"Thank you, Miss. You are the best... the best young lady in the world." Lu Tong clapped her hands, and her red cheeks bloomed like a flower.
Shangguan Wanning entered Zuiyun Tower and asked the coachman Lao Zhou to take Lutong around.
She found that Zuiyunlou was a little special today, and the furnishings in the lobby were completely different from before.
All the tables and chairs in the middle were taken away, and a slightly higher platform was set up, on which were placed musical instruments, chess, calligraphy and paintings, with couplets hung on both sides.
Shangguan Wan Ning couldn't help but take a few more glances. After she walked into the private room, she asked, "Little Second Brother, is there anything going on outside?"
The waiter put down the tea set for Shangguan Wanning and said with a smile, "Young lady, you are an expert. Our eldest daughter has set up a literary contest to make friends. Did you see the couplet just now? Whoever can match the couplet can eat and stay here for free for seven days."
"In addition, the same goes for playing a song, drawing a picture, or solving a pre-set chess game, as long as you can surpass our eldest lady. Look, many people have come to challenge us in the past few days. But so far, no one has been able to beat our eldest lady."
The waiter's face was full of pride, and he left after he finished speaking.
Shangguan Wanning walked to the window and was able to see the center of the hall.
There are many people gathered around the stage, wanting to show off their talents.
The door of the private room was pushed open, Mu Jingrui walked over and looked in the direction Shangguan Wanning was looking.
"What are you looking at?"
"Of course it's a young and talented man who is charming and dashing."
Mu Jingrui knew that she was joking, but he still pulled her back and closed the window.
"Hey, you don't let me look at other men, don't you want to see the beauty of the eldest lady of Zuiyunlou? I heard that she is a rare beauty in the capital."
"I'm afraid you'll poke my eyes out." Mu Jingrui poured himself a cup of tea. "Besides, in order to compete for the title of Yue Lao Dan, all the wealthy businessmen have come up with endless ideas to make their daughters look amazing."
Mu Jingrui didn't take it to heart at all. After he finished speaking, he stared at Shangguan Wanning. "I only know that the most beautiful woman in the capital is right in front of me."
"Smooth talk."
Shangguan Wanning saw the doting light in Mu Jingrui's eyes, and sweet ripples appeared in her heart.
At this time, there was a noise in the hall. Shangguan Wanning couldn't help but opened the window to look.
I saw a young girl in a purple gauze dress slowly walking down the stairs, with a fan covering half of her face. She was graceful and charming.
"It seems that the rumors are not exaggerated. This girl is indeed worthy of the description of beauty."
Shangguan Wanning admired sincerely.
This incident was like an episode, and Shangguan Wanning forgot about it after a few days.
However, on a certain morning filled with sunshine and dew, a female corpse hanging on the city wall, like a bucket of water poured into boiling oil, exploded the entire capital.
"I heard that the girl named Li Yun'er was not only murdered, but also raped before she died..."
Lu Tong fanned Shangguan Wan Ning and told her what she had heard. "How pitiful! She is still in the prime of her life. Originally, she was a popular courtesan at the Yue Lao Festival."
A face blocked by a fan vaguely appeared in Shangguan Wanning's mind, and she couldn't help but sigh secretly.
Originally thought to be just an accidental incident, but unexpectedly, in the next seven days, three more girls were murdered with the same horrific death.
At this point, public resentment was boiling and people were in panic. Both the Jingzhao Prefecture and the Ministry of Justice felt unprecedented pressure.
The murderer's target seems to be very clear, that is, those girls who want to participate in the Yue Lao Dan beauty pageant.
Ling Yuwen volunteered to assist the Ministry of Justice and Jingzhao Prefecture in investigating the case.
The emperor also wanted to take this opportunity to see how capable he was, so he agreed to his request.
When Xiao Yujue returned from patrolling outside the city, it was already past curfew.
In order not to disturb the peace of the people, he left most of his followers outside the city and only took one or two confidants with him to use tokens to open the city gates and walk back on foot.
"Your Highness, why don't you rest in the camp for a night before coming back? You might hurt yourself if you travel so much."
Faced with the concern of his confidant, Xiao Yujue just smiled faintly.
"I remember you're not married yet? You'll know when you have a family."
Xiao Yujue promised Mu Jingyan that he would come back to accompany her tonight.
You Zhenzhen has been in poor health recently, and Xiao Yujue has spent most of his time on her.
He could sense Mu Jingyan's disappointment, so he didn't want to break his promise to her even more.
"Help……"
A faint cry for help was very clear in the silent night.
The three of them stopped at the same time and looked in the direction of the sound.
I saw a black shadow quickly passing by the beam, and it seemed that he was carrying something on his shoulder.
“Your Highness…”
"Chase."
Xiao Yujue recalled the murders that had occurred in the capital during this period. The cry for help just now was clearly from a woman.
As soon as he finished speaking, he used his Qinggong to chase after him. Naturally, his two subordinates did not dare to be negligent and followed him closely.
The three chased for a while, but lost the trace of the black shadow, and there was another three-way intersection ahead.
"Your Highness, I will go to Jingzhao Prefecture to find someone immediately..."
"By the time you find someone to come, it might be too late." Xiao Yujue frowned slightly, "Separate and chase them."
The two men looked at each other and stood still. "Your Highness, this... is not a good idea, is it? I have to protect your safety. You are a precious person, and if anything happens, I will be held responsible."
Xiao Yujue looked at his two subordinates and his expression became serious.
"I have the ability to protect myself and will adapt. I don't want any more terrible murders to happen in the imperial city or under the emperor's feet."
The two men had no choice but to chase after them separately. Xiao Yujue also chose a route to chase after them.
He didn't chase far before entering a long, quiet alley. He walked forward cautiously and found that the door of a house was slightly open.
Xiao Yujue paused, then slowly walked over and opened the door.
This was a very ordinary small yard, seemingly abandoned and overgrown with weeds. In the dim moonlight, he saw a pair of legs stretching out from the grass.
Xiao Yujue was startled and was about to go forward to check when he felt a strong palm wind coming towards him.
He quickly dodged to the side, and a man in black jumped out and attacked him fiercely.
After a few moves, Xiao Yujue had calmed down. He found that the black-clothed man's moves were sharp, ruthless and murderous, like a professional killer, but... there seemed to be something different.
Xiao Yujue condensed his true energy in his palm and faced off against the man in black.
The man in black used his other hand to pull off Xiao Yujue's sleeve, then jumped onto the roof and quickly disappeared into the night.
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