In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 431 Ugly appearance

"what?"

Xue Qi was taken aback. "So eager to leave? Brother Chen, have you finished your business?"

Two days ago, when they were having dinner, Chen Dao told Xue Qi that he had come to the prefectural city to buy medicinal herbs, which is why Xue Qi asked this question.

"It's done."

Chen Dao nodded and said, "Brother Xue, it's a pleasure to meet you and Miss Jiang in the prefectural city. We must part ways here today. I hope we will meet again someday."

To be honest, although Chen Dao had only known Xue Qi for two days, he still had a very good impression of them. Xue Qi was a generous person, and although he was a little chubby, his personality was just like that of a chivalrous knight in a storybook.

Although Jiang Weiyu is a cute and innocent-looking girl, she has a chivalrous spirit, like a female knight-errant in the martial arts world.

Chen Dao greatly admired the two men's chivalrous nature.

"My junior sister and I are also very happy to meet you."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Xue Qi's eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.

He hadn't known Chen Dao for long, but after spending two days together, he already considered Chen Dao a close friend.

Along the way from Yuezhou to Qingzhou, Xue Qi met countless people, but none of them could talk to him as freely as Chen Dao.

Furthermore, what surprised Xue Qi the most was that he felt Chen Dao was just like him, showing no fear of the powerful and wealthy. When the two of them talked about the King of Qing, Chen Dao did not show the slightest fear, which was quite rare.

after all……

In Qingzhou, the King of Qing is the law. Not to mention ordinary people, even high-ranking officials dare not speak ill of him.

"Brother Xue, if you ever pass through Taiping County in the future, you must come to Chenjia Village to find me. I will definitely treat you well then."

"Brother Chen, rest assured, my junior sister and I will definitely come to visit you when we have the chance."

"Then goodbye."

While the two were talking, Zheng Qiuyan and Qingying also came over. Then, a group of people walked out of the restaurant, took the horses of Chen Dao and the other three from the stable, and then Chen Dao and the other three mounted their horses and headed out of the city.

Xue Qi and Jiang Weiyu escorted Chen Dao and his companions out of the city until they disappeared from sight. Only then did Jiang Weiyu turn back and say, "Senior brother, let's go back!"

"Ah."

Xue Qi withdrew his gaze and returned to the city with Jiang Weiyu.

Meanwhile, in the Qin Prince's mansion, in an extremely luxurious banquet hall, the Qing Prince was hosting a banquet for his guests.

King Qing, Xia Yuanying, sat on the ground with a small table in front of him. On the table were various exquisite foods, such as meat made from wild deer hunted the day before, slices of pork with frankincense, and beef.

Beside Xia Yuanying was a band that was already prepared, playing soothing music.

In front of the King of Qing were Qingzhou army generals sitting on the ground, each with a small table in front of them, laden with delicacies and wine.

These generals of the Qingzhou Army were Xia Yuanying's confidants and key figures in Xia Yuanying's control of the Qingzhou Army. Therefore, Xia Yuanying often hosted banquets for them in order to win over these generals.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness."

A rugged-looking man sitting not far from the Prince of Qing clasped his hands in greeting and said, "It's been a long time since I've tasted the delicacies of the Prince of Qing's mansion. I, Old Zhu, have been craving them lately!"

"Ha ha!"

A burst of flattering laughter erupted from the crowd.

It is not difficult to tell from the man's position that he must hold a very high position in the Qingzhou army.

And indeed it was so. The man's name was Zhu Changhe, and his position was the commander of the Qingzhou Army. If the Qingzhou Army had not been controlled by the King of Qing, Zhu Changhe would have been the highest leader of the Qingzhou Army, with a rank equivalent to the prefect of Qingzhou, which was a third-rank military officer in the imperial court.

"Then you're in for a treat today!"

Xia Yuanying said with a smile, "Yesterday I happened to hunt a wild deer, which is perfect for General Zhu to enjoy with his wine."

After saying that, Xia Yuanying said to the two eunuchs waiting at the door, "Let the dancers in."

"Yes!"

The two eunuchs responded.

Shortly afterward, a group of dancers dressed only in thin gauze, with alluring figures, filed in with their heads bowed and began to dance gracefully in the center of the banquet hall.

Because they were only wearing thin gauze, the dancers inevitably revealed glimpses of their bodies as they moved, with glimpses of their fair skin and ample curves occasionally flashing in the distance...

It caused a burning sensation in the lower abdomen of the group of vigorous generals in the hall.

Zhu Changhe took a sip of wine to suppress the heat in his body and said with a smile, "The beauties in the Prince's mansion are always so alluring."

"If you like, General Zhu can take two back with him later."

Xia Yuanying said very generously that women were something he could easily obtain, and if he could exchange a few women for Zhu Changhe's loyalty, it would be well worth it.

"Then I, Old Zhu, will accept it without hesitation."

Zhu Changhe laughed.

Seeing this, the others were also tempted and asked the King of Qing for dancers, which the King of Qing agreed to one by one.

Although training these dancers requires some effort, they are not of high value and are perfect for winning over the generals of the Qingzhou Army.

"We thank Your Highness."

"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Highness."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."

"..."

The generals, whose wishes had been fulfilled, rose to express their gratitude, then sat back down to quietly admire the dancers' graceful movements.

But a hint of resentment flashed in the eyes of the dancers who were gracefully performing.

Becoming dancers in the Qingwang Mansion was not their wish, and they never imagined that they would one day enter the Qingwang Mansion. But that's how the world is. Faced with the powerful Qingwang, they could only submit and were forcibly brought into the mansion to serve him, becoming "goods" that could be given away at any time.

They were dissatisfied, but dared not show it at all. They could only dance gracefully to the beautiful music, using their dance moves to please everyone in the hall.

About an hour later, the music stopped, and everyone in the hall except Xia Yuanying was flushed and drunk. They were all groping the dancers and making lewd noises.

"Beauty, come and feed this general a drink."

"Hehe! Little beauty, pour me some wine, I can still drink."

"Come, feed this general wine with your mouth."

"..."

The generals in the hall began to behave in an ugly manner. If it weren't for the last shred of reason that told them they were in the Qingwang Mansion, many of them probably would have already started a noisy gathering.

Xia Yuanying sat on the steps, looking down at the generals who were making a fool of themselves, a pleased smile on his lips.

He doesn't mind if his subordinates have desires, and he doesn't mind if they are greedy, because only people with desires are easier to control!

Just like the people in the hall right now, they are lustful, so the Green King uses women to satisfy them.

For Xia Yuanying, women were something that cost nothing; he only needed to send his servants to plunder them. Using women to win over these generals was an extremely worthwhile investment.