"Your brother hasn't been rescued yet, how are we going to get back?"
Gao Changhong said irritably.
Actually, he didn't want to stay in Daliang anymore. His main purpose in coming to Daliang this time was to find Jiang Ruan.
But now that he knows Jiang Ruan is gone, he feels a void in his heart. As for their son, he can leave people here to continue the search.
If it weren't for the need to save Gao Junning, he might have taken Gao Yufei away from this shameful place right now.
"But we can't find the Snow Lotus anywhere, Father! How long are we going to have to wait? I really don't want to stay in this awful place, Daliang, any longer!"
"Waaah... Father, why don't you get a fake Snow Lotus for the Emperor of Great Liang? We have so many medicinal herbs in the Northern Desert, it's not like we can't find a similar substitute!"
Gao Yufei started crying again.
Fake?
Gao Changhong then remembered that he had sent someone to the Northern Desert to bring back a fake one, and now that so much time had passed, it should have arrived by now.
That was originally his worst-case scenario plan, but he never expected that he would still have to use it in the end.
After waiting for a few days, the fake snow lotus that he had sent to the Northern Desert was delivered to him.
The fake one looks very similar to the real one. If it weren't for the imperial physicians of the Northern Desert royal family who had seen the Snow Lotus, no one else would be able to tell the difference.
The main difference between the two lies in their medicinal effects; the fake one is much less effective than the real one.
He felt that the imperial physicians of the Liang Dynasty would definitely not be able to distinguish between the real and fake, and even Emperor Wenjian, who had seen the Snow Lotus, would not be able to tell the difference, since he had only seen it once.
So, the next day, Gao Changhong took the fake snow lotus to see Emperor Wenjian.
"Regent, are you leaving already? Won't you stay in Daliang a little longer?"
Emperor Wenjian was overjoyed to receive the Snow Lotus. While admiring the Snow Lotus that Gao Changhong had just presented, he politely asked...
As for Gao Junning's matter, he readily agreed.
After receiving permission, Gao Changhong took the opportunity to mention his farewell.
"No, thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. However, I have been bothering you in Daliang for too long and it is time for me to return to Beimo. There are still too many things waiting for me to deal with there."
Gao Changhong politely declined.
"If that's the case, then I won't force you any further. When does the Regent plan to depart? I'd like to host a farewell banquet for you before you leave."
Emperor Wenjian sighed softly.
After all, the other party had brought him a lot of benefits this time, so he had to do the superficial things as well.
Gao Changhong also felt that he had recently lost face because of Gao Yufei. If Emperor Wenjian could hold a grand banquet to bid him farewell, it would be a way of showing his noble status in Daliang and giving him face.
Therefore, Gao Changhong agreed without hesitation.
The news quickly spread throughout the court.
Su Liluo and the others also learned that the Emperor was preparing a farewell banquet for Gao Changhong, and that he had given the Emperor the Snow Lotus.
"How come he still has Snow Lotus to give to Father? Does he have two Snow Lotuses, or are they fake?"
Su Liluo looked at Xiao Ye with a puzzled expression and asked.
"As far as I know, the Snow Lotus has been passed down for generations in the Northern Desert royal family. This is the last one, and there shouldn't be a second one. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to our mansion to look for it."
Xiao Ye shook his head.
"Then it's fake! It seems they've really been pushed to the limit."
Su Liluo clicked her tongue twice.
However, after thinking it over, she decided not to expose Gao Changhong's fake Snow Lotus.
Firstly, she didn't have any deep-seated hatred for them in her life, and Gao Yufei and Gao Junning, who came to cause her trouble, received the punishment they deserved.
Even though Gao Junning was released, he had still spent several months in the Daliang prison, and Xiao Ye had even ordered people to treat him well in the prison.
Furthermore, she did indeed take quite a lot from the Regent.
Most importantly, the real Snow Lotus is with me. If I reveal it, wouldn't that be exposing myself to Gao Changhong?
What if he's willing to do anything to get revenge on them?
Although they couldn't take the item away since she had placed it in her spatial storage, it was better to avoid trouble. Besides, she and Xiao Ye didn't have much affection for Emperor Wenjian, so there was no need to cause trouble for his fake snow lotus.
*
The farewell banquet was held two days later, and the palace became lively again, a rare occurrence.
Su Liluo and Xiao Ye attended the banquet dressed as the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. When they saw Gao Junning again, he had lost a lot of weight.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness's Consort, how have you been?"
Gao Junning came up and took the initiative to stop them and greet them.
He raised his eyebrows, a wicked smile playing at the corners of his mouth, and spoke as if the words were being squeezed out from between his teeth.
"Master Gao."
Su Lilu simply offered a brief greeting.
Looking into Gao Junning's eyes, she felt that he seemed to be plotting something, which made her wary.
Therefore, she didn't say much to him, but remained wary.
In addition, Gao Yufei did not appear today. After greeting her, Gao Junning just gave her a strange smile and returned to his seat.
During the banquet, Emperor Wenjian prepared many songs and dances, and even presented several beautiful women from Daliang to the Regent and Gao Junning.
Since his serious injury last time, King Xiao has been much more obedient this time. He didn't say much during the entire banquet and didn't even glance at Su Liluo and the others.
This was arguably the most peaceful banquet Su Liluo had ever attended.
However, the calmer the times, the greater the crisis that may be brewing.
Su Liluo felt slightly uneasy. Xiao Ye, who was beside her, seemed to sense her emotions and quietly took her hand under the table.
He said softly, "I will have people keep a close eye on them these next couple of days."
"Um."
Su Lilu smiled slightly at Xiao Ye and nodded in response.
The banquet proceeded smoothly without any mishaps until its conclusion.
A day later, Gao Changhong and his entourage left the capital of the Great Liang Dynasty, seeing off Xiao Ye and other officials of the Great Liang court.
"They're really gone this time, aren't they?"
Su Liluo watched Gao Changhong and the others walk away and sighed.
"Gao Yufei's reputation has spread far and wide, and even the Regent's reputation isn't very good. They'll probably have a lot of mess to clean up when they go back."
Xiao Ye said.
He had already sent messages via carrier pigeon to his spies in various locations, instructing them to spread the word widely.
As soon as Gao Changhong left the capital, he would hear those gossips.
But to his surprise, something unexpected happened three days later, making him so frustrated that he wanted to kill himself.
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