Just as everyone toasted, the atmosphere was lively, when a mysterious figure appeared at the banquet. He was dressed in a black robe, his face obscured by shadows, making it impossible to discern his true features. His appearance caused a stir, with people speculating about his identity and purpose.
"Who is it?" The Royal Guards quickly surrounded the man.
"Step back." The emperor waved his hand.
The mysterious man slowly walked to the center of the banquet hall. His eyes swept over everyone present and finally fell on the prince.
He bowed slightly to show respect to the emperor and introduced himself, "Your Majesty, please don't panic. I am here on the orders of my master to congratulate the daughter of the Mu family on her 100th birthday. This is a gift, please accept it."
As he spoke, he took out a brocade box from his arms, cast a spell and slowly handed it to Mu Li.
"What good stuff is that? Bring it here for me to see..." Mu Li stretched out her chubby little hand.
Mo Xi reached out to take the brocade box, slowly opened it, and a strong light shot out.
"Wow……"
"Oh my god, it's a night-shining pearl!"
"What a generous gift! Night-shining pearls of this quality are hard to find in the world. I really wonder where its owner came from!"
"What's even more puzzling is that such a treasure was given to a baby over a hundred days old... This daughter of the Mu family is incredibly wealthy..."
Everyone in the palace was whispering and exclaiming in surprise.
The emperor and empress were also surprised, "I wonder who your master is?"
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. My master has no ill will towards your country. I came here today only to give you a gift. Now that the gift has been delivered, I will take my leave first!" After he finished speaking, the man disappeared on the spot, leaving only a red spider lily slowly falling.
"Higanbana?!" The emperor stood up in shock.
"What? It's actually a red spider lily?!"
"What happened to the red spider lily? Any explanation?"
"Oh my, there's a rumor that 'the appearance of the red spider lily indicates the emergence of the Netherworld Palace'. Could this person be from the Netherworld Palace?!"
"Could it be the legendary 'Netherworld Palace'?"
"It must be, otherwise who would dare to pretend to be the Netherworld Palace?"
Everyone looked at Mu Li being held in the prince's arms, and they felt more and more apprehensive...
"I'm sure you all are very curious about how the Minister of Revenue, Lord Gu, and his entire family were wiped out overnight." The emperor pondered for a long time and said slowly.
"Yes, Your Majesty, who is so audacious? How dare you commit such a crime in the imperial capital?"
"I ordered the Jinyiwei to investigate overnight, but there were no clues. We only found a red spider lily at the scene!" The emperor looked heavy.
"What? Higanbana? Could it be the Netherworld Palace?"
"Why would the Netherworld Palace want to wipe out his entire family? It's said that the Netherworld Palace usually doesn't get involved in the affairs of the courts of several countries. Even if Gu Suian is a spy from the enemy country, it's not enough for the Netherworld Palace to take action!"
"I also heard a little rumor that might be related."
"What news? Tell me quickly."
"My wife has a distant relative working at the Feng Mansion. It's said that a few months ago, the Feng Mansion underwent a major personnel change, and many slaves were laid off and sold off..."
"What does this Netherworld Palace have to do with it?"
"Don't be impatient, listen to me slowly."
"Oh, please tell me quickly."
"The Feng family and the Mu family are related by marriage. It is said that the Feng family has a cousin named Qin Bijun, who..."
"Oh my god, in the past thirty years, no one has discovered the true face of this vicious woman. How terrifying..."
"Then how was she discovered?"
"It's said that the eldest lady of the Mu family had a difficult labor and sent someone to the Feng family to fetch Master Feng, but was stopped by that vicious woman. It almost resulted in Feng Lingyue's death and two deaths! The Feng family's head only learned of this the next night when he passed by the Mu family on a medical visit. Upon returning, he investigated and discovered that this vicious woman had committed so many heinous acts."
"So what does this have to do with Gu Suian?"
"Qin Bijun is quite capable, and has connections all over the place. Patriarch Feng had just begun his investigation when she got the news. Then, she ran away while no one was paying attention."
"It is said that the Feng and Mu families searched for more than half a month before they found traces of that vicious woman in the black market..."
"Tsk tsk, a woman could actually hide in the black market for so long. I absolutely don't believe that there is no one behind it."
"You're right. This vicious woman went to the black market and hid on the third floor of Shuiyunjian. You should know that Shuiyunjian is not an ordinary force. The third floor is never open to the public. Only those in charge can go up there."
"The person behind this vicious woman is actually the manager of Shuiyunjian?"
"Yes, it would be fine if she just hid like this, but who made her choose to commit suicide..."
"What happened?"
"You wouldn't believe it, but she actually placed a dowry maid next to the Mu family's eldest wife, Feng Lingyue, long ago, and it went unnoticed for over twenty years!"
“Wow…that’s amazing.”
"It's said that she disguised herself as a peasant woman and sneaked into the food delivery team at the Mu Mansion. She saw this maid and learned that Madam Mu had safely given birth to a daughter. She immediately became murderous and ordered the maid to give Madam Mu and Miss Mu the Heartbreaking Powder..."
"Good fellow, women have the most vicious hearts!"
"Then what?"
"But unexpectedly, the maidservant was like someone possessed by a demon. She insisted that a black dog had bitten off her leg, and during her struggle, the poison bag fell out and was discovered by the Mu family, so the poison was not administered."
"Oh, Madam Mu is really lucky!"
"And then?"
"Later, I heard that a mysterious person appeared in Shuiyunjian, alarming the owner of Shuiyunjian."
"Shuiyunjian has a manager? There has always been only one manager. I thought the head of Shuiyunjian was this manager."
"It is said that the shopkeeper knelt down upon seeing this man, calling him 'King'!"
"I'm afraid he's some big shot!"
"Do you know why this important figure appeared in Shuiyunjian?"
"It is said that they are looking for that vicious woman and the person behind her."
"Then there was the incident where Gu Suian's family was wiped out, along with Qin Bijun. No one in the entire mansion was spared."
"No wonder His Majesty sent the Imperial Guards to investigate but couldn't find any information about the murderer. It turns out that the Netherworld Palace was behind it."
"What is the identity of this daughter of the Mu family? She can actually get the Nether Palace to stand up for her."
"Who knows, but it looks like the world of our Zhaoyue Nation is about to change..."
The emperor looked at the ministers whispering among themselves and cleared his throat. "My dear ministers, there's a rumor going around that 'the red spider lily appears, and the Nether Palace emerges.' I'm sure everyone has guessed the identity of the person who came today."
"The Nether Palace reigns supreme over the Qinchuan Continent, a position not open to mortals like us. Everyone knows the Nether Palace hasn't appeared in a century, and its recent appearance is for Princess Zhaohe. I think everyone should understand what this means! If Zhaoyue Nation can gain some protection from the Nether Palace, its position on this continent will be unmatched."
"Therefore, I have decided to posthumously confer the title of Showa Protector of the Country Princess on Princess Showa, giving her the same rank as the Crown Prince. Does anyone have any objections?"
"Your Majesty is wise. Long live the Emperor!"
"Okay, let's go."
"I will take my leave."
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