Chapter 61: Night Banquet

Qingzhou Prefecture Left Thousand-Household Office.

Xing Tao, who was playing the role of the Thousand-Household Officer, was currently standing beside Guo Cai'er like a security guard: "My lady, what do you think of Li Yan's sow banquet?"

"Li Yan must be a player. He is trying to identify his teammates before entering the Star Gate." Guo Cai'er slightly furrowed her delicate brows and wrote a short line of characters on the paper.

"Makes sense." Xing Tao offered a blatant compliment, though he didn't put much thought into it himself: "If that's the case, we should attend this banquet. If we can recognize our teammates before entering the gate, our advantage in the next stage will be huge."

Guo Cai'er looked up at him, her eyes filled with helplessness.

This tall boy was warm-hearted and straightforward, without too many ulterior motives, but his flaws were also obvious—he had no brains and disliked thinking.

Guo Cai'er pondered for a long time before writing again: "I think the primary task at present is not to recognize other players."

"Why?" Xing Tao showed a puzzled expression.

Guo Cai'er shook her head, sighed softly, and her brush tip swept across the rice paper: "My mother was killed... and her identity token was taken by Prince Huai. That means in this act, he can bring someone in. I don't know if Prince Huai can turn players from the imperial court faction, but what is certain is that this person now holds an imperial decree and belongs to the imperial court faction, acting as a mole hidden among us. Second, the Star Gate explicitly indicated that there is another hidden agent of Prince Huai among us. This means... before the confrontation has even begun, there are already two hostile players within our faction."

Seeing her analysis, Xing Tao instantly understood, and his expression also grew grave.

"In the 229th year, King Zhao appointed the renowned general Li Mu as the commander-in-chief to repel the Qin army. However, Wang Jian, the general of the Qin army, feared Li Mu's military talent and secretly bribed Guo Kai, a favorite minister of King Zhao. Guo Kai immediately slandered Li Mu to King Zhao, claiming he was plotting a rebellion. Outraged, King Zhao executed Li Mu, ultimately leading to the destruction of the state of Zhao." Although Guo Cai'er had an aloof personality, she excelled academically and could be considered a talented woman: "History tells us that the role of a single traitor can lead to the downfall of a nation. Moreover... there are two traitors within our small faction."

Xing Tao was unlearned and unskilled, but he roughly grasped her meaning: "Are you saying that finding the traitors is a higher priority than confirming our teammates?"

"Yes." After thinking for a long time, Guo Cai'er decisively wrote down her decision: "We must go tonight, but before figuring out the identities of the traitors, we cannot show our faces prematurely. Li Yan is already in the open, so we must stay in the dark. Taking advantage of Li Yan's sow banquet, we will violently disrupt the proceedings and strive to eliminate these two traitors directly before entering the princess's tomb."

As soon as Xing Tao saw the word "violently," his blood boiled instantly: "How should we do it?"

"Go all out and use your Death-Sertion Token." Once Guo Cai'er made a decision, she never hesitated, and she wrote down the detailed plan on paper.

...

The Consort's Bedchamber.

Ren Ye looked at Tang Feng, who had already transformed into the appearance of a man, and asked very seriously: "Are you sure... you really want to go?"

"Any Star Gate comes with risks." Tang Feng shrugged with a relaxed expression: "If I were truly afraid of death... I wouldn't have come. Besides, I've already told President Yan that the main purpose of this trip is to carry you to victory."

"Whether we fly to victory or not, I'd rather not think about it. Just make sure you don't drag me into a coffin." Ren Ye pondered for a long time: "Since you insist on going, let's put a double insurance in place. I'll have Erleng protect you in secret. If there's any accident, you must exit your disguise in time and let him escort you away."

"Very well." Tang Feng nodded.

If Tang Feng had not successfully altered his appearance, Ren Ye would never have let him take such a risk. But now that he had turned into an utterly ordinary-looking man, amidst the bustling crowd of the sow banquet, as long as he didn't act up himself, the possibility of exposure was very low.

After discussing the details, Ren Ye called Erleng and Lian'er over to give them a few more instructions before finally letting Tang Feng leave.

Once everything was settled, he returned to the consort's bedchamber.

Before entering the princess's tomb, Ren Ye and Tang Feng had distinct roles: one was responsible for investigating the opposing faction, while the other was tasked with winning over the consort as a powerful teammate.

Back in the bedchamber, Ren Ye didn't waste any words, climbed straight into bed to get to work, and entered a state of sheer bliss.

...

Evening, early You hour (approx. 5 PM).

Erleng hid in the shadows of the manor and whispered to Tang Feng: "If you encounter life-threatening danger, shout... 'Father, please save me.' I will naturally arrive."

"I suspect you're taking advantage of me." Tang Feng had already changed into ordinary soldier's armor, disguising himself as a low-ranking soldier within the manor.

"Off you go." Dropping those words, Erleng vanished like a ghost.

...

Tang Feng smiled and walked lightly toward his destination.

A moment later, he arrived at the imposing and solemn Steward's Mansion. It was now the You hour, and the surroundings of the mansion were packed with people attending the "sow banquet"—officials, ordinary servants, soldiers of the Qingzhou Prefecture, scouts from the secret espionage camp, and so on...

Upon hearing that Steward Li was not only throwing a banquet for a sow that had just given birth, but also abolishing class distinctions—meaning anyone could attend as long as they were human... this attitude in a feudal society was indeed a bit too approachable.

As everyone knew, the rigid hierarchy of feudal society was completely unmasked. If you were of the lower class, a mere bumpkin, you didn't even have the right to breathe; if they wanted you dead, you died. In contrast, modern society was much better, where the upper class mostly looked down on you only in their hearts without saying it aloud, nor did they openly strip away your rights.

Look, how polite, how civilized, filled with "respect" between human beings.

Initially, the lower-class people here didn't quite believe in the authenticity of the sow banquet, mostly holding a wait-and-see attitude and observing secretly from around the Steward's Mansion. They didn't dare enter, fearing they would be looked down upon, and even more afraid of some hidden trap where they could lose their lives in a split second.

It wasn't until quite a few bold servants actually went to the banquet and were assigned seats that everyone finally believed it, scrambling to enter one after another.

Heh, I heard the steward even had many small gifts prepared for the attendants, oh.

Tang Feng arrived at the entrance of the Steward's Mansion, saw the welcoming steward and servants, and stepped forward with cupped hands: "Congratulations to the steward's family on the auspicious birth of the sow's piglets."

See? How polite those words were.

Seeing him wearing ordinary soldier's armor, the old steward didn't even lift an eyelid, merely nodding slightly: "The steward left word, anyone who wishes to discuss the princess's tomb in detail with my lord may report to me in advance, and I will lead them to my lord's thatched cottage."

"Thank you, Steward, this subordinate understands." Tang Feng cupped his hands.

"Show him to his seat." The old steward instructed indifferently.

With those words, Tang Feng and a servant entered the courtyard and were arranged to dine outside a side room.

Sitting in the chair, he looked around and saw that indeed quite a few people had come today, at least two to three hundred inside and out.

...

The sun sank in the west, and the bright moon rose.

Most of the You hour had passed, and night quietly descended. The Steward's Mansion was brightly lit with lanterns and banners, remaining as bustling as ever.

Inside the Huanyuan Thatched Cottage, Steward Li Yan sat in a wooden chair with a very solemn expression.

From the beginning until now, not a single person had come to speak with him in private.

What did this indicate? It showed that the players of the imperial court faction were still extremely cautious; even with Li Yan setting up the trap, no one wanted to reveal their identity first.

Time ticked away, and as midnight approached, the time to enter the princess's tomb grew shorter and shorter.

On the rattan chair, Liu Jishan leisurely sipped his tea and softly asked, "How many players do you think... could be inside the Steward's Mansion right now?"

"I think, apart from Prince Huai who didn't come, everyone else is here." Li Yan tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table and replied briefly.

"What's the use of them coming? No one dares to show their face." As Liu Jishan raised his hand to set down the teacup, he accidentally knocked over the teapot, spilling tea all over the table.

However, he wasn't a particular person either and couldn't be bothered to care, simply continuing to lean back and say, "If it were me, I wouldn't show my face either. Otherwise, one misstep and you'll become the target of concentrated fire."

"I think the time hasn't come yet." Li Yan slowly walked over to Liu Jishan, actually taking the cloth used to cushion the table and wiping clean the tea-soaked surface.

"Tonight, someone is definitely going to stir up trouble."

"Heh, I hope you successfully find your teammates," Liu Jishan said. "Otherwise, should I go out and help you make direct contact?!"

"No, you cannot go out." Li Yan stared at him and refused without hesitation: "You stay right here."

"Fine, then I'm going to sleep." Liu Jishan crossed his arms and closed his eyes: "Conserving energy and sharpening weapons while waiting to enter the tomb."

With those words, as if afflicted with mysophobia, Li Yan wiped the table one more time before throwing away the soiled table cloth.

He stood by the window of the thatched cottage, gazing out at the bustling courtyard, and his heart suddenly grew peaceful.

When it came to setting up a scheme, Li Yan still possessed a great deal of patience.

...

In the main courtyard of the Steward's Mansion, a woman sitting at the women's table had rather mediocre features, but her eyes were brimming with liveliness.

She wore a pink dress with very thin lips and sunken cheeks, giving her a somewhat sharp and mean appearance.

This mean-looking woman wasn't eating with the others, but instead kept scanning her surroundings, as if searching for her own kind.

...

In a remote corner of the Steward's Mansion.

Tang Feng turned his head to glance around before softly asking a maidservant, "Are you on duty near the thatched cottage?"

"Yes." The maidservant looked at him with stars in her eyes, her legs pressed tightly together, looking completely infatuated.

"From the start of the banquet until now, has anyone gone to the thatched cottage?" Tang Feng asked again.

"No one has gone, and Lord Li hasn't come out either," the maidservant replied.

Tang Feng thought for a moment: "Off you go, go back and keep watching. If anyone goes to the cottage, make sure to remember to notify me. Perform well... and this official will quench your thirst."

"? What does quenching thirst mean?" The maidservant didn't understand.

"It means drawing water for you with a big python." Tang Feng cast a charming wink at her.

Blushing with shyness, the maidservant hurried away.

Tang Feng watched her depart, then turned around to return to the dining courtyard to participate in various small prize games, including pitch-pot and shuttlecock kicking.

That's right, he had cast a charm skill on that maidservant with a very simple purpose: to observe who visited the cottage tonight so as to determine who among the people in this courtyard might be players.

"Step aside, everyone!"

At that moment, a shout suddenly came from outside the mansion. Tang Feng looked over and saw a group of soldiers clad in white armor charging in.

"My lord has orders: there are spies from the Southern Frontier hidden within the Steward's Mansion. Now everyone must halt their movements and let us search them one by one." The leading hundred-household officer, with a steel saber hanging at his waist, shouted loudly.

Tang Feng was stunned: "What the heck, you can play it like this? Bringing NPCs to surround the Steward's Mansion?!"

At the women's table, the mean-looking woman was also stunned for a moment.

Not far away, a man dressed as a stable groom wore a gloomy expression.

...

Outside the courtyard.

Guo Cai'er sat in her sedan chair and reached out to write another note for Xing Tao.

"Ignore Li Yan's attitude. Not a single guest can be allowed to leave, especially the female guests. Use life-threatening pressure to force them to reveal supernatural traits, and focus particularly on women whose identities are sing-girls or courtesans."

Looking at the words on the note, Xing Tao grinned broadly: "I'm quite good at pressuring women."