She picked up the young prime minister while fleeing famine

"Why be so polite with your master? Come, have a drink with your master." Murong Fu patted his eldest disciple on the shoulder and said casually.

In fact, he didn't think the kid would give him face and drink with him; he might even lecture him.

That's incredible! Have you ever seen a family where the disciple teaches the master?

Hehe, that's his house.

However, the truth is that Lian Chengmo actually raised his glass.

"Master, your disciple toasts you." Lian Chengmo said softly, not just taking a sip as before, but drinking it all in one gulp.

Fortunately, the wine glasses were small, so I didn't actually drink much.

In fact, Lian Chengmo has a decent alcohol tolerance, but he believes that drinking leads to trouble, so he never drinks unless necessary, and he certainly doesn't drink much.

So, when Murong Fu became interested...

"Good lad, come on, have another drink!"

“Master, you still have some ailments, so it’s best to drink less.” Lian Chengmo’s face immediately hardened, and he began to lecture.

"..." Murong Fu, as expected, one shouldn't have too many expectations for his eldest disciple, hehe.

The two sat in the corner whispering to each other, while the crowd in front of them were already showering Wang with flattery.

In just a short while, King Cheng had exchanged pleasantries with the wealthy merchants and heads of powerful families in front of him and taken his seat.

With his seat taken, the banquet officially began.

Since it was a banquet, singing and dancing were indispensable. King Cheng clapped his hands, and a group of dancers and musicians immediately came to the banquet hall.

As the music of string and wind instruments began, the young girl danced gracefully.

The lead dancer was a young girl of sixteen, so tender and delicate that she seemed to be able to squeeze water out of her skin. She swayed her waist gracefully, occasionally throwing a flirtatious glance at the King Cheng in the main seat.

All these dancers knew that Rouge, a woman of the night, had not only been redeemed from her brothel but had also become a high-ranking concubine of the King Cheng simply because she had caught his eye.

If they could also catch the eye of the King, wouldn't they be like phoenixes rising from the ashes?

As long as they can become superior people, what does it matter if the King is old enough to be their father?

The dancer's blatant seduction caused Rouge, who was sitting next to King Cheng, to turn pale, but King Cheng was quite pleased and enjoyed it.

He loved being surrounded by beautiful women and receiving flattery and praise. It made him feel powerful and influential, and he thought it was amazing to have other people's lives in his hands.

"Your Highness, have you forgotten the purpose of today's banquet? Let's get down to business." Rouge gently moved her hand and fed the wine cup to Prince Cheng's lips, preventing him from looking at the dancers below.

"Haha, is my Rouge jealous?" King Cheng lifted Rouge's chin, teasing her deliberately.

Unfortunately, King Cheng had a rugged appearance, with a full beard that made him look like Zhang Fei, which made the scene resemble Beauty and the Beast.

Even from afar, Murong Fu couldn't help but admire Rouge. This woman was truly ruthless to herself, and she could even bring herself to do it to someone like Prince Cheng.

Lian Chengmo silently stared at the wine pot on the table, refusing to look at anything improper.

In the main seat, Rouge had her chin lifted by King Cheng, and then she took the opportunity to grab King Cheng's large hand with her small hand, and brought the wine cup to King Cheng's lips.

"Your Highness, they were just worried that you would neglect your important business."

"Besides, you already have me and several concubines, aren't you satisfied? Do you really need to drag a vixen into being your sister?" Rouge said coquettishly, her voice soft and sweet.

King Cheng's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and seeing the beauty's blushing, shy, and timid face, he couldn't help but want to take her right then and there.

He acted on his impulse, pulling Rouge into his arms and then drinking the wine in his glass in one gulp from her hand.

The gaze that was staring intently at Rouge seemed to have stripped her naked, and that's how three cups of wine were combined.

Seeing that the King's eyes were practically drooling, Liancheng Ruihong, who was sitting at the head of the table below, couldn't stand it anymore. He covered his mouth and coughed loudly.

Just then, the dancers finished their performance, and the music stopped, making his cough all the more distinct.

King Cheng was drawn to him and looked over. He saw that all the guests who had been invited to the banquet below had their heads down, not daring to watch King Cheng flirting with his concubines.

Of course, there were also several families whose daughters or sisters had married into the Prince Cheng's household. Their faces were as black as ink, wishing they could tear Rouge, this vixen, apart to prevent her from monopolizing the Prince Cheng's favor.

However, despite their thoughts, they dared not show them. King Cheng was capricious, and no one dared to easily cross his bottom line.

“Your Highness, didn’t you invite everyone here to discuss important matters?” With Prince Cheng staring at him, Liancheng Ruihong had no choice but to bite the bullet and remind him.

Does he really want to support this stubborn guy?

But since he was favored by the late emperor and his fiefdom was on the ancestral land of the Liancheng family, there was nothing they could do. If they didn't submit, the enemy's iron cavalry would simply trample Yunzhou to the ground.

However, now that he has chosen a side, Liancheng Ruihong still hopes to achieve something, at least something from the Dragon's Attack.

Lian Cheng Ruihong's words immediately caused a great stir. Everyone whispered among themselves, wondering why the King had summoned them, especially since even some small merchants had been invited.

Given their status and position, how could they possibly be qualified to step into the Prince Cheng's residence? That's quite strange.

"Haha, Patriarch Liancheng is right. I have called everyone here today to discuss an important matter."

"A momentous event that will bring peace to the world." King Cheng pushed Rouge away from his embrace and stood up abruptly.

He was tall and strong, and his voice was loud as well. His shout of "major event" was so loud that even Lian Chengmo, who was sitting in the corner, found it deafening and turned to look.

"As you all know, I have been fighting against the rebel Shan Cong'an for more than half a year, and the army's food supplies have been depleted."

“But my army is invincible and has already captured half of his prefecture. If we continue our efforts, we can cut off Shan Cong’an’s head and march straight to the capital to restore order and end the war.” As he spoke, King Cheng picked up the wine pot and cup and poured wine.

"However, all of this still requires everyone's help. Those with money should contribute money, and those with grain should donate grain. Rest assured, your generosity today will make you all founding heroes when I ascend to the throne in the future."

"This cup is a toast to you all." King Cheng rattled off a string of words in a flash, giving no one time to react before downing it in one gulp.

Now it was the people below who were filled with fear and unease, finally realizing that today's banquet was actually a trap.

"Your Highness is too kind. We are not worthy of your toast. I'll drink it all." A patriarch from a minor family who had already heard rumors stood up and echoed.

These aristocratic families were not as powerful as the Liancheng family in Yunzhou, so they naturally wanted to curry favor with the Prince Cheng to benefit themselves.

It's just a little money and food; they can afford it.

After finishing his wine, the young patriarch glanced at Liancheng Ruihong. His family was the second most powerful family in Yunzhou after the Liancheng family, and they had accumulated power over hundreds of years. Sooner or later, he would trample the Liancheng family underfoot.

Isn't this chaotic world the perfect opportunity for his family to rise to power?

"..." Liancheng Ruihong, noticing the other party's gaze, thought to himself, "Ha, just a sucker."