Under the vigorous mediation of Prince Sun Deng, Zhou Mo's series of "chess diplomacy" deeds quickly spread throughout Soochow official circles.

Even Zhang Zhao, who has always been proud, was full of praise for Zhou Mo, saying that it was as dense as a thousand-foot pine, tens of thousands of feet high at the top, and unfathomably deep below.

Sun Quan, King of Wu, listened to his son's vivid story about the game between the two, and he also looked at Zhou Mo with admiration.

Of course, the part that criticized Sun Quan was naturally harmonized by Sun Deng.

Sun Deng told Sun Quanquan about the necessity of forming an alliance between Wu and Shu, and that the two countries should put aside their prejudices and regard mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win as the basic principles of the alliance.

He learned these fresh diplomatic rhetoric from Zhou Mo. As for where Zhou Mo learned it from, he doesn't know.

Zhang Zhao and other ministers also wrote a letter saying that the King of Wu should receive the Shu envoy as soon as possible.

Knowing that it was the unanimous opinion of both the government and the public, Sun Quan agreed.

Although the purpose of humiliating the Shu envoy was not achieved in the end, I still felt a little unhappy.

But he still decided to hold a big banquet to receive the envoys from Shu with a higher etiquette than the normal etiquette to give him enough face.

After all, looking at today's world, in terms of being able to bend and stretch, and being able to express his face freely, Sun Quan ranks second, and no one dares to rank first. The so-called miracle of Gou Jian.

A few days later.

Wu Palace, Concierge Hall. Decorated with lanterns and colors, the atmosphere is grand.

Amidst the chorus of the ceremonial officers, Zhou Mo, Deng Zhi and others, wearing Han official ceremonial attire, walked with their heads high and entered the palace to meet the King of Wu.

In the hall, Sun Quan, King of Wu, sat in the middle. Prince Sun Deng and Prime Minister Sun Shao led the civil and military officials on the left and right, such as Zhang Zhao, Gu Yong, Yu Fan, Zhuge Ke, etc., divided into two groups.

What follows is a routine speech exchange. Zhou Mo is neither humble nor arrogant, and his answers are elegant. His appearance is majestic but not arrogant, and he is humble and restrained without losing etiquette.

Coupled with his outstanding temperament and image, he was highly praised by officials in Soochow.

After finishing his speech, King Wu invited the Shu envoy to come to the table.

Arrangements for singing, dancing and music.

The banquet is open!

For a time, there was a lot of cheers and laughter at the table.

As we drank each glass of wine, the solemn and solemn atmosphere became relaxed and cheerful.

Zhou Mo has finally seen that this Soochow banquet is really good for drinking.

Except for Zhang Zhao and Gu Yong, two highly respected old men, they only accepted the favor of King Wu and had a few drinks.

The rest of the ministers, regardless of their official positions, let their arms go and drank as much as they could.

The more you drink and the more you lose your composure, the more you will get the approval of King Wu.

This is one of the unspoken rules of Soochow officialdom.

Zhou Mo took the opportunity to say to Sun Quan: "I heard that the king loves wine, so I made a special trip from Yong'an to bring a batch of honey wine I brewed myself to present to the King of Wu. This wine has a unique taste and strong strength. Anyone who drinks it will

People are full of praise for it.”

Sun Quan was addicted to alcohol. At this moment, he heard that the gift from the Shu envoy actually contained fine wine, so he became greedy and hurriedly said: "Since it is good wine, please bring it up quickly."

Not long after, the mead brewed by Zhou Mo was brought up one jar after another, and the seal was opened, and the aroma overflowed. Sun Quan couldn't wait to fill the cup, smelled it, and showed an intoxicated expression. He took a sip into his throat,

I just feel the aroma is mellow and smooth, full of strength, and has a sweet aftertaste.

"What a good wine!" Sun Quan praised.

Hearing the lord's praise, all the officials of the Wu Kingdom came to drink the wine one after another. After drinking, they all praised it and refilled their glasses.

For a time, everyone only drank Shu wine, and no one cared about Wu wine.

Even Zhang Zhao and Gu Yong couldn't restrain their curiosity. They each drank a small cup and nodded repeatedly after drinking.

Sun Quan was overjoyed and said: "Among the gifts from Western Shu, the horses and Shu brocade are certainly valuable, but the one that wins my heart the most is this wine."

"Zhou Siqian, the envoy of Shu, offered this wine to me with good intentions and sincerity. I am deeply moved."

Sun Quan called Zhou Mo to come forward, poured him wine himself, and said: "You should be the first to contribute to the alliance between Wu and Shu! Come, please drink this cup to the full!"

Sun Quan regarded himself as the supreme king and took the initiative to pour wine for foreign envoys. If it were Liu Bei, this would be a common thing, but with Sun Quan's personality, it is really rare.

It seemed that he was really moved by Zhou Mo's sincerity, and he poured a glass of wine to apologize for his previous behavior.

Naturally, Zhou Mo had to give Sun Quan face. He took the wine glass respectfully, raised his neck, and drank it cleanly in one gulp.

He added: "The king gave me wine, and I am honored to do so. One cup is not enough, I should drink three cups!"

After saying that, he picked up the wine jar, poured two more glasses, opened his mouth from left to right, and drank two glasses in a row.

"Okay!" Sun Quan liked people who drank and had a good time. He couldn't help but cheer loudly, with a very excited expression.

"There are so many envoys from Shu! I admire you! I admire you!" The ministers of Wu State also applauded constantly.

After three rounds of drinking, the scene was in a mess. Except for Zhang Zhao, Gu Yong and others who could still maintain their manners, most of the others were staggering drunk.

In particular, the important minister Yu Fan fell drunk to the ground, lying on his back with his face flushed, muttering to himself, not knowing what he was talking about.

King Wu was also tipsy, and his demeanor began to lose its dignity. When he saw Yu Fan lying drunk on the ground, looking ugly, he slapped his thigh and laughed.

But as soon as he turned his head, King Wu put away his smile.

He saw Zhou Mo walking steadily and not blushing. He was talking and laughing with the prince, Zhuge Ke and others, looking in high spirits.

Obviously I didn’t drink enough.

Then he said loudly: "Zhou Siqian, even Gu is a little drunk, why do you look as normal and don't feel drunk at all?"

Zhou Mo smiled and said: "Your Majesty, you can't accuse me unjustly. I really drink a lot. Everyone present can vouch for me. I don't refuse anyone who comes. Unfortunately, I drink too much. I won't drink enough for a while."

Are you drunk?"

Sun Quan smiled and said: "Arrogant. Zhou Siqian, Zhou Siqian, you are good at everything. But sometimes, you are too arrogant."

"Come here, please fill up the wine for Si Qian, and also for Gu, and all the ministers will also fill up the wine. If Zhou Siqian can go back standing today, all the ministers and Gu will be held accountable!"

Zhou Mo was very anxious and said loudly: "Mo Menglang, please spare my life!"

Seeing that the ministers of the Eastern Wu Dynasty were like wolves and tigers, holding wine cups high and surrounding them, Zhou Mo said anxiously: "You are all benevolent gentlemen, and you should show no mercy!"

When Sun Quan saw Zhou Mo's embarrassment, he laughed until tears flowed from his eyes and bent down.

That night, everyone in Soochow was drunk.

……

It was night, in the palace of King Wu, at the northwest corner of Shangshu Terrace, there was a secluded courtyard.

Sun Quan was particularly gracious and arranged for Zhou Mo to stay here.

He was so drunk that he fell unconscious. King Wu specially sent two palace maids to serve him. After bathing and changing clothes, he was carried to the bed and covered with a quilt.

An officer led several soldiers on patrol and came to the gate of the courtyard, but suddenly stopped.

The officer took out a token, showed it to the two soldiers guarding the door, and said: "You have nothing to do here, you can leave."

"Yes." When the two soldiers guarding the gate saw the token, they did not dare to disobey at all, and left quickly one after the other.

The officer asked two soldiers to guard the door while the remaining people entered the house.

Two palace maids were talking quietly to the side. When they saw a group of soldiers coming in, they were about to step forward to ask.

The officer waved his hand gently, and the soldiers rushed up and blocked their mouths. They put black cloth bags on their heads, tied them up, and threw them into the corner.

The officer said: "Don't be afraid, you two. I'll aggrieve you for now."

Then, he ordered a tall soldier to carry Zhou Mo, who was as drunk as a dead pig on the bed, on his back, and put on a black cloak. At first glance, it was really difficult to spot him.
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The group of people left quickly and walked to the door. The officer warned the two people guarding the door: "If anyone comes to ask, just say that the envoy of Shu is not awake yet and still needs to rest. Please do not disturb him. There are two maids tied up inside. You

The two of them go to check on them from time to time and don't let them scream."
Chapter completed!