As Xiahou Chengyu took his seat, he couldn't help but utter a few words that represented the heavens' might. Then, the fairies shuttled between the tables, bringing out exquisite wine and delicacies.
The Heavenly Empress raised her cup, and everyone drank. The banquet officially began.
During the banquet, Xiahou Chengyu only greeted Yun Zhiqiu politely at the beginning, but then he didn't even look her in the eye. He only chatted with Lady Mei beside him, giving her the cold shoulder.
None of the Celestial Emperor's concubines who could get close to Yun Zhiqiu spoke to her either. Most of them had no relationship with her, and those who had connections with the southern army had yet to establish a trustworthy relationship with Miao Yi. The concubines who had surrendered and paid tribute to the palace were also ostracized due to the loss of their backgrounds, and couldn't sit close to them. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yun Zhiqiu was obviously given the cold shoulder. However, she raised her cup calmly, as if she didn't care.
Xue Linglong, who was sitting below, saw all of this. She was anxious and wanted to go back and remind Xu Tangran. His Highness had given Xu Tangran the task of bringing concubines into the palace. What happened today had obviously made Princess lose face.
Soon, the choreographed song and dance was performed, attracting everyone's attention.
In the main hall of the Li Palace, all the officials were seated, singing and dancing to celebrate peace and prosperity. Xu Tangran was in high spirits, having found a sense of grandeur.
In the garden, beauties were as numerous as the clouds, and the scenery was boundless.
After the delicacies, the sound of bells and drums echoed, signaling the end of the banquet. The officials, led by the Qing Emperor, and the beauties, led by Xiahou Chengyu, all left the Li Palace to tour the imperial garden.
Xiahou Chengyu brought the ladies into the normally closed peach garden, allowing everyone to admire it as they pleased. The garden was shrouded in mist, and the fragrance of fruits permeated the air.
Yun Zhiqiu quietly looked around, locking on to Tong Lianxi, and prepared to approach her.
Unexpectedly, Teng Fei's favorite concubine, Zhu Meili, quietly approached, as if they had met by chance. She bowed and said, "Your Highness."
Yun Zhiqiu smiled and nodded. If not for Su Yun's reminder, she would have taken it as a coincidence, and knew that something bad was about to happen.
Before she could say anything, Zhu Meili was already in front of her, apologizing, "It was my fault for not disciplining them properly and offending Your Highness. Please forgive me."
Yun Zhiqiu was surprised. "Mei Youmei, why do you say that? When did you offend me?"
Zhu Meili gave a bitter smile as she shook her head, "This is all my fault. I had already found a few servants to take care of the courtyard, but I never thought that two servants who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth would charge into the king's palace and disturb the Princess Consort."
Yun Zhiqiu was surprised. "There's such a thing? Why didn't I know about it?"
Zhu Meili pushed aside the tree branch that was in front of her eyes, "It seems that niangniang is truly magnanimous and didn't take it to heart. In fact, I didn't know before, but later I found out that there were people who went to disturb the prince's side courtyard. After asking, I found out that the servants who went to disturb the prince were called Cao Wanxiang and Tian Zhijun. This Cao Wanxiang is niangniang's beloved general, General Murong's ex-husband. In order to ascend the throne, he didn't hesitate to divorce his wife and abandon General Murong to marry that Tian Zhijun. Ying Jiuguang's treacherous plot failed, and this couple surrendered to my prince. I was kind enough to take them in, but who knew that they dared to disturb General Murong.
Yun Zhiqiu: "Oh! Meili was talking about them, and I thought it was a big deal. These kinds of people are not worth mentioning, so let's not talk about them. " She didn't want to discuss this. If what Su Yun said was true, and Murong Xinghua didn't express his stance, she didn't need to be calculative with these two insignificant people and harm their lives.
"Niangniang is really magnanimous." Zhu Meili smiled and praised. Since Yun Zhiqiu said she didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't bring it up. However, since she had already started the conversation, she wouldn't let it go so easily. She took the initiative to find a topic, "I heard that the Ox King's residence is beautiful, but I've never been there before. Today, seeing niangniang, I can't help but think that I should ask for some favor from niangniang. I wonder if I can go and have a look when I'm free?"
Yun Zhiqiu said, "It's the old residence of King Hao, and it hasn't been changed much. It's beautiful. If you're interested, then you're a distinguished guest that I can't invite. Of course, you're welcome."
Zhu Meili covered her mouth and giggled, "Since niangniang has said so, then I'll ask for some good luck. After the festival, I'll take advantage of niangniang and go with you. How about it?"
Yun Zhiqiu smiled and nodded, "Alright!"
He thought back to when he first met this woman. Back then, this woman was arrogant and indifferent, but now, her words were filled with flattery. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. The world was really fickle. Times had changed, times had changed.
However, it was a good thing to hear good things along the way. However, Zhu Meili didn't seem to want too many people to see her and Yun Zhiqiu getting too close, so she found an excuse to leave.
This Celestial Peach Garden was vast, with ancient peach trees blocking the way and celestial fog rising in spirals. It wasn't suitable to look for people, but it was also a good place to talk without being noticed.
There was still some time before they would meet outside the peach garden. Yun Zhiqiu secretly instructed Fei Hong and Xue Linglong to split up and search for Tong Lianxi.
After a while, Xue Linglong sent news that they had found her.
When Yun Zhiqiu arrived, she saw Tong Lianxi sitting in a pavilion, chatting and laughing with a woman. Yun Zhiqiu instructed Xue Linglong to go over to greet her and find an excuse to send the other woman away. At the same time, she ordered people to keep an eye on the surroundings. Only then did she walk out of the peach forest and walk straight into the pavilion.
Seeing Yun Zhiqiu walk over, Tong Lianxi hurriedly stood up and bowed, "Your Highness."
"So it's Lianxi!" Yun Zhiqiu seemed surprised. She quickly gestured for Tong Lianxi to sit down and said, "I was bored walking around, so I came to the pavilion. I didn't expect to run into Lianxi. What a coincidence."
Tong Lianxi smiled reservedly and sat beside her, looking gentle and dignified. She didn't look like a cheerful person. She didn't speak much, only answering Yun Zhiqiu's questions.
Yun Zhiqiu probed her with her words and observed her. She basically believed the demonic monk's words. She had seen Jiang Yiyi before. Comparing her impression of Jiang Yiyi, she found that Tong Lianxi's eyebrows were indeed somewhat similar to Jiang Yiyi's. With Jiang Yiyi's handsome appearance, his sister's beauty naturally wouldn't be too bad. No wonder she could become Luo Mang's favorite concubine.
While thinking, Yun Zhiqiu suddenly sighed, "Seeing Lianxi, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I keep feeling that she looks like an old friend of mine. My old friend's surname is Jiang, the Jiang of the Jianghu. I wonder if Lianxi knows him?" As she said this, she paid close attention to the slightest change in Tong Lianxi's expression.
Tong Lianxi's fingers shrunk, and her eyes flickered. However, she didn't show much reaction on her face. She looked around calmly and asked, "Your Highness, are you alone?" She finally realized that something was amiss. Given Yun Zhiqiu's current status and status, how could she possibly be strolling around alone? Clearly, this wasn't a coincidence that Yun Zhiqiu was referring to. Instead, she was doing it on purpose.
Yun Zhiqiu had already sensed something. She smiled and said, "It's peaceful to be alone. Lianxi seems to be someone who likes peace. It's just nice for us sisters to chat in peace without anyone to disturb us. What do you think?"
Tong Lianxi slowly stood up and bowed in greeting. She smiled and said, "I'm afraid I'll have to spoil Your Highness's mood. I still have to accompany Consort Guang, so I won't disturb Your Highness's peace."
Yun Zhiqiu rolled up her sleeves and said unhurriedly, "That old friend of mine with the surname Jiang has been looking for his sister for a long time, but to no avail. Eventually, he came to me and asked for my help. In order to help, I also spent a lot of effort to find some clues. "
Tong Lianxi's body was already frozen at the entrance of the pavilion. She couldn't move an inch, and her delicate body was trembling slightly.
Yun Zhiqiu glanced at her and continued carelessly, "It seems that my clues are wrong. I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint my old friend again."
When Tong Lianxi turned around again, her expression had already calmed down. She stared at Yun Zhiqiu and said, "I don't understand what Your Highness means. Does Your Highness want me to help you find someone?"
Yun Zhiqiu thought to herself, As expected of someone who has been trained by the Great Ensemble. She is very vigilant and won't give in easily. She really won't shed a tear until she sees the coffin. She gestured with her hand and said, "If Lianxi is willing to help me, why don't we sit down and talk?"
Tong Lianxi slowly walked back to her seat and sat down.
Yun Zhiqiu sighed inwardly. It was a pity that Jiang Yiyi was so cautious that he didn't keep his sister's letter with him. Otherwise, he could have just verified the seal directly. He asked, "Would you like to hear a story?"
Tong Lianxi replied, "I'm all ears."
Yun Zhiqiu pondered for a moment, then sighed, "My friend's surname is Jiang. He has a younger sister, and the two of them depend on each other. He said that his sister loved to eat candied fruits when she was young, but he never had the money to buy them. One day, the Great Ensemble suddenly appeared and took them away. After the Great Ensemble, the two of them were separated and never saw each other again. He didn't know what his sister looked like when she grew up, what she was doing, or where she was. The only way he could confirm that she was still alive was to receive a letter from her seal every once in a while. Because his sister was in the hands of the Great Ensemble, he was forced to do certain things. He changed his name to Jiang Yiyi and became a perverted criminal that everyone wanted to kill. He helped certain people do things that couldn't see the light of day. He was also extremely worried that his sister would be forced into a corner, so he asked me to save her. "
Tears streamed down Tong Lianxi's cheeks as she listened to Yun Zhiqiu's explanation. Her brother was the only one who knew that she liked to eat candied haws when she was young. Even the Great Ensemble didn't know about it. When Yun Zhiqiu said this, she could basically confirm that Yun Zhiqiu was indeed here on behalf of her brother.
But when she heard the name 'Jiang Yiyi', she couldn't help but tremble. This perverted criminal was so famous that even she had to be wary of him when she went out. More importantly, she already knew what happened to that perverted criminal. It seemed that Niu Youde had died at Niu Youde's hands when he was the head of the phantom market. She suddenly looked up, her eyes burning with tears. "You killed him?"
Yun Zhiqiu stared at her and said, "We didn't kill him. What you heard was only a rumor. Someone was covering up the truth, not wanting people to know that Jiang Yiyi was related to the Great Ensemble. The truth often doesn't match the rumors. If not, how would I know about this story, and how would I have been asked by him to help him find his sister all these years? Who would ask their enemy to do something like this?"
Tong Lianxi shook her head, choking. "Who killed him?"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
