Mountain and River Festival 203. Entering the palace at night, meeting an old friend again

The birth of the young prince of Prince Dingguo's palace spread all over the world in a short time with great fanfare. What's more, Prince Ding decided to hold a full-month banquet for the young prince and invited dignitaries from various countries. Coupled with the previously circulated news that the imperial seal and the treasure of the previous dynasty appeared in the northwest, countless people flocked to the northwest of Da Chu.

Chujing Xu Mansion

Xu Qingyan looked at the letter in his hand with a look of surprise and joy, and even the hand holding the letter trembled a little. Xu Qingbai sat on the side, looking at Xu Hongyan's uncontrollable excitement, and couldn't help but wonder: "Second uncle, is there anything wrong with the second brother?" Xu Qingyan handed the letter over and said: "Li'er gave birth to a boy..." After a long time of experience outside, Xu Qingbai was obviously much more stable than before, and he couldn't help but smile a little after hearing the news. As a result, Xu Hongyan read the letter carefully and smiled, "That's great. Grandfather will be very happy to know this news." Xu Hongyan nodded repeatedly. After Li'er was in danger and disappeared last year, his father's health became very bad. He finally got the news that Li'er was safe and sound. Now that Li'er has safely given birth to a son, his father will be very happy to become a great-grandfather after knowing this good news.

The butler standing at the door looked at the old man and the fourth young master who were rarely out of control, and reminded them: "Old man, fourth young master. The one who came to see them off is still waiting outside the door." Although he was very happy that Miss Li'er had given birth to a child, he still had to follow the proper etiquette. He couldn't let the messenger just wait there.

Xu Hongyan came back to his senses and nodded, "A big reward... No, please ask the messenger to come in. I have something else to ask him."

The steward responded and then hurried out to invite him. Not long after, a young man in ordinary clothes came in, bowed to Xu Hongyan and smiled, saying: "Master Xu, the fourth young master, long time no see." Xu Hongyan was stunned, and when he saw the young man raised his head and showed his handsome face with slightly messy hair, he couldn't help but exclaimed: "The third young master Feng?" The young man was Feng Zhiyao who was supposed to be in the northwest. Without waiting for Xu Hongyan to invite him to sit in Feng Zhiyao, he walked to a chair on the side and leaned down, sighed and complained: "In order to get back before the news was sent back to the capital, this young master killed three horses along the way. I was so tired..." He set out on the second day after the young master was born, and it took him only three days to rush back to the capital. Compared to now, the news of the young master's birth is still on the way.

Xu Hongyan was stunned, looking at Feng Zhiyao who seemed to be in a trance. It was Xu Qingbai who asked, "Mr. Feng, is there anything else besides the matter of cousin Li'er and my nephew?" Feng Zhiyao pulled the corner of his mouth, trying to withdraw a smile but it was more like a bitter smile, "If there was nothing, why would the prince let me go back to the capital at this time?" Although in fact, returning to the capital may not be easier than staying in the northwest. Xu Hongyan also came back to his senses. After hearing what Feng Zhiyao said, he hurriedly asked, "But what happened?" Feng Zhiyao didn't even bother to ask for water. He directly grabbed the pot of cold tea beside him and took a sip before looking at Xu Hongyan and said, "The prince and the princess hope that Lord Xu and the fourth young master will leave the capital with me and go to the northwest."

Xu Hongyan's face sank. He and Xu Qingbai were the only members of the Xu family who remained in the capital. To put it bluntly, they were hostages of the imperial court. If they left without the emperor's permission, the Xu family and the royal family would be completely at odds. As soon as he saw Xu Hongyan's expression, Feng Zhiyao knew Xu Hongyan's dilemma and said in a deep voice: "To be honest with you, Lord Xu, the split between Prince Ding's Mansion and the court is irreversible. If Lord Xu and the Fourth Young Master remain in the capital, it will be disadvantageous to the two of you." Xu Hongyan frowned and said: "It doesn't matter if we leave. There are only a few of us in the capital. But the Xu family has been in Yunzhou for a hundred years. If the emperor wants to find trouble, where can he not find it?" Feng Zhiyao took out another letter and handed it over, saying: "This is written by the prince and the princess. I have also personally delivered the same letter to Mr. Qingyun in Yunzhou. But I don't have time to stay in Yunzhou for a long time. Mr. Qingyun and Mr. Hongyu must have made a decision by now."

Xu Hongyu took the letter in confusion and unfolded it, frowning and reading it. After a while, his face changed drastically, and anger burst out on his usually calm face. After a long time, he angrily said: "Ridiculous! There is such a thing... The emperor actually...! It is really..." He slammed the letter on the table with his palm, raised his head and stared at Feng Zhiyao and said: "Mr. Feng, do you really think what is said in the letter?" Feng Zhiyao smiled bitterly and said: "Master Xu, do you think this can be made up casually?" Xu Hongyan was speechless. Every detail in the letter was shocking, and which one could be made up casually? It's just that such a thing is too unbelievable. Xu Qingbai looked at his second uncle who was obviously very angry, then quietly stood up and walked to the desk to pick up the letter on the table. It would have been fine if he hadn't read it, but after reading it, Xu Qingbai was shocked even though he felt that he had made sufficient mental preparations. Are the people in the royal family really so crazy? At the same time, the young Xu Qingbai was extremely disappointed and angry with the man sitting on the throne and the court.

He lowered his eyes, folded the letter and gently put it back on the table. Xu Qingbai laughed softly: "Uncle... for this... is it worth it?" His father had the talent to help the world, but he could not take up an official post and could only stay in Lishan Academy to teach students. His uncle was also a real practical talent, but for more than ten years, he had to sit in a position of a historian and watch the intrigues in the court. The five brothers could only suppress their own talents. However, how long would such suppression take? Would their generation still be destroyed until the Xu family was destroyed? No wonder the eldest brother refused to be an official in the court. I'm afraid he had already seen through that such days would never end. Xu Hongyan gritted his teeth and said nothing, but his tightly clenched hands made people understand that he was also upset. The Dingwang Mansion and the royal family are of the same lineage. They have worked hard for the Great Chu and died for it, but they still ended up like this, not to mention the Xu family. During the Great Chu Dynasty, the Xu family had no other choice but to die in silence.

Feng Zhiyao sat silently in the chair and looked at the two people in front of him. It was not just the Xu family that was chilled by these things. Even someone like Feng Zhiyao could not help but feel chilled and angry.

Xu Hongyan put the letter away, looked up at Feng Zhiyao and said, "I think Mr. Feng San has other things to do in the capital. Please allow me two days to consider and give you an answer." Feng Zhiyao himself did have a lot of things to do, so he stood up and nodded and said, "Of course, once Lord Xu has made a decision, just have someone pass a message to me. I will have to stay in the capital for some time, so there is no rush. I will take my leave now." Watching Feng Zhiyao walk out, Xu Hongyan frowned and said, "Mr. Feng San." Feng Zhiyao turned around and said, "Does Lord Xu have any other instructions?"

Xu Hongyan sighed and said, "If it's convenient for you, Third Master Feng, please go back to the Feng Family. Over the past year or so, Master Feng has come to the mansion to ask about you several times. There is no overnight hatred between father and son... You must know that when a son wants to raise his parents, they are no longer there..." Feng Zhiyao obviously didn't expect that Xu Hongyan wanted to talk to him about this, and he was also stunned. When he heard the sentence "When a son wants to raise his parents, they are no longer there", his expression changed, and the smile on his face was a little bitter. He nodded and said, "Thank you for reminding me, Mr. Xu." He was a bastard in the family, and his father didn't value him since he was a child. When he was young, he was almost driven out of the house because of his naughtiness. Before he went to the army last year, he completely broke with his family. The Feng Family had already publicly stated that the Feng Family and Feng Zhiyao no longer had any relationship. Now, where else could he go?

Qingchengfang

The Qingchengfang, with its new owner and courtesan, is still the most famous singing and dancing house in the capital, but the once famous and romantic Feng San Gongzi is no longer a distinguished guest of Qingchengfang and can only enter the house secretly through the back door. Pushing open a remote room deep in the corridor, someone was already waiting there. When the other person saw Feng Zhiyao push the door in, he raised his head and smiled, saying, "Feng San, it's rare to see you like this, it's really impressive." Feng San Gongzi has always been very flamboyant, even on the battlefield, he is still dressed in red and gorgeous clothes. But now he is indeed an ordinary cloth, and even that handsome face that makes people look sideways has been modified to become a little mediocre. Feng Zhiyao snorted in dissatisfaction, looked at his cloth clothes with disdain and said, "So this young master doesn't like to do these things in secret, it's really not glamorous."

"Have you just been to the Xu Mansion?" The young man was none other than Leng Haoyu, the son-in-law of General Murong, the second son of the Leng family. Leng Haoyu now took over all the industries and power under the Dingwang Mansion in the Great Chu Territory, and usually could only hide behind the scenes and no longer show off in front of people. The two most famous playboys in Chujing at that time disappeared in the same way, which disappointed the talented women and beautiful women in Chujing.

Feng Zhiyao nodded and said, "Don't worry about the Xu family. Lord Xu and the fourth son of the Xu family are both smart people. What we need to do is the troublesome thing. How is the matter I asked you to investigate before? Do you have any news?"

Leng Haoyu shook his head helplessly and said, "Mo Jingqi is an extremely suspicious person. No one knows the whereabouts of the Biluohua. I'm afraid even his own mother, the current empress dowager, doesn't know." Feng Zhiyao also sighed and said, "It doesn't matter. The things are always in the Chu Palace. I don't believe that we can't find it even if we turn the palace upside down!" With Mo Jingqi's temperament, it is impossible for such a treasure to be placed too far away from him. After thinking for a while, Feng Zhiyao said, "First find out the will of Taizu and settle Lord Xu and Master Xu. If the Blue Sky Flower is not found by then, let others escort the Xu family to the west and northwest, and I will stay to continue looking." Leng Haoyu raised his eyebrows, looked at him and said, "The prince and the princess didn't mean to let you stay in the capital. What's more, I won't leave the capital recently, so I will go and look for it. What are you doing in the capital?" Feng Zhiyao glared at him angrily and said, "I will naturally report to the prince and the princess. You have so many things on your hands. How long will it take you to find the Blue Sky Flower?" Leng Haoyu touched his nose helplessly. Did he look like someone who couldn't tell the priorities and didn't know what to do first?

Seeing Feng Zhiyao staring at him motionlessly, Leng Haoyu sighed in defeat, waved his hand and said, "As long as the prince and princess agree, it's fine. I don't care about your business." Feng Zhiyao hummed with satisfaction, took the drink on the table and started drinking.

late at night

Several shadows quickly passed through the palace wall and entered the palace. Since more than a month ago, the guards of the Chu Palace have become more strict. From time to time, you can see teams of palace guards and eunuchs patrolling. But these did not stop anyone who wanted to enter. Several shadows avoided the patrolling guards like ghosts and went deep into the palace.

In the Queen's palace, Queen Hua changed out of her heavy and elegant decorations and clothes during the day, and wore only a light purple silk dress. Her hair was casually tied up with a purple jade hairpin, and she sat there, holding a book in her hand, lost in thought. After washing off the delicate and gorgeous makeup, the Queen's beautiful face was less elegant and noble, and more gentle and youthful. She didn't look like a mother of a nine-year-old child who was only thirty years old, but more like a beautiful young woman in her early twenties.

Suddenly, a breeze blew through the half-open window, causing the candles in the hall to flicker. The queen was startled and came to her senses. Suddenly, she felt that something was missing in the hall. She turned around and saw a tall black figure standing at the corner of the wall not far away, looking at her. The queen was startled and hurriedly asked in unison, "Who is it?!"

"It's me." The man in black walked out, his handsome peach blossom eyes looking at the woman in purple under the light with a complicated expression.

The strange yet familiar voice made the queen stunned for a moment. When she saw the true face of the man in black, she was completely stunned. She frowned and said, "Why are you in the palace?" Then she remembered that her scream just now might attract guards and palace maids, so she hurried to the window and covered it.

"Don't worry, no one will come." The man in black was Feng Zhiyao, the third son of the Feng family.

The queen breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the young man who looked even more handsome in black clothes. She couldn't help but sighed, turned around, poured a cup of tea, pointed to a chair and said, "Sit down and talk. How come you are back? Why are you in the palace?" Feng Zhiyao looked at the blue and white teacup in front of her and whispered, "I came back to do something under the order of the prince, and I came to see you by the way. Don't you welcome me?" The sudden change of a sad voice made the queen stunned for a moment, and smiled and said, "How could it be? Usually, few people I knew in the past come back to see me. There are only a few people coming and going in this palace." Feng Zhiyao stared at her and asked, "How have you been these years?"

The atmosphere in the palace was somewhat heavy. The queen smiled faintly and said, "What's wrong with being the queen of a country and the mother of the country? Let's not talk about this... Actually, we haven't seen each other for many years."

Feng Zhiyao said quietly, "Twelve years... eleven years and six months."

The Queen's smile was a little forced. "I didn't expect you to remember it so clearly."

For a while, the two were speechless. Feng Zhiyao looked at the woman in front of him seriously. Everyone said that Su Zuidie was the most beautiful woman in Chujing, but in Feng Zhiyao's eyes, he never thought that Su Zuidie was so beautiful. In his eyes, the most beautiful person was always the girl in gorgeous clothes who had gently helped up the nine-year-old girl who was pushed to the ground by her eldest brother in the mansion. It was she who wiped the stains on his face and smiled and told him that if he didn't want to be bullied, he had to work hard to become strong. It was she who took his hand and secretly went to Dingwang Mansion and asked Xiu Yao to practice martial arts with him. It was also she who secretly sent someone to deliver medicine and silver to him when he was sick and no one was taking care of him. From then on, Feng Zhiyao only had eyes for that gentle and noble woman. Unfortunately, the distance between them is too far. He is a bastard of a merchant family. Even though the Feng family is one of the four richest merchants in Da Chu, they are no more than a scholar-farmer-merchant, and merchants are the last. And she is indeed the most noble eldest daughter of the Duke of Hua, and later she was personally chosen by the late emperor for Mo Jingqi, who was still a prince at the time, to be his legitimate wife. Even in their most intimate relationship, he only called her Sister Feng. Even this title, he refused to call her after he was thirteen years old.

The queen felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. They had not seen each other for twelve years. The boy who once looked young and delicate had now grown into a handsome man. Even she had heard of the reputation of the Third Master Feng in the capital. She still remembered that year, it was raining heavily on the eve of her wedding. The boy, dressed in a wolf's clothing, avoided the heavy guards of the Duke of Hua's Mansion and came to her door. He asked her nervously, "Can you not marry Prince Qi?"

When she shook her head, the boy's eyes, which were as bright as stars, slowly became dim. At that time, she still didn't understand the boy's mind, and just thought that he couldn't bear to leave her, the sister who loved and cared for him again. She just watched the boy glance at her disappointedly and walked away sadly. For some reason, she felt depressed and sad in her heart and couldn't help but shed tears. Slowly, when she understood why the boy was disappointed at that time, they had already drifted apart. She was the legitimate wife of King Qi and the Queen of Chu, and he was still the third son of the Feng family, but the young man was famous in the capital. In fact, maybe it would be best not to see each other forever.

"Ayao, how have you been these years?" After a long while, the Queen finally broke the silence.

"Don't call me Ayao!" Feng Zhiyao glared and growled. The queen was stunned, and suddenly remembered that she also called the young Mo Xiuyao Ayao. Although the characters are different, they sound the same when they are called out, so every time she called him Ayao, he would always get angry and feel awkward. But it seems that there is no other way to call him, so she just kept calling him that. Thinking of this, the queen couldn't help but smile, and Feng Zhiyao obviously remembered the embarrassing things in his youth, and turned his face away with a stiff expression. The lights in the hall were a little dim, but it was impossible to tell whether he was blushing or not.

The Queen stood up and smiled, "You are already so old, are you still acting like a child? You definitely didn't come to the palace just to see me so late, but what's the matter?"

Feng Zhiyao looked at her beautiful face under the light and suddenly said, "Come with me and leave here!"