He also mentioned that Cui Fengnian was originally supposed to come personally this time, but he is truly tied up in the Yan Kingdom, and in the future, Chen Qingsheng will be stationed permanently in Guadu City on behalf of Cui Fengnian. Therefore, he has come specially to visit General Gong, hoping that the general will take good care of Cuiâs Shop in the future.
General Gong looked at Chen Qingsheng, who had come last time as a person from the Jin Kingdom and now as a person of Zhou, and laughed, saying: "Now that the Zhou navy and the Dongyi navy have commenced battling, our Dongyi navy lost a significant portion at Changdao. Now, the entire Dongyi Kingdom is clamoring for revenge. At this time, your boss let you come to Dongyi to open a treasure shop; arenât you afraid it wonât run smoothly?"
"Itâs precisely for this reason that my boss asked me to seek General Gongâs protection. Furthermore, my boss has stated that even though Zhou and the Yan Kingdom are staking everything on the country, even if they fight... in the end, Dongyi and Zhou will still have to shake hands and sit down to negotiate terms. Because of the matter with King of Hancheng, Zhou acted impulsively to destroy Dongyi. As long as Dongyi seeks peace and respectfully returns the remains of King of Hancheng and Minister Liu, itâs likely that Zhou wonât hold a grudge anymore, otherwise... wouldnât Yan Kingdom be the one rejoicing in the end? If Yan Kingdom wins the wager, Zhou will have lost even its capital; the Emperor of Zhou cannot engage in such a losing trade. Our boss has always been farsighted, therefore letting us take advantage of the Yan merchantsâ departure to seize the opportunity!"
Hearing this, General Gong laughed and sighed at the cleverness of merchants, then accepted the ancient book and zither scores brought by Chen Qingsheng.
In addition, Chen Qingsheng mentioned that this time Cui Fengnian had him come to open the treasure shop, and he knew they were planning to hold a treasure appraisal event. His master Cui Fengnian had him bring a Luminous Pearl as large as a plate to serve as the storeâs centerpiece. If General Gong was interested, he could come that night to behold the treasure.
Chen Qingsheng sent invitations without forcing anyone, yet when he sent them to other prominent figures and the generals guarding the city, he mentioned having delivered one personally to General Gong, implying that General Gong would also come to view the treasure that night. Moreover, Cuiâs Treasure Shop had prepared generous gifts for everyone, hoping they would come and show support.
A Luminous Pearl as large as a platter, who had seen such a thing?
Some said the shopkeeper of Cuiâs Treasure Pavilion, Chen Qingsheng, was lying, while others suggested seeing for themselves whether it was true!
Cui Fengnianâs reputation preceded him, and with Chen Qingsheng as his shopkeeper, those who received the invitation naturally wanted to explore the truth.
Chen Qingsheng scheduled the Luminous Pearl viewing party towards the end of the first night watch, claiming that the darker the night, the brighter the Luminous Pearl shone.
This was also something Chen Qingsheng had discussed with Bai Qingyan before he left.
The banquet was set for the end of the first night watch, while the Zhou armyâs attack on Guadu City was timed for the end of the second. After an hour or so, the city-guarding generals would likely be half-drunk, and with Chen Qingshengâs ability to deal with the garrison, using the banquet as a pretense to deliver some food to the guards, everything would go smoothly.
At the third quarter of the second night watch, small boats silently landed on the territory of Dongyi Kingdom. In the distant dark sea, not a light was to be seen. Bai Qingjue, as the warship approached the Dongyi Kingdom, extinguished all the lights on the ship and stealthily approached the shore.
Nearing the shore, Bai family soldiers were asked to board small boats, landing quietly one by one.
Meanwhile, far away in Liuguan, Bai Qingyan did not have the Bai family army directly attack Liuguan City. Instead, taking advantage of the night, an ambush was set along the road between Liuguan City and Guadu City.
Dongyi Kingdom was small, with a sparse population and limited military strength.
Bai Qingyan had figured that if Guadu City was besieged, it would request reinforcements. The quickest reinforcements from the west direction would come from Liuguan City. Therefore, so long as Liuguan Cityâs commander didnât focus solely on self-preservation, they would undoubtedly send soldiers for support. Bai Qingyan could ambush here during the Liuguan Cityâs deployment to support Guadu, reducing Liuguan Cityâs forces before easily taking over.
With the battle commencing at Guadu City in the second night watch, even if Guaduâs commander reacted slowly, within half an hour, they should discover they couldnât withstand the Zhou army and would subsequently dispatch troops for aid. From Guadu City to Liuguan City... with fast horses, it would take less than two hours.
Bai Qingyan hoped to capture Liuguan City before dawn, replenish supplies, make some adjustments, and then proceed to march on the capital of Dongyi Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Chen Qingsheng, since not desiring Bai Jintongâs identity to be exposed publicly, had to continue acting his role.
The night was favorable; the moon was bright but the stars were scarce.
Chen Qingsheng set up a flowing banquet in this rented luxurious courtyard, arranging seats along the winding artificial creek in the garden.
From the flowing water stone basin, each time the bamboo filled with water, it struck the stone basin once. Among the trickling stream, trays capable of floating were released, holding dishes the Dongyi people had never seen. Narrow stone lamps, each no larger than a palm, lined both sides of the stream, flickering and illuminating the exquisite delicacies on the floating trays with a soft and mellow glow, making them look like artworks, too beautiful to disturb with chopsticks.
Chen Qingsheng stood in the center of the courtyard surrounded by the stream, introducing one treasure after another to the gathered crowd, showing that indeed, Cuiâs Treasure Pavilion had some unique items.
Noticing the timing was about right, Chen Qingsheng smiled and said, "Next, is the centerpiece of our Cuiâs Treasure Pavilion that we invited you all here to admire."
Saying this confidently, Chen Qingsheng clapped his hands. Immediately, four servants carried a treasure platform covered with a red cloud brocade embroidered with white cranes to his side.
"This treasure is the Luminous Pearl, looking ordinary by day, but at night, it glows as brightly as the moon. In the room, it makes the interior shine like daylight; outdoors, itâs akin to an underground moon. Hence, this treasure is called Yun Jianyue." Chen Qingsheng stood by the treasure platform, playing coy, "It is the pride of our Cuiâs Treasure Pavilion, for you all to appraise."
After saying this, Chen Qingsheng quickly lifted the exquisite red cloud brocade embroidered with lilies, and his face immediately changed dramatically.
The guests began to chatter...
"Isnât this just a round stone?"
"Yes, it doesnât look anything like a glowing moon!"
"Whatâs going on?! Whereâs Yun Jianyue?" Chen Qingsheng stared at the round stone placed on the treasure rack, his eyes widened, and his face turned pale, "Guan Jiu! Where is Yun Jianyue?!"
The named Guan Jiu scrambled over to Chen Qingshengâs side, "This... this shopkeeper, I donât know what happened either, we have been watching Yun Jianyue without ever leaving it from our sight!"