When Jiang Chun went to call Zhou Yu, Zhou Yu was talking to Duke Cheng about a case he had tried before. Jiang Chun rolled up the curtain and said with a smile, "My lords, we're here. Get off the car."

"Oh, sure."

Zhou Yu nodded. He always did things neatly and efficiently. As soon as Jiang Chun said so, he got out of the carriage.

After getting off the car, he looked at Qin Shuhuai and said, "Why hasn't your Lord gotten off the car yet?"

"The prince said that you should knock on the door first."

At this moment, the banquet had already started, so the door of the mansion was naturally closed.

Zhou Yu's face froze when he heard this. He looked at Qin Shuhuai's carriage and took Jiang Chun a few steps to the side. "Master Jiang, tell me the truth. What is the relationship between the prince and the princess?"

"Is this important?" Jiang Chun frowned. Zhou Yu clapped his hands and said angrily, "It is important! If the prince and the princess have a good relationship, I can go in directly by calling the prince's name..."

“That won’t work.”

If possible, why call him?

"I understand." Zhou Yu nodded, thought about it, and walked over.

At this time, several other ministers also came down one after another. Seeing Zhou Yu striding forward, they knocked on the door anxiously.

Soon the door opened, and the attendant saw Zhou Yu, who was wearing a gorgeous robe and looked very impressive. Zhou Yu smiled and said, "I am Zhou Yu, the Minister of Justice. I lost my official post, and when I was looking for it, I lost the time. This is my official seal."

Zhou Yu spoke politely. The gatekeeper hesitated for a moment, then stepped in respectfully. Then he said, "Then please wait a moment. I will check the guest list."

Zhou Yu's face froze. She hadn't expected Qin Peng to be so meticulous in organizing the banquet that he even thought of losing the guest invitation!

real……

How thoughtful.

Zhou Yu watched the gatekeeper searching for a while, then raised his head and said awkwardly, "That...Mr. Zhou, which Zhou are you, which Yu? It seems...you are not on the list..."

Zhou Yu stopped talking.

He didn't receive the post, so doesn't he know whether his name is on the list?

At this time, he could only use his ultimate move.

"In fact, I won't hide it from you." Zhou Yu said sternly, "The Ministry of Justice is handling cases, and you are not allowed to report them. Those who violate the rules will be charged with disorderly conduct. Get out of the way!"

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper was startled, looked at the token Zhou Yu was holding, and quickly made way.

Zhou Yu stood at the door and raised his chin towards everyone: "Let's go."

Qin Shuhuai stayed in the carriage, feeling anxious, and heard Jiang Chun say, "My Lord, the door is open, please get off the horse."

Qin Shuhuai responded, finally felt relieved, and got off the carriage.

Qin Shuhuai was very happy to be able to join the club without a membership card. He didn't show it on his face. After he led a group of people in, he finally praised Zhou Yu and said, "Well done."

"The prince usually teaches well."

Zhou Yu said with a smile: "I am still very flexible."

Qin Shuhuai nodded and asked casually: "How did you say that?"

"It's very simple," Zhou Yu grabbed his official seal and said with a smile, "I told him that the Ministry of Justice is investigating the case..."

Qin Shuhuai suddenly stopped, turned around, frowned, and said in a tone of disbelief: "What did you say?"

"I..." Zhou Yu swallowed and continued, "I said...the Ministry of Justice is investigating the case."

The atmosphere froze in an instant. Several people around wanted to praise Zhou Yu, but they felt that the atmosphere was a little strange. Qin Shuhuai stared at Zhou Yu, wanting to say something. After a long time, he finally said: "Zhou Yu, if you die one day, I guess it must be because of stupidity."

After saying that, Qin Shuhuai turned and left.

Anyway...things have come to this, at least I've gotten in...right?

Zhou Yu was confused by what Qin Shuhuai said. He scratched his head, not quite understanding. He turned to ask Jiang Chun: "Did I do something wrong? Don't they have a bad relationship?"

"Just because the princess and the prince have a bad relationship doesn't mean the prince and the princess have a bad relationship."

Jiang Chun sighed, shook his head, and chased after Qin Shuhuai.

No matter how they got in, Qin Shuhuai and his group took many turns and walked towards the crowded area, and finally arrived at the banquet.

At this time, everyone was getting to know each other, and every table was full. Because each table was separated by various flowers and plants, no one noticed Qin Shuhuai and his friends coming in.

No matter where we were, we were always served. No one paid any attention to us at the first place, which was a novel experience.

All the tables near the stage were occupied, so after careful selection, the group could only find the most secluded table to sit at.

This table is too remote, so remote that they can’t see others and others can’t see them either, as if they don’t exist.

Fortunately, there were still wine, food, and fruits on the table. After Qin Shuhuai sat down, several other people also sat down. Jiang Chun poured wine for everyone. Duke Cheng coughed lightly and finally asked the question that he had been holding back for a long time: "What exactly are your plans for today, Prince?"

"Nothing."

Qin Shuhuai said calmly: "Just come and take a look."

Crowd; "..."

They always felt that Qin Shuhuai would not do things so easily.

But since Qin Shuhuai said this, no one could say anything.

The group was eating melon seeds and chatting, and soon someone suddenly sat down at the table next to them.

Those people probably went out to drink with friends, then returned to their seats and started talking as soon as they sat down.

"I think this princess of the town is just a figurehead."

One of them said, "Look, today, the most important guests are the Wei family and the Liu family. Not many of the princes and nobles came. Not many of them hold real power."

After hearing this, everyone around Qin Shuhuai lowered their heads and ate melon seeds.

Well, they have no real power.

"The Wei family and the Liu family are enough," said another person, "Wei Yan alone represents the entire southern army, and Liu Shuyan commands most of the imperial city's troops. Do you dare to say that the princess has no real power?"

"laugh……"

The person who spoke at the beginning said sarcastically: "Come to think of it, the princess is really beautiful. You said Wei Yang has been dead for so many years, and the princess is a young widow, is there any..."

Before he finished speaking, everyone started laughing quietly, as if they were telling a tacit secret.

"Well, you tell me, the regent king allowed her to be the princess of Zhenguo. Is there something hidden between the two of them?"

"You should be talking about her and Master Liu. Master Liu worked so hard to help her. You know, Master Liu posted all the invitations for her at this year's Spring Festival banquet. If they have nothing to do with each other, why would he help post the invitations?"

"If that's true, then Wei Yan and her are living in a melon field and plum field, neither of them is married... Tsk tsk, it's said that she spent ten years in seclusion, who knows if she was actually nurtured by her own brother-in-law for ten years?"

The people around were all drunk, and because they knew there was no one around them, they started to speak without restraint.

Qin Shuhuai listened quietly. No one dared to speak, and he felt the atmosphere was a bit cold.

Qin Shuhuai took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Write it down."

Qin Shuhuai spoke, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

Only then did they realize that there was someone sitting at the table next to them!

The people next door immediately broke out in cold sweats. They wouldn't dare to say bad things about the princess at her banquet!

The positions here are specially set up for some lower-level officials. These people were shocked and without waiting for Jiang Chun to go up, one of them went around first.

He originally thought that the people sitting in this position should be some officials similar to himself, and that everyone had a hard time. If he could explain it to them with emotion and reason, there might be some chance of redemption.

But as he passed by, he saw a group of elegant people standing there.

Even if he is blind, he will know who it is!

Pick any one of these people at random, as long as they are officials in Xuanjing, they will all know him!

He knelt down on the spot, hesitating for a long time but couldn't utter a word, his whole body was trembling, and he just knelt down and kowtowed desperately.

Qin Shuhuai glanced at him and said coldly, "Get lost."

"I'm leaving! I'm leaving!"

The man escaped quickly and ran away with his companions.

On the stage in the distance, the dancers were singing and dancing, so the noise here did not disturb anyone. Jiang Chun had just noted down the few people just now, and turned back and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, how should we deal with these people?"

"Demote him and keep him employed to see the results later."

While Qin Shuhuai was dealing with the villain here, Qin Peng was chatting with Old Lady Wei above.

Old Lady Wei and Qin Peng looked at Liu Shuyan through the curtain. Liu Shuyan was very popular and was surrounded by people everywhere. He toasted everywhere, livening up the atmosphere and making the entire banquet full of joy.

Old Lady Wei looked at Liu Shuyan and whispered, "Is that him? He's so handsome! He's almost as handsome as our Ah Yan."

Listening to what Old Lady Wei said, Wei Yan, who was eating an apple, raised his head quickly and said, "Don't bring me up. If he knew you were comparing me to him, he would be so angry that he would die."

Old Lady Wei smiled and pushed Wei Yan's head, with some emotion in her eyes, and nodded, saying, "Very good, I am very satisfied. If you are interested, let him choose a date and come to propose marriage."

"As long as mother is satisfied," Qin Peng smiled, "Let's wait and see about the marriage proposal. What if it's not suitable?"

"You." Old Lady Wei shook her head: "You just think too much."

As they were talking, Liu Shiyun walked in.

Qin Peng looked up at her. She had changed into a blue and white dress and had slightly changed her makeup. It was hard to tell what had changed, but she looked much prettier.

Qin Peng couldn't help but sigh: "Shiyun's makeup is so good!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyun's smile froze on her face.

Any woman who tries to make her makeup invisible hates to hear: "You put on such beautiful makeup."

However, Liu Shiyun quickly adjusted her expression, walked up to him with a smile and said, "Your Highness, the singing and dancing have ended. It's time to call everyone over, and let the wine flow and the flowers pass around."

Qin Peng nodded and told the others, "Go call someone."

At this time, Bai Zhi walked up to Qin Peng and whispered, "Just now the guard said that Zhou Yu, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, sneaked in with some people, saying that they were here to investigate a case."

"Don't pay any attention to it." Qin Peng said calmly, "Just keep an eye on it."

Bai Zhi responded and went downstairs to give instructions.

Qin Peng looked around with a smile. After a while, most people sat on the chairs next to the stage.

Most of them were young people, and they were already in high spirits after the excitement just now. Now that they were drunk, everyone had lost their restraint and was having a great time.

Qin Peng asked someone to roll up the curtains. Liu Shuyan came to sit next to her, put a drum in front of him, looked at everyone and said, "I will not accompany you this time. I will be your foil!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and one woman's voice was particularly unique: "Brother Liu has been the champion every year. If he comes again this year, the other young masters may have nowhere to go.

At the end of every spring banquet, every unmarried man and woman will receive a flower. If they like someone, they will place the flower on that person's table.

In previous years, Liu Shuyan always received the most flowers. If he also participated in this session, I'm afraid he would receive even more.

Most of the people who responded just now were men, but this woman was the only one who attracted some attention. Qin Peng smiled and looked up, and saw Kong Mengyun's position.

Qin Peng was still restless after getting engaged. She raised her hand and tucked her hair behind her ears, thinking that she had a very good taste in choosing people.

In the past, there were many short-sighted girls around Qin Shuhuai, and now with someone like Liu Shuyan, there must be even more admirers.

But she doesn't mind. She never cares if the person she likes is admired by others.

"Yes," she continued, "Shuyan's joining will lead to bullying. Let's start."

As she spoke, she took a wine glass from the maid's tray and pushed it into the water.

Liu Shuyan beat the drum, the sound was sonorous and powerful, making people's hearts surge. Everyone was tense, just to see whose house the wine glass would fall into.

Kong Mengyun stared at the wine glass, hoping that it would fall in front of Qin Peng.

Qin Peng did not come from a good family and had never produced any famous works, so she was counting on Qin Peng to make a fool of himself.

However, the wine glass passed in front of Qin Peng again and again without stopping. Many people worked and drank, and Qin Peng just watched.

After drinking a lot, some people came up to sing and dance, and the scene became lively.

Qin Peng cheered and drank a few more glasses of wine without realizing it.

Turning around, she saw Liu Shuyan beating the drum with his head down. When he noticed her gaze, he raised his head and smiled gently.

This is the unique atmosphere between lovers, and anyone around them who is not blind can see it.

Zhou Yu ate some melon seeds and looked up, "Why do I feel like there's something wrong between Liu Shuyan and the princess? Do you think he's planning on marrying the princess?"

"I think so."

Duke Cheng nodded: "There must be a reason why Liu Shuyan worked so hard at this Spring Banquet. Your Majesty," Duke Cheng turned his head: "What do you think?"

Qin Shuhuai didn't say anything. He drank the wine in one gulp and said coldly, "No."

"What can't you do?" Zhou Yu was a little curious: "Are you saying that Liu Shuyan can't marry the princess?"

"Um."

Qin Shuhuai responded, and Zhou Yu became even more curious: "Do you have any inside information?"

Qin Shuhuai glanced at Zhou Yu and said with certainty: "If I say no, then I won't."

Zhou Yu wanted to ask more, but Jiang Chun pulled him aside. Zhou Yu felt that the atmosphere was a little subtle.

After everyone had fun for a while, the atmosphere became lively. Everyone urged Liu Shuyan to go on stage to perform the flute. Liu Shuyan jumped onto the stage with a big laugh. His colleagues said, "Okay, okay, I'll play a tune for you!"

"I will accompany Brother Liu!"

Kong Mengyun's voice reappeared, and the person next to him pulled Kong Mengyun and whispered, "You're already engaged, don't be so obvious."

“I just did it for him to see.”

Kong Mengyun snorted coldly and said to his friend, "I wish he would cancel the engagement."

As he spoke, Kong Mengyun took the zither from the side, stood up and said, "In the past, I have always been the one to accompany Brother Liu, and it will be the same today."

While speaking, Kong Mengyun looked at Liu Shuyan with eyes full of anticipation.

This was probably the last time she accompanied him.

Although she threatened to cancel the engagement, everyone knew that this marriage could not be canceled just because she wanted to.

She looked at Liu Shuyan earnestly, and Liu Shuyan felt a little embarrassed for a moment.

He originally wanted to show off to Qin Peng, but he didn't expect that Kong Mengyun was engaged and still so worrying.

In the past, she would rush to accompany him every year. It would be too embarrassing for her to refuse her in public. The Liu family and the Kong family were on good terms, and Liu Shuyan could not do this to a woman, so she had to stay on stage for several years.

Now that she is engaged, I think she should be more restrained, but I didn't expect it to be like this.

Liu Shuyan was quite embarrassed. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Qin Peng say, "What everyone wants to hear is the sound of the flute, not the piano and flute ensemble. Let Master Liu play a solo, and I will play with the young lady."

After hearing this, Kong Mengyun's expression changed. She looked up at Qin Peng. Qin Peng was smiling, but there was a protective look in his eyes.

When Kong Mengyun met that gaze, he instantly became motivated.

"Okay," Kong Mengyun sneered, "I hope the princess will live up to my piano music."

"That's fine," Qin Peng said with a smile, holding his head with his hands, "Ms. Kong won't be disappointed."

The competition between the two women was obvious to everyone.

Zhou Yu and his group watched with great interest and felt that it was a wrong decision not to attend the Spring Banquet very often since their marriage.

Qin Shuhuai didn't say a word, just drank a glass of wine.

It's okay.

He told himself.

It's just a fresh start. It's okay, he kept warning.

If Zhao Peng loves him once, he will definitely love him a second time.

She must have been too lonely and too scared when she was reborn, so she regarded Wei Yang as the candle in her life.

He didn't take good care of her.

It was all his fault that he didn't protect her well and didn't find her in time after she was reborn.

He drank glass after glass of wine.

The sound of a flute came to my ears.

It's "Lovesickness"

This is a very gentle love song, which Qin Peng played for him when he was young.

At that time she was sitting on the treetop, wearing a red skirt, blowing the flute softly and happily.

Qin Shuhuai's mind was filled with Qin Peng's appearance back then. He always felt as if he was still a teenager. When he looked up, he could see the girl sitting on the tree, smiling and playing the flute for him. After a song was over, she would call him, "Qin Shuhuai, come up, come up and I'll hold you."

When he was young, he always felt ashamed and annoyed when he heard such words, and he would yell at her: "How can you, a woman, say such things?"

Looking back now, it was so naive.

He now wanted to ask for such a sentence, but found that he could not ask for it, and he could not forget it.

After the flute sounded, Qin Shuhuai heard some noise above.

He raised his head and saw that it was Kong Mengyun who went up with the zither, and Qin Peng had someone carry the drum up.

Kong Mengyun looked at Qin Peng carrying the drum, with some disdain in his eyes.

"Princess with a drum?"

"Um."

"I'm afraid it's a bit rough, isn't it?"

"Is there a hierarchy of music?" Qin Peng raised his eyebrows. "I'm afraid Miss Kong has fallen into vulgarity."

"Yeah." Someone was drunk and responded loudly, "Good music is good music, who cares what it's played!"

After hearing this, Kong Mengyun's face changed, and she put the piano on the table. Qin Peng asked in a gentle voice, "What are you going to play, Miss Kong?"

"Please do as you please."

Kong Mengyun raised his chin slightly, very proudly: "I'll just keep up."

Kong Mengyun has the capital to be so arrogant and can be Liu Shuyan's accompaniment because in Xuanjing, no one can match him in piano skills.

Qin Peng didn't refuse. She wasn't really good at these things, but she was always open about it.

It's enough if you can play an instrument or write.

What is important is the state of mind and the bearing.

As soon as she came up, she raised her sleeves and struck the drum hard. The sound of the drum was booming and made people's hearts surge.

It is a rare "Breaking Formation Song" in Qi State.

This piece of music is usually played on the battlefield. It is very powerful. When the tune starts high, everyone is attracted to it. As soon as Kong Mengyun plucked the strings, everyone followed along.

Qin Shuhuai raised his head and saw the girl on the stage.

She was wearing a red dress with wide sleeves, and she was like a blazing flame in the crowd. She held a drumstick in her hand, which she brought down hard and then rose up gracefully.

The drumbeats were powerful at the beginning and gradually became faster. People seemed to see war horses galloping towards them and the warriors were full of passion and enthusiasm.

The tune changed and the drum beats started to accelerate, as if it was a battle on the battlefield. Everyone's heartstrings tightened.

Liu Shuyan and Wei Yan clinked glasses of wine and listened to the sounds of drums and piano. For a moment, they felt as if they were back on the battlefield.

The feeling of being on the line between life and death is portrayed vividly, the blood-stained knife, and the heroic spirit of killing everyone are exaggerated to make people's blood boil just by listening to it.

Kong Mengyun's piano playing began to lag behind, but she tried her best to follow.

However, Qin Peng was already immersed in the sound of his own drums and paid no attention to Kong Mengyun at all.

She suddenly found that she missed home.

I think of Beiyan’s sky, Beiyan’s clouds, Beiyan’s endless yellow sand, and Beiyan’s golden weapons and iron horses.

She had once gazed upon the battlefields of Northern Yan and had once galloped across the endless grasslands of Northern Yan.

That was a completely different scene from this exquisite Qi State.

She found Beiyan's soul in the music, but Qin Shuhuai felt that he saw a ball of fire.

He stretched out his hand, trying to catch the flame.

He saw her wide sleeves rising and falling, and she was as beautiful as a butterfly fluttering its wings.

He felt that the whole world was quiet, with only that person standing there, stealing all his attention.

The song ended, Qin Peng slowly opened his eyes, and everything around him was quiet.

Kong Mengyun sat in front of the piano, breathing slightly, his fingers twitching slightly due to pain from exerting too much force.

Liu Shuyan was the first to applaud. He looked at Qin Peng, as if he was happy and proud of her. Qin Peng suddenly felt a little bored. She turned around and saw Kong Mengyun sitting in front of the piano, and couldn't help but laugh.

She suddenly felt bored too. What was the point of arguing with a little girl?

A girl who can be so silly must have many people protecting her. Why should she argue with such a silly girl?

She smiled, handed a handkerchief to Kong Mengyun, and said softly, "Does it hurt?"

Kong Mengyun looked at Qin Peng, pursed her lips, pushed her away, stood up and said, "I don't want you to be so hypocritical!"

Qin Peng couldn't help but smile bitterly, raised his hand and said, "Okay, okay, I'm just pretending to be kind."

Kong Mengyun couldn't tell what she felt for a moment. She turned her head to look at Liu Shuyan and felt like needles stabbing her heart.

Qin Peng walked towards Liu Shuyan without even looking at him. When the others came up to stop the dancing, Kong Mengyun suddenly realized that even though this woman was of humble origin, even though she had once been too lazy to even look at her, she was indeed getting, step by step, what she had longed for but had never been able to get.

Kong Mengyun couldn't help but say: "Your Highness the Princess!"

Qin Peng turned his head and looked a little surprised: "Huh?"

Kong Mengyun said, not intending to take it back, and said, "Today, Mengyun has a gift for Your Highness, I hope Your Highness will accept it."

Qin Peng frowned, feeling something was wrong.

At this time, there was some chaos in the crowd. Qin Peng turned around and saw a man being pushed up.

The man had a delicate appearance and looked a bit like a scholar, with a hint of charm between his brows that was rare in men.

Qin Peng frowned, and felt that this person was somewhat familiar. Kong Mengyun had someone press this person in front of Qin Peng, and said with a smile: "I heard that when the princess was practicing Buddhism in Huguo Temple, she was harassed by this thief. Mengyun caught this thief and let the princess deal with him!"

After hearing this, Qin Peng's face turned cold.

Qin Peng knew this man. He was an opera singer. He used to like to listen to opera, but he stopped listening to opera after he went to Huguo Temple. This opera singer would go up the mountain to worship Buddha for a few days every month, and occasionally sing a few pieces for Qin Peng. Apart from that, they had no other interactions.

Kong Mengyun pushed this person up, saying that she was helping her, but in fact, she was reminding everyone that she was not disciplined in the Huguo Temple. No matter how poor she was, she was still the daughter-in-law of the Wei family and the princess of the dynasty. If she was bullied by an actor, how could she not take revenge if it was not her own will? "

Kong Mengyun's words made everyone's faces change. No one said a word, and Kong Mengyun looked at Qin Peng and said with a smile: "Princess, what do you think of Mengyun's performance?"

No one dared to speak. Qin Shuhuai looked at Kong Mengyun coldly, called Jiang Chun over, and whispered, "Let Minister Kong go."

Jiang Chun went there immediately.

Qin Peng lowered his head and glanced at the kneeling man.

Just an actor, to the nobles, his life is like an ant.

Kong Mengyun knew that he and Qin Peng were good friends, so she implicated him. Today, she humiliated Kong Mengyun. If she didn't do anything, this actor would be dead if he went out.

Qin Peng was angry.

What she hated most in her life was that people used these women's etiquette to restrain her.

She looked at Kong Mengyun coldly and slowly smiled.

Kong Mengyun's heart skipped a beat, and then she heard Qin Peng say, "I think what Miss Kong did was extremely inappropriate."

"I helped the princess catch the people who bullied her, but it became my fault?"

"Who told you he bullied me?"

Kong Mengyun was stunned when he heard this. Qin Peng raised his lips and said, "I like to listen to his operas. I can't listen to operas performed by an opera actor?"

"The princess is just listening to the opera?" Kong Mengyun sneered, with mockery in her eyes. Qin Peng walked up to Chunsheng and looked down at him.

Looking closely, Chunsheng is actually very good-looking. He has both yin and yang qualities, and is a rare man who can combine elegance and charm in one.

He looked up at Qin Peng, his eyes full of pleading. Qin Peng softened his tone and said gently, "Don't be afraid."

As she spoke, she looked up at Kong Mengyun and said with a smile: "Miss Kong has reminded me that I can do more than just listen to opera. This person is very good-looking, Bai Zhi!"

"Your Highness."

Bai Zhi came down from the back, and Qin Peng pointed at the person and said with a smile: "Take him away and put him in the backyard as a concubine."

Bai Zhi said calmly, "Yes."

This response made everyone exclaim, but no one dared to say anything. Kong Mengyun had never expected Qin Peng to react like this. Qin Peng clasped his hands in front of his chest and said with a smile: "Miss Kong, do you know what the difference is between the princess and you female princesses from aristocratic families?"

"The difference is - I don't need to be so secretive and hide who I like. It's just a matter of having a lover, is it that complicated?"

"Ms. Kong, I hope you remember this, no matter what you think of me."

Qin Peng raised her head slightly: "I am the Princess of Qi State, the only Princess of Qi State now."