Chapter 510 The Crowded Eight Great Hutongs
“General, you are right.” The old steward nodded hurriedly. “The Duke has gone to the palace to fetch you and your wife. He was thinking of inviting you to dine at his residence. I have already prepared the meal as instructed by the Duke. Please take your seats, General and Madam.”
He immediately tried to usher the person inside.
“No need.” Li Rong shook his head. “We’ve already eaten. Where is Wei Ke settled? Take us there.”
The old steward responded and immediately jogged to lead Li Rong and his companion inside.
He didn't forget to call out to the servant beside him: "Quickly send someone out to find the Duke and tell him that the General and his wife have arrived."
When Jiang Nuanzhi entered Chi Heng's residence, she finally understood why everyone thought her three-courtyard house was too small.
Compared to this, isn't it small?
At first glance, two white marble lions stand at the entrance, their manes finely textured and each hair clearly visible.
Following the old steward across the vermilion gate, we were greeted by a brick screen wall carved with five bats holding a longevity character. An ancient and rustic atmosphere enveloped us, and the gilded longevity character gleamed in the candlelight.
Passing through the hanging flower gate, the glazed ram's horn lamps reflect the carved wooden windows, the light and shadow swaying.
The vermilion lacquer on the pillars of the main building in the central courtyard was bright and shiny, the lotus flower carvings on the column bases were exquisite, and the gold characters on the plaques were vigorous and powerful. The courtyard was brightly lit by the openwork stone lampposts, and every detail was exquisite. It was hard to imagine that this was the eccentric mansion of Chi Heng.
Jiang Nuanzhi had previously thought that the house Li Rong bought was quite exquisite, but after seeing Chi Heng's courtyard, she realized that there are always people more capable than oneself.
It was completely dark by now, and it was difficult to see the layout of the courtyard. Of course, even in daylight, it would be impossible to see everything at a glance. However, Jiang Nuanzhi guessed that the Duke's mansion was a five-courtyard residence, but it was several times larger than her and Li Rong's courtyard.
Today, Jiang Nuanzhi entered the palace and found it to be very large. Perhaps because she had seen too many Forbidden City buildings in modern times, she didn't find it particularly impressive. After all, it was only natural for the emperor to live in whatever he wanted.
Ke Chiheng's house is different from the old houses she had seen before that were without owners. It is luxurious and elegant, with a noble heritage. Is this what a great family is like?
The old steward noticed Jiang Nuanzhi looking curiously at the doors on both sides, and smiled as he told her about the courtyards of the mansion.
Jiang Nuanzhi then learned that the courtyard originally consisted of five courtyards and two wings, with pavilions and waterside terraces. The old steward warmly invited Jiang Nuanzhi to take a look. Jiang Nuanzhi was interested in seeing it, but she was currently busy treating Wei Ke, so she decided to put it aside for now.
The two followed Chi Heng's old butler, turning left and right, until they entered the guest room area.
The room where Wei Ke was staying was surrounded by about a dozen guards, who were on high alert.
From afar, the group spotted Li Rong and immediately bowed in greeting.
"General!"
Li Rong nodded, then glanced at Jiang Nuanzhi beside him: "This is Madam."
The soldiers who were originally on guard were all somewhat depressed.
After all, Wei Ke is currently poisoned, and Qin Lin is still in the hands of the Regent. There's also Awang's matter. These people are all Li Rong's confidants, and they've all seen it all. Naturally, they know that they are in a difficult situation, and now even Jiang Nuanzhi hasn't noticed.
Upon hearing Li Rong's words, everyone was surprised and then their spirits lifted.
He immediately bowed to Jiang Nuanzhi and said, "Greetings, Madam!"
They all secretly sized up Jiang Nuanzhi, and some of the younger ones were even stunned by her appearance.
Jiang Nuanzhi smiled and nodded, which was considered a greeting.
With a creak, the door was pushed open by Li Rong. Jiang Nuanzhi's hand was taken by Li Rong's slightly cool hand, and she followed him into the room.
It was quite late, and the candlelight flickered inside the house.
Wei Ke was attended to by a servant boy and a maidservant. A physician was also present, keeping watch over him.
At that moment, the group heard a noise and immediately looked over.
When the servant saw that it was Li Rong, his eyes lit up and he immediately came over to greet him: "General! You've come?"
Li Rong nodded slightly, then looked over: "How is Wei Ke?"
"Reporting to the General, the Master was awake this afternoon, but only fell asleep now. He hasn't been sleeping well today. He vomited twice."
As Jiang Nuanzhi listened to Li Rong and the others talking, her gaze fell on Wei Ke.
To be honest, he hadn't seen this man's face before, but now that he looked at him, he realized that this was a remarkably handsome young man, comparable to Xie Liangchen. However, at this moment, his lips were bluish-purple, and his face was ashen. At such a young age, his brows were already tightly furrowed, forming deep lines, as if he were burdened with a faint sorrow.
Li Rong had clearly noticed Wei Ke's increasingly ashen face, and tightened his grip on Jiang Nuanzhi's hand: "Nuanzhi, thank you for your trouble."
Jiang Nuanzhi nodded reassuringly at him, then let go of his hand and stepped forward to examine him closely.
The servants and maids beside her were all from Chi Heng's household, and they looked at Jiang Nuanzhi with some surprise.
The physician standing beside her was Sun Qing, the military doctor who had accompanied Chi Heng and Li Rong all the way to the capital. Upon seeing Jiang Nuanzhi, his eyes suddenly blazed with intense light.
"Doctor Jiang, you've arrived? I've been keeping watch over the General and Lord Wei these past few days. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me."
Jiang Nuanzhi nodded to him and bent down to take his pulse.
Physician Sun's eyes gleamed. He pushed aside the servant beside him and pulled up a chair for Jiang Nuanzhi: "Physician Jiang, please have a seat."
He stared intently at Jiang Nuanzhi as she took his pulse.
Li Rong also lowered his eyes at this moment. He looked as usual, but his clenched fists revealed that he was not calm at this moment.
The surroundings were so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
...
At the other end, at the intersection of the Eight Great Hutongs.
Chi Heng and the young princess faced each other.
Chi Heng drove his ostentatious carriage through the city, which gleamed in the night light.
The carriage of the young princess next to her was equally impressive.
The two stood with their hands on their hips, staring at each other like cross-eyed chickens at the entrance of the alley, neither giving an inch.
"Woof woof woof," a small dog scurried past the two of them, wagging its tail as it entered the alley. Then, it kept turning back to look at them several times.
Chi Heng squeezed her sore eyes, couldn't help but rub them, and the next second, she continued to stare at the little princess opposite her like a fighting cock: "Hey! Xiao Nianjun, are you going to give way or not?"
The young princess scoffed disdainfully, "No way! How many times do I have to say it? No one has ever made me give way! You better get out of the way and let me go get the person!"
"You're such a copycat! I go pick someone up and you go pick someone up too!" Chi Heng narrowed her eyes. "Hey, I know what you're up to. I advise you to give up now. A Rong already has a wife, and she's a thousand times better than you! Why are you meddling in this? Besides, given my relationship with A Rong, would he ever eat at your place? Stop dreaming! You should just go home!"
The young princess rolled her eyes: "What's wrong with you? What more do you have? I just want to get involved! Besides, given my relationship with Sister Nuan, do you think she would leave me to eat at your place?"
"And what about Li Rong? We've known each other since childhood, and our families are old friends. Who says he'll definitely go to your house? Besides, everyone in the world knows that the food in my household is top-notch. Sister Anuan promised me that her first meal in the capital will be at my Prince's Mansion!"
Jiang Nuanzhi: Oh dear, please stop fighting! (Stomps her foot shyly)
"If all else fails, let's use the simplest method: highest bidder wins! How about that?"
Chi Heng: "."
The little princess: "."
Li Rong touched his nose, met someone's gaze, and nodded: "Anuan is right."
(End of this chapter)
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