Apart from the imperial palace, Hibiscus Garden was the largest royal garden in the capital city, covering an area of dozens of hectares. In it, there were not only magnificent palaces second only to the imperial palace, but also beautiful mountains and rivers. It was a summer resort for several generations of emperors.
As a royal forbidden garden, outsiders were not qualified to step into it without the emperor's decree.
Li Yi had never entered the Hibiscus Garden, and he did not know if the Hibiscus Garden of the Jing Kingdom and the Hibiscus Garden of the Tang Dynasty, which he had been to countless times in his previous life, were the same place. However, this possibility was very small. The structure of the world today, and even the topography and names of places, were difficult to match with certain things in his memory.
The carriage stopped before it got close to the gate. It stopped on a spacious field. Li Yi and Ru Yi walked over on foot.
There were countless guards outside the garden. At a glance, one could see several rows of armored guards patrolling around. Tonight, almost all the high-ranking officials of the Jing Kingdom were here. Of course, the security work had to be raised to the highest level. Otherwise, if some lawbreakers were to take care of all these people, the Jing Kingdom would be in chaos without the need for other countries to do anything. At that time, they would only need to send troops to take over the territory.
After handing over the invitation and walking into the garden, they realized that there were so many officials and nobles in Jing Kingdom, and most of them were unfamiliar. Fortunately, the garden was very large. Even if not all places were open tonight, it would not be crowded even if the number of people was several times larger.
"Husband, I'll go there first."
Tonight, the men and women were still separated. After entering, there were maids guiding the women to another palace.
Tonight, the Hibiscus Garden was ablaze with lights. In the hall not far away, there was a faint sound of stringed instruments. It was said that tonight, the singers and dancers of the Musical House, as well as some highly-skilled palace performers, would come here to perform for the ministers. Usually, only the royal family could enjoy such performances.
Li Yi was not very interested in those performances. There were not many people in the distant corridor on the water. He walked over and found an empty pavilion. Looking at the sparkling lights on the water, he picked up a piece of cake from the plate on the table and threw it into his mouth.
After eating one piece, he had no desire to eat a second one. Ruoqing's osmanthus cake was the most suitable for his taste.
It was just that he hadn't been to Willow Alley recently and hadn't eaten in a long time.
On the other side of the corridor, a few figures glanced over as they passed by. One of them stopped in his tracks and his gaze froze.
"Big Brother Qin, what's wrong?" A 15 or 16 year old youth behind him asked in confusion.
When the others followed his gaze, their expressions also became slightly unnatural. They twisted their buttocks, and an indescribable part of their bodies seemed to start to ache faintly.
…
…
The dessert of the dining hall was average, but the other plate of broad beans tasted good. It was a little cold sitting here in winter. Li Yi planned to eat this plate and then go in. Before he ate half, he suddenly heard a voice in his ear.
"You're Li Yi?"
The voice was crisp and clear. Presumably, the speaker was young. Li Yi turned his head and saw a young man standing behind him. He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. The light here was a little dim, but he could see that he had red lips and white teeth. He looked quite handsome.
"Who are you?"
The young man's voice was angry, and he didn't look friendly. It had been a long time since he caused trouble, and he was a little itchy. Besides, the plate of broad beans wasn't finished yet. It was good to have someone to talk to. Li Yi looked up at him and asked.
"I'm Wang Dan!" The young man crossed his arms and said in an imposing manner.
"Oh, you little bastard, what do you want?" Li Yi looked at him and asked. There were many powerful officials with the surname Wang in the capital. He didn't know which family this spoiled brat was from.
"I'm Wang Dan, not a bastard!" The young man's face turned red. He had been teased like this many times since he was young, and it had almost become a sore spot for him. His chest rose and fell, and even his voice was trembling.
No wonder Big Brother Qin said that. This person called Li Yi was really despicable and rude to the extreme.
The young man's eyes were fierce. "You're the one who used dirty tricks to harm Big Brother Qin and the others?"
Big Brother Qin?
As if thinking of something, Li Yi tilted his head and glanced over. He saw a few slightly familiar figures slowly walking along the shore of the waterside pavilion. Two or three of them were looking in his direction.
When he looked at the young man again, there was a pitiful expression on his face.
He kept calling out "Big Brother Qin" with righteous indignation and wanted to seek justice for him. However, his Big Brother Qin didn't tell him that the person he was questioning was the scourge of Jingdou. He had beaten the Duke and the Prince, and could kill 10 brats like him with one finger.
"Which family are you from?" Li Yi couldn't help but feel curious about his background.
"What, are you afraid?" The young man raised his head as if he was very confident in his background.
"Is it the Wang family?" Li Yi looked at him and asked.
"How do you know?" the young man asked with a shocked expression.
Li Yi threw a broad bean into his mouth and sighed. He stood up and walked outside.
No wonder Qin Yu and the others were using him as a tool. This child's brain was probably damaged.
"Stop!" The young man came back to his senses. Seeing that Li Yi was about to walk out, he quickly chased after him.
"If something really happens to Wang Dan, I'm afraid it will be hard to explain to the Wang family." A young man beside Qin Yu glanced at the two figures that were about to disappear in front of him and said.
"The Wang family …" Qin Yu shook his head and didn't say anything else.
Another person opened his mouth and said, "The Wang family. The Wang family is already standing opposite the King of Shu. What difference does it make whether we explain or not?"
…
…
"Stop!"
Li Yi walked out of the long corridor on the other side of the water. Hearing the panting voice behind him, he turned his head and asked, "Is there anything else?"
"You … I …" The young man panted heavily. He pointed at him and was about to speak when he suddenly froze.
Yes, what did he want to say?
He had just heard that Brother Qin and the others had been harmed by Li Yi and had been bedridden at home for a few months. Hence, he had rushed over angrily to seek justice for them. However, how was he going to seek justice for them?
He really hadn't thought about it.
"Xiao Dan, you … why are you together?" Li Xuan and another young man walked over from behind and asked in surprise when they saw Li Yi and the young man.
"My name is Wang Dan, not Xiao Dan!" The young man turned around and said through gritted teeth, forgetting about his conflict with Li Yi.
"Uncle Li, we meet again." The young man beside Li Xuan cupped his fists at Li Yi.
"Hello, Brother Wang." Li Yi also cupped his fists at Wang Yong.
"Big Brother, you know this guy?" The young man was surprised.
"What do you mean by 'this guy' and 'that guy'?" Wang Yong's face darkened and he said, "I told you not to mix around with those people. If you don't listen to me, I'll send you back to the Wang family in two days!"
"Big Brother …" The young man looked at him in disbelief. His big brother had always doted on him since he was young. This reprimand stunned him.
However, he didn't dare to speak anymore.
Compared to the Wang family, the capital city was much more interesting. He grew up in the capital city and only stayed there for a few days during festivals. If he was sent back, he couldn't imagine what his life would be like in the future.
"It's okay for a kid to be naughty. Just give him a beating …" Verbal violence shouldn't be used as it was very damaging to a child's heart. Li Yi patted the young man's shoulder and said with a smile.
The young man named Wang Dan immediately grimaced in pain. It wasn't clear if he was in pain or hatred …
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