Gao Chongguang swept his gaze around the room. He first cupped his hands toward Lou Jianshan and flashed him a shameless grin.
“Lord Lou, I’ve come today to wish you a happy birthday!”
“Today marks your fiftieth year, my lord. Half your body is already in the grave, so every time we see you from now on may be one time fewer than we have left. That’s why I made a special trip to see you. Life is unpredictable—what if this turns out to be the last time you and I ever meet?”
“Gentlemen, you should all treasure every meeting you have with Lord Lou!”
“Hahaha, I’m only joking. Lord Lou, you don’t mind, do you?”
Being told on his birthday that he would not live much longer, Lou Jianshan was so furious that his face turned iron-gray.
Before he could react, Gao Chongguang went over to the official who had just praised Lou Jianshan the most and gave him another shameless grin.
“My lord, I hear you suffer from a hidden ailment. The thing down there won’t get hard, and when you face all the beautiful concubines in your household, you’re often willing but unable—weak and limp. That must be terribly frustrating.”
“Alas, it’s a feeling I’ll never understand. Who can blame me? I was born with remarkable stamina. I often have the concubines in my household crying and begging me to stop, only for them to become addicted to the pleasure and cling to me, demanding more. It’s quite a headache, really!”
The official’s face shifted from red to blue, blue to green, and finally settled into a dark, gloomy black. The changes came so quickly that he looked like a painter’s palette.
Seeing murder begin to glint in the man’s eyes, Gao Chongguang hurriedly moved on to his next target and launched into another round of verbal attacks.
“My lord, I heard that your former wife got involved with your steward and even bore him a plump little boy. When the affair was exposed, you had all three of them drowned in the pond.”
“If you ask me, my lord, you were simply too narrow-minded. The child may not have been yours, but the wife was still yours! You only needed to deal with the steward. Without lifting a finger, you would have gained a plump son for free. You should have been delighted!”
“Am I right?”
At once, everyone turned their gleeful, gossip-hungry gazes toward that official.
Who would have thought the old bastard had once raised another man’s son? What a disgrace!
The official had already been wearing a green hat—in other words, he had already been cuckolded. Now that the whole matter had been dragged into the open, he felt as though his head were glowing green enough to let horses gallop across it.
He immediately lost his temper and roared at Gao Chongguang, “Director Gao, what exactly are you trying to do?!”
Gao Chongguang waved his hands and wagged his eyebrows at him with an utterly shameless air.
“Nothing, nothing! Today is a joyous occasion. I’m merely chatting with all the esteemed gentlemen about our families!”
He then turned to another official.
“My lord, I hear that when the Demon Thieves’ Guild entered the capital some time ago, your household suffered the worst losses. Even your family heirlooms were stolen. I wonder whether your ancestors will forgive you when you meet them in the afterlife?”
“Gao Chongguang! Watch your tongue!”
Gao Chongguang quickly clasped his hands in apology. His movements were humble enough, but both his expression and his words radiated arrogance and smug delight, as if he were vividly declaring:
<i>Heh-heh, I’m determined to be an absolute menace today. If you’ve got the nerve, come and hit me! His Majesty is backing me up, so let’s see who dares!</i>
The originally festive birthday banquet had been utterly ruined. Every minister at the feast glared furiously at Gao Chongguang, their blade-sharp gazes seeming ready to flay the flesh from his bones.
Gao Chongguang paid them no heed. Though he had managed to offend every last one of them, he remained perfectly unruffled.
Watching the scene unfold, Yun Yaoyao wore a faint smile. Gao Chongguang really was a bastard. Whenever he opened his mouth, the sheer stench of his obnoxiousness shot straight into the heavens—enough to infuriate everyone within a hundred miles.
No wonder the Dragon Shadow Guard assigned to protect him had reported that they had repelled not merely dozens, but perhaps close to a hundred assassination attempts against him during this time.
Yun Yaoyao had allowed Gao Chongguang to return to officialdom precisely because of this trait, making him a crucial piece in her current plan.
Seeing that several guests were truly so enraged that they were ready to disregard all propriety and rush forward to beat him, Yun Yaoyao finally spoke, her voice calm.
“Enough. This is Lord Lou’s birthday banquet, held to celebrate Lord Lou’s birthday. Do not drag such other tedious matters into it.”
At her words, the ministers could only suppress their anger, though they continued to glare daggers at Gao Chongguang.
After remaining a while longer, Yun Yaoyao led Tu Shanjin and the others away as lightly as she had come, without taking so much as a wisp of cloud with her, leaving Gao Chongguang behind to continue being obnoxious at the banquet.
The moment Yun Yaoyao left, the feast erupted into commotion. Some ministers ground their teeth, their clenched fists cracking as they prepared to step forward and give him a beating.
Lou Jianshan pretended not to notice. That damned bastard—he had hated him enough to send more than ten waves of assassins after him, yet none had succeeded. If he could now watch the man get beaten, it would be some consolation!
Liu Xi, Vice Minister of the Treasury Department, was also thoroughly enraged. Beside him, a slender beauty tugged gently at his sleeve and said in a soft voice, “My lord, it is Lord Lou’s birthday banquet after all. It would be better to stop them. Otherwise, we may fall right into His Majesty’s trap and give her an excuse to move against Lord Lou.”
Her sweet, breathy voice came accompanied by a seductive fragrance. The anger in Liu Xi’s heart immediately faded, leaving only erotic thoughts and rising desire.
Beneath the table, Liu Xi’s hand crept onto Guan Wanyu’s thigh. Stroking it as he panted heavily, he wore the leering expression of a lustful fool. “Mei’er, you are right. Do you have a way?”
Guan Wanyu placed her hand over his, discreetly stopping him from going any further. “My lord, send Mei’er to drink with him. I will get him drunk, so he will no longer have the chance to spout nonsense at Lord Lou’s birthday banquet.”
“An excellent idea!” Liu Xi said, though another note of jealousy entered his voice as his other hand reached toward her. “I have not even had the chance to properly dote on you myself. Do not let that dog take too much advantage of you!”
Suppressing her disgust, Guan Wanyu smiled radiantly. “Rest assured, my lord. Mei’er holds no one but you in her heart.”
Still unwilling to let her go, Liu Xi leaned close to her neck and inhaled deeply, intoxicated by her scent. “Mei’er, I can wait no longer. I will treat you well, but tonight I shall have you—thoroughly. You are not to make excuses or refuse me again!”
“As you command, my lord~”
Only then did Liu Xi reluctantly allow Guan Wanyu to leave.
Guan Wanyu approached Gao Chongguang with a seductive smile. “Lord Gao, I have long admired your great reputation. I have come especially to offer you a toast.”
Gao Chongguang smugly accepted the cup and drained it, casting Guan Wanyu a sidelong glance. “Such a beauty actually admires me? What is it—are you envious of how happy my lovely concubines are in bed, and hoping to experience my prowess for yourself?”
Guan Wanyu’s hand paused as she poured the wine. There were times when she truly wanted to tear that filthy mouth of his apart.
After downing more than a dozen cups, Guan Wanyu poured him another drink. A puff of white powder slipped from beneath her sleeve and dissolved into the wine.
After Gao Chongguang swallowed the cup, he collapsed face-first onto the table and began snoring loudly.
Seeing this, Guan Wanyu returned to Liu Xi’s side and once again began fending off the lustful swine.
Although Gao Chongguang had finally fallen silent, the banquet’s atmosphere had already been thoroughly ruined. The officials tried to liven things up, but they could not dispel the oppressive, simmering anger that hung over the room.
As evening approached, dark clouds gathered overhead. Flocks of crows flew across the sky above the Lou residence, their hoarse cries carrying an ominous sense of unease.
After three rounds of wine, the officials began saying their farewells one after another and departed the Lou residence.
Gradually, only Lou Jianshan, his face dark with fury; Liu Xi, who was distracted and preoccupied; and Gao Chongguang, still sprawled over the table and snoring away, remained at the banquet.
Liu Xi pointed at Gao Chongguang and asked, “My lord Lou, what should we do with him?”
Lou Jianshan was still seething. He flung back his sleeve and said, “What else can we do? Never mind the Gao family—even His Majesty is involved. He deliberately brought Gao Chongguang here to ruin my birthday banquet. If I lay a hand on the brat, he’ll use it as an excuse to make trouble!”
Tu Shanjin’s schemes had come one after another lately, giving him no end of headaches.
He really did not want to admit it, but he regretted provoking Tu Shanjin.
“Then I’ll have someone escort him back to the Gao residence,” Liu Xi said eagerly, stepping forward. He wanted to finish this business as soon as possible so he could return home and dally with Meier.
“Wait.”
Lou Jianshan came before Gao Chongguang, drew a deep breath, puffed out his fat belly, and swung one of his short, round, radish-like legs into Gao Chongguang with a vicious kick.
Still not satisfied, Lou Jianshan planted his hands on his hips and delivered several more hard kicks. He was panting heavily, a thin sheen of sweat beading on his forehead, before he finally stopped.
“Get him out of here!”
Liu Xi was just bending down when Gao Chongguang’s body suddenly twitched. He slowly opened his eyes, his face twisted in pain.
“Wh… Which bastard kicked me?”
