Chapter 135 Leaving the Capital (19) Does that girl look like me or Feng...?

A short while later, a young eunuch brought in the food. Eunuch Shen Quan invited everyone to take their seats. Zou Chang rose and helped Shen Quan to the table. The table was laden with a dazzling array of dishes, many of which Jiu Li had never seen before and could not name. He curiously examined the table closely. The wine pot was also remarkable, with three rubies inlaid on its neck!

Shen Quan smiled and beckoned to her, "Come, girl, sit next to me."

He carefully explained the various dishes to her, and she was polite and neither servile nor arrogant. He then personally served her a bowl of soup, saying, "This is agate cake soup. The ingredients are all common folk ingredients, but the cooking method is the palace method. Girl, try it and find it delicate and delicious." He then picked up a dish of pepper vinegar shrimp, saying, "Try this shrimp as well."

After eating a shrimp, Jiuli smiled and said to everyone, "Delicious! I've never had anything like this before."

After she finished speaking, seeing that everyone remained silent, she said, "Everyone, please eat too. If you don't start eating, I'll feel embarrassed to eat either."

Shen Quan just smiled at her and said, "Don't mind them. They probably think I'm too old and it's unhygienic for them to eat at the same table with me."

Zou Changxu hurriedly stood up, bowed, and repeatedly said, "I dare not."

Shen Quan ignored her and continued to say to Jiu Li, "I can't chew properly, so I love watching children eat. Look at you eating, unlike those young ladies from official families. You eat so deliciously! It really whets my appetite!"

Yu Qi coughed lightly, and Jiu Li, realizing she had been somewhat impolite, smiled shyly, "I've never eaten such delicious food before, and it's been quite a while since I've had a proper meal."

Upon hearing this, Shen Quan frowned. "Oh, why aren't you eating properly? How can you starve yourself?"

Jiuli's mind raced. She put on a mournful and pitiful expression, intending to take the opportunity to talk about Du Zhong's death and her experiences on the road. However, before she could open her mouth, she heard Yu Qi cough lightly. Seeing his expression, she swallowed her words and instead urged everyone to eat.

Shen Quan laughed again, "Why do you care what others are doing? Just eat yours."

Zou Chang chimed in, "Eunuch Shen is the most easygoing person. It's not good for you to be too reserved, young lady. Please eat."

Everyone picked up their chopsticks to eat, but Shen Quan only took a couple of bites before putting them down. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief while scrutinizing Yu Qi. She already knew that Jiu Li had been rescued from the great fire that engulfed the entire mansion by Yu Qi, and was clearly Quan Shan Heng's illegitimate daughter, yet she deliberately didn't press the matter. Only after everyone finished eating and took their leave did Shen Quan sit on a chair, drink a bowl of tea, change her clothes, and instruct the eunuchs to carry her sedan chair to the palace.

The snow had not yet melted, and the imperial city was covered in a blanket of white, with jade trees and branches adorned with snow. As one walked along the path, countless guards, eunuchs, and palace maids bowed. Upon arriving at the Yugan Palace, where the emperor resided, one saw several guards with swords standing outside the hall, and the three wet nurses of the young prince standing to the side. Listening closely, one could hear that Consort Chen was holding the young prince inside the hall, chatting and laughing with the emperor. Shen Quan could only wait outside the hall.

A moment later, a woman adorned with dazzling jewels emerged gracefully. With crimson lips, pearly white teeth, and flawless skin, she appeared to be only twenty-five or twenty-six, yet her eyes lacked the vigor of youth; in reality, she was thirty-four. This woman was none other than the Imperial Concubine Chen Wansheng. As Wansheng, carrying a young child, reached the threshold, her wet nurse quickly bent down to take the infant prince from her, and Wansheng then emerged gracefully.

Shen Quan hurriedly bowed, and Wan Sheng nodded and smiled, "Why has Eunuch Shen come to the palace? You're getting old. Didn't His Majesty grant you special permission last month to only serve in the mornings? What are you doing here now?"

Shen Quan bent over and smiled, "Although the Emperor's grace is boundless, I am worried about those young servants and afraid that they will not serve well. So I come in to check on the Emperor every day at the time he takes his medicine."

Wansheng moved closer to him, lowering her voice considerably, "What's wrong? Is Eunuch Shen not at home entertaining guests today?"

Shen Quan only smiled and remained silent. Seeing that he did not deny it, Wan Sheng smiled and nodded before leaving.

Shen Quan waited until she had gone a little further before turning into the hall. There were seven or eight eunuchs waiting in the outer hall, but they were completely silent. Emperor Zhou Hao was sitting cross-legged on the couch in the inner hall, reading a book. A eunuch was adding charcoal to the incense burner in front of the couch, and the crackling of the charcoal fire could be heard.

Shen Quan hurriedly took the pliers and chased away the little eunuch. She added two more pieces of charcoal, gently covered the incense burner again, and then went to the table to bring a bowl of medicine to the bedside. "His Majesty took his medicine a moment late today."

"Consort Chen just arrived, and we talked for a while before we were delayed."

"It's still warm, Your Majesty, please drink it."

Zhou Hao turned his imperial face, looking to be over forty years old. His eyebrows and eyes exuded authority without anger, and his lips were hidden in his beard, making it impossible to tell whether he was happy or sad. He had just finished taking the medicine when Shen Quan hurriedly summoned a young eunuch. The young eunuch knelt before the bed, holding a tray with water for rinsing the mouth and a spittoon.

After rinsing his mouth, Zhou Hao tossed the bowl onto the plate he was holding with both hands, coughed, and said, "Have you seen that Yu Qi?"

Shen Quan waved the little eunuch away and said with a smile, "I've seen her, and I've even seen that girl." She paused and glanced at him, seeing him holding a cup of tea and sipping it. Her gaze flickered slightly on the teacup before she continued, "She really looks exactly like Miss Quan! If she had suddenly stood in front of me, I would have thought she was Miss Quan reincarnated."

Zhou Hao slowly put down his teacup, and after a while turned to look at him, "Do you think she looks like me or Prince Feng?"

"Judging by her appearance alone, she doesn't resemble anyone else but Miss Quan, however—"

"But what?"

Shen Quan smiled and said, "That girl's temperament is somewhat like the Emperor's. She likes to eat sweet dishes, shrimp, and tofu. She ate two bowls of agate cake soup, and she only ate the tofu in it! Despite her young age, she is not shy at all. She was calm and composed in front of Lord Zou and the servants. She has the same demeanor as Miss Quan back then."

Zhou Hao smiled as he listened, his gaze gradually drifting into the distance. "I heard from King Zhao that she'll be eighteen soon, her birthday is in the first month of the lunar calendar?"

Shen Quan bowed her head in response. Zhou Hao pondered in his heart that the timing matched up, but Quan Shanheng was too strong-willed. She had kept the fact that she had a daughter a secret from the late emperor. He wondered if she had secretly told Prince Feng. She and Prince Feng had always been very close, sharing everything, and had even conspired to tamper with the imperial edict. It was possible that this girl was Prince Feng's daughter, otherwise why would she risk the world to help him?

"Would Your Majesty like to meet this Miss Jiu Li?" Shen Quan suddenly probed cautiously from the side.

Although there is a princess in the current dynasty, she is the twin of Prince Zhao and the biological daughter of Prince Ping. The emperor, on the other hand, has no biological daughters. Shen Quan raised him from childhood, watching him grow from a estranged father to a fratricidal conflict, and later ascend the throne. His first wife died young, and his son died young. Now, although he has a little prince, he harbors resentment because of the Chen family. Moreover, the child cannot yet speak. The true Son of Heaven has truly become a lonely figure.

His Majesty is currently unwell; if a charming and eloquent daughter were to please him, perhaps his health would improve sooner. However, Zhou Hao remained silent for a long time, which made Shen Quan feel uneasy, and she lowered her head even further. "I blame this servant for being too talkative."

Unexpectedly, Zhou Hao smiled tolerantly and asked, "Chen Quan, how many years have you been with me?"

"Your Majesty, I entered the Prince's Palace when I was seventeen years old, and I am now fifty-five years old, which is thirty-eight years ago."

Zhou Hao sighed, "Since I was born, you have been with me the longest. You may not have great talent, but your loyalty is rare."

Shen Quan smiled and leaned forward, "Does His Majesty wish to see me?"

"Regardless of whose blood this girl is, she is Shanheng's daughter after all. Let's meet her. Didn't Zou Chang want to recommend Yu Qi to investigate this case? Summon Yu Qi to the palace as well. I will personally give this order."

After speaking, he got up from the couch and went to the inner palace alone. However, Shen Quan's words lingered in his mind for a long time. Did Yu Jiuli look exactly like Shan Heng? He had almost forgotten what Shan Heng looked like. So he took down the painting that he had put away and unfolded it. When he looked at it, it was just like when he first met Shan Heng in the palace, with snow falling outside the window.

The news that the Emperor was going to summon several commoners spread that day, causing a stir both inside and outside the palace. Zhang Dayu was overjoyed and ran to the main room, where he said a series of congratulatory words to Yu Qijiu Li. He also talked on and on about how the case would shock the court and the public once it was solved, and how he might even be promoted to an official position with a bright future!

Yu Qi stood in front of the smoker, roasting his hands, and glanced at him indifferently, saying dismissively, "Officer Zhang, you want to be an official? I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. You're lucky to have survived and returned to Nanjing. I advise you not to ask for too much."

Zhang Da smiled sheepishly and went inside the screen. "How could I be an official? I haven't even read many books. But when I was a child, a fortune teller said I was destined to be a government official."

“Brother Zhang, aren’t you also receiving a government salary now?” Jiuli came out of the bedroom carrying a robe belonging to Yu Qi and walked up to Yu Qi to show it to him. “Uncle, how about you wear this robe when you go to the palace tomorrow?”

Yu Qi glanced at it and nodded casually, then turned and sat down on the couch. A moment later, he saw Xu Bai brave the wind and snow to come in, followed by two servants carrying a huge food box to the dining table. There were seven or eight platters of raw mutton laid out, along with a pot, indicating that Xu Bai also wanted to eat with the three of them.

As expected, Xu Bai patted the snow off his body and said with a smile, "It's rather boring for me to eat alone in that room. Why don't we make a mutton hot pot? It'll be more appetizing if everyone gathers around the stove to cook the meat."

Yu Qi didn't say anything, but beckoned to Jiu Li, who hurriedly followed him into the warm pavilion on the left. Passing through the hall, she only glanced at Xu Bai indifferently without saying a word. Xu Bai stood at the door, feeling slightly awkward and uneasy, as if he were a guest in someone else's home who hadn't been treated well. Yu Qi was one thing, but why had even Jiu Li's attitude suddenly become somewhat cold? After thinking about it, he figured it was probably still because of Du Zhong's death.

Fortunately, Zhang Da called out to him, and he came over with an embarrassed smile. "It's snowing again outside. Tomorrow, you and Yu'er should dress warmly when you go to the palace. You may have to wait outside for a long time. How can you withstand that?"

Jiuli glanced at him, nodded while holding the bowl, and remained silent. Turning to Yuqi, she said, "Uncle, why didn't you allow me to mention what happened on the road at Eunuch Shen's house at noon? I thought Eunuch Shen looked kind and gentle. Maybe if I told him about Du Zhong, he could tell the Emperor and get a thorough investigation."

Upon hearing this, Xu Bai glanced sideways at Yu Qi's expression. Yu Qi smiled lightly and said, "Du Zhong is not a prince after all. Even if the emperor finds out, he may not take it seriously. He will just send someone to investigate casually. Rather than having the officials in the capital investigate, it would be better for Lord Yan and your Uncle Zhao in Nanjing to investigate carefully. It will be easier to talk if they find solid evidence."

Xu Bai hurriedly said, "Although Du Zhong is not a real prince, the Chen family does indeed harbor the intention to harm the imperial heir."

Yu Qi glanced at him coldly, "If we don't have any evidence, wouldn't it be a huge loss if the Chen family turned around and accused us? Even if there is evidence that Du Zhong was killed by Chen Jia, he can just say that it was because I seriously injured him in Nanjing and he was retaliating."

Although Xu Bai was somewhat disappointed, he thought that what he said made sense, so he could only nod. He picked up some mutton, heated it in the copper pot for a while, and put it into Jiu Li's bowl over Yu Qi's shoulder. "Eat more to warm your body."

Jiuli just nodded and smiled. After dinner, Xu Bai saw that she had no intention of talking privately, so he had no choice but to return to his room disappointed.

Soon after, Zhang Da and Jiu Li returned to their rooms to rest. Although it was early, it was already dark. Jiu Li lit a lamp on the bedside table and spread out the clothes she had brought on the bed. She tried to match them with great care, but something just didn't feel right. She changed this skirt and that jacket, but couldn't make up her mind for a long time.

As soon as Yu Qi pushed the door open and came in, she hurriedly took his arm and asked, "Uncle, which outfit do you think I should wear?"

Yu Qili stood in front of the bed, glanced at the bed, and said with a smile, "You don't usually put much effort into your appearance. Is it because you want to make a good impression on the Emperor when you enter the palace tomorrow?"

Jiuli secretly observed his expression, and only when she saw no anger did she feel relieved and boldly say, "It's not because he's the emperor, but I'm thinking, what if he really is my father?"

"What if it isn't?" Yu Qi turned and walked towards the couch.

“If it’s not me, then it’s not me—” Jiuli chased after him, her face slightly disappointed. “Anyway, I haven’t had a father for more than ten years. If you can’t find me, I won’t force you. I have you.”

As she spoke, she sat on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and laughed.

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Author's note: Thank you for reading.