Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 164 Barking like a dog

Before going to Shu, Shi Shouxin was always picked up and dropped off by a "special car" when he went to work at the imperial court in Luoyang, although it was not a special car to pick him up alone.

However, after returning from Shu, he found himself without his own carriage and had to walk to the Shi family mansion. Of course, according to etiquette, Shi Chong should have sent a carriage to pick him up, but for some reason, this usually very generous fellow remained silent.

This struck Shi Shouxin as odd. Logically, Shi Chong wouldn't bother giving him the cold shoulder; he could simply ignore him if he didn't want to associate with him, as humiliating someone yields no benefit. Besides, Shi Chong needed his help.

Just as they entered the east gate of Luoyang, Shi Shouxin seemed to remember something and turned to Xigou, asking, "When you went to deliver the visiting card at this banquet, did Shi Chong say anything special?"

"He...it seems he did say a little bit."

The greyhound answered somewhat hesitantly.

"You dare to fool even me?"

Shi Shouxin turned to look at Xigou, his face filled with disbelief, and asked, "Servants who deceive their masters are punished without exception—that's the rule of this era!"

"No, my lord, Shi Chong said you should bring a beautiful concubine with you. I suspect Shi Chong might be planning to play the concubine-swapping game. As you know, I came from the Shi family and know a lot about these things."

How could Ah Lang's woman be defiled by others? Not even Shi Chong could do that.

So I took it upon myself not to bring it up.

The greyhound explained cautiously.

Shi Shouxin nodded and said, "No wonder the First Madam always says you are commendable for your loyalty and bravery."

He did not blame Xigou for this. In fact, even if Xigou had said so, he would not have brought a woman to Shi Chong's house as a guest.

“My lord, a subject should die if his lord is humiliated. If you have been humiliated, then I should die too.”

The greyhound offered a flattering remark.

The two chatted as they walked through Luoyang. When they arrived at the gate of the Shi residence, Shi Shouxin saw Shi Chong standing at the entrance, looking around. Clearly, he was not indifferent to the banquet that evening.

Upon seeing Shi Shouxin, Shi Chong immediately stepped forward, grabbed the man's arm, and laughed, "Brother, it's been so many years! I've missed you terribly! Tonight, we'll drink until we drop!"

Shi Shouxin chuckled inwardly. His fame had soared after participating in the conquest of Shu that Shi Chong had even changed his title, as if afraid others wouldn't know that he, Shi Shouxin, was also a member of the Shi family.

However, he certainly couldn't say this to Shi Chong's face. Shi Shouxin grabbed Shi Chong's arm and laughed loudly, "That's nice to say. You didn't even send a carriage, making my legs ache all the way here."

Hearing Shi Shouxin's complaints, Shi Chong felt relieved. Complaining between friends, or even undermining each other in front of outsiders, are all signs of a close relationship.

Shi Shouxin complained that Shi Chong didn't send a carriage to pick him up, which meant that Shi Chong wasn't treated like an outsider.

"It's not that it's impossible, but rather that it's inappropriate."

The only person who has arrived today by carriage is the Crown Prince of Jin.

It is inappropriate for the elder brother to be ranked alongside the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin.

Shi Chong leaned close to Shi Shouxin's ear and whispered his explanation.

Sima Yan is coming too!

During the day, Sima You would visit, and at night Sima Yan would use Shi Chong's name to throw lavish parties to win over his confidants!

Sure enough, there's nothing new under the sun. What will happen after the conquest of Shu is something only the ducks know when the river warms in spring.

The young Celestial Dragons were already eager to try their luck and get a bite at the table!

Shi Shouxin couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Shi Chong thought he was thinking about Li Wan, so he comforted him, saying, "Things from back then are long gone. Your sister-in-law has already had children. What could the Prince of Jin possibly have to think about? Tonight's banquet is to welcome you back, so don't dwell on the past."

Tonight's banquet was indeed a bit awkward for Shi Shouxin and Sima Yan, because it was not as formal as the dinner party organized by Sima Zhao, but a private gathering of the powerful "second generation".

The atmosphere was quite relaxed, and the focus was more on building personal relationships.

"Huh? Why didn't you bring a concubine with you, brother?"

Shi Chong asked with a puzzled look, then looked at Xi Gou and immediately turned hostile, shouting, "You dog of a servant, how dare you deceive your master!"

"It's none of his business. I'm still a criminal and waiting to be selected as an official."

"Indulging in sensual pleasures and debauchery is really inconvenient."

Shi Shouxin explained slowly.

Shi Chong nodded and sighed, saying, "Brother, this is an undeserved misfortune, but it will pass quickly. The outside is not the place to talk; please come in!"

He treated noblemen and servants with completely different faces; his moods changed faster than turning the pages of a book.

Shi Chong led Shi Shouxin to the main hall, where several young men were already seated, each accompanied by a beautiful woman.

Not only that, but there were even people I knew among them!

"Oh my, isn't this Shi Gandang from Luoyang? Come and take a seat! It's been a long time! I've only heard that you've become famous for your participation in the conquest of Shu. Today, we must tell you all about those events!"

A young man waved to Shi Shouxin; it was Pei Kai, whom he had met once before in Hedong.

He had one arm around the slender waist of the beautiful woman beside him, while waving the other hand, showing no sign of embarrassment.

"Oh, so Uncle Ze knows my brother. What a coincidence."

With a smile on his face, Shi Chong pointed to the seat next to Pei Kai and said to Shi Shouxin, "Then please sit here, brother."

Upon hearing this, Shi Shouxin did not sit down immediately, but waited for Shi Chong to introduce the other people in the hall.

Shi Chong understood and introduced to Shi Shouxin, "This is Pan Yue, Pan Anren, and next to him is his wife, Yang Rongji."

He pointed to a handsome man not far away and made a point of mentioning the woman beside him. This unnecessary remark was to inform everyone present that Ms. Yang was only accompanying her husband to the banquet and would not be participating in the "reserved program."

It would be bad if some guests were not discerning enough to offend our friends.

Shi Shouxin noticed that Pan Yue seemed to have some issues with Pei Kai, and that he himself was also affected, so he had his displeasure written all over his face.

"This is Xiahou Zhan, courtesy name Xiaoruo."

Shi Chong pointed to a handsome young man next to Pan Yue, without mentioning the identity of the woman beside him.

This means that this woman will also be participating in the scheduled program later.

Shi Shouxin understood the general rules of the game, but his face remained expressionless.

"This is Du Bin, courtesy name Shijiang, who is Du Yu's cousin. You and Du Yu are close friends, so he is also a member of the Du family."

Shi Shouxin quickly bowed to Du Bin, who, upon hearing that Du Bin was a friend of Du Yu, immediately rose to return the bow. It was clear that although Du Bin was older than Shi Chong, Pei Kai, and others, his status was obviously lower.

If Du Yu hadn't been mentioned, none of the people present would have known who he was! That's why he was particularly humble.

"This is Zhou Hui, the nephew of Zhou Jun, the governor of Yangzhou. His uncle was a subordinate of my father."

Shi Chong introduced Zhou Hui to Shi Shouxin, again without mentioning the women around him. Zhou Hui was Zhou Jun's nephew, and Zhou Jun was Shi Bao's subordinate.

It's easy to imagine how smooth and seamless such nepotistic relationships were.

Shi Shouxin also bowed to Zhou Hui.

Next, Shi Chong introduced the guests one by one. Apart from Du Bin, who was over thirty, the others were all second-generation Tianlong people of the younger generation, none of whom were over thirty years old.

After Shi Shouxin took his seat, Xigou sat next to him. Everyone else was seated next to beautiful women, making the scene seem somewhat out of place.

Not to mention others, even Shi Chong felt extremely embarrassed, as if Shi Shouxin was different from others in some way!
So Shi Chong gave a few instructions to one of his servants, and soon the servant brought over a "smaller" cute girl.

She looks like a normal, smaller-sized beauty—shorter, her face hasn't fully developed, and her clothes are a size too small. This child is at most ten years old; she can't be any older!

“Fengniang, you sit next to my brother and serve him.”

Shi Chong spoke to the little girl named "Feng Niang".

All the guests present looked at Shi Shouxin, their faces bearing meaningful smiles.

"Don't underestimate Fengniang just because she's young; she has an exceptional eye and is skilled at identifying gold and jade artifacts!"

Shi Chong explained to the guests, which was actually an implication that Feng Niang was not a concubine who slept with the guests, but a "working woman" in the mansion.

"Wait outside in the lobby."

Shi Shouxin whispered instructions to Xigou.

Feng Niang's skin was unusually fair, clearly indicating that she was not a woman from the Central Plains.

Shi Chong noticed his confusion and explained to him, "The Xianbei woman will definitely love you even more when she is ten years older."

The phrase "I love it so much I can't put it down" is a bit lewd.

Feng Niang seemed very dissatisfied with this statement, giving Shi Chong a sidelong glance with a hint of anger flashing across her face.

Just then, a servant stepped forward and whispered to Shi Chong, "My lord, the Prince of Jin's heir has arrived!"

"Gentlemen, we have distinguished guests. I'll be right back."

Shi Chong gave a greeting and then left the hall.

After he left, Pei Kai leaned over and asked, "I heard that you took Liu Shan's daughter as a concubine in Shu. Why didn't you bring her here today so we could see her beauty?"

Shi Shouxin waved his hand and said, "I'm still a criminal, what kind of talk is it to bring a concubine to a banquet?"

Pei Kai nodded thoughtfully, without exposing Shi Shouxin's excuse.

"You people are disgusting."

Feng Niang whispered something to herself, which was probably only heard by Shi Shouxin.

He glanced back at the little girl, only to find that she remained completely indifferent, sitting upright with her hands on her knees and her eyes fixed straight ahead.

Kid, you still don't know how cruel this world is!
Don't think that just because you can identify jade, you don't have to sleep with men. Shi Chong only cared about profit; any woman was just a tool to him.

Shi Shouxin sighed inwardly.

Just then, Sima Yan entered with a young man in his twenties dressed in brocade robes. Neither of them had any female relatives with them; instead, each was accompanied by a personal attendant.

This is quite normal, to put it bluntly:
Sima Yan went to a bar for a drink, and Shi Chong, as the bar owner, naturally wouldn't allow Sima Yan to bring his own alcohol.

Shi Chong quickly summoned a stunningly beautiful woman and had her sit next to Sima Yan. The moment she appeared, her beauty overshadowed all the other women in the hall.

As for the others who came with him, Shi Chong did not arrange for any beautiful women to accompany them.

"Ji Lun, this is my ninth uncle, Sima Lun."

Sima Yan gave Shi Chong a wink.

Shi Shouxin observed silently from the side, and then realized that the two seemed to be putting on an act on purpose!

"Oh dear, my apologies, my apologies."

Shi Chong hurriedly patted his head in annoyance and gave an order to his servant. Then, a woman of average appearance walked in and sat down next to Sima Lun.

This woman was the least attractive one in the lobby.

Shi Chong's attitude was so obvious that not only Sima Lun, but even Sima Yan felt a little embarrassed.

"Jilun, let Fengniang go and accompany Sima Gong. I don't mind.

Shi Shouxin shouted to Shi Chong.

He seemed to mean well, but Sima Lun was even more embarrassed.

"Fengniang, go to Sima Gong's side."

Shi Chong gave the order to Feng Niang, his tone carrying an undeniable air of authority.

The unfortunate Fengniang had no choice but to reluctantly sit down next to Sima Lun.

However, a minor official behind Sima Lun stepped forward and pointed at Yang, the young and beautiful woman beside Pan Yue, saying, "If anyone should accompany someone, let her do it! Sending a mere child would only be more humiliating."

"You are presumptuous!"

Sima Yan shouted, then continued to question, "Who are you? My Ninth Uncle hasn't even spoken yet, do you think you have the right to speak here?"

When the Prince of Jin spoke, the attendants behind Sima Lun naturally kept silent, but the resentment on their faces remained unchanged.

Hehe, this is going to be interesting.

Shi Shouxin straightened his back, looked at Sima Yan, and then at the follower behind Sima Lun.

"Sun Xiu, you wait outside."

Sima Lun sighed, his already somewhat listless demeanor now appearing even more wretched. If it weren't for his brocade robes, outsiders would have mistaken him for a menial laborer.

"Marquis of Anle Pavilion, how can you bear such humiliation!"

Sun Xiu knelt on the ground and pleaded with Sima Lun.

"Get out!"

Sima Lun roared at Sun Xiu.

"Humph!"

Sun Xiu stood up, looked around at everyone, snorted coldly, and was about to leave.

Unexpectedly, Shi Chong squinted at him, stopped him, and his eyes were full of mockery.

He looked at Sima Yan and suggested, "I have heard that the Marquis of Anle Pavilion (Sima Lun) has an attendant who is good at imitating dog barks, and his imitation is very lifelike. I wonder if this is the same person? Since Your Highness is in such a good mood today, why don't you let him imitate a dog bark and see if the rumors are true?"

Eh?
Shi Shouxin was taken aback, not expecting Shi Chong to pull such a stunt.

Don't hit someone in the face; that's not a good way to play.

Shi Shouxin quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, saying, "Ji Lun, no, the young master is here today, we shouldn't spoil his enjoyment."

Unexpectedly, Sima Yan suddenly spoke up with great interest: "Ninth Uncle, this isn't a court assembly, it's just for fun. Let Sun Xiu learn to bark like a dog, it won't hurt. Let's see if it's really as big a deal as outsiders say."

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiu looked at Sima Lun with a troubled expression and pleading in his eyes.

However, Sima Yi's ninth son seemed to see and hear nothing, turning his head away.

This clearly shows they don't want to speak up for Sun Xiu.

"Woof, woof woof, woof woof!"

Sun Xiu started barking like a dog, but Pan Yue said with a look of disdain, "I don't think it looks like one at all. As expected, what people say is just hearsay and shouldn't be taken seriously."

He still harbored a grudge against Sun Xiu for asking his wife to accompany Sima Lun, and he was ready to settle the score on the spot!

(End of this chapter)