Chapter 79

Cai Jing's birthday was a matter of great importance to the people of the capital. The number of guests coming and going was countless, and more remarkably, all of Cai Jing's descendants had gathered together.

Regardless of Cai Jing's character, he was undoubtedly a fortunate man. To this day, his official career was smooth, and he had a large family, with eight sons alone, truly a sign of a thriving lineage. If there was a flaw, it was his eldest son, Cai You. Due to power struggles in the past, their relationship had deteriorated, and now they were at odds, almost to the point of being irreconcilable. If not for Cai Jing's birthday, Cai You probably wouldn't have returned home.

To others, the strained relationship between Cai Jing and his son seemed foolish, but Zhao Yougong did not think so. He believed this was precisely Cai Jing's wisdom.

Cai Jing held a position of great power, and his only concern was the current emperor. If he fell, his entire family would fall, which would not be a good outcome. Throughout history, prosperous families never put all their eggs in one basket. The most notable example was the Langya Zhuge family, where Zhuge Liang, Zhuge Jun, and Zhuge Dan each served a different state. Regardless of the final outcome, at least the Zhuge family's lineage was preserved. Cai Jing, it seemed, had similar thoughts. After all, between father and son, there were no enmities that could not be resolved, unless Cai Jing deliberately created them.

Several members of the Cai family stood at the door to welcome guests, with Cai You being the most prominent. This eldest son stood out in the crowd, not like a brother but more like an elder. Cai You was over twenty years older than his third brother, Cai Tiao, which Zhao Yougong found miraculous.

Zhao Yougong presented his gift, and Cai You bowed deeply, saying, "Your Highness, please come in!"

Cai You's words were respectful, showing no hint of frivolity. However, his brothers behind him seemed distracted, especially Cai Tiao, who merely gave a cursory bow and turned his face away.

A single gesture revealed the difference in their status. Could Cai You's rise to the position of Chief Military Secretary be solely due to favoritism? It seemed unlikely.

As soon as Zhao Yougong entered the Cai family courtyard, he was stunned by the scene. The high walls were draped in red silk, and there was a stage several zhang tall in the center. It was just a birthday celebration, yet it was so grand. Without even mentioning the cost of the silk on the walls, how much more would be spent on the banquet?

There were many familiar faces in the courtyard, but only a few with whom Zhao Yougong had a good relationship. He found a chair and sat down, turning to his side and chuckling, "Third Brother, you're here too?"

Zhao Kai waved his fan, his face full of amiability, "What do you mean? Why can't I come? Has Ling not heard that Boss Yun will perform the 'Surprised Drum Dance' today? How could I miss it?"

The 'Surprised Drum Dance' was a type of drum dance from the Song Dynasty. As the name suggests, the dancer stood on a large drum, and as they danced, their steps created a thunderous rhythm. The Boss Yun that Zhao Kai mentioned was the best drum dancer in the Jiangnan region. His real name was Yun Tianhe, and whenever he danced, he would wear a colorful silk robe and dress as a woman, much like the cross-dressing performances of later times.

"Ha, Third Brother is such a refined person, I can't compare!"

"Is Ling mocking me?" Zhao Kai smiled mysteriously, leaned in, and whispered, "Ling, tell me the truth, how are things with that Zhu family lady?"

"This... it's hard to say. That young lady is always staring at books, and I don't know how to approach her. If it doesn't work, I'll have to resort to the old method!"

Hearing this, Zhao Kai secretly sneered. The 'old method' that Ling referred to was nothing more than using force. "You, with women, you need to be gentle!"

"Third Brother has a lot of experience?"

"Cough, cough, nonsense..."

Zhao Kai's handsome face turned red, and he turned away, ignoring Zhao Yougong. His brother always spoke rudely and had unconventional thoughts.

Before the hour of Si, many people had already gathered, including Gao Yannai, Wang Tenghui, and Hua Bumian. Especially Hua Bumian, a man dressed in a red silk robe with a touch of rouge on his face, looking like a rabbit boy.

Speaking of Hua Bumian, the eunuch, many people knew him. He was one of the three great eunuchs, ranking just below Liang Shicheng, Yang Jian, and Li Yan. Hua Bumian had a nephew named Hua Zixu, and whenever Zhao Yougong saw Hua Bumian, he would think of the delicate and charming Li Ping'er. Unfortunately, in this timeline, the Liangshan heroes had not yet captured Daming City, and Li Ping'er could not have come to the capital.

Gao Yannai, with his fatty body, was looking around with his beady eyes, clearly up to no good.

"Fat Gao, why are you staring at me like that? Have you developed a bad habit? If so, tell me, and I'll find you ten or twenty rabbit boys!"

"Cough, cough," Gao Yannai's fat face twitched, and he was about to start cursing when Cai You happened to walk over. With Cai You present, Gao Yannai dared not be too arrogant, as it was Cai Jing's birthday, and he had to give some face.

"Zhao Rascal, you wait and see!"

"Afraid of you?"

Cai You was well aware of the relationship between Zhao Yougong and the other young masters. He approached and first bowed to Zhao Kai, "Your Highnesses, my father requests your presence in the inner hall."

Cai You's actions were out of necessity. If these few were left together, trouble was bound to ensue. It was better to separate them. Zhao Kai understood and stood up, tapping Zhao Yougong's shoulder with his fan, "Ling, what are you waiting for? Follow me to see Chancellor Cai!"

The two brothers followed Cai You to the inner hall to meet Cai Jing. After some pleasantries, they each found a seat. Today, Cai Jing was dressed in a festive red robe with two cranes embroidered on it, looking like a wealthy and kind old man. However, this old man's birthday celebration would likely cause many families to be ruined.

At the third hour of Si, Cai Jing gave a long speech, and the birthday banquet officially began. First, a group of women performed a sleeve dance, followed by the drum dance that Zhao Kai had been looking forward to.

The drum prepared by the Hejia troupe was enormous, with a diameter of three zhang and a height of one zhang. Zhao Yougong had never seen such a large drum before.

A woman in a green robe lightly landed on the drum, followed by eight people jumping to the edges from eight directions. The woman held two pink feather fans, and her long sleeves surrounded her figure. Nine people, nine pairs of feet, different movements, but the same rhythm. Listening to the thunderous drumbeat, Zhao Yougong seemed entranced, but his mind was calculating.

Why hasn't anything happened yet? Could it be that the Hejia troupe is not here to assassinate Cai Jing?

As he was thinking, he saw the woman in the center bend her right foot and forcefully tap the drum with her left toe.

Narrowing his eyes, Zhao Yougong smiled inwardly. No wonder they hadn't acted yet; there must be a hidden mechanism inside the drum.

Zhao Yougong noticed, and so did others. A figure quickly darted out and stood in front of Cai Jing's table, shouting, "Chancellor Cai, be careful!"

A series of whistling sounds filled the air as the drum suddenly trembled, and countless cold blades shot out in all directions.

Zhao Yougong and Zhao Kai were sitting in a corner. As soon as they saw the commotion, they instinctively dove under the table.

"Ling, run for your life, there are assassins..."

As he spoke, Zhao Kai crawled like a wolf dog toward the rockery in the garden. Seeing his agility, Zhao Yougong was stunned. This was the Prince of Yun that Emperor Zhezong was proud of? They said Zhao Yougong was timid, but Zhao Kai wasn't much braver. Despite his thoughts, Zhao Yougong followed Zhao Kai's advice, one crawling toward the rockery and the other toward the inner hall.

The courtyard was in chaos, and the large drum was shattered. It turned out that the drum contained many people, who emerged as the blades flew out. A group of men with knives attacked the stage, and the guests, unprepared for such a situation, panicked and rushed out. The guards outside tried to rush in, but the scene was chaotic.

The woman who performed the drum dance had removed her makeup and now held two steel knives, her eyes fixed on Cai Jing on the stage.

"Dog traitor, today is your end!"

Her voice was deep and powerful, not that of a woman but of a fierce man. She raised her steel knives, and a group of assassins charged the stage, the man with the double knives being particularly formidable. He sheathed his knives behind his back and then threw several flying knives at Cai Jing's forehead with incredible speed and force.

Facing such a dangerous situation, Cai Jing remained calm, still smiling and drinking wine.

As a chancellor, second only to the emperor and above ten thousand others, how could he fear such assassins?

As the flying knives approached, a figure leaped over, and with a flick of his sleeve, the knives were caught. Most astonishingly, his sleeve remained intact.

"Sea Dragon Sect, Shi Bao, I've been waiting for you!"

The man stood in front of Cai Jing, dressed in a simple gray robe, about thirty years old. He was not particularly tall or strong, but his presence was overwhelming.

He was a master, a master who could match any other. Just the act of catching the flying knives with his sleeve was enough to make others feel inferior.

Zhao Yougong watched in shock. He could have defended against Shi Bao's flying knives, but the key was to catch them and neutralize their force. With just one move, Zhao Yougong knew he was no match for the middle-aged man.

Zhao Yougong was grateful that he had not become arrogant due to his martial arts skills and that he had not revealed himself too much. The Song Dynasty's Secret Service was full of hidden talents, and he had to be careful.

Like Zhao Yougong, Shi Bao looked at the man on the stage in disbelief, "You... who are you?"

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