Chapter 27

The woman walked towards the other person with a look of disappointment but a smile on her face.

"What are you grinning about?"

"Of course I'm happy to see such a beautiful sister." Xu Ning didn't care and drank another glass of wine.

The Yan Huan Banquet hosted many of the city's celebrities, with the higher the status, the higher the seat. Inside, there was singing and dancing. The first floor hosted dance performances, while the second floor housed a small theater featuring puppet shows and shadow puppetry. Further up, guests rested, or the gathering place for dignitaries.

Xu Ning drank a few glasses of fruit wine and felt a little dizzy. "Okay," she said with another silly laugh. Tang Xixu gently held Xu Ning's shoulders. The girl's fair face flushed, and her eyes narrowed into crescents. "Hehe," she swayed left and right.

"How can there be such a handsome boy? Sit tight and don't shake." Xu Ning pressed Tang Xixu's shoulders firmly. The young man frowned and looked at the man in front of him.

The light was dim, the candle flame flickered, and the wax on the candle fell, as if falling into Tang Xixu's eyes.

"Come on, smile for your sister." The young man just stared at the girl. There was a pool of calm water in his eyes, which was dark, bottomless and unfathomable.

Seeing no response, Xu Ning was a little dissatisfied: "Hey, why don't you say anything?"

"Oh, I understand. You want money, right?" The girl was drowsy and her voice was incoherent.

After searching all his pockets, Xu Ning found no silver: "I have no money. Then use this." The girl took off the jade pendant from her neck and stuffed it into Tang Xixu's hand, "Although the quality of this is not good, it is still worth some money. Is it enough for me to buy you to accompany me tonight?" Xu Ning was still smiling foolishly, not sensing any danger at all.

The jade pendant must have been worn for a long time, it has faded and has a little blue on the corners.

Tang Xixu picked it up and looked at it in the moonlight, only then could he see the barely noticeable porcelain blue.

His heart was slightly shaken, and his thoughts were confirmed. A smile spread across his handsome face, and flowers bloomed.

Tang Xixu smiled faintly and moved closer to Xu Ning, with only a finger's width between them.

I wanted to tease her, "Do you know who I am? How dare you do this."

Xu Ning stared at Tang Xixu for a few seconds: "I don't know. I only know that you are very beautiful." Xu Ning, who was not very conscious, felt a little bit of danger at this time, that kind of aggressiveness.

"Hmph." Tang Xixu stepped back with a half smile.

Qu Yi looked around from the second floor before spotting the two people drinking in the corner of the first floor. He trotted down excitedly and patted Xu Ning on the shoulder: "Ningzi, I found something interesting on the second floor." Xu Ning felt dizzy and fell headfirst onto the table.

Tang Xixu embraced Xu Ning, and the girl's head rested lightly on the young man's shoulder. The lingering scent of sandalwood drifted into the girl's nose. Xu Ning smacked her lips and said, "What a nice smell." Then she leaned closer to Tang Xixu's neck.

The young man stared at Qu Yi, and Qu Yi's eyebrows danced left and right: "Well, Sister Zhao said that the chestnut cake here is delicious. I'll go buy some." He was a little scared and ran away. "This guy's eyes are so scary." He shuddered.

Tang Xixu carried the person out. The corridor in the backyard was quiet and long. The winter wind gently blew up the two people's robes. Occasionally, two or three drunkards passed by along the way. The candles along the way were placed on golden lamps. Exquisite long umbrellas with different patterns were hung upside down on the ceiling of a row of benches.

"That little pink flower is so beautiful." The person lying in Tang Xixu's arms woke up at some point. She raised her hand and pointed at an upside-down oil-paper umbrella.

The young man didn't say anything. He gently placed the person on the bench, then kicked off the ground and flew up, picking up the umbrella that Xu Ning had just pointed at.

"Hold it." The young man carried the man on his back. Xu Ningsong put his arms around Tang Xixu's neck and picked up the umbrella with one hand.

"Axu, where are we going?" The girl squinted her eyes, confused.

"Go back and rest," the young man replied softly. Xu Ning said nothing more, and then the girl began to breathe slowly and rhythmically. Her hot breath landed on Tang Xixu's neck, making it tingle and numb, as if it were being bitten by tiny ants.

…

Zhao Mingshang and others were on the second floor, Qu Yi was wandering around the building, and Xu Lian was sitting upright with a serious expression. When he saw women in revealing clothes, he would blush unconsciously.

"I'm going out for some fresh air." Perhaps because there were too many charming women around, Xu Lian felt a little uncomfortable.

Xu Lian went to the lake, adjusted his breathing and sat on the ground to meditate.

"Cuckoo"

"Scum"

My ears are filled with the spiritual sounds of heaven and earth.

"Whoosh—whoosh!" The birds in the forest flapped their wings and flew away. Xu Lian could sense the uninvited guest.

The man slowly opened his eyes, and a face as charming as a fox was looking up at him.

Xu Lian quickly retreated five miles, her long gown stirring up dust all over the ground. "Young lady, please respect yourself."

Yin Wumeng stood up, stroking her golden curly hair with both hands, smiling faintly, the corners of her lips raised like a hook: "What? Don't you recognize me?"

Xu Lian said nothing and just turned and left.

Yin Wumeng quickly appeared in front of Xu Lian: "Didn't you say you wanted to kill me a few days ago? Why are you unmoved today?" The woman's tone was a little anxious.

Xu Lian looked at her indifferently and was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I think what Miss Yin did was just to show her loyalty to the organization. You and I have different positions. What's more, you didn't really harm the people." Yin Wumeng stood there without saying a word.

As Xu Lian left, he turned his head and said, "It's getting cold, Miss Yin should go back early."

"Hmph, where are you going back to? The leader is still asleep, and there's no one in that place that makes me want to stay." Yin Wumeng's voice softened, no longer as strong and sharp as before, but with some of the fragility of a young woman.

Xu Lian looked at the pitch-black woods ahead, paused for a moment, and then left.

"Hehe, I told you, in his eyes, you are no different from everyone else." Fu Ling, the Heart-Captivating Hand, jumped down from a tree not far away.

Yin Wumeng stared at him hatefully for a while, then looked in the direction the man had just left: "I'll take him." The woman was determined to get him.

Tang Xixu put Xu Ning down and put the umbrella aside. He took off Xu Ning's coat and saw the slightly raised curve in front of the girl's body. He coughed unnaturally.

Tang Xixu knew that Xu Ning was a clean person, so he filled a basin with water and gave it to Xu Ning to wipe her face. "Come, drink, drink," the sleeping girl smacked her lips.

"Buzzing Weng"

A swarm of mosquitoes flew around the umbrella.

Tang Xixu looked at the umbrella on the ground with his eyelids tightened. After thinking for a while, he broke the umbrella into pieces and threw it away.

"Mr. Yu." Zhao Mingchang had not expected to see Yuwen Xin here, so he clasped his fists and bowed. Yuwen Xin and Yuwen Yi both used the pseudonym "Yu" when they visited the people privately.

Yuwen Xin was dressed in finery, with two guards following him. "Miss Zhao is here too."

"Mr. Yu, what's the matter with you coming here?" The two of them had been on the same side since that night in Qinyuan. Even so, in Zhao Mingshang's eyes, they were still strangers. What's more, she wanted more than just the Zhao family's glory for half a lifetime.

Now that he was out, Yuwen Xin didn't try to hide it, but lowered his voice: "Father's minions report that many bodies have mysteriously disappeared in Linyao in the past two months. This city may be in trouble, so I have been ordered to investigate the case thoroughly."

Zhao Mingchang was a little shocked when she heard this. After all, she had been here for more than half a month and had never heard of this matter. The woman frowned slightly.

"Don't call me Master Yu all the time. It's alienating. Just call me Xin. If that doesn't work, call me Master Xin."

"In that case, for the sake of fairness, you can call me Mingshang." Zhao Mingshang didn't dare to take advantage of the princes and grandsons of the royal family.

Zhao Mingchang thought of another thing: "Master Xin, do you know Pan Qi, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Jizhou?"

"I know. When Jizhou was devastated by floods, the imperial court allocated 100,000 taels of silver for disaster relief. He embezzled half of it, shocking the court. All the evidence pointed to him, and the Pan family was supposed to be exterminated. Later, a group of officials pleaded for mercy, and the sentence was reduced to exile in a remote area. However, Pan Qi could not escape death. My father was furious and sentenced him to be skinned and stuffed with straw."

Zhao Mingchang drank his tea and listened attentively. When he heard this, his hand shook and the tea spilled on the table.

Skinning and stuffing straw means peeling off a person's skin, stuffing the skin with straw, making a scarecrow, and placing it in the "Pichang Temple" next to the government office for public display and to serve as a warning to others.

She didn't expect the punishment to be so severe.

Zhao Mingchang remained silent, his heart unable to calm down for a long time.

Tang Xixu saw Yuwen Xin on the first floor. He went upstairs to greet Xu Lian. Zhao Mingshang nodded when he saw him.

"Who is this?" Yuwen Xin saw Zhao Mingshang nodding in a certain direction and looked over there.

"Tan Miao, a wandering traveler." Tang Xixu half smiled. Looking at the young man in front of him, he couldn't help but recall the child he saw in the side hall of the Golden Palace when he was young.

At the time, Tang Xixu was only three or four years old, and the two children were barely taller than garlic sprouts. The entire Mo family hadn't yet relocated to the frontier. That day, the late Empress invited Madam Mo into the palace for a chat and tea. Little Tang Xixu was playing alone in a side hall when a young prince appeared out of nowhere and snuck into the cakes the Empress had prepared for Tang Xixu.

"Is it so delicious?" Xiao Tang Xixu was aroused by the way little Yuwenxin ate.

Little Yuwen Xin had a mouth full of cake crumbs and a piece of osmanthus cake stuffed in his little mouth: "It's delicious, you try one too." The little kid in golden clothes picked up a piece of cake from the plate printed with a golden phoenix and gave it to Tang Xixu.

"It turns out to be Mr. Tan, nice to meet you. My name is Yu Xin." Yuwen Xin thought that he was Zhao Mingshang's friend and treated him with courtesy.

"Qu Yi is looking for you." Tang Xixu raised his right eyebrow and sent Zhao Mingshang away again.

After Zhao Mingchang left, Tang Xixu took Zhao Mingchang's seat and poured another cup of tea. "Who is Mr. Yu?"

"He's from Huajing. Where's Master Tan?"

"My ancestral home is Ningzhou. I moved to Ye County with my family when I was young." Tang Xixu hid part of it.

"Ningzhou belongs to Miao territory. It is rumored that people in Ningzhou can raise Gu. I wonder if it is true?" Yuwen Xin tested doubtfully.

"It's just a rumor. The art of raising Gu is very old and it's a weird and unorthodox way. It's all witchcraft." Tang Xixu laughed at himself and took another sip of tea.

The two were silent for a while and enjoyed the singing and dancing in the audience.

Tang Xixu casually mentioned, "Linyao is a small city, and its entire revenue depends on umbrellas. It's strange, but today I saw a new oil-paper umbrella, and when I put it nearby, it immediately attracted a lot of mosquitoes."

Yuwen Xin blew away the bamboo leaf green on the surface of the tea, paused for a moment, and then said, "I heard that Linyao's puppet show is considered a unique one in the Xin Dynasty. My guard said that the first act of the day is about to begin. Please come in."

The two of them went to the center of the second floor together.

Xin Dynasty puppet shows were generally only affordable for the wealthy and powerful. The puppets were life-size, their inner bodies made of cowhide and held together with wire, and their outer layers covered in ordinary clothing. The puppets were held together by sixteen to thirty-five strings, which were manipulated by an operator from above the stage.

The center of the second floor was cleared and a huge stage was built, which was almost the same size as the stage on the first floor. The puppeteer was operating the puppets on the third floor.

The sharp sound of cymbals marked the beginning of the opera, called "Rebirth from the Ashes," which had no dialogue, only movement and music.

"Thump, thump, thump" the puppet gradually retreated and disappeared.

Then another real person came on stage. This person wore a full-face mask, black fireproof clothing, and a conical hat. He held a long stick with an iron kettle at each end, which was filled with charcoal. The black-clad man shook the kettle vigorously, and sparks instantly erupted from the kettle. If Ruyan Tower hadn't been large enough and the center of this floor was open to the sky, the performance would have been impossible.

The sparks were like orange stars all over the sky, like fire snakes dancing in the sky, like gilded gold floating between heaven and earth, like gold powder sprinkled by the gods. In short, this beautiful scene made Xu Ning, who had just sobered up and ran out, speechless.

At this time, the "sky" rained and the fire gradually went out. The protagonist in the puppet slowly came out with an umbrella. The puppet was not stained by water, which showed the good waterproof performance of the umbrella.

After the first puppet show, the dealers came out to sell items. This was the purpose of the Yanhuan Banquet. It looked like a place for drinking and chatting, but in fact it was an auction of high-end items.

"The umbrellas used in the play were newly made in Linyao this year. They were the first to be sold in the capital and are extremely popular with the dignitaries. Not only are they more waterproof than ordinary umbrellas, but they are also easier to write lyrics on and have greater toughness and strength. Every concubine in the capital, from the empress to the daughter of an official, owns one."

That's true. A new umbrella has recently appeared in Beijing. It's said to be made of cowhide, with handles made of various materials, including bamboo, animal bone, and metal. However, if someone can afford an umbrella made of genuine leather, they must be from a wealthy family, and the handles are also made of animal bone or metal.

"The asking price is ten taels a sword."

"Ten taels, this is too expensive." Many people in the audience were amazed at the price.

"It looks nice, but I'm poor, so I'll just use an oil-paper umbrella."

Seeing that no one was buying, the dealer left the stage and continued with the second act.

All the puppets "walked" out. No matter how realistic the cowhide inside was, they were still lifeless "dummies" controlled by people. They walked mechanically, and the "wide-open" eyes on their "faces" made them look even more weird.

One of the spectators was so trembling that he could barely speak clearly: "Look, the puppet in the middle is..."

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed.