining them, slowly retreated.

Seeing that Wang Xuance was already somewhat intoxicated, Hu Lixian raised a glass of wine and said, "Sir Wang, I have great respect for you! Since Sir Xue went to the north, you are the one most trusted by His Highness in the East Palace. Even this time, His Highness has entrusted you to handle the Flying Tiger Army. You have the final say on all matters, from top to bottom!"

"Alas, do you dare not say that?"

Wang Xuance's eyes were hazy with drunkenness, and he seemed to be about to fall on the table in the next second. "It is all thanks to your highness's trust. I dare not be careless. I must train a strong army for your highness and show off my reputation in front of the emperor, so that people in the world know that he is not the only one who can lead troops."

"That's right. We are all tutors to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. We will do our best this time to train the Flying Tiger Army well and win face for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Although Hu Lixian had a fawning smile and spoke words of flattery, he looked down on Wang Xuance from the bottom of his heart. Wang Xuance was just the son of a merchant from Luoyang. By chance, he had sneaked into the Eastern Palace and was highly regarded by the prince, who even relied on him as his confidant.

Just because the prince appointed the son of a lowly merchant, he was no match for the King of Shu.

Thinking of the King of Shu's instructions last night, Hu Lixian tentatively took out a silver note from his pocket and handed it over: "Master Wang, this is a little gift from me. I don't want anything else, I just hope to make friends with you. I hope you don't mind it. Please accept it with a smile."

Wang Xuance's eyes, which had been dazed just now, suddenly emitted a light that amazed Hu Lixian. He took the silver note in the blink of an eye. When he saw the amount on it, he nodded with satisfaction and put it in his arms with skillful movements.

After receiving the banknote, the smile on Wang Xuance's face became even brighter: "Brother Hu, why are you so polite? You always call me Sir, which is too much of a stranger. From now on, just call me Brother Wang. Don't worry, after today, I will recognize you as my brother. As long as I am in the East Palace, I will protect you."

Hu Lixian was stunned by the other party's skillful movements. Although he knew that the son of this merchant would not be a chaste and strong-willed person, he was still shocked by the other party's unscrupulous behavior. Ten thousand strings of cash, and he just accepted it without asking any questions?

As expected, businessmen are ungrateful and only care about money. Hu Lixian was relieved and agreed with a few words, then told his intentions: "Brother Wang, to be honest, I have been reading the books of sages since I was a child, and I am also good at military tactics!"

"I have been in the East Palace for two months. I have always wanted to show my talents and serve His Highness, but I have never found a suitable opportunity. This time, I finally met His Highness training the Flying Tiger Army, so I want to..."

"Ok?"

Wang Xuance's face suddenly changed. He reached into his arms, took out the silver note that he had just received and it was not even warm yet, slammed it on the table, and said coldly, "I told you, what do you mean by making friends? It's all for the purpose of joining the Flying Tiger Army."

"Hu Lixian, who do you think I am? You want to buy the integrity of a loyal minister with just 10,000 strings of cash? Bah, take your filthy money and get out of here."

After saying this, Wang Xuance stood up angrily and was about to leave.
It was just a warm spring day, but suddenly it turned into a violent storm. Hu Lixian was a little uncomfortable for a while, but as a man from an aristocratic family, he reacted immediately. He quickly stood up and pulled the angry Wang Xuance, apologizing non-stop: "Oh, Brother Wang, you misunderstood, listen to me."

"I really don't mean that. Your brother Wang is famous for his integrity in the East Palace. Everyone knows that. I have no intention of buying you off. This banknote is really just to make friends. I can't serve His Highness like Brother Wang, but I also want to do my best. His Highness usually goes in and out, drinks tea and drinks, so it is inevitable that there will be some expenses. This is my real intention. Brother Wang, please don't misunderstand me."

"Oh, so that's it!"

Wang Xuance's expression softened upon hearing this, and he pretended to blame, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I thought you were trying to win me over and corrupt me."

"Since it is my feelings for Your Highness, I will not be polite. Don't worry, I will find a chance to express your feelings to Your Highness."

Before Hu Lixian could react, the silver note that had just appeared was back in Wang Xuance's arms.

Hu Lixian was stunned for a moment, and then he realized that what a loyal minister's integrity was, he was just a man who was both a minister and a traitor! He secretly despised Wang Xuance in his heart, and then he flattered him for a while, and brought up the topic just now, but this time he changed the way he said it, and said tactfully: "Brother Wang, I heard that your highness has formed the Flying Tiger Army, but the emperor has not allocated too many troops."

"Your Highness has been worried about the funding issue recently. As the saying goes, you need to raise an army for a thousand days and use it in one day. As a tutor in the Eastern Palace, I am trusted by Your Highness. My family has a little property, and I would like to contribute to Your Highness's Flying Tiger Army. I wonder if Your Highness is willing to give me this opportunity."

Wang Xuance glanced at Hu Lixian and secretly praised him in his heart. These people from wealthy families are really smart. They have found a good excuse for themselves. So he pretended to think for a while and said, "Brother Hu, you are really well-informed. This is true!"

"To be honest, Your Highness accepted this mission. In order to show off his achievements in front of the Emperor, he never planned to ask the Emperor for much money. Instead, he wanted to raise military funds on his own. What you said has inspired me. There are quite a few people with wealthy families among the tutors in the East Palace. If there are willing supporters, it can be accepted."

"Well, I am worried that I can't repay the Crown Prince for his kindness."

Hu Lixian said excitedly, "Your Highness usually treats us like brothers. This time it is my turn to be loyal. Brother Wang, how much money does Your Highness need at the moment? I will definitely help you."

Wang Xuance smacked his lips, stroked his chin and asked, "How much do you plan to support? Tell me a number and I'll consider it."

"One hundred thousand strings of cash." Hu Lixian directly reported the amount given by the King of Shu.

Wang Xuance frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "If that's the case, then I can recommend you to be the brigade commander."

Hu Lixian was startled. First, he didn't expect it to be so smooth. Second, from what Wang Xuance meant, if he made more money, he might be able to take on a higher position. So he asked tentatively, "Brother Wang, if I can support him more, can this position be increased?"

Having said that, Wang Xuance no longer hid his intention. He looked around cautiously and made sure that no one was in the room. He then said in a low voice, "Brother Hu, you are not an outsider either. I will tell you the truth. 30 strings of cash can make you a lieutenant, 60 strings of cash can make you a general, and 100 strings of cash can make you a lieutenant general."

'Sister'

Hu Lixian took a deep breath. This son of a merchant was indeed bold and greedy. He actually took advantage of the prince's trust and exchanged his position in the Flying Tiger Army for money.

Of course, although the explanation sounds good, such as financial support and recommendation for appointment, it is actually a kind of hidden selling of official positions. I wonder if the prince knows about it? I think it is probably hidden from the prince, which is simply audacious. However, this is extremely beneficial to the King of Shu.

Although it is naturally extremely difficult for ordinary people to have a fortune of hundreds of thousands of strings of cash, for a wealthy family like Hu Lixian, a million strings of cash is just a piece of cake. Because except for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, even with a few million strings of cash, you can't buy a fourth-rank military officer in the court, let alone a Lieutenant General of the Flying Tiger Army. Hu Lixian was excited.

He said quickly, "Brother Wang, in this case, you must leave me a position as the General of the Central Army. I will go and raise money right now, and I guarantee that I can raise one million strings of cash within three days."

"Then you better hurry up."

Since the words had been said, Wang Xuance did not hide it anymore, and said with a look of arrogance: "In consideration of your ten thousand strings of silver notes, I will reveal some inside information to you. In addition to your highness personally serving as the Flying Tiger General, there are only two positions of Lieutenant General in the Flying Tiger Army."

"Du Chuke's nephew Zhou Yande and the Prince of Qi's brother-in-law Liang Sijin invited me to dinner last night. They kept saying that they must take down the positions of the two generals. Du Chuke dared not say anything, but the Prince of Qi is a general in Shandong. He is very rich, and one million strings of cash is nothing to him."

"If you are late and the two places are gone, don't blame me for not telling you in advance."

Seeing Hu Lixian's nervous face, Wang Xuance said proudly: "In addition, Xue Guogong's grandson Shunde's future son-in-law Luo Ensheng also invited me to a banquet tonight. I guess he is also eyeing the position of Lieutenant General of the Flying Tiger Army. There are too many people and too little porridge. You have to act quickly."

"First come, first served. If you are late, there will be no seats even if you have paid. Don't blame me, Brother Wang, for being unfair."

After saying that, Wang Xuance picked up the wine glass on the table, drank it all, then called the two followers at the door and left.

On this side, Hu Lixian learned that the internal competition was so fierce, so he did not dare to delay. He settled the bill, got on the carriage and rushed to the Prince of Shu's palace. He wanted to persuade the King of Shu to pay out one million strings of cash and grab the position of a General of the Central Army.

(End of this chapter)