Chapter 62, the Sixty-Second Heart-wrenching Scene

Embarrassment and anger surged forth simultaneously, like a tidal wave.

Is Qi Lingjun inviting Zhu Huantang here today just to say these things to satirize him?

Suddenly, a guard pushed through the crowd of tourists and rushed over, saying, "General, someone saw the Left General, the Regent..."

Before he could finish speaking, a blur flashed by, and Zhu Huantang had already mounted his horse and headed straight for South Street.

Once everyone left, the snacks on the table lost their flavor. Qi Lingjun placed the chopsticks neatly on the table, sighed with his eyes down, and then rolled up his sleeves and stood up: "I'll go join in the fun too."

The scene was incredibly lively. When Zhu Huantang arrived, the place was packed with people, many of whom were wearing masks and could only be identified by their figures.

However, Zuo Qinghou's every word and action was already etched into Zhu Huantang's mind. He looked around and quickly spotted the emerald green figure in front of him. The person wore the most ordinary fox mask, and when looking at the ornaments, he would always flick his finger, causing the silver bell to sway slightly.

She also liked to hook his chin like that.

Zhu Huantang clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles cracking and turning white. He didn't slack off either; to avoid alerting the enemy, he dared not use his lightness skill, so he bought a mask, put it on, and quickly ran forward, pushing through the crowd.

With so many people on the street, it was inevitable that someone would bump into another person. Several girls exclaimed in surprise, drawing the attention of many onlookers.

The person turned around, and even through the mask, Zhu Huantang could tell that the person was smiling. His pupils contracted slightly; since he had already been discovered, he wanted to use his lightness skill to step over the person and grab her.

But Zhu Huantang was grabbed by someone, who held on desperately. The person, pulled by Zhu Huantang's strength, fell to the ground, attracting a large crowd of onlookers.

Zhu Huantang kept a close eye on Zuo Qinghou, who was walking forward while turning his head back, afraid that he would lose him if he was distracted for even a moment.

The person dragging Zhu Huantang was probably also arranged by Zuo Qinghou. She was a frail woman, but she was surprisingly strong and almost tore his clothes off. There were also some people watching the commotion, not wanting to miss out on the fun. Zhu Huantang could no longer control his anger. He threw off his mask, and his fierce eyes terrified the man so much that his legs went weak.

When Zhu Huantang turned around, everyone saw his face clearly, but before they could kneel down, Zhu Huantang stepped on their shoulders and used his lightness skill to leave the crowd blocking his way.

Zuo Qinghou moved erratically, like a ghostly green flame, hovering not too far from Zhu Huantang, yet Zhu Huantang could not catch up with her.

A firework exploded overhead, instantly putting the city guards on high alert. They tightened their guard over the four exits in the east, west, south, and north. If it really was Zuo Qinghou, as long as they could hold her off, Zhu Huantang, with his current abilities, would surely be able to capture her.

He was determined to hook her collarbone and hang her in a dark room, inflicting all that he had experienced upon her.

With a turn, Zhu Huantang lightly touched the ground with his feet, leaped like a hawk, and caught her jade pendant.

With a fluttering cloak and a fox-masked figure turning around, the figure in green vanished in an instant.

The initial confidence turned to panic. Zhu Huantang removed the masks from several people nearby, revealing unfamiliar faces. Suddenly, the noisy crowd scattered. Jiang Jinyi rode up on horseback and shouted at Zhu Huantang, "Where are they?"

Unlike Jiang Jinyi's anxiety born of joy, Zhu Huantang's expression was truly terrifying. Jiang Jinyi noticed that Zhu Huantang's expression calmed down slightly. If Zuo Qinghou really appeared, he wouldn't be at Zhu Huantang's mercy. However, balancing the two would be a difficult task.

Rather than seeing Zuo Qinghou, Jiang Jinyi wanted to ensure Zuo Qinghou's safety. He secretly made a gesture to the soldier behind him, telling him that if he really encountered Zuo Qinghou, he would stir up trouble and let her go.

“She’s gone,” Zhu Huantang said anxiously, oblivious to Jiang Jinyi’s subtle movements. “We’ve sealed off all four exits; she can’t escape.”

Jiang Jinyi said, "It's really inappropriate for you to lock down the city on the Qixi Festival. It will cause panic among the people."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Huantang suddenly turned around, staring directly at Jiang Jinyi as if trying to bore a hole into him, and asked tentatively with certainty, "You know where she is."

"Whether I know or not is none of my business," Jiang Jinyi said coldly. "We're family, let's not ruin the harmony."

Although the words were meant as advice, the tone was one of warning.

But Zhu Huantang was no longer Lu Huantang. Now he held the reins of the capital's garrison, while Jiang Jinyi had been dealing with his biological father on the border for years. When it came to matters concerning the capital, Zhu Huantang didn't care about Jiang Jinyi's threats.

Zhu Huantang had no time to argue with Jiang Jinyi, and said in a deep voice, "Officially, we are indeed family. Privately, this is a private matter between her and me, and Your Highness, a married man, has no right to interfere."

Suddenly, someone in the crowd cried out, "Someone is going to jump off the building!"

Following the gaze of the people, Zhu Huantang looked up at the city wall. Just now, a green figure on the top of the city wall had her clothes fluttering, as if she was about to ride the wind away.

Zhu Huantang dashed off, even leaving Jiang Jinyi behind. Reaching the city wall, he suddenly hesitated to approach. He feared that if he got too close, Zuo Qinghou, that madman, would jump. Although he knew she wouldn't die, he wouldn't be able to catch her. Zhu Huantang quietly looked at Zuo Qinghou: "What are you doing here?"

Zuo Qinghou remained silent, tilting his head, which was covered by a fox mask, as if in a provocation.

Zhu Huantang took a step forward, seizing the opportunity to grab her, and while speaking, he diverted her attention: "I can overlook the fact that you plotted against me step by step back then, but we were both doing this for the sake of the Sui Kingdom, so we need to make things clear."

Just when Zhu Huantang was only an arm's length away from Zuo Qinghou, Jiang Jinyi suddenly appeared and shouted, "She is not Zuo Qinghou."

Before she could even step forward, Zuo Qinghou leaped down. Zhu Huantang couldn't even grab her clothes and watched helplessly as she transformed from a person into a garment, fluttering and falling outside the city and into the mud.

Puppetry! Puppetry again!

In his haste, Zhu Huantang failed to recognize that this was a puppet. He had lost count of how many times Zuo Qinghou had tricked him; the coldness and ruthlessness he had cultivated over the years had completely crumbled, and he was now impulsive and easily angered like a child. He punched the city wall, and a piece of the thick wall was shattered.

No one dared to step forward. After a long while, Zhu Huantang composed himself, clapped his hands, and said, "Fix this place." Then he left with the clothes Zhu Huantang had left behind.

The clothes were made of Wu Kingdom's Flowing Cloud Satin, but there were no other clues.

I've heard that snuff bottles are still rampant in Wu, even his stubborn and stern senior brother is turning a blind eye. This suggests that Zuo Qinghou and the vanished Wanxianglou restaurant are involved. It's truly a case of echoing their actions, but does he need her as an inside agent? Without her, he can still march back to that ungrateful country.

A nation that is described as ungrateful and jealous of talent will not last long, even without them.

But just because of her, all of Zhu Huantang's efforts and desperate struggles seemed to be arranged by her. Every step he took was in accordance with her plan. It felt as if there really was a god above him, looking down on him, pitying him, and manipulating him. Just because he was a mortal, just because she knew his desires, he could never escape her prescient scheme.

What people saw was not his ability, but a comment: "Tsk, this General Zuo is really something. Even though he's not here, every step is part of his plan."