Chapter 53 first quarter

On the pier in Tianjin, gongs, drums, and firecrackers blared. Officials from all levels of the Beiyang government and celebrities from all walks of life in Tianjin crowded the pier to wait for Zhang Xian.Duan Shizhang, along with Liu Yin, Chen Ziyan and other wives, also came early to welcome Zhang Xianzaiyu back. Zhang Xian, Li Yi, Cao Qian and his party were surrounded by countless people and stepped off the passenger ship. People from all walks of life came forward to shake hands with Zhang Xian to congratulate them, and then they were picked up by a special car. A grand welcome ceremony was held in Tianjin, singing praises and praises.

It turned out that before Zhang Xian arrived, the news that Zhang Xian had won the third place had spread to Beiping, and the newspapers had long reported the headlines. It was lively for many days, and everyone was holding back their enthusiasm. Show off my China" and "show off my country's prestige" have reached their climax. Speech by the Vice President of the Beiyang Government, speeches by the mayor of Tianjin, speeches by diplomatic officials, speeches by recommender Duan Shizhang, speeches by representatives of the folk arts industry, etc., anyway, they all took the train that Zhang Xian won the third place in the World Magic Conference. They all showed their faces and tried their best to put gold on their faces.It all means the same thing: look, we are all wise, we are the ones who discovered Zhang Xian, we overcame difficulties to let Zhang Xian participate in the competition, we have been optimistic about Zhang Xian for a long time, without us there would be no achievements of Zhang Xian, Zhang Xian Xian's medals have half of his share and half of ours. Zhang Xian's honor has his share and our share!

On the contrary, Zhang Xian simply said a few words of thanks, without saying anything more, the applause was still thunderous.At this time, even if he only said a word of thanks, he could be praised as a high-spirited man, not surprised by favor or humiliation, and concise and to the point. After the welcome ceremony, everyone sent Zhang Xian back to the hotel to rest for a while, and a grand banquet will be held at the hotel in the evening.This hotel has been funded by Duan Shizhang and the Beiyang government, and the cost is several times higher than Zhang Xian's trip to London. Zhang Xian was told that he stayed in this hotel that night, and Duan Shizhang and other high-ranking officials and celebrities from Peking also lived here, so that Zhang Xian could rest well to relieve the exhaustion of the boat, and after lunch tomorrow, they would drive back to Peking together. .

The banquet at night was of course extremely lively! Celebrities sang, celebrities presented plaques, celebrities toasted, and even Li Yi and Cao Qian were surrounded by coquettish courtesans to flatter them, drinking one after another until they could hardly straighten their backs. Zhang Xian is not a cold, arrogant and lonely person, he has a smiling face, he is blocked by soldiers, covered by water and earth, he behaves decently, he has a demeanor of everyone, he will not offend anyone, and he is relaxed. Zhang Xian was invited to perform a few small tricks to add to the fun, which won a lot of applause.

Duan Shizhang raised his glass to congratulate Zhang Xian. Zhang Xian was very polite to Duan Shizhang and said many compliments that made Duan Shizhang happy. Duan Shizhang laughed and drank several glasses with Zhang Xian. I was happy, and I was 90% drunk after drinking, so proud, I asked Liu Yin, Chen Ziyan and other wives to toast Zhang Xian, saying that Liu Yin could do magic tricks, and she liked Zhang Xian's magic tricks very much. , You can come to the house as a guest and teach some magic skills. Liu Yin came to toast Zhang Xian coldly, she couldn't tell she had any affection for Zhang Xian, she just said congratulations lightly, and when she raised her glass to clink glasses with Zhang Xian, a trace of joy flashed across her eyes.

Liu Yin drank red wine, and wanted to take a sip, but saw a small wax pill in the red wine, Liu Yin immediately understood, and drank half of the glass of red wine without hesitation. in the mouth. Sitting opposite Zhang Xian, Duan Shizhang laughed loudly: "Okay! Liu Yin had a good drink!" Zhang Xian naturally followed Liu Yin to drink it all in one gulp, and said with a smile: "Mrs. Liu is a good drinker." Liu Yin replied coldly: "Mr. Zhang, you too." In the toilet for VIPs next to the banquet hall, Liu Yin spit out wax pills from her mouth, pinched them open with her fingers, and unfolded a note with tiny characters written on it.Liu Yin read it quickly, with a happy smile on her face, she silently memorized it in her heart, and destroyed the note.

Liu Yin tidied up her appearance and walked out of the bathroom. Butler Liu was as annoying as a maggot, waiting for her outside.Liu Yin gave Steward Liu a few cold eyes, walked past Steward Liu, and cursed in a low voice: "Liu Chengsan, it's interesting that you stare at me every day? Can you stop making me sick!" Butler Liu said with a nonchalant smile: "Mrs. Liu, the master cares about you, for your safety. Just do what you have to do, as long as we don't exist." Liu Yin cursed in a low voice while walking: "I wish you would die immediately! Just wait, I will tell the master that you peeked at me!"

Butler Liu laughed dryly, and said, "I dare not, absolutely not. It's been so many years, since when did the younger one ever act presumptuously? Mrs. Liu, aren't you used to it?" Liu Yin snorted coldly and walked away quickly. It has been nearly ten years since Liu Yin was forced by Duan Shizhang to marry her as a concubine. During this period, she ran away many times and committed suicide several times, all of which were captured or stopped by Steward Liu.Although Liu Yin's mood has stabilized in the past two years, Duan Shizhang's strict monitoring of Liu Yin is still unrelenting. Steward Liu is meticulous and thoughtful, and he handles the monitoring of Liu Yin by himself. Going into battle made Liu Yin hate him to the bone.

By the time the banquet was over, it was already dark.After the hustle and bustle, everything returned to calm. Duan Shizhang was so drunk that he had already been served and fell asleep, and soon snored like thunder.Zhang Xian, Li Yi, and Cao Qian were all drunk, and were invited back to their respective rooms to rest and thank guests behind closed doors. In the blink of an eye, it was almost midnight, and everyone fell into a deep sleep. And Liu Yin didn't feel sleepy at all, she looked at the clock beside the bed, the pointer had already pointed to twelve o'clock. Liu Yin stood up, tiptoed around to the outside of the room, and opened the door a little, the maid Xiaohong outside was already lying on the sofa and sleeping soundly.There were still faint footsteps and voices in the corridor, it was the bodyguard brought by Duan Shizhang who was patrolling.

Liu Yin closed the door, fastened the latch, then quickly took out casual clothes from the closet, and dressed neatly. Liu Yin coiled her hair tightly, walked out of the window, pushed the window open, and got out nimbly. Most people underestimate Liu Yin, she is definitely not a weak woman, she has learned all kinds of juggling from her father since she was a child, she just loves magic, but she is best at acrobatics.Liu Yin has never performed in front of Duan Shizhang and the others. In her spare time, she always hides in her room and practices secretly, never slack off. Perhaps Zhang Xian is the only person in the world who knows that Liu Yin has good skills.

Liu Yin quickly walked out from the back door of the hotel, walked along the wall for a while, and waved for the rickshaw to come over. A short and thin coachman wearing a straw hat dragged a rickshaw to Liu Yin, who hurriedly said, "Go to Bishui Lake!" The coachman responded: "Okay!" He pulled the cart and ran quickly. The rickshaw drove for a while, and the driver turned his head and asked, "Miss, it's so late, are you still coming out?" Liu Yin snorted, and said with some displeasure: "Please hurry up! I have something urgent!" The driver let out a groan and quickened his pace, but after a while, the driver asked again: "Miss, did you sneak out?" Liu Yin was a little angry, and said, "Why are you asking so many questions?" The coachman laughed and said, "Miss, I really don't believe you have such a good skill. You won't be discovered, will you?" Liu Yin was startled and said, "What did you say?" The coachman said: "Master said that you are very skilled. I never believed it, but now I believe it!" Liu Yin shouted, "Who are you?" The coachman turned his head, haha ​​smiled at Liu Yin, and said, "It's me! Li Yi, Zhang Xian is my master, you don't even recognize me. Haha!" After Liu Yin looked it over, it turned out that the coachman was Li Yi. She let go of her hanging heart and said with some surprise: "It's you! Why is it you! Aren't you drunk?"