Chapter 24 Drink it all in one gulp
In the inner courtyard, Zhu Hanbin's eyes rolled, and then he immediately asked the old servant to guard outside the middle gate, and then ordered him to detain all those who knew about the situation first.

After everything was done, he smiled and said from a distance: "If my guess is correct, the young man should be the fake son who escaped that night, right?"

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and smiled, and replied: "We should ask Governor Zhu about this matter. The Governor often meets with the King of Jiyin. Can't he tell the truth from the false?"

"It is true, it is true!"

Zhu Hanbin was delighted, and then quickly changed the topic and said, "I wonder if the Prince of Jiyin has come here to discuss something important with me?"

At the same time, he looked at his beautiful wife with tears in her eyes and took two tentative steps forward.

At the foot of the stone steps, two men in bamboo hats glanced over and pulled their Tang swords half out of their scabbards.

Zhu Hanbin stopped walking. He was secretly annoyed, but he just stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Since you are willing to take the risk to come here, you must want to negotiate with me, right?"

He put on a posture, full of confidence: "If you have any request, just ask. There is nothing I can't do in Caozhou."

"Oh? Rising up in rebellion?"

"absurd!"

Zhu Hanbin's face suddenly froze, and then he glanced at the general who was covered with his mouth and could not speak, and whispered: "Don't be too arrogant, if I am a little more ruthless now, I can also take you down, don't think I don't know what you are planning?"

Xiao Yan handed the child who didn't understand the situation to the beautiful woman beside him, then took a cup of hot tea from the table and drank it slowly, saying: "The governor is a smart man. He should know which choices are right and which choices are not acceptable."

The beautiful woman held the baby in her arms, crying as she looked at Zhu Hanbin's figure outside, and raised her leg to move a step outside.

"bass."

Xiao Yan gently grasped the handle of the Tang sword on the table, pulled it out slightly, and chuckled, "Can the governor really be so cruel?"

The beautiful woman was frightened to the point of trembling all over. She took a step back in panic while holding the child in her arms, and covered her mouth to prevent all the crying from coming out.

Zhu Hanbin's confidence faded. He looked a little ugly. He spread his arms, pointed in all directions and said in a deep voice: "If we want to negotiate, should we let you sit down first?"

Xiao Yan didn't care and raised his hand to point across the table.

"Please."

At the same time, a bad guy strode into the hall, dragged the beautiful woman and the child to the corner without mercy, and drew his Tang sword.

Zhu Hanbin's eyes twitched slightly, he took a deep breath and walked in.

During this time, another bad guy was still guarding the steps, with coldness in his eyes behind his mask, and he kept following his figure and turning slowly.

"Li Yu, where did you take me?"

"You are joking, Governor. I am sitting right in front of you. Is this fake?"

Although Zhu Hanbin had never looked down on the young man from the beginning, he still felt that he was a thorn in his side, so he stopped asking these meaningless questions and said, "I know that you still have several hundred people in my Caozhou. I can let you leave at ease."

"The power of the governor should be more than this, right?"

"I can only do this!" Zhu Hanbin frowned, leaned forward, and whispered: "I am only the governor of a state. I cannot interfere in matters outside of Caozhou!"

Xiao Yan shook the teacup in his hand, lowered his eyes and said calmly: "The two Xuanming Sect branches in Caozhou and Yanzhou suffered heavy losses this time. Is there a chance for the governor to have a fight?"

"what for?"

Zhu Hanbin felt a chill on his back, and the veins on his neck bulged slightly. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Do you still want to settle down in Caozhou?"

"I just have this idea. The governor also said that you can't interfere in the affairs of other states. Where can hundreds of strangers like me go after leaving Caozhou?"

Xiao Yan smiled politely, looked at him and said, "And the governor should know that the surrounding states and towns have begun martial law. When the time comes, the governor will pat our butts and send us away. Doesn't that mean he doesn't want to care about the life and death of us guests?"

The latter was amused. "Your life and death is none of my business. I have done my best to send you out of Caozhou safely. Do you know that troops from other towns have begun to be mobilized..." "Were we not invited by the governor?" Xiao Yan asked, "At that time, you and Lin Xiuzhi conspired to invite us to Caozhou as guests. Am I mistaken?"

Zhu Hanbin felt as if he had been wronged. He was stunned for a moment, holding the teacup and gritting his teeth, "What do you want to do?"

"I have already said it at the beginning. My men entered the Caozhou branch to help the governor rebel."

"absurd!"

Zhu Hanbin was shocked. He thought the boy was joking at first, but now he heard it again, as if someone stepped on him. He stood up suddenly from his seat and said, "Nonsense!"

"Don't panic, Governor. Before this matter is mature, I will not let you raise troops to do this risky thing."

Xiao Yan put the empty cup of tea aside and whispered, "Although I am not yet twenty, I also know that your Zhu emperor has always been cruel. Speaking of the distant past, there is the story of Zhu Zhen, and the recent death of Shuzong is still fresh in our memory."

He spoke slowly, but his eyes were extremely sharp. While observing the former's expression, he said, "I think the governor can also realize that the real power of the governors of various towns and states is being reduced by Zhu Wen. Let's not talk about this matter. The governor was originally the commander of the Yulin Army, but now he has been excluded and sent to this place. Doesn't this explain something?"

The flesh around Zhu Hanbin's mouth trembled slightly, but he just sneered: "I have always been respectful and never coveted power. I have a father-son relationship with Your Majesty. What does what you say have to do with me?"

"Of course I know that the governor is Zhu Wen's adopted son, but wasn't there Zhu Yougong who was executed along with his uncle?"

Xiao Yan was not annoyed. He poured himself another cup of hot tea and said, "I think Zhu Yougong and the governor were both adopted sons of Zhu Wen, but he was first demoted to Yazhou three years ago and then executed. If the governor really thinks that Zhu Wen and you have a family relationship, he can just report the loss of Li Yu."

"Humph!"

Zhu Hanbin secretly felt that this young man's words were really sophisticated. He could point out the powerful side of things in just a few words. Even he, his loyalty to Daliang was somewhat shaken.

Just as, he no longer cared about Xiao Yan calling him "Zhu Wen" by his name.

"Young man, don't exaggerate. Although I haven't made any great achievements, I have fought for Daliang for decades and have made some small contributions..."

"How can a governor who is so capable live in such a small Caozhou?" Xiao Yan interrupted him without any hesitation, drinking tea and said, "Think about the Ghost King Zhu Youwen, who is also Zhu Wen's adopted son. He has the opportunity to compete for the throne, so how bad is the governor?"

Zhu Hanbin had a sullen face, stood with his hands behind his back, and turned his back to Xiao Yan, without saying a word.

The two bad guys inside and outside the hall didn't move a muscle, as if they hadn't heard the conversation between the two.

However, the beautiful woman was so frightened that she dared not cry. She opened her mouth in a daze, but before she could make a sound, the bad guy behind her had already put the Tang sword on her neck.

Zhu Hanbin seemed to be completely unaware of this commotion.

Xiao Yan smiled and refilled both of their cups with hot tea.

In the deepest part of everyone's consciousness, there are desires, big or small. This thing may be hidden for a lifetime, but if it is suddenly aroused one day, it will extend like a vine in the heart of that person.

He tapped the cup and waited quietly.

After a long time, Zhu Hanbin turned around, but did not talk about what he had just said. Instead, he said, "Prince Jiyin helped me to overcome this difficulty. I will do my best to do what Prince Jiyin wants."

"Hey, what's the point of running?"

Xiao Yan raised his teacup and said, "If the governor is willing to cooperate, I will be his most steadfast ally."

He smiled and spoke slowly: "The Dark Emperor Zhu Yougui has already taken action against the governor. Is the governor willing to accept the death? With such an opportunity, don't you want to overthrow him?"

Zhu Hanbin slowly stroked his short beard, as if recalling his past with the Hades.

After a moment, he raised his teacup.

The two ceramic cups then gently touched each other.

Then, he drank it all in one gulp.

(End of this chapter)