On the deck, a young scholar and a pretty maid stood at the back of the crowd.

The boat had already stopped, but the two did not rush to get off. Instead, they stood quietly at the back, watching the anxious passengers in front get off first.

Zhao Rong withdrew his gaze from the South Flying Geese Formation above his head.

He traveled back and forth between Duyou City and Dali over the past two days. Yesterday, he dealt with the affairs of the academy during the day, as well as the small matter of Qingjun who was very important to his life. Then, he had a magical dinner at Xia Chongzhai at night, and then took the Yunhai ferry back home overnight.

Zhao Rong let out a sigh of relief.

This time when he came back, he completed what he needed to do as planned.

When she went to see Meng Zhengjun, although she didn't have a good face for him, she gave him a businesslike answer, saying that she would be back before the ceremony started, and asked everyone not to be sneaky...

In addition, Zhao Rong also brought back three cups of water from the Zhengguan well, and... a sachet belonging to a little fox demon.

The former will be useful after he successfully realizes his true nature and practices that set of skills, the name of which he doesn’t even know yet.

And the latter, well, is now his sachet...

You stupid fox demon named Su, don't even think about running away quietly. Just wait for me to come back.

Zhao Rong reached out and touched the sachet hidden in his sleeve, and glanced at Xiao Qian'er beside him.

The latter was lying on the railing next to him, staring at Su Qingdai who was waiting for the boat at the ferry below, but was not looking at him.

Zhao Rong withdrew his gaze calmly.

Also, there is what happened last night.

At the dinner party in Xia Chong Zhai, the cup of wine that did not belong to Xia Chong, Jing Wa and Qu Shi was drunk by Qing Jun, which allowed Zhu Ma Jian to return to the level of Ban Bu Jia and awaken his rare innate magical power in the field of time and space. Later, it seemed that the extraordinary sword chanting also caused quite a stir inside and outside the city.

I don’t know how Qingjun handled it afterwards.

Zhao Rong couldn't help but turn his head and look in the direction of Duyou City behind him.

After squinting for a few moments, he shook his head and turned back.

The most important thing for him right now is to return quickly after dealing with the affairs of Dali.

Small things, Qingjun's half-finished childhood sweetheart, and the strange Xia Chongzhai and the secrets hidden by Manager Zhao...all these are waiting for him to deal with when he returns.

After a while, the deck of the ferry became empty, and most of the passengers in the front had already disembarked.

"Let's go, silly girl, stop staring, we should go downstairs."

As he spoke, Zhao Rong took Xiao Qian'er off the boat.

In one of the sleeves, the hand holding the sachet hesitated for a moment.

Finally, he pinched the sachet with his five fingers and put it back into the Sumeru object.

Zhao Rong looked straight ahead.

There is a 'sharp-eyed second lady' next to me, so I'd better not commit a crime against the wind...

At some point, he murmured quietly: "I originally lived on Qiantang Mountain. Flowers bloom and fall, regardless of the passing years..."

"Brother Rong'er, what are you reading?"

"Oh, nothing." Zhao Rong said casually, blinking, "I just suddenly remembered... I remembered the poems of a great talent I read last night. Yes, a great talent."

"Hey, to be praised by you, Brother Rong'er, this girl must be very powerful."

Zhao Rong, who was walking down the stairs, couldn't help laughing, coughed twice, and said seriously: "Yes, it seems that she is not only good at poetry, but I heard that she is also good at embroidery. She is really talented."

"Well, that's amazing. A woman like this, whoever marries her will be blessed... Wait, do you know her? Are you talking about Miss Yu? Or... Mr. Zhu? Or Miss Su or Miss Li?"

Xiao Qian'er suddenly turned her head.

He spoke eloquently and quickly listed the women who were at the table last night.

Zhao Rong smiled and turned around, without hesitation: "I guessed it right, it's Miss Su, but her name is Su Dahuang. Um, Qian'er, do you know her?"

"Su Dahuang? I don't know him." Xiao Qian'er muttered and glanced at him, "I thought it was that fox girl Miss Su."

Zhao Rong smiled but said nothing.

He glanced at the crowd below the boat.

…

The ferry built on the cliff did not become deserted immediately after most of the passengers disembarked and left.

Because there is still someone who has not disembarked.

Many passengers couldn't help but stop not far away and look back at the passenger reception team that was still crowded at the ferry.

There were no fewer than several hundred people.

Especially at the front of the crowd, there were two figures that were most conspicuous.

One was a stunning fairy in a black dress, with three thousand black hair cascading down like a waterfall. She was wearing a slim dress as black as night with stars floating on it, and a mysterious and elegant purple veil, revealing a pair of long eyes that were cold and arrogant.

His temperament was very arrogant and cold, but at this moment he was staring at the disembarkation in front of him without blinking.

A handsome young man, wearing a bright yellow suit, stood not far from the former, looking like a child from a wealthy family.

However, at this moment, there were several Crescent Moon Girls standing quietly behind him, protecting him secretly. In addition, there was a large group of guards with swords behind him.

Many passers-by and boat passengers looked solemnly...

Just as others were secretly astonished, the two focal points, the girl and the boy, suddenly showed joy on their faces almost at the same time, and walked quickly forward to greet him.

“Tzuyu.”

"Mr. Zhao."

When Zhao Rong and Qian'er walked down the stairs, they heard a familiar voice calling out.

Su Qingdai and the little emperor caught up, leading the group with a large group of people following behind them.

Zhao Rong instantly became the focus of everyone's attention at the ferry.

The young Confucian scholar nodded calmly, greeted the two of them, and then exchanged greetings with people from various forces.

At this time, a man Zhao Rong was familiar with, Zhengyi Tang, came forward and smiled at Zhao Rong:

"Brother Zhao, Brother Gu asked me to pick you up. He and other classmates are still busy in the Ministry of Rites. There are many things to do today, so I am the only one who came. Please don't blame me."

"It's okay, Brother Qin. After I get settled, I'll go to the Ministry of Rites to help in the afternoon."

Zhao Rong smiled and shook his head.

Afterwards, he told the student named Qin from Justice Hall not to wait for him but to return to the Ministry of Rites first.

The latter responded and left first.

Zhao Rong looked around at everyone, took the lead in leaving the ferry and going down the mountain.

On the way, Su Qingdai looked at Zhao Rong with bright eyes, turned her head, looked left and right, her eyes all on him.

It's like a girl in love who can't get enough of looking at her lover after being separated from him for two days.

The performance of the stunning woman in a black dress and with long hair like a waterfall attracted many people's attention.

However, a Confucian scholar named Zhao did not look at her. He lowered his eyes and looked at the ground, and no one knew what he was thinking about on the way.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, everyone said goodbye and left.

Only Su Qingdai and the followers brought by the little emperor remained.

At this time, Su Qingdai took the first step forward, but the next second, she was blocked by a small figure.

"Su maid, get behind me, don't block my way. Brother Rong'er has been traveling all day, don't get so clingy right away, like sticky candy, aren't you annoying? Humph, you are too ignorant. We don't have such girls in the Zhao family."

The little girl lectured in a condescending manner, completely forgetting that she herself had not actually done this either.

Su Qingdai's pretty face turned cold, she stared at her and opened her mouth, but in the end she didn't answer her and closed her mouth.

She bit her lip and said to Zhao Rong behind her:

"Tzuyu, during the two days you were gone, I had nothing to do at night, so I knitted you a cloak to keep you warm."

"Qingdai, thank you."

"What kind of cloak is this? It's just like a bed sheet. What's the point of wearing it? Only people from the north like to wear fancy clothes. Brother Rong'er and I are from the south, so we don't like such fancy things."

"you……"

Zhao Rong shook his head and did not join the confrontation between Xiao Qian'er and Qingdai.

He glanced at the little emperor behind him and said casually, "Qingdai, let's talk in the car later."

"OK."

Su Qingdai bit her lip and looked at him with a slightly resentful look, but immediately nodded obediently and went behind Zhao Rong.

The little emperor in the back couldn't help but take a few more glances at the pair of beauties who were vying for Mr. Zhao's favor.

There was some envy and admiration on her little face.

The young emperor knew Su Qingdai. He had often heard from his servants that she was the proud daughter of Ziwei Pavilion. In the fairy family in the northern mountains of Dali, she was a famous iceberg fairy. But now it seemed that the iceberg had melted in front of Mr. Zhao, and her heart had fallen. She started to compete with another beautiful sister beside Mr. Zhao...

The young man thought to himself...Mr. Zhao is really awesome. He can hold anyone's hand he wants, as he pleases.

Zhao Rong had no idea that he had suddenly become the little emperor's idol in some ways.

Zhao Rong bowed to the young emperor and said, "Your Majesty, please come to meet me. I am overwhelmed with fear."

Although it is only a temporary identity, he is indeed an official of the Dali Ministry of Rites at present.

"Sir, please stand up quickly and don't be so polite." The handsome little emperor quickly supported him and said with a smile:

"I also miss Mr. Zhao. Yesterday, I finally asked my mother for a day off and went to visit you at your house. However, I learned from Fairy Su that you had returned to the mountain, so I had to return disappointed."

He scratched his head. "Last night, when I was reading in the Imperial Study, I heard Mr. Zhang say that you would be back today, so I quietly slipped out to pick you up."

"Brother Zhang?" Zhao Rong frowned slightly and turned to look at Su Qingdai behind him.

The latter shook his head, thought for a moment, and said crisply:

"Zi Yu, last night an imperial censor named Zhang came to your house to look for you. He said that there was a banquet at his house and he wanted to invite you to go. He also said that some other senior brothers from the academy would also attend and asked you to go with them to get acquainted."

She glanced at Zhao Rong's face and said carefully, "But you were not there at the time, so I didn't talk to him much. Later, this Censor Zhang went to find Mr. Gu and the others."

Zhao Rong looked back and nodded slightly.

The date and route of his return were only revealed to Gu Yiwu and Su Qingdai. Now that I think about it, it should have been Gu Yiwu and others who told Zhang Huizhi.

Therefore, the latter learned early yesterday that Zhao Rong would return today.

As for the fact that various forces at the ferry sent people to pick up the boat today, Zhao Rong was not surprised.

This Yunhai ferry did not just stop in Hanjing, it had already entered Dali in the morning. The news of Zhao Rong's return did not escape those who were interested, and his every move at this moment became the focus of the entire Dali.

It is said that before going to bed every day, the Queen Mother Dugu would listen to Xuecan and other women carefully describing all of Zhao Rong's itinerary for the day before she could go to bed peacefully...

The young scholar's brows relaxed.

"When I first met Senior Brother Zhang, I thought he was aloof and noble, but now it seems he is quite warm and welcoming. He came to drink with me so soon..."

The little emperor nodded in agreement, "Mr. Zhao, Mr. Zhang is indeed cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Although he is strict with me in class sometimes, he is also very kind in private."

The boy praised his teacher.

Zhao Rong nodded.

He studied the little emperor's expression.

The young man in yellow clothes had a smile on his face and seemed to be in a good mood. There was no trace of the emotions from that day on his face.

So, I don’t know whether he has kept the words of killing someone in his heart, or whether it was just a boyish remark.

Zhao Rong smiled and didn't mention what happened that day again.

He glanced at the little emperor who was lingering around and asked, "Your Majesty, is there anything else besides receiving me?"

The little emperor blushed, nodded a little embarrassedly, and whispered: "Mr. Zhao, are you free now?"

Zhao Rong thought about it and nodded, "There is something, but it's not urgent. It can be put off for a while. If Your Majesty has something important to say, you can tell me."

The handsome young man looked at the people around him.

Zhao Rong took a step forward and walked out alone, taking the little emperor with him and walking in front, keeping some distance from Zhao Qian'er, Su Qingdai and Xian Yueli, the other girls behind him.

The two of them took the lead and walked on the official road.

"Your Majesty may speak now."

Zhao Rong rolled up his sleeves, slightly raised his head, and looked at the bright autumn sun in front of him. The sunlight fell on his face, casting a layer of white glow.

The little emperor tilted his head and was slightly dazed when he saw this scene.

His whispered tone also became more cheerful, and his smile was as brisk as the wind blowing in his face:

"Mr. Zhao, I... I ran away from school. Those older sisters from the Music Bureau will definitely report it to my mother. My mother has been in a bad mood recently and will definitely punish me to kneel again. Ahem, I ran away to pick you up, sir. You can't just stand by and watch me die. Well, the books call this... this is called..."

The boy danced and jumped, trying hard to remember some domineering and sexy words.

"Loyalty?"

"Yes! This is called loyalty! The heroes and real men in the books are all like this. We scholars should also be loyal."

The little emperor nodded, his shoulders slumped, his tone light and cheerful.

Zhao Rong laughed and shook his head.

Are you sure you don't want to use this as an excuse to have fun and kill time?

He stretched out his hand as an umbrella to block the sunlight and looked out at the magnificent and brand new city walls of Hanjing in the distance.

"Yes, that makes sense. Your Majesty, how can I help you? Yes, we scholars value loyalty, but we can't make things difficult for others, right?"

"Of course! Mr. Zhao, I want to take you to Guanghan Palace, to Queen Mother's place, so we can have lunch together. Queen Mother really wants to be close to you, but you don't want to be a high-ranking official, and you also declined the banquet invitation a few days ago... So, if I can take you to dinner, Queen Mother will definitely be very happy, and maybe she won't punish me to kneel."

Guanghan Palace is the sleeping palace of Empress Dowager Dugu in the imperial city.

Zhao Rong heard this, but did not answer and turned back.

He said casually, "Did your mother instruct you on this request for dinner?"

The little emperor shook his head, thought for a moment, raised his head and said seriously: "My mother didn't ask me to take you, but I also have some selfish motives. It's just that you have been rejecting her advances in the past few days. I don't want my mother to be sad, and I can avoid punishment at the same time. I think Mr. Zhao should agree."

Zhao Rong nodded.

A few days ago, Dugu and her friends did request a private dinner, but he had not agreed to it because he wanted to implement the fence-sitting strategy of "playing both sides of the fence", so he did not agree.

Besides, there's probably no point in going there.

The Dugu family will definitely not show up, and even when eating together they will wear a veil and hang a beaded curtain, which is even more exaggerated than the isolation for infectious diseases.

He and she sat so far away from each other like an idiot, with a long table in the middle, making it difficult to pick up food. Well, they couldn't even pick up food from the same bowl. They were in front of everyone, so they had to be polite...

So did you go and learn royal etiquette?

The young scholar was silent for a while, then suddenly said:

"Then do you know why your mother is so anxious to get close to me?"

“Yes.”

"oh?"

"It's about the Fengshan Ceremony. My mother said that success or failure depends on this one move. Only if I win this Fengshan Ceremony can I step out of my father's shadow and become the true master of this land under my feet."

The handsome young man turned his head and looked around at the beautiful scenery of the countryside in autumn.

The young scholar was slightly surprised and asked curiously, "Oh? Then you have never thought of asking me for help?"

The handsome young man raised his head and asked:

"Mr. Zhao, why do I need your help? Isn't the Fengshan Ceremony the will of heaven? Is it the heroic spirits of the ancestors of Lidi who choose the true monarch of Dali in heaven?"

"My mother is close to you, isn't it because she hopes you can hold the ceremony completely and fairly? You are responsible for the ceremony."

"Although I don't quite agree with her approach, after all, it shows that she doesn't trust Mr. Zhao enough. She deliberately tries to win his favor. It's unnecessary. It's the troublesome way that adults deal with favors and exchange interests. I've seen it in books."

As he spoke, he lowered his eyes and looked at the stones under his feet.

"But I understand that my mother is worried about the ceremony. After all, it is a serious matter. She said... many people want to kill us, both openly and covertly. We should pay special attention to... the two warriors..."

"Mother...I really hope that I am the one chosen by our ancestors, and that the grand ceremony will bring auspicious signs to the world. Although I don't know what I have that is worthy of the ancestors in the Nine Heavens Cold Palace. I...I just don't want to see my mother sad. After my father left, she is my only relative."

The boy's voice was a little low.

The young scholar turned his head and looked at him, silent for a while.

When he took off his dragon robe, he looked like an ordinary boy from a poor Beijing family.

The young scholar slightly turned sideways and looked at the imperial city buildings not far away, as if squinting his eyes to examine them carefully:

"Have you ever thought about yourself? Only if you win the Fengshan Ceremony and an auspicious sign appears, will you have the chance to... avenge your broken hand."

The handsome young man was silent for a while, then suddenly said, "Mr. Zhao, didn't you say that I can only rely on myself for all this? Should I rely on God's will? Go and ask our ancestors, ask... ask... ask you to help me secretly?"

Upon hearing this, the young scholar did not look back at him, nor did he say anything in response.

The two of them kept walking, speechless for a while.

They all walked forward in silence.

Behind them, a large group of people followed quietly.

After walking a dozen steps, the young scholar suddenly stopped and the handsome boy looked back in a daze.

The scholar smiled like a spring breeze and said:

"Well, we shouldn't walk there. By the time we reach Guanghan Palace, the food will probably be cold."

The young man groaned, was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly laughed:

"Okay! Let's get in the car and go!"

…

"By the way, your last name is Li. What's your first name? I've never heard of it. You've been calling me Mr. for so long, but I still don't know your name."

"Li Wangque. Wang as in Wangque, Que as in Wangque."

“…What a nice name.”

"Well, few outsiders know about it. My mother gave it to me. She said...she wanted to give me a gift in the future."

"Hiss, so domineering."