The main hall was magnificent and luxurious; the moment you stepped inside, you were hit by the stench of nouveau riche money.
The palace banquet was ready, and the palace servants were placing the porcelain plates one by one in an orderly manner.
Changping arranged for Qinghe and the other two to sit in the seats closest to the door, so that they would be inconspicuous and have a clear view of the situation inside the palace.
Once everyone was seated, the once quiet palace suddenly became quite lively.
Mo Zhanli sat high in the main seat, exuding an imposing aura without anger. Consort Cheng sat beside him, dignified and elegant.
After some pleasantries, the dinner began.
Qinghe, dressed in men's clothing, didn't attract much attention. As soon as he sat down, he rolled up his sleeves and prepared to start eating.
He devoured the food in front of him like a whirlwind, then turned his attention to another plate, completely ignoring the astonished looks on the faces of the two people beside him.
Changping, who was originally sitting in the front, left his seat and crouched down to sneak over to the empty seat next to Qinghe.
She gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, "Qinghe, after the palace banquet, could you accompany me for a walk?"
Qing slowly swallowed the last bite and said, "I'm afraid not tonight, I have other things to do."
Changping said disappointedly, "Couldn't we have rescheduled for another day?"
Qing shook her head resolutely.
"Alright." Changping conceded, sitting quietly to the side without saying another word.
Mo Zhanli made a symbolic glance around before fixing his gaze on Zhuge Hongming, who was sitting upright below.
He raised his wine glass and said in a resounding voice, "You have come from afar and must be a little tired. This wine is from the finest Jade Dragon Pool, which will quench your thirst and relieve your fatigue. Please have a taste."
When the king offers a toast, how can one refuse? Everyone present in the hall stood up, raised their cups, and drank them down in one gulp.
Shen Xun was still a child at heart. He was not even as tall as the table when he stood up. As soon as his hand touched the wine glass, Qing He slapped his hand away.
"You're too young; drinking isn't suitable for you."
Shen Xun raised an eyebrow, looked at her coldly, raised his wine glass, poured the wine into his mouth, smacked his lips, and said, "It tastes good," which was full of provocation.
The two of them were playfully fighting without any restraint, while Mo Junqian and Changping, standing nearby, seemed like insignificant people who had been ignored.
After a drink, the group began to chat, each talking about their own things. Most of those present were officials and their children, their levels of education varying greatly, probably due to their political careers.
The Southern King was also among them.
When he was young, the Prince of the South was ruthless and unruly, but in his old age he became kind and gentle, with softer facial features, and one could still vaguely see the charm of his youth.
Many officials toasted him, and he responded to each one. After everyone was alone, he took his son and came to stand in front of Zhuge Hongming.
He clasped his hands in a slight fist salute and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhuge, it's been many years, you still have the same charm as before!"
Zhuge Hongming stood up and nodded slightly.
Knowing the dean's eccentric personality, the Southern King didn't mind and continued, "Tianqi Academy is now renowned, and countless people consider it an honor to enter it. I wonder if my son is qualified?"
He didn't lower his voice deliberately when he spoke, and the people around him weren't surprised that the famous Southern King wanted to use his connections to get his son admitted, simply because the Tianqi Academy's standards for accepting disciples were indeed quite strict.
Most of the reason, of course, can be attributed to the eccentric Zhuge Hongming.
Zhuge Hongming was a rigid, conservative, serious, and cold man who always had a stern face and spoke without any mercy. Yet, he possessed profound wisdom and unique insight. Anyone who had been trained by him could break through their bottlenecks and make rapid progress in their cultivation. Anyone he disliked would not even glance at him, even if they were to die right in front of him.
Even though the independent cultivators who studied on their own had heard about his temper, they still desperately wanted to get into Tianqi Academy, after all, his strength was undeniable.
Most importantly, Apocalypse Academy has the backing of the royal family and is extremely wealthy. Even if it is not the top of the five major sects, it is certainly not lacking in terms of food, clothing, housing and transportation.
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Hongming turned to the side of the Prince of the South, looking at the young and inexperienced young master with a cold and sharp gaze.
That one glance made his hair stand on end, and he showed fear in front of a group of experts; he was still young after all.
Zhuge Hongming sat down, drank a cup of wine, shook his head and said, "Without a solid foundation, it's difficult to achieve great things."
The words were quite blunt, and everyone present except Zhuge Hongming looked embarrassed. However, the Prince of the South still wore a kind smile and seemed completely unaffected.
"Hahaha, Mr. Zhuge, you've hit the nail on the head! My disobedient son, every time I tell him to cultivate seriously, he just won't listen. All he does is cause trouble all day long. I was hoping you could discipline him properly, sigh!"
Upon hearing this, the others quickly offered words of comfort: "Your Highness, there's no need to worry. The child is still young; it's good to teach him slowly..."
"Yeah yeah……"
Zhuge Hongming sat in his original spot, drinking silently without uttering a word, as if he were detached from the matter.
Drinking and eating at a banquet is too monotonous, so Mo Zhanli instructed the palace servants to prepare entertainment. Before long, several beautiful dancers gracefully arrived at the center of the hall.
Drinking and merrymaking, singing and dancing—the banquet reached its climax with the added excitement of the music and dance.
Qinghe, sitting at the table, held a fan and a bottle of wine. In no time, the bottle was empty. She reached for another bottle, when suddenly two slender fingers touched her hand. Qinghe frowned and looked at Mo Junqian.
Mo Junqian: "Stop drinking, you'll get drunk if you drink any more. Don't forget we have important business to attend to tonight."
Qinghe slapped his hand away and said coldly, "I know what I'm doing."
Just as he picked up the wine pot and poured a full cup, Mo Junqian's voice came through his ear again: "Drinking can lead to trouble. It's okay if you get drunk, but if you ruin tonight's plans, it will be difficult for you to enter the palace again."
With a loud thud, the wine pot was slammed onto the table. Qinghe looked impatient and coldly stared at him.
Mo Junqian did not dodge, his eyes filled with stubbornness and probing. The two remained locked in a stalemate, neither willing to compromise.
The "child" Shen Xun was forced to stand in the middle, looking left and right, and finally said, "If you keep looking like this, time will be running out."
Qinghe's eyes flickered, and she finally looked away.
Changping, standing to the side, looked bewildered: "What's wrong with you two? And what are you planning to do tonight?"
Qinghe used his family's secret face-changing technique and smiled at her, saying, "It's nothing, just a private matter."
Even if Changping was a gossip, he had no reason to pry into other people's private affairs, so he could only give up in frustration.
Seeing Changping listlessly counting the grapes on the plate, Qinghe took the initiative this time and said, "By the way, didn't you want to go for a walk? I'll go with you."
Changping immediately perked up, asking uncertainly, "Really? Won't it interfere with your plans?"
Qing smiled and touched her hair: "No, let's go."
Changping then looked at Mo Junqian and Shen Xun: "What about the other two?"
Qinghe turned his head and winked at them from an angle where Changping couldn't see him. Shen Xun understood and said, "We'll just wait for you to come back here."
Just what she wanted, Changping immediately beamed with joy and quietly slipped out of the palace with Qinghe in her hand.
The night was deep, and the stars filled the sky. Changping and Qinghe strolled leisurely through the imperial city. Qinghe was a head taller than Changping, and from behind, they really looked like a couple.
On the quiet path, apart from the guards on their routine patrol, there was no one else around. The palace servants were probably exhausted and slacking off in some corner. From the dark plants, a few crickets chirped occasionally.
Changping suddenly asked, "Have you been to many places?"
Qing placed a hand on her waist and pressed it subtly, saying, "Hmm."
Changping asked with longing, "Isn't the outside world beautiful and interesting?"
Qinghe: "That depends on how you define the word 'interesting.' If you think it's interesting, then it is interesting."
Changping laughed: "This is the first time I've heard this kind of statement."
Before Qinghe could reply, she continued, "You know, I've asked this question to countless people. Some say the outside world is beautiful and vast, with many new things to see, while others say it's dangerous and you could die at any moment. But no matter what, I want to try it out and see if what they say is true."
As she spoke, Qinghe looked at her profile; her beautiful eyes shone brightly even in the darkness.
"But you've never gone out, have you?"
Changping nodded, his smile tinged with bitterness and helplessness: "My father protected me too well. He was always afraid that I would get hurt, so he forbade me to go anywhere. I didn't want to hurt him, so I always obeyed him."
Qinghe considered her words; she really wasn't very good at this kind of literary topic.
"He doesn't have to do that. You're an adult now, not a child."
“Yes, I’m not a child anymore.” Changping sighed. “But I have no choice. In this cold and heartless palace, he is my only family.”
Qinghe didn't know what to say and fell silent for a moment.
After a long silence, Changping asked, "Will you leave Tianqi Kingdom?"
Qinghe: "We never belonged here; we were going to leave sooner or later."
Changping said dejectedly, "Yes, I'll have to leave sooner or later."
Seeing her heartbroken expression, Qinghe felt a rare pang of pity and said, "Since you want to go outside so much, why don't I take you and let you see how the outside world is different from what you imagined? How about that?"
Changping suddenly raised her head, her eyes shining: "Really! Then it's a deal, don't lie to me!"
Qinghe nodded: "Of course, I'm not lying to you. But how are you going to explain this to your father?"
Changping clapped his hands: "No problem, leave it to me. With you here, he'll definitely agree." He then looked at her affectionately and smiled shyly.
Qinghe coughed lightly, gave an awkward laugh, and remained silent.
Unknowingly, they arrived in front of a palace. Changping looked around and exclaimed in alarm, "How did we get here? Let's go back! Let's go back!"
Qinghe, puzzled, asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Changping explained, "This place is a forbidden area in the palace. Father doesn't allow anyone to enter. If he discovers it, they will be beheaded!"
Qinghe swept past the palace, which was not really a palace, because it was too small and insignificant compared to the other towering palaces.
The surrounding flowers and plants grow lushly and are kept in perfect order, presumably cleaned by palace servants every day. Such a peaceful and tranquil place would never make one associate it with the word "forbidden zone".
Changping kept urging her on, and Qinghe took one last look before suddenly stopping in her tracks as she turned to leave.
She subconsciously pressed her waist, and there it was, the Wind-Stabilizing Pearl that had been lying quietly and hadn't reacted for days, suddenly became responsive.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com