The Prefect of Baling stayed until the very end. Once most of his subordinates had dispersed, he stepped forward and said to Zhongli Ting with a fawning air: "General, all of you have traveled a great distance and must be exhausted. I have already had people prepare lodgings for you all. Please, take a rest, and this evening, I shall host a banquet to welcome you."
In truth, the Prefect of Baling had made no special arrangements. However, he had already steeled himself to offer up the best residence in the city—his own estate—to accommodate them.
To his surprise, the moment the words left his lips, Zhongli Ting rejected him with calm detachment: "There is no need for lodgings. We shall stay at the Baling post house."
Chapter 99