"Brother Rong'er, are you saying... they did it on purpose?"

"Two meanings." Zhao Rong nodded.

He tapped the wrinkled nose of the little beauty in his arms twice with one finger:

"The first meaning is the same as what you imagined. You think I have a special fetish. I like women who are aloof in front of others but gentle and charming behind others... ahem, I like this kind of women.

"After all, I am a son-in-law. According to their thinking, it is inevitable that I cannot stand up straight and feel a little short of breath in front of you and Qingjun. Therefore, for the fairies who admire and even worship me, I will actively attach myself to them. I will feel the pleasure of controlling everything, and I will be addicted to it and can't stop.

"So I carefully selected a similar one for me as a token of my sincerity.

"They made this Fairy Su think that I was her Mr. Right and threw herself into my arms. Well, to be honest, I don't know whether Fairy Su really believed it or was just pretending to believe it, but I only believed half of every word she said."

Zhao Rong smiled and patted Xiao Qian'er's thin back with his big hand.

When Zhao Qian'er saw that her lover was analyzing the situation calmly, she stopped making a fuss immediately, hugged him with both hands, and listened with a calm face.

“On the surface, this King Li Xian seemed to have given me a gift without any evidence, which made me feel at ease accepting it. He was very sincere, but in fact, there was a second meaning behind this thoughtfulness and sincerity.

"That's... a little 'warm reminder'."

Zhao Rong narrowed his eyes and imitated a certain tone of voice to say jokingly: "Mr. Zhao, in order to give you a gift, we have done a lot of research and know that there is a cold and arrogant sword fairy in your family. So now we know a little about your family situation, glorious deeds, etc. Now that we are so familiar with each other, how about making friends?"

Zhao Qian'er's pretty face suddenly turned cold, "They dare to attack Miss? They dare to threaten us?"

In the narrow stairwell, sword energy suddenly filled the air. The moonlight that shone through the thin window paper and fell on Zhao Rong's feet occasionally outlined the shape of a flying sword. It flashed by in an instant, but Zhao Rong could hardly tell where the sword was with his naked eyes.

Zhao Rong looked around curiously.

He touched the face of this 'furry little cat' and shook his head with a smile:

"It's not a threat. After all, they took the initiative to come to our door to give gifts and beg us for help. This is a show of goodwill.

“It’s just that the entire situation in Dali was influenced by a Fengshan ceremony and was controlled by an ordinary outsider like me, a Confucian scholar. This ultimately made them feel uneasy.

"So, this has roughly brought me back to a certain equal position, so that both sides are not on the same level. Only I can control their fate, while they don't even have a chance to fight back.

"Well, both sides are wary of each other, so cooperation can make things more stable..."

Zhao Qian'er tilted her head and rubbed her delicate face against his rough palm.

She said arrogantly, sneering:

"How dare they plot against the young lady? Do they really think that only those who have not grown up are called geniuses as the books say? Do they know how many seniors and great powers are protecting every genius in Taiqing Mansion?"

Zhao Rong raised his eyebrows and said calmly: "Well, how many seniors are protecting our Qingjun?"

The little girl raised her chin and listed all the treasures: "Old Master Liu of Taiqing Mansion, Mr. Mo Xuebai, several other deputy masters who favor young lady, the master Yue of Tianya Sword Pavilion who has decided on young lady and my young lady, and the old master Zhao who admires young lady very much. He is the old patriarch of Duyou Zhao Clan, the leader of all the Zhao Clan branches in Wangquezhou...

Brother Rong'er, you and the young lady are the glorious 'Heavenly Destiny Bird'. Now, of the two pillars of the Zhao family in Wangquezhou, only the young lady is left. The young man of the Zhao family in Anling State unfortunately passed away, and the young lady is the only one left. The young Sikou of the Sikou Mansion in Jiange is a senior of the same clan. The big Sikou is said to be an old swordsman who came back from Kundu. He has a deep relationship with our Zhao family and took the initiative to find the young lady not long ago..."

Zhao Rong listened silently and memorized some names.

Xiao Qian'er pointed her little finger proudly, "And..."

"what else?"

The little girl suddenly reacted and glanced at someone, "And... and... I won't tell you, hum."

Zhao Rong coughed lightly, it turned out that his wife had such a strong backing.

Especially the young Sikou Zhao Qianqiu from the Sikou Mansion, he had a very deep impression of him. After all, he was a brave and brave young man on the ferry of Qingfeng Pavilion and saved a silly little fox demon. He didn't know if the young Sikou with sword marks on his face and a bad temper still remembered him...

In addition, some days ago, Zhao Rong remembered that Qingjun had mentioned to him that the Grand Secretary was looking for her.

Qingjun said at the time that the old senior came to her mainly to apologize to Qingjun because of the incident with Jiang Chebai at Youshan Mountain.

In fact, Zhao Rong and Qingjun usually don't talk about their respective "careers" in private, and they only talk about ordinary family matters, such as "My wife, why are you wearing so many clothes? Are you cold? Come here! I want to hug you." It's just that because it involves a non-threatening rival, Qingjun specifically told him the purpose of the visit of the Grand Secretary, probably because she was afraid that he would think too much, which made Zhao Rong feel warm at the time. What a silly wife.

At the moment, he had guessed about the protection of these seniors before, but he had tacitly not asked. He probably knew it clearly about it by Xiao Qian'er who had been following Qingjun.

"I think these people are not stupid. They probably know that a genius from Taiqing Prefecture is not easy to deal with."

Zhao Rong nodded seriously: "Qing Jun here... Haha, I believe that when they find Qing Jun, their expressions will be very interesting, and they will be even more afraid of me."

He sighed, having the number one prodigy in Taiqing Prefecture as his wife, life is so boring and dull. So, Meng Daxuezheng, you actually want me to divorce my wife, saying how beautiful it is to be an independent Confucian scholar who does not live off others... I don't believe you.

Now it seems clear how terrible it is to be a Confucian scholar who lives off others for free.

Zhao Qian'er suddenly hit Zhao Rong and said in a coquettish manner:

"Hmph, now you know how powerful Miss and I are, right? Brother Rong'er, if you dare to bully us, I'll let you get to know the swords of our seniors..."

Zhao Rong made a bitter face, "Uh, is this how the seniors who protected the way used it? And they even meddle in the Zhao family's affairs."

"Puchi~Silly look!" Xiao Qian'er couldn't help laughing and pinched his nose.

She smiled and said seriously:

"Brother Rong'er, you don't have to worry about the young lady. Don't have any concerns. Just do what you want to do. If these people in Dali have any evil intentions, they are just like a mad dog barking at the sun.

"To be able to hurt the young lady in Taiqing Mansion, one must be at least in the seventh realm, and must be a swordsman. As for the young lady, after she left Duyou City and was out of the sight of the seniors, it would be wishful thinking for the enemy to threaten her safety if it is lower than the Nascent Soul Realm. The young lady has a lot of trump cards... So, let alone this small Dali, is there a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator?"

The little girl, who seemed to know something, shook her head.

Zhao Rong was quiet for a while, nodded slightly, and then shook his head slightly, "I know my limits."

After a pause, he skipped the topic.

He narrowed his eyes and said:

"The intention of this action of King Li Xian is nothing more than to tell me that in the future, when making choices about certain possible things, I should not be too ruthless and push people to death. Otherwise, if I am careless, I will have an enemy who is a high-level warrior and is determined to fight to the death, which will make me and the people around me sleep uneasy.

"What's interesting is that King Li Xian is now in the same camp as Dugu. Does Dugu know that his act of giving gifts with good intentions is a warning to others? Is it a joint decision of the two of them, or is it just something he did on his own?

"Also, regarding this Fengshan Ceremony, does he, like Dugu, hope that it will be held smoothly so that the young emperor can rule Dali legitimately... What is the current relationship between Dugu and Li Mingyi? Does the latter have any second thoughts? And that Zhou Dufu..."

Zhao Rong spoke slowly and leisurely.

Xiao Qian'er listened with a frown on her face, and the image of a mighty man in a python robe at the free dinner not long ago appeared in her mind again.

She remembered that it seemed that it was the Grand Master of Music Mu Jin and Xue Can who were talking to Brother Rong Er, while Li Mingyi watched silently the whole time, occasionally smiling, and flattering Brother Rong Er before leaving.

Apart from the conspicuous clothes, there is no sense of existence.

Zhao Qianer frowned... She didn't expect that the gift sent by the Regent King of Dali had so many meanings in it, or maybe what he wanted to say was actually all in the gift, but Brother Rong'er...

She couldn't help but ask, "Brother Rong'er, did you see what he meant at that time?"

Zhao Rong nodded calmly.

"The gift from Li Mingyi, um, that Fairy Su, whether I accept it or not, the 'warm reminder' he included in it has been delivered, and it doesn't matter whether I accept it or not.

"So, let's not waste this Fairy Su who may be a little trembling."

After he made a joke, he paused and said with a smile on his face:

"From the two fairies sent by the two parties, we can tell a lot. This trip to Dali seems to be getting interesting.

"Li Mingyi is a little hard to figure out at the moment. What exactly does he want to do? Is he going to be a wise king who will live forever in the world, or is he going to have an extra claw embroidered on his dragon robe?

"And the Dugu clan took the initiative to invite us here for the Fengshan Ceremony, so it can be said that they were sincere.

"The fairy Luo she sent here, well, may not be called this, but it doesn't matter. She was obviously a Crescent Moon Li Nu in the past, which is a very special existence in Lidi. I heard that there is a belief that women must be extremely pure. I guess no man in the past has ever enjoyed the treatment of a Crescent Moon Li Nu like me.

"Dugu's move may have violated some of the principles within the Music Bureau, so they used the so-called Qingguanren identity to cover it up. Oh, didn't you see that the eyes of the accompanying women tonight were a little strange when they looked at me? Some of the beautiful fairies among them probably even wanted to eat me. Maybe they were candidates before."

Zhao Rong smiled happily and pointed with his index finger, "But no matter how these fairy sisters glare at me, I will just take it and have fun."

Xiao Qian'er twisted her body and glared at him, "Show off."

Zhao Rong continued:

"This Empress Dowager Dugu has invested a lot of money, but although I know she is the most sincere one, I may disappoint her.

"Besides, the only person left to meet is Zhou Dufu. What do you think he will give me? Well, never mind. Anyway, your brother Rong'er is now the 'big villain', so I'll give them everything for free."

Zhao Rong joked, trying to amuse Xiao Qian'er, but the little girl didn't laugh. She bit her lip and looked at him quietly.

"What's wrong, is there something on my face?"

Zhao Qian'er was silent for a while and said, "You chose to defile yourself. Besides the reasons you just gave to Gu Yiwu and the others in the room... is it because you want to protect me and the young lady? This is the main reason."

Zhao Rong was slightly startled, and the corners of his mouth that were raised gradually lowered. He looked at her for a while, then turned his head away and didn't look at her.

He looked in the direction of Su Qingdai and Luo Xiu on the third floor, and at a certain moment, he nodded slightly, imperceptibly.

This silly girl has really grown up... he muttered to himself.

Seeing this, Xiao Qian'er stopped talking.

The air between the two of them suddenly became quiet.

Just now she was still complaining about Rong'er's self-desecration and was unhappy, but now she found out... he didn't want Dali's affairs to involve the young lady and her at all.

Yes, for all the forces in Dali, if Zhao Rong is a modest gentleman who handles his affairs impartially and is difficult to approach, the relatives or women he cares about may very well be his fatal weakness.

If Zhao Rong is seen by everyone in Dali as a greedy, romantic, and frivolous scholar with talent but no moral integrity, then he is almost a selfish person, and it is difficult to threaten him with relatives or women...

The smart and pretty girl who possessed a flying sword named Qiu Qian pursed her pink lips.

At the age of seventeen, she only regretted that she was not growing fast enough. She could not suppress the entire dynasty under the mountain with a flying sword and make everyone who dared to threaten Brother Rong Er beheaded.

Let him be free and at ease.

The shadow of a young lady on Su Qingdai and the warning she brought, this warning may seem ridiculous to Xiao Qian'er, but it still made the fearless Zhao Rong afraid.

Because he couldn't afford the possibility of that one chance.

However, Xiao Qian'er clearly remembered that not long ago, Brother Rong'er looked at Su Qingdai, who had a young lady-like temperament, sitting on his lap, with a bright smile on his face.

Then, facing Li Mingyi, Mu Jin and others who were coming downstairs, he began to speak and act without restraint.

At that time, she, who had promised Brother Rong'er that she would trust him, couldn't help feeling a little aggrieved and resentful.

Zhao Qian'er suddenly stood on tiptoe and whispered in someone's ear:

"If you like them, well, and want their bodies, then keep them. We can afford it. But... you can't have that kind of love."

Zhao Rong was stunned.

…

The lobby on the first floor of Zuixianlou.

At a drinking table in a corner, one party went home satisfied with the free meal, while the other party left with a frown.

The prosperity of tonight slowly faded away like the brilliant fireworks that bloomed on time in the night sky of Xingzi Town at 12:45 p.m.

At the door of the empty hall, a thin figure jumped and appeared.

A little maid with missing teeth ran all over the ship with an empty stomach and finally found some cool spring water, and ran back happily.

She had already lit the firewood and was boiling the clear spring water, but she was squatting in front of the stove, holding her stomach and counting the sparks. She was afraid that the nobleman would get impatient, so she came back to inform the indifferent young lady.

At this moment, at the door of the first-floor hall, the empty silence instantly froze the jumping body of the little maid with missing teeth, as if she was cast under a spell.

The little maid with missing teeth lowered her head, holding a folded pink handkerchief in her hand, as she walked past the silent deck and returned to the narrow and damp cabin.

The small pot of clear spring water was still boiling.

But the noble person who wanted to wash the handkerchief has already left.

The small cabin looked like it was covered with a layer of orange paint by the firelight.

The shadow in the firelight was also that of a thin and slender maid with missing teeth. She turned her head to look at the calm lake outside the small window.

Her name is Xiaoyu, and she grew up in a pleasure boat in the middle of the lake as far as she can remember.

Never came ashore.

The little fish looked at the star-dotted lake without blinking, and took out a fish-shaped black piece of wood from his arms with his little hand.

She knew there were lots of fish in the lake.

The little maid named Xiaoyu with missing teeth had seen and counted the food countless times from morning to night, but had never eaten it.

These fish were fed with spiritual rice by the immortal shops in the town, and outsiders were not allowed to catch them. Moreover, she was a little maid at the bottom of the brothel, so she didn't dare to touch them, because every fish in this lake was more expensive than her and tasted better than her.

The little fish who missed her dinner while looking for the spring water picked up the black fish wood, opened her mouth, and then... she gave up with a smug look. Her two front teeth had just recently settled on the roof of the pleasure boat and left her...

At this time, the little maid with missing teeth lowered her head to look at the pink handkerchief in her other hand.

In fact, she actively helped the indifferent nobleman in the hope that he would try to ask her for a sip of the remaining fish soup on the table...