Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 895: Riding Alone into the Village
The "middleman" that Zhu Su thought of to mediate the "blood feud" between the imperial court and Shuixi was Song Qin's troops from the Shuidong Song family.

Shuidong, like Shuixi, donated land to Guiyang City, and both had the right to manage the Guiyang market. Zhu Su's original intention was to prevent the market in the city from being dominated by a certain group, which would be detrimental to the development of Guizhou. Shuixi and Shuidong had many old grudges, and both had donated land for the construction of the city. The strength of both sides was also equal. The two enemies just happened to remain old rivals and were placed in the market to continue their healthy competition.

However, unexpectedly, Ma Ye attempted to force Shuixi to rebel.

As soon as the Ai Cui incident happened, Song Qin was sensitive to the murderous intent emanating from Ma Ye. When the Shuixi tribe was excited, he chose to immediately gather the Shuidong tribes and protect himself. Finally, seeing that the situation was becoming increasingly weird, he simply gave up the business of the market and completely retreated to the Shuidong village, choosing to wait and see what would happen.

Although Shuixi and Shuidong usually fight happily, in terms of standpoint, Shuixi and Shuidong are both chieftains of Guizhou. If Ma Ye attacks Shuixi, Shuidong will certainly not be able to escape... Shuidong is also not short of people with outstanding vision like Mrs. Shez. They naturally know that facing such a behemoth as the imperial court, the two tribes that seem to be able to call the wind and rain in Guizhou are definitely like ants trying to shake a tree and cannot be its opponent.

Therefore, Shuidong, which was originally another powerful force in Guiyang City, seemed to have suddenly disappeared, only trying to stay out of it without leaving any trace.

However, tonight, an uninvited guest broke the tranquility of Shuidongbu, which was hiding in the corner.

"What? You said that the King Zhou of the Ming Dynasty is visiting?" In the Shuidong Village, Chieftain Song Qin put on his clothes and sat up, with a look of panic on his face. "Could it be that... the Ming Dynasty wants to wipe out Shuidong and Shuixi at once?"

"How many soldiers did the King of Zhou bring?"

"Tusi, there are no soldiers, only ten people..." said the Buyi man who came to report the news, the head of Shuidong Village who was responsible for leading the troops and guarding. "The leader, His Royal Highness King Zhou... is not even wearing armor."

"His clothes were soaked by the heavy rain... He didn't carry any weapons at all!"

"Only ten people?" Song Qin was stunned.

"... Chief, do you want to let them into the village?" the leader asked.

"Your Highness came in the rain and even his clothes are wet. Even if he is the most ordinary guest, we must entertain him to warm up by the fire and shelter from the rain... What's more, he is the Highness of the Ming Dynasty?" A firm female voice said behind Song Qin.

"lady!"

"Mrs. Shuzhen!"

Inside the house, Song Qin's wife Liu Shuzhen came out. She first looked at Song Qin and said, "My husband, His Royal Highness Prince Zhou is expressing his sincerity. We Shuidong are a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, and we must not be disrespectful to the prince of the Ming Dynasty."

Then, she looked at the leader and said, "Quick, prepare tea and food, and have everyone get up and go to the entrance of the village to welcome King Zhou of the Ming Dynasty with the highest etiquette of our Shuidong!"

"Yes, yes..." The leader also knew that Liu Shuzhen's words were more effective in Shuidong than Song Qin's. Upon hearing this, he hurriedly crawled in the rain to arrange the welcoming arrangements.

Song Qin was still a little hesitant, scratching his head and said, "Madam, the Ming Dynasty went back on its word and framed Ai Cui... maybe they will also attack us Shuidong in the future. Is it necessary for us to receive the King Zhou in such a grand manner?"

"Husband." Liu Shuzhen held Song Qin's arm. "We are still chieftains in name only... As long as the Ming Dynasty doesn't take action, we must not act rashly."

"Not to mention that this King Zhou... may not have the intention to deal with us Shuidong. Even if he really has this intention, we can't give him a handle... A reputation of disrespecting the prince may be enough for the Ming Dynasty to send out a large army to wipe out our Shuidong. Isn't it?"

She spoke softly, her face full of worry. Song Qin thought of what he had seen in Sizhou in the past, those terrifying soldiers of the Ming Dynasty who looked like soldiers from heaven, and he couldn't help but shudder.

"Yes, Madam is right... We cannot leave any evidence behind. We must receive the prince of the Ming Dynasty with the most solemn etiquette!"

……

Seeing the gates of the fort in front of him open wide, and the people of Shuidong who were in a hurry but still bowed their heads respectfully, Zhu Su's originally hanging heart was completely put down. Very good, Shuidong, as expected, has not yet made up its mind to follow Shuixi in rebellion.

If they are still willing to pay respect to the King of Zhou, then they are willing to pay respect to the imperial court... If they are willing to pay respect to the imperial court, then there is a great chance that they are willing to help the imperial court resolve this conflict. It can be said that the purpose of this visit has been achieved by 70% at the gate of the village.

"Your Highness Prince Zhou came here at night, I am really terrified... Oh, how did he get soaked like this." Song Qin was shocked when he saw Zhu Su's appearance with his own eyes.

Zhu Su was worried that Shuixi would attack the city tomorrow morning, so he ran a little faster tonight. The weather in Guizhou was changeable, and the drizzle on the way suddenly turned into a downpour. In the heavy rain, the prince's robe under the raincoat was inevitably stained with a few rain stains, and his appearance was naturally a bit embarrassed.

But Zhu Su was still full of vigor. He took off his raincoat and rain gear casually, dismounted and raised his hand: "Haha, I have conquered thousands of miles, I am not a weak clay doll... Chief Song, please stand up. I really feel a little cold... Let's find a warm place to talk?" After saying that, as if he was the owner of the place, he handed the warhorse to a Shuidong man, and then walked inside on his own.

Song Qin, who was feeling uneasy, was somewhat discouraged by Zhu Su's calmness. He did not dare to delay and quickly got up and led Zhu Su to a place to take shelter from the rain.

The place Song Qin arranged for Zhu Su to stay temporarily was his own residence in the village. As a chieftain, his residence was undoubtedly the most luxurious. But even so, seeing Zhu Su looking around with interest, he was still a little worried that the level was not up to the prince's liking.

Zhu Su was calm and composed, so he didn't know how to start. After hesitating for a long time, he said, "Your Highness, I dare to ask..."

"I wonder if His Highness has come here to look for me. Do you have any instructions?"

"Hmm?" Zhu Su seemed to have just come back to his senses from the pattern of a Bouyei pottery. After hearing this, he sat down opposite Song Qin, his expression gradually becoming serious. "Yes, I have something that I want to ask you, Shuidong, to do."

"..." Seeing Zhu Su's expression, Song Qin couldn't help swallowing his saliva, thinking that maybe this Prince Zhou wanted to win over his troops in Shuidong and attack Shuixi? After thinking about it, Song Qin forced a smile and said, "Your Highness, it's really unfortunate."

"The Shuidong tribes have a tribal sacrifice recently. Everyone in the tribe is busy. It's really not very convenient..."

"Does Chieftain Song still want to stay out of this?" Zhu Su suddenly grabbed Song Qin's arm, and looked at him with a burning gaze. "If Shuixi rebels, how can Shuidong stay out of this alone?"

"The future of the people of Shuidong depends on Tusi Song alone...Does Tusi Song want to be a coward?"

(End of this chapter)