Similar things were happening in the military camps around Chang'an City. These people were not fools. If Li Xiang had not extended the olive branch, these people might not have come forward, but when Li Xiang extended the olive branch, these people immediately understood what to do.
Li Xiang was different from the King of Wu because Li Xiang was rich and powerful. In those days, a small amount of money could win the heart of the emperor, not to mention these soldiers from ordinary families. Although they lived a well-off life, who didn't want to live a better life? When Li Xiang came in the daytime, he also brought with him a silver note for the treasure, which was issued according to the official position.
The visiting card clearly stated that if you are willing to attend the banquet, this silver note will be used as a deposit. If you are not willing, you can accept this silver note purely as a gift from the East Palace.
Aren't they just over twenty mid- and low-level officers anyway? The silver notes Li Xiang gave them based on their official positions only amounted to tens of thousands of strings of cash, a drop in the bucket for him. Furthermore, Li Xiang hinted to these people that if they came to the Eastern Palace, this would only be a one-time bonus, and there would be two such dividends per year thereafter.
Many officials value their future because they have lofty ambitions and have connections above them. But many people come for the money. In the army, it is difficult to make a fortune if you don't take up vacancies. Now that Li Xiang has put this opportunity to make a fortune in front of them, they naturally understand what is going on.
Prince Wu's Palace.
It was time to entertain the guests in the evening. In order to make sure these people could eat comfortably, the King of Wu specially set up the banquet venue in his own back garden and specially hired some high-end chefs. Now everything was almost ready. The King of Wu was packing his clothes in his room, trying to give everyone a heroic impression in the evening.
"If you have something to do, just come in. Why are you sneaking around like that?"
King Wu saw Butler Kang sticking his head out of the door.
The butler heard King Wu's voice and hurried in from outside.
The two palace maids who served me also left. These palace maids were very discerning and knew that what the two people wanted to discuss was very confidential. If they stayed here, they would inevitably be annoying.
"How are the arrangements going?"
After resolving the issue of distributing money, the King of Wu was in a very good mood. In his opinion, as long as he could deal with this first hurdle, the rest would just be a matter of waiting for the war to be over. He was confident about the current situation of Goguryeo. As long as there were no problems with the three armies, it would only be a matter of time to conquer Goguryeo. When the time came, everyone would be rewarded according to their merits, and these people would follow him and give up their hope.
"In reply to your Highness, it seems something has gone wrong. Old Lu has sent a number of people outside to monitor these generals, and they discovered that..."
Steward Kang wanted to express it in a tactful way, but no matter how tactful, some words had to be said. He was thinking about how to make King Wu accept this matter.
"What happened to them?"
King Wu stopped what he was doing and turned around to look at his butler. Although the sixth sense is exclusive to women, some men can also feel it. At this moment, King Wu felt his heart beating faster, perhaps something had changed.
"In reply to your Highness, the Eastern Palace will also host a banquet tonight. It will be held at Tianzi Garden in Heaven on Earth. The guests invited include the people we want to invite..."
After Butler Kang finished saying these words, he no longer dared to look up. Even though he did not see the look in King Wu's eyes, he could feel the temperature around him drop a little. Our prince has the gentlest temperament, but no matter how gentle he is, after hearing these words, it would probably be difficult for him to control his emotions.
The King of Wu always thought that even if Li Xiang was against him, he would act in secret, and his previous actions were normal. But now he has reached the point of openly snatching people. Isn’t he afraid of Li Shimin’s blame?
You know, Li Shimin has already praised the King of Wu highly in the court. Although the final imperial edict has not come down yet, everyone knows that the King of Wu is the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition. Li Xiang's current actions clearly show that he does not take the King of Wu seriously, and at the same time, he does not take Li Shimin seriously.
Butler Kang heard that King Wu's breathing became rapid and heavy. He didn't dare to make any sound, for fear that King Wu would blame him for the mistake. It's not that we are incompetent, but our opponents are too strong, especially their investigative capabilities. The list of guests for the banquet is already very confidential, but the person who got the treasure still got it.
"When I took out the list that day, who else was there besides you?"
The King of Wu suddenly thought of this matter. The secret could only be revealed by his own people, because the list was made by the King of Wu that day. Except for these few people under his command, no one else could know it.
"Butler Su..."
Lao Kang thought of the second steward in the palace and immediately sent someone to look for him. The palace guards came back soon after, but Steward Su's family had disappeared. His family was in a farm outside the city. Steward Su went out to do some business last night and said he would be back this morning, but he sent someone to deliver a message and he still hasn't come back.
"How dare he?"
After Butler Kang heard the news, he was greatly shocked. You know, these two butlers in the palace were all sent by Concubine Yang. They were considered old people who had been employed by Concubine Yang. How could they betray His Highness?
The King of Wu immediately thought of a reason. Concubine Yang lived in the palace, so how could there be so many people outside? These people might be Xiao Yu's help...
Housekeeper Kang couldn't figure this out, but King Wu could figure it out clearly. Back then, Concubine Yang asked Xiao Yu to recruit some people, and after using them for more than ten years, he directly handed them over to his son. King Wu also felt that these people were trustworthy, but he didn't expect that there were Xiao Yu's people among them.
The world is dangerous...
The King of Wu sat dejectedly in his seat. Although he knew about this matter, he did not think of asking Xiao Yu for accountability. After all, people would choose the side that is beneficial to themselves. He was defeated very thoroughly this time. No wonder his mother did not allow him to fight with Li Xiang. It seemed that she had known Li Xiang's strength for a long time. Now the first confrontation between the two sides has not yet begun, but His Royal Highness the King of Wu has already been defeated very thoroughly.
In Xiao Yu's back garden, the second steward of the Prince of Wu's palace could only be used as fertilizer for the flowers. In the power struggle, such a small figure would end up like this...