Chapter 172: Disguised into the Palace, Langjiang Competitor
"Are they all here?"
In the study of Prince Qi's mansion, Lu Heying nodded to Shang Yuwan.
"Yes, they've all arrived, and the gifts have been counted by the Ministry of Rites. But this time there's one more thing than the last Shang Liu Banquet, and it's not a gift."
Xiao Qingxu's mind moved: "What is it?"
Lu Heying suddenly smiled, and Shang Yuwan's brows twitched.
"Nine Revolutions Pill."
In this case, Cui Xing and his men must be dead. As for Yanmen... they should have been wiped out by Qiao Ai and his men, but I don't know where those 50,000 private soldiers went.
Ever since she learned about the news of 50,000 private soldiers from Mingshu, she asked Baijialou to investigate, but they found nothing. The news was really well hidden.
Shang Yuwan's eyes flickered as she suddenly asked, "How's Yi Buyuan doing?"
Lu Heying said, "Master Monk's prediction is correct. King Qu Qi is dying. The First Prince is busy handling Qu Qi's internal affairs and winning over the people. He wishes the Second Prince would stay away from Qu Qi. The envoy from the third state this time must naturally be the Second Prince."
The third-party envoys would only appear at the end of the Shangliu Banquet or when disagreements arose between the two sides. They weren't particularly crucial, but they were an indispensable part. Emperor Chengming was concerned that some of the more volatile officials at the banquet might cause a quarrel with the Langjiang side, so he asked Qu Qiguo to send someone to mediate.
“Knock knock.”
Someone knocked on the door and pushed it open. The people who came were Ji Suxian, Twelve, Bai Xiaoye, Cheng Yishui and others.
"OP, the Rain Needle has been strengthened by Acheng, and there is also a soft sword that can be hidden in the sleeves." Cheng Yishui put the two things made by Ju Gongcheng on the table.
Shang Yuwan picked up the soft sword and looked at it, frowning, "No, if someone finds out, it would be tantamount to treason."
Although she really wanted to rebel against Emperor Chengming.
Xiao Qingxu also pushed the Rain Needle outwards. "This matter is of great importance. We still need to enter the palace to find the child. We must not be careless."
Shang Yuwan speculated that Emperor Chengming had captured Shang Mingqi and wanted to use Shang Liuyan's banquet as an opportunity to sneak into the palace to look for him. Although Xiao Qingxu thought it unlikely, seeing Shang Yuwan's unconcealable anxiety, he agreed.
Ji Suxian leaned against the lacquer pillar, arms folded across his chest. "But if you don't bring anything with you, what if a fight breaks out? Rabbits have two big front teeth for chewing carrots."
The Shang Liu Banquet was a matter of great importance to Dayu and Langjiang, so no mistakes could be made. The palace's security had been significantly strengthened. Sneaking in wasn't impossible, but the challenge was if there were too many people and they were discovered. That would be disastrous for Xiao Qingxu, Shang Yuwan, and Xiao Qinggu.
Because the Shang Liuyan had a rule about not bringing in their own people, Ju Gongcheng worked tirelessly to create a second mask made of real human skin, and also modified the human skin mask used by Cheng Yishui. Xiao Qingxu only brought Shang Yuwan and Twelve in, leaving the others to wait anxiously outside.
Xiao Qingxu said, "For this business banquet, the Crown Prince did not receive special permission to leave the Eastern Palace like he did for the last celebration banquet. Emperor Chengming would not allow the Princess to act recklessly in public, and she would not dare to do so either."
Ji Suxian rolled her eyes: "Oh, then let me praise you for being extremely smart."
Xiao Qingxu: “…” He still remembered the time when he jumped off the cliff with Shang Yuwan in his arms.
"Su Xian, don't worry about us." Shang Yuwan blinked, "Don't you still have the hairpin?"
Ji Suxian looked at her and said helplessly: "What's the use of your hairpin? It will break if hit by a knife... Hairpin?"
Shang Yuwan smiled.
"Yes. A hairpin is enough."
The next day, at court, drums and music filled the air. The Langjiang envoy, bearing a letter of credence, entered the Luanyang Hall, guided by officials from the Ministry of Rites. According to etiquette, the Langjiang envoy was required to perform the ritual of three kowtows before Emperor Chengming, seated on the Dragon Throne.
After the ceremony, the Langjiang envoy respectfully held the letter of credence in both hands, and the eunuch took it from him and handed it to Emperor Chengming for reading... Xiao Qingxu took the seat as Prince Qi, and after completing the entire set of procedures, he quietly sat in his seat.
A palace maid came to Xiao Qingxu and poured him tea. Xiao Qingxu was weak, so Emperor Chengming specially ordered someone to serve him medicinal tea.
"Your Highness, please." The palace maid had two hairpins stuck in her hair. She handed the teacup to Xiao Qingxu and secretly blinked her left eye.
Although it was an ordinary face, Xiao Qingxu was so cute that he almost laughed out loud.
He took the teacup and said softly, "Thank you."
People outside the palace were not allowed to come in, so Shang Yuwan and Twelve put on human skin masks, took the voice-changing medicine given by Ji Suxian, and sneaked into the palace.
Twelve disguised himself as a low-ranking guard on patrol and sneaked into the harem, while Shang Yuwan disguised herself as a palace maid and took the opportunity to get close to Xiao Qingxu. While accompanying Xiao Qingxu, she observed the forces at the table.
At the beginning of the banquet, Emperor Chengming exchanged pleasantries with the Langjiang envoy, and the conversation turned to the Nine Revolutions Pill.
"I've heard that the Nine Revolutions Pill can bring people back to life. Is this true?"
Emperor Chengming sat in the supreme seat, and the banquet seats were divided into east and west sides. The Langjiang envoy sat first on the west side, and Xiao Qingxu and others sat on the east side, arranged according to their status and official positions.
The Langjiang envoy laughed and said, "Your Majesty, you are overpraising me. This elixir only has the effect of prolonging life."
The corners of Emperor Chengming's lips curled up, and he became interested. "Oh? This item is not included in the gift list. Does your envoy intend to treat it as a competing item?"
Xiao Qingxu didn't seem to react, but Shang Yuwan's ears twitched. Xiao Qinggu, who had been looking down, couldn't help but look over.
Xiao Tong paused slightly as he picked up the wine glass, his eyebrows moving slightly.
What did her good brother want to do? To snatch the Nine Revolution Pill from her and prolong his life?
"My king specially sent me here with the elixir for this very reason." Emperor Chengming asked knowingly, and the Langjiang envoy answered with a smile.
Emperor Chengming asked again, "Since this is a competing product brought by your envoy, how should we compete?"
The Langjiang envoy descended the steps. "My Lord has a plan. We will have one contest in literature and one in martial arts. The judges will nominate two contestants from each side. The four judges will raise their glasses to decide whether they agree with the two contestants' answers. If they disagree, there's no need to raise a glass. To prevent a tie, the final judge will have to trouble His Majesty to make the final decision."
"If your Majesty's men win, they will obtain this pill and be at your disposal. If they lose, I will take this Nine Revolutions Pill back with me."
Emperor Chengming said, "In the literary arena, one question will be asked, and the answer will be limited to half a quarter of an hour. In the martial arts arena, the answer will be limited to one stick of incense, and the contest will end when all the questions are answered. In each arena, one person will compete, regardless of status. What do you think, Your Excellency?"
The Langjiang envoy's smile never faded from beginning to end. "Your Majesty is broad-minded, and we naturally have no objection."
Emperor Chengming smiled and looked at everyone, "Is anyone willing?"
Xiao Tong looked around calmly and found that there was something wrong with the palace maid accompanying Xiao Qingxu.
She stared for a few seconds, and suddenly a light bulb went off in her head. She said, "I see..."
"Father." Xiao Qinggu immediately stood up and saluted Emperor Chengming.
"I, your son, would like to have a competition with your Excellency's men."
Xiao Tong: "..."
Emperor Chengming praised: "Excellent! As expected of my daughter!"
"Your Majesty," Prime Minister Qiu Boke stood up, "I would like to ask to be the judge of the literary competition."
"Your Majesty," the Minister of Rites stood up, "I would like to ask to be the judge of the literary competition."
Xiao Qingxu lowered his eyes and said nothing, taking a sip of tea slowly.
This year's business banquet is really lively.
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